Another derelict rescue - Mk1 Capri 2800 V6

Confirmed today that the notorious original fiber composite timing gear is still in place. Probably the best clue yet that the 76k on the odometer is probably correct. New metal gearset is on its way.

Dropped the steering rack and lifted the engine for clearance, and then dropped the pan. No serious surprises. Found one of the water outlets was massively corroded, amazed that it wasn't already leaking. A replacement and a few additional gaskets are all on their way now, as well as new rack mount bushings and a new steering coupler. While I wait for parts, I've been reviewing what I'm going to need to make the A/C work.

I've included a new pic from the day before I started tearing it all apart. Looks pretty good with the exterior and now interior largely complete.

That looks really nice.  The '74 bumpers don't bother me as much as they used to.  Them being mostly body color, unlike what British Leyland did, looks more modern.

In reply to JoeTR6 :

Yeah, they are heavy, but really not that bad compared to most '74 impact bumpers. Probably as good as the Porsche 911, if not quite up to the best bumper retrofit (IMO) - the '74 Firebird.

Much cleaning in progress.

And I'm back. Took some time off for a long road trip in the Cayman into the Canadian Rockies—Banff and other nearby areas. Fantastic.

Now easing back into the Capri. I've got most everything I need to get the engine back together now, as the new timing gears arrived while I was away. Hope to have it sealed back up and running by this coming weekend.

Then on to the A/C, and final details. I think the end may be in sight.

This car is coming a long great man keep it up!

Timing gears are on. Front cover on. Oil pan on. Steering rack back in place with poly coupler and mount bushings. Engine dropped back down on its mounts. New water pump installed.

Later this weekend I'll re-install and hook up the cooling system, plus the heater. That should make it drivable again.

A day later than expected, but my Capri is functional once again, after all the oil leak remediation and new cooling parts. Runs a little crisper than before, since I had set the ignition timing by ear because I couldn't find the timing marks in all the oily grunge down there. Now that the marks are visible, I found I had the timing at about 1° BTDC, rather than the 12° the factory called for. That was quickly corrected.

Almost everything seems to work fine, save the vacuum-operated heater valve. I had that working before, but didn't test it after the last work on the dash. Shouldn't be too hard to track down. Other than that, it starts easily, runs cleanly, no leaks so far, gauges all work. Steering will probably be a little more responsive with the new coupler and rack mount bushings.

Starting to plan the A/C refresh now.

Since my last post(s), I've been catching up with some of the little things, as the project is definitely nearing it's end. I've tweaked the center bearing on the driveshaft to eliminate a vibration during decel, tracked down a couple more glitches in the vastly over-complicated factory A/C air handler box, and recovered and reinstalled the headrests. Most of the A/C refurb parts have been ordered, and I expect the last few by late tomorrow.

I had to make a change in plan on the A/C, normally on a project like this I'd convert to a modern Sanden compressor. But the installation on the Cologne V6 is tight, and the Sanden is too long. So a new R134a-compatible York-style compressor is part of the still incoming parts.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to take the Capri to a cars & coffee hosted by the local Porsche club.

In reply to Serial_car_restorer :

The seat upholstery is gorgeous. 

The Capri was a surprise guest at the local PCA C&C this morning. Runs great, comfy and solid. No rattles. Can't wait to get the A/C running again though...

Will probably be ready to sell by the end of the month.

Test fitting the A/C hoses with the new parts, prior to having the hoses rebuilt with new barrier rubber suitable for R134a refrigerant.

Where did you get the seat covers from? They look great! Was your seat foam reusable or did you have to replace it?

How did you reskin the dash?

Racingsnake said:

Where did you get the seat covers from? They look great! Was your seat foam reusable or did you have to replace it?

How did you reskin the dash?

Seat covers came from Top Sellerie in France. The other place often used for interiors by Capri people is Aldridge Trimming in the UK. Aldridge has a more complete product offering (door cards, etc.), but did not offer headrest covers (European and UK Capris had no headrests) and the USD->GBP exchange rate was not good. Top Sellerie only offers seat covers, but the USD->Euro rate made theirs considerably cheaper, and while they didn't offer headrest covers when I first contacted them, they made me a pair at no charge after I sent them one to create a pattern from.

The foam was not too bad. I had to enhance it a bit in some places, but mostly it was good. Which was fortunate as I have not seen any pre-made replacement foam anywhere.

The dash skin is an ABS cap, but is complete coverage and much thinner with better texture than any other that I have seen. It is available in the US from Team Blitz. By far, the nicest dash cap I've ever seen.

In reply to Serial_car_restorer :

Thanks for the links, that's pretty good pricing on the covers too. Shame they don't do foam too, mine is pretty wasted. Any idea how similar pre and post facelift seats are?

The Capri looks fantastic!  Good luck with the sale.
 

My first car was a Mustang II with the 2.8/4 speed combi.  Crusty but fun.  

Racingsnake said:

In reply to Serial_car_restorer :

Thanks for the links, that's pretty good pricing on the covers too. Shame they don't do foam too, mine is pretty wasted. Any idea how similar pre and post facelift seats are?

Not 100% sure, but I think the main difference is the direction of the pleats. Vertical for pre-facelift, horizontal for '73+. If you FB, the Capri World North America group will know for sure if facelift covers will fit pre-facelift seats.

A funny thing happened this weekend—to use the common real estate phrase, the Capri is now "Sale Pending".

No, it's not totally finished, I'm still working on the A/C and a couple of other little details. But a person who's been following the progress online drove several hundred miles to come see the car now, and decided they needed to tie the car up now, before others might jump in. Didn't take long to agree on a price. I will finish the car over the next couple of weeks before it is picked up.

The primary thing I'm now working on is the A/C. I had all 3 hoses rebuilt using the original hose ends (save 1). I'm waiting for a binary pressure switch port fitting to splice into the hose from the accumulator to the expansion valve. Planning to evac and charge late next week.

And not long after that, the deal should be wrapped up.

A/C is charged and working. I replaced the voltage stabilizer for the fuel and temp gauges, both gauges seem more accurate now. After driving it a bit, it seems to starve for fuel a bit when the engine is fully warm, like after sitting at idle for 30 minutes while doing the A/C work. Going to need to check on this, even though the pump and the filters are all new.

Had a visit from from another Capri owner today, fun to have two Capris out and about together. Not a common sight these days!

Serial_car_restorer said:

Racingsnake said:

In reply to Serial_car_restorer :

Thanks for the links, that's pretty good pricing on the covers too. Shame they don't do foam too, mine is pretty wasted. Any idea how similar pre and post facelift seats are?

Not 100% sure, but I think the main difference is the direction of the pleats. Vertical for pre-facelift, horizontal for '73+. If you FB, the Capri World North America group will know for sure if facelift covers will fit pre-facelift seats.

Thanks, I'll check into it

Time for the big goodbye to the Capri. The sale was final today. I'll be finishing a couple of details, then packing it up and storing it away to await transport.

Beautiful car! Would love to own another one some day ....

Great work on this Capri, and I'm impressed with your turnaround time!

Moving on to the next project...