HMC- XK8 Starts!

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, Agila said:

Wow. That's outstanding. No idea how you keep the enthusiasm up for searching and collecting these beauties. Glad you do though.

 

I don’t know how he manages to make himself sell them on. If it were me I’d have a field (or garden!) full of them because I can’t bring myself to say goodbye to any!😆

[sierraman]

It looks bloody solid for a Granada tbh, most of them are crunchy round the screen. I’d keep the scruffy paint to be honest, looks period. 

[sierraman]

I’d love one of these, I think I’d even risk certain divorce bringing it home. 

[danthecapriman]

Here’s my old one.

186k miles or so it had done! I did loads to it after saving it from a local banger racer. Part of the deal was for a replacement windscreen as the one fitted was cracked. Removing the old one brought both rotten lower screen/scuttle corners away with it! Ended up chasing rust all the way down both A posts and into the front floors! 
It should probably have been cubed really but I spent months chopping it all out and making new sections then welded them in. Original wing fell apart at the bottom too so I got a new one. Front edge of the bonnet rusted away so I got a good used one and rattle canned them.

I absolutely loved that car! Not an easy decision to sell it tbh but the Capri was in more need of the time and money. I’d have another in a heartbeat.

[EspenO]

Was blue seats/dash and black darker door cards/carpets a thing on these, seeing as both cars got that combo? 

I can only remember grey or beige/brown interiors back when they were a more common sight.

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, EspenO said:

Was blue seats/dash and black darker door cards/carpets a thing on these, seeing as both cars got that combo? 

I can only remember grey or beige/brown interiors back when they were a more common sight.

Fords of the time were always colour coded. The two here being blue cars you usually got blue interiors. But it depended a lot on the cars paint colour and what spec/trim level it was.

Brown, grey, blue, green and I think red were all options.

It continued on for a while afterwards too as I remember driving a white Mondeo mk1 Ghia that had a blue interior in much the same way as these Granada’s.

[EspenO]

I see! Just thought they were almost two-tone, the seats much brighter blue than the dash/doors  

[HMC]

Boarding for the french weekend

 

 

[HMC]

On our way in Brittany through passport control

[hairnet]

On 30/05/2024 at 20:16, HMC said:

Money shot @grogee

Rockliffes babies............

[hairnet]

15 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Here’s my old one.

 

 

Tl dr thats not a capri wtf is up with that 😝

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

Tl dr thats not a capri wtf is up with that 😝

All Fords though!

And, technically, the Capri is in that shot. Just!

[cort16]

Some seems to have stole your fuel injection and replaced it with a carbpotator. I appreciate the removal of the i on the boot for accuracy though, 

These are great big barges, the gearbox is a bit on the slushy side if you've been driving automatics from the 1990's onwards but nice cars. I had a 2.3v6 LX estate in gold, very slow but I liked it. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I last drove a mk2 Granny in the early 90s. The garage where I worked had a V plate in midnight blue which I used for a few errands, as well as taking it for MOT. Compared to the Cortinas of the same era, the Granada massive in contrast. It felt similar to the Carlton - cavernous cabin space and enough room for even the widest-framed driver. To be fair, I found the Cortina with a 2.0 lump and twin-choke Webber felt a bit like a sports car in contrast! 

What's the story with this one then HMC? It looks like it's been stored for a couple of decades but the mot history suggests otherwise. 

[HMC]

43 minutes ago, cort16 said:

Some seems to have stole your fuel injection and replaced it with a carbpotator. I appreciate the removal of the i on the boot for accuracy though, 

These are great big barges, the gearbox is a bit on the slushy side if you've been driving automatics from the 1990's onwards but nice cars. I had a 2.3v6 LX estate in gold, very slow but I liked it. 

Is there a way of finding out if it originally had carb/ FI?

[HMC]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Is there a way of finding out if it originally had carb/ FI?

I was working on the basis that at ghia rather than ghia x level fi/carb were both options but theres many more knowledgable people on here re ford specs than me, for sure.

[cort16]

3 hours ago, HMC said:

Is there a way of finding out if it originally had carb/ FI?

I thought all the facelift ones had injection.

[danthecapriman]

1 minute ago, cort16 said:

I thought all the facelift ones had injection.

Don’t think so. Even up to the last mk2 injection was an option but not standard. My C reg estate was a carb fed 2.8 from new. Pretty sure it’s a Pierburg carb on them. 
The Capri 2.8 was injection only though I think.

I don’t know if you can tell from a VIN decode if it was carb or injection? 
Otherwise look around the engine and engine bay for evidence of the injection gubbins being stripped out. 
 

You’re better off with a carb though. I don’t think the injection stuff is easy to get parts for anymore?

[bezzabsa]

On 25/02/2024 at 23:29, High Jetter said:

I bet he made it look so easy. Did you fuck up try to emulate him?

he made it look faultless....and NO , I can't even draw a stick man!!! 

[cort16]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

Don’t think so. Even up to the last mk2 injection was an option but not standard. My C reg estate was a carb fed 2.8 from new. Pretty sure it’s a Pierburg carb on them. 
The Capri 2.8 was injection only though I think.

I don’t know if you can tell from a VIN decode if it was carb or injection? 
Otherwise look around the engine and engine bay for evidence of the injection gubbins being stripped out. 
 

You’re better off with a carb though. I don’t think the injection stuff is easy to get parts for anymore?

Maybe I’m thinking of the capri then. Strange it was an option it doesn’t say much for their faith in the fuel injection .

[adw1977]

2.8 carb was the only option on the late Mark 2 Ghias.

Choice of carb or injection on Ghia X.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

10 hours ago, HMC said:

Is there a way of finding out if it originally had carb/ FI?

If it had been an injection it would have had TRXes instead of 14” alloys and by B reg also had rubber chin spoiler. The car that started my 40 odd year career as a chauffeur was a 1982 2.8 Ghia X in silver with brown Chatsworth interior. It was unbelievably well equipped for 1982, nothing short of a Rolls Royce Spirit had electric seats and aircon as standard.

I was driving a new Flying Spur Speed 12 last week and it reminded me of how that Granada felt in 82, don’t know why, it makes very little sense and it’s not like I’ve driven hundreds of nice big saloons in between. That feeling and seeing this has diverted my search from Rover P6es and Jags back to Mk2 Grannies even if they’re twice the price!

[danthecapriman]

38 minutes ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

If it had been an injection it would have had TRXes instead of 14” alloys and by B reg also had rubber chin spoiler. The car that started my 40 odd year career as a chauffeur was a 1982 2.8 Ghia X in silver with brown Chatsworth interior. It was unbelievably well equipped for 1982, nothing short of a Rolls Royce Spirit had electric seats and aircon as standard.

I was driving a new Flying Spur Speed 12 last week and it reminded me of how that Granada felt in 82, don’t know why, it makes very little sense and it’s not like I’ve driven hundreds of nice big saloons in between. That feeling and seeing this has diverted my search from Rover P6es and Jags back to Mk2 Grannies even if they’re twice the price!

They are fantastic cars aren’t they!

It’s got the blue oval badge but somehow it doesn’t feel like a normal Ford like the lower models. It’s such a pity so many of them have been smashed to bits on the track.

[Floatylight]

2 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

They are fantastic cars aren’t they!

It’s got the blue oval badge but somehow it doesn’t feel like a normal Ford like the lower models. It’s such a pity so many of them have been smashed to bits on the track.

Agreed, my Dad had three when I was a kid as company cars, all driven hard, back in the days of the shell card, two used for towing. A V reg 2.8GL, a 1982 2.8 Injection Special manual and a 2.8i Ghia X.  They were all great cars, all did serious mileages, when the last one came to he replaced the best available estate was a 2.0i Ghia Sierra on a F, still a nice car but such a come down from the Grannies. 

Would love to find another Injection Special estate, (and have the budget to buy!) his was manual, gunmetal gray with red pinstripe, recaro interior (with tilting seats from a Capri /RS Turbo) and white TRX alloys.

[Dan the van]

One of my all time favourite cars was the 1978 mkii 2.8 ghia I bought off a mate for £200.Would have been around 1990 ish.Gold with lush brown cloth seats.I was the 18th(!) owner and one of the previous owners was deffo a minicab driver,the back seat springing had totally collapsed.Goodness knows how many times it had been around the clock but it drove really well.I stuck another 5k miles on it in 3 months and it never missed a beat.Sold it to my housemate who ran it for a few more years before selling it on,still running fine.Brilliant cars.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Speaking of Granadas being wrecked for entertainment, my uncle's old Granada went on to be a bit of a film star. I seem to remember his was fuel injection - it was a lovely motor and immaculate when he sold it. 

[Shep Shepherd]

I've never seen that film, partly because of the destruction of the Granada and the P6 (two cars which I greatly admire), and partly because it sounds a bit rubbish...

[danthecapriman]

7 hours ago, Floatylight said:

Agreed, my Dad had three when I was a kid as company cars, all driven hard, back in the days of the shell card, two used for towing. A V reg 2.8GL, a 1982 2.8 Injection Special manual and a 2.8i Ghia X.  They were all great cars, all did serious mileages, when the last one came to he replaced the best available estate was a 2.0i Ghia Sierra on a F, still a nice car but such a come down from the Grannies. 

Would love to find another Injection Special estate, (and have the budget to buy!) his was manual, gunmetal gray with red pinstripe, recaro interior (with tilting seats from a Capri /RS Turbo) and white TRX alloys.

An Injection Special is a very rare version now, they weren’t even particularly common when new.

That estate I had originally was bought by a sign writing and printing company owner, in Essex! (Shocker!), who put a company number plate on it. When I went through the old MOT’s I found its first certificate where it’d already done something like 70k miles. That’s a lot for the time in 3 years! Then you could see each following year it rapidly went up and up, then back to 0 around the clock. It’s annual mileage got lower and lower from around the mid 90’s but somehow it survived.

I loved driving that car though. It felt ‘big’ to drive, especially being the estate. It almost felt boat like when turning corners with that big overhang out back! One of my favourite things about it was looking in the door mirror and looking down the flank of the car with that ‘coke bottle’ style kick up in the side trim where the boot side windows were! Such a cool feature. I loved the dash design too, very American in style. Looked fantastic in blue with that wood effect trim and all important Ghia badge! 
When I first spotted it I was out at work. Went round that evening to have a look at it and he said he wanted £650, I paid £600 with a good screen in the deal. I’m not sure how good a deal that really was at the time considering how rotten it ended up being but I couldn’t leave it with him to get smashed! 
I went down with my dad in my old Volvo 740 saloon to pick it up, I drove the Granada home and dad drove the 740… that Granada left the 740 in its dust! The 740 was a 2.3 so not that much smaller capacity but it just couldn’t keep up. Once we got to the motorway slip road getting on that was it! Foot down and I’m gone! Didn’t see each other until back home then!

I need another one don’t I!?😆

[HMC]

on the way back but stopped off en route for some essentials…

 

 

 

[HMC]

I did a second take at this…..