In reply to Serial_car_restorer :
Yeah, that's the problem... I don't think there's anything usable for my other cars, and this one will be a LOT of work to bring back. I hate to let one of these just go to scrap, though, and I don't think the seller is likely to reach the kind of buyer this car needs. Once they advertise it, I may link it in the FB groups...
Looking at the picture from a European perspective, if it is reasonably solid under the "superficial" outer panels it looks like something that would get restored here. But things are different in different continents...
Might be a reasonable thing to start with for a non-standard build perhaps but yeah, finding the right buyer is key. And not easy.
In reply to Serial_car_restorer :
IF the windshield is good, not sandblasted or cracked, it's worth making an offer. Glass is the one think that you can only get from another Capri.
It's been a long time without an update. I did not buy the other local Capri, and it disappeared so I hope it got rescued.
I have been wanting to get Capri #2 (the '74) out of the elements for a long time, and it finally happened. Last week, I had a 20ft container dropped behind my shop.
I put a heavy duty shelving unit in the front, and loaded it up with Capri (and a few Miata) parts.
This morning, we moved the Capri in.... and moving a non-running car around on gravel is a PITA. We pulled it around the property with my wife's Jeep, and then used a come-a-long to winch it into the container.
At least it's somewhat protected from further decay at this point.
The good news is that the K24 swap/rewire on the NA Miata is finished, so I can finally start on getting the '71 Capri sorted and hopefully have it prepped for some track events in the fall.
What a great thread. I am in the process of collecting parts and K swapping a BMW 2002, and of course came across this MK1 I had to have. Final product should be somewhere between your 71' and a Perana, ordered floor pans and a trunk floor today from the UK, thankfully the rest of the car is pretty nice.
The '71 is out of the Corner of Neglect and on the lift....
I'm still chasing some issues on the Miata, and have a number of other priority projects, but I hope to be able to multitask and make some progress with the Capri in the coming months.
One of the things I have been dealing with since I brought the '71 Capri home is a massive leak from the diff. I think it actually got to the point where it stopped leaking only because the fluid is all gone. The plan all along has been to change gearing when the axle came apart to fix the leak. The current 3.40 gearing has 2nd topping out over 75mph, which is a bit on the long side. With a lack of trusted setup shops in the area, I decided to go for a complete center section replacement, to enable a relatively quick swap. Today I pulled an axle so I could get a spline count and order up a the new center section.
New 4.11 center section with Eaton Truetrac diff is on the way.
I'm finding these HF rolling cabinets are pretty darn handy...
Old diff is out.
Housing looks good, but will need lots of cleanup.
The new diff came in some interesting packaging...
Diff in a bucket in a box... never would have thought of that, but it seems to work OK.
I fled the shop 'cause I was swimming in sweat... definitely need to look into AC for next summer. Hope to finish this up over the next couple of days.
Is that the Ford corporate 8" rear end or some other Ford rear end? I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the TrueTrac.
Yup, it's a Ford 8".
Got the gasket surface cleaned up and ready for install...
... but I decided to replace the mounting nuts and washers. I couldn't find them locally, so they're ordered. Should be here tomorrow... I hope so, because I need to get the Miata back on the lift for a quick check before AutoX on Sunday, and the Capri can't come off the lift until the axle is done.
Center section is in, axles in, lube in and all buttoned up.
Next up is some clearancing work on the front fenders, since the previous owner left the original sheet metal under the flares in front. Then, an alignment.
This morning I took a little bit out of the front fender arches. The PO had installed the flares, but not cut the original arches enough to clear wide, large offset tires/wheels and they were rubbing at full lock. With that job handled it was time to start it for the first time in a year.
I ran the starter to get oil pressure, primed the fuel pump and it fired right up! Well, to be honest, it was no more difficult to start than usual... 
with dual side draft carbs and no choke, it needs a little TLC until the temps come up.
I took it down the street to start running in the new diff/gears, and the new ratio is a huge improvement. Break in recommendation was 3-4 quick heat cycles, so I'll check for leaks in the morning, align it, and take another test drive.
Up on Paco Motorsports hub stands for alignment...
Once that was done, put the hood back on and got in another quick drive/ heat cycle on the gears. Looks like I need to do a little carb twiddling as it doesn't want to idle warm. Might just be an idle screw adjustment. The new gears are soooo much better!
Rodan said:
That side profile just looks gorgeous!
Thanks!
Drove the Capri to the local CnC this morning... it still needs a lot of work, but it's much better with an alignment and the new rear gears. Not great in 90* weather with stripped interior and no A/C...
CnC pic taken by a local acquaintance. A little over filtered, but I like it...
Put the Capri on the scales this morning... no time for adjustments, just wanted to get a baseline, 'cause I didn't know.
2340lbs with a full fuel cell... Honestly that's a little heavier than I was expecting, but at least now I have a starting point.
After being ignored for a few months, the Capri was back on the lift today.
Checked things over and I've still got a slight weep from the diff carrier, which is annoying. I'm also going to have to replace the oil pan gasket, which is even more annoying, as I think it's going to be an engine out evolution.
But, the project I'm trying to get started on is swapping out the crappy eBay seats for a set of Corbeaus that came out of my Miata. Today was just looking to get an idea of what's going to be involved. While I was screwing around today, I decided to swap out the petrified Simpson harnesses... which were decades expired, didn't match, and had a terrible locking system.
In went some other hand-me-downs from the Miata. I had two Ultrashield harnesses, but couldn't find the buckle for one, so it got a mismatched set. At least they're both the same color... And the Racequip set isn't even expired.
These are just place holders while I work on the seats and some other interior/ergonomic mods/fabrication. It'll get new harness when it's ready to go back on track.
Looking really good sir! 2,340 isn't terrible.
Thanks!
Added some grip tape to the floor on the driver's side today. Makes getting in/out a little less exciting.
Also started working on a solution for the current condition of the hood. The prior owner set up the fiberglass hood as a lift-off, with four hood pins. Lift-off hoods are light, but an utter PITA to deal with. I did it once with a drag car long ago and swore I'd never do it again. There's no provision in the hood for stock type mounting, so I'm going to have to fab something up. I don't have the stock hinges, which are a bit hard to come by for Capris. I fired up CAD (cardboard aided design) to start working on a hinge design... fortunately it's pretty simple on a Capri, which uses a hood prop rod stock, so no springs on the hinges. This will just give me a basic idea of geometry from the hinge point to the hood surface. I'll need to work out the mounting to the hood before I can finalize anything.
It's not shared with an Excort? (Misspelled to get past the filters)
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
The Mk1 E-s-cort hinges are a scissor design and mount to the fenderwell rather than the firewall.
In any case, fabbing the mounts from stock will be easier and far less expensive than finding originals.
At least with the original mounts the alignment of the hood is PITA if not marked beforehand. Don't ask how I know that.
What is the plan with the fiberglass side attachment?
If this was already covered, sorry; did you (Rodan) swap to the 8" axle, or was that already done by previous owners? I'm curious about these two different axles and which makes the most sense for an American project in 2024.
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