Has anyone ever performed a full tit-4-tat Festy/Aspire swap?

[Flw Sock]

I don't see a problem with it. The brakes should be fine on an aspire. It will be the same as any other beater.

[Larry Hampton]

I'm thinking of going a totally different direction now, different donor, not one that's $2000.

But I'm not going to share what it is, no one has done it that I've found, therefore I'll get no answers to my questions, only more questions. The other thing is, I have a life, family, debt and can't just work on it every extra minute I have, so its going to take a LOT of time, but I can pick up the donor for less than the cost of a Festy right now. 200+ HP factory 4 cyl with lots of aftermarket support. Going at it with the idea of making a kit, however the kit will likely cost $1500-$2000 and you'll still have to provide a donor car. (Will include a cage, my buddy is a drag chassis builder, but he's built other cages, from roundy rounds to Monster Trucks, this may even push it to $2500.)

[Bert]

I'm thinking of going a totally different direction now, different donor, not one that's $2000.

But I'm not going to share what it is, no one has done it that I've found, therefore I'll get no answers to my questions, only more questions. The other thing is, I have a life, family, debt and can't just work on it every extra minute I have, so its going to take a LOT of time, but I can pick up the donor for less than the cost of a Festy right now. 200+ HP factory 4 cyl with lots of aftermarket support. Going at it with the idea of making a kit, however the kit will likely cost $1500-$2000 and you'll still have to provide a donor car. (Will include a cage, my buddy is a drag chassis builder, but he's built other cages, from roundy rounds to Monster Trucks, this may even push it to $2500.)

Numerous folks on here have been experimenting with parts from other cars. By and large the majority have found that Mazda (Ford) and Kia-derived car parts are best suited (ie simplest) for accomplishing performance upgrades.
Sure Festy's can be described as empty beer cans safety-wise (along with 1000s of other cars) but they weigh considerably less than almost all other econo boxes. If safety is your only concern and fun to drive/economy is of no consequence then you maybe wanna start looking for an old 1 ton pickup army truck. 1945-1968 Dodge Powerwagons only had 75 hp but they'd climb a cliff or pull a house right off the foundation!

[Larry Hampton]

Bert, you talk a lot but you don't read. I want better brakes, I want better tires, I want a better suspension, I want my speedometer and odometer to read correct, I want more safety AND I want great mileage AND I can't afford a new Fiesta, is also like CNG/electric hybrid but that's pushing it. A bit more power would be nice, 200 is a bit much but that's sorta what comes with it.

[Bert]

Bert, you talk a lot but you don't read. I want better brakes, I want better tires, I want a better suspension, I want my speedometer and odometer to read correct, I want more safety AND I want great mileage AND I can't afford a new Fiesta, is also like CNG/electric hybrid but that's pushing it. A bit more power would be nice, 200 is a bit much but that's sorta what comes with it.

What's interesting about this post is that is polar opposite to what was asked of site members in the initial thread starter; 'how about putting Festy brakes and suspension on an Aspire'.

[zoom zoom]

I'm not sure anyone's speedo/odo will ever be correct, but close enough is good enough for most. I definately understand where your comming from, I would like the same thing, and there's about a 9% chance I will have it before much longer, but I've been working on my car for almost a year. Just give it time, a rotted out aspire will be around for cheap, you just have to be there to buy it. I was simply trying to say there's no point in ruining an otherwise good car. Like putting bicycle brakes on a Harley..

[scitzz]

I deal with that now. The Festy is a very dangerous car. A friend of mine, who also owns a Festy, said you have to think of it as an enclosed motorcycle. If you get in an accident with just about anything, you're going to lose. Face it, you're driving around in an empty beer can.

I never said I wouldn't have full disclosure. I'm just asking if anyone has ever done it.

OK, then you are correct, I doubt anyone has done it. Probably for the reasons I stated. Disclosure or not, downgrading the aspire brakes would be bad.

However, I bet you could scare up an aspire swap from a JY SOMEWHERE!

There is a full aspire swap at the LKQ in Garner, NC. Well, there was a couple weeks ago. There is a thread on here for people to find JY parts. Someone will probably post the link. I bet someone knows where one is, and would be willing to snag it, and ship it to you.

Even better, check out www.car-part.com find the swap anywhere on the continent, and have it shipped. A very cost effective way to get it, and no one is endangered.

As far as the festy being dangerous, I have been driving with only the front brakes for a truly long time now. Like a maniac, I drive. No problems stopping.

You could check salvage direct for a donor car, one that has been wrecked.

You could also look for one of the other swaps, Kia Rio and Mercury Capri, if I am not mistaken.

[Larry Hampton]

What's interesting about this post is that is polar opposite to what was asked of site members in the initial thread starter; 'how about putting Festy brakes and suspension on an Aspire'.

How is it opposite? I'm upgrading the Festy and keeping it, getting rid of the Aspire... Just a sec (scrolls up..... Back down) Yup, this IS the Festiva forum.

[Larry Hampton]

There ARE Aspires in the yards, problem is, by the time I get everything, I'll have close to $600 invested. I had to buy (so I thought) an axle for my first Festy (turned out to be just the axle stub) and they charged me for the axle beam, axle stubs and rear brakes. Probably bearings, ebrake cable and shoes too, this was PAP.

I'm just going a different route now. Plus I have at least two cars I want to do. I guess an option would be to put up a wtb on CL for an Aspire running or not....

[scitzz]

There ARE Aspires in the yards, problem is, by the time I get everything, I'll have close to $600 invested. I had to buy (so I thought) an axle for my first Festy (turned out to be just the axle stub) and they charged me for the axle beam, axle stubs and rear brakes. Probably bearings, ebrake cable and shoes too, this was PAP.

I'm just going a different route now. Plus I have at least two cars I want to do. I guess an option would be to put up a wtb on CL for an Aspire running or not....

That is CRAZY expensive! PAP here, LKQ, would be under $200 for the entire swap, sans wheels.

[Bert]

The 2 complete and running 97 4 door Aspires I bought had all new brakes, drums, rotors and springs and none were expensive. First car was $500 and had to be driven all the way from Montreal and second was local and $200 because I waited a month and a half until the seller became desperate. Not much call for Aspires around here. I had a line on another local Aspire (for scrap value) and posted it on this site but no one took the bait.
But with a complete car at least then you have absolutely everything plus a free B3 engine with roller valve rockers. A complete set of starter 13" rims with tires is also a nice bonus.

[Advancedynamix]

I think stock festiva brakes get a bad rap. When tested by consumer reports in 1988, the festiva stopped faster than most economy cars. My 93 auto stops just as fast as tweak did with the big XR2 brakes (actually better than tweak did with the ceramic pads) at normal to slightly spirited speeds. My 89 auto stops much worse ( both cars have stock brakes) but it's an east coast car with some rust on the rotors and I suspect the pads are not as good. Stock Festiva brakes, when fitted with quality components, work great for average driving. However, I would not recommend continuous hard braking ( mountain driving with automatic tranny or race track driving) with stock brakes due to the solid rotor design not being able to shed the heat. I also wouldn't recommend using stock brakes with a larger engine/ tranny (b6t,bp, v6 ect) because higher speed slow downs and stops will generate more heat, as will the added weight of the larger engine.
I don't want to discourage people from doing aspire swaps, they are definitely worth the effort. Just stating that the stock brakes are not unsafe when properly maintained.
With that said, if you do the swap from a festiva to an aspire and vice versa you'll want an early aspire auto, IIRC, because there is a difference in brake lines on the later cars ( someone correct me if I'm wrong) and you may want to turn the rotors and put new pads on the aspire with the festy brakes and let the buyer know that the car has festiva components so they don't get into trouble when they need parts.
Looks like I was late with my post, so good luck with whatever your trying to do!

[Larry Hampton]

My problem is, the local Aspires are just too much $$$, plus in Oklahoma, we don't have the rust problems you northerners do.

I saw a teal EGT in an apartment complex with the back window gone due to a recent hail storm. I'm thinking of leaving a card on the window of it, after I see if it's a 5-speed....

[scitzz]

My 93 auto stops just as fast as tweak did with the big XR2 brakes (actually better than tweak did with the ceramic pads) at normal to slightly spirited speeds.

I would NOT have called that!

[Bert]

I have driven for well over a year with Aspire brakes and have been pleasantly surprised as to lack of wear on the pads and shoes. With Festy brakes, over the past 8 years, it seems I was changing them every 12 months because they were entirely worn out.
The other nice thing about Aspire brakes is the vastly improved rotors. Festy solid rotors are readily prone to warpage and a real pain in the donkey to change, Aspire larger and vented rotors are much less susceptible to problems, and they're a darn sight easier to replace.
Early Rio front brakes/suspension are a viable option for you. Apparently (use the search engine on this site) they are a direct fit too, and larger again then that of Aspire. That setup ought to be quite cheap at a junkyard. Now as to getting your hands on an Aspire rear beam complete with brakes (plus a much stiffer Aspire front sway bar) in order to match the front wheel bolt pattern is a whole other story.