Capri - Front Suspension 2

Today, I continued to dismantle the struts. I had a good look at the lower control arms & the RH side had a bit of play in it which may have been part of my problem. They separated from the struts pretty easily after a fair bit of WD40. The brake backing plates on the RH wheel was also a bit loose & to tighten these properly, I removed the brake rotors. I used the spring clamps to get the springs off but so far, I don’t seem to see anything really bad. Maybe all I need are some new rubber boots & two lower control arms. I just need to clean them up & give everything a coat of black paint.

 The springs went back onto the struts today (next day) but it took me quite a while to get the first one fitted. One end of the spring kept popping out of its groove as I compressed it. After applying a small clamp to keep it in place & then compressing the spring slowly, some good progress was made. The next fiddly bit was aligning the top of the strut correctly with the top cover. (See the photo). It is an oblong shape with two straight sides & two curved ends which may be hard to pick up in the picture. I had to clamp the strut, using a rag & pair of multigrips & then tighten the top nut. It took several goes to get it correct but you know when it is in the right place. I am still trying to locate a pair of lower control arms at a reasonable price & think I may be able to get some this week. The rubber boots for the tie rods ends were easily obtained.



(Click to enlarge)

Capri - Front Suspension

As I am pretty happy with the way the engine is now going, I decided that my next & final project for this car was to try & sort out the front suspension. I spent a fair bit of money on it when I first restored it but of late the steering wheel rattle & vibration at some speeds needs a look at. It also sounds as if the front is bottoming out at times & I would like a lot less noise on bumps. I suspect a few things: the front tyres are old & unevenly worn & may need replacing or balancing; the bump stops are had it; the track rod bushes are had it.
So, I finally made the first move. Once you have done that then you are committed! Off came the wheels, front disc brakes, steering arm (one side has a dodgy bolt), lower suspension arm & then the whole strut assembly with the disc attached. Everything came off pretty easily, however my back made a few comments last night. All the bushes look OK & I think I replaced these last time but the rubber boots on the tie rods & the ball joint are split. I have had a good look at the strut itself, so that is my next step. Both struts were reconditioned last time so they should be fine but I want to see if the springs have been rubbing anywhere.  That is the nest step but I need a day or so to recover.

Capri - Tyre Problems

On Sunday I took both cars out for a drive & I drove the white XL up the mountain twice to see how the new thermostat was working & I am much happier with the full flow type. When I went to put the white car away, it didn't seem to want to move but after I drove it into the driveway, I got out & had a look at the front tyres to find the LH front as flat as a tack. I slowly drove it onto the level part of the drive & proceeded to change it. Whatever happened to it happened quickly as it was really flat! I hoped my aged spare had some air in it & luckily it did & I was able to put the car away.

Looking at the tyre didn't reveal any nasty screws or nails or anything but the valve stem seemed a bit loose. But the big question was - can I get it repaired?

Most times getting a puncture repaired is no big deal but I became a little worried. This particular tyre is borderline both in terms of age & wear on the edges. It has been on the car ever since I bought it. Sometimes the over zealous tyre people take one look & say that they can't repair this & you will have to buy a new one. Again, this may not usually be an issue but this time it may have been.

This tyre is a Simex SM800. Size is:175/75/13 as are all the tyres on the car. No big deal you might say but look at the size again! Yes, it is 175/75/13 not 175/70/13 which is a common size of today. You cannot buy 175/75/13 for love or money! All this means that if they cannot repair my puncture, I may be up for a complete set of new tyres. Not exactly my first choice!

I started to consider my options by looking at this great website: http://www.exploroz.com/Vehicle/Tyres/SizeCalc.aspx
It compares tyre sizes & dimensions so I was able to do some calculations.
The 175/75/13 has a diameter of 592.7 mm
The 175/70/13 has a diameter of 575.2 mm which is 17 mm difference which would leave a fair gap in the mudguards although I have these on my green car & they don't look too bad.
The 185/70/13 have a diameter of 589 mm which is 3.7 mm less than the 175/75/13, so would be the closest. They are not that common but can still be sourced so that seems to be what I will have to get.

To cut along story short, they took pity of my sob story about classic cars at my local Bridgestone dealer (he owns an old Mercedes) and fixed the tyre for $25. The valve stem was totally stuffed. So for the moment I can delay buying a complete set of tyres & perhaps a good set of partly used 185/70/13 might be the answer.

One thing is for sure - keeping these cars in good condition can be fun!!!

Capri - Windows

I have been trying to track down a few rattles & one is in the window of the driver's side door. There seems to be too much space between the outer window weather strip (rubber) & the inner strip (felt). They both still appear in good condition so I thought I would improvise a little.
The door backing had to come off to do this. So, off with the armrest (two screws), the window winder (slide plastic & one screw) & then the door catch surrounds with plastic insert. The one on this door is stuck on due to the metal section on the handle mount being broken. The door inners are pretty fragile so care was needed to remove all the plugs. Several of the plug surrounds are just holding together.


While I had this off, quite a bit of WD40 & Fisholene were sprayed around inside the door & what a lovely smell! My plan was to add a strip of self-adhesive Velcro felt on top of the inner felt strip. I bought the tape at Bunnings & then cut it down the middle. This was very close to the width of the existing felt. It seemed to adhere really well.

So then it all went back together & the window has less space to rattle but it still is a little loose so time will tell if this little exercise has cured the rattling window.

Capri - Thermostats

I have not been really happy since I freshen up the engine in my white XL with the higher engine temperature that has been indicating. Previously, the temperature gauge would barely get above the blue so it was running pretty cool. I have spoken to a number of small Ford enthusiasts and have decided it was down to three things: a faulty new thermostat, a faulty new temperature sender or I have put the head gasket on the incorrect way. Not really wanting to think about the last possibility, I decided to check the thermostat first.
It didn't take long to take it out & no real mess was involved as I loosened the bottom radiator hose & just let out enough fluid. I had kept the old thermostat &  noticed that it had been jammed open. (The one on the left) So, no wonder it was running cool most of the time. Then I decided to test the new one that was in the car. In boiling water, there was no movement so I presumed it was faulty. Over to Autobarn & a new one ( Tridon TT1-192)) was bought.



I then decided to test it in boiling water. No movement, so what is going on? I then put them in a small saucepan on the stove & heated it to boiling & both opened. So, now I had two thermostats working. One experienced small Ford guy told me that he always drilled several small holes on the top of the thermostat to assist cooling, so that was my next attempt. (Bottom left pic) This did seem to bring the temp down a bit & it certainly did not get up very high after idling for some time after a run up the mountain.
On researching the Tridon catalogue, I discovered that there was High Flow thermostat suitable for the 1600 Capri. (Tridon TT2000-192) This may be something many of you may have already known but it was news to me. So, back to Autobarn & I exchanged the second new regular one for a high flow. Long story, so I hope you are following.



The new high flow went in today & on a quick run it seems to be doing what I wanted. The temperature gauge is between a quarter & half  & goes up a little with a long idle after a run. Hopefully, this is the solution to the problem. A couple of runs up the mountain will tell me.

Capri - Logan Car Show (2 March)

I haven't spent much time on the Capris over the last few weeks & with nothing else much on, I decided to take the white XL for a run and spend the morning at the Logan Car Show. This is just south of Brisbane and is run by the local Police Youth Citizens Club, so there is one thing for sure - there are plenty of police persons in attendance.
Several hundred very different vehicles turned out from cycles, motorcycles, cars, hot rods & several commercial vehicles. I am always amazed at the variety of cars & the amount of time & money that has been spent on these vehicles. Have a look at the pictures of the black Morris Minor ute. It was amazing! Or the Escort panel van.
Mine was the only Capri but there were some nice Escorts & Cortinas present.
(Click on the pictures to enlarge)