September 2010 - Nundah Village Fair

Because I have not taken the car to many shows this year I decided, after reading an ad in the paper, to rock up at the Nundah Village Fair. It was a pretty casual affair & not too many cars, perhaps about 30, but there was a lot of people, mainly families, looking & taking pictures of the Capri. Most of the cars there were of the big American variety with several Holdens & a Falcon. The Capri is going pretty well but a few improvements are in order, mainly replacing the crappy radio. I am still not totally happy with the brakes, I think they still might have a bit of air in the system. The pedal feel is no way as good as my white Capri.
A guy also came up to me today & asked did I remember the band called the Capri XLs as he still had one of their records. I will have to find out a little more about them.
Anyway, here are a few pictures from today.

 

Latest Outing - 2010 RACQ Motorfest

I haven't had many opportunities to participate in Car Shows this year but yesterday I took the green machine to the RACQ Motorfest. This event had 750 plus vehicles of all descriptions but only two Capris, my green one and one of the later SA convertible models. Here are some shots of a few cars that appealed to me.

 
 

Useful Capri Websites

These are websites that I have found useful in the restoration of my cars. No doubt there are others and if forwarded, I could add them to the list.

Clubs & Forums
Aussie Muscle Car Museum http://www.aussiemusclecarmuseum.com.au/
Australian Classic Car http://www.ccar.com.au/
Capri Club of Qld http://www.capriclubqld.org.au/
Capri Club of Victoria http://www.capricarclub.org.au/
Capri Switzerland http://www.ford-capri.ch/start-e/home.html
Classic Ford Forum (Aust)(lots of useful info) http://classicford.mine.nu/forum/default.asp
Ford Australia Forums (Capri, Sierra, Escort)  http://www.fordaustraliaforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.phps=15b6ff8e251f2f6d7769ab3ba0992387&f=29
Ford Capri Encyclopaedia http://www.associatepublisher.com/e/f/fo/ford_capri.htm
Ford Capri Laser Page (UK)(huge site with lots of info) http://www.fordcaprilaser.co.uk/
My Capri Site (Aust) http://mycapri.bravepages.com/capri.html
Qld Transport – Vehicle Inspection Guidelines http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/resources/file/ebae1f09028863c/Pdf_veh_stds_ais_codeofpractice_section2_feb2004.pdf
Scimitar Car Site (UK) http://www.scimitarweb.co.uk/
Unique Cars – Capri V6 GT (Aust)  http://www.uniquecarsmag.com.au/news-and-reviews/article/articleid/41696.aspx

Parts & Suppliers
Advance Autowire (UK) http://www.advanceautowire.com/
All Car Interiors (Aust)(carpets etc) http://www.allcarinteriors.com.au/
American Autos Parts (Aust) https://www.americanautos.com.au/secure.html
Archer Glass (Aust) http://www.archerglass.com/
Auto Barn (Aust) http://www.autobarn.com.au/
Auto Cables & other parts http://www.autocables.com.au/
Auto Parts (Aust) http://www.pixelmatic.com.au/cortina/parts.html
Bill McMonagle’s Resto Site (Aust)(lots of resto topics) http://www.jagqld.org.au/Bulletin/Nuts-n-bolts.htm
Bosch Ignition Catalogue (Aust) http://www.bosch.com.au/
Burton Power-Kent Engine (UK)(lots of parts & info)http://www.burtonpower.com/technical_1/kent_crossflow.aspx
Capri Clinic (Aust)(lots of parts) http://www.capriclinic.com/
Capri Components (Aust) http://www.capricomponents.com.au/ford-capri
Car Paint Preparation (US) http://www.automedia.com/Car_Paint_Preparation/res20001001p1/1
Classic & Vintage Bulbs (Aust) http://www.xs650.org.au/12%20page%20price%20list%20209.pdf
Consolidated Bearing Company http://www.conbear.com/
Coventry Group - Parts (Aust) http://www.coventrys.com.au/coventry/
Daley’s Upholstery Supplies(huge range of vinyl etc – Brisbane) http://www.daleys.com.au/
E Bay Kingswood Country Shop (Aust) http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/Kingswood-Country__W0QQ_armrsZ1
EBay (Aust) http://www.ebay.com.au/
EBay Classic Car Parts (UK) http://motors-parts.shop.ebay.co.uk/Classic-Car-Parts-/18323/i.html?_armrs=1&_mspp=&_pcats=131090
Ex-Pressed Steel Panels (UK) http://www.steelpanels.co.uk/
Find A Part (US) http://www.findapart.com.au/ford-wreckers.php
Fjordfour (Aust) http://www.classiccargurus.com.au/Fjordfour
Flexible Drive Agencies (Aust) http://www.fdrive.com.au/
Ford Qld F Series Spares (Aust) http://www.fordqldfseries.com.au/
Formula Ford (Aust) http://www.formulaford.org.au/
Free Online Autorepair (US) http://www.freeonlineautorepair.com/
Fulcrum Suspensions (Aust) http://www.fulcrumsuspensions.com.au/
Fumoto Oil Drain Plug http://www.fumoto.com.au/
GMS Capri Spares (UK) http://www.gmscaprispares.co.uk/
Halfords Site-Car Maintenance(huge range of topics) http://www.halfords.com/
Hemco Seat Belts (Aust) http://www.hemco.com.au/seatbelts.html
Interior Consoles (Aust) http://www.consoles.com.au/half.htm
Jay Car Electronics (Aust) http://www.jaycar.com.au/
Klippan Seat Belts (Aust)http://www.klippan.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/klippan/Home/Klippan_SA/
LHS Hoses (Aust) http://www.lhshoses.com.au/
LJ Tyres (Aust) http://www.ljtyres.com/
Mackay Automotive Hose (Aust)(useful catalogue) http://mackayrubber.com.au/pdf/HoseWeb.pdf
Motomobil (Germany)(huge site with good diagrams) http://www.oldcars.de/index_en.htm
Newford Parts Centre (UK) http://www.newfordpartsonline.co.uk/index.php
PBR International (Aust)(brake parts catalogue) http://www.pbr.com.au/
Pegasus Manufacturing (Aust)(fibreglass panels–Redcliffe) http://pegasusmanufacturing.com.au/
Pertronix Ignitor http://www.proquip.com.au/ignitor1.html
Pro Dent Repairs (Aust) http://www.prodent.com.au/
Rare Spares (Aust) http://www.rarespares.net.au/Parts-Accessories.aspx
Re Paint A Car http://autofix.com.au/blog/archives/497
Repco Auto Parts http://www.repco.com.au/
Scott’s Old Auto Rubber (Aust) http://www.scottsoldautorubber.com.au/
Shannons Insurance http://www.shannons.com.au/
Sika (Aust)(adhesives) http://www.sika.com.au/
Smcka Performance (Aust) http://www.smckaperformance.com.au/
Spray Painting Your Car http://www.boostcruising.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=164182
Super Cheap Auto (Aust) http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/default.aspx
Super Cheap Parts Catalogue(good place to check parts)http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/parts_guide/default.aspx
Triumph Stag Parts (UK) http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/ItemList--Triumph-Stag-Gearbox--m-3163
Tyre Size Calculator (Aust) http://www.exploroz.com/Vehicle/Tyres/SizeCalc.aspx
VG Auto Paints ( Aust) http://www.vgautopaints.com.au/faq.htm
W W Shock Absorbers (Aust) http://www.wwshockabsorbers.com.au/
Wesco Performance (Aust) http://wescoperformance.stores.yahoo.net/
Wheel & Tyre Bible (US) http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html



Compiled by Ian Alcorn, June 2010.

 

My Capri Twins

For various reasons I haven't had many opportunities this year to show the two cars together, so I convinced my better half to drive one to a nearby park for a photo shoot. The green Capri (1970, 1600 Deluxe) is the subject of this blog. The white one is a 1972 1600 XL Automatic and I have owned it for nearly 10 years. It also has been restored and was my daily driver (short distances) for a number of years.

Original New Vehicle Sales Invoice

When I was cleaning & dismantling the car I found various bits & pieces belonging to the previous owner. One item, an old airline ticket, gave the name, address & phone number. I had decided that once I had finished the project, I would try & contact the owner to find out some of the history of this car. It just so happened that on my first phone call I located the previous owner who still lives at the address on the ticket (an outer Brisbane suburb). We had quite a lengthy conversation & he was really pleased that the car had been restored as he was the original owner & had kept the car for 37 years, until he had sold it onto the Ebay vendor from whom I bought the car. I had wanted to return to him some items I had found in the car & also provided him with some pictures of the car as it is now. He said he thought that he still had the original sales invoice & true to his word, it arrived several days later in the post. I was delighted to receive this as it really adds to the history of the car.

All the numbers on the invoice match the car, however the interior trim was changed some years ago from Saddle to Black. Note the No Charge for the Child's Harness. Also, those of you who have read my blog will note that I paid more for the car in 2008 ($3000), than the original cost of $2620 in 1971. I am not sure what this says about me or the value of the car! I also note a discount of $253.10(Nearly 9%)! Do dealers still give discounts?

I hope some of you find this interesting.

A embarrassing gear change!

I decided to get some fuel for the first Capri Club run of the year, so I headed off to the local servo. On arriving at the top of my street, I went to change into first gear, which has always been a little difficult, only to find the gear stick was loose in my hand and coming out of the rubber boot! Yes, a bit embarrassing - how do you change gear without a gear stick?  Thankfully, it is a  quiet street and with a bit of fiddling, I found that there was the very short selector rod that joined to the broken section & with some juggling, I was able to still select gears. Fortunately, I was able to drive the car around the block & get it home without any further incident.
On closer inspection, the top section of the gear stick had broken away from the section that fits over the bottom rod. After consulting some my local experts, I was able to remove the inner rubber grommet. I then took the broken sections to a specialist welding firm who did some magic and for $15, it was better than new. So, hopefully, that doesn't happen again, but, with 40 year old cars, you never know when you are in for a surprise!
Here are a few pictures of the offending gear stick!

First Offfical Outing - Australia Day 2010

I was finally able to take the car on its first real outing on Australia Day to the Bayside Restorer's Rally. There were hundreds of cars there, representing all makes & models. After a free breakfast, drivers can opt to drive on three different runs around the Bayside. We choose the one to Wynnum but not long after starting, our little group became separated form the rest, so we did our own thing up to the Wynnum Esplanade. We ended up doing quite a lengthy drive & the car went really well. Only one really serious complaint - the Capri doesn't have air-conditioning, and as a result we arrived home soaked with perspiration. Here are a few pictures from the day.

From this to this - Part 1

Before I start my long story, I should explain the background to this project. I have owned a 1600 Capri XL (auto, white) since 2000 and since that time I have done quite a lot of work on it getting the car to a presentable standard, but having recently retired for the third time, I was looking for another project. Some members of my family thought I was a bit senile & possibly they are correct. I was really searching for a V6 manual to sink my teeth into but it is surprising how hard it is to find one that is reasonably original and reasonably priced. I had also figured out that with my more mature superior driving skills, I would be able to accommodate two Capris under my house. Others doubted this! So I looked for many months on EBay and all the usual magazines for a car that might be worthwhile saving & one that I could do most of the work on & more importantly, not drain completely my hard earned super funds. This story is the result of my log that I wrote, or remembered to write, after each time I worked on the car. I made 126 entries so that means on at least 126 times I worked on this project and perhaps, 500 – 600 hours stuffing around!!!

Finding the car. One evening in October 2008 when completing my usual scan of the EBay pages, I saw this new posting for a 1600 ‘poverty pack’ manual. It wasn’t really what I was looking for but the advert had quite a number of pictures included & these all suggested that the car was pretty original with most of the parts there. Not much rust was evident but the front right hand guard was a bit bashed in (as per the photo) & the paint (Jewel Green) was faded with the top clear coat peeling. Still, it wasn’t a V6! I looked at it again & it was located on the outskirts of Ipswich & this also meant I wasn’t going to be up for a huge towing bill. It also had a “Buy Now” price of $3000 listed. I thought this was a bit much but considering I had missed a similar car a few weeks earlier that went for $2500 & the body didn’t appear to be as good. I am not really fused on the auctions as I have missed out at the last moment & the ‘Buy Now’ option was appealing. What could I lose? I could sell the body parts and recoup my losses! So, after sitting very quietly for a few minutes, I did something I have advised others not to do – I pressed the ‘Buy Now’ button & committed to buying the car. I then went quietly upstairs and muttered to my wife that I had done something a very stupid thing. After some straight words of advice, she then wanted to see the pictures of this ‘bomb’. There was one really positive aspect however, & I was informed that she really liked the colour. I was somewhat relieved that this was a positive feature that I could work on. I then phoned the guy who had advertised the car who was quite shocked that I had already bought the car as it had only been listed for 30 minutes. He assured me that it was all good & that there was very little rust and that the car had been sitting for the last 3 years after the accident. He had bought it recently from the previous owner of many years (and obviously made a tidy profit!). We then arranged for a tilt tray to pick it up & I would be the new owner of this unknown 38 year old car!

The next couple of days were pretty stressful as I opted not to go up & see the car but just let it turn up on the tow truck. I must admit though, when it did arrive at the appointed time, I was pleasantly surprised after a quick inspection of the body revealed things were as the pictures described. All the panels were pretty straight apart from the front guard & there was very little rust evident. The interior fittings, seats & trim were also as described. The motor was complete but not going so I had the car unloaded in a place that allowed me to work on it without stuffing up my yard too much. What wasn’t really evident in the pictures was the amount of rubbish in the car. It looked like it had been a storage shed for animal feed as there was straw & crap everywhere. The boot was full of junk including a spare gearbox. I wondered what the significance of this really was as I had no idea how the car would drive, if the engine would work or whether the drive train was functional. What had I done?
LESSON 1: Don’t buy on EBay sight unseen & ensure that the seller can provide some proof of ownership. In Queensland, it is difficult to obtain the history of cars made before 1989 and a REVS Check is not really all that useful.

How it was - Pics 1

What it looks like now - Pics 2