My 1990 Festiva LX

[90mancan]

Ok so a couple days I purchased my first ford festiva off craigslist for $550. Once i got it home i realized it needed the followin to even pass inspection,

Front brakes/Rotors
2 Back tires
Shocks/Structs(all the way around)
Front axels

So basically i need some help as this is my first car and i feel like im in over my head. Any thing you guys can help me on would be greatly appreciated, Thank You, Richie

[FFW]

Brakes is all you need atm I passed my espection with 3 bald tires

[htchbck]

In the order you listed:

1. How bad are the rotors? Are they warped (whole car shudders when brakes applied) or just deeply grooved? Either way, if you are looking at replacing the rotors it may be worth the money to find a decent Aspire brake swap, you can search it on here, there's lots of info. The rotors on the Festiva are bolted on from the back of the hub, requiring the hub and bearings to be pressed apart for replacement. It can get fairly expensive/time consuming, especially if you have to replace the bearings too.

2. As for the tires, first decide if you are going to rebuild the festiva brakes or upgrade to the aspire brakes. If upgrading then I would suggest trying to get the wheels/tires from and Aspire (or 13" civic wheels work well too for cheap). If you are keeping festiva brakes then look for 13" Geo metro wheels (matches festiva bolt pattern). With either of these wheels you can use the ultra cheap 155/80R13 tires. Ya know, when tire stores say "starting at $15.99 per tire", well, thats the size thats $15.99 . Often its just as cheap to buy a set of 4 13" wheels and tires as it is to hunt down and buy two 12" tires (sometimes up to $60-$70 each, at least around here).

3. For struts (all four corners of the festy use struts) I always recommend the KYB-GR2s, they are a great shock and fairly easy to get ahold of, at least the last set I bought was. I think around $180 for all four a couple years ago.

4. Front axles, just get the $40 remanufactured ones from AutoZone or wherever.

Also, might want to put your location in your profile by going to the User CP and clicking on User Details (lefthand side)... then scroll down to where it has a spot for location. Might be some members nearby that can help you out with things as well, but if we don't know where you are we can't do much

[FFW]

Ok so a couple days I purchased my first ford festiva off craigslist for $550. Once i got it home i realized it needed the followin to even pass inspection,

Front brakes/Rotors
2 Back tires
Shocks/Structs(all the way around)
Front axels

So basically i need some help as this is my first car and i feel like im in over my head. Any thing you guys can help me on would be greatly appreciated, Thank You, Richie

:laughing4:

Looks just like mine....

[FestYboy]

FFW, i noticed he didn't post his location and i know many southern states are very lax in their inspections, but up here, 3 bald tires would have sent you packing...

[rotinaj13]

Yeah same here in Ohio if it gets safety inspected they do look at the tires. been there got bothered with that

[FFW]

Yeah i believe your right almost every state is bit different.

[David88]

I saw the ad. Its said "Want it Gone" It was in Hew Hampshire. Don't get discouraged. You came to the right place. There is alot of help here. Maybe there is someone on here close enough to help you out working on it. On the plus side, Your car looks great from the pics and the '90 LX is a sought after model as it was a one year only.
Good news is new rotors are cheap. Like 10 or 15 bucks, but bad news is you need to have them installed by a shop with a press. From where you are I'd bet they are bad due to rust. If so, then you have a concern of seized bolts. Next is the axles. Your should do the struts at the same time because you will have things apart already. Bottom line, there is a fair amount of work there. You may even find that it need more like ball joints etc. Best if you could do some of the work yourself to save money. You just need to decide if you want to tackle it or cut and run. Maybe now we know why they wanted it gone. Hang in there though. When you are done you will have a very fuel efficient car for very cheap compared to anything newer with similar MPG.

[Pu241]

Yeah same here in Ohio if it gets safety inspected they do look at the tires. been there got bothered with that

Since you haven't let us know your location, I guess I have to let everyone know that not all places in Ohio are the same.
I don't have safety nor emission inspections.
Get your registration, plates, and insurance and good to go!

[m715]

Don't lose hope. You can low buck a backyard fix for the rotor repair if you have to. The North Carolina Crew had write ups on replacing rotors without a press, and I have done this also (His couldn't be any rustier than mine have been). While you are there, axles can be swapped, and with a spring compressor, the front struts. The rears can be interesting to get the bottom bolt out, and this may be the toughest job mentioned so far without a smoke wrench, or cutting the bolts off to get them out. I would think you could find a sympathetic inspector who would cut you a little slack the first year to get you going though. Brake pads..... yes, you might have to do that. Tires.... yes you will have to do that. If the axle issue is that the boots are torn, you may get away with installing split boots that are available for now. Find out if you can get by with any of these band-aids for now, then tackle the other things as you absolutely have to.
David88 is right! A 90 LX is a find with it's original one year goodies. I especially like the Halo headrests, although they crack easily.

Michael

[boydg1]

.... In what section of the country are you located, city, state, etc. ??

.

[90mancan]

Thanks guys ands yes i live in new hampshire, I need to still figure out what i am doin with this car as my money situation is kinda low. however i do think i am going to keep it and again thank you all for your help

[skimsucka]

Nice car!

[boydg1]

.... How many miles do you have on your car?? :wave:
.