N19's fleet - feu orange

[IronStar]

  On 16/02/2025 at 10:59, N19 said:

The cyanoacrylate and baking soda tip sounds potentially viable. It's down on the inside of the skirt so won't be visible!

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Do the metal clips from the backside first, they’re the actual reinforcement.
FWIW welding plastic properly with proper gear isn’t really complicated.

[N19]

Thatd be wonderful! Let me know how much you want and postage and ill send it over!

[N19]

  On 16/02/2025 at 11:44, IronStar said:

Do the metal clips from the backside first, they’re the actual reinforcement.
FWIW welding plastic properly with proper gear isn’t really complicated.

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Will have a look into it before getting stuck in. May practice on some scrap bits of plastic first.

[danthecapriman]

  On 16/02/2025 at 12:58, N19 said:

Thatd be wonderful! Let me know how much you want and postage and ill send it over!

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PM’d you!

[N19]

The engine's been running ok on the old pump sans spring, with the same caveats about weakness as before. So I decided to take the Capri for a trip to meet a friend in High Wycombe - in all an 80 mile jaunt.

The only casualty was a nut off the K&N, so far as I could see.

Nice to be out in a little village.

The Capri is definitely an A/B roads car - great to drive along some of these winding roads. On the way back I went via the M25 which was fine, but not as fun!

Back at my lockup I unboxed the most recent parcel. Exhaust mounts, mainly.

Will fit these tomorrow and that'll *hopefully* be the exhaust nice and secure (it did scrape a couple of times when going over bumpy roads). The bits in the centre are bonnet spacers which I need to re-fit.

Current snag list :-

• re fit a new fuel pump
• once fuel pump is all good - replace all fuel hose with fresh, and new clips too
• OS headlamp only working on full beam
• OS rev lamp inop
• rear numberplate lamps inop
• re-fit bumper corner brackets (front)
• re-fit footwell kick plates (driver & passenger footwells)
• re-fit 1x bit of side trim
• connect up HRW and park function for rear wiper
• re-fit cam belt cover

More photos because why not

[uk_senator]

Look what I just tripped over, while going through my old spotted folders to post something else! Was taken 20/07/2019 in Colney Hatch Lane (& that long term owned Volvo 240 Torslanda, K137KGP, parked behind you has been scrapped fairly recently, a suspected ULEZ victim..)

[tooSavvy]

K&N Dome nuts coming adrift .... 🤔

Go '30's Le Mans'... Drill a hole across the upper of the dome [above stud end] and then wizz some stiff wire through.

Twin & earth copper good enough 👍

🚙💨

[N19]

  On 28/02/2025 at 17:06, uk_senator said:

Look what I just tripped over, while going through my old spotted folders to post something else! Was taken 20/07/2019 in Colney Hatch Lane (& that long term owned Volvo 240 Torslanda, K137KGP, parked behind you has been scrapped fairly recently, a suspected ULEZ victim..)

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My first thought "ooft, the os bumper front cap is out of line". Happy summer evenings. I think that evening I was heading to Screwfix in North Finchley to pick up some crimps to repair the radio speaker connection. At the time I lived in Archway but any excuse for a trip out.

[N19]

I've been quiet the last couple of weeks. I spent nearly a week away over last weekend, and other than that I've mainly been working. 

The Capri hasn't moved in almost 2 weeks, since the trip out to High Wycombe. 

The exhaust hanger rear and rubbers had arrived, I warmed up one of the rubbers and used a vice to ease it on.

The remainder of the jobs from the "snagging list" above haven't been touched, but I hope I'll be able to get it out on Sunday and change the fuel pump and oil (thanks @danthecapriman for posting a spacer!).  Other bits and pieces can then be sorted in evenings, and as the weather gets better I might actually be able to start just enjoying driving it!

The Mondeo performed mostly faultlessly on a round trip to the north, ticking over 190,000 miles which takes it to 30,000 miles in my ownership (almost 5 years). Not too shabby at all - spot the road grime. It'll need two new rear tyres soon, and will probably be due an oil change actually. The heated seats and drivers electric seat adjustment have also stopped working which hopefully is just a blown fuse.

The Focus continues mostly on around-town trips to the shops and the station and so on. Both electric windows have stopped working and the rear tailgate release is still disconnected after the issues I had a while ago. Probably in need of some attention!

[N19]

I didn't get a chance to look at the fuel pump today, but I did change the oil and adjust the fanbelt. And covered 5 miles.

I hope to get the rest of the snagging jobs above sorted this week - more will come, of that I'm sure! Most of them at the moment are I'll then most likely see if I can get the car back on the ramp at the garage to check the exhaust alignment, get the fuel pump changed (I want to have everything out and test it methodically), replace the fuel hoses, and do a couple of final bits of trim fitting.

[N19]

The day started by just Going Out For A Drive, which was lovely. St Albans is a beautiful city and just on my doorstep.

Back at the garage and the first job was oil & filter on the Mondeo, which I'd last done in June last year so I thought. So dropped the oil, changed the filter, refilled. Went to write it in the book and discovered I'd actually changed it at the start of December - it's the Focus which was in June! Focus only does short mileages most of the time, and I think once a year is the recommendation (I do the Mondeo and Capri 6 monthly because old ford & reasonable mileage). Mondeo has done about 8,000 miles in the last year which aint bad for a vehicle of its age and which has to pay to drive around home! 

I did the every-couple-of-years grinding, kurusting and touching up of the rear arches. Yet to be any major issues but I tend to have to tidy it up every couple of years.

That done, the Capri was up on the axle stands and the new fuel pump and spacer assembly (thanks @danthecapriman) was put on.

I wanted to test that the pump was working fine and giving a good movement of fuel, before connecting it to the engine. A couple of spare hoses and bottles, made the place look like the specimens department at Barnet General!

and sure enough

with all the fuel pumped into the measuring jug, I then connected the pump out to the carb and then ran the engine off the jug (gaffer tape tower for height)

Happy that everything's now working well in the fuel pump department, I connected it to the tank line and then ran the car for a while. The true acid test will of course be if it can start from cold without difficulty! 

Old pump boxed up and to go under the rear seat with the other I-really-hope-I-never-need-this-at-the-side-of-the-road,-but-if-something-fails-in-the-middle-of-Aberdeenshire-it's-better-to-have-it-to-hand.

 

 

[N19]

Went down before work today and the capri started first time from cold, fairly conclusive that the fuel pump was the issue. Another niggle sorted 😀

[N19]

Cambelt cover reinstated, I actually remember this job being much more of a pain than it actually was.

[Marshall2810]

Love the mondeo (and capri) 

[N19]

  On 14/03/2025 at 22:35, Marshall2810 said:

Love the mondeo (and capri) 

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Thanks. The Mondeo is an ultra reliable car, it looks tired and worn out from the outside, but I'd jump into it in the morning and drive it to the other end of the country without a second thought. It's incredibly useful hence why it is still here. 5 years and 30k miles later - not bad for a 'stopgap'!

[Marshall2810]

  On 14/03/2025 at 22:40, N19 said:

Thanks. The Mondeo is an ultra reliable car, it looks tired and worn out from the outside, but I'd jump into it in the morning and drive it to the other end of the country without a second thought. It's incredibly useful hence why it is still here. 5 years and 30k miles later - not bad for a 'stopgap'!

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Exactly how I like cars to be. Is it petrol or derv? There's a mk1 on ebay atm I keep looking at

[N19]

It's petrol, although sadly non ulez compliant. Still, it's a decent load lugger/tow car and the majority of the toys (heated windscreen, heated seats, cassette player, air con, cruise control) all work. (If I had the money, space and ability for an ongoing weldathon, I'd have a smileyface transit to complete the ford range)

[N19]

Bit of tidying today. These are all stowed under the rear bench seat, Just In Case.

the remaining work is tweaks, corrections and so on. There's a couple of hoses/cables in the engine bay which need tidying.

and I suspect that these panels should have gone on before the carpet and dash went in

Today marks three months since the car came back from being sprayed. Around a month ago it went on its first long trip, two months ago it was doing the very first test runs. Whilst I don't want to give myself too much credit, that's not too bad a show.

 

[danthecapriman]

It’s a bloody good show👍 you’ve done a cracking job on it.

Those A post footwell side trims are an absolute swine! I had no end of grief getting mine back in. The little pegs on the backs are a twat to get into the holes.

[N19]

140 miles done today - London to Oxford and back. New fuel pump makes starting an absolute dream.

Odds and sods - dodgy sidelight connection sorted, few screws missing reinstated, etc etc. I've put new pins into the door check straps, hitherto held in position by some 'temporary' M6 bolts. NSF indicator keeps popping out of its socket and losing connection... I've got a spare bulb holder somewhere so I'll try replacing the whole unit. Front bumper sides still need the brackets putting on, I keep finding more interesting jobs to finish. I also gave it a hand wash, for the first time since the repaint. 

Since the rebuild we have covered 351 miles!

[High Jetter]

Never been a Ford man, but that's lush. Well done.

[N19]

Locations for the side trim fixings measured up.

and it's on!

there was also some cleaning up of earths and so forth to sort out a dicky numberplate light

 

[danthecapriman]

  On 23/03/2025 at 15:37, N19 said:

Locations for the side trim fixings measured up.

and it's on!

there was also some cleaning up of earths and so forth to sort out a dicky numberplate light

 

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Looking good. Heart in mouth moment for drilling holes in bodywork!

And stop eating chocolate on the job😆

[N19]

Absolutely. when it went on it did look a bit off but that was because the masking tape I'd used to mark up the holes, was itself on the piss!

[N19]

The snagging list that remains is getting much shorter. Bumper brackets, HRW/park function, and a few odds and sods like the wrong screw on a piece of trim, a bit of headlining that needs tucked in etc.

Hoping to have it at the garage next week to stick it on the ramps and sort out the exhaust positioning (which is a bit off - slightly too low and scraaaapey) and do a couple of bits of riveting while I'm at it.

[N19]

A quick trip up to Costco in St Evenage. Nice run, 50 miles. 

 

And then added a finishing touch. 

 

[High Jetter]

Flower farm Sunday?

[N19]

Was just looking at the thread. I'm out for lunch on Sunday so I'm not sure it'd work either side...

[N19]

I'm often confused as to why there's a pillbox on a random country road near Watford.

Back at home, time to swop out the temporary brown seat that has been in the car for ages, with the proper seat.

New bolts were made up, these are M8x16mm but need a slotted head as they are impossible to get to with a socket. I think the originals might have been some obscure fixings with a smaller head.

Lastly, the drivers door strip came loose. Going to see if I can hammer it back into a reasonable shape so it can grab on the clips.

 

[comfortablynumb]

Dredging information from the depths of my memory, those seat bolts should be the M8 threads with a 10mm head with a flanged washer iirc. Hopefully someone will confirm, but is that why you can't get a socket on it?

Having said that, it's 30+ years since I was in a Capri, and MK2 sons is still a pile of parts buried in my garage