First Capri - Done (A Bit More)

[MS Injection]

I have just joined the forum and just bought my first Capri last week. I have wanted one since I was 5 and now 30 years on, it has finally happened.

I have got a 1985 2.8i special on B plate with 91,000 miles. I rescued it from a tractor yard near Lancaster. It was dirty and unloved, with mud inside and out of it, and the interior was pretty smelly. But I could tell that it was nothing a good clean would not fix - the carpets were excellent and door cards were immaculate, the radio cassette and original heater work in the original uncut and uncracked dash with all of the markings on the buttons (which all work) still present. After a long wash, polish and valet it no longer smells and looks nice once again. The driver's bolster is damaged but this is easily put right.

The paint is not mirror like, it will eventually need a new passenger wing and door (not easily visible from the outside) which I will replace, but it is not going to dissolve and that is about it for rust that is bad. Strut mounts, A posts, D posts, headlamp buckets, tailgate hinges, bonnet, sunroof are all rust free. There is a little bubbling in 2 or 3 places but that is easily sorted (will be done next week). When time and money permits, I will respray. She is not a minter, and will never be show standard, but I bought her to enjoy and to drive. Compared to some horrors I have seen at shocking asking prices, I think I got an honest car for good value and will be keeping her completely standard.

The engine is an absolute belter – clean, nothing damaged or corroded. Starts first time every time and the stainless steel exhaust system I found her already fitted with makes her sound just sublime. It was the great engine and interior that sold the car to me, and the fact that the bodywork is nowhere near bad was a bonus.

I have traced and spoken to the guy that owned her from 1988 to 2011. He knew the original owner. It was mostly used as a second/weekend driver between 1985 and 2011. It was always garaged in that time, and from 2000 to 2011 it was rarely used and only in the dry. He really looked after it, fitting the stainless steel system and changing the brakes and regularly servicing it. It seems that for the last 3 years of life, it was kept outdoors and not really treated so well which explains the minor bodywork issues. A real shame but I caught her just in time!

She is a bit saggy and bouncy at the back, so will be shortly fitted with new springs and polyurethane bushes that arrived today (the old are pretty corroded and bushes perished). New shocks etc on the front also needed, followed by rust proofing underneath to preserve her. Everything else will be ongoing e.g. perfecting bodywork, wheels will be reconditioned and rebadged etc.

I guess I can see now why the wife accuses me of going on about the car given the length of this....

[Andrew 2.8i]

Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
That is a really tidy, honest looking 2.8. It's fantastic to know that it's been saved by an enthusiast who will cherish the car and restore it to it's former glory.
I'm sure the car will give you many hours of pleasure and you will be driving everywhere with a big grin on your face!

All the best,
Andrew.

[MS Injection]

Thanks Andrew - virtually lived in it over the bank holiday weekend

[DCDave]

Think you've made a very good buy with that one! Sounds like you've got a great plan for it also. Look forward to the updates!

[Terra-Kotta]

Nice car.

But I think you'll get a ticket for those number plates.

[MS Injection]

Think you've made a very good buy with that one! Sounds like you've got a great plan for it also. Look forward to the updates!

Thanks Dave - I've seen your resto thread (car looks beautiful btw) so can see what's ahead of me

[MS Injection]

Nice car.

But I think you'll get a ticket for those number plates.

Do the bobbies still get funny about them having no letters and numbers on?

[Hot_Protein]

This looks awesome. I'm proper jelly.

[MS Injection]

Took the front off today. Looks ok. I've seen cars pulled apart with whole swathes of buckets and body missing. There is some rust around the buckets and patches inside, but 10 mins of sanding it is all gone. Will rust proof and paint





Can see the previous wing repair too. I don't mind, it's not a show car. Won't see these bits!



I feel quite lucky. The front end and lamp buckets are not an issue. I've had the wheels off to do suspension and I looked and poked around for 20 minutes and no rot inside, Or many signs of repair.

It's dusty and old in there but solid. Pads only 30% worn. Better still, a previous owner has replaced steel brake pipes with copper



Took the bilsteins out to put in the inserts that made me cry to pay for



Bugger to fit. The strut needed drilling to take it and did not have the right die...cue a while with rachet and correct bit and got there. Good mate and mechanic who still mourns the probable death of A336 WET puts it back together, helping me a lot with this



Then a break



Hacked crud away, cleaned, wax oiled and stone chipped. Decided it would set off the waxoil and stone chip by painting bits including springs.



Back end next. New springs, shocks ready to go on. I got very lucky and stumbled across pristine spring mounts (they were advisory last 2 years)

[MS Injection]

I also traced one of the owners. Second owner, from 1998-2011. He bought it from an optician who had it from new. Optician used it as a weekend driver, kept it garaged. The second owner basically did the same, it didn't leave the garage between 1999 and 2011 (apart frpom annual service and Mot). It was basically 2011-2014 when it lived outside that caused all of the limited problesms it has.

[Andrew 2.8i]

Hi,
Excellent work, looking good!
Where did you buy the Bilstein inserts from, and how long did they take you to fit? Unfortunately, as you know, the Bilstein Escort inserts are the only viable option here, but at least the car still had the 2.8 struts fitted or it would have made you cry even more to source replacements!
You're lucky, from the info supplied about the first two owners, it sounds like the car has been cherished from new which gave it a headstart to withstand the treatment in later years.
Never mind, it's all being restored to it's former glory now!
I'm sure the back end refurb will be as trouble free as the front.

All the best,
Andrew.

[MS Injection]

Thanks Andrew.

I got the shocks from Burton Power. The website said they fitted 2.8i and fortunately they seem to.

To remove the struts on each side took the amount of time you'd expect it to take in a domestic garage - breaking the ball joint etc. But the nearside strut was 2.5 hours from removal to putting back on the car (not including painting). It was a bugger right from the start - had to drill out the shock through the thread as it was completely stuck in. I had planned on refurbishing them but that one is a goner. But the offside was less than half that time, a dream in fact.

Unfortunately, once the nearside leg was out it was clear that the rot along the wing where it is welded in the engine bay is worse than I thought. It's not about to dissolve or drop off as more than half of its length is ok. But it means I will need a new wing eventually - I had hoped to weld a new rail in. It's a shame because the inner wing and 99% of the rest of it is fine. It will wait until next year though.

Mike

[MS Injection]

I also traced one of the owners. Second owner, from 1998-2011.

That should be 1988-2011

[MS Injection]

Rear suspension is half done, will be finished tomorrow, and that will complete mechanical work until I fit a new steering rack in a while (now know will pass MoT but still needs doing). The car was also minus rear axle bump stops which will fit once they arrive.

The front end is basically complete now, having cleaned and painted everything.

The headlamp brackets were quite rusted all over but a few hours with wire brush and various sandpapers got rid of the worst, followed by Kurarust (photo shows how much was needed - real lack of silver!)

[img][IMG]http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y53 ... b1ff15.jpg[/img][/img]

I wasn't going to bother painting the plastic headlamp surrounds, but the new grill (mine was cracked with bits missing) from Martin had been painted at some paint and the black looked different texturally from the lamp surrounds and and looked better than the finish on them so decided to paint them

[img][IMG]http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y53 ... 8d4355.jpg[/img][/img]

I had already done the bezels in satin (the first coat of silver had gone onto the lamp brakets already in the background)

[img][IMG]http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y53 ... 89f15b.jpg[/img][/img]

My radiator slam panel is saveable, but quite rashed and rusted so I sourced another and cleaned it up before painting

[img][IMG]http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y53 ... 7970b2.jpg[/img][/img]

After final priming and first coat on brackets

[img][IMG]http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y53 ... 1aa353.jpg[/img][/img]

All finished and looking good (well for a first time amateur who is not renowned for techincal abilities!)

[img][IMG]http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y53 ... 10eae0.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y53 ... aab604.jpg[/img][/img]

All going back on the car tomorrow, together with the new bumper that arrived today. The one on the car is scabby, dented and twisted and crudely painted by hand with something like house paint (the photos above show it at offside end) - the photos on EvilBay from January 2014 (the first of 3 sales of the car this year) show it and the front grill to be intact so it seems that somebody decided to crash it before I bought it in April. Still, it will be almost like new tomorrow.

[MS Injection]

Whoops, try again with photos in post.

Rear suspension is half done, will be finished tomorrow, and that will complete mechanical work until I fit a new steering rack in a while (now know will pass MoT but still needs doing). The car was also minus rear axle bump stops which will fit once they arrive.

The front end is basically complete now, having cleaned and painted everything.

The headlamp brackets were quite rusted all over but a few hours with wire brush and various sandpapers got rid of the worst, followed by Kurarust (photo shows how much was needed - real lack of silver!)



I wasn't going to bother painting the plastic headlamp surrounds, but the new grill (mine was cracked with bits missing) from Martin had been painted at some paint and the black looked different texturally from the lamp surrounds and and looked better than the finish on them so decided to paint them



I had already done the bezels in satin (the first coat of silver had gone onto the lamp brakets already in the background)



My radiator slam panel is saveable, but quite rashed and rusted so I sourced another and cleaned it up before painting



After final priming and first coat on brackets



All finished and looking good (well for a first time amateur who is not renowned for techincal abilities!)





All going back on the car tomorrow, together with the new bumper that arrived today. The one on the car is scabby, dented and twisted and crudely painted by hand with something like house paint (the photos above show it at offside end) - the photos on EvilBay from January 2014 (the first of 3 sales of the car this year) show it and the front grill to be intact so it seems that somebody decided to crash it before I bought it in April. Still, it will be almost like new tomorrow.

[MS Injection]

Finished for now. Front bits restored and replaced. Compared to how it looked in January (before I got it), it looks a million times better

[Andrew 2.8i]

Finished for now. Front bits restored and replaced. Compared to how it looked in January (before I got it), it looks a million times better

Hi Mike,
Fantastic. A credit to all your hard work and dedication!
And you've taken Terra's advice and fitted some plates with numbers and letters on!
Keep up the excellent work!

Andrew.

[MS Injection]

All finished for this year/18 months.

New suspension all round, new steering rack and pipes, all rust everywhere underneath and in arches removed, treated and seal/waxoyl applied underneath plus bits painted. Finally, front end stripped and painted and new bumper and grill in place

New passenger door and a bit of paint next spring or winter and that's it

[Andrew 2.8i]

Hi,
Looking stunning, Mike! It's almost unrecognisable as the car you started with.
Do you intend to exhibit the car at any shows this year?

Andrew.

[MS Injection]

Thanks Andrew; having seen how nice your car is, that means a great deal.

The interior is nearly done (thanks to Turbo Mike for stunning leather gear knob to replace the suspected Sierra plastic one in it when I took ownership) apart from a seat repair and clean up of leather - so I'm happy enough now for it to be looked at by strangers and other Capri owners!

It is darker grey than appears, just damn flash insisted on coming on





And dash is original and working



So I will be showing it at a teeny little show in Didsbury, Manchester in a few weeks. Then Lymm Historic Transport Day with Chesire Capri Club rounded off by Tatton in August (again with Cheshire CC)

I'll be keeping the bonnet down though - nearside wing rail is rotted out and doesn't look awfully pretty. Though will repair and paint next year!

What shows might you be at? Would like to see your car one day!

Mike