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Well, this month I'll submit Pedro for FOTM. 
This is what Pedro looked like the day I brought the car home. An 88L model with 107k miles. I bought the car for a fellow FF.com member, who was planning on flying down here from the San Francisco area to drive old Pedro back to his home. However, a few days after I purchased the solid little driver, I noticed that it had a pretty bad rod knock under light acceleration. I hadn't heard the knock during my initial test drive. I pulled the oil pan off and checked the rod bearings to find out that the little B3 had been starved of oil and needed a new crankshaft and bearings. I promptly contacted the prospective new owner and warned him that he'd be taking a big risk to drive the car home. We both decided it was best if I find a different buyer for the car, since I didn't have the space or time for a non running car. After spending some time with this little gem though, I couldn't bring myself to sell Pedro, and I found a spot for the car at a rental property of mine.
Here is the time capsule carby b3 as I bought it. It's really too bad it was run dry, because this engine was nearly immaculate otherwise.
Fast forward a year and a half.
After being without a daily driver Festiva for nearly a year, I was becoming excited about getting Pedro back on the road. By this time, the car wouldn't start because the fuel pump had gone bad from sitting and the battery was dead. I knew I had enough bits and pieces to put a 16v engine in Pedro, and convert the car to fuel injection, so I decided to remove the toasted b3 and upgrade to a b6d.
I started with a block, crank and pistons from a jdm imported b6ze miata engine.
Then cleaned up the ports and combustion chambers on a nice Miata head that I had.
I then slapped it all together with some base model Capri manifolds and Valve cover and an Escort GT timing cover.
I rigged up my own engine mount using spacers and a modified stock mount that I filled with polyurethane.
Then I made some mounts and an adapter to use the Capri air box and a 323 flex pipe. And I made a battery tray to hold this little etx12 powersports battery.
Then I rewired the whole front of the car for a removable fuel injection system that easily unplugs from the chassis harness. I wired Pedro to use a base model Capri engine management system, and mounted the ECM in an easy to reach spot behind the fresh air duct.
While I had the interior out I wired the car for an amplifier under the drivers seat and I changed the interior color from brown to grey.
Then I cobbled together a 2.25" exhaust from parts I cut out of a 2015 Mustang and a dynomax muffler. The tubing is very thin wall stainless steel and is quite light weight.
I added 2 resonators to give the car a nice quiet, but deep tone.
Then I made custom adjustable coilover shocks for Pedro, and upgraded the front brakes to Aspire brakes and drilled the back drums to 4x100 and installed arp racing studs on all 4 corners.
Then I drove the car for a couple thousand miles, all over Arizona.
The car drives like it was meant to have 120 hp, but the clutch wasn't really happy with the added TQ, and the 4 speed transmission was horrible on the freeway with my tiny 175/50-13 tires (an inch smaller than the 155/80-12 tires). At average freeway speed the engine was running up to 4200 rpm, which really made the car fuel thursty.
So then the engine came back out for a spec stage 2 clutch and a 5 speed e series transmission.
I'm currently working my buttom off every spare minute I get to finish the interior and install a nice stereo to listen to on my drive across country to Festiva Madness 9. I've also restored a set of vintage 14x7 O.Z. turbine wheels to help keep my rpm low going across country.
More pictures to come as the month progresses.
Vote for Pedro
This is what Pedro looked like the day I brought the car home. An 88L model with 107k miles. I bought the car for a fellow FF.com member, who was planning on flying down here from the San Francisco area to drive old Pedro back to his home. However, a few days after I purchased the solid little driver, I noticed that it had a pretty bad rod knock under light acceleration. I hadn't heard the knock during my initial test drive. I pulled the oil pan off and checked the rod bearings to find out that the little B3 had been starved of oil and needed a new crankshaft and bearings. I promptly contacted the prospective new owner and warned him that he'd be taking a big risk to drive the car home. We both decided it was best if I find a different buyer for the car, since I didn't have the space or time for a non running car. After spending some time with this little gem though, I couldn't bring myself to sell Pedro, and I found a spot for the car at a rental property of mine.
Here is the time capsule carby b3 as I bought it. It's really too bad it was run dry, because this engine was nearly immaculate otherwise.
Fast forward a year and a half.
After being without a daily driver Festiva for nearly a year, I was becoming excited about getting Pedro back on the road. By this time, the car wouldn't start because the fuel pump had gone bad from sitting and the battery was dead. I knew I had enough bits and pieces to put a 16v engine in Pedro, and convert the car to fuel injection, so I decided to remove the toasted b3 and upgrade to a b6d.
I started with a block, crank and pistons from a jdm imported b6ze miata engine.
Then cleaned up the ports and combustion chambers on a nice Miata head that I had.
I then slapped it all together with some base model Capri manifolds and Valve cover and an Escort GT timing cover.
I rigged up my own engine mount using spacers and a modified stock mount that I filled with polyurethane.
Then I made some mounts and an adapter to use the Capri air box and a 323 flex pipe. And I made a battery tray to hold this little etx12 powersports battery.
Then I rewired the whole front of the car for a removable fuel injection system that easily unplugs from the chassis harness. I wired Pedro to use a base model Capri engine management system, and mounted the ECM in an easy to reach spot behind the fresh air duct.
While I had the interior out I wired the car for an amplifier under the drivers seat and I changed the interior color from brown to grey.
Then I cobbled together a 2.25" exhaust from parts I cut out of a 2015 Mustang and a dynomax muffler. The tubing is very thin wall stainless steel and is quite light weight.
I added 2 resonators to give the car a nice quiet, but deep tone.
Then I made custom adjustable coilover shocks for Pedro, and upgraded the front brakes to Aspire brakes and drilled the back drums to 4x100 and installed arp racing studs on all 4 corners.
Then I drove the car for a couple thousand miles, all over Arizona.
The car drives like it was meant to have 120 hp, but the clutch wasn't really happy with the added TQ, and the 4 speed transmission was horrible on the freeway with my tiny 175/50-13 tires (an inch smaller than the 155/80-12 tires). At average freeway speed the engine was running up to 4200 rpm, which really made the car fuel thursty.
So then the engine came back out for a spec stage 2 clutch and a 5 speed e series transmission.
I'm currently working my buttom off every spare minute I get to finish the interior and install a nice stereo to listen to on my drive across country to Festiva Madness 9. I've also restored a set of vintage 14x7 O.Z. turbine wheels to help keep my rpm low going across country.
More pictures to come as the month progresses.
Vote for Pedro
I'll be awake til the sun rises lol
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