The about bloody time Capri resto thread - resto done! We are on the road!

[Shite Ron]

It is looking a lot better now and well worth all the hard work. It is unusual to see an L with the York cloth seats, they look in great condition, I hope I get to see it at a meet when they are allowed again, it is nice to see you returning it to how it should look.

[Skizzer]

Well, at least he was right about which side of Birmingham it was (I assume).

Looking massively better now!

 

Dan’s Granada is very much still around. It’s locked down in a storage place at the moment, still on top of my trailer. When I’m allowed again I’ll go fetch it and treat it to a head rebuild. Possibly a bit of welding too, but it doesn’t need much.

[Tamworthbay]

18 minutes ago, Shite Ron said:

It is looking a lot better now and well worth all the hard work. It is unusual to see an L with the York cloth seats, they look in great condition, I hope I get to see it at a meet when they are allowed again, it is nice to see you returning it to how it should look.

I have a feeling the seats are not original, I know it should have headrests as its the end of the L line but think it should have different material. Based on how immaculate the interior is, and how grotty the outside was I think they may have been changed. I am keeping an eye out for a proper L interior but as I am sure you know, getting any trim is hard and expensive. 

[Tamworthbay]

19 minutes ago, Skizzer said:

Well, at least he was right about which side of Birmingham it was (I assume).

Looking massively better now!

 

Dan’s Granada is very much still around. It’s locked down in a storage place at the moment, still on top of my trailer. When I’m allowed again I’ll go fetch it and treat it to a head rebuild. Possibly a bit of welding too, but it doesn’t need much.

Oddly enough no! ?It was Sutton Coldfield which I would say was more North than East. 

[Steviemillar]

3 hours ago, Tamworthbay said:

 

Found a problem with the headlight plastic surrounds- they won’t fit! I can only think it’s down to the pattern wings. I tried them at the end of the morning so have a plan for when I try next time. Worse case scenario is that I will have to cut them to get them to fit.

There is a way around this without cutting the bezels, fiddly but doable.

With the front lights off from the car, remove the outer light/headlight by slackening (not fully removing) the three screws that hold the headlight retaining ring and rotate the ring clockwise, allowing the light and ring to come away from the backing plate. Fit the backing plate onto the headlamp bowl first (4 screws) and then offer up the headlight/retaining ring/bezel in one go, headlight nearest the car, retaining ring on the light and bezel last like a sandwich. You have to put them in that order as the retaining ring lugs won't go through the hole in the bezel.

Then manoeuvre the headlight into position so that it locates into the cut-outs in the backing plate, mount the retaining ring next, making sure the "Hella" stamp is at the top and turn it anti-clockwise so that the ring goes under the three retaining screws. The bezel will move enough to allow you to get a thin Philips driver in to nip up the retaining ring screws. bezel can then be aligned and screwed into place.

 

[Steviemillar]

Seats look right for the car by the way, as its a later 1600L isn't it? Unusual to see that it hasn't "inherited" a set of 2.8 seats to be honest!!

 

[Tamworthbay]

2 minutes ago, Steviemillar said:

There is a way around this without cutting the bezels, fiddly but doable.

With the front lights off from the car, remove the outer light/headlight by slackening (not fully removing) the three screws that hold the headlight retaining ring and rotate the ring clockwise, allowing the light and ring to come away from the backing plate. Fit the backing plate onto the headlamp bowl first (4 screws) and then offer up the headlight/retaining ring/bezel in one go, headlight nearest the car, retaining ring on the light and bezel last like a sandwich. You have to put them in that order as the retaining ring lugs won't go through the hole in the bezel.

Then manoeuvre the headlight into position so that it locates into the cut-outs in the backing plate, mount the retaining ring next, making sure the "Hella" stamp is at the top and turn it anti-clockwise so that the ring goes under the three retaining screws. The bezel will move enough to allow you to get a thin Philips driver in to nip up the retaining ring screws. bezel can then be aligned and screwed into place.

 

Thanks, I have been looking at it and came to roughly the same idea. Should be able to try over the weekend. I am sure they came off easy enough but there wasn't much metal around there then! 

[Tamworthbay]

Just now, Steviemillar said:

Seats look right for the car by the way, as its a later 1600L isn't it? Unusual to see that it hasn't "inherited" a set of 2.8 seats to be honest!!

 

Yup, very late L, must have been one of the last of the line and an odd one as it has metallic paint that was free on a GL but the cost on an L put it within a few quid of a GL and the GL got a few other extras. Can only find one other metallic L (in its original colour obviously). I was told it had been a demonstrator but not sure if that makes sense. 

[adw1977]

According to the January 1983 brochure, which is the last one I have with the Capri L, the trim should be Chequered Sandford.

Brochure link

Also, metallic paint wasn't free on a GL, only on Ghia and 2.8 injection. 

[Shite Ron]

The newest brochure I can find is August 1982, this shows York cloth in the Capri GL. I was surprised as the Cortina L had York cloth from late 1980. Ford seemed to upgrade the specification at least once a year at this time so I am not sure the seats are wrong. It looks great and they are the correct type seats for the car so I would be very happy if it were mine. I have a tatty mk4 Cortina L estate which I bought for tip runs and general parts or building material collections, this has newer mk5 seats in which really grates with me as they are obviously wrong for the car being a completely different shape.

Yours are correct seats for the year of the car and look great in there, I look forward to the next progress update, you are doing a great job.

[Tamworthbay]

I have a March 83 brochure that came with the car (but that doesn’t mean it belongs to the car if that makes sense). It seems very similar to the one above, most pics are shared - I guess they updated bits (and prices) as and when. The L and LS page only shows the LS and the cabaret is heavily featured so the old L - Ghia range was coming to an end.

An interesting find though, behind the rear seat backs was the original build sheet page as is often the case. The number matches the chassis but the page was loose - has someone swapped the interior but bothered to move the page across? Or is the interior original? My feeling is that should have the sandford type, but finding one will be down to pure luck and as the one fitted is A, period correct, and B, pretty much mint, it won’t cause me any lost sleep! I have decided to use the incorrect door cards with the hole for the remote mirror but make a blanking plug (Thanks for tip above). This is not going to be a concourse show queen by any stretch so the odd ‘period modification’ will do. Jeez I did so many changes to my original one as we all did back in the day. And I managed to find an original ford radio of the identical type to borrow the knobs from. It cost a total of £0 and was 10yds away from where I live. One of our neighbours chats to me about the Capri pretty much every time I am working on it. We were chatting (at sensible distance) a few days ago and I happened to mention the original radio was there but sadly without the knobs. An hour later he is back with a mint one he took out of a cortina about thirty years ago to fit a tape player. He wouldn’t take anything for it so I dropped him some beers over. He also gave me a pinto water pump and a load of gasket sets a few years back. It’s amazing what must still be in people’s sheds!

[adw1977]

I wouldn't worry, you've got an interior in decent condition that looks like it belongs, even if it's not original.  March 1983 must be the last brochure for the Capri L, it's not in the April 1983 edition. 

[Tamworthbay]

41 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

I wouldn't worry, you've got an interior in decent condition that looks like it belongs, even if it's not original.  March 1983 must be the last brochure for the Capri L, it's not in the April 1983 edition. 

That’s interesting! What models are in the April one? Did they get shot of the GL, Ghis LS and S at the same time? The march has the Cabaret but not the Cameo or calypso or the Laser for that matter.

[Tamworthbay]

Lazy day today, but have stripped off the old parcel shelf for its bits. Need to spray up the bar and seal retaining strip. I have a few bits to paint now, will do that tomorrow I think.

[adw1977]

6 hours ago, Tamworthbay said:

That’s interesting! What models are in the April one? Did they get shot of the GL, Ghis LS and S at the same time? The march has the Cabaret but not the Cameo or calypso or the Laser for that matter.

The April 1983 edition has 1.6 LS, 2.0 S and 2.8 Injection, plus the Cabaret II special edition. 

Flickr link

Then May 1983 has just LS, S and 2.8 injection.

For the 1985 model year the range was reduced to Laser and 2.8 injection special.

[Tamworthbay]

10 hours ago, adw1977 said:

The April 1983 edition has 1.6 LS, 2.0 S and 2.8 Injection, plus the Cabaret II special edition. 

Flickr link

Then May 1983 has just LS, S and 2.8 injection.

For the 1985 model year the range was reduced to Laser and 2.8 injection special.

So the cameo and calypso were 1984 only or were they run out ones at the end? There seemed loads around when I was a kid, but there always were with the Ford special editions. One was properly pez spec, they even took the parcel shelf iirc.

[adw1977]

1 hour ago, Tamworthbay said:

So the cameo and calypso were 1984 only or were they run out ones at the end? There seemed loads around when I was a kid, but there always were with the Ford special editions. One was properly pez spec, they even took the parcel shelf iirc.

Calypso appears in the May 1982 and July 1982 brochures, but not September.  I don't have brochures for Jan-April, June or August.  There was also a Cabaret special edition in the July edition. 

The Cameo doesn't appear in any of my brochures, so that was probably quite short lived.

There is a surviving Cameo 1.3 in autoshite colours, pictures posted on Flickr by Kevin Miller.  It looks very basic.

Link to Kevin Miller's photo

[adw1977]

Then there was Cabaret II in February and April 1983:

[adw1977]

To complete the special editions that I'm aware of, there was GT4 in May 1980

 

[Tamworthbay]

It’s funny, I was convinced the cameo and calypso were on the new regs. That 1.3 Cameo is about as Autoshite as you could get! I thought they ran over the change between the L- Ghia and Laser ranges. Shows how good my memory is! The GT4 was an odd one that seemed to fall somewhere between the range. I can only remember seeing a couple. I sat in one when I was looking for my first car but luckily my brother in law knew a bit about cars (I was as clueless as most 16 year olds) and pointed out the utterly shagged strut tops that had been welded at night by a pissed up bloke called Dave in exchange for a ferret.

[Richard_FM]

I've sometimes wondered how many 1.3 Capris survive, as they would made a project for putting a more potent engine in.

[Tamworthbay]

14 minutes ago, Richard_FM said:

I've sometimes wondered how many 1.3 Capris survive, as they would made a project for putting a more potent engine in.

All capris have the same size engine bay, v6 ones had some extra strengthening but that was pretty much it. 1.3s are so rare it would be a shame to lose any. I have only seen 3 in the last ten years. The 1.3 is a lovely car, the are slow as anything but the engine is very willing so they FEEL faster than they are. 

[danthecapriman]

I’ve driven a 1300 Capri. Slow is definitely the right word! A 1600 isn’t particularly quick, but going down to the 1300 feels a big change.

Ive heard, the V6 shells rusted worse. Even with the extra strengthening apparently the shells flexed a bit more than lesser models which let rust take hold easier. No idea if it’s true though?

Trouble is, as with many Fords, people have been modding them for decades so standard ones are comparatively few and far between. Loads of clean standard cars will have been ‘upgraded’ over the past with bigger engines etc etc which has depleted the numbers of standard or low spec models.

[Richard_FM]

1 hour ago, Tamworthbay said:

All capris have the same size engine bay, v6 ones had some extra strengthening but that was pretty much it. 1.3s are so rare it would be a shame to lose any. I have only seen 3 in the last ten years. The 1.3 is a lovely car, the are slow as anything but the engine is very willing so they FEEL faster than they are. 

I imagine 1.3 didn't sell well, the crossflow engines tended to give a perky performance, iIve been told even the Mk1 Escorts with them can feel spirited.

A lot of Capris were modified, especially when they were in banger territory.

[Bren]

The four cylinder capris have a charm of their own. The 1.3/1.6 are a bit slow ( when I met my wife she had an X reg 1600 GL). 2.0 is nice as the V6's are too salty pricewise.

My late mother in law's neighbour had a D plate 2.0 laser auto. I had never seen one that late with a slush box - owned from new and chap was a foreman at Ford's.

[Tamworthbay]

All this talk of the rarity of 1.3Ls and guess what turns up,on Facebook Capri page-

[Bren]

6 minutes ago, Tamworthbay said:

All this talk of the rarity of 1.3Ls and guess what turns up,on Facebook Capri page-

So much as I like lesser models this does not appeal - deffo not as £6k. Slower than a week on remand.

[Tamworthbay]

25 minutes ago, Bren said:

So much as I like lesser models this does not appeal - deffo not as £6k. Slower than a week on remand.

I think £6.5k is strong with the wrong wheels and possibly other mods as well, but any Capri with an MoT is £4K+ these days and I think that will easily make £5.5k, maybe 6 in a good day depending what it looks like in the flesh. They have just gone crazy in the last few years. Projects are £2.5k these days!!!!

[Tamworthbay]

So sprayed a few odds and sods this morning, the rails for the parcel shelf, bottom of the seatbelt stalks and the bolts for the rear bumpers. They also needed modifying to remove the square section and allow them to sit right. Rear bumper is now on. Small things please small minds as the old saying goes........ one step closer........... Now stuck needing a calm weekend day to finish the passenger side door and a waiting on a few bits to come through the post.

[Tamworthbay]

Having a brain freeze it seems . I have looked at fitting the bumper end caps but come to a problem. They slide over the bumper at the front and onto clips on the side, but on the side is a hole, at the end of the bumper is a captive nut (M8 I think) so it appears there should be a bracket of some sort to connect the two. There were no corners present when I got it so I know I don’t have them, only problem is that I don’t have a lie what they should look like! I can’t find any reference to them anywhere. Worst case I will knock some up out of ally as they aren’t taking any weight. It’s over 25 years since my last Capri and details like this have escaped my memory.