Project Rally Revival!!!

[lowdowndirty]

First off let me say hi to all as I'm new to your forum. I need to shorten my learning curve with these spirited cars and I feel like you guys can get me and the car where it need to go without wasting to much time. Like the title say this is a rally Festiva revival 12 years in the making. I was 16 when a friend decided he wanted to rally a festiva it cost us lots of time and money to realize we didn't have what it take to make it down the track. Fast forward 12 yrs. and a friend saying "take it if you want it... I just want it gone". The car in question a 90% complete SCCA spec rally 91' festiva, 6 point roll cage, aspire motor and suspension, gutted and prepped, rally computer and intercom system. The goal... to finish the vehicle now that I have the resources and fund to do so. I'd like to be ready to race in the 2016 NASA rally series and maybe some other rallies. If all goes smoothly it could run the 15' stpr in September. I'm taking custody of the silver streak this saturday after I release her from michigan's icy grip. The motor probably is non functional after 5 years sitting, so I be looking at a bp swap immediately. The cage needs to be updated and added too and the wiring system was chewed on by mice last I saw her. New race seats and harnesses to come as well as the rest of the important safety requirements. I don't know what I can modify or what can remain on the vehicle as far as durability is concered. As the project continues I'd like to get help putting on the right part for race minded work and performance. I have certified welders at my disposal, and local guy that builds cages and I work as a tool maker running lathes and mills so any mods in that department can be done. I've seen some guys use various different suspension to get better travel and I'm hoping that you guys can steer me down the right roads. I don't have any picture yet as the car i buried in a snow bank but, I'll be taking tons of photos in hope that someone else may get inspired to do there own project. Thanks for taking time on me and project rally revival. I hope I can meet my goals.

[David88]

Welcome. Sound ambitious. You came to the right place. Here is a BP donor.

http://battlecreek.craigslist.org/cto/4912514463.html

[bhazard]

Not necessarily a BP in that car but a B8 is good too. Looks clean from that side. Shame to part it.

[Advancedynamix]

Welcome to the forum! With access to a machine shop and good fabrication equipment you can really make a fast car that is reliable too.

[lowdowndirty]

My first two orders of business are to update the cage and sort out the wiring harness. I believe the harness is from an aspire with an air bag system. I'm not sure if the air bag wiring had been completely removed or if it was left alone. Either way its been chewed on and doesn't function anymore. I could go right to a full harness swap from something that already had a bp in it. Seems and easier route to go. The car will have aftermarket gauges tach, speedo, and misc volt and oil such... also the ignition switch could go to a start button and a full system hot switch. It would be a nice feature in the event of a rollover. Everything wI'll be switched on a panel individual from the fuel pump to the headlights and turn signals. I don't wanna be banging down a stage and have a electronic gremlin screwing up any chance I was working on. What say you guys repair the old aspire harness or junkyard a new more bp friendly plug and play?

[Icedawg]

There is not a simple answer to that question. I have followed both paths, both take a lot of work, and I am not convinced one is better than the other.
A BP harness splice is less work than a B6T harness splice, you can use more of the original Festi harness for more of the electrical tasks. Harnesses are bulky awkward things with all their connectors, when you are trying to shove them through a firewall hole, and wires and clips can break at that stage of a swap. So a swap of the full harness is awkward, and a lot of work re-routing the new one. Just adding the ECU fuel injection control you need with a BP harness component is easier, and can be quite reliable.

I have just spliced a harness into the festi, and I have taken apart the entire Festi harness, stripped out all the wiring I do not need, and re-assembled it. Both work, and both take work, but the second approach is longer and requires way more research. However, if you are going to use a harness from another car I recommend the second approach. By stripping out all the wiring you do not need, you cut the bundle and the connectors that goes through the firewall in half, making it way tidier and less likely to break wires or plugs along the way. The drawback is the manufacturer uses pretty good quality tape and wrapping materials compared to what you can readily buy, so your rebuilt harness will probably leak moisture sooner, or chafe through sooner. On the other hand, you get to find the corroded wires and splices that come from the harness being so old and fix them.

Building your entire switch panel with as many functions as you describe, and getting it neat tidy and durable is not as simple as it seems. I have done it a few times, and it starts out with the best intentions to bundle the wires and keep everything tidy, but it is hard to avoid a rats nest somewhere, unless you buy a kit of expensive aftermarket wiring harness plugs.

Possibly the best route, which I have not gone, would be to buy a Painless wiring kit and start 100 % fresh.

In summary, my inclination would be to get the car going ... and to do that by limiting your time investment in the wiring harness.

[Advancedynamix]

On my current build I'm separating the chassis harness and the engine harness. This makes it easier to service or replace either. Most harnesses will have twice the length of wire that you'll need for a Festiva and you can remove a lot of accessory wiring that you won't need. Building your own harness out of one from a different car is very time consuming, but worth it imo. Like icedawg said, you can cut out a lot of old crusty wiring that would cause problems down the road.

[lowdowndirty]

Sounds like I should stick with what's there and splice what's need to run the bp motor. It currently has an aspire harness through out the vehicle instead of the stock festy harness. The anticipation of starting this project couldn't wait for the weekend so I'm headed to pick her up tonight. I'll have pics to follow.

[Advancedynamix]

Awesome!

[lowdowndirty]

She's fighting me already. This relationship is off on rocky shoal already.

[lowdowndirty]

20150304_171743.jpg
well I didn't get many pictures of the interior but let's say shes rough. 3 wheels seized up one of the 3 was flat but, on a bright nite one wheel did turn and had some air in it. Now I need to get her off the trailer and into the shop.

[Movin]

On the rocky shoals ? Rescue swimmers at hand ! Welcome !

[Icedawg]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17341[/ATTACH]
well I didn't get many pictures of the interior but let's say shes rough. .

Tremclad is your friend, it will help tame her dark heart

[lowdowndirty]

20150304_182409.jpg
In further review of the car last night and reminiscing with a old owner. I realize the car has a fare amount of usable and nice parts. Genie 4 into 1 headers, high flow cat and 2.5" stainless race exhaust via festiva motorsports, terracom communication system, Terratrip 303 rally computer, strut ba, 14" wheels, full aspire suspension... the list goes on. I know the bp swap is very popular but, for curiosity sake how much hp can one squeeze from a 1.3 with the mentioned exhaust system. Also the options for tires in he 15" rim is better than 14" so is a 24.5" diameter tire too much for these cars. Maybe they rub or too tall to turn well enough for rally competition. I could lift the car to sneak larger tires under if thats all it is. If she goes higher she'll definitely need better sways.

[TominMO]

IMO you will want more torque than an built 1.3 will deliver, for a rally car. I would use a B6 at minimum and build that up or turbo it. A B8 is even torquier of course, and 150+ crank HP with a turbo.

You will also want a stronger tranny than the E-series. A G tranny would be best, but even an F would be better, and you can get stronger clutches for it than for the E.