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Project Capri. Back on the road! New earths.


danthecapriman

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The self adjusters never worked well, we used to click the wheel round with a screwdriver until you could just get the drum on and turn it.

I'd just use new loom tape over the old tape, in fact I'd probably spray the old tape black.

You can tell I work on Stock cars not classic cars :)

You animal!

 

Yeah, the adjusters are a bit crap. Both of the ones on mine were still in one piece until fairly recently, but one eventually must have snapped off and fell out when I took the drum off one day. The other one pinged off when I was on the motorway, it got dragged down into the shoes and made a horrendous noise. No real damage done though luckily.

After that I just had to keep adjusting them manually every now and again.

Still, I’ve ordered the new ones so at least it’s got what it should have even if they are shit!

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Dan I'm not sure if you've seen this before but it's a short 14 minute film from 1970 about Mk1 Capri production at Koln.

The commentary is in German but it's an interesting film to watch.

 

Check out the part-completed bodyshells around 11.25 to 12.10.

 

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Dan I'm not sure if you've seen this before but it's a short 14 minute film from 1970 about Mk1 Capri production at Koln.

The commentary is in German but it's an interesting film to watch.

Check out the part-completed bodyshells around 11.25 to 12.10.

https://youtu.be/eaYdH1ziLAc

That’s bloody brilliant!

Amazing really how these cars went together all those years ago, it’s such a modern looking way they were done but it’s nearly half a century ago!

I often wonder what the people who made these cars back then would/do think about them now, and what they make of people doing to them what I’ve done to keep them going and refusing to let them go!?

Absolute madness, but it shows how people feel about the cars even after all those years.

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Finished the rear brakes! Finally!

 

I had to work yesterday so I’ve not really gotten much done this weekend, but today I’ve managed to complete the brakes with the exception of the fluid and bleed up. That can wait until I’ve got the pedal box back in.

So, new bits and cleaned up original bits assembled and ready to go.

 

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Wheel off showing the cleaned and painted back plates.

 

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These are dead simple and easy to assemble. There’s only two springs and the adjusters are all combined with the cylinders.

The handbrake arms fit into two little grooves on the top/back of the cylinders, then that assembly slots through an opening in the back plate. The arm then has a rubber dust boot slid on over its lower half leaving the top of the arm poking up for the handbrake cable to attach.

I’ve taken the original adjuster wheels/threads apart, wire brushed them clean and regreased them so they turn freely. All the points of contact between the shoes and backplates etc have had a dab of copper grease too just to keep everything free from seizing up.

The cylinders are ‘floating’, they move up or down as the brakes are applied so they had a dab of copper grease on their backs too. They’re just held in place with two U shaped sprung clips under the dust boots.

 

One side...

 

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Then t’other.

 

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Couple of pics of the backs showing the handbrake arms etc and how the pipes fit.

 

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The side to side pipe fought me on this too! It was far too long for the job so I had to chop off about 2’’ from one end and remake the flare. Not difficult to do, even on the car, but annoying having to do that on an expensive kit that is supposed to fit straight from the box.

In hindsight I wouldn’t bother buying this kit. It’s been a poor fit just about everywhere and needed lots of modifications to get it to fit. I might aswell of just bought some new pipe, new fittings and made my own! Still, you don’t know until you try do you!?

 

The rear brakes have been adjusted good enough for now but I’ll do them properly once the handbrake cables are fitted. They work by hand though, I’ve spun the wheels and pulled the handbrake arms by hand and they do lock the wheels.

After this I just spent a bit of time tidying up the rear pipes, straightening them up where I’ve had to alter them etc and then painted some of the nuts/bolts etc from the suspension parts under the back of the car. Just used some black engine enamel for this. Makes things look tidy and stops horrible rusty bits developing.

 

Next weekend I’ll sort the engine bay wiring, fit that then start building up some bits in the engine bay. The radiator, hoses etc can go in, then the heater box and it’s plumbing etc. Once that’s in, I’ll try to get the engine to start!

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Bank holiday weekend started today so I got more done on the Crapi.

Had to go help a neighbour first this morning though. Long story short, he’s bought a motorbike from someone a few streets away that’s been unused and off the road nearly 10 years and he needed a hand getting it back home. Thing is, it doesn’t run, it’s a big bike and there’s a big f*** off hill in between where it was and where it needed to be! Absolutely knackering trying to get that thing up the hill!

 

Anyway, after lunch I got stuck into the engine bay wiring loom.

Tbh, it looked a right state on first impressions but once given a good wipe down with some degreaser wipes it actually looked pretty good. There’s no obvious damage anywhere, all the connections looked good (albeit old!) and everything it needed like the unique connections etc etc were all good and present.

 

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The old loom tape was a grey vinyl tape, while it was still doing a decent enough job it had gotten a bit worn in places and was very crispy too where the heat of the engine had cooked it over the last 40+ years.

Given this bit of the loom will be very visible once it’s back in the engine bay the best thing for it was to strip it all off and re-wrap it.

Getting the old tape off was a simple matter of using a sharp craft knife to gently (emphasis on the word gently!) cut through the vinyl but not cut into the wires beneath. Then you can literally peel out the wiring harness from inside.

It does create a fair bit of mess, there’s much more tape on these than you think there is.

Then, as you work your way along use small cable ties to secure the wire bunch. I did it at every point where a spur comes out of the main loom. A cable tie either side of the spur and another on the spur to stop everything separating. I also put another tie on at the ends of each spur to mark where the original tape finished. Most of them the tape finishes about and inch or so short of the end connections leaving a short length of the bare wires exposed. I’ve retained this, I don’t know if it matters or not tbh but I’ll just copy what Ford did!

 

Here’s the old tape starting to come off...

 

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...showing the wires inside. Which are all like new still! There’s nothing wrong with them at all, they’re even still quite soft on the insulation like new wires.

 

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Then it’s a case of getting the new tape, and wrapping the loom up again. I’ve gone for the black fabric style tape here instead of the grey vinyl type, I just think it looks much nicer.

It does pay to have a good think about how you do this before starting. On this loom it’s got the two big round connectors in the middle of the loom. These are the point where the main loom goes through the bulkhead and joins the cabin loom. Then from these it has two main spurs that lead around each side of the engine bay right up to the headlights and indicators.

So I’ve started at the point where the loom splits into two. To get a really tight start with the tape I tied it onto one of the wires in the bunch then wrapped it around itself a few times before starting to wrap it along the loom. Apparently, the aim is to wrap it around but with each turn of the tape try to cover over half of the previous turn of tape, if that makes sense? That way you get a really good thick covering and it stops the tape opening up as the loom is bent.

When I got to a spur, I cut off the cable ties then wrapped upto one side of the spur. Cut the tape, then start again at the connector end of the spur and work down it. Once at the ‘junction’ point where the spur joins the main loom I just wrapped the tape around the ‘junction’ both sides of the spur then continued wrapping the main loom etc etc until I got to the very end.

 

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Here’s one half of the loom about done.

 

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Then I just started on the other half!

 

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This side was slightly longer as it has to go across the bulkhead first then down the inner wing. It also has some thicker plastic tubing on some of the spurs to protect the wires from heat on the engine. This tubing was all in good condition so I’ve just cleaned it and reused it.

 

All that’s left to do on this is give the connectors and some of the exposed wires a bit more of a clean up. Some of them are quite grubby and covered in old paint etc. It comes off reasonably easily but the first pass with the wipes didn’t get it all off.

Then things like the fuse box want a scrub. Most of it is in good condition, just dirty. I’ll clean up all the metal connectors, spades and eyelets etc back to clean shiny contacts too. On reassembly I’ll give them a tiny dab of silver contact grease to try and protect them all from corrosion. I’ll also replace all the old fuses etc etc for new ones.

 

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Nice work Dan.  The looms do survive quite well on the Fords, looks very nice all wrapped up.  I did exactly the same job on the Mexico the other week.  Very satisfying when its all done.  Brakes and brake lines are looking good too.  Pleased to see you're taking the time to shape the lines properly.

 

This'll make you chuckle.  Mk3 Capri 2.8i came in for welding recently, owner says its not bad. 

 

I noticed the drivers seat was leaning over a fair bit.  This is what was behind the drivers seat, a fiberglass floorpan...

 

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Slow progress this bank holiday weekend, had family down from Bristol so spent time with them and also chocolate eggs... which I do love!

 

Some stuff got done though.

First, the wiring loom for the engine bay got its last bit of cleaning up. A few of the connectors and plugs were still a bit grubby so they’ve all been cleaned up. Some are unfortunately still a little bit dirty but without risking marking them or damaging them it’s as good as they’re going to get. Over 40 years of oil and grime is going to leave stains sadly.

The loom has now been carefully fed back into the engine bay. It got a little awkward where it drops down between a very tight space between the inner wing and servo but got there in the end.

Imo it looks great! The black definitely looks much nicer than the old grey tape. Very tidy. Once it was in place I’ve plugged a few of the plugs back onto their respective components - alternator, oil pressure, coolant temperature etc. Also threaded the end tails back through the gaps in the front panel and up into the headlamp bowls ready for the headlights to go back in.

 

Today I had another clear out of the boxes of bits in the garage. I’ve thrown loads of empty boxes etc out so the contents of them must be gradually getting their way back onto the car!

I’ve dug out loads of fixings, clips etc etc for the engine bay that I’ll need soon. Some turned out to be a bit shit so I’ve ordered some replacements which should arrive next week.

The best ones that’ll be reused have been wire brushed down, dumped into a jar full of rust remover solution then wiped clean. Then they were loosely wound into an old wood block and sprayed with firstly a coat of acid etch primer then satin black aerosol.

The same treatment was also given to the bonnet latch/hook and spring, the metal bracket that holds the rubber air intake (sits on the bulkhead behind the engine) and also the coil’s bracket which was also given a coat of clear lacquer as it’s on show more than the other bits!

It’s all these little bits and bobs that you forget about but they still need doing or else you’re putting skanky dirty and rusty fixings etc back into a pristine car! It’s worth the additional attention to detail in the end though!

The fuse box has also spent a night soaking in degreaser and been scrubbed up too. Once it’s dry I’ll clean up the contacts and that’s good to go back in.

Finally I’ve given loads of dirty bits a good wash in soapy warm water, rubber air intake mentioned above, fuse box cover, clutch cable cover, headlight access covers, various bungs etc and the little plastic sleeves that fit over the wiring looms metal tangs.

 

Hopefully next week I should get the new fixings etc I’ve ordered. fuse box screws/spacers/seal, radiator fixings, various screws for around the engine bay etc etc. Which should enable me to make some serious progress building the engine area up next weekend.

 

I’ve also found and bought something I’ve been looking for, for absolutely ages and will make a real difference to the cars appearance.

They’re in France of all places, and as you can imagine they cost an absolute fortune, but it’ll be worth it!

It’s a matching pair of new old stock mk2 rear lights. They’re complete with the bulb holders, screws etc etc, they’re even still in their original Ford boxes!

 

Next weekend I’ll get a few more pics up as I go.

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Anyone good with electrical voodoo please raise your hands...

 

Just been sifting through various bits to start putting back onto the car and come across this.

 

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It’s got these markings on the tab.

 

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First question. WTF is it!?

I can vaguely remember it being in the engine bay before the car was rebuilt. It was just hanging somewhere by it’s wire on the battery and coil side of the engine. I think!?

My best guess is it’s some sort of radio suppression capacitor???

It’s not the capacitor for the points, that’s inside the dizzy where it’s meant to be.

 

Second question. Where the hell is it supposed to fit and connect? I have no pics from before it came apart and I can’t find anything online either.

It must(?) go in somewhere near the dizzy or coil but I can’t figure out how or where.

 

Anyone?

I’m not good with electronics!

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Radio suppression capacitor it is (or was). IIRC, the lead goes to the low tension lead from the coil to the dizzy, the body of the capacitor goes to earth, generally on the side of the coil.

Brilliant, thanks!

 

So I’d best not paint it had I! Otherwise there’s no earth!

 

Is there a way of testing it? Or better still, can you get new ones that look similar?

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Some multimeters have a capacitor test function, just look for a range showing uF or µF. Positive to the wire, negative to the tab. You'd be looking for between 0.8 and 1.2µF on the scale (cap tolerances are pretty lax compared to other electronic components). Lower than 0.8 or higher than 1.2 and it's probably knackered.

 

Don't try testing it the other way round as it might go pop. You can still find these metal can ones if you look hard enough, but you might pay double compared to a plastic square one. Old school motor factors might have something correct lurking out the back.

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Some multimeters have a capacitor test function, just look for a range showing uF or µF. Positive to the wire, negative to the tab. You'd be looking for between 0.8 and 1.2µF on the scale (cap tolerances are pretty lax compared to other electronic components). Lower than 0.8 or higher than 1.2 and it's probably knackered.

 

Don't try testing it the other way round as it might go pop. You can still find these metal can ones if you look hard enough, but you might pay double compared to a plastic square one. Old school motor factors might have something correct lurking out the back.

I will definitely have some lurking around my garage/yard If you need one PM me your address and I will stick it in the post

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This can be a bit of a minefield.  Ford fitted all sorts of suppression crap to their cars such as the below.  Most cars had at least one suppressor attached to the coil like the one you showed.  They turn up on ebay from time to time and the one you have is a bit older so might be harder to find.

 

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You can get new ones that are similar but not quite the same looking.

 

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-579356A

 

Personally I usually fit the old one first (for the sake of the car looking original)  Then see if I suffer from interference later, usually I don't but then again I tend not to listen to the radio when driving older cars.  Have not yet had any issues from customers either, some of which went out the door with no suppression equipment at all.

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Excellent, thanks for the help and suggestions guys!

 

I did see on eBay some of those modern square equivalents, they look shit imho!

The eBay ones had slightly different values though, does it really matter?

 

I think I’ll do as suggested and keep this one. Despite its crusty appearance its actually still solid and undamaged. The wire and connector is still good too. I’ll clean it up, put a dab of rust converter on it and paint it so it looks nice then whack it back into the car. If it works then great, but if not it can stay in there to look original and then I’ll see if I can hide a modern or non oe one somewhere it can’t be seen.

I don’t remember ever having any radio interference in the car though.

 

 

 

Today’s progress was slow and boring really. Not helped by the weather being a bit hit or miss. Tomorrow isn’t looking great either.

I’ve got various small fittings cleaned and painted. Most of it being assorted screws etc for the engine bay. I’ve soaked them in a jar of rust remover for a few days then wire brushed them clean. Then lightly screwed them into a lump of old wood a thread or two and sprayed them with acid etch primer followed by satin black. They’ve come up like new.

I’ve done the same to the heater hose clamps that hold the hoses still in the engine bay, and loads of other bits and pieces.

 

The air vent at the back of the engine bay has been reinstalled. The now clean rubber boot and it’s freshly painted metal clamp have been screwed in place. The coil and it’s bracket are back in the car now too and all connected up in anticipation of the first start!

You’ll think I’m going over the top here, but I’ve cleaned every single one of the little black plastic sleeves that slide over the little wire loom retaining tangs (to stop chafing) so they all look nice! They’re all back on in the engine bay. I’ve used the best looking ones here as they’ll be visible on opening the bonnet. The others can all be used for under the dash and in the cabin where they’ll be hidden from sight. It’s all time consuming doing stuff like this but it’s all in the details!

My fuse box cover has also been sitting in degreaser for a week. While it’s in good condition and not broken or cracked it’s splattered in old paint which just will not shift no matter what so I’ve opted to sand it down, prime it and spray it in the same satin black as everything else. It’ll look much tidier like this I think.

 

I’ll try to get some pics tomorrow if the weather plays ball. It’s not huge progress but bit by bit it’s coming back together again. The engine bay is starting to look more complete now and much nicer looking than it used to be!

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Today has been incredibly windy down here. I didn’t get anything done on the car itself.

Instead I’ve used the day to continue cleaning and painting various things ready to go back onto the car. A bit boring but it has to be done.

 

Firstly a collection of bits & bobs that got the treatment!

I’m definitely sticking to the satin black for much of the under bonnet stuff, I think it looks clean and smart. Much more so than the usual ‘chrome the lot’ school of thought!

 

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Then the little metal suppressor!

It cleaned up fine so it’s had some acid etch primer and satin black. Regardless of wether it works or not... but it looks nice and that’s what matters!

 

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Next job was the cover for the top of the radiator where it bridges the gap between radiator and slam panel.

This is very visible so it needs to look nice. As it was, it had been given a lick of black enamel way back whenever but this was just slapped on over the rust and dirt so it looked shit and peeled off.

I got one of my grinders out with a twist knot wire brush wheel and gently took it back to bare metal. It’s only a thin steel panel so you have to go easy unless you heat distort it or mangle the edges.

Luckily it’s in pretty good condition under the shitty paint, and no rust holes either.

 

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I gave it a wash in degreaser then put a coat of rust remover on, letting it do it’s thing over lunch. Most of the rust was stripped off by the wire wheel but there was still odd specks in little pits.

This was then washed off and the panel cleaned up in soapy water.

 

Ready for a coat of acid etch primer, then a coat of normal primer.

 

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Before finally getting several coats of satin black aerosol. The battery retaining clamp was treated the same way.

 

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Once the satin black has dried I’ll see what it looks like. I might give it a coat or two of clear lacquer to shine it up? Maybe?

 

Finally, I got a parcel from France today too!

Containing something I’ve been after for ages.

 

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A matching pair of new old stock rear mk2 lights! Hard to get now but worth looking for. They’re even still boxed! (Dated October 1977). They’re complete with the lenses, screws, rear bulb holders etc and they’ve even got original fitment bulbs in them!

How on earth stuff like this still turns up having been sitting on a shelf somewhere for 40 years I’ve got no idea, but I’m glad it does.

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Have not yet had any issues from customers either, some of which when out the door with no suppression equipment at all.

Do customer vehicles often have more modern stereos fitted? If so, probably better suppressed internally than radio gear that is 40 odd years old.

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Do customer vehicles often have more modern stereos fitted? If so, probably better suppressed internally than radio gear that is 40 odd years old.

Have a feeling it's AM frequency that suffers from the interference rather than FM. Phil A on here is your radio man.

 

Seem to remember that these caps were also fitted to dynamos/alternators as well for the same reason.

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Have a feeling it's AM frequency that suffers from the interference rather than FM. Phil A on here is your radio man.

 

Seem to remember that these caps were also fitted to dynamos/alternators as well for the same reason.

That would make sense.

 

The IF of AM is 455KHz. I could well imagine the harmonics from ignition sparking would stretch up into that range.

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A pipe fitter friend once told me that kunifer was banned on the continent. Not sure why it's banned though.

 

its copper thats banned because it work hardens , kunifer has been factory fit on volvos /porsche etc 

 

no reason not to use kunifer , bends an flares as easy as copper and price is within a couple of quid  

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Been working on the car this morning.

 

First job was to clean out the polish residue and dust from inside the front valance panel.

On the mk2 it’s a totally different panel altogether to the mk3, there’s a huge open space inside it but where it slopes down to its lower edge there’s spot welded joins between the valance and the front cross member, which itself is made up of two panels spot welded together. It’s design means any water that gets inside through the grill/wheel arches etc runs down to drain holes. These are all in the same place where everything spot welds together, which then predictably rusts like buggery.

Since mines all brand new, I’ve filled the inside of the cross member with Dynax S50 cavity wax using an injection lance to get it well covered inside. Then the inside of the valance, radiator support panel and up underneath the slam panel have been given a coat of the clear Dynax UC wax. I’ve payed particular attention to the seams and joins and let the wax run and soak in. I’ve opted for the clear here as the inside of the valance is sprayed blue and it might be partially visible through the grill so the clear wax will let the blue still show through but be well protected.

 

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Next up is to install the new radiator! I’ve wanted to get this into the car for ages, it’s a pain in the arse to store and I’m paranoid the sharp edges are going to end up scratching the car one day when I’m getting it in and out the garage!

 

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The rad itself is a bit of a hybrid. It’s standard brass Capri Pinto top and bottom tanks, but the core is actually from a Cortina 2.3 so it’s got extra tubes for increased cooling.

 

Here it is back in the car, I got a new fitting kit for it too as the original ones were rusted badly and not really worth trying to clean up. Bolts and washers are stainless.

 

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Next was my freshly painted top cover panel. Again, installed using new stainless screws.

 

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Finally, I’ve put the new top and bottom radiator hoses on with some new jubilee clamps.

This car originally had those old steel wire style hose clamps that Ford used back in the day. I’ve still got a couple of them but they’re too rusty to use again. Maybe one day I’ll try to get hold of some new ones for that factory look!

 

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Lastly, here’s a pic of the inner wing with the wiring loom installed. You can also just make out the little black plastic sleeves on the loom retaining tabs, they took ages to clean up!

 

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It’s starting to come together now!!

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Engine bay looks mega clean!

If this were mine I would literally never dare use it, it's just far too nice.

That’s a problem I’m going to have to face at some point! Even so, I can’t wait to have it on the road again. It’s now been just over 3 years since it was last driven. That’s actually the longest time period in my adult life where I’ve not driven a Capri! And it feels awful!! I miss just jumping into it and going for a blast somewhere.

I can use one of my others for that sort of fun but nothing really compares to being in the Capri, it’s just the car that fits and suits me best I think.

Though this time around I’ll have a seat that’s not worn out, broken and collapsed!

 

This year IS the year.

 

 

Next weekend being a long one again, I’ll drag the car out and start installing the heater box, cabin wiring and hopefully finish the cavity waxing and installing the sound deadening sheets.

I might try to get the handbrake cable, clutch cable, choke etc back in too.

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