I am a self confessed Capri addict and hobbies include debt creation and an enthusiasm for restoring total wrecks as fellow hants members will agree!
I have owned several Capris since beginning driving; all except one were daily drivers. I like getting my hands dirty and am
always prepared to help those who have a problem and need advice or need a bit of muscle to fix something.
I am well known for light hearted loathing of vinyl roofed cars, however, being the 'child' of the branch most members put this down to adolescence...
I generally 'tastefully modify' my cars so they look standard but aren't quite.
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My current Capri, 1984 2.9 injection. |
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I acquired this Capri 2.8i in Feb 2003 as a half finished project consisting of a completely stripped but painted shell
with a freshly rebored engine and new gearbox in situ plus a large crate of parts.
It was ready for the road by April 2007, more work will be done in 2008 including the fitting of new wings and some more modifications.
Photos show the work both during and after restoration. The car is a late 'non-special' and therefore doesn't have an LSD. |
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Work done:
Original factory fitted 2.8i engine rebored to 2922cc, engine fully rebuilt using new parts throughout.
Stainless steel exhaust fitted.
Shark grey recaro interior restored and valeted.
Various engine parts bead blasted, chromed or polished.
New sills/arches/doors/bonnet/tailgate/strut tops. Full repaint in stratos silver.
Side mouldings removed for cleaner lines.
Complete brake system overhaul, new master cylinder and servo fitted, calipers overhauled.
Bilstiens/axle/diff/propshaft/power steering fully overhauled.
Underside blasted and resealed.
Most of this has been done on a very limited budget hence the length of time between purchase and the finished article but proves that with patience
and time you can restore a car to a good standard, the downside being the car was off the road all that time unable to be enjoyed!!
I am after any photos of the car before 1997, I understand the registration is a Derbyshire one and its original colour was blue over stratos silver,
however the service history of this car is non existent before 1997 when it was laid up in a barn in Oxfordshire.
If you have any pictures or information on the car, I'd be pleased to hear from you.
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One of my previous cars, HNO 67Y was spotted in a very derelict condition while running late for a meeting in
Maidenhead in 2003. After the meeting I went back to see the car. With a small tree growing up in front of it,
leaves piled up to the sills, flat tyres and covered in grime, a black 2.0S was not only fairly rare but too
tempting for me to walk away without posting a note through the door with regards to it being sold. The tax disc
had expired in 1996 and it had clearly not moved since then. The only downside for me was she was an automatic.
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Two weeks later I had a phone call, it was mine provided I could move it within a month.
So with fellow branch members Alan and Graeme and a wallet of cash I decided to keep quiet about to my then
girlfriend, we set to work.
The first job was to start her. After a new dizzy, points, battery and fresh fuel she fired up
with the biggest cloud of black smoke you have ever seen!
Next job, free the seriously rusted on handbrake, a 4' crowbar and a hammer put paid to that along
with a fair bit of WD40.
At this point I did not have anywhere to put her as I had a fleet of 4 other cars,
and this being a purchase on a whim with little though on that small matter!
Alan very kindly agreed to store the car til it was ready for an MOT.
We got her there and then the really heavy duty work began.
The interior was pulled out and 2 large holes were found in the front floorpans where they join the inner sills.
This were repaired by a local bodyshop along with a rotten drivers arch to a good standard.
Greame, Alan and I repaired/fitted/changed the following:
Doors, tailgate, both bumpers and front indicators.
Fixed the heater blower motor (common fault).
Changed the very tired RS 4 spoke wheels for 13" 7 spokes as fitted to the 2.8i, which I think suited her.
Full service (points, oil, coolant, filters, thermostat etc)
A stab in the dark was made at the local breakers by robbing a 1.6 laser in there of its type 9 5
speed gearbox and prop along with its pedal box, all for £60! We then coverted the auto to manual,
fitting a brand new genuine ford clutch and did the required rewiring. This proved to be a good box with
no whines at all throughout its life with me.
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Other items that required work were a broken window regulator, a new webber carb, replacement unleaded head sourced
from a sierra and rear springs.
The interior which was the original red S stripe fishnet recaros was very tired having had several bad repairs
in the past and the drivers seat had a broken back. Amazingly I sold this ( it could only have been for material
and headrests as it was in a bad way) and fitted a full brooklands interior which I obtained from Mike from the
branch.
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All of this sounds expensive doesnt it? Thats because IT IS! So to finish her off I sold the rest of my car fleet
excluding the 2.9 which I already owned and HNO became my daily driver for 2 years covering nearly 60,000 miles
with only 1 breakdown during this time. A front wheel bearing melted (thankfully at low speed) due to the previous
owner taking the car to Quik Fit who greased the bearings with copperslip....not good. This lead to me having to
source a strut off the same car in the scrappers that had donated its gearbox as the damage to the strut was
unbelievable.
In 2006, with petrol prices rocketing and Gordon Brown and friends continuing to persecute my hobby, I decided to
sell her and concentrate on my 2.9 which was to be and is now a summer use toy. She was also requiring major A
pillar sugery which is expensive and was starting to scrape by the MOT because of it.
I now drive a P reg 1.4 escort instead to try and combat those evil westminster forces who very much rob from the
poor to give to the rich...
I'm pleased to say that the car is now in the final stages of its restoration having been brought by the owner of
the breakers yard I mentioned. I though it was for scrap but thankfully it wasnt. Maybe I'll buy it off him....
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| CRIMEWATCH |
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During last winter; 2008/2009 I had the opportunity to have my car starring in an episode of BBC's Crimewatch.
This was to reconstruct a murder.
The special effects crew had a field day making snow and the driver also had a similar time scuffing my rims on the kerb stones,
still, the BBC insurance paid for them to be refurbished. |
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