1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

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HampshireCapri
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Car(s): 1981 Ford Capri 1.6 'L'

1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by HampshireCapri »

Well I previously posted here about my previous Capri which was a 1981 Ford Capri L 1.6 which I was the owner of from 2013 until 2019 and used as a daily driver for most of that time, upgraded the engine to a 2ltr and took to many car shows.

Sold the car in 2019 with my first child on the way as it needed work and I didn’t have the time or money.

As many of you have probably been in similar positions i then came to regret selling my old capri and last week put a bid in on another 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6!! which had come up on eBay, not thinking I’d win with my only bid the car did eventually sell for £2,700.

It’s up in Yorkshire currently but hopefully being brought down to me by the current owner tomorrow. It has apparently been dry stored and off the road since 2005 which seems to be backed up by the last V5 and date of taxing.

Below are the images of the car from the eBay listing but will post more once I’ve got the car and had a chance to clean it up a bit.
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Major_Tom
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by Major_Tom »

Looks good! Mine is going exactly where yours is.... looking forward to tackling that... not. At least in Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly happen so it should last a while.
I'm the one who leaves all those shoes in the carriageway.
Not_Anumber
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by Not_Anumber »

Welcome back to Capri ownership. You got that for a good price so as long as you control costs by doing some of the work yourself you have a good investment on your hands.

I had a standard 1.6L in the late 1980s and loved it. There is very little difference between the L and the GL; the L has the more interesting seat fabric but plainer wheels, couldnt find anything else.
Only bad point was I couldnt get on with the vv carb. I found changing to a 32/36 carb and manifold from a 2.0 made the 1.6 better to drive, a low cost upgrade with no penalties.
HampshireCapri
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Car(s): 1981 Ford Capri 1.6 'L'

Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by HampshireCapri »

It’s strange but nice being the owner of a Ford Capri again, you can’t beat these cars regardless of the condition they’re in when we get them.

Car arrived as planned yesterday morning, drove off the back of the trailer under its own steam which is always a positive sign for a car that’s been off the road since 2005.

The bloke who sold it to me brought it down from Yorkshire to Hampshire himself, he wasn’t desperate to sell it and I’ve been there myself so know the feeling. He did say if whoever won the auction said they were going to banger race it he wouldn’t have sold up which I respected.

Anyway the car didn’t look like it had been washed since 2005 so that was first thing I was keen to do so I could get a better gauge on the paintwork and metalwork. I’m surprised just how good the paint came up with a quick bucket and sponge job, I’m fairly confident it has been in dry storage all this time as it’s in very good condition for it’s year.

I’ve got a new battery coming tomorrow as the current one won’t even jump start now.

Current plan:
change the oil and filter
empty out the radiator and replace with fresh coolant
overhaul and upgrade the brakes
usual bits like spark plugs
4x new tyres

General full service on the engine basically and then see how it’s all running/looking then. When the engine was running briefly yesterday it did smell and sound like it was running rich so will probably need to adjust that.

It currently has a vv carb and I think upgrading to a 32/36 Weber will be the eventual plan if I can find one for reasonable money (if anyone here is selling let me know)

Bodywork wise the car is basically as described, a very good shell with some light scabbing on the wings, offside rear arch is ok but will need attention in the next year or two although the car is sheltered in a car port currently so shouldn’t be facing too much harsh weather.

I’ve had to send off a V62 to the DVLA as the owner lost the V5 which was last issued in 2005, could be a headache but we shall see.

Will update this as I go. My old Ford Capri L I put a 2.0 engine in, banded steel wheels and mk2 bumpers on. I am leaning more towards keeping this one as standard as possible, I definitely won’t be messing around with mk2 bumpers this time anyway. Will think about the wheels but the current steels are in good nick.

The engine is a 1.6 and mileage is sitting at around 80,000 so whether it stays a 1.6 will depend on how it seems to be running once I’ve given it all the new bits and service it needs to get a proper feel for how it’s going to be running.
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Lord Flasheart
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by Lord Flasheart »

Look forward to seeing this story progress, good luck with the car ;)
HampshireCapri
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Car(s): 1981 Ford Capri 1.6 'L'

Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by HampshireCapri »

Hoping to make a start on recommissioning the engine this weekend, it does run as it is but given it’s been sat up since 2005. I’m just going to give it a proper service then see how she’s really running to gauge how good the 1.6 engine still is.

Planning to change the oil, oil filter, spark plugs, HT leads, empty the radiator and replace with new coolant, change the radiator hoses for the JS Performance hoses. My eBay purchases have definitely increased by 100% in the last week.

The brakes also need attention, I’m thinking about upgrading to 2.8 vented disc brakes - on my last capri I swear I bought the discs, pads etc all in one brake kit but I’m struggling to find any online now, does anyone know if they still do it all as one big kit or do you have buy discs pads etc all separate?
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D366Y
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Car(s): 1986 Laser 1.6, daily runaround project
1981 GL Auto 2.0, Barn-Find-Resto, now also a runaround project
1980 3.0S, crash damage resto
1993 Fiesta 1.1

Currently full up and no more space but I still want a 2.8...
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by D366Y »

With the brakes personally I'd say save your money - I have a 1.6 that after several mods is now 105+bhp (standard is about 69-72 when new) and I'm still on the original brakes and there are no issues. The 2.0 I have is also still on original brakes and that's probably around the same bhp so unless you're planning on dropping a monster engine in it it will be a ballache of a job that you won't need to do!
A wise man once said... "you can never have too many capris - buy another" :beer:
It's me, I'm the wise man.
HampshireCapri
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:35 pm
Car(s): 1981 Ford Capri 1.6 'L'

Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by HampshireCapri »

D366Y wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 2:54 pm With the brakes personally I'd say save your money - I have a 1.6 that after several mods is now 105+bhp (standard is about 69-72 when new) and I'm still on the original brakes and there are no issues. The 2.0 I have is also still on original brakes and that's probably around the same bhp so unless you're planning on dropping a monster engine in it it will be a ballache of a job that you won't need to do!
You might be right. I guess the main thing is it’s been sat up since 2005 so I think it’s probably worth overhauling the brakes either way even if it’s just to swap them out like for like for new parts.
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by Caprigear »

HampshireCapri wrote: Wed Aug 11, 2021 7:26 pm Hoping to make a start on recommissioning the engine this weekend, it does run as it is but given it’s been sat up since 2005. I’m just going to give it a proper service then see how she’s really running to gauge how good the 1.6 engine still is.

Planning to change the oil, oil filter, spark plugs, HT leads, empty the radiator and replace with new coolant, change the radiator hoses for the JS Performance hoses. My eBay purchases have definitely increased by 100% in the last week.

The brakes also need attention, I’m thinking about upgrading to 2.8 vented disc brakes - on my last capri I swear I bought the discs, pads etc all in one brake kit but I’m struggling to find any online now, does anyone know if they still do it all as one big kit or do you have buy discs pads etc all separate?
I can supply al of those items. I tend to totally renew the braking, suspension on all of our builds so have access to whatever you'll need.
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CapriFreak
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by CapriFreak »

Lovely Car. I followed this one on ebay I think. Nice to see its on here and well done on the price! I prefer the L spec Capris, I really like that guy on youtube "Fast Rust" who has one pretty much exactly like yours.
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Andrew 2.8i
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

CapriFreak wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 5:12 pm I really like that guy on youtube "Fast Rust" who has one pretty much exactly like yours.
He used to post on this forum as "jimmyted".

Andrew.
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HampshireCapri
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Car(s): 1981 Ford Capri 1.6 'L'

Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by HampshireCapri »

CapriFreak wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 5:12 pm Lovely Car. I followed this one on ebay I think. Nice to see its on here and well done on the price! I prefer the L spec Capris, I really like that guy on youtube "Fast Rust" who has one pretty much exactly like yours.
Apart from the lowly 1.6 engines I prefer the L models too - I’ve never been a fan of the rubber spoiler on the back of other models (although you get much a better spec / engine) I think the lines on the Capri look best with no spoiler on the back but that’s just my personal preference.

I hadn’t heard of Fast Rust but just given him a subscribe on YouTube.

Small update I’ve replaced the oil with some fresh 20w 50, new HT leads, new spark plugs and new oil filter. Also Re attached the air filter to the vv carb as it was removed for unknown reasons.

Engine runs ok although struggling to get it to idle without cutting out for any length of time without giving it some throttle. I’m assuming either timing or mixture on the carb needs adjusting.

Next on the list is to replace the radiator hoses, fit new brake cylinders, shoes and drums on the rear. Cosmetic wise the radiator slam panel is very rusty so hoping to clean it up with a wire disc drill bit and get some fresh black paint on there.

Then beyond that fit new tyres and hopefully acquire a 32/36 Weber carb to replace the vv carb as any posts related to the Vv carb seem to give negative reviews on its performance / reliability.
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As much as I’d like to see some clean solar gold paint in that engine bay, to its credit the black ziebart rust proofing (I’m guessing put on when built?) has done it’s job as its a pretty solid engine bay.
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D366Y
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1980 3.0S, crash damage resto
1993 Fiesta 1.1

Currently full up and no more space but I still want a 2.8...
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by D366Y »

I'd agree that binning the vv is the best thing you can do for that engine - a Weber 32/36 is an improvement but will likely coat you more in fuel (it's hard not to put your foot down more!) Compared to a 34ICH which isnt a bad little carb if you aren't worried about power
A wise man once said... "you can never have too many capris - buy another" :beer:
It's me, I'm the wise man.
andyd
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by andyd »

D366Y wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:36 pm I'd agree that binning the vv is the best thing you can do for that engine - a Weber 32/36 is an improvement but will likely coat you more in fuel (it's hard not to put your foot down more!) Compared to a 34ICH which isnt a bad little carb if you aren't worried about power
Replaced the VV on the Sierra with a Weber with manual choke conversion :cool:

Not sure the spec as I let the garage order it, but it runs great and seems really good on fuel, not that I drive it hard as 75bhp doesn't seem worth it :)
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Major_Tom
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by Major_Tom »

CapriFreak wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 5:12 pm Lovely Car. I followed this one on ebay I think. Nice to see its on here and well done on the price! I prefer the L spec Capris, I really like that guy on youtube "Fast Rust" who has one pretty much exactly like yours.
Oh yeah Fast Rust man used to post on here. Can't remember his name :?
I'm the one who leaves all those shoes in the carriageway.
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Andrew 2.8i
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Major_Tom wrote: Sun Jan 01, 2023 5:45 pm Can't remember his name :?
jimmyted?
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Major_Tom
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Re: 1980 Ford Capri L 1.6

Post by Major_Tom »

Yes think it was!
I'm the one who leaves all those shoes in the carriageway.
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