Capri Christmas

To all you Capri enthusiasts who have been following my miscellaneous ramblings about my Capris, I wish you a very Happy Christmas.
For some it is a time to spend some of your holiday time working on your Capri, so I hope your time is well spent.
My white XL is about 97% finished but needs a bit of fine tuning for me to be really happy. However, for the next week or so, it will be a low priority.
I am starting to compile a list of parts I used and the total cost of this little exercise. When that is done I will post all the details.
Have a great Christmas!

Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [26]

Today, I took the car for a short run around the block near to home. It seems to be going OK but is not kicking down into first gear on the down shift & my attempt to drive up a fairly steep hill indicated some adjustments need to be made. It sounds pretty good but some fine tuning is necessary. I also refitted the headlight surrounds, fixed a very minor fuel hose leak & stuck on my new 1600 GT sticker on the rocker cover. Time to attach the vacuum gauge & it indicated that the timing was a bit off so I advanced it & the motor seemed to run much better. I would like to advance it a fraction more but I could not & the engine surrounds were too hot to work on it. The next run was much better & we drove up the steep hill but it is still not quite right so back for another look, maybe after Christmas. It also seems to be running a bit hot so a few little things still needs work.
I also need to add up all the receipts & see how much this little exercise cost but all that might have to wait a few days.

Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [25]

Finally, the car is 99% back together. Today, I redid the tappets as two were a bit loose and retightened all the exhaust manifold bolts. The bonnet also went back on. I then completed the inside and refitted the instrument panel surround. I reglued parts of it, cleaned off some of the glue & retouched some of the switches. It went back on OK & doesn’t look too bad apart from one edge. The parcel tray needed a little bit of repair & I won’t complete the final touches until I am sure all the dials & switches are working. The new headlights I ordered arrived today but I will put them in when I have time. I would really like to put the vacuum gauge on it to check the timing before I take it on the road. Maybe tomorrow it might be ready for a little test drive.

Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [24]

At last – the engine is running & not too badly. That means it is a really good day and not before time. I spent more time trying to line the timing up correctly. Initially I may have had the dizzy sorted out on the incorrect stroke, meaning it was 180 degrees out. I then tried various spots for the No 1 wire but still to no avail. I was very determined to do this myself but decided to consult the guru, my neighbour, KH. It took us quite a while to figure it out & it still didn’t fire after several different settings. We had different marks on the side & the top trying to align up the plug wire & the rotor. He then tried to line up the two magnet marks on the rotor spindle with the middle of the rotor for the plug wire. We then re-inserted the dizzy, one slot back & put it back together. It fired up first time & ran really well. The Accuspark instructions make it sound very simple but it is not if you are replacing the whole distributor. We ran it for quite a few minutes with no fluid leaks which is also really good.
I then completed a few other bits & pieces such as: replacing the air cleaner, topping up all the fluids, repainting some areas in the engine bay, attaching the battery clamps & screwing on the black panels in front of the radiator. After taking off all the masking paper & protection material, it is starting to look & sound good. The tappets need a bit of adjustment but that can wait a few days. It is good to have it all back together & good that it is running well.
Now, I just have to sort out some of the interior bits such as the instrument surround.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [23]

The last few days have been a bit frustrating & that is when you need to hide the axe. I collected my 1600GT engine sign from Coloursplash & it looks really good. I then went and collected the instrument panel surround from the guy who has done quite a few jobs for me over the years & it looked OK under his house. When I got home & had a good look at it in day light, it was a pretty terrible job. He has just stuck a bit of vinyl over the top section & done that not very well. I could have cut it straighter! Very disappointing & I don’t know at this stage how I am going to retrieve the surround. Possibly, a visit to another trimmer would be the best bet. [The pic shows the part upside down & I have pulled the bottom edge up a little as it was so uneven - not real good!]

Today was the day to finish the engine & have it running. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. Again, disappointing! I finished putting all the clamps on the hoses & in all there are 14! So, plenty of possibilities for a leak! About 3 litres of transmission fluid (Type F) was poured in, 4 litres of oil & the radiator filled. The only leak was from the lower radiator hose which once tightened was fine. That was a good start. I put the battery in & without the spark plugs, turned over the motor several times. There were no strange noises so that also was promising.

After a fair bit of research I thought I knew where to connect the + wire for the new distributor. I originally had it in a spare slot next to the fuse box wire for the brake lights. After using the voltmeter, I discovered this was a stupid place & the current only flows here when the brakes are applied. After a lot of looking about, I found a spare accessories wire under the dash & this gave me current. After connecting up the distributor & turning the motor a few times there was no sign of life – not even a splutter. After a lot of stuffing around, I am convinced the dizzy is not providing any spark but I don’t really know why at this stage. After a lot of fiddling & redoing things, still not a cracker. Time to give it away & try again next week! I really need to find out more about these electronic distributors.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [22]

I spent considerable time on Google trying to find an alternative to my broken Y junction but really was not very successful. I listed a few places & was determined to spend the morning trying to find a solution. By chance I found I had a ½ inch brass joiner that screwed onto the tapered fitting I already had so I set out to see what could be found. Repco found me a ½ inch T section & then another ½ inch reduced which solved my problem. Apart from meaning some extra joining pieces, I was very pleased to have worked out something. Trying to fit in all the hoses is a nightmare but I think they are all joined up but I need two more clamps. Then it was time to connect up some more wiring & I had a good look at the new distributor. I thought it looked pretty simple but after talking to Capri club member, Ray, it may be a little more complex than I thought. I need to do some more homework but the end is nigh! (Famous last words!) [The brass fittings show my alternative junction].

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [21]

After the weekend break I was keen to get in and finish all the little bits and hopefully, have the motor running. Well, today, turned out to be NOT A GOOD DAY! In fact, I nearly got the axe out again. I was ready to do not very nice things to the Capri. I was attempting to put together all the hoses that link up the heater & the automatic choke on the Weber carbie. It is a plumber’s nightmare! I also thought that I should check if the new distributor with the side leads would clear all the hoses. It fits well if it is turned towards the front. I was then attempting to tighten the alloy Y junction that inserts into the inlet manifold & connects the heater hose & the choke hose, when, guess what? It snapped, leaving a small section of thread in the manifold. This was great news!! Just what one needs to happen? There is nothing worse than a hard to get part breaking (I had been concerned about this junction as it fairly fragile). Fortunately there was a fair bit of thread left on the junction & I thought I could re-use it. The next bit was getting the broken piece out of the manifold. I decided to take the carbie off again to get better access. Fortunately, with a bit of tapping on a screwdriver in an anti- clockwise direction, I managed to remove pieces of the thread & then the whole section, which wasn’t very much, came out. The thread looked a bit stuffed. The thread on the junction itself was broken unevenly so I tried to clean it & file it even but it did not want to screw back in. No matter what I tried I could not get it to screw in. Another plan of attack was needed. I ventured down to see my neighbour, KH, to see if he had any suitable brass fittings. I came back with several bits, including one with a tapered thread, which screwed in without any trouble. Anything else I tried would not take up with the thread. That was one alternative but for the moment, I needed to do something else as it was starting to annoy me.
[The pic on the left shows the corroded Y junction. The pic on the right shows the bottom inlet where the thread broke].



The next job was also one of the worst things to do. The handle under the dash that opens the bonnet has been broken ever since I bought the car so as I had the instrument panel out, it was a good time to fix it. Any job under the dash of a Capri is not good for a middle aged bugger. It requires one to lie across the seat upside down & try & remove two little clips that have been on for 40 years. I final got them off & found the original handle was much more substantial than the one I was about to replace it with. It seemed to do the job so I hope it works for a while. Putting the little clips back on was another lesson in patience, especially when you are upside down, deaf & your glasses keep falling off. Finally they were back on & that was enough for the day.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [20]

I did make some progress today but not as much as I wanted. Firstly, when I put the radiator back in, it seemed to be up much higher than normal & after checking with my other car, it was mounted about 40cms higher. After looking at the mounting brackets, I decided to drill four new mounting holes so that it could sit about 30 cms lower in the car. This was done without too much trouble & it looks a lot better. Then the radiator hoses went on. The transmission oil filler pipe was next & then the engine dipstick tube. This was really hard to get back on so a little hot water helped. The guy from ERG phoned to say the starter motor was finished so I went & collected that & then put it in. Then all the water heater hoses went on or some of them. I could not put the heater hoses on, no matter what I tried. I have come to the conclusion that I will buy a short length of 13mm hose & use that instead of the ½ inch which I have been using. There doesn’t seem to be much difference but there is a very slight difference. That was enough – I need a few days away from it!

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [19]

Today I made a lot of progress. With an early start, I first used some Permatex Ultra Black sealer to try and stop the speedo cable entry to the transmission from leaking. Only time will tell if that is successful.  Then everything was readied to lift the engine back in. I raised the car slightly so that the crane legs would fit underneath. My good neighbour, KH, was on hand to advise & supervise. We just lifted the engine up & moved it in slowly & were just about to give it the last push in when we discovered the crane boom was not extended enough. A quick rest of the engine & then we were able to push it in all the way. We had aligned the sprocket on the torque converter with that in the transmission so we must have been pretty close. This enabled us to lightly tighten the bolts from the engine to the transmission housing. On trying to turn the engine it wouldn’t budge, so we slackened off the bolts, gave it a bit of a wiggle & it really clicked into place. Then the six top bolts were able to be tightened. We then fitted the engine mounts and finally let the crane down & it was back in place. I spent the rest of the day fitting the bottom protection plate, inlet manifold, extractors, alternator & fan. Then all the bolts were re-tightened. That was enough for today & few more hours should see it back running, hopefully. [Double click on pics to enlarge]

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [18]

A bit more sorting out of things was necessary before I think we are finally ready to put the engine back in.  Some more items needed painting so that was one thing to complete. I also sorted out all the hoses to see which could be reused & what replacements were needed. The old heater hose was an interesting combination & I am trying to get that simplified with a single T joiner. Then I located all my old carbie kits & gave the Weber a good cleaning. I also took the top off (I had a spare new gasket) and blew all the jets clean. After a bit of internal cleaning, it was re- assembled and then sprayed with a coat of VHT sliver. A few other bits also had some re- coating completed. I think that is about it & now all is ready to put it all together.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [17]

Back into it today. I gave parts of the engine bay another quick coat of paint just to add a bit more gloss to some sections. The main thing today was to remove the fluid & replace the filter & gasket for the transmission. I think that some water may have got into the filler pipe when I was pressure cleaning the surrounds. There was about 5 litres of fluid came out of it & it still looked pretty good. The pan came off pretty easily but I was continually cleaning fluid from the floor as it seemed to keep coming out from odd places. The filter seemed OK but I had a replacement so I put the new one on. I then had a bit of difficulty putting the pan back on with the new gasket as it kept on falling off. Finally, the bolts holding the exhaust system to the transmission were loosened & that provide a bit more room for the whole thing to slide in easily. All the bolts went in really easily with the socket attached to my power drill.  The other thing that always leaks is where the speedo cable goes into the casing & I need to get some special oil resistant sealer to place around this area. That is about it for all the dirty work & I just need to complete a few more little things (also the Weber) before the engine goes back in.
These pictures are taken under the car looking up at the Borg Warner 35 transmission with the pan removed. The first picture shows the filter that was replaced.
The second picture shows when the speedo cable attaches to the transmission & where I always have difficulty stopping it from leaking.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [16]

Well the engine bay certainly looks a fair bit better after several cans of spray paint. The gloss enamel seems to have worked really well. I first did the bottom section & cross member with the black & then applied several coats of the white. Some of the fiddly bits on the bulkhead required several attempts with one colour covering the other at times. The bonnet also came up pretty well. After it had all dried I encased the electrical wiring in the black flexible conduit which has a split so that the wires can slip in & that cleans up all the odd bits of wiring. It all takes time but it is at the stage now where things can start going back together.

Today, I got side tracked again but managed to screw back on all the electrical bits (coil, fuse panel, regulator) & assembled the windscreen washer tubing. I soaked the water container overnight in bleach & most of the stains were on the inside. Much of these came off but it still looks a bit oldish. I didn't replace the old black voltage regulator as it was connected to nothing. The next thing I need to do is drain the transmission & replace the pan gasket & when that is done, it is about time for the engine to go back in. (Double click on pics if you wish to enlarge)

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [15]

Today, I really got into preparing the engine bay for painting. Firstly, I used the small hand sander with 180 wet/dry paper & went over as much as I could. Then I used 120 wet/dry paper & went over everything again. Then again with 240 paper. This took quite a while & I did the same with the underside of the bonnet. Then everything had to be cleaned with degreasing fluid. I had decided that the bottom section around the chassis rails would be black with the rest white. I then used some metal primer to spot paint a few areas & that’s when things went wrong! The primer caused the existing paint to blister. That caused a bit of a panic! I scraped off the blistered areas & then consulted Dr Google & realised my error. I had sprayed lacquer over some enamel that had been previously used. This required a bit of a change of plans. I had decided to paint the engine bay in Winter White which is the Ford colour that the car has been repainted in mid-2003. Rather than risk having to remove all the paint, I decided that I would use gloss white enamel, as in White Knight or Dulux fast drying enamel in spray cans.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [14]

Due to other household tasks, there was not a lot of time spent on the car today. One of the things to do on my list was to have the instrument pod recovered as the vinyl has been badly cracked for a few years. It was one section that I did not get done originally. It didn’t take too long once you lower the steering column & remove the ignition cover on top of the steering column. There are three other screws & one nut to undo & then you can slide out the instrument panel.  The speedo cable came out with a bit of fiddling & then the whole lot comes out. I undid the four screws holding the instruments to the pod & then after holding up the heater controls, the pod comes away.



I then needed to take this to the upholsterer (Jobsons at Dutton Park) who has done work for me previously. I also need to have the starter motor engagement cog replaced & a new sign made for the engine. Both of the companies that I had used before were no longer at the address I previously went to, so that was a bit of a bummer! I will have to try & find them. I also tried Repco & Bursons for a water temperature sensor & the water fitting from the manifold but no success at either place. Not a very successful shopping trip!

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [13]

Due to other events, today was the first day this week that I have been able to work on the car. A few engine components including the hoses, alternator, starter motor & brackets needed to be cleaned & painted. I also fitted the new PCV valve (Dufor S502) that I found on EBay.
Then it was time to start on the engine bay. I undid all the electrical fittings (coil, fuses, regulator) and covered them in plastic bags. All the windscreen washers came off but the washer bottle was rather difficult but after numerous squirts of RP7, the clips came loose. (see the plastic bags in the pictures below).



I really wanted to move the car out from under the house but the transmission was supported on a trolley. Using some chains, hooks & bolts, I attached the top of the housing to the bonnet supports & that allowed me to remove the supports under the transmission (see the chain in the picture). The car was then moved a few metres outside so that the cleaning of the engine bay could commence. At first I tried a little steam cleaner we had & while it did get some rubbish off, it was not really powerful enough. So out came the Karcher (see picture). It gets stuff off but things get messy. After a fair bit of degreaser & a few minutes of blasting, quite a lot of rubbish came off. I then spent as much time cleaning the floor of all the mess, especially all the transmission fluid that was under the car. The leaf blower then came out to dry off any excess water.


I also removed the front parcel tray as there are a few things to be done under the dash & I thought the washer bottle was screwed through from the inside. That was incorrect & the clips came off from the outside.   Next step is preparing to paint the engine bay & that may take a bit of time.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [12]

Yesterday, the new beaut AccuSpark electronic distributor ($144 including post) that I had ordered from England arrived. I hope it works as well as it looks. It comes with a detailed instruction leaflet so I need to read everything before I put it on.

Today I got quite a few things completed. The remaining two welch plugs on the side of the block were fitted. The cylinder head then went on & it takes a while to tension all the bolts in order to the 70 lbs required. The valve clearances took a while to get correct & the thermostat went on. I cleaned the torque converter & then bolted it to the flex/drive plate. This, again, takes time to tension the four bolts to the correct tension & I used thread locker on these as well. The manual comes in really handy by specifying all the tensioning torques. The new fuel pump was next to go on & some other pieces so that now the engine is ready to lift in.



I now need to concentrate on cleaning & painting the engine bay with that on my agenda for next week.

 

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [11]

Next to go together was the sump & the gaskets can be a bit fiddly to hold in place. I then started on the cylinder head & continued cleaning with a smaller wire brush which got lots of stuff out of the chambers. The valves were then re-seated and I started to put the springs back on. I always find this difficult as I don’t seem to have the strength to hold the valve clamp down & put in the collets. Eventually after a lot of huffing & puffing, they were all back together, so now the head is ready to bolt on. It is all coming together but tomorrow I need a rest day.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [10]

First thing today was painting the extractors & inlet manifold with silver (VHT) & they look pretty good. I had to visit my neighbour to use his large vice to press in the rear engine oil seal as my vice wasn’t quite wide enough to centre the seal. With that in, I then fitted it and then tapped in the rear engine welch plug. I then fitted the pistons back in the block & these went in fairly easily using the ring compression tool & a gently tapping. I tightened the conrod bolts to the crankshaft using some thread locker & this is where the manual comes in handy with all the correct torque specifications. The engine turns over OK with a spanner on the pulley wheel without making any unusual noises.
Then I was able to fit the flex plate using a block of wood against the crankshaft so as I could get the correct torque on the six bolts & also on the front pulley wheel. Things are starting to come together pretty well.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [9]

Just a little more cleaning & then it will start going back together. I spent some more time cleaning the pistons especially the ring grooves.

This is a new high tech piece of equipment my wife purchased for me. It actually is a plastic kitchen strainer & it was extremely useful for cleaning all the nuts & bolts. I simply tipped the plastic bags containing the bolts from various areas into a tin of cleaning fluid, gave them a good rinsing & then tipped them into the strainer, which was above another container, enabling me to recycle the cleaning fluid until it was too filthy. So that took a while cleaning all of those bits & pieces.
That was about it so the re-building started or was about to start. I undid the welch plugs that I had bought last week & the pack was for a Cortina & none fitted. They were all too small! I then pressed the front oil seal into place & that went in fairly easily. The rear one is a different story & whilst it is in a fair way, it needs to go in a bit further & I will need some assistance.  I then fitted the front seal housing & the new water pump that I found in my spare parts bin.
This afternoon, I put the new rings onto the pistons & fitted the new bearings. I also had to visit Autobarn & sort out the welch plugs. I need to fit a new PCV valve which was not available so that will need a bit of a search. The T plug on the side of the Weber which attaches the water hoses is very corroded so I will try to find another one of these. Tomorrow, I hope to fit the pistons back into the block & re-seat the valves.

Capri - Restoration (2) White 1972 1600 XL [8]

Over the last few days I have had numerous interruptions to my engine building activities and today I have finally finished cleaning everything. I failed to mention in my last report how my neighbour, KH, brought up his ridge remover (pictured below) which we used to remove the carbon ridge at the top of the cylinder bores. Yesterday, I removed the valves and after a fair bit of cleaning with the wire brush on the drill, they have come up pretty well. My old drill with the wire brush has had a really good work out over the last few days. The stud on the inlet manifold came out without too much drama with a bit of heat & a liberal dose of RP7. The water heater inlet T junction on the side of the inlet manifold was very corroded so I also removed that, using the same technique. I also punched out the oil seals and gave the covers a good cleaning. The sump, even after a good blasting with the Karcher, had a great deal of gunk in the bottom & that took quite a while to remove. I then was able to give all the main engine parts an initial cover of black engine paint (I use VHT – gloss black). Next week, I should be able to start putting everything back together again.