TWFodor's B8me Build

[TWFodor]

Looking good man!
I can't get motivated to work on mine in this 95+ heat.
All this week after today is supposed to be good though.

I know what you mean, William. After I finished that project I lost motivation, too. Its been crazy humid lately which is brutal to work in.

[TWFodor]

Been a while since my last update, but over the last 2 months I've done a few things. First thing was my starter went out, so I replaced that with a brand new unit. Then I finally got the money together for the rear coilovers and I put those on a few weeks ago. Rides great, but I still need to get the camber set.

The tank from the L Plus part out was practically brand new and the tank on the B8 was leaking at the seam, so I swapped it out. It has been nice not having to smell gas anymore.

Last thing was just more clean up of the engine bay. The brackets for the charcoal canister and ignition module were pretty nasty looking, so I wire wheeled them and painted them gloss black

Before:
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Looking better already!
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Done!
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[william]

Looks good man !I've finally got a bit done on mine as well.

[TWFodor]

Not too much going on with the B8. This weekend I did a tire rotation and I'm glad I did because I found a tie rod end that was quite loose. I had a spare one laying around so I replaced it. The main thing I accomplished was replacing the shift linkage bushings with Charlie's shoulder bolt setup. Mine weren't even that bad and it made a huge difference

[festyfreak39]

Sorry which steering rack did you use?

[TWFodor]

I have a de-powered Festiva power steering rack.

[TWFodor]

After reading some reports on here of Festivas burning to the ground, I decided to finally install a fire extinguisher in mine, just in case. Hopefully, I will never need it but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Installing it was quite simple and only took a little over an hour. I decided to use Mighty Car Mods' placement by using the front mounts of the driver's seat. It isn't in the way of my feet at all, and is pretty tucked away. Overall, between the flat iron, extinguisher and bracket, it was about $35. I haven't painted the flat iron yet, but that will come later.




If you're looking to get an extinguisher installed, here are the links to what I used. You'll also need a piece of flat iron at least 18in long.

https://www.amazon.com/First-Alert-BRACKET5-Replacement-Extinguisher/dp/B0036AQBL8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475241589&sr=8-1&keywords=metal+fire+extinguisher+bracket

https://www.amazon.com/Kidde-FA110-Purpose-Extinguisher-1A10BC/dp/B00002ND64/ref=pd_bxgy_60_2?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00002ND64&pd_rd_r=B92272D2C1QQV28S3AH4&pd_rd_w=xZ9zB&pd_rd_wg=m6xxN&psc=1&refRID=B92272D2C1QQV28S3AH4

[TWFodor]

Well I finally got around to cleaning up the rear end. It was a lot of work but I'm happy with the results. The wheel bearings and brakes needed to be freshened up anyways so I did it all at once. I started this project a few weeks ago in hopes of getting it done over the weekend, BEFORE my wife gave birth (yeah, right. Like that ever works out). Things were going well up until Monday, the 17th, when my wife's water decided to break. Long story short, our baby girl was born a few days early (she was due the 22nd) and the project was put on hold. Not a problem - family comes first!

So, after everything settled down a bit, I got back to work on the Festiva. Things were nastier than I expected. Apparently, the rubber wheel cylinder caps on the driver's side had been leaking and the entire inside of the brake assembly was trashed. The drum was filled with what looked like coffee grounds which turned out to be the paint that had come off from the brake fluid corrosion. On top of that, the spindle on the same side was chewed up and the threads were trashed. I went to the local yard a few days ago and got a replacement spindle which took me 3 hours of work.

As if these problems weren't enough, the bleeder screw on the driver's side caliper snapped off, so I had to order a new caliper. This side needed a rebuild anyway so I wasn't that disappointed - plus its new and shiny now! I cleaned up the passenger side caliper, put a new seal on it, greased the glide bolts and painted both calipers black. I put in some new organic pads as well.

Lots of painting, sanding, wire-wheeling and cleaning later, the project was finished. Here's a list of what I accomplished.
- New caliper, pads and rear brake hardware
- Painted and rust-proofed both calipers
- Rebuilt both rear wheel cylinders
- Disassembled and painted both drum back plates
- Removed trailing beam and painted/rust-proofed it
- Painted both drums
- Replaced rear wheel bearings
- Replaced driver's side spindle
- Brake flush with new fluid

And of course, pictures:

[william]

Looking good! It won't be long before you have your self a little helper, if mom will let her out there!

[TWFodor]

Looking good! It won't be long before you have your self a little helper, if mom will let her out there!

I'm hoping to make a Festiva lover out of her! Gotta start them young!

[Advancedynamix]

Building a great car and a family simultaneously! Great stuff! Much congratulations!

[TWFodor]

Building a great car and a family simultaneously! Great stuff! Much congratulations!

Thank you!


I went to a local LKQ yard in search of an rx-7 steering wheel to replace the stock one earlier this week. Unfortunately, the wheel was gone so I looked around the yard for a bit to see what else they had. I stumbled upon a '98 Honda Prelude that had some very clean seats in it. After a long internal debate with myself (and a green light from my wife), I picked up both seats for under $70. I did some mock up Monday night and put them in on Tuesday night. They aren't perfect yet, and I still need to tweak the mounts a bit, but they are pretty level. 2nd gear is pretty close to the seat now.

Here they are. They are quite comfortable and the bolsters are much better than stock. Plus adjustable headrests! Don't mind the messy interior

[Advancedynamix]

They look great in there! Supportive and comfortable seats really do make a world of difference.

[TWFodor]

Well I haven't updated in a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy! I have completed several projects since my last post.

The most notable update is my new Miata rims with the ATR-K Economist 165/55 R14 tires. Steering input is more precise and there is less body roll. I like the combo a lot. I need to work on the alignment though, as it is a little off and the car likes to drift to the left at speed. I wan't to adjust the coilovers before I do that though. Just so cold out and I like my fingers.



The next project was installing some fog lights I got off of Amazon for $11. They look good but one of the bulbs already went out. Being so cheap, they aren't waterproof, so I need to figure out how to seal them properly. They came with a yellow tinted reflective housing, but they weren't yellow enough for me, so I installed some yellow film. Much better now. This picture is before the yellow film. Only the fog lights are on. Not bad for $11.


Also, I installed some clear turn lenses and some clear corner lights. I plan on getting the built in turn signals on the corner lights working properly, just haven't got around to it yet.



My third project was installing some Rallyarmor mudflaps. I was only able to install the front due to my back bumper being a little warped. I'm going to try and reform the part that is warped with a heat gun when it warms up a bit outside. Hopefully that fixes the issue.


Also, my rear wheel bearings are starting to whirr already. Kinda upsetting, but it must be my fault. I probably did not torque the nut correctly. Kinda sucks since I just replaced them a few months ago.

I have bigger plans for the car coming this year! I would like to find a nice rx7 steering wheel still, but I'm saving for my next big upgrade. I'm getting close to my goal, I just need to get my tax return and sell a few things. If everything goes well, and I can source an xr2 for the right price, I will have my first turbo car! Stay tuned!

[w4rkry]

Come with me and Hulspowered down to the U-pull in Danville! There are enough cars here, we are sure to find a nice steering wheel somewhere. Best of all, interior pieces are super cheap!

I pulled my 3000 GT seats for $10 each

Also, thanks for all your help pulling your old B3. We got it swapped in and its running great!