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Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 2:18 pm
by NaisiaN
pbar wrote:I think the Kilen number is 622000. I'd check it further if you can though, but Googling Kilen 622000 shows a few options for sale. Your local motor factors would most likely get them also, mine got the Kilen coil springs for me, they were not expensive, especially if they let you have them at trade cost.
Cheers, think i might go for the ones on Tickover, considering these have lasted 32 years i think even if i get half of that out of them ill be happy. plus they're cheap! ..which means i can re-bush all around and probably get some new springs for the front while im at it, maybe some new shocks aswell because why not!.. getting carried away now

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 6:10 pm
by aikmanmosquito
In all my years of working on Capris I've never come across one that was fitted from new with single leafs!!! This story of cars being the last on the production line getting all sorts of crap fitted to them is a myth!

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 6:14 pm
by aikmanmosquito
Sorry that was laser, not Capris, I've never come across a laser with single leafs fitted from new. Take from me having a relative working at Ford, cars were not thrown together with whatever was left near the end of their production run, that is well and truly a myth.

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 9:12 am
by pbar
aikmanmosquito wrote:This story of cars being the last on the production line getting all sorts of crap fitted to them is a myth!
I'm glad you posted that , it's good to know :) I've said something similar on another thread. If Ford changed manufacturing parts then I believe it was for a reason, such as R & D, and not because some bloke found one in the skip at the back so they threw it on.

Re: Car feels weird

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 12:22 pm
by NaisiaN
I think people just like hating on lasers for some reason

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 12:38 pm
by tejb1
pbar wrote:
aikmanmosquito wrote:This story of cars being the last on the production line getting all sorts of crap fitted to them is a myth!
I'm glad you posted that , it's good to know :) I've said something similar on another thread. If Ford changed manufacturing parts then I believe it was for a reason, such as R & D, and not because some bloke found one in the skip at the back so they threw it on.
Aside from anything else, I'm assuming any overstock from production would have been transferred to stock for parts sales, hence there'd be no reason to not order a new batch etc as is commonly suggested.

Re: Car feels weird

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 12:55 pm
by Paul G
NaisiaN wrote:I think people just like hating on lasers for some reason
:agree:
pbar wrote:
aikmanmosquito wrote:This story of cars being the last on the production line getting all sorts of crap fitted to them is a myth!
I'm glad you posted that , it's good to know :) I've said something similar on another thread. If Ford changed manufacturing parts then I believe it was for a reason, such as R & D, and not because some bloke found one in the skip at the back so they threw it on.
:agree:

My little Laser is my favorite of all 3 capri's I own,( maybe that will change when the 3.0S is complete.) and the model in general was as well equiped as any other perhaps with the exception of the 2.8i special - again another run out until the end of production model just like the Laser. Frankly a 2.0 laser is better in many ways than the 2.0S it replaced what with the uprated suspension, leather steering wheel and 2.8i roll bars etc.

Those whom are snotty about lasers to my eyes seem to be people that like to modify, alter and bastardise their cars, removing the bumpers, fitting the wrong engine and lowering them so much that the sump scrapes the ground and the ride is so hard that you would probably need spinal surgery after 50 miles. Everyone pays their money and are fully entitled to do what they wish to their own cars but it's not for me and if they are going to deride Lasers and the lower and rarer models like the 1.6L etc then I will deride theirs.

The only thing with the Laser that lets it down is the durability of the seat upholstery. I was lucky and managed to get a pair of perfect front seats for £30 but they are getting scarcer now.

Re: Car feels weird

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 3:01 pm
by D366Y
Paul G wrote:
NaisiaN wrote:I think people just like hating on lasers for some reason

Those whom are snotty about lasers to my eyes seem to be people that like to modify, alter and bastardise their cars, removing the bumpers, fitting the wrong engine and lowering them so much that the sump scrapes the ground and the ride is so hard that you would probably need spinal surgery after 50 miles. Everyone pays their money and are fully entitled to do what they wish to their own cars but it's not for me and if they are going to deride Lasers and the lower and rarer models like the 1.6L etc then I will deride theirs.

The only thing with the Laser that lets it down is the durability of the seat upholstery. I was lucky and managed to get a pair of perfect front seats for £30 but they are getting scarcer now.
:agree:

I just wish the interior was slightly more desirable... The S seats with the tartan or the strobe interior have, in my opinion, a very 'retro' feel and still look very cool, whereas the laser interior seems to remind me more of my nans kitchen than a nice interior :lol:

Danny

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 8:31 pm
by aikmanmosquito
Having owned my 2.0 laser for 26 years, I have to say that the only thing I've never liked about it was the interior, Ford could have come up with a better design than that. I think that is the only part of the car they'd fallen short on effort as it was coming close to the end of the Capris production life

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 9:24 pm
by Bug
pbar wrote:
Bug wrote: Later Lasers were finished off using whatever was left on the shelf.
Isn't that just supposition though Martin? Perhaps the R & D at Ford purposefully changed such components (and sometimes changed them back again), as car manufacturers do.

That seems more feasible than a large major corporation and respected car builder like Ford sending some guy to root on the shelf to see what was there to finish a car off. Some comments in the past have been very derogatory towards Ford, never understood that to be honest.

Just a thought :)
Back in 1985/6 I could walk onto a ford dealer forecourt and see two Laser's that looked identical, but one would have multi-leaf and one single leaf. Now, if Ford R&D were changing components on purpose, they were being bloody quick at it.
I'm not trying to be derogatory at all.
The current Mrs Bug is a buyer, specialising in composite car parts. She did 12 years at Lotus, then helped build the new hybrid London Taxi and is currently at McLaren, buying interior, dash panels, seats etc for P14, P17, P19 and P21. Having listened to her stories of what these far more niche companies do, I'm sticking to my theory

Just saying..........

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 7:48 am
by aikmanmosquito
There's always a know it all who knows someone who worked on the Capris at NASA etc, etc, yawn yawn. Cars could have been requested from new to have had a special Suspension set up, But trust me, they weren't thrown together! Near the end of the run cars were built to order, any shells that didn't have the right number of parts to make a complete car were sold as spare shells!!! Manufacturers then did not build shells just to sell to anyone who might want a reshell. But maybe in your part of the world they did things differently to the rest of the UK! And I know that from the horses mouth of someone who worked on a Ford production line, and not someone walking onto a forecourt 30 odd years ago and having a nosey under two cars!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 7:59 pm
by Bug
aikmanmosquito wrote:There's always a know it all who knows someone who worked on the Capris at NASA etc, etc, yawn yawn. Cars could have been requested from new to have had a special Suspension set up, But trust me, they weren't thrown together! Near the end of the run cars were built to order, any shells that didn't have the right number of parts to make a complete car were sold as spare shells!!! Manufacturers then did not build shells just to sell to anyone who might want a reshell. But maybe in your part of the world they did things differently to the rest of the UK! And I know that from the horses mouth of someone who worked on a Ford production line, and not someone walking onto a forecourt 30 odd years ago and having a nosey under two cars!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh dear...........
Rattled the cage of someone 'who has a mate who..................'
Sorry to have woken you up newby.
So, if the cars were 'requested' then why were they sitting on the forecourt waiting for buyers?
I would like to sincerely apologise to you, and any other Capri experts for bothering to waste your time with my knowledge.
Maybe I should ask the site moderators to remove all my posts as basing my informed opinion on a mere 30 years, owning in excess of 30 Capris, of all Marks and Models is seen as presumptuous by the truly knowledgeable.
From now on I shall be sitting humbly in the corner, waiting to feed off the crumbs of your all-encompassing knowledge.
One question for you though.........how did you manage to hear it from the 'horses mouth' when you are so obviously situated about 10 feet away, just under its tail ?

Or..........
to precis all the above............... get....................... a.................................life....................................

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 8:48 pm
by pbar
Bug wrote: I'm not trying to be derogatory at all.
Fair enough Martin, I wasn't suggesting that you were, just that there's been many such comments, in general, which always does surprise me as I see Ford as being one of the greatest car manufacturers ever. And most everyone here is in love with a Ford which makes those type of comments ever stranger!

As said, my personal opinion is that the powers that be at Ford changed/adapted cars and parts for a reason, other than using left over bits here and there. It's an uninformed opinion of course :) But just what I've always considered to be the most likely reason.

Thanks for your reply as always :)

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 6:21 pm
by Bug
pbar wrote:
Bug wrote: I'm not trying to be derogatory at all.
Fair enough Martin, I wasn't suggesting that you were, just that there's been many such comments, in general, which always does surprise me as I see Ford as being one of the greatest car manufacturers ever. And most everyone here is in love with a Ford which makes those type of comments ever stranger!

As said, my personal opinion is that the powers that be at Ford changed/adapted cars and parts for a reason, other than using left over bits here and there. It's an uninformed opinion of course :) But just what I've always considered to be the most likely reason.

Thanks for your reply as always :)
As I'm sure you are aware, the reply was never aimed at you, as you always discuss things in a reasonable manner and we come to an amicable conclusion. But to be suddenly branded as a 'know-it-all' by some johnny-come-lately who knows nothing of my history, or my contributions to this page over the years (and indeed it's precursor, which the likes of Glyn and Caprikid started up), just about grips my sh 1 t.
The sad fact is, I don't know everything, but I do know an awful lot, and not just based on ownership of one particular model.
I have always been proactive and actually enjoy digging through my memories and coming up with suggestions for other owners' problems. I get a huge kick from a simple thank you when I've managed to point someone in the right direction.

But, hey, it's obviously a new world order in Capri-land. People are finding them as new classics, and coming to them with a fresh approach. And good for them! That's the way to keep the enthusiasm spilling over. But along the way, as is reflected in wider society over the years, the old guard are pushed to one side. No-one needs to hear the old 'war stories' when they can live the adventure of learning it all for themselves.
Look back through this Laserpage over the last 2 or 3 years and count up how many of the oldies are no longer around. Yes, we all move on, and indeed I don't own a Capri anymore and am unlikely too I'm afraid. But I didn't just empty all the knowledge out of my head. I wanted to share it to keep these great cars that are so much part of my history on the road.

Now though, my eyes have been opened. I don't put comments on here, in the best of faith, just to be slagged off by some newly arrived troll. So it's time to pack up all the information I have left and wander off to pastures new.
I will be sad to finally close the last chapter of my Capri life, but things change and eventually we get too set in our ways to change with them. I shall miss all the friends I have on here, most of whom I have never met. Thank you all for putting up with my sometimes weird sense of humour and occasionally grumpy rants.
Good luck with keeping the legend alive.

Best wishes,
Martin

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 6:55 pm
by Andrew 2.8i
Bug wrote: So it's time to pack up all the information I have left and wander off to pastures new.
Hi Martin,
That is sad to hear. I'm relatively new on the Capri scene, and I for one have benefited from, and most definitely appreciate, your extensive and invaluable knowledge.

All the best,
Andrew.

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 10:36 am
by Noel
This is a crushingly disappointing thread.
We start off with an interesting technical query and have now veered off into a discussion that has upset a long standing and respected forum contributor.

Might we please have no further posts here until the OP (Jordan) gets his springs off and finds out what state they are in?

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 10:58 am
by Admin
Noel wrote:Might we please have no further posts here until the OP (Jordan) gets his springs off and finds out what state they are in?
Probably a good idea if alternative views can't be put across politely.

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2018 1:49 pm
by pbar
Bug wrote: you always discuss things in a reasonable manner and we come to an amicable conclusion.
Cheers Martin :)

Bug wrote: wander off to pastures new.
I will be sad to finally close the last chapter of my Capri life, but things change and eventually we get too set in our ways to change with them. I shall miss all the friends I have on here, most of whom I have never met.
Martin, I strongly request that you stay around and continue to post and help on here. Too many long established and/or knowledgeable Capri folk are not posting anymore and it's a shame. So please stick around, you had trouble with one or two replies from someone, but the positive responses you get and the help you give out weighs that by zillions to one.

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:31 pm
by andyd
pbar wrote:
Bug wrote: you always discuss things in a reasonable manner and we come to an amicable conclusion.
Cheers Martin :)

Bug wrote: wander off to pastures new.
I will be sad to finally close the last chapter of my Capri life, but things change and eventually we get too set in our ways to change with them. I shall miss all the friends I have on here, most of whom I have never met.
Martin, I strongly request that you stay around and continue to post and help on here. Too many long established and/or knowledgeable Capri folk are not posting anymore and it's a shame. So please stick around, you had trouble with one or two replies from someone, but the positive responses you get and the help you give out weighs that by zillions to one.
:agree: Don't BUGger off :(

Re: Car feels weird lol

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:27 pm
by NaisiaN
Its a shame this thread has turned into a bit of an argument... We should be able to have discussions without trying to get one over on each other. I don't know who's right when it comes to how lasers were put together and the parts issues etc. I've asked some pretty dumb questions on here but never had a sarc'y response and and we should keep it that way, the more 'community' like the better IMO.



Anyway...... back to the thread, took capri out for a good drive other day and haven't experienced that weird feeling again. Its defiantly sagging on one side tho. Got it booked in 14th may with an oldskool mechanic who works on classics is supposedly top notch. (That precious knowledge we were talking about) so hopefully find out what the issue is. Getting a few other bits done at same time, because why not! :guitar: