MY 1970 FORD CAPRI

WELCOME TO MY BLOG WHICH TELLS THE STORY OF THE RESTORATION OF MY 1970 FORD CAPRI 1600 DELUXE

Friday, 22 January 2010

From this to this - Part 18

When we replaced the distributor & checked the valve timing, the engine was still missing. Now I was really regretting not doing the valves when I had the head off previously. KH was concerned that No 1 cylinder valves were sticking & again volunteered to regrind the valves while I was away for the week. Again, a very generous offer. When I returned he had done a great job even using some very rare equipment. I put everything back together, well practised, as this was the second time, & there were no dramas or leaks, but on firing up, it was still missing. We then dissembled the carbie & I renewed the gaskets as there was a very slight leak. All the compression tests & timing seemed to be spot on but still, it was missing & it was started to frustrate both of us no end. Bugger! Bugger! Bugger!
LESSON 28: Don’t even think about restoring old cars & when you have the cylinder head off, reface the valves.
Now that the fuel tank was not leaking, I was able to finish the interior of the car by replacing the rear parcel tray, rear seat & belts, front parcel tray & front passenger seat. The interior was now starting to look really good. Anthony J from the Capri Club also contacted me with the offer of several bits that I still needed so, again I was very thankful for these bits which included one of the gutter chrome trims that I was missing. I also fitted on some of the chrome strips that were missing & visited the wreckers to see if I could find a few bits & pieces. Just by chance, I came across an old Nissan Skyline with a boot chrome strip very similar to the Capri. With a bit of modification it looks quite OK.
LESSON 29: The chrome boot strip from a Nissan Skyline is a reasonable substitute for the original Capri one which is almost impossible to find.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Followers

Counter