Got my first Festiva today...

[korruptchicken]

Bought a 97 Festiva Manual over the weekend for $200.

Put it in for a roady and this is the list I got back:

Bonnet catch affix
Replace seatbelt storks? (spelling?)
Adjust windscreen washes
Replace front gearbox mount
Replace front sway bar to lower control arm bushes

Am I up for a lot of cash here?

Obviously I know very little about cars and was hoping the brains trust here could give me a rough price on what I'm looking at. Hoping to get parts from wreckers and pay someone to fix/install.

Thanks in advance.

[JPT]

Sounds like a bunch of easy fixes.

Where are you that you found a '97? Australia?

[korruptchicken]

Yeah Australia, my cousin bought a new car and was taking this to the wreckers, they offered him $100 so I said I'd give him $200 for it. He was happy.

Easy fixes? That sounds promising, thanks for the speedy reply

[Safety Guy]

Ideas:

Bonnet catch affix....probably just needs aligning, or use some penetrating oil to free it up. I'd have to see it to know for sure.

Replace seatbelt storks? (spelling?)....seatbelt "stalks?" Just a guess, though the webbing would probably be in worse shape than the metal middle latch "stalks."

Adjust windscreen washes....use a tiny needle if you can't get the tool. Adjust to hit around the middle of the windshield, or to your taste.

Replace front gearbox mount....fairly easy to get to. You can replace this as you deal with the bushings below, since you'll need to put the front end up on jackstands or a lift for access.

Replace front sway bar to lower control arm bushes....if possible, get the MOOG blue colored stiffer bushings. They're nice, but not necessary. While you're at it, check the ball joints to make sure they're not loose.

You'll need a Ford Shop Manual, or at least a Haynes manual. Check Ebay and Amazon for them. Not sure what they go for down there, but I like to pay no more than $20 U.S. shipped to me for a shop manual, and about $12 shipped for the Haynes. Get both if you can.

BTW, over here, the '94 to '97 Festiva was called an "Aspire." It is the "WB" chassis, as opposed to the original, smaller "WA" chassis.

Karl

[korruptchicken]

Thank you so very much for the informative info. You guys are the best.

[Festevil3]

Welcome to the site, sounds like you picked up a decent ride for the cheap