AquaMutt build thread...

[SuperDaveGulvak]

Glad you got the supension figured out Hope all goes well on the seal repair tomorrow as well Karl!

[Safety Guy]

It's almost 11am and all is well.

Took old (wrong) seal out and put in the new one. Went on TIGHTER, as it should. I did my penknife test and it passed: no gap at all.

NOTE: On my 1994 B6, the cam and crank seals are NOT the same. The crank seal is significantly larger--I'd estimate about 1/4"--in both inside and outside diameters.

Now I'm putting the parts back together.

Life is looking better now. I hope to be pouring oil back in around noon.

Karl

[Safety Guy]

Very minor update, since I talked with John today and he was wondering where I was.

I finished putting the engine together and reinstalled the alternator. Engine compartment basically done.

I got my right side seatbelt back from Seatbeltplanet a few days ago. It looks nice with the new navy blue webbing on the old tan parts.

I hope to be installing that and Mutt's actual cut springs on the front struts (and the struts into the car) tomorrow. Should be a nice enough day. I just have to keep battling this laziness of which I am afflicted. I might be able to get Aqua to the alignment place too.

After that, it should be time to revisit the interior and start putting in padding, rubber, appropriate trim, etc. to make this one a nice hauler.

After that, I'll be checking with DaveG for his welding skills on a nice roof rack install like on his blue car.

Sorry about my slow-ossity.

Karl

[Safety Guy]

I finished swapping the proper cut springs into my Rio struts today and installed both.

I did about a ten minute test drive and parked her--no leaks after twenty minutes of sitting.

I should be going in for an alignment tomorrow! Maybe another little test drive tonight to get some food.

One minor problem--no temp registering on guage. Everything looks fine and the temp sender was Aqua's original from her B3 whiched worked. So it's possible it's the tach cluster I put in that doesn't work or wasn't hooked up right. I'll probably redo that after putting the original guage cluster back to check temp. That probably won't happen for a few days since the nice weather is leaving tonight and rain is returning.

She drives a LOT better than before and the front height looks stock or just a bit higher than stock. I think this will work!

Karl

[SuperDaveGulvak]

" I love it when a plan comes together! " I'd love to see pics of this roof rack when its done. I kinda was looking for one I could canibalize at the PnP today. Didn't see any but I did get center caps, rear window latches & a thermostat housing. Oh and I can't explain it but stuff always jumps in my socks- this time the rear badges hopped in there

[Safety Guy]

Careful Dave--you don't want to alert the automotive recycling center goons what you may be up to!!

I began this morning by driving Aqua to McDonald's for breakfast, where I could look out the window (it's raining) in comfort and ponder my front suspension. It didn't look good, with the front tires still sticking out to the side a bit at the tops. I wondered if I should cut the front springs another half a coil before taking it into the shop for an alignment.

I went home and called the shop to see if they had camber bolts and if they could fit me in. They could get them and yes, come on in. I pondered some more...

Took her in and good news: my toe was so off that it looked like a camber problem. Everything aligned properly and I then got on the freeway to go run an errand.

The rest of my update is here:

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?p=398307#post398307

(I still have to find my camera battery charger, so no new pics yet.)

More to do on little problems, but one resolved itself. As I pulled into my alley, my right turn signal "fixed" itself! The front bulb is working now for some reason. I have to get my temp gauge working, put in the right side seatbelt, and finish the interior. And keep checking things...

I'm a happy boy though. Taking her to work when I go back!

Karl

[JPT]

Oh and I can't explain it but stuff always jumps in my socks- this time the rear badges hopped in there

It's funny how that happens, huh? Every time I go to a 'yard, I seem to become magnetic. :smile:

...and Karl, we need some pics!

[Safety Guy]

Okay, I think it's time to pay attention to "cleaning some house." That battery charger has to be somewhere around here.

Ha! Just found it. Battery charging. Pics tomorrow or later tonight.

Karl

[Safety Guy]

It's still raining, so those spots on the pics aren't "ghosts." They're raindrops.





Front end height looks way better, yes?

Rain should leave by this weekend, when I'll be doing more work. I had to ziptie the front plate on because the hardware I bought at the store didn't fit.

Karl

[fastivaca]

I really like the wheels. I have to switch wheels on mine seeing as I'm doing the Aspire swap so might consider these too. What size tires are you running?

Great write up Karl... keep up the great work!

[Safety Guy]

Ian, I have 175/70-13s on my 13 X 5.5" VW alloys. Two came on Metro rims with the car, while I got the other two from the junkyard. All are unbrands, but in really good shape and the two oldest are from 2006, so they should be safe.

I static balanced the right two wheels as best I could and I had the shop spin balance the left two. Let's say it's an "experiment."

I may go for some 185/55-14 Marangonis on my Miata daisies when summer comes.

Karl

[spiko]

Great build. Very informative Glad you got her running!

[Safety Guy]

Thanks Spiko!

A little update...

Been fixing some relatively minor problems here and there:

-front turn signal pigtails had spotty connections--fixed, now working fine (for now)
-coolant leaks from upper and lower rad hoses--seems fixed for the moment. I initially used some "removeable turnkey" clamps that didn't seem to get too tight. Replaced today with Ballkamps from NAPA. Used two on the lower hose at the radiator, just in case.

Still to fix...

-Leaking a bit from left CV axle seal. Will fix when I do the brakes in a month or so. I keep an extra speedo "dipstick" without the O ring in the car for easier checking, along with fluid.

-Brakes work "okay," but after an Aspire swap they should be AWESOME. I need to put on new rotors and pads in place of these rusty old parts. I'll use auto Aspire stuff for extra bite and I think I'll order up some EBC Green Stuff (Escort) pads to try out. Also need Rio front brake hoses to fit the Rio strut brackets (the middle metal fitting on each hose).

-Temp gauge doesn't work. I think it's the tach cluster, because the original gauge worked before the swap. I need to do that ASAP.

-Need to hook up radiator fan for warmer weather. This can't slide for long...it's no fun playing "coolant roulette."

-Need to put the rear tires on the front. They have better tread with more siping.

I had my two left side wheels balanced by the shop. I did my best to static balance the two on the right. So far they seem smooth. Maybe a hint of vibe around 65. We'll see what happens when I rotate them.

My first tank full got me 31.5 mpg. Heavy right foot syndrome! (Yes, corrected for the larger 175/70-13s at a 7 percent difference.)

After this stuff is fixed I'll be redoing the interior, hitting up DaveG to do my roof rack and planning on my Big Time Rear Bumper and Heavy Duty Hitch Project. Since Aqua will be my work car, I have a better idea of where to store the full size spare. (If it works out, I think folks'll be impressed.)

More pics as soon as I make some more progress,

Karl

[Safety Guy]

Time for more pics. First, my manual seatbelt installation. I hate the auto belts, so this mod will be done to my other two cars. Since Aqua inherited a lot of parts from the original Muttstiva, she got Mutt's 2001 Ford left side belt and center latches, which came with the belt. I got them because Mutt's original left belt retractor went bad. I'm not worried about them since NOS belts installed in 2001 should be much "fresher" than even 1997 Aspire belts! Earlier in this thread, I showed the floor pan without seats and some of the differences between auto belt stuff and manual belt stuff. Now here are close ups of how the manual belt main reel goes into an auto belt car.

First, the left side as it is now, before any interior trim has gone in:



A close up of the reel, showing my sheet metal connection which serves as a stabilizer at the top of the reel body:



I made it out of some folded sheet metal left over from a home furnace installation. It comes in short lengths and is probably not the best material, but it slipped onto the top of the reel body nicely and will do for now. I plan to put in a better piece before I finalize my interior. Please note that this top stabilizing piece is NOT one that takes the forces in a crash. All it does is keep the top from moving around. The main bolt is at the bottom of the reel housing and bolts in just like the auto belt reel did.

Now here is my newly rewebbed right side belt:



I had it done at Seatbeltplanet.com and I think they did a great job. They should have, for $140! There is a local place I will check out, but I'm happy with this. I had them do a navy webbing to keep the theme of "mutt" going. They don't match, but don't clash with the tan belt on the left.

There are two possible mounting points for the upper belt attachment. I've used the higher one. There is a point about eight or ten inches lower which you could use, too, if you wanted one that short. Unless you're under five feet tall, I wouldn't recommend it.

Finally, the end of the three point manual belt bolts into a hole near where the lap belt reel was inserted into the rocker panel area. If anyone needs better pics of these mounting points, just let me know and I can get them on here.

Essentially, manual belts bolt up to auto cars if you have all the old belt parts. You only need to take out the auto belt crap (note that choice of descriptor!) and put in the manual belts. You'll then need to stabilize the top of the reel body like I showed, and also you'll either have to run '88 or '89 seats with their manual belt specific bracket attachments, or you could adapt some other car's seat (like Mattswabb did with his Prelude seats in his cars) to fit.

Note: Auto belt car seats have different brackets at the inside rear, and they will not work, or will have to be adapted, to fit with manual belts! So '88 and '89 Festy seats will help with an easy belt swap. At least that's how I did it here.

Finally, though I don't show it here, the center ebrake cover/rear ash tray is also different from manual belt vs. auto belt cars to allow proper seat latch mounting. So for easy results, I'm using Mutt's old tan ebrake cover to work with my manual belts.

To sum up my belt swap ("old" means '88 and '89 cars, while "new" means all later cars):

-old Festiva manual belts, preferably rewebbed for safety!
-old Festiva ebrake cover
-old Festiva seats
-tuck away the new cars' wiring for the auto seatbelt controller (I covered this earlier in my thread)
-hook up one wire to the ebrake handle (to red light on instrument cluster, also shown earlier)
-make your own stabilizer piece to hold the top of the manual belt reel (the only part that does not directly bolt in the new cars--it simply doesn't reach)

I think that's it for this part.

Karl

[Safety Guy]

I finally wired up my radiator fan the other day. It is warming up so I should not take chances, especially since my temp gauge is not working! Gotta fix that soon, too.

Here was my setup as I tried to use "logic" to hook up my wires:



The fan has a blue and a black wire. My wire plug was obtained earlier that day at a 'yard since my original plug was not very good. This plug is from an Aspire radiator hookup. The fan is also from an Aspire, but it is the smaller A/C fan, which mounts on the FRONT of the condenser. So which wires do I hook up?

I figured instead of matching the wire colors, I'd swap them since I wanted the fan to blow "the other way." So I did.

Fail. My "logic" was wrong. At least I tested it before wrapping it all up. I also tested it by unhooking the thermoswitch plug at the thermostat housing so the fan would run by default. Since I had no helper to turn the switch, I unhooked the negative battery cable and turned the ignition to "on." Then when I wanted to test the fan, I connected the negative cable and I was right there to see everything, vs, inside the car where I would have seen little or nothing!

The fan also rubbed my "custom" fan brackets, too. So I trimmed those. (FYI, they were made from the same cheap furnace sheet metal leftovers that I used for my seatbelt reel stabilizers.)



So now (above pic) my fan is hooked up properly. The extra long wires are held onto a part of the main harness with that orange zip tie. It will run fine when I disconnect the thermoswitch. So far I don't think I've heated up the engine enough for the fan to run on its own. Which means so far I have no proof that the thermoswitch still works!

I'll let ya'll know when I find out.

If anyone is wondering, I used the Aspire A/C fan because:

-my Festiva fans were old and cruddy
-I wanted a smaller fan for more room and less weight in front
-to be different (a major theme of my whole life)

I think this is all for today!

Last pic:



Karl