WESTIVA 2016

Plans are well under way for this year's edition of Westiva. This will be the 8th time we've hosted the event at the picturesque Wedge Pond Day Use Area in Alberta's beautiful Kananaskis Country.

Westiva is very casual, informal event originally geared towards owners, fans and fanatics of both the Ford Festiva or Ford Aspire with invitations extended to owners of other econoboxes from the late eighties and early nineties such as the Dodge Colt, Chevrolet Sprint, Geo Metro, Suzuki Swift and Nissan Micra.

The "official" start time is around 10:00am. At about 1:00pm we’ll cruise up to the Boulton Creek Trading Post in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park for ice cream, about a 30km drive. From there we'll continue to Upper Kananaskis Lake.

2010 attendees (This shot was taken before the tenth car arrived)

When Westiva was first held in 2008 there were four attendees. Two from Calgary, one from the lower mainland of British Columbia and the fourth driving up from Worland WY. Our best year attendance-wise was 2010 when we had 10 Festivas show up with the furthest being from Ontario. 

In keeping with our expanded area of interest we had the owner of a Suburau Vivio RXR come to the 2012 edition. There was no event in 2013 due to significant flooding in southern Alberta

The 2014 event saw a couple of Suzuki Swifts in attendance, one from Calgary and the other from Spruce Grove AB. We also had owners bringing the cars from as far away as Pasco WA and St. Albert SK.

Westiva 2014 attendees.

Westiva 2015 attendees

Looking forward to some long distance attendees this year! Festiva owners in Georgia, Utah and Montana have expressed an interest in coming up. If the exchange rate on the Canadian vs. US dollar stays anywhere close to where it is today it would make for an inexpensive trip! 

Speaking of distances... if you're thinking of coming here are some approximate one way travel distances:

Great Falls MT: 400 miles
Spokane WA: 425 miles
Portland OR: 775 miles
San Sioux Falls SD: 1250 miles
Denver CO: 1175 miles
Fransisco CA: 1300 miles
Los Angeles CA: 1600 miles
Kansas City MO: 1600 miles
Phoenix AZ: 1625 miles
Louisville KY: 2000 miles
Knoxville TN: 2200 miles
Raleigh NC: 2475 miles
Miami FL: 3025 miles

Edmonton AB: 400 km
Vancouver BC: 950 km
Saskatoon SK: 725 km
Regina SK: 875 km
Winnipeg MB: 1425 km
Toronto ON: 3500 km
Montreal QC: 3625 km

So consider yourself invited! I hope to have my new Festiva project car done in time for the meet.


8th ANNUAL WESTIVA

When: Saturday July 16, 2016
Where: Wedge Pond Day Use Area, Kananaskis, Alberta
Who: Ford Festiva and Aspire fans and anyone interested along with owners, fans etc of other econoboxes from the era.
Why: Why not?

If you'd like more information either leave a comment here or check out the "Meets & Events" section at FordFestiva.com

Update: It was a great day! Follow this link for a bit of a write up and some photos.

Our faithful Festiva... gone before its time!

Had a bit of a setback in our automotive plans. We were hoping that our red '92 Festiva would make it through the winter so that I could get all the wiring and engine stuff done before swapping the suspension and interior over to our blue '93 project car. Such is not the case. 

The engine of the red car, which has well over 500,000km/300,00miles on it, started making unusual noises. I thought at first that the water pump or alternator were possible culprits but ruled those out by running the engine without the belt in place.

The Mazda engines of this type were prone to failure where the timing gear sprocket is mated to the end of the crankshaft and that's what has happened on mine. In the early '90s Mazda improved their B series engines by enlarging the diameter of the crankshaft where it comes out the front of the engine. Hence the terms "small nose" and "large nose" you may hear when these otherwise sturdy engines are up for discussion.

We decided not to expend any more energy, time or money on our red car so it was summarily parked and is currently being stripped of all its "goodies". The weather has been relatively warm the last few days so I've  taken the opportunity to get as much done outdoors during the day and then working in the garage in the evenings. 

Status as I write this:
- most of the interior removed
- rear axle, struts and brakes removed 
- gas tank removed from the red and installed in the project car ( it was brand new a few months ago)
-  rear axle prepped for install in the project car

The '92 up on stands ready for dismantling.

Rear axle, brakes and struts out. Gas tank is next.

Interior partially stripped.

Rear axle assembly ready to be prepped for the project car.

There's a lot more "stuff" to come off the red car such as the European headlights and grille, custom short shifter, air conditioning to name just a few. 

UPDATE: The 92 has been completely stripped and the shell has gone off to the scrapyard. Most of the parts scavenged from it have either been installed in the project car or will be shortly. Here's a couple of shots of the remains before it was sent off. RIP (rust in pieces) faithful friend...

You can see the project car in the background!

 

Not much left :(

 
I was sad to see it come down to this but as I was removing bits and pieces I discovered even more rust than I expected. The project car is rust free with much less than half the kilometers on it.

Just a little reminder... here's the project car as it was when picked up earlier this year.

I'll be writing up a bit more about the project in the next little while so please come back soon to check things out. If you'd like to know more about this project please leave a question or comment below.

A positive U-Haul experience!!

As I posted a few weeks ago we rented a U-Haul car trailer back in May so that we could pick up the "new to us" Festiva in Edmonton, AB, 300km north of our home in Calgary. I've heard so many negative stories about renting from U-Haul that I was really cautious about this transaction. 

I found the rental outlet, Kensington Auto in northwest Calgary, to be very helpful and was able to rearrange both pick up and drop off  times on short notice. The trip up to Edmonton was uneventful and we made it to our destination right on time. Loaded up the car, made a couple of stops in town and then headed out on the highway home.

This was about 4:00 on a Sunday afternoon with the usual traffic southbound on Highway 2, the Queen Elizabeth Highway, and we were only about 20 minutes out of Edmonton between Nisku and Leduc. Someone passed us, yelling and pointing at the trailer. We pulled over and discovered that one of the tires had blown and I thought we were going to be stranded overnight.

Here comes the good part... I called U-Haul's road side assistance number and arranged to have the tire replaced. That process only took 10 or 15 minutes... OK, so far so good. To cut a long story short, we were soon joined by a tire repair truck from Leduc. We were told that both tires on that side would be replaced so the repairman removed the tires, went to his shop and returned with the new ones ready to reinstall. From the time I first called U-Haul to the time we were back on the road  was only 2 hours and 15 minutes. I was most impressed considering that this was relatively late on a Sunday afternoon and we were about 20 minutes or so away from the tire shop.

Thanks to Kensington Auto for the great service and to U-Haul for the excellent road side assistance.

The final road trip

Well, it happened... the final road trip in our trusty red Festiva. With bike rack mounted on the roof, packed full with bags and bins we left Calgary just after lunch on the afternoon of Sunday August 29th headed for the first stop, Emerald Park SK. Most of this leg of the trip was familiar to us and I forgot to have pictures taken; oops. Other than a lot of bugs and a stiff wind  as we drove across the western half of Saskatchewan it was an uneventful start to this quick trip. We made it to our hotel in Emerald Park by about 8:30pm and settled in to our room for the night.

 

Car loaded up with the bike rack. Picture was actually taken in Dauphin MB.

We got up fairly early for breakfast, checked out of the hotel and hit the road. Rather than head directly east to Winnipeg along the Trans Canada Highway and then up to Arnes  we decided to take the scenic route. Travelling up the  Qu'Appelle valley to Yorkton SK, east across Saskatchewan, through Dauphin MB, across The Narrows and then south into Arnes. It rained for most of the trip as far as Dauphin where we drove out from under the clouds. Living in Calgary and doing most of our travels to the west we are used to more coniferous tress and mountains. This leg of the journey provided us with long views of rolling farm and park lands with lots of water and a much higher proportion of deciduous trees.

Heading into Fort Qu'Appelle

Manitoba welcomes you!

The only construction we ran into.

Out of the rain and under a clear blue sky!

Harvest done

Are those marshmallows?

Pense, Saskatchewan

In all our travels we have determined that every type of terrain, whether it be a mountain pass or a long stretch of dead straight highway across the Nevada desert, has its own beauty. The drive across Saskatchewan and Manitoba adds another perspective to our experiences.

One last road trip!

Our trusty '92 Festiva is about to head out on what will most likely be its last road trip. We'll be heading from Calgary to stay overnight just east of Regina SK. The next day we plan to drive up the Qu'appelle valley, through Yorkton SK and on to Arnes MB. We will spend the evening in Winnipeg MB and then make the drive home in one go. Why will this be the last road trip you ask? Well let me tell you....

The bad news...
While replacing the gas tank a few weeks ago I discovered that there are at least three spots in the floor of my Festiva that have rusted through. The reason, I believe, that I didn't notice them from inside is that I had installed sound deadener throughout the car prior to our Festiva Madness trip in 2011. I decided to have a closer look over the entire car to see what other rust problems I could find. I already new that the rear wheel wells would need extensive repairs and had a couple of options I was considering for repairs as well as above the windshield. Other areas that I discovered were in the driver side front wheel well, the inner cowl panel where the wiper attaches, beginnings of rust around the strut towers and along the front of the hood. The passenger side front fender is done for as well but I already have a replacement for it. Also discovered that the bottom of the rear bumper beam was completed gone, all the little brackets that hold the bumper cover were hanging in mid air. I feel that the rust repairs necessary at this time would take up too much time and resources so we have decided to regroup. And by regroup I mean find a replacement Festiva....

We established a "best case scenario" list for that replacement:
1. It had to be rust free
2. It had to be a 1990 - 93 model
3. It had to be a standard transmission car
4. It had to be a Canadian car (no automatic seatbelts, thank you very much!) and preferably an Alberta car.

Now for the good news...
We found our car! It fits all the criteria, it's an Alberta car and it's body is very straight. It already had an engine swap done but had no exhaust or battery so had to be towed from its former home in Edmonton AB to its new one here in Calgary. That trip was not without its excitement, but I'll leave that for another post.

En route from Edmonton to Calgary

Our current car was being readied for a new engine... a turbocharged 1.6l DOHC from a 1988 Mazda 323GT. That engine, along with all the suspension, interior pieces etc on/in the red car will now find their way into the new car. Your can read about our current car on this page. 

In retrospect, our current Festiva has served us well. It was purchased in 2002 with 100,100km (62,200 miles) and it's been daily driven year round ever since. We've put over 400,000km (app. 250,000 miles) on it including our Festiva Madness trip in 2011 and our Festiva in the Park trip in 2012.

Check back soon for a report on the upcoming road trip and another on the on the new project.

Thanks for your interest and please let me know what you think in the comments section below!

Definitions

Just what is an econobox

I thought it might be interesting to see some different definitions of the term 'econobox'.  Here's a few...

Oxford Dictionaries:
A car that is small and economical rather than luxurious or stylish

Urban Dictionary:
Econobox is a term used to describe a cheap small car normally gas friendly with little to no factory installed options.  

Merriam Webster:
a small economical car 

Collins Dictionaries:
a small vehicle that is basic and fuel-efficient and has no unnecessary extras

Your Dictionary:
A small, economical automobile with few amenities 

What do you think? Are these what you expected? Tell us your definition in the comment section.

Westiva 2015... another great get together with fellow Festiva fanatics

We couldn't have asked for better weather for this year's edition of Westiva held at the usual venue, Wedge Pond Day Use Area in Southern Alberta's beautiful Kananaskis Country.

On Highway 40 southbound en route to Wedge Pond.

I drove up a bit early so as to be there before any of the expected attendees arrived. Claimed a spot, unloaded a couple of things, set up my chair and waited. First to arrive was Gary and his family in their 1990 Festiva LX. Gary is a Westiva regular, this being his fourth or fifth time. The LX the top of the line version of the Festiva with all the desirable Festiva goodies. Gary bought the car new in 90 and still uses it as his daily driver, mostly going back and forth to work. In the ensuing twenty five years he's put on just over 320,000km/200,000 miles and still boasts fuel consumption in the 47-57 mile per imperial gallon range.

Gary's 1990 Ford Festiva LX.

Chatted with Gary and family for a bit then our next attendee arrived. Ryan drove down from Leduc, Alberta a one way trip of about 360km/225miles in his 93 GL Sport. This was Ryan's first time to Westiva. His car is also his daily driver and has seen a lot of wear, tear and misfortune. How many cars do you know that have had scaffolding fall on them! On another occasion the hood has also popped open on the highway breaking the windshield and damaging the cowl. More misfortune arrived when a driver who had just picked up their loaner car from a body shop crashed into him!!!

Ryan's striped 1993 Festiva

Not too long after Ryan arrived Kevin and Damian showed up in "The Hamster", a shortened 1990 Festiva! Yes, I said shortened!!! Twenty two inches have been cut out of the length of a car that is less that twelve feet long to begin with. They were inspired by a couple of things... the shortened VW vans that were around a number of years ago and an episode of Monster Garage in which a Festiva was shortened and run in a very large hamster wheel contraption. The amazing thing is that they drove from Kamloops BC to get to the meet which is 575km/360 miles one way. Keep in mind that this is in a car with no roof and worn out rear springs! They camped overnight at Lake Louise and it rained quite a bit overnight so they were a little damp in the morning but still in great spirits. You can follow their exploits on Twitter (@DawgStrip) and YouTube.

No roof gives lots of headroom...

Seats are now located where the back seat used to be.

These guys have a sense of humor... stickers on both sides where the windows used to be!

Last to arrive was Brad and family with their1990. Brad is also a regular and travels from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. With a one way trip of 850lkm/530 miles, Brad earned the "farthest travelled" award. Although he's been to three or four Westivas and this is the first time he's won that prize! Brad's car is powered by a 1.8l DOHC engine sourced from an Ford Escort GT, features shaved door handles, custom hatch, along with a custom front bumper made from a modified aftermarket piece originally intended for a Honda Civic. I have to apologize to Brad as I didn't get any pictures of his car. The one below was taken last year just prior to leaving his home on the way to Westiva 2014.

Brad's custom 1990 Festiva

Unfortunately no other econoboxes made it this year. I had recieved a call from a Calgary gentleman who said that he and his wife each owned Geo Metro convertibles and were very interested in attending. Perhaps the forecast of late day thundershowers shaped their plans.

Here are a few more photos from the days activities....

L-R: Mine, Gary's, Ryan's

L-R: The Hamster, Ryan's, Gary's, mine, Brad's

Picnic time....

 

...at Upper Kananaskis Lake

Upper Kananskis Lake. Ryan is closest to the camera and that's where the water line should be!!!

Kananaskis Country not only has some beautiful scenery but is also home to lots of wildlife. Over the years I've seen moose, lynx, coyotes and more. Here's what we spotted today....

Mountain goats...

Young grizzly about 20 feet off the side of the road!

The goats were right at the corner where you turn off Highway 40 into Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. I spotted the bear just after leaving the upper lake just across from the road from where we had had ice cream earlier in the day! Ryan was behind me so I know he saw it too. Not sure if the others saw it as they were a few minutes ahead of us.

All in all it was a great day. Thanks to all who attended and thanks to Sharon for bringing out a wonderful picnic lunch for us all. Thanks also to Rockauto.com for the giveaways and gift certificate given as the prize for farthest travelled and to the Crowfoot Big Bucket Car Wash for the gift cards.

Looking forward to Westiva 2016. Tentative date: July 16th, same place, same time!!!