In reply to Serial_car_restorer :
That's a pretty good looking '74! I think my '74 car was originally that color...
We're still in the process of moving, and I'm hoping to move the '74 to the new house with my next run (it's 300 miles one-way between houses). Moving sucks, though I'm starting to get the shop organized. Still haven't had any time to wrench, and with the Miata K swap being a priority, the Capris are having to wait. Their time will come...
In reply to Serial_car_restorer :
We had the 3000 Essex here in the Mk1's, Mk2's sold through FoMoCo only had the Pinto although there are a decent number of private imports that had the Cologne engines.
FWIW the Cologne 2.9's (I had two in Sierras) have a standalone loom for the Fuel Injection so might be the easy button for a repower.
Keep up the good work and keep us updated on progress.
cheers
R
Cossie Capri, patiently waiting in its corner of the shop...
Some Capri content for the enthusiasts here...
That thing is beautiful!
RichardNZ said:In reply to Serial_car_restorer :
We had the 3000 Essex here in the Mk1's, Mk2's sold through FoMoCo only had the Pinto although there are a decent number of private imports that had the Cologne engines.
FWIW the Cologne 2.9's (I had two in Sierras) have a standalone loom for the Fuel Injection so might be the easy button for a repower.
Keep up the good work and keep us updated on progress.
cheers
R
A compadre of mine and I were working on a 2.9 for a Capri destined to run GT-3 a lifetime ago. Plan was to use 5.4" rods from a Ford 331" stroker 302, and World 2.9 replacement heads (they were deemed legal by SCCA.) I built the motor, he was to build the car. Rules changes made the packege stupidly uncompetitive (assuming it wasn't that already.) Anyway, compadre went on to buy an ex Nascar road course car and crashed it first session, I get stuck with the bill for the engine for the abandoned project...
Pix below are the (very cold) Michigan morning when I rolled my baby home. Someday I'll put a not stupid race cam in it and find some interesting car to put it in
Just another one so people don't mistake this for a 2.6 or 2.8
In reply to twentyover :
Nice ... mine was in a later UK spec (O2 sensors) Sierra and I did a modest cam, head work and a lot of port matching. A brief run on an all wheels off dyno (4WD with viscous couplings) and the guy calculated 150 wheel hp which was about factory spec at the flywheel. Fun Times 
In reply to twentyover :
I remember those Dobi valve covers well! Terrible sand castings, though... had a hell of a time getting them to seal.
The amusing thing is that the 5.4" rods came from (IIRC) Lima 2.3l engines. The reason why 331 is a popular stroker size is because you can offset grind a 351C crank (along with some other tweaks) down to the correct stroke to use narrowed 2.3 rods and Chevy pistons.
After a while, people started making new parts with these dimensions, so you didn't need a whole machine shop and a junkyard scevenger hunt to build a stroker.
The '71 Capri has been at the new house for a while, but now it's time to move the '74.
Unfortunately, things had deteriorated a bit... and now 3 of 4 tires were flat.
And there was evidence of 8 legged infestations...
I was able to get a jack under both ends (with a little digging in front!), and swapped on the wheels that came on the '71. Fortunately, the '74 is at stock ride height, or these probably wouldn't have fit.
I tossed a bug bomb under it just for good measure, and it should be ready to roll into the trailer tomorrow...
I also got the tires pulled off the T-Bird wheels. Not sure if I'll be re-using these, but at least I can get them cleaned up now.
Rodan said:In reply to twentyover :
I remember those Dobi valve covers well! Terrible sand castings, though... had a hell of a time getting them to seal.
Too true. Also have a couple sets of the European 2.8 Ford aluminum rocker covers somewhere.
The '74, going in the trailer to move to the new house...
Sharing space with the BBQ...
Not much going on in Capriville lately, but we've had a local pest control company out dealing with some burrowing rodents on our property and today a worker came by to check some traps and baits.
He saw the '74 Capri, and came into my shop and said "You have a Capri!!". I laughed and said I had two, and pulled the cover off the '71 so he could look at it. Turns out he grew up in England and had an '83 MKIII with the 2.0 and a Tickford body kit back in the day. We ended up talking cars for a while before he went back to dealing with our rodents.
It's always fun to meet another car guy!
And here I am still looking for one that isn't a full-on restoration project. I actually would like one to find one with ok paint in running condition that I can swap in my Folvo 2.3T engine and use as a daily driver. In this neck of the woods(TN) though they are pretty rare.
In reply to Wicked93gs :
Are you on any of the Capri FB groups? It seems there are cars there for sale in the US pretty regularly.
I grew up in Southern California and was very into cars since the early 80's. There were lot's of 60's Mustangs and Cougars, lot's of 70's Mustang IIs, ton's of Fox bodies (my cousin had an 80's Capri and Mustang at one point), etc. I don't think I've ever seen one of these Capris IRL.
In reply to Rodan :
Yeah, occasionally something comes up...but almost always in CA or MI...and usually for a ridiculous price for the condition its in. I do keep an eye out for something suitable though in the NA group. There is actually a 73 here in TN on FB marketplace right now for $1800 that would be tempting if it werent for the fact its not running(need something driveable in the short term if I am going to replace my daily beater with a Capri...at least until the Mustang is on the road)
I don't think you're going to find a sorted, running Capri for less than $8-10k these days. Nice, restored/modified examples seem to be $15k+.
Some folks are definitely asking a lot for junkers...
I'll be selling mine when it's done sometime next year. But I fully expect it to be in the $15k range when complete, because it's gonna cost at least that much to finish it.
In reply to Rodan :
I don't know...just looking for something running in the end, paint isn't all that important as long as it doesn't have big sections where the paint is just gone(surface rust turns to pitting quickly around here). 15k for a fully restored car is fair...but for a Capri I feel I should be able to find something running for 5k-7k. I guess I can always fall back on my 2nd choice...a foxbody coupe but the Capri seems ideal for what I want. Its all good though, my current beater has 330k miles...it will last me as long as I need it to until I find something worth caring about as a daily driver to replace it.
When I started researching what to offer for the car I bought, I didn't see anything running or driving around the west coast for under $8k.
In reply to Serial_car_restorer :
True...but that is the west coast. High prices for most classics and higher for unusual classics. The highest concentration of Capris is going to be the midwest. Team Blitz is based out of Ohio for that reason...and from what people tell me Capris are fairly common in the Detroit area(we won't mention the fact that winters up there are far more likely to destroy the cars). A friend of mine bought a '76 Capri here in my town in near perfect condition other than the interior for $4000 a few years ago. Its too bad he turned around and sold in the next year(even though I want a 1st gen, I would still consider a 2nd gen)
I would like a mk1 Capri and don't care if it isn't running as long as the bodywork (I don't care about the floors) isn't entirely oxide and memories. And a title would be nice as well though I think there are ways to fix that where I live. The biggest issue I have is going to get one as I don't own a tow rig and don't know who/how to enlist folks to help make it happen.
Seems like this isn't the most rare thing to want, either.
Yesterday, I was driving down a road about 2 miles from our new house, and I see a yellow Capri in the front of a property. What are the odds??!
Today I went back to have a closer look, and ended up talking to the property owner, who's trying to sell it as a favor for the 82 year old lady that owns the car. Hasn't been advertised yet, doesn't even have a for sale sign yet. It's a '71 (I think) 2.0, and it's rough. A good bit worse than the car that started this thread. No title, hasn't run in years. I'm not sure I could even use anything off it, but I'm considering making a lowball offer, just because I feel like I should try to save it.
I'm sure you guys will talk me out of this terrible idea, right?
Hmmm. I see one like that and all I can think of is, "Is there anything I need for my '74 that I can salvage?"
And at a glance, I'm thinking there's not.
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