1992 Festiva Project Car

[perucho]

^ To each their own. My seat of the pants at 140+ mph says no difference Nitrogen may leak slower but makes no difference when you check your tire pressure regularly, especially in a street car. If you feel a difference, by all means keep buying the Nitrogen fill. There are some places that will fill it for free when you buy tires (as if there's anything free).

[i218127]

Old hot roding trick: "If you can't produce more horsepower, lower the weight and reduce friction". Tires weigh! A twenty one (21) pound tire takes more energy to spin than a twenty (20) pound tire. And, once spinning, doesn't want to stop. If you only have so much energy to use (Horsepower), you increase speed by reducing weight. This was the secret behind the old "Plymoth Road Runners". Take out everthing that weighs, and add a small amount of horsepower. It goes !!!

(Will try to put up pictures of my old Dodge R/T)


"Drive On...ARMY"

[perucho]

^ The weight difference by filling with nitrogen is not one pound! It would be less than one ounce. Like I said before, that is probably less than the wight difference in off-brand tires. I ride road bikes so I know very well that a lighter wheel and tire makes a huge difference. I don't think you get that with nitrogen.

[bhazard]

I used autozone ignition parts on my first tuneup on my thunderbird. Never again. The thing missed constantly at idle and once I switched to motorcraft parts it probably picked up 20 or 30 hp/tq.

As far as a festiva goes, I would go with NGK V-power copper plugs and the ZE04 wireset for 323's, as seen here http://www.amazon.com/NGK-ZE04-Spark...4538097&sr=8-1

[i218127]

Oscar, believe me...you can feel the difference. I can't explain it in technical terms. I can only tell you it's there!!! It may be the reduction in impurities from ordinary air. Or, it could be the elimination of water vapor. I can only indicate that something IS different. My wife is not a car nut, but she feels it.

You have the same feelings I had before I tried it. All my RV friends badgered me into it or I'd have never tried it. They all swear by it, not at it. Something changes is all I can say.

"Drive On...ARMY"

[i218127]

Too late on the thermostat!! Per usual, Autozone gave me the wrong part. It was too big. Would have cracked the housing if I'd installed it. Went back to the store and had them measure candidates before I got a good one. The RIGHT ONE went in slick as you please. Seems to work good. Temp guage steady as a rock about 1/2 way up. WILL NOT MOVE!!!

"Drive On...ARMY"

[perucho]

^ I have tried it. Didn't feel any noticeable difference at the track (not 1/4 mile by the way) and it didn't show considerable lower or faster lap times. But that's just me; if you like it and it gives you good results, that's great.

I also need a thermostat. My radiator was completely plugged and the car was overheating. Replaced the radiator with a double core automatic transmission car radiator and now it barely gets to the bottom of the normal range.

[i218127]

A hint for all: Blocking the lower part of the outsde of the radiator with something "Non-Flamable", raises engine temp. The mod is cheap, adjustable, and non-destructive. I had to do that on an old Plymoth Cricket (4-banger) I had to get it hot enough in winter. Before the mod, I was always cold ! Very cold!!!

Over cooling is much easier to deal with than overheating. You can always make the enging hotter, but keeping it cool takes time and energy.

For all: " I love this site!!!" Makes going on line worth the effort.

"Drive On...ARMY"

[i218127]

Scanned the "ENFORCER" " 1968 Dodge R/T into Photo Shop. Will put up two (2) shots of the R/T. (440CI, 375 horse, 4bbl. Headers and dyno-tune kit.... 12.7 Sec in the 1/4 mile. This was in 1970, West Germany) The R/T was a daily driver. Top speed before the installation of 3.90 gears was 165MPH certified.

Also, will scan in a picture of my "62 Mercedes Benz 220Sb (2.4 L, six (6) banger, the "Gray Ghost"). Not fast, but would do 100mph (160Kph) all day, any day. Had the car from 1975 till 1978, West Germany and West Berlin.

It'll take a minute to get them onto the site. Still new you know. Not sure how to do it.


"Drive On...ARMY"

[i218127]

Batstiva.....I need your magic again. Or, help from anyone to move the last three (3) alblum shots to this page. 44o Dodge X2 and one (1) '62 Benz.


"Drive On...ARMY"

[i218127]

Started the interior work. Boy is this thing dirty!!! My son showed me how to rotate the back seat up. I thought it was suppose to lay backwards, flat!! Folds up slick as grease. Ants could had had a feast on what we found under the seats. Also, got a chance to see what the interior rug was suppose to look like. Went to the 99 cent store and started buying rug spotter and rug cleaner. It seems to be doing the trick. Its remarkable what a little "elbow grease" will do! Got about half of the back done.


Also while I was there, we took out the R/H rear trim piece. Can get at the dents better.


"Drive On...ARMY"

[i218127]

[IMG][IMG]http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/album.php?albumid=134&pictureid=889

[batstiva]

Here ya go. Gotta wipe my drool of the computer screen now.:p







Sorry I didn't get to this sooner. Love me some old Mopars!!!

[i218127]

Batstiva...Your my kind of guy!! (Read nothing into it!!)

Today, took out all the plugs. AUTOZ... gave me the wrong gap information. They're giving me what was passed down I guess. Reset them to .039 inches. The engine loves it!! Gave a big SILVERADO Diesel a fit from the line. That thing must have had a 8.0L engine in it for all the noise it made. He jumped and expected me to be far in the dust. But, old Rollo stayed about a car length behind till 85. After that, no point.

This thing is drawing 20.2 inches of vacume at idle. 20.2!!! Almost 200K??? Think there must have been a transplant somewhere. This thing wants to RRRUUUNNN!!!


"Drive On...ARMY"

[i218127]

I don't condone "street racing"! I do my best to avoid it. Sometimes slowing down considerably to make people pass me. Don't let the post above distract you from legal and sane driving habits. I'm only indicating that "Stuff Happens". I shared some "Stuff".

"Drive On...ARMY"