Ford Capris - Bits & Pieces

Friday, 13 March 2015

Capris For Sale

It is always interesting for me to gauge the local Capri market so here are some of the current cars for sale.

1. http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/capalaba/cars-vans-utes/1969-ford-capri/1073153830
    Looks interesting for $7000
    PS. Looked for this car on the weekend after I posted this & it was sold in about 3 days!!!

2. http://www.uniquecarsales.com.au/car/FORD/CAPRI?eapi=2&sort=UniqVotes&vertical=Car&silo=Stock&base=1216+1841&Range=Price:Min,Max~1
    There is a really nice two tone V6 for $30,000.

3. http://www.tradeuniquecars.com.au/search/type-cars/subtype-unique+cars/keywords-capri
    The XL looks a nice example.

4. In the latest Unique Cars magazine (Issue 373), there is a report & picture of a white 1972 Capri XL, complete with vinyl roof, which sold at Shannons in Melbourne for $10,750. It doesn't say whether it is auto or manual.

There are a few others around but these represent a good sample.

A couple of these cars are similar to my white XL but the high teens may be a bit optimistic for a 4 cylinder. However, you never know who will come along & really want a Capri & has the ready cash.

Friday, 6 March 2015

Capri - Weber 32/36 DGAV Carburettor

Last year at a swap meet I bought a pretty ordinary looking Weber for about $10. I have had it sitting in the box at home since then and looking for an easy project to do during our recent hot weather, I thought I would clean it up & see if it could be used. As you can see from the photos, it was very dirty & hadn't seen any action for some time so a great deal of carbie cleaner, wire brushing & cleaning were necessary. I had a few spare parts from previous jobs so I was able to replace what was necessary but I still need a choke pull off diaphragm. They are available so I will keep looking around for one at a reasonable price. The whole carbie looks a lot better & I may use it if I can score a good manifold.

If you are rebuilding a similar carbie, this is an excellent forum article that shows photos each step of the way. It is one of the best articles I have come across.
http://www.mk3supra.org/topic/561-guide-rebuilding-a-weber-3236-dgav-carb/

Sunday, 1 March 2015

Capri - Logan PCYC Car Show

I spent a few hours this morning at the annual Logan PCYC Car Show. There is always an interesting mix of cars on display. The Capri brand was represented by approx. 8 SA Capri convertibles and my green 1970 Deluxe. There were no other small Fords around - which is surprising. No Escorts or Cortinas.
Shows in bitumen car parks get a little hot around this time of year so I didn't stick around too long - maybe in my middle age I feel the heat a bit more!
Here are some pics of various vehicles. I would love to stick the supercharger that is shown on the Torana on my Capri. Wouldn't that be something?

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Thursday, 29 January 2015

Capri - Unique Cars Story

There is an interesting story in the latest Unique Cars magazine (Jan 2015,p36) about a very original Capri. The family has owned it since 1971 and it still looks great. The fact that they drove it across the Nullarbor when much of it was a dirt road & with three kids in the back, deserves an award. Thank goodness it appears from the photos that the weather was cool as in the summer, the back seat would have been like a sauna.

Also in the same edition on p 201, a nice looking white 1971 Capri XL is listed for sale at $17,000. Interesting!

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Capri - Bonnet Striker Pin

The night before the Australia Day Rally, I was attempting to adjust the bonnet striker pin on my white XL as the bonnet was difficult to open & not quite sitting correctly. I had the car all ready to go and is often the case, these last minute adjustments don't always go to plan.
I had incorrectly assumed that the nut holding the striker pin, which is located within the cavities of the front of the bonnet, was fixed or held in place as is often the case. Therefore on undoing the pin completely, the nut fell into the dark spaces of the bonnet.
I tried for about an hour with all kinds of wire hooks, telescopic magnets, torches, long pliers but couldn't even locate the nut. How often does this happen? Too often for me!! That's when I conceded defeat and drove the green car to the rally the next day as I have seen a few examples of when Capri bonnets fly back over the windscreen.
Today I solved the problem in about 20 minutes using a great little Kincrome telescopic magnet & light.($11 at Bunnings.) This was narrow enough to fit into the cavity with a very strong side magnet. I have a similar but larger device but it was too wide to manoeuvre in the cavity. With the smaller one, it took about 2 minutes to find the nut & pull it out. Then I attached the nut to the magnet as shown in the picture and inserted it carefully back inside the bonnet. There is a ridge not far in that makes things a bit difficult. I aligned it with the hole & used a small screwdriver to straighten it up & by luck or good fortune the striker pin went in and screwed on.
With one adjustment, the bonnet now opens properly and sits correctly. Good activity for testing patience and one which I will try and avoid in the future. I love old cars!!!

Monday, 26 January 2015

Capri - 2015 Australia Day Rally, Redlands

For quite a few years now I have celebrated Australia Day by attending the rally at Redlands. The club really goes to a lot of trouble in providing breakfast, lots of prizes and four runs that you can participate in. It is a really popular event and the school oval was packed with cars of all kinds. There were two Capris, my green one and another white V6 GT. There is only one minus about this event - that is the weather. It is usually hot but today it was really hot & humid so by the time I arrived home, I was rather damp. How did we ever survive without air conditioning?
Here are some photos of the cars there - mainly Fords with a few other interesting ones thrown in as well. (Click to enlarge the photo).