Need help on buying a swapped Festy

[redspire]

hello all, I've been in the aspire game for some years now, but i've kept everything relatively stock. Since I have a 97 aspire, it's nearly impossible to do a swap with it, and I've grown rather bored of it. I've recently been looking around at a Mini Cooper S, and I've heard bad things about them and the fact that you pay a lot for maintenance on them. This brought me back to the forum and I remember seeing all the great b6t builds and what not that everyone has on here, and I realized again that I want a swapped Festy. I just want to know how much I should roughly pay for one in good condition (No rust, clean interior, ok paint). Also, I'd love to do the swap myself, but I live in an apartment with mediocre mechanic skills, so that kind of puts it out of the question.

Another thing that kills me is the no A/C in my car. I know it's a sissy thing, but good God do I get hot in my aspire. If anyone can help me out here in giving me rough price points on what I should pay, or even could quote me on building one for me (eurotiva, your rear turbo is frickin sweet) I'd appreciate it. I live in PA, so I'd want to buy out of state because of the rust issues. Thanks all for the help!

[Bert]

"I live in an apartment and have mediocre mechanic skills. Another thing that kills me is there is no A/C in my car".
Stay the "H or F" away from older (and even more so stay away from customized) cars and give up on figuring to radically modifying (any non-OEM engine transplant qualifies!) or customizing whatever ones you have until you entirely wean yourself off of relying on commercial automotive garages to fix your cars.
Current Mini Coopers are actually British-made BMWs and will require you to take out a mortgage in order to buy one and then keep it going, even more so if it's an "S" version. Notice these cars are so expensive and so fashionable that no one dares to drive them hard!
A Toyota Corolla may seen like a radical stepping down in status but if it has OEM A/C and a manual tranny, and has not been beat to death by a previous owner, it will likely save you a huge pile of money in operating costs and yet give you lots of driving enjoyment. Twin cam variable valve timed engines became common-place about 10-15 years ago and any old housewife's version of one of these will blow the doors off a Festy or an Aspire without even trying.

[redspire]

I hardly take my aspire to the garage, unless its something that requires special tools and what not. I kinda want to have a swapped festy, but I've never pulled an engine or gone that far in depth. Was just wondering what an already completed swap is going for nowadays, or if anyone would be interested in talking with me about helping me build one.

[Gomez]

Engine swapping not as hard as you may think. Depending on who is giving the advice, how much experience they have, and which swap you are trying.

Example. If you know what a wrench is and you have acess to a cherry picker (engine hoist) than you can do a first generation B6 Swap in a day with little to no advice or help (as long as you do the required homework and parts gathering beforehand) and improve power by 25% or more. On the other hand if you are trying a B6T swap and the person/persons helping you have only done it once, then you will have a VERY hard time gettin it completed ever!!!

[Chobobulous]

Lol if you know what a wrench is.

[shadetree]

Ps .. Buy a car find the swap engine you want and I'll build it for you . Let me know exactly what your looking for and I'll help you find it. Pm me for more info .

[Bert]

Ps .. Buy a car find the swap engine you want and I'll build it for you . Let me know exactly what your looking for and I'll help you find it. Pm me for more info .

Now that there is valuable advice. How many Festys have you swapped over engines in over the years shadetree? Talented folks that publically offer to do swaps for well under $1000 are a rare breed.

And I do fondly recollect that shadetree freely sent out some hard to find parts to a forum member in distress in around Christmas last year.

[Flyin4stroke]

How much cash u got my festy is swapped?

[blueoval]

got a b8-me swapped festiva on here for sale rust free

[zoom zoom]

On the other hand if you are trying a B6T swap and the person/persons helping you have only done it once, then you will have a VERY hard time gettin it completed ever!!!


not really, I bet I could b6t swap a car myself with little to no issues.

The first time is always the hardest. At least for me. Show me once and usually I've got it. I could have b6t swapped my festy myself but it was really nice having rob there to coach me thru it the first time. Hell had all the parts been right/good parts I wouldn't have had any issues with getting it running either. I had Karls assistance when I did the b6 swap too. Ask either of them, I already had most of the legwork done before they came and finished up the details after they left, but not before I got their advice on how they would go about doing the rest.


There's several "minor details" to swapping engines that are overlooked in the write up threads. Nothing too major, but when you are confronted with them in the middle of a swap and you were hoping to be done that night, it seems like a really daunting task. A little experience goes a LONG way.

Show me a b6t swap thread that says you need to swap oil pressure sending units on the back of the block before putting the engine in the car, I don't remember seeing that anywhere, but since I got rob to help me swap, now I know. Same deal with the coolant temp unit for b3/b6 swapping.

[Flyin4stroke]

I did my b6t swap without coaching. No help but Chris rummel's write up. It's not too bad. People make it seem like rocket science. It ran good enough to go 13.9 on Festiva tires. Did 174 hp on the dyno. Pulled an engine from a running car and made it run in a Festiva pretty simp.