Today I dragged home another derelict car.
I should note right up front, that this is what I do now that I'm retired. I buy, restore and then sell unloved or unfinished projects. They can be almost anything. This is number 7 since I retired 7 years ago. See this intro - lets hear about your latest build thread, post 3807402
1974 Capri 2800 V6. Four speed manual, factory A/C, Decor package. Original Blue-plate CA car with virtually no rust. Zero, solid, dry. It is very original, extremely straight, and completely unmodified. It is also very sunburned, inside and out. Hasn't been started in 5 years or so.
Much cleaning and assessment begins soon.
In reply to Serial_car_restorer :
That's a nice looking Capri.
Rostyle wheels (probably 13 x 6 ?) !!! Oh the nostalgia 
Carry on Sir, you have my undivided attention.
13 x 5 with 185/70-13. I'm looking forward to the project.
They're a nice looking little car, just lose the bumpers during the restoration.
Looks great! Are you planning to fix the 2.8 or do something like swap in an Explorer 4.0?
In reply to MadScientistMatt :
I don't plan to swap unless the 2.8 is junk. And since it appears to have been running when parked (the sad cliché) I think it will be OK. Will quite probably be de-smogged, though.
Spent a good part of today cleaning and assessing.
Prior owner pulled the dash completely apart so he could get to the DOA heater fan motor. Then life hit and he never got to pulling the fan motor out.
I figured that I need to put the dash back together so that I can start debugging the electrials, so I figured my first task was the fan motor. One thing leads to another, of course. I got the fan box pulled, but the 50 year old cloth ducting pretty much all crumbled to dust. New duct tubing is now on the short list. I then tested the fan motor, it works fine. Further examination found the resistor pack was burnt out. I found and ordered an NOS resistor pack, and will service the fan motor while I have it out. Further electical diagnosis will have to wait a bit now.
I may also need to replace one of the vacuum control pots for the A/C. Still need to look into that more.
Then went start checking the fuel system. Started at the tank and worked forward. The tank and fuel lines back there look great. Up front, it looks like an electric pump has been spliced in, and the mechanical pump on the engine bypassed.
And then I pulled the air cleaner to start looking over all the rest. The '74 CA emissions package is a mess. Air pump, EGR, etc. And very little of it looks good. The EGR pipe is rusted through, and who knows what all else. I think I need to just strip it all off. I want a fuel pump and a carb. The rest can all go bye-bye. I hope. Anyone know if I can remove the EGR adapter plate, turn the carb 90° and bolt it back down?
Cool :-) to find an A/C Capri - is it factory fit or dealer accessory?
I agree with the emissions stuff mostly being annoying. But I can´t remember anything about it from the US 1974 2.8 I was involved in all too long ago - we just swapped the old 2.8 for a newer EFI one from a Sierra (in Europe, of course).
therealpinto said:
Cool :-) to find an A/C Capri - is it factory fit or dealer accessory?
Factory. Controls are integrated with the factory heater. I've also noticed that factory A/C has a larger opening behind the bumper than other Capris. Different valance panel entirely.
I didn't feel like tearing into the mess under the hood today, so instead I started by tracking down why nothing electrical worked. I started working backward from the ignition switch, and eventually found that one of the main lead wires from the battery was not only not connected, but was tucked under the battery tray. Once reconnected I started checking lights, horn, etc. By the time I called it a day, I had all the exterior lights save one (LF sidemarker, bad socket) and the horns working as expected. The headlight relay was not working at first, but it was just stuck from sitting for so long. A couple of sharp raps with the screwdriver handle and all is better now.
Will test the wiper motor soon, and then see about the desmog process.
Our 1974 2.8 was a non-A/C car but it had a bigger valance opening than the Euro cars at least. I have never been able to compare it to a A/C Capri though.
That opening was nice for the intercooler fit though :-)
therealpinto said:
Our 1974 2.8 was a non-A/C car but it had a bigger valance opening than the Euro cars at least. I have never been able to compare it to a A/C Capri though.
You could be right, that perhaps all '74s in the US had the larger valance opening. There apparently was a smaller opening in Europe and the UK.
Tested the wipers today, all good there. Took a good look at the turn signal switch, and it will need to be replaced eventually. The stalk was sloppy at the pivot and wouldn't cancel. After replacing the stalk rivet roll pin, the stalk is now a little less sloppy, but despite cleaning and lubricating, it still won't cancel, either direction.
One thing to check (if you haven´t) is that the pin on the "cancelling thing" behind the steering wheel is still there. The "thing" is a loose plastic part and it´s really easy to break off the pin when reassembling. I hear... ;-)
therealpinto said:
One thing to check (if you haven´t) is that the pin on the "cancelling thing" behind the steering wheel is still there. The "thing" is a loose plastic part and it´s really easy to break off the pin when reassembling. I hear... ;-)
Yeah, I checked that. Canceling cam is fine. The cam and switch were redesigned for '73-76 Capris. The cam on the steering wheel is robust. The updated switch is fussy and complex. And notorious for both losing the ability to cancel, and for being NLA. I've heard that a later model switch can be made to work, and those ARE available, although the stalk is a bit more modern looking. (Think '80s instead of early '70s.) I'm looking into that now.
The fan motor resistor pack should arrive tomorrow. And new tires were delivered today. Those little 185/70-13s are getting a bit hard to find in a brand name that most people have heard of, but I found a nice price on Toyos (Eclipse A/S) and snagged a set because it looks like they have also been discontinued.
I really need to get started under the hood. Looks like I should have some free time over the next few days.
I want to be you when I grow up.
Today I removed the A/C compressor, its brackets and A/C hoses to give more access to the smog stuff. (The compressor and hoses will be replaced before they go back on the car near the end of the refresh.) Then I removed the smog pump and rusted out air injection piping. Finally pulled the EGR stuff. I now need to find 3 plugs for the exhaust manifold ports, and make an EGR block off plate for the base plate under the carb. Last will be to cap off all the now-unneeded vacuum lines. Actually going pretty well, even the fittings in the exhaust manifolds broke free without much drama.
Going to go shopping to manifold plugs tomorrow. While I wait, I worked on the offending heater fan motor that I mentioned earlier. The NOS resistor pack arrived, so I cleaned it all up and re-installed the fan box and plugged the fan switch in for a test. And yes, the fan works well at full speed. But it squeals badly at all intermediate speeds. Nasty. I'm going to need to pull it back out and see if I can get it apart to service the bearings (or bushings, whichever it uses), and then make a decision on whether I can use what I have or if I need to find a replacement.
Well, didn't make it out for parts shopping today, but I did spend a little time picking away at some things with the car. Ordered some miscellaneous parts, and pulled the RF wheel off for a brake inspection. And it needs pretty much everything up front, with the possible exception of the rotors. Pads are worn out, calipers don't release, flex hose is weather checked. I'm going to replace the wheel bearings while I have it all apart, might replace the rotors just because. The master cylinder looks original and the fluid in the reservoir is almost black. So I'll want to get a new master as well. Need to pull the rear drums as well, but I already know I'm going to replace the hose, and almost certainly the cylinders. Maybe the shoes, but not the drums unless they are scored or oversize.
Could not locate any metric plugs for the exhaust manifold emission ports locally. I tried auot parts places, hydraulic fitting places, etc. Nada. Spent most of this evening figuring out exactly what I need, and ordered it all from BelMetric.
Tested the original clock that sits in the console. Once powered up it makes a nice 'ticky-ticky' noise, and seems to work quite well. I did not realize until it started running that—unlike the very similar-looking VDO clocks of this vintage I've had in old VWs and Porsches—the third hand on this one is not just an elapsed time marker, it is a real sweep second hand. Totally unexpected, and very cool.
Also began the refresh of the original Rostyle wheels. Should have the first one done over the weekend.
Possibly a question for "the real pinto" ...
I have a number of column switches off Mk1 and 2 Sierras. We may be right hand drive but they were never converted from EU standard.
If they are suitable I'm happy to donate to the cause in exchange for shipping costs.
Cheers
R
In reply to RichardNZ :
Richard, can you compare them to these:
Sure, but it won't be for a few days as we are off to our daughter's for a long weekend ...
I can say that the stalks are definitely different - shaped rather than tubular.
I would say the Sierra stalks are completely different.
I haven´t been around an early Sierra for ages but there are really no other interior parts that interchange so I´m pretty sure the stalks won´t work at all. A Taunus/Cortina 1971-82 or MkII Ford Econobox is probably the closest ones but finding them in the US is probably harder than Capri parts ;-)
When I turned 16, in 87, we were living in northern CA in the high desert. In the neighborhood where my GF lived was a brown manual Capri sitting on 4 flats that never moved. I stopped and talked to the older lady that lived in the house where the car was and asked if it was for sale. She said it belonged to her son who was in the Army and it was not for sale. Ended up with a 64 Spitfire instead.
