My '93 L Build

[ThisVelologist]

Where to start. Lots has been done in the past few days. On Sunday the previous owner and I jacked up the Festiva and changed the exhaust flange gasket thinking that's where the leak was coming from. Here's old vs. new:

We were wrong. Turns out the leak is a small but powerful crack on the topside of the down tube coming from the manifold, right under the heat shield/support:

Zoomed out:

Any advice for dealing with such a leak? I guy I know said he could weld it up but he would have to take off the manifold and I fear for how nasty those old gaskets are after seeing the old ones. I'm considering trying a patch kit but have heard those aren't very successful especially so near the engine.
Yesterday I brought the Festy to work to have it fixed in the Quick Lane (employee discount on labor and parts at cost). Here she is all hoisted up:

They put in the new master cylinder I bought on RockAuto and bled the lines. The thing stops now with out pumping! I also had the tires balanced (they were all unbalanced) and they replaced the wheel rear bearings, one of which was completely seized. It feels like a whole different car. Nearly ready for a winter of daily driver duty. I was also advised by the tech not to use my E-brake--I think you can see why:

Here's some more general pictures from underneath. Tell me if you see anything worrying.




It's so nice to have a smooth rolling and stopping Festiva. It will be golden once I get that exhaust leak sorted out. Next comes valve cove gasket--I knew it was leaking but after seeing this lovely rooster tail on my firewall and on up to my hood I realized its a more pressing issue than I thought:

Anyway, thanks for the continued support of this rookie Festiva owner!

[gergorian]

Looking good! Making some serious progress too!

[ThisVelologist]

Thanks buddy.

[Victor Lang]

You must be an awesome mechanic. I'm on the other side of the bell curve. The parts department head at Paul Miller Ford has a couple Festivas. Evidently he is also a Festiva fan. Nice to see someone else here in Lexington.

[ThisVelologist]

I'm an aspiring mechanic. Most of the above work was done by my favorite technician at the dealership I work for. I think I've seen one of his (aqua) when he came to help to the inventory at our store. Yes nice to see another Lexingtonian on here!

[ThisVelologist]

So Thursday was my first day off in ten days and I was itching to do a lot of work on the Festiva. Two nights before I buffed the entire car and the oxidized, faded paint regained its shine and smoothness. Here it is after a quick wash:

This was a car that had absolutely no reflectivity before. The brake fluid stains even came out of the front left fender. Where's the grill you may ask? Awaiting to be plastidipped with the wiper arms and factory spoiler I picked up:

Now, after a wax with Meguiar's:

I removed the bumper to be Plastidipped and to install my make shift mount for my Hella rally/driving lights:

Metal bar bolted to the back and the angle iron up front:


Next came the masking off the bottom half of the car for the Plastidip:


Midway through the dipping with the spoiler mounted:

Parked after a quick cruise to get Chinese food after the work was finished:

And some complete photos from the next day:




Still got some Plastidip to remove off the wheels but I love the way it came out.

Overall I'm very pleased with how it all came out. It looks more like a car that's cared for than one on the way to the welfare office/junkyard or both. I think it looks pretty JDM now. Next on the list are fixing the exhaust leak on the exhaust manifold down pipe, new valve cover gasket, and installing the Hella lights. Stay tuned!

[sketchman]

Agreed. Looks very cared for now. Looks great.

[ThisVelologist]

Thank you. I will no longer be accused of Festiva abuse! Lol. Here's a before/after for comparison:

[gergorian]

WOW. What a transformation!

[1990new]

Amazing what a little loving care can do!:thumbs_up:

[muleskinner]

I like the plasti dip look!

Great job!

[bravekozak]

You really need to do the hood gas strut mod. Install a pair. Search for the 1990new "hood strut" thread. Be sure and use double quotes around multiple words.

[jayber]

Like the plasti dip. Dont care for the white wheels but its yours anywho Id go with the factory silver or even try some chrome paint.

[avitsefdrof]

Like the plasti dip. Dont care for the white wheels but its yours anywho Id go with the factory silver or even try some chrome paint.

I like the white wheels.....good choice.

[Axlander9289]

It's a complete transformation. Looks great! Keep up the good work, hermano!