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73 CapriEV

Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:26 am
by Embo
Capri and Kangal
Capri and Kangal
With the backdrop of anti-EV banter I got from my earlier inquiry on this forum... I will start this thread and would like your feedback and ideas as I go along.
The car is a '73 Capri, in its earlier life it was raced in Vancouver, Canada in the late 70's. It is a blank slate on the interior and the body is relatively clean and rust-free.
The next 2+ years will be spent on stripping it down, planning and designing a rear electric motor set up with a balanced battery pack to enable a range of approximately 150 miles.

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:17 pm
by Embo
Before the Capri arrived, a lift had to be assembled.

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:19 pm
by Embo
Lift Layout

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:24 pm
by Embo
Disassembling 50 year old car, it is not too bad...
Dolly for moving the chassis around

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:32 pm
by Jasonmarie
It’s great your really going for this and it can’t be cheap to do , i like the thought of electric but at the moment in the U.K. we don’t have the infrastructure of chargers also it’s the time they take to charge .
But I will be watching your progress on the build and wish you the best of luck .

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 12:50 am
by Embo
Thank you! yes I think the cheapest component of the project will be the purchased Capri itself :xd:
My hope is to have around 150 miles range, and able to fully recharge in around 5 hours. That way I can commute to work (not a short distance) and even go for trips a couple hours out as long as I have a long stay. Local runs including to Cars and Coffee also will be possible.
It should cover 95% of my driving habits. For the rest, I'm usually not driving without my family and this project will likely not have back seats.
Hoping this will take 2-3 years; pretty much every little detail needs to be figured out. Cheers

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2023 4:06 pm
by Embo
Doors gone too. Getting very close to all giblets off.

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2023 7:46 pm
by Embo
Update: All moving parts are off, Capri was loaded and taken to have it media blasted and primered.
A bit tricky to set up the lift to trailer hand-off. A driveway rose bush was (at least partially) sacrificed... don't tell my wife!

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 1:55 pm
by bobsright
I will be following this. People who rail against alternate fuels can suck on a tail pipe. What are you doing with the flares?

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2023 5:03 am
by Embo
Thank you,
The flairs that came with the car are off
Hoping to put on ‘74 box flairs to fit wider rear track width.
Capri still at the blasters and flair kit being shipped soon.
Hopefully we can start planning soon!

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2023 4:30 pm
by bobsright
What are you going to use for the drive train; something from an existing platform or...?

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2023 3:17 pm
by nigecapri
This is he first in-progress EV build I've found for a Capri so I will be following progress.

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2023 11:16 pm
by Embo
It's been so long since my last post. I was making slow intermittent progress, my mediablaster/powdercoat guy had a family loss and that really backed things up for him. I also had close personal matters that put a halt into any projects outside keeping work and family afloat. I am back though and there is progress. Got the chassis back, and with buddy Brad's help the rear section was scanned. Including with a temporary placement of the Cologne gen 3 rear massive flares. We decided the model 3 rear end subframe assembly should work as a direct graft into the chassis. The limiting factor is the width of the Capri when compared to the Tesla models. The S rear would have been at least 4 inches too wide as the rear assembly comes in a unit. I did want to use the engineering work that has gone into the Tesla, which adds a lot of cost savings too. So the Model 3 rear end assembly it is...

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2023 11:22 pm
by Embo
This is the scan with the superimposed model 3 rear end assembly Brad put together, which shows it will work, albeit with some chassis modifications. That will be started in about 2 weeks.

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2023 11:24 pm
by Embo
This is the rear end as it sits right now, a few inches too far than ideal from being grafted in!

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2023 11:26 pm
by Embo
Was able to find this complete set, from a very low mile donor M3 performance from Donut Auto Parts recycling in Sacramento for very reasonable price. It's a pre-'21 model so the rear brakes are different than the non-performance models.

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2023 11:32 pm
by Embo
Also on the menu for next week is purchasing the battery units. The model and numbers have been decided, more to come when the purchase has been finalized. The total capacity should be around 42 KWH at around 510 lb before battery boxes and wiring are considered.
Planning on distributing the weight with probably around 350 lb in the front (hopefully most of it behind the front axle) and the rest distributed where the rear seats go.

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2023 11:46 pm
by Embo
Also catching up from before... I ordered and received 13 inch front Wilwood brakes with 5 stud Ford kit from Australia. This was a very interesting experience because I called Wilwood in Southern California, and the guys I spoke to did not have a clue what I was talking about and told me they had nothing that would work for me for the Capri. They gave me the contact for a mod shop that would need my Capri parts shipped for measurements to modify Wilwood parts to fit. Then I was given some good advice, to look into England and Australia:) I ordered parts from Australia, the complete kit, all arriving in one nice big box. Every single part was Wilwood and made in America. And cheaper than I would have gotten if I drove to Camarillo to pick up the parts in Southern California.
Also with the help of Track Dynamics we spec'ed ordered and received the front Gaz Gold coilover kit.
For the rear a coilover will need to be planned and executed.

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2023 9:19 pm
by bobsright
Wow! Huge! Thanks for the update.

Re: 73 CapriEV

Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2023 11:44 pm
by Embo
The end product would be something close to this '74 model.
The boxed flares would be functional, planning on having the motor radiator on one side and the AC condenser unit on the other side, at least for now before the chassis is reworked.