My favourite worst things & some final suggestions

My favourite worst things (in no particular order)

1. Removing & refitting the fuel tank plus the fuel filler pipe.(three times!)

2. Removing the front guard trying to keep it intact.

3. Fitting the front guard & ensuring all the spaces, levels & contours were correct.

4. Getting rid of wasp's nests everywhere.

5. Scraping & cleaning crap off the underbody.

6. Removing the door pins. (pretty high rating!)

7. Breaking brake bleed screws.

8. Undoing stripped sump plugs.(definitely not a favourite)

9. Getting the new replacement heater fan to work. (wasted days on this!)

10. Preparing the body for painting. (takes a lot longer than you think!)

11. Stuffing around for days because some of the new plugs are faulty.

12. Not doing the valves when the head was off the first time.

13. Putting in the top right hand heater screw.

and the very worst by far

14.Refitting the windscreen wiper assembly three times!!!

Some final suggestions (after long periods of navel gazing!)

1. Try to ensure that the car is free from encumbrances & that the seller does really have some proof of ownership. Try to ensure that all numbers match up because it is very difficult & sometimes impossible to complete the normal checks through Transport departments.

2. Time. If you think such a project won't take long, give yourself a good uppercut. Think again & at least triple your estimate. I am retired & yet it still took much longer than I anticipated. (I recorded 127 entries in my log in just over the year)

3. Budget. If you think it won't cost much, give yourself another uppercut! Decide what you want of your finished car. I know the demand for 1600 Capris is not as strong as the V6s, yet I wanted mine to look good & drive well, but I was not aiming for it to be a concourse winner. I replaced what was necessary, otherwise everything else was cleaned, reconditioned & repainted. Keep a file with all your expenses & receipts.

4. Place. Where are you going to do this project remembering it will take much longer than you thought. I needed to be able to move my car about & that is why it was important for me to have it running (of sorts!)

5. Do things properly the first time. I had to redo numerous things because I tried to take short cuts.

6. If you are like me and with hands not used to lots of manual labour, buy a good set of gloves. I bought a pair of Ironclad gloves from Bunnings for $20 & wore them out in the process. I am now on my second set.

7. Try to repair & reuse original parts as buying new alternatives can sometimes be a disaster eg. my replacement heater fan.

8. Join a club as members have a wealth of knowledge & often have secret stores of spare parts.

9. Be patient! If you are really getting pissed off about something, have a break, because that's not why you started your project.

10. Hire Houdini, especially to do all the work under & behind the dashboard. If you can't find him then, at least, leave the front seats out so you can perform all the acrobats with some room.

11.Try and engage other members of the family at appropriate times, especially your wife/partner, always ensuring them that it isn't costing as much as you thought it would & it will be finished soon!
12. Take pictures at frequent intervals, especially of parts (heater) that you intend repairing. I regretted not taking more & I often referred to those I had.

and finally

13. Enjoy & be proud of your finished project. Drive it & show it off as frequently as possible.