Aspire vs. Festy E-Brake Cable

[Powerstiva]

With the aspire brake swap do you need to use the aspire e-brake cable or will the festy one still work?

[Huli]

festy cable is too short by about 1 inch.

I tried...lol

[Hot_Wheels]

i have an idea for those needing a aspire cable. get the Russians disc brake swap stuff and buy a hydraulic parking brake, tie into the existing rear brake lines and you wont need any cable.

http://compare.ebay.com/like/230832703955?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

so you will have a rear disc and working parking brake! problem solved?

[Powerstiva]

hmm......

[Safety Guy]

In my experience the difference at the rear is only about 1/2" to maybe 3/4". I made a connector out of a Festiva or Aspire e-brake end to extend it once. This mod is done by clamping a piece of metal the thickness of the brake arm in the end of the piece with the vice grips (the hole end). Then put the "U" end in a vice and smash it down flat (for a double thickness). Then drill a hole to take the pin to fit it into the Festiva cable end with cotter pin and get another cotter pin to attach the "new" end you made onto the brake arm.

Parts needed: Festiva or Aspire cable end, cotter pin and spring retainer.

Tools needed: vice grips, 4" or larger vice, maybe hand sledgehammer for forming.

Pretty easy actually, and yeah, I should do a pictorial on it I suppose.

Karl

[F3BZ]

this is pretty much the only difference between the 2DOOR ASPIRE and the FESTIVA E-brake. i tried my damndest to line up the equalizer brackets of both and as you can see, the ASPIRE (top) is about 1/2 inch longer and the clevis has a little tang you could cut off. this is on both sides. this extra length is probably due to the parking brake actuators being a little further from the twist beam since the aspire drum/backing plate is a good bit larger in diameter. also, the ASPIRE secondary cables are sheathed in a plastic coating i'd guess for better corrosion resistence. the main cable (from the equilizer to the E-brake handle) are exactly the same length and all mounting brackets are the same type and in the same place. now an E-brake cable for a 4DOOR ASPIRE has a MAIN cable that is about 3/4 inch longer than the 2DOOR ASPIRE cable due to the stretched WB but you could get it to fit the FESTIVA by S-shaping the main cable between the parking brake handle and the equilizer bar.

[Bert]

F3BZ: Excellent photograph! Besides stickies there really should be a compilation of search feature things (ie e-brakes) all rolled into one post.

[Safety Guy]

I agree those are great pictures F3BZ!

I'd use the Festiva cable end clevis to make the extension since you don't have to mess with the additional projection on the end.

Karl