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**ryanprins13** · 01-25-2017, 01:13 AM

Interesting

What do you plan to use for tires? And why the aspire rear beam? Its heavier. Slightly.
To me this sounds like a lot of work, so what made you decide to keep it fwd?

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**FestYboy** · 01-25-2017, 01:56 AM

The aspire rear beam is for the superior brakes, since that's the ONLY thing that will be stopping the car.

I'll get back with some suggestions to get the weight down without fiberglass. And be prepared to stiffen the rear of the car and make the front do the work to hook. This will likely be closer to a road track suspension than you think.

**bhazard** · 01-25-2017, 05:29 AM

Don't expect it to be that fast...light or not, the stock BP isn't exactly a powerhouse drag motor. If your goal is mid-14 second passes then you'll be alright though.

Are you planning on running slicks?

**Doug Brown** · 01-25-2017, 06:55 AM

I'm starting with a BP engine because it is what I have and I don't particularly care for/want to deal with a turbo (although they do make a ton of power).

I'm keeping it FWD because a Festiva came as a FWD car.... The forum has ET's and speeds for non-turbo BP cars, so that gives me a benchmark to see how well the car does.

Don't plan on slicks to start with...to be determined after I see how it goes.

From other builds I've seen on the Forum, my planned build doesn't seem anymore complex or expensive.....plus it is what I want to do.

Way back when I use to drag race a automatic Corvair (a very weird choice I know) but I was able to set the AHRA world record with the car and held 2 strip records (Lions Dragstrip & Irwindale). I did learn the importance of suspension to get the car to perform - which for a underpowered rear wheel drive car was about 100% opposite of what front engine cars did.

Anyways, the build will keep me out of trouble and I'll have fun doing it.

Looking forward to comments and suggestions - all input helps and makes me look at alternative ways of doing things.

**WTFestiva** · 01-25-2017, 07:52 AM

Originally posted by Doug Brown View Post

Anyways, the build will keep me out of trouble and I'll have fun doing it.

That's all one can ask, as long as its done safely.

If you want cheap ECU management, talk to BP performance Specialty on facebook, he's easy going and his stuff is quality that i've experienced so far.

**bhazard** · 01-25-2017, 12:29 PM

Not bashing your choices at all, sorry if it came off that way. I look forward to seeing your progress.

Interested to see what your suspension setup turns out to be. I would say something along the lines of the advancedynamix setup with the VW mk2 front and Mk1 rear but a stiffer rear to help keep the weight from transferring off the front wheels. Maybe use the mk2 rear dampers instead.

I would definitely recommend slicks. Maybe a bit overkill for a 130hp engine but you will be able to launch much harder than with street tires. If it's a purpose built drag car, might as well use drag tires.

Get the weight down enough and a good sub-2 second 60' and I could see it run high 13's or low 14's

**Advancedynamix** · 01-25-2017, 01:07 PM

Replace your rear struts with solid tubing struts. You don't want the car to transfer weight rearward.
I wouldn't bother replacing the bushings with Delrin. In my experience, all this does is reduce traction and greatly increase the chance of chassis and drivetrain fatigue. The BP engine is very very harmonically unstable (1.56 rod ratio with no balnce shaft!) and needs all the help it can get to not break things. It will be in your best interest to mount the engine and suspension with rubber bushings.

**william** · 01-25-2017, 01:23 PM

For your fiberglass parts I say skip that and skin everything.
When I was racing circle track I removed my hatch and just ran welded on door skins. I would use a air hammer and cutting chisel to make quick work of them. But a grinder around the edge will work as well.
I also ran a skined hood with 4 pins off a 88 toyota tercel. The widthh was perfect and it was long enough to cover the cowel . I also didn't want to cut up a good festiva hood and this was left over from a previous race car. You won't save much, if any waight with fiberglass parts and the steel parts you have are free to mod leaving money for other things.

**Doug Brown** · 01-25-2017, 04:36 PM

Advancedynamix - "solid tubing struts" - so get rid of the shock absorber and just fabricate up a tube that can be adjusted for height? Get rid of the springs too? My original thought was to replace the stock springs with a very high poundage ones to prevent squat but if I could get rid of shocks & springs altogether, that would be appealing. How about the tube struts for locating the axle ends and just have a single shock/spring in the center of the axle beam as a damper?

william - "skins" - I had been thinking about doing that instead of fiberglass. FG would take a lot of time and effort in lay-up and finishing and some re-enforcing for door hinges etc. I was planning of hood pins for the rear hatch and for the hood. Plus as you mentioned, don't have to send money - I already have the steel parts.

WTFestiva - thanks for the tip about a good ECU management source

bhazard - you are not bashing - in fact your videos have been a THE inspiration for me to get back into drag racing!
---------------------------------------------
I just bought a rust and 99% dent free 1989 Festiva that was covered and parked under a tree for 13-years (!!!!). He gave it to a friend, who I bought it from and he drove it once and had the fuel pump die. He ran out of time to fix it and had the wife screaming at him to get it out of the yard, but he did buy a brand new mechanical fuel pump for it before he gave up.

I got it for either making the molds for FG parts or to cut it up for the "skins", but it is such good shape I will probably just fix it or sell it. Selling would be extra $$$$ for the project.

Decisions, decisions.....

Did I mention it only cost $100?

**Doug Brown** · 01-25-2017, 04:53 PM

Yikes with the spell-os!

Some major spelling/word mistakes -

"planning of hood pins" should be ON hood

"send money" should be SPEND money

"video have been a" No A

"but it is such" should be "it is IN such"

Sorry

Doug

**Advancedynamix** · 01-25-2017, 05:16 PM

They don't really need to be adjustable, just make a few different lengths for testing. Use really thin walled tubing. Muffler pipe would work. You may want rubber bushings on both ends still, but a solid tube in the center. It's simple and saves weight. A guy out here used to drag race a VW rabbit and he did this to his rear suspension with great success. He also put tractor weight on his front bumper. I'm pretty sure that car made well over 500hp on Alcohol. I never saw it run, but I used to go to his shop to get parts for my car.

One of your biggest concerns should be moving the engine as far forward as you can possibly go. I've even thought about making adapters for Porsche 930 CV joints for more articulation. Rather than spending a bunch of time and money in composite body panels, you'll want to focus on getting more weight forward. Since you've gotta have the engine in there, you may as well use its heft for traction.

**Doug Brown** · 01-25-2017, 06:04 PM

Advancedynamix - OK, get the tube part.

Just to clarify then, there would be NO shock absorber (it would be replaced with the tube and the rubber end bushings would be the "shock absorber") and there would be NO spring. I like that!!!

I understand what you say about the engine going forward, but I tend to worry about the angularity of the axles/CV joint. I have read and have always tried to keep the axles parallel to the ground and coming out at a 90-degree angle from the transmission so the CV joints don't get broken up and a loss of power thru mis-alignment.

Of course if you can get more HP to the ground but have to replace axles/CV joints more often, the trade off could be worth while (?) How often do you change out axles/CV joints?

**bhazard** · 01-25-2017, 07:31 PM

Originally posted by Advancedynamix View Post

Replace your rear struts with solid tubing struts. You don't want the car to transfer weight rearward.
I wouldn't bother replacing the bushings with Delrin. In my experience, all this does is reduce traction and greatly increase the chance of chassis and drivetrain fatigue. The BP engine is very very harmonically unstable (1.56 rod ratio with no balnce shaft!) and needs all the help it can get to not break things. It will be in your best interest to mount the engine and suspension with rubber bushings.

How about instead of all that rubber to help with the harmonics, you use, ohhh I dunno...a torque converter?

**ryanprins13** · 01-25-2017, 07:57 PM

Originally posted by bhazard View Post

How about instead of all that rubber to help with the harmonics, you use, ohhh I dunno...a torque converter?

I was drinking when i read that and spit water all over my phone! [emoji14]

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