1979 Capri 2.0 "Ghia " - Spraying Bumpers / New TCAs

[cjhillman]

Hey all, I never thought i'd say this but i own a Capri now! Alongside my 1985 Escort i must be in heaven? My love for the Capri started 11 years ago when i worked briefly on the Royal Mail in Stoke-on-Trent. One of the guys owned 3 Capri's and was selling his mint 1.6 for £800 (should have bought it then) although from memory, my 1.0 Saxo was quicker so it didnt happen. Fast forward to now and i was looking for a second Classic or Modern Classic to run about in as a daily (Merc 190s etc) then, i started thinking about a Capri this came up here on the forum and i thought i'd keep my Escort as a "business car" still and buy this if it was any good.

When i saw the Car it was defintily rough but after a good inspection seems quite solid. Apparently it was done up about 5 years ago but the Car comes with hardly any history. Its rough here and there and my plan is to bring it back to some form of standard Capri with a sportier eliminate. I think trying to take it back to "stock" would be hard work and also I don't want to make it too Denis Waterman. i think the vinyl roof really needs to go back on and I also have some Capri Rostyles that i might try on there. The Capri is going to be my first proper project car as my Escort has usually had rust issue or i need it fixing asap for work and it has to go to the garage. Any advice on the jobs list at the bottom or, if you know of any parts i might need going cheaper, i'm all ears Its a bit of a shoestring build for a while until work picks up. I'm also moving house soon so hoping it all works out   the plus is i might get a double drive with the next house 

Here we are filling up (as the gauges don't work i thought it was wise)



Her & His white wibblepoo.


Taxing it franticly over grub and beer.


Yesterday i drove it round to my Escort then went to get it cleaned to see what I'm working with.





Post Clean (a few bits of paint flaked off and it shows the rust up a bit more, but still seems solid underneath)













So the plan now it....

- Tie Rods Its on the advisories and its clicking round corner and jumping about a bit.
- Rear Drivers Side Drum Sticking.
- Leaf Springs I cant bear to look at it from the side.
- Check out the carb tuning/ electrics. When i bought it it was fine but, soon started cutting out at junctions and then yesterday didn't want to start in the morning. Its also an Auto choke.
- Get The Gauges Working
- Timing belt Not sure if I'm brave enough to do this myself but, i did see a good video of doing it on youtube.

After i get it driving nice and safe. I'll probably do:

Vinyl Roof / Try and get the sunroof working again.
Bumper, Black Grill and Headlight surrounds. Although it looks like someone has welded a found panel over the existing Capri front to do those "Air holes" the panel behind doesnt look rotten either. This might mess up the bumper idea.
Touch up Paint & Rust.

I'm hoping i can keep hold of this car for a while and theres no nasty surprises along the way. I think next year it will be tax exempt (will take it for MOT) so that will save me £255 a year. All depends on work/living in London etc. Parts wise the Parts except for Leaf Springs seem quite cheap/available compared with my Escort Mk3. I could sell the Escort if it came to it but that would be a difficult one.

Like i say i'm fixing this up on a really tight budget and just want to get it driving right so i can enjoy it first. If anyone has any ideas of where i can get parts or any advice on how to do jobs i'm all ears... this is my first proper project car.

Cheers
Chris 

[SmokeEm]

I love the Star Mag wheels! Front end needs lowering for sure.

Don't fret about the cam belt - non interference engine if std cam is fitted. Seasoned Pinto gurus can change one in 25mins so you would manage it easily in an hour or so. Those Recaro's look in goof fettle! Worth a small fortune...

[cjhillman]

Feb 13, 2019 10:00:32 GMT SmokeEm said:

I love the Star Mag wheels! Front end needs lowering for sure.

Don't fret about the cam belt - non interference engine if std cam is fitted. Seasoned Pinto gurus can change one in 25mins so you would manage it easily in an hour or so. Those Recaro's look in goof fettle! Worth a small fortune...

Thats good news about the Cam Belt. As far as i'm aware its all standard. i found a good how to here : It doesnt take him very long and the belts seem to be about £8 off ebay.. although i duno if these are good makes.

The front is high but i think i'll start with the back as it really shouldnt be that low

Recaros are in great shape by the looks of them. They wobble on the runners though so i think something is missing. The seat runners/mounts on the car are rock solid.

Glad you like it mate

Really want to try and crack on with this binding break at the back. sounds awful.

[SmokeEm]

Don't use a cheap belt mate - buy a genuine Motorcraft one - or buy a Kent one from Burton (Gimmick as logo comes off quickly)

Replace the tensioner at the same time

[cjhillman]

Cheers for the advice mate. Its a few items down the list right now. Need to track down some inner Tie Rods first so i can drive it haha.

[SmokeEm]

In my experience of Capri's, you need to replace the bottom arm bushes (Buy them complete with new arms) and fit along with new ARB bushes and track rod ends. Then get the tracking done - it will stop any wheel wobble and dodgy handling. My own Capri had everything renewed on the front end and it still drove like a pig until I had it aligned properly. Still got the car now but it is sitting in my Nephews garage waiting for the 302cu V8 to be wired in!

[bigwayne]

lovely car ,,,its got to be pre 1974 or 73 for it to be tax exempt

[shielsy68]

now 1978 to be exempt my fiesta is exempt in april

[shielsy68]

now 1978 to be exempt my fiesta is exempt in april and mot exempt

[sarkie83]

Feb 13, 2019 10:00:32 GMT SmokeEm said:

I love the Star Mag wheels! Front end needs lowering for sure.

Don't fret about the cam belt - non interference engine if std cam is fitted. Seasoned Pinto gurus can change one in 25mins so you would manage it easily in an hour or so. Those Recaro's look in goof fettle! Worth a small fortune...

Yup even I can do it in that time

Looking forward to seeing your progress with it

[cjhillman]

Not had chance to work much on the Capri... or at all should i say. I've been driving it around our area a little but parked it up till parts arrive.

Parts that are coming: Referbed Steering Rack, Tie Rod Ends, Ball Joint Splitter. Tomorrow i'm hoping to check out that rear binding break. I was going to buy some bits and send back what i don't need but... we just found a house with a "two car" drive in London so £££ just got a little tighter going to be worth it though. If i get these jobs done i can move it there in March and hopefully track down some Leaf Springs to sort that back end out. Ace Cafe is only about 20 mins from the new place too 

Did a quick Photoshop of the Capri with a Black front Grill and Headlights... i think it looks a bit better... thoughts? Also noticed its missing a bit of the grill that attaches to the bonnet when looking at google images.

[dazcapri]

The "bit of missing grill" is actually the bonnet trim if you replace it you'll need the bolts to fit it they're a special type. I'd agree with everyone else pay more and get a good belt and change the tca's. Suspension wise drop the front 2 inches and leave the back standard and it should sit fairly level. As for the grill definitely black IMHO edited to add if all your guages don't work try pulling them out and making sure they're connected properly,the best way I can describe it is it's like a plug in connection you'll understand when you take it apart

[cjhillman]

Today i tried to sort out this rear binding break on the drivers side. I'm a proper noob so be aware of this. If its not hanging off i get a bit lost.

Took a while to get the Drum off and i couldnt see anything wrong. It all looks fairly clean. The adjuster seemed to be in the right place.







I watched a couple of videos on binding brakes while i was at the car, one mentioned you should be able to push the pads in ( i could not do this) It also said try pressing the break pedal slightly. I tried this and one side came out a lot more than the other and it took ages to get the Drum back on as they wouldn't budge. You should be able to see it in the photo below...



Put it back together and initially thought id cured it somehow... of course i hadnt done anything so no change. When i got the Wheel back on it would spin but with some resistance and you can hear the binding noise. I hate to ask but what am i missing? is it still the cylinder/Pistons? 

Secondly with the new Steering rack on the way i thought id see if i can get these bolts loose. The front two are no problem.



I think i might have to drop the Alternator to get to the rear drivers side nut but, not sure what to do on the passenger side. Seems all a bit close there. I have a great socket set with universal joints and extension bars etc but i can see me rounding the bolts off trying to get in from a couple of feet away. Any pervious experience would be great just because i'm doing it on the road in a too posh for this Capri area I can already see the curtains twitching.



Passenger side.


The third thing that happened is somebody has run into it already I'm pretty curse word off about this, I'm glad its not my Escort as the Capri's paint is pretty rough but! its nocked the bumper down and broke the bulb in the holder... What joy. Bring on the drive way!!! i guess because its old and rough people don't care.

So not a great day but hopefully I'm learning a few things here.



Heres the Escort as support vehicle .





Oh yeah! the Capri is so low at the back the jack wouldn't go under it... Seen as we're moving and throwing previous tenants books away, a copy of Das Boot really did the trick

[silver63]

On the rear brakes it looks like the handbrake linkage is seized.Where the rod connects the linkage behind the backplate there looks like a bolt but this should be a Clevis pin.Remove the bolt and make sure the linkage is moving.

[dazcapri]

Feb 16, 2019 17:14:45 GMT silver63 said:

On the rear brakes it looks like the handbrake linkage is seized.Where the rod connects the linkage behind the backplate there looks like a bolt but this should be a Clevis pin.Remove the bolt and make sure the linkage is moving.

This they're always seized

[nickwheeler]

Feb 16, 2019 17:29:34 GMT dazcapri said:

Feb 16, 2019 17:14:45 GMT silver63 said:

On the rear brakes it looks like the handbrake linkage is seized.Where the rod connects the linkage behind the backplate there looks like a bolt but this should be a Clevis pin.Remove the bolt and make sure the linkage is moving.

This they're always seized

ALWAYS.

The lever needs to be floppy on the plate under the wheel cylinder. They never are, which means that however you adjust the handbrake lever, the brakes don't work. It affects the footbrake too; a long brake pedal is one of the symptoms.

What you do is remove the mech from the axle, put it in the vice and heat it redhot  a couple of times. Then you beat with a BFH until it's free. You can do this without the heat, but it's seriously hard work. Once this done, reassemblt the brake, adjusting the shoes so that you have to gently tap the drum over them. A few hard yanks on the handbrake lever will then put the handbrake fully on with no more than four clicks.  The MOT tester at the garage I use said he could always tell a Capri that I'd had anything to do with as the both the foot and handbrakes work properly.

[nickwheeler]

Feb 16, 2019 17:54:46 GMT nickwheeler said:

Feb 16, 2019 17:29:34 GMT dazcapri said:

This they're always seized

ALWAYS.

The lever needs to be floppy on the plate under the wheel cylinder. They never are, which means that however you adjust the handbrake lever, the brakes don't work. It affects the footbrake too; a long brake pedal is one of the symptoms.

What you do is remove the mech from the axle, put it in the vice and heat it redhot  a couple of times. Then you beat with a BFH until it's free. You can do this without the heat, but it's seriously hard work. Once this done, reassemblt the brake, adjusting the shoes so that you have to gently tap the drum over them. A few hard yanks on the handbrake lever will then put the handbrake fully on with no more than four clicks.  The MOT tester at the garage I use said he could always tell a Capri that I'd had anything to do with as the both the foot and handbrakes work properly.
It's also worth replacing the bush on the diff cover that the connecting rod runs through, and polishing the rod where it does. Superflex do a poly one that's inexpensive

[cjhillman]

Ok cool! So we're talking about getting this bit out and heating it up/ hitting it. I was trying to find a picture of one out the car but i guess i'll see once i get it off. Is there anything you can do to prevent this in the future once its free and back on the car?



Or just this back bit?


I could push this forward towards the front of the car and it did have an effect on the breaks... don't think it went side to side as i guess it should? didnt pay it much attention as i thought id messed up the pistons in the cylinders by pressing the pedal.

[dazcapri]

That's it although where that bolt is should be a Clevis pin make sure the bolts not overtight and stopping it moving

[nickwheeler]

Feb 16, 2019 18:15:28 GMT cjhillman said:

Ok cool! So we're talking about getting this bit out and heating it up/ hitting it. I was trying to find a picture of one out the car but i guess i'll see once i get it off. Is there anything you can do to prevent this in the future once its free and back on the car?

Do about 30,000 miles a year in it. That always worked for me.

and with sarcasm mode turned down, once it's free you probably won't have to touch it again.