What have you done to your Festiva today!?

[firebush357]

I took my Yellow Offroad Car to a 4x4 adventure park and blew a brake line on the first hill. I also had to be dragged back up the hill because it was super steep and probably glazed over my new clutch in the process lol. I didn't realize how big the hills can get in Florida but I think this is an old mining lot or something because it ridiculous out there. I will stick to flat land for now on!

[ricko1966]

Attempted to change my passenger side axle. I now know some of you other members frustration.I suggested to someone to make a punch out of conduit and driva a stuck axle out from the opposite side.Well that doesn't work I used a piece of tubing notched to clear the diff pin and tried beating out the axle ,no dice. Anyone tried using any type of wedge? ball joint pickle fork style? I cannot believe how stuck this thing is. I also learned that just because I can collapse and remove a shift shaft seal on anything I ever worked on before,doesn't mean you can on a festiva. So I appologize to anyone I've given bad advice too, in the future I will only post about things I have successfully done to my festivas. Thanks everyone and again sorry to all.

[bravekozak]

ricko, if you haven't damaged the retaining ring, try using the ring the bell routine on the bell of the halfshaft.
The goal is to tap gently all the way around in order to center the retainer so that it pops out like butter.
The shop manual suggests using a large screwdriver

[ricko1966]

thank you.I will try that.I have popped out 9 in the past no problem with a big pry bar and they just pop right out, I will get out my big pry bar and a hammer thanks again.

ricko, if you haven't damaged the retaining ring, try using the ring the bell routine on the bell of the halfshaft.
The goal is to tap gently all the way around in order to center the retainer so that it pops out like butter.
The shop manual suggests using a large screwdriver

[1990new]

Put a new trailer hitch on Trixie today.
Trixie will be going to my grandson in September and since he cuts grass for several people, he will needs to be able to haul the mowers around.
I had just put the same kind of hitch on Rosie before I sold her so I'm becoming a pro at it now. Still have to do the wiring connection for it, but that's pretty simple too.

[Doug Brown]

Bought a Leonard 201C car hauling trailer for RED, my work in progress drag racer. The trailer bed is 7 x 16 ft (a Festiva is 5 x 12) and can carry 7,000 lbs. The trailer itself weighs 1300 lbs. It is dual axle with one set of axles having electric brakes. It also has built in ramps to get the car on the trailer bed, the trailer bed is all wood.

Leonard has 56 outlets in SC, NC, VA. WV and TN. Very nice people! They also can do zero down and monthly payments. My trailer started at $2,399 and I added on all sorts of parts, many of which required installation or wiring, driving the final price up to $3,035. With zero down, 36 monthly payments came out to be $109 a month.

The trailer should arrive at the end of this coming week and I'll be towing it and RED to Madness in October - so look for us there!

[firebush357]

Sweet!

I am going to be towing to Madness this year as well but my trailer is 25+ years old. I was looking into getting a new bigger trailer but it just isn't time yet and I am not sure if my driveway is wide enough for a 20' trailer....

[PyroViking]

2nd post on site...

Tinted the 5 side and hatch windows, replaced all the wiper blades, ordered a new rear bumper cover and a used driver's side tail light. Going in for bodywork this Saturday and hopefully paint soon.

[Rick the Quick]

I borrowed the sway bar bushing, washer and nut off my '93 to put on the '91. Whoever last put bushings on the '91 didn't think the cotter pin was important and left it out. I hit a good size bump and the sway bar pulled out of the control arm causing instant negative camber on the left front as well as cutting the perfectly good cv boot and pulling the axle out of the transmission enough to lose all the oil by the time I made it home. Fortunately I was less than a mile from the house. 2.5 quarts of Rotella and a new cotter pin as well as a few borrowed parts off the '93 got me going again.

[bravekozak]

Bent a piece of 1/8" stainless rod that I had lying around.
Perfect fit and tension on the very first try.
I still have to chrome the cover plate.
I am also waiting for a stainless 1/2 NF tube nut from the bay.
The smaller fitting is 7/16 NF.
You certainly cannot paint plastic the same way as cast iron.
I sure hope this old Escort master is able to stop my Festiva after I fill it up with DOT 5 silicone brake fluid.

[greywolf200]

Bent a piece of 1/8" stainless rod that I had lying around.
Perfect fit and tension on the very first try.
I still have to chrome the cover plate.
I am also waiting for a stainless 1/2 NF tube nut from the bay.
The smaller fitting is 7/16 NF.
You certainly cannot paint plastic the same way as cast iron.
I sure hope this old Escort master is able to stop my Festiva after I fill it up with DOT 5 silicone brake fluid.

Nice....

[ricko1966]

Exact same thing happened to me a few years back in a right turm hit a bump and wham right front tire is all the way at the back of the wheel well and I was 40 miles from home, walked back down the road found some of the hardware and used a pair of vice grips as my front bushing. It got me home, Moral of the story tomorrow everybody make sure you have cotter pins in your stabilizer bars i

I borrowed the sway bar bushing, washer and nut off my '93 to put on the '91. Whoever last put bushings on the '91 didn't think the cotter pin was important and left it out. I hit a good size bump and the sway bar pulled out of the control arm causing instant negative camber on the left front as well as cutting the perfectly good cv boot and pulling the axle out of the transmission enough to lose all the oil by the time I made it home. Fortunately I was less than a mile from the house. 2.5 quarts of Rotella and a new cotter pin as well as a few borrowed parts off the '93 got me going again.

[Greywolf]

especially on THESE roads:

[Greywolf]

Thinking of a way to show cornering force in videos without going overboard:

[bravekozak]

I mounted my $27, 83-90 Escort Lynx Tracer cast iron master.
It only clears the battery by just over a quarter of an inch.
I used my master cylinder pushrod clearance gauge.
I only had to turn the end in a couple of turns (~ .010")
to meet the no vacuum specification.
The non-power brake pushrod that came with the master is too big for the Festiva master bore.
I removed the rubber guide and measured the shaft. It was .232".
I tried pushing the brakes and it moves good.
I have to bend a couple of lines to the proportioning valve.
Then I'll fill the reservoir.
I do not believe I will need to cut and thread the end of the supplied pushrod.
I will keep everybody posted.