What have you done to your Festiva today!?

[meyek91974]

Firebush, the back looks great. Real good man. I have wanted to strip the interior to replace the big interior plastics but Ive not done it in the extent of unknown there. Do you possibly or could you have any other pics of the job/end results. OR where on ff would I find similar pics where ppl have stripped interior as I haven't found them yet. Great job again

[fastivaca]

.... I have a good bit of vibration/wobble but I think that is from the Hub Bore not matching. Would the best way to fix be to just upgrade to Lug Studs?

I would recommend that you get a set of hubcentric rings to keep things in alignment. The studs will help but not as much as going with the properly sized rings. Another thing to look at is the nut/bolt seat. On some wheels it's a ball or round (some VWs for example), on others its tapered. Stock Festiva is tapered. If your wheels have ball seats and you're using tapered lug bolts that could also contribute to the wobbling issue.

Hope that helps a bit.

[fezzy]

Initial Post: 9220


This has turned into a stuff up somewhere on the rear brake shoes.
Drums were measured and perfect 200m. They actually look new, not much wear.
Fitted the bearings, and new seals, all good.

New Brake shoes do not fit, I removed the backing plates, cleaned, painted, all looking great.
Tried to assemble on kitchen table and Drum will not fit on with new shoes ! ( Shoes are standard btw)
Sanded and sanded one set on linings till it fitted, there was A LOT of sanding to do. Eventually it fitted, snugg, but it turns.

Obvious question, was the hand-brake adjuster and wheel cylinder all the way in ?
Yes. Have the Hains Manual, all went on accordingly as the steps suggested.


Next Break drum and shoe, same thing, will not fit.
It look as if the shoe's frame is not right. Yet it is exactly the same as the old shoes, exactly the same.
( Old shoes were half way worn, fit perfectly, brakes and handbrake worked perfectly. )

Took backing plate, brake shoes etc to the brake parts place/workshop, and he to was stumped.
He checked everything, hand-brake adjuster in the right position, wheel cylinder pistons pressed all the way in and still would not fit. So a brake specialists has seen this.
Checked measurment of the the shoe's OD, ( out-side diameter ) and it measures at 205m.
So it's 5ml over-size, yet part numbers are all the same and just one part number for the whole range of Festivas from 1993 or so on-wards to 2000

Went back today this time with VIN and whatever info I can gather to check tomorrow another brand of shoes. ( This is a 4 door hatch btw, 1998 WF 1.5, Manual. )
------,


Interesting, 200m standard brake drums, and new shoes/linings 205m when adjusters and everything else is at zero adjustments.

If the other brand brings the same issues, the 205m, then all we can do is sand down the new lining till it fits.

Suggestions on this one most welcomed

[firebush357]

I would recommend that you get a set of hubcentric rings to keep things in alignment. The studs will help but not as much as going with the properly sized rings. Another thing to look at is the nut/bolt seat. On some wheels it's a ball or round (some VWs for example), on others its tapered. Stock Festiva is tapered. If your wheels have ball seats and you're using tapered lug bolts that could also contribute to the wobbling issue.

Hope that helps a bit.

Yeah I was thinking about getting a set of the hubcentric rings. I'll have to check on the bolt seat, I think they match up but I'll check to be positive.

Thanks for the advice.

[jawja jim]

Fezzy, I have had to collapse the self-adjuster mechanism by hand completely, not just at the minimal adjustment position but pull out with pliers to let it in totally, and then push the shoes in by hand as much as possible in case the wheel cylinder has any residual pressure in it. Also eyeball it to make sure everything appears to be symmetrical against the shape of the backing plate. Even then it can be difficult to get the drum on, especially with new components, and may require a smack from the heel of the hand and salty words, but I have always eventually gotten them to go on.

[fezzy]

Thanks Jawa Jim,
Specs from HAYNES has mix of numbers on rear brakes.
So for the record:

Drum Brake inside Diameter
Standard
Pre-1994--- 170mm
1994 on ----200mm

Maximum
Pre- 1994---171.5mm
1994 on ----201.5mm

The "max 201.5" is cast onto the drum.

Brake Cylinder has 5.5 cast into it.
But the HAYNES pictures show a 5, just vaguely
Wonder if the .5 makes all the difference ?

Looking at hand-brake lever on photo, that's as far as the ratchet goes.I can lower it, but when the linings are back flush onto the backing plate, the ratchet re-set itself to what is on the photo.

[fezzy]

This is the before photo, obviously the previous owner's mechanic seems to have had problems, and the spring was put on wrong.

[Greywolf]

Tweaking the hand brake lever is the last thing before the drums go on, everything should be together at that point. The hand brake will adjust the shoes from that point on, so you don't want to do anything except make sure the lever is all the way retracted. If you do your spindle nuts by the book with an inch pound wrench, you want as little drag on the drum as possible. Rotate the drum several turns before setting the bearing pre-load.

For me today, I had run up 105 miles on the oil with Sea Foam in it, so I did an oil and filter. I plan on another oil change in about 200 - 500 miles.

I also blew a can of engine degreaser on it just on GP. Sometime soon I'll be swapping out the trans (I hope)

~And now, back to straightening out my garage :sad8:

[fezzy]

Thanks GW,
This is the point I try to illustrate, we measured diameter without the adjusters, just the clips and springs to hold it in place, is 205m across from lining to lining, the drum measures 200m.
The first picture is the linings I sanded down, which would have to have been 2.5m + ~ each.
When fitting the hand-brake cable on with the pin in place, it tightens up just a bit more.
Today we are going to try Bendix part numbers, and see if there has ever been slight variation via VIN, 2 door and 4 door versions.

[fezzy]

So far solved while assembling both side hubs etc on kitchen table.

The first set of those brake shoes shows lining thickness is 5mm.

They gave me another new set of brake shoes of another brand, but well known in Australia, Australian made.
Lining on shoe thickness is 4mm

Obviously 1mm made it not fit on a 200mm standard size un-machined near new brake drum/s.

Drums fitted like a glove.

[Greywolf]

Today I went back to the place I got both of my cars - and cleared the brush around a third car that has the whole front end stripped out. I had to cut down several trees to get to it, there was one growing right against both doors and a number of bushes growing up through the engine bay.

The body is in pretty good shape, but lacks a drivers side window and it also has a solid steering rack. I should be able to get it for a hundred if I can collaborate with a friend who's got a trailer and winch. It was apparently a first gen car, the carburettor was in the back of it under the hatch along with a manifold. Lord knows if there are any keys for it, but the doors were unlocked.

In looking over my shop, I measured it out like an aircraft carrier hangar bay on graph paper, and made a Festiva sized cutout from a file card to see how many I can fit in there - it turns out Festiva's and Suzuki Swifts are both 11 and 1/2 feet long by five feet wide, six feet wide if they have mirrors on both sides.

I can fit either two or three in the shop, depending on how I do it.



If I go with 'Plan B' I still have the front of the shop to work in, and have one car in deep storage, the third an "IN WORK" machine. For right now with a whole bunch of boxes mostly of fasteners to sort out - I have a bit more to go and then the Blue car with the B6T will be the "HANGAR QUEEN" while I do the dash panel and other work, and I can wheel in the '91 to do the water pump (Plan "A")

NOTES:
One 'square' = 6 inches by 6 inches
Upper right corner is full of transmissions driveshafts and lawn/garden equipment (dotted lines)
Tool Box as marked is stationary. There are a top and bottom box, folding cherry picker, and a cart not shown
Small dashed squares are engines on stands

[fezzy]

Greywolf,
Plan C ?
Depending on the height and strength of your shed, a series of sail-boat pullys and ropes to lift one of the cars above ground, so it is suspended in mid air ?

[Greywolf]

Can't do it - I think the whole place was built cheaply by people who were not even qualified to do construction.

I've thought about modding the house and garage to two story - but the country bumpkins around here just plain scare me purely because of their failure to graduate high school at all well. Would you hire someone who can't even read or spell to work on your home? They've only just recently discovered the INTERNET and what it can do for them...

(TRUTH! There wasn't even DSL here until a few years ago. These people are not part of the twenty first century, they're just beginning to grasp the twentieth...)

This is TENNESSEE - the last bastion of YESTERYEAR, the Government and the old folks ain't letting go anytime soon and they are PARANOID!
But the young folk right now are up to speed, and don't like being held back.

I often think of the famous quote by Senator David Crocket: "YOU MAY ALL GO TO HELL -AND I WILL GO TO TEXAS."
Whatever...

Either way - I'm putting everything on hold until I have the shop as ready as I can make it. I can have two cars in it soon - the B6T will be in the back, and the '91 in front.

I also have another chassis coming home next month.

Somehow...

[fezzy]

you mean this lot ?

This is TENNESSEE - the last bastion of YESTERYEAR, the Government and the old folks ain't letting go anytime soon and they are PARANOID!
But the young folk right now are up to speed, and don't like being held back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqxzWdKKu8

lol

[Brianliska]

Greywolf,
Plan C ?
Depending on the height and strength of your shed, a series of sail-boat pullys and ropes to lift one of the cars above ground, so it is suspended in mid air ?

I can fit 3 in a 2 car garage, if keep buying more and the GF leaves me, I will install a garage door to the house and park them inside also!