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Just got a Ford Fiesta.....

20296 Views 61 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  Mercury_66Comet_07Milan, 
Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
...... a 1978 Ford Fiesta!!! :pokey:


We pulled it from inside a barn where the goats used it as a mattress. haha :lol:

It's a 1.6L four cylinder with a 4 speed.

Get this, it cranked right up. The last inspection sticker says 1986.

My brother and I are going to get it road worthy, repair the rust, give it a paint job..and sell it for 100% profit since we got it for FREE...or maybe drive it around since gas is $3.50 a gallon!!
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
how about now?
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
[quote author=Canadian_LX link=topic=187231.msg3952222#msg3952222 date=1299252778]
How do you plan on getting the goat smell out!? :shock:
[/quote]

They were only on the outside of the car, they couldn't get to the interior. And we just sprayed the whole car with Purple Power and used brushes to get all the "ick" off....
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
So wow, dug into the Fiesta over the weekend. The weirdest Ford ever....this is basically a VW Rabbit in Ford clothing.

We were trying to get the brakes to work. No pressure on the pedal but the rod engages in the master cylinder. Wouldn't there be pressure if the lines were clogged???? By the way, this thing has front discs that are like 6 inches in diameter!!!! so small. It also uses lug bolts as there is no "stud" to put a lug nut on. It's all one piece.

It has air conditioning too haha. Doubt we can get some C-2 refrigerant which is what it calls for, wow outlawed long time ago I am sure. Besides the rust (plenty of it), no brakes and no refrigerant....it runs and works beautifully!

12 inch dubs on it too!
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
funny you should say that. we do have a 302 V8, C4 trans and 8 inch rear laying around that came out of the "Old Mercury parts car" in my signature. The Fiesta needs all new floors so why not incorporated a drive shaft hump???? haha.
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
the only problem I see with a v8 swap is that well, gas ain't so cheap. The car was advertised back in the day to get 46 mpg hwy...that sounds more appealing than 12 mpg...
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
Ok, worked all day Friday on the Fiesta. Got the Front pads to semi-engage. Took the rear drums off. Driver rear has a busted wheel cylinder so there was the no brake pressure culprit. The bolts on the backing plate holding the wheel cylinder were basically a part of the backing plate they were so rusted. Got them out finally in tact too, but the brake line nut was destroyed, but thats an easy fix.

The real problem is that a drum return spring was broken and the brakes shoes were laying in the drum. The shoes are available, but the drum spring kit is OBSOLETE. None of the parts stores have them, zip zilch N/A.....this is a problem. Local junkyards have NO Fiesta's either. We even looked up parts for a 78 Rabbit and 81 Escort, the springs are different lengths!! :(

I know that there a lot of Fiesta's still on the road/being fixed up in Europe, so where are they getting their parts????? I need help fellow FFC'ers cause this will put a serious kink in getting it on the road so we can enjoy the 47 mpg's that were advertised for this car back in the day....
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
found 2 sets of spring kits on ebay.... NOS. bought them both. still doesn't solve the problem when those break...
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
there is one for sale in UK...don't know how I would go about getting one though.
http://www.fiesta-centre.co.uk/rear-disc-conversion-kit-mk1--2-fiesta-354-p.asp
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
yeah but that converts to 400 bucks.... forget that. the spring kit was 12 bucks for BOTH! oh well...maybe I should just take an 81 escort backing plate and weld it in place of the Fiesta one...cause they have plenty of Escort stuff for 81....plenty of them in the junkyard.
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
yep worth more than the car...the escort backing plate swap may be a route to go..have to see. The only major problem may be that the Fiesta has LUG BOLTS and the escort would have studs.
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
or rattle can camo
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
An exhaustive research last night yielded this part number.... 118.61031 or CE118.61031

1978-1980 Ford Fiesta Brake Drum Hardware kit sold by Centric. Everyplace says IN STOCK (carpartswholesale, carstuff.com, even some on ebay by parts stores) But still shows obsolete at all parts stores (Advance Auto, Autozone, O'Reilly, NAPA)

I hope it's not a case of "we sell them, but oops they aren't available to order anymore"...

anyone help me confirm that part number???
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
cool. I just hope it's not for the parking brake or that it's the cup&nail hold down springs for the shoes. those are not what I need. I need the return springs.
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
I chatted with a guy on carpartswholesale. he said it's all the springs. so that makes me feel better. hell it's only 5 bucks what can it hurt. lol

that picture isn't what my springs look like, but he said it was a generic pic. he said he has the same picture on his screen but that his says includes all springs and that it was a complete kit.
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
why would carpartswholesale/r1concepts have them IN STOCK but every brick&mortar auto store says obsolete????
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
very true. this one wasn't either....it was a goat mattress in a barn :koolaid:
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
Well, considering that we have like 13 projects at one time (66 Mercury Comet, 71 Javelin AMX, 78 Ford Fiesta, 75 Plymouth Scamp, 77 Trans Am, my Milan (ongoing), repairing rust spots on my Lumina (winter car), my bro's 87 Trooper (lift, paint), bro's 91 ASC McLaren Pontiac GP (paint&bodywork), trying to figure out why my fiance Escape dies all the time with no CEL....and other random people who stop in for whatever)...its going to be slow, be prepared to wait...we're just trying to get it road worthy right now. Right now, great state of NC is trying to track down last registered owner, b/c where we got it from...they never registered it and plus it was sitting in the barn when they bought the house. so who knows where the last guy is...

and I can only help on the weekends!!!!!!

EDIT: after you posted.... it's drum brakes...not disc. we have a bucket of anti-sieze grease
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
only the AMX and Trans Am aren't ours haha... promise it ain't a ******* junkyard.

We have sold some off... we no longer have the 64 International Harvester 1100 that was my great-grandad's. guy across the street is restoring it.. only has 54,000 miles. 266 V8 3 spd on the tree, 4.11 rear-end. it'll pull a tree stump.
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Mercury_66Comet_07Milan
ain't is a word ain't it? :lol:

"you might be a ******* if...you mow the lawn and find a car" ~ Jeff Foxworthy
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