chassis/suspension swap Or rebody (fraud Capri)?

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Shederic
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chassis/suspension swap Or rebody (fraud Capri)?

Post by Shederic »

Hi Guys,
I am still hunting for a Capri but it seems the more I look the more expensive they become!

So after a bit of google looking for ways to resurrect a bare chassis, I have seen R8 suspension set ups started but not yet finished on a few posts. This would not be my first choice as if I could I would want to keep majority of components Ford, however as there are many rusty bodies on :ebay: I wanted to ask:
1) Has anyone got or seen a Capri that is on the road with an unusual set up (rx8 etc.)
2) Has anyone got or seen a Capri that is on the road using a Scimitar Chassis, effectively a Reliant with a rebody.

Thanks
Not_Anumber
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Re: chassis/suspension swap Or rebody (fraud Capri)?

Post by Not_Anumber »

Its an interesting one and I wouldn't want to put off anyone's enthusiasm but this could be extreme in terms of the amount of work involved if your intention was really just to get a Capri on the road for a lower cost.

So long as you have dry undercover area to work, access to a mig welder and a few hours practice using one then you should be able to take on most body and underside repair jobs. Forum members will happily recommend sources of repair panels for floors, rear wheel arches, sills etc or where its practical to make your own repair sections.

Ive heard of one person who is building a space frame based car to the dimensions of a Capri to which he is fitting panels he is making from moulds taken from an existing car. It will produce an awesome vehicle but it wont be a cheap alternative to just buying a Capri.

The idea of styling another type of car to look close to a Capri might be feasible but to do it convincingly wont be particularly cheap plus it might be a tricky thing to sell on eventually.
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Re: chassis/suspension swap Or rebody (fraud Capri)?

Post by Paul G »

I don't know what your skill levels are Shederic, but I would buy a couple of Capri's and restore them to get to know the cars well before embarking on any such project. If you want a Scimitar, they have Capri engines and are often cheaper to buy than a Capri is these days.

The man building the bespoke Capri that Not a Number refers to has a thread on Capri Power and probably has one distinct advantage over 99% of the people on this or that forum - he works for, engineers and designs Noble sports cars.
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Andrew 2.8i
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Re: chassis/suspension swap Or rebody (fraud Capri)?

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi,
There's a build thread of the aforementioned spaceframe Capri on this forum.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=48919

It might give you a good idea of how much work is involved in what you are proposing to do.

Andrew.
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Re: chassis/suspension swap Or rebody (fraud Capri)?

Post by nigecapri »

I've never heard of RX8 or Scimitar builds for a Capri. Plenty owners have converted their engines to 200bhp+ cosworth Granada units and fitted suitable gearboxes with occasional axle mods. If it's something you need to ask about then at a guess it would be better for you to get the best Capri shell (rust wise) that you can afford then do what's needed to get it tested, then do what you want to improve it cosmetically & performace related. Time & money spent on a one-off bitsa car will never be recouped at sale whereas the same time & money on a standard Capri will increase it's value.
A couple of hundred quid should see you with enough gear to do your own welding.
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Re: chassis/suspension swap Or rebody (fraud Capri)?

Post by Not_Anumber »

have you had a chance to read that thread yet Shederick and decide whether to buy or build or a combination of the 2 ?
Shederic
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Re: chassis/suspension swap Or rebody (fraud Capri)?

Post by Shederic »

Not_Anumber wrote:have you had a chance to read that thread yet Shederick and decide whether to buy or build or a combination of the 2 ?
Seen/read enough to know that the skill involved is several levels above what i can do, lot of admiration and respect. My interest in putting a ford capri together rather than buying was it would be more accessible to me on my a low budget, it wasnt to make it any better than the original.
The thing that caught my interest, because how cheap and availiable the parts are, was this:
https://www.driftworks.com/forum/thread ... ri.181483/

Any way, looks like non major alterations to chassis, suspension turrets etc is going to be more do-able. Bought my shell and had it delivered late this evening. I hope its as solid as I think it is and i hope to build something out of mainly ford parts over the next few years!
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Re: chassis/suspension swap Or rebody (fraud Capri)?

Post by Will01 »

Doesn't the Capri Club actually sell restored shells or partly restored shells?
Get one off them and then build something with tweaks.

Building a one off special is a MASSIVE job. Plus technically it will not be a Capri and have to be tested under the SVA rules to be legal on the roads(sorry couldn't tell if this is UK or not!)

I would buy 1 great shell to build a good Capri and buy a real crapper shell that you could later on for the dream build of a full special.
I was only thinking last night i wished i had the space to keep my white shell i scrapped, would have been perfect for me to use as a Zakspeed replica and build on a spaceframe chassis :(
Plans have changed to just make a good fun Track Car :)
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