Beaksters 2.8i Resto + 24V

[andrewg1323]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Capri-Mk1-2-3-196 ... dZViewItem

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Andy

[Beakster]

That is a full skin, not a full sill panel.

A full panel will have a door step and the flange that is spot welded under the door seal. I'll see if I can find a picture.

[Beakster]

[Beakster]

Had an idea....

Does anyone think that Capri reproduction panels will be available at reasonable prices in the future? E.g. as more cars rot there is more demand for them, so maybe they will be produced at reasonable prices?

If so, I'm seriously thinking about putting the car in storage for a few years until such a time as the parts to restore it properly become available at a reasonable price.

[ollyw]

plate over rust! The damm stuff is still there!!! Feel for you re the price of it all mate. The only suggestion i can make is to not set yourself a deadline and look at it with a more realistic eye. I'd say 3 years.

That way, it'll cost the same but because its spread over a longer period it wont feel like its a massive finacial drain and you'll be able to afford the proper panels to do a proper job. Also you wont feel the pressure to rush it to get it finished for whatever show you said it was in june.

If it takes less time then great but you'll have plenty of work to do when you get that sill off mate, I'll bet a good few hundred £ its rotten as **** under there...

Do stick with it mate, I'm enjoying all the picture posts, they are a usefull source of reference for everyone, and intresting to see how you overcame each challenge. I'd remove that deadline if I were you, you wont get so pissed off about it all, emotionally, phyiscally and finacially.

Olly W

[Beakster]

Been doing some digging and this is what I've discovered:

Hadrian Panels - http://www.perfectpanels.co.uk/
These guys do very reasonably priced parts which are usually of a very average fit. Unfortunately while the do loads of stuff for Escorts, their Capri range in very limited.


Expressed Steel Panels - http://www.steelpanels.co.uk/
They do nearly every bit of metal imaginable for a Capri. It's great to know that alot of these parts are available. They are however not cheap and alot of their parts are pressed to order incurring a 5 month+ wait. If I just needed to replace one part of my car I would go with these guys, but the fact that I need so much means its impossible.


Magnum Panels - http://www.panels.magnumcarpanels.co.uk/
Just discovered this lot. They hardly do any Capri parts, but it appears they do a full sill panel with the door step incorporated for a reasonable price (£18). I'm going to place an order for one so will let you know how I get on.

[Beakster]

Ordered from a company called P M Panels who sell a mixture of Hadrian and Magnum parts.

I ordered:
1 x Full sill inc door step £24
2 x strut top plates £13 each (Which I will use as a base to make v6 reinforcement plates)
1 x cup type sill end bit that is at the bottom of the a pillar £15:

and postage for that lot via courier £12.

Guy didn't take cards so I'm gonna post a cheque today, so will hopefully have the part at the end of next week.

I don't want to take the sill off until I have the new part so I'll get back to strut tops, head lamp bowls and fitting my new fibreglass front valance in the mean time.

[Major_Tom]

..I'm never going to take off any panels, I'm never going to cut anything out, I'm moving to Jersey where they don't have MoTs and if I don't think about it it wont exist. I'm scared.______________________________________________
I use the gears to slow down rather than the brakes.

The bulbs keep blowing.

[Beakster]

Gold top milk and Bergerac!!! My type of place! It's an expensive place to drive to tho so haven't been yet.

[rich_jc]

Whenever I feel like giving up with my car, I just look at the progress you make with yours and I get enthused again.

I took the wing off my car at the weekend. Ive got some poxy little chisel holes in the a pillar, a rusty front sill end and a partly mangled wing im going to try and get repaired. Buts thats all kids play compared to what you're taking on.

Keep going mate, it'll all be worth it in the end.

Rich

[Supercharged Nat]

full sills and they deffo wernt 80 each! take some time away from it and have a think mate

"Understeer" is when you hit the fence with the front of the car.
"Oversteer" is when you hit the fence with the rear of the car.
"Horsepower" is how fast you hit the fence.
"Torque" is how far you take the fence with you.

[Beakster]

Got a good few hours done tonight excavating the rust from the near side strut top:







In the pic above you can see the repair section which I made by butchering a hadrians top plate. There is still a little bit of pitting in the inner wing just below the middle of the repair section, so I'll cut a little square out to replace that with too.



Some quite nasty pitting here. The steel that the round bit the strut fits to is 3mm thick. For that reason I think it would probably be ok, but I'm going to Berkshire metals tomorrow to see about some 3mm steel off cuts. If I can get some I'll clamp one end to that ring and hammer the other to curve it round, then chop out the pitted metal and weld in the new.

[Beakster]

Got some 3mm thick steel today to replace that pitted bit of the strut tower.

Managed to made the curve by hammering and clamping around the turret, then again on the other one that's already been repaired. The trick seems to be to make the section twice as long as you need as then you have extra leverage at the end to bed it, and bending 3mm steel aint all that easy.







Now I really struggled with welding this. First time I've welded steel thicker than 1.2mm. I have a 170Amp welder so power wasn't the problem. It more seemed that with all the power there was a fine line between getting penetration and blowing through. I also ended up with way too much weld on there, but turning the wire feed speed down just made the wire weld to the tip.

Anyway, penetration is looking good and thats really important on this part. I'm going to grind all that weld off tomorrow and then go over any bits where I'm not happy with the penetration, followed by more grinding and finally sanding disc to make it good as new.

[STEVE SB]

Got to say beaks, you are doing a stirling job. Keep ti up and the pictures.
don't let anything dishearten you. it will be worth the end results.
Going to start mine in a couple of months.
Just got to put the doors in the barn so I can get the car in there.

[ollyw]

Just had to bend some myself like that, thankfully I've got access to just the right bit of kit for that, a sheet metal roller!

Set up right that bit would take seconds to do, I take it the plate wasnt stressed by the clamps when you welded it on or the welds will be under stress with the plate trying to bend itself flat again, if you get what Im saying??

[Beakster]

Yeah, I know what you mean.

When I welded it welded one corner first, then for each of the next tack welds I tapped with a hammer until it was flush so I could butt weld.

I've started thinking I should have done this with the other turret, but it wasn't quite as pitted and I treated it with Ferozinc so hopefully won't get any worse.

[Beakster]

Thats the old pitted bit sitting on top of the turret with the new steel welded in:

[turbo-mike]

Your getting to good at this. Another good job you are doing and it is brill that you have made a record of it, As I bet at times you have felt like just putting a match to the car, Well all you need to do is have a look at your work and be well proud of your achivements.
Mickey c

[Beakster]

Cheers Mike. It's taken over my life, and I can't stand up this evening cos my back is so sore from working in the garage today, but when I compare the before and after pics it always cheers me up.

Real satisfaction will come when its done and I can take it to Brands Hatch

[Beakster]

Got these bits today:



Strut top plates will be used to make 2.8 strengthening plates. And the sill has the door step on it, although the ends are a bit different to an original one.

Capri has been neglected recently as I've been busy, but I'm getting back to her on Wednesday