Resurrecting a Festiva

[solatare]

Ok about a year ago my 91 festiva got totalled, for the past year ive been trying to find one in similiar condition less than two hours from my house with no luck at all, soo...

i bought a shell

its a 87 lx, with the spoiler and nice interior, jes gonna strip the 91 the rest of the way down and swap everything into it, if anyone has any tips for this first timer id appreciate it, and i might be willing to part with the spoiler, which is in fair condition, no cracks or chips, just discolored from being out in the mojave heat for 11 years, was red at one time, any input would be helpful, the yard also has a 88 body, but the drivers side door jamb is slightly buckled and the door is bent bretty good, might be ableto fix it if youre handy with bodywork tho

[GenevaDirt]

Ok about a year ago my 91 festiva got totalled, for the past year ive been trying to find one in similiar condition less than two hours from my house with no luck at all, soo...

ummmmm....why would you want to buy another one that was totaled.....lol..j/k.

Nothing major to worry about. All should swap over pretty easy. There is a differance in the turn/light assembly and steering wheel if you are doing anything with either of those. There is a little clearance issue between the levers and the wheel from older to newer. Seats are alittle differant too...older one has the mounts for the underseat tray where the newer ones do not. Of course you know the seat belts are differant and bolt up differantly if you were planning on swapping them out.

[solatare]

the lx shell i bought is straight save for one crease behind the drivers side taillight, the last 6 inches of my 91 is twisted 40 degrees or so to the right around the spare, i cant get the spare out of its well because the floor folded around it, prolly only reason the damage wasnt worse, also i went thru the seatbelt and pushed the door eight inches out of its frame, amazingly, it still latches, the hatch is also bent, and all the glass blown out of it, soo im taking my fi setup and putting it in the lx shell, was reading the manual, and browsing the tech section of the forum, i think ill do alright for my first time, but if anyone is close to bakersfield or ridgecrest and wants to help id appreciate a hand.

[25Horseplay]

If you want to buy me a plane ticket I could help! But it would cost you a spoiler!!!!!!!1

[solatare]

if i could afford a plane ticket i prolly would, and after browsing the forums and seeing the demand for the spoilers, i prolly will sell it, but im not firm on anything yet since i was short on time and did not inspect the car beyond its structural integrity, wing is there, complete, as is the interior, which is surprisingly pristine, once i get it together and running ill post what im willing to give up. oh, and i think there might be some rare interior bits also, i know it has a cloth rear seat thats 50\50 split, full center console, radio, tach cluster(im keeping that sorry) and defroster rear hatch, but no rear wiper. dint really look at doors, nor did i look for ac, since i cant use it if i want to make over the hills in my area at a decent pace

[dahodges]

I think you are going to find out alot of the parts are different. It would be ALOT easier if the new car was a 90 thru 93. I belive the festiva went throught a major redesign when they went to FI in 1990.

David

[bravekozak]

89 to 93

I took every piece out of my rust bucket 89, including the fuel tank and put it on my 93.
This includes, wiring harness, seat belts, doors, fenders, bumpers, rear hatch, fuel tank, seat covers, interior panels, etc. What got towed to the junkyard was only a shell, no glass, nothing, Just two space saver spares. Did I mention I took out the engine and all the half shafts and exhaust and steering column and dash. The only thing left that was not metal was the firewall insulation. I bet you that yard was surprised. I had a tow truck take it for free. He would get the $50 for the shell.
The 93 was bought on eBay for $248 from a student in Detroit. He had to get the Festiva off his church property. It didn't have an engine, the windshield was cracked, but he already had the Aspire suspension installed.
I am in the process of acquiring my final few parts that I need to get this baby on the road.
I will pick them up in a couple of weeks.
My Festiva project pictures are located at:

http://www.bwbronze.com/festiva/

I would say, go for it.
Good luck on your project.