Project Project Capri. Back on the road! Running like a scouse watch!

[Christine]

Funnily enough we were talking about your Cowley today when I went to see them. They loved it! Especially the younger guy there!

 

I like it too now they've hammered a coupe body onto it..

 

[mercrocker]

That Dino was still in green paint when I went down there last week.   Remarkably, when I had the Cowley seats done last year it shared the trimmer's workshop with another Dino Coupe.   Hope it didn't catch any rust.....

[pompei]

Don't like the colour

 

Seriously though, well done!

[Guest Hooli]

I know you shouldn't do this. But I'm going to do it anyway, because I'm interested to know!

 

Now it's at this stage there's no more metal to be added. Just paint.

Which led me to wonder how much it's cost in new panels so far...

 

So it's had,

 

Front crossmember £182.11

Front crossmember closing panel £118.55

Front Valance (complete - genuine Ford) £835

Pair headlamp bowls £250.83 each

Pair front scuttle ends £147.97 each

Pair A post outer panels £362.50 each

Complete rear panel £490.86

Pair outer rear quarter panels £1157.94 each

Pair door skins (1x genuine Ford) £417.48 each

Pair inner sills £114.38 each

Pair half floor pans £233.45 each

Pair outer sills £173.45 each

Pair rear inner arch bowls £510.25 each

Pair rear inner corners £137.44 each

Pair front wings (genuine Ford) £600

N/S door frame (used genuine Ford) £100

Fuel flap door and hinge assembly (used genuine Ford) £25

 

That lot comes in at nearly £9500!!!!

Obviously that was spent over several years collecting parts and panels so wasn't as noticeable as if you'd done it all in one hit but even so!

Add to that all the many small sheet metal repairs around the car and it starts to become an eye watering figure.

I'll add up the full cost once the cars back and done but I think it's safe to say that this is the sort of job on a car I'll only be doing once as it's an insane financial commitment, even with me doing the majority of the rebuilding work and mechanical stuff myself in my own time.

Goes to show, always buy the best car you can is good advice!

old ford tax is alive n well!

[danthecapriman]

That Dino was still in green paint when I went down there last week.   Remarkably, when I had the Cowley seats done last year it shared the trimmer's workshop with another Dino Coupe.   Hope it didn't catch any rust.....

Bloody nice car that Dino though! I think that's the only one I've ever seen.

I wouldn't mind having one tbh, I'm not much of a fan of Italian cars but they are rather nice!

[danthecapriman]

O old ford tax is alive n well!

Damn right it is!

If I think back to when I started this, I really shouldn't have done it. Ive only managed because I had savings to fall back on. If I didn't this would have gone in the bin many months ago.

I'm paying for it though, as I've been busting my ass at work doing extras, lots of overtime and a 1 in 7 standby rota. I love my free time and despise giving any of it away to work but at the moment needs must. Luckily it's been paying off for me.

It's also cost me another car I loved and I'm still bitter about losing it!

 

Rest assured though I'll be taking a lot from doing this, and I won't be going this far with a car again. It's great to do but my god is it stressful!

I said it earlier in the thread, but this car is so lucky really! If it wasn't the exact car it is with my connection and history with it I would have stopped and cut my losses by now.

 

If I was to offer anyone advice who's thinking of doing similar...

Do not underestimate how much it's going to cost (I did!) and for the love of god find someone good to do it. Think long and think hard before you start!

[Guest Hooli]

I've known a few families do it to the same car every 20 years or so. They rationalise it as it's about what buying a new car they really want would cost & unlike a new car it IS the car that they want.

[Crusty Sills]

That looks amazing Dan.

I always love the way that a uniform coat of paint makes all the work making it straight really pay off.

Some would probably say that with all the work it should stay in metal!!! But I do love a project with a coat of paint.

 

If you can I would say get down to the workshop when colour starts to go on. Maybe I'm sad but it is exciting process to watch.

I regularly had people standing at my spray booth window when a first colour went on.

[fordperv]

That looks absolutely gorgeous that will be absolutely fap tastic in paint

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Still going for Miami blue, or does purple velvet tickle Sir? There's a P.V 1600GT in the '74/5 Ford brochure on sports steel wheels and it looks epic.

[danthecapriman]

Still going for Miami blue, or does purple velvet tickle Sir? There's a P.V 1600GT in the '74/5 Ford brochure on sports steel wheels and it looks epic.

I love purple velvet! And I would love a car in that colour. But, I'm just not sure I could live with it long term on this particular car tbh. So, yes, I'm sticking with Miami blue!

It's kind of like I felt about the Roman bronze, really nice colour but is it really what I want? I think the blue is exactly what I want tbh.

[Noel Tidybeard]

purple velvet and daytona yeller are a bit "ME TOO!"

its  a shame i coukdn't find out the name of the blue on my mates mk2 scrote estate- it was a special order only colour

exhibit A

[cort16]

Looking great, it's going to be fantastic.

 

How ever can I just say

 

 

 

Pair outer rear quarter panels £1157.94 each

 

 

[D Spares & Tyres]

"Like'

 

Must be nice seeing it like that after all the work and expense.

 

£9.5k though. What is the depreciation on a new Range Rover or similar?

 

Doesn't seem so much cash now does it?

[cort16]

That is a lot of money but capris aren’t getting any cheaper. It’s good to see one getting the proper treatment .

I saw someone on Facebook selling original ford branded wheel balance weight. That could be taking it too far.

[danthecapriman]

Looking great, it's going to be fantastic.

 

How ever can I just say

 

 

 

 

Indeed! That price wasn't a typo either!

 

To be fair, I could have trimmed that list of panels right down by repairing the old panels instead but it's a trade off against paying for new panels V's labour costs making and welding patch repairs.

Sticking with the old and repairing them would still have likely been cheaper but would it have given the best results?

Also, if your not a complete idiot like me you'd start with a better car to begin with meaning you won't need all those panels but that's just not me!

 

Most of this depends on how far you want to go I suppose. As I say, I'm not planning on going this far again. It's great to do once and it's great that I've done it on this car as it means this car is as good as it ever can be, but you can get the car you've always wanted and still have a nice looker out of it by spending much less as long as your willing to accept a bit less. There's nothing wrong with that at all.

Of course you've also got to ask if those panels are worth the money? Imho, they're good, but they're incredibly costly for what you get. Plus, for much of it, there's very few alternatives at the moment.

If someone would start punching out cheaper Chinese made panels things might be easier and cheaper for the masses though.

 

I just really hope I'm not too scared to use this car now!

[Timewaster]

That looks proper. Must be the best Capri shell in the country.

 

But at £9.5K on new metal so it bloody should be!

[mercrocker]

It's easy to go "Ow Fooking Much?" with a project like this.....  

 

You could not create a new Nissan Juke from parts for less than the price of a new Juke from a Nissan showroom and its just the same with cars that you can not even buy new any longer.   Now imagine how much Ford would charge you to hand-build a new Capri and the amount of compromises that would have to be overcome for it to even be contemplated in the first place. 

 

Then factor in the sum of all those parts for cars we have yet/never to own that we have all bought over the years at autojumbles.   No, don't - it will piss you off! 

 

What Dan will end up with is a car that he clearly already loves, now knows every inch of and is absolutely rock solid certain about.   As the credit card advert used to say - That's priceless.  

[Timewaster]

When I worked at A Peugeot garage we tried a very rough calculation of what it would cost to build a new 205 from parts.

 

We started with a shell, engine and gear box, rear beam, glass - obvious big stuff and got to about 8.5k and gave up at that point because a complete car was only about 6 at the time.

 

It was the 90s recession. We were bored.

[nigel bickle]

I've done this once or twice, in the past. Comparable figures, many moons back.

 

The issues I found was its use after the rebuild.

 

I'd be paranoid about using it, constantly worried about storing it, never certain how to use it.

 

I never sorted those worries, so I don't restore to that standard anymore. Too much agg...

 

But Dan I salute you. Bonkers but lovely.

[stephen01]

I must read all this later, what a project. 

[danthecapriman]

I've done this once or twice, in the past. Comparable figures, many moons back.

The issues I found was its use after the rebuild.

I'd be paranoid about using it, constantly worried about storing it, never certain how to use it.

I never sorted those worries, so I don't restore to that standard anymore. Too much agg...

But Dan I salute you. Bonkers but lovely.

That's my concern at the moment!

It'll be so minty it's almost a shame to use it. In fact it'll be a shame just to get its tyres dirty! Maybe, I should put it in the living room in place of the TV!

 

I think the key here will be to look after it, not put it it a position anything bad could happen but still make sure it's used and enjoyed, that's kind of the whole point of doing this really.

It'd be such a waste to leave it shut away in its garage and never out on the road where it belongs.

It's going to be like having it as a car new again, so in theory if I look after it, pump it fat with wax (while it's still stripped down ideally) and keep it garaged and away from road salt it 'should' last another 40+ years?

 

How do the rest of you lot get on that have similar stuff?

[Crusty Sills]

I had the same issues with the Beetle. Worried about it getting Scratched, damaged or dirty from use after all the expense and sweat that I poured in to it.

But my car is kept in the garage where you have to go past to get something out of the freezer, over time a certain amount of damage will occur from storage and use. But keeping it in a huge barn with a 2 foot exclusion zone isn't practical. So I say use and enjoy, becareful with it but there is no point in spending a lot of money to not take it anywhere.

[danthecapriman]

I had the same issues with the Beetle. Worried about it getting Scratched, damaged or dirty from use after all the expense and sweat that I poured in to it.

But my car is kept in the garage where you have to go past to get something out of the freezer, over time a certain amount of damage will occur from storage and use. But keeping it in a huge barn with a 2 foot exclusion zone isn't practical. So I say use and enjoy, becareful with it but there is no point in spending a lot of money to not take it anywhere.

I guess ultimately there's no avoiding it if you want to use it. I'm not wrapping it up one of those carcoon things or a cover forever anyway.

My garage is good in this respect though, it's detached and has no house crap in it so the whole space is for the car. No struggling down the sides or anything to drag stuff in or out. It's a wooden building too which I've heard are very good for cars as the wood breathes and keeps damp and condensation down.

 

I'm certainly not using it to go down the local Asda or shopping trips either!

[Crusty Sills]

I'm sure like the Mercury and as I do with mine if you're out and need to, you will go to supermarket.

But then it's the dilemma!

Do I park on the far side of the car park to protect it or do I park in the middle where everyone can see it!!!! Lol

[eddyramrod]

When you have a Mercury (or a Cadillac) you park as far away as you have to, to get space to yourself!  UK spaces are about as big as my bonnet so it's no good trying to fit into just one.

[fordperv]

Indeed! That price wasn't a typo either!

 

To be fair, I could have trimmed that list of panels right down by repairing the old panels instead but it's a trade off against paying for new panels V's labour costs making and welding patch repairs.

Sticking with the old and repairing them would still have likely been cheaper but would it have given the best results?

Also, if your not a complete idiot like me you'd start with a better car to begin with meaning you won't need all those panels but that's just not me!

 

Most of this depends on how far you want to go I suppose. As I say, I'm not planning on going this far again. It's great to do once and it's great that I've done it on this car as it means this car is as good as it ever can be, but you can get the car you've always wanted and still have a nice looker out of it by spending much less as long as your willing to accept a bit less. There's nothing wrong with that at all.

Of course you've also got to ask if those panels are worth the money? Imho, they're good, but they're incredibly costly for what you get. Plus, for much of it, there's very few alternatives at the moment.

If someone would start punching out cheaper Chinese made panels things might be easier and cheaper for the masses though.

 

I just really hope I'm not too scared to use this car now!

You show me an unrestored capri thats going to be restored that doesn't need the panels you have had replaced on this and i will eat my hat, its easy to speculate on what if you had got a better shell to start and all that nonsense but this exact car is what grabbed your heart at the time of buying and it's where the sentimentality is based,

 

As for the being scared to drive it, you probably will be to be fair looking at how it looks in primer and the cost up to yet, I crap myself using the saph for supermarkets etc and I probably havnt spent any where near the amount you have, the feeling when the back door got dented was horrible im still sore about it now, i say pick journeys/parking spaces wisely and still factor in for inconsiderate cunts to brush bags etc past it because people are cunts.

[danthecapriman]

You show me an unrestored capri thats going to be restored that doesn't need the panels you have had replaced on this and i will eat my hat, its easy to speculate on what if you had got a better shell to start and all that nonsense but this exact car is what grabbed your heart at the time of buying and it's where the sentimentality is based,

 

Agreed. These cars are so old now there's not many that won't want that sort of metal work. It's not only the rot either, it's all the dents, previous repairs and imperfections cars naturally pick up over the years.

 

Here's one of the start pics of the rear quarter,

 

Ford Capri mk2 by Dan Clark, on Flickr

 

Look at the state of it! There's dents, rust marks, rust holes, bodged bits welded on... awful! It just looks grim.

 

Now here's an after,

 

Ford Capri mk2 by Dan Clark, on Flickr

 

Even without the paint it's flawless. Perfectly flat and smooth. No ripples or marks whatsoever.

It really goes to show what's lurking beneath old paint and filler as the rear quarters didn't look that bad when the car had its old paint finish.

The only way, unless your exceptionally lucky, to get a car that's much better than mine underneath would be to have imported one from somewhere hot, Cyprus or Malta for example but even then there's no guarantee there won't be dents and damage still.

I'm still blaming the shit climate over here for all this though!

[Guest Hooli]

 because people are cunts.

 

And that's why we can't have nice things.

[danthecapriman]

Went down and payed the last bit of the bill today.

Car was being worked on when I arrived which always looks good! Last bits of seam sealer going on in the engine bay.

 

Plan is, either tomorrow or Saturday the first of the Miami Blue will go on. First bits will be the interior area and engine bay. Followed up by the underside and then the main attraction - the body!

Then it's just flatting and polishing and lacquer.

The paints there ready to go, a minimum of 10 litres of Miami blue will be hitting this car! That's a lot of paint!

It's so nice to see it like this now, after all that work and waiting it's finally getting painted. It looks fantastic up in the air btw, the floors and sills etc look as absolutely perfect as the rest of it. Even the seam sealer between the front wings - front valance panel looks perfectly applied and exactly how it should look. Small details but I love looking at it!

Once the paints on and about sorted they'll give me a shout to come have a look before the mechanical stuff starts so I'll be sure to take the camera with me for that.

 

I just need to make arrangements to get the axles etc etc down there for the next stage.