'88 L Street/Track Build- Coilovers • B6ZE • Weber DCOE's • Widebody • Chopped Top •

[dliverance]

Great progress. I can't believe how much more room the g gets you.

Are you going to use the pcv or run a catch can? I'm still pondering my brake booster vac line and the pcv system.

[theastronaut]

I'll run a catch can/breather box. The ignition system I'm looking into uses a MAP sensor so I'll have to drill/tap each runner for vacuum lines and tie them all together before hooking up to the sensor. I may make a vacuum manifold or tank to help smooth out the individual pulses from each runner to get a better signal for the MAP sensor, and the brake booster could be hooked up to that.

The ignition control system:

http://www.cbperformance.com/CB-s-Black-Box-Programmable-Timing-Control-Module-p/2013.htm

Their vacuum reference kit if you don't want to drill/tap your manifold. I'd rather drill and tap than have to deal with the spacers and extra gaskets.

[Advancedynamix]

I'd definitely run them to a manifold. Also, a small inline fuel filter helps to dampen pulses as well.

[dliverance]

I'm super interested in the black box but I would need to learn a lot more about setting it up

[theastronaut]

The starter has been acting up the last couple weeks. It's start fine for a day or two then randomly won't do anything. I can whack it with a hammer and it'll start so I'm guessing it's a sticking solenoid... Can I swap the starter from the b6t over? Part numbers are different between the two looking them up online. Edit- It's getting 12v to the starter so I don't think it's the switch.

[Advancedynamix]

If you hook up the g series starter you'll spin the engine backwards. Lol. The starter on the XR2 goes the other direction in relation to the flywheel. Same deal with the Automatic Festiva starter, it will spin the engine backwards if it's installed on a manual trans.

You can pull your starter apart and dress the armature with some Scotch Brite on your lathe. Also, the brushes can be replaced. The solenoid is replaceable too. I've successfully rebuilt the starter on both Pedro and Tweak.

[theastronaut]

Swapped the solenoid with one from the Miata starter. It's been starting reliably so far, no more hammering needed. Also picked up a b3 passenger motor mount Saturday, both the cast bracket and a new rubber mount. Have a couple more goodies in the mail, I'll post those once they arrive.

The car has been getting way more attention than I ever thought a Festiva would get. Had a guy spot it as he rolled through the gas station yesterday morning, he turned around and came back by to get another look and yells "That's the coolest Festiva I've ever seen!". The day before I had a 8-10 year old kid looking at in in a parking lot, then told me that they "really liked my car" as I got in it. Yesterday a guy in a nicely modded BMW slowed way down when turning in front of me so he could gawk longer, then threw the hang loose sign as he passed. From the look on his face I think he was both amazed and bewildered at the same time lol. I was used to the VW getting a ton of attention but never expected it from this car.

[dliverance]

Lol they do attract a bit of attention. I was at the parts store a few weeks ago and a guy holding his son shouted "nice Fiesta" I didn't bother to correct him but it felt good.

[jawja jim]

I always have to correct them, but I am able to do it good naturedly(even if I want to add, Dummy). It's easier when it involves people not much older than a Festy, and I've found that most people who correctly identify, usually had one in the family, friends, etc.

[theastronaut]

I picked up a bike mount for the roof rack. Still need to come up with a way to secure the rear axle of my drift trike so I can start hauling it. It barely fits in the hatch area but the front wheel pokes out from between the seats into my elbow space.






Also bought an orange variable intermittent wiper stalk. Still need to find a variable wiper switch so I can use the stalk.




I got the cast bracket blasted and painted today. Went to the hardware store to buy bolts and washers, and some 1/8" wall 1/2" npt black iron pipe to make spacers. I left the rubber in the new mount but opened up the holes that were molded in and filled the voids with quick cure windshield urethane. Rubber isn't compressible but it can be displaced so filling in the holes should stiffen it up some. I also filled up the sides so the urethane was level with the outside of the mount. I think I can play with different OD washers to "tune" the stiffness of the mount- smaller OD would allow more displacement and be softer, and larger ID would 'hold in" more of the soft stuff and firm up the bushing. Or maybe I'm overthinking all of that...:lol:

[Advancedynamix]

This is getting better all the time!

[dliverance]

That trike is sex. I have been wanting one for a while. There's a 17 mile,0' to 5200' mountain right outside my door. Check out hurricane ridge when you get a minute. After seeing your mount I feel like a slob. I was just going to slap on my old rusty mount lol. Looks like you and I are very close on progress though.

[theastronaut]

We haven't done anything that crazy yet... There are a few places around here with some good hills and curves, and the downtown parking garage is great since it has an elevator back to the top. Been wanting to go up to Paris Mountain State Park but I can't talk my friends into riding with me.

Our shop has been full the last few weekends so I haven't been able to get the blue car in the shop to work on the mounts. I still need to cut a 3/8" spacer then I'll be ready to get the other two mounts built.

[theastronaut]

Got a set of Nankang NS-2R tires ordered, 165/50-15's in the 120 treadwear version. These have really good reviews so I'm really looking forward to seeing what it'll do with stickier tires. I still haven't found suitable wheels... Thought I had a set of Maxima wheels located and went to pick them up yesterday. I skipped the first Clemson Sports Car Club fall autocross to go pick them up since it was a bit of a drive and I needed to get there before the guy's shop closed. On the phone he said that they were "identical to the ones in your wanted ad". I get down there and they're 16" 5 lug twisted spoke wheels from a later Maxima... No apology from the guy, I just bit my tongue and left. Three hours almost wasted, but I did stop and get a ChickFilA ice cream while I was there- good stuff! Havne't found anything interesting on eBay or on craigslist within 150 miles, so I'll soon have tires that I can't use. I'm hoping to find something and have them mounted in time to scuff in the tires before next month's autocross.






I bought a new-to-me 20' aluminum car hauler on Friday so I loaded the Festiva on it to "test it out." Not that a 1,700 pound car is in anyway "testing out" a 7,000 pound GVWR trailer. :lol: Big differece between the old steel tilt trailer and this one, much less effort to stop or start off now. I like loading with the dovetail and 6' ramps better than the tilt bed too.




Today I picked up a 12,000# winch from Harbor Freight along with a hitch reciever mount and a receiver tube. I'll weld on a 3/16" plate on the reciever tube to bolt to the trailer floor. I can switch the winch between the trailer and the truck's hitch that way, plus it's not permantly mounted so it'll be easy to store it indoors out of the weather.




In other automotive news, the guy I sold my '77 Celica Liftback to last year has offered to sell it back to me. He didn't say what he wanted for it but if we can work out a deal it'll be a great replacement for the Miata. Last February a friend of mine wanted me to drop him off at a car lot to pick up a Stealth R/T he'd bought. On the way there he told me about a Celica that was around back of the car lot that he thought I'd be interested in. I'm thinking... I've never seen a Celica that I thought was cool so I wasn't even going to look at it but he kept pushing me to take a look. Said the owner used to circle track race Celicas and that it had some race parts on it... Still was thinking that it would be a boring fwd 80's Celica, so I wasn't really interested.

We go around to the back and there's this really cool looking miniature '69 Mustang sitting there under a shed. I didn't know first-gen Celicas existed before then, I thought they started making them in the 80's. Immediatly I was interested in checking it out. The guy that owned the lot started it up for us and it sounded wicked- choppy cam with a homemade 4-2-1 header back to a Flowmaster, with a side pipe right before the rear tire. We talked about it for a few minutes, he showed us some extra parts that went with it and priced it, and we left. I couldn't get the thing out of my mind so I started googling them and eventually went back to take a second look and test drove it. Ended up buying it and doing a 5 hour Krylon makeover the same day, then went out cruising in it that night. Motor started knocking two days later so I pulled the engine and parked it. I couldn't find another ready to go engine so I put it on craigslist and sold it within a day to a guy in NC. Bad decesion to sell it, I didn't realize how rare they are. Of the many cars I've sold it's only one of two that I wish I had back. The guy has rebuilt the engine and fixed some other issues it had so it's driveable again.


As found.






Krylon makeover.








The night before it blew up.

[william]

Wow you found a first get celica! And did hold on to it.
Good luck on buying it back.