Mk3 Track/Race Car Build - Picture Heavy NOW!
Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 11:52 am
I have been on here for a wee while now and haven't really shared anything about my build so far in one place at least.
If you search online it is on Guy Croft's forum and it is quite a complex build.
Anyway this is my 2nd Capri Mk3, the first being a White 1979 Mk3 2.0 GL which was scrapped as being very very very very rotten. Luckily everything else was saved.
In 2012 i bought a rolling shell in Glasgow and this is being built as a track/race car with little or no compromise. It doesn't matter how terrible the road manners are it is purely for fun at Knockhill/Croft or any other track i visit.
This 2nd shell is a 1981 1.6GL.
So far the shell has had lots and lots of welding and lots of new panels and was particularly bad although alot better than my old one.
Along the way i have also strengthened the shell and have a few more tricks up my sleeve.
Most recently a 6 point roll cage will be fitted and there will also be small subframe cages fitted front and rear to help with stiffening up the shell a little more.
The initial intentions were to fit a much bigger engine and so far that leaves me with a 4.0 V8 Jaguar engine out of a XJ8. ~290hp.
This will be fitted to a manual gearbox(secret at the moment) with a custom clutch unit. However that will only be fitted once i have run the car with the 2.0 Pinto to give the rest of the car a shakedown before abusing it with V8 power.
Front wings removeable (bolt on/off for access)
Bonnet, Doors, Bootlid lightened
Glass removed except front and running polycarbonate windows
Suspension mods
Compression struts with rose jointed end coupled with in-situ adjustable & rose jointed track control arms.
Twin 20mm ARB front end connected to shock bodies with DIY clamps and in situ adjustable rose jointed droplinks.
Coupled with GAZ Gold coilover units and fully castor-camber adjustable top mounts.
Rear suspension is upgraded to single leaf 2.8 springs sitting on PolyRace bushes for shackles and leaf eyes. GAZ Gold coilover units with very soft spring to help at the rear.
Original ARB replaced and removed with a DIY custom item which will be adjustable and mounted to the Capri chassis rails and connected to the rear axle with droplinks.
Rear axle will also run Tarmax atlas axle brace and will run a rear in-situ adjustable roll centre Watts linkage.
Atlas diff will stay standard until funds allow anf then be upgraded with upgraded halfshafts.(Not sure if to go who;e route of floating etc)
Diff cover will eventually be Alu with cooling and i may have to run a diff oil cooler when the V8 is fitted. Therefore a pump willl be rigged up in the boot.
Fuel tank will still have to be made to sit in original location.
Brake mods
Caprisport 280 Front brake kit with Mondeo Calipers and Sierra Cosworth Vented discs
Rear Caprisport Sierra solid discs 253mm and Sierra Cosworth rear calipers
Servo removed and running DIY custom brake bias box and running proportioning valve for rear brake split for hazardous conditions etc
Wheels
Compomotive Split rims 15"with 8.5" wide front and 9.5" rear. Tyre size yet to be determined. These were removed from Porsche Race car(think 924 if remember correctly). They have been machined to fit Ford centre hub OD.
Transmission
Atlas axle with either 1.6 or 2.0 ratio cwp(can't remembed ratio's of hand)
4 speed lever type box, however this will be running straight cut gears hopefully for testing purposes.
Once V8 fitted Gearbox will be 6 speed(still secret) with Quiafe clutch pack and at this point the atlas will be beefed up slightly.
I am not going mad engine upgrades to start with, however Jaguar V8 does open the doors for supercharged power later on which may require Mustang or similar heavy duty diff.
Fuel system
Whilst running PInto it will be running alu custom tank with twin lift pump running into a swirl pot and running twin pump to front of car with Malpassi fuel pressure regulator.
When eventually running V8 the twin pumps will be removed and pressure regulator and upgraded to twin fuel injection pumps and injection system pressure regulator.
The V8 will be Megasquirt or Emerald ECU as the standard Jaguar ECU cannot work with the Manual gearbox upgrade.
Interior
Twin bucket seats with 6 point harnesses bolted onto weld in bucket seat mounts and adjustable side mounts for various driver options.
Battery will be relocated in the car somewhere dependant on weight distribution and same as fire suppression system.
Brake pedal and throttle pedal have been modified to allow adjustment, however when the V8 is fitted due to space constraints the custom DIY bias box will have to be relocated inside the car(currently designed for bulkhead mounting). If needs be it will run floor mounted bias pedal box to allow better fine tuning of driving position. I am building this for my wife and fmaily friends to have a go so it has to be adjustable as possible.(spread the madness)
Heat comes from mini rally window heater unit plumbed into standard Capri vents and i am looking for a AVO deep dish wheel and quick release system so i can push the seat a little further back.
Gauges for what is required only and i am running custom fuse boxes which light up when they blow fuses(quite clever) but great for track/race car when you want to easily identify failure of anything electrical.
Remember this is for fun, i am not building it for any specific regulations, however i am tempted by Classic Time Attack
Mad thing is i have boxes of stuff taking up soo much space in the house and it is only really paint and prep which is slowing the actual build now
Will add pictures when i finally get my arse in gear with photobucket or similar
If you search online it is on Guy Croft's forum and it is quite a complex build.
Anyway this is my 2nd Capri Mk3, the first being a White 1979 Mk3 2.0 GL which was scrapped as being very very very very rotten. Luckily everything else was saved.
In 2012 i bought a rolling shell in Glasgow and this is being built as a track/race car with little or no compromise. It doesn't matter how terrible the road manners are it is purely for fun at Knockhill/Croft or any other track i visit.
This 2nd shell is a 1981 1.6GL.
So far the shell has had lots and lots of welding and lots of new panels and was particularly bad although alot better than my old one.
Along the way i have also strengthened the shell and have a few more tricks up my sleeve.
Most recently a 6 point roll cage will be fitted and there will also be small subframe cages fitted front and rear to help with stiffening up the shell a little more.
The initial intentions were to fit a much bigger engine and so far that leaves me with a 4.0 V8 Jaguar engine out of a XJ8. ~290hp.
This will be fitted to a manual gearbox(secret at the moment) with a custom clutch unit. However that will only be fitted once i have run the car with the 2.0 Pinto to give the rest of the car a shakedown before abusing it with V8 power.
Front wings removeable (bolt on/off for access)
Bonnet, Doors, Bootlid lightened
Glass removed except front and running polycarbonate windows
Suspension mods
Compression struts with rose jointed end coupled with in-situ adjustable & rose jointed track control arms.
Twin 20mm ARB front end connected to shock bodies with DIY clamps and in situ adjustable rose jointed droplinks.
Coupled with GAZ Gold coilover units and fully castor-camber adjustable top mounts.
Rear suspension is upgraded to single leaf 2.8 springs sitting on PolyRace bushes for shackles and leaf eyes. GAZ Gold coilover units with very soft spring to help at the rear.
Original ARB replaced and removed with a DIY custom item which will be adjustable and mounted to the Capri chassis rails and connected to the rear axle with droplinks.
Rear axle will also run Tarmax atlas axle brace and will run a rear in-situ adjustable roll centre Watts linkage.
Atlas diff will stay standard until funds allow anf then be upgraded with upgraded halfshafts.(Not sure if to go who;e route of floating etc)
Diff cover will eventually be Alu with cooling and i may have to run a diff oil cooler when the V8 is fitted. Therefore a pump willl be rigged up in the boot.
Fuel tank will still have to be made to sit in original location.
Brake mods
Caprisport 280 Front brake kit with Mondeo Calipers and Sierra Cosworth Vented discs
Rear Caprisport Sierra solid discs 253mm and Sierra Cosworth rear calipers
Servo removed and running DIY custom brake bias box and running proportioning valve for rear brake split for hazardous conditions etc
Wheels
Compomotive Split rims 15"with 8.5" wide front and 9.5" rear. Tyre size yet to be determined. These were removed from Porsche Race car(think 924 if remember correctly). They have been machined to fit Ford centre hub OD.
Transmission
Atlas axle with either 1.6 or 2.0 ratio cwp(can't remembed ratio's of hand)
4 speed lever type box, however this will be running straight cut gears hopefully for testing purposes.
Once V8 fitted Gearbox will be 6 speed(still secret) with Quiafe clutch pack and at this point the atlas will be beefed up slightly.
I am not going mad engine upgrades to start with, however Jaguar V8 does open the doors for supercharged power later on which may require Mustang or similar heavy duty diff.
Fuel system
Whilst running PInto it will be running alu custom tank with twin lift pump running into a swirl pot and running twin pump to front of car with Malpassi fuel pressure regulator.
When eventually running V8 the twin pumps will be removed and pressure regulator and upgraded to twin fuel injection pumps and injection system pressure regulator.
The V8 will be Megasquirt or Emerald ECU as the standard Jaguar ECU cannot work with the Manual gearbox upgrade.
Interior
Twin bucket seats with 6 point harnesses bolted onto weld in bucket seat mounts and adjustable side mounts for various driver options.
Battery will be relocated in the car somewhere dependant on weight distribution and same as fire suppression system.
Brake pedal and throttle pedal have been modified to allow adjustment, however when the V8 is fitted due to space constraints the custom DIY bias box will have to be relocated inside the car(currently designed for bulkhead mounting). If needs be it will run floor mounted bias pedal box to allow better fine tuning of driving position. I am building this for my wife and fmaily friends to have a go so it has to be adjustable as possible.(spread the madness)
Heat comes from mini rally window heater unit plumbed into standard Capri vents and i am looking for a AVO deep dish wheel and quick release system so i can push the seat a little further back.
Gauges for what is required only and i am running custom fuse boxes which light up when they blow fuses(quite clever) but great for track/race car when you want to easily identify failure of anything electrical.
Remember this is for fun, i am not building it for any specific regulations, however i am tempted by Classic Time Attack
Mad thing is i have boxes of stuff taking up soo much space in the house and it is only really paint and prep which is slowing the actual build now
Will add pictures when i finally get my arse in gear with photobucket or similar