Mk1 Ford Capri: recapturing the dreams of my youth

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Rodan :

My seriousness is matched only by my lack of time space and money. :-(

Ditto.  At least we won't be bidding against each other on BAT anytime soon.

I love this thread.  My first car was a '74 2.8 Capri bought at 16 years old in 1983.  I rolled that at an early HPDE at Sears Point with the California Capri Club, and I bought a '73 with a sick 2.0 and swapped the 2.8 I'd recently rebuilt.  That was my daily driver through college and brought it to Michigan when I moved to work for Ford in 1991.  I also raced a '72 Capri 2600 in SCCA ITA in the mid '90s with reasonable success.

Tonight, partially triggered by Rodan's Capri thread, I was poking around online thinking about getting an early Capri to restore/restomod when I retire sometime in the future.  I was showing my son the differences between '72, '73, and '74 bumpers, and I stumbled across this thread https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/743/.  That's my old car!  The 2.8 in a '73, Holley carb, and black ARE wheels all line up.  I also saw the car at Michigan International Speedway after the restoration when he brought it to the the track while I was racing there (he lives nearby and saw my name on the entry list.)  It was so much nicer than it ever was when I owned it!  I joined the GRM forums 5 years later and never saw this.

So, nothing to see here.  I'm just reminiscing about the past.  And after looking around tonight, I think Rodan's right that there's no time like the present if you want an old Capri as there aren't that many out there anymore.  

So, I just came across this... https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/classic-cars-sale/fs-1973-ford-mercury-broadspeed-bullit-turbo-capri/236601/page1/

Frustrating day today...

Tires arrived at the local Discount Tire, and I went to drop off the Minilites to get them mounted up.   They refused to mount the 225/45-15s on the 15x9s for the front, citing a corporate policy because the "approved wheel size" for 225s is 5.5"-8.5".  Nevermind that they've been mounting 225s on 9s for my Miata for more than a decade.  Sometimes 2-3x a year.

They had no problem mounting the 245s on 15x10, which is slightly more stretched... go figure.  Both of these are pretty standard and well proven combos in the Miata racing community... 225s on 9s, 245s on 10s.

They acted surprised when I asked for my deposit back... sorry, but I'm not buying tires from someone that refuses to mount them.

So now I need to find a new tire shop, and order tires again. 

In reply to Rodan :

Out of curiosity why would you put undersized tires on wheels anyway? All you end up with is more weight for the same contact patch size. I have 7 inch wide wheels in the front with 225s and 8 inch wide wheels in the back with 245s. If you are running 10s/9s staggered why not just run more tire?

I would run more tire, but the only option wider than 245/40-15 is a 275/35-15, and the only tire in that size available in the US is the Hoosier A7/R7, which is a waste of money on this car at this point.  If there were more tires available in 275, I'd run 245/275.  Nankang makes a 275/35-15 in the AR1, but it's been impossible to find in the US recently.  If I can find them, I'll use them.  Right now I'm looking at Nexens, as they are reportedly on the wide side for their stated size, like Hoosiers.

Also, Miata racers have proven empirically that a 225 tire is faster on a 9" wheel than on an 8" wheel.  Same with a 205 on an 8 vs. 7, and 245s on 10s.  Having the wheel the same width as the tire's tread width provides the best sidewall support and transient response.  225mm = 8.85", thus a 9" wheel.  The only time it may be beneficial to run a tire on a narrower wheel is for AutoX or other classing where you're limited on wheel size.

From here:   Andy Hollis tire FAQ

 From the testing we've done, we find that a good rule of thumb is that the optimal rim is the same size (rounded up to the nearest half-inch or so) as the tread width (not section width!).  So a 205/50-15 tire with a typical tread width of 7.5" is best on 7.5" rim.  An 8" rim will work, too, but it will be majorly stretched on a 9.  Likewise, it will lose some performance on a 7, and will lose a LOT going down to a 6 or 6.5.  Similarly, a 225/45-15 with an 8.2" tread width works best on at least an 8.5" rim and loses a fair bit on a 7.5".

A practical example of this is in STC, STF and STS where the rim limitation of 7.5" keeps the 195/50-15 Toyo R1R at the top despite it not being the widest allowed tire size.  The 225/45-15 R-S3 mounted on that same 7.5" rim is not quite as fast.  But put that same R-S3 on an 8 and it comes alive.  And it's even better on something a bit bigger.  So in STR, where wider rims are allowed, the common 225 R-S3 on 9's is a faster combo than the 195 R1R on a 7.5 (assuming nominal weather).  And putting the 195 on an 8 or wider does nothing to enhance performance and close the gap.

In reply to Rodan :

Isn't scrub radius going to affect that rule of thumb? I am far from a suspension expert, but just because it works for a Miata doesn't mean it works for a Capri(always assuming the scrub radius is different which I would assume it is). For that matter other things like roll center may well effect that rule as well, but scrub radius is the one that jumps out.

On the other hand...it is after all the limited tire sizes available in 15" and 16" that forced me to go with 17" wheels(though they ended up being a benefit for other reasons later on). In general its a sad truth though that vintage cars are not that competitive in Auto-X, its dominated by Miatas for a a good reason. Of course, being competitive is irrelevant for most of us since its only our own times we are trying to beat.

As for discount tire and their policies...could always just take the tires and find somone who will mount them. However, as time goes on you will likely find this is more commonplace(like they also wont install wheels if there are spacers behind them) and if you want to stretch tires you will likely end up having to mount them yourself.

I've always been under the impression that improved tire behavior between the wheel and contact patch would hold regardless of what's happening on the other side of the wheel... ??

I almost went with 17s for that very reason, but wanted to stick with Minilites in 15 for now.  I'm not expecting this car to be competitive at anything, just fun, thus the Minilites.  I use the Miata to chase lap times.

I've already found another shop that will install the tires that's enthusiast friendly.

The scrub radius difference between a Miata and a Capri should be giganormous.

A stock Capri is already on the large side (65-75 mm or so), and with wide, low ET wheels and fender extensions...120 mm is not un-common and the biggest source of the tramlining, shimmies and all other shenanigans it has. I recall old racing drivers saying it was a pig to drive ;-)

That said, I have never though about how scrub radius would have an impact on how the car behaves with different wheel/tyre matching. That would be interesting to go deeper into. I could see a theory that a large scrub radius would be more benign with more sidewall flex but that's a guess.

Gustaf

Thanks for posting up this project build.

I recognize your '71 Capri.  I recall seeing it, first, at the Knott's Fab Fords event in 2002, when R. Pontrelli brought it from Phoenix AZ.  There is a bio on the Capri Club of North America website, with some specs at the time - http://www.capriclub.com/racers_rocco.htm. Obviously, prior to the YB motor. From what I recall, the front struts were modified to accommodate an Audi insert. I don't recall the Audi model, though.

Was the previous owner in Tucson? First name Robert or Bob?  I ask because back in 2009 or so, I sold off my Capri parts to the original owner of Capri Parts USA and the guy from Tucson came out with him.  I had a set of original Group 2 flares I picked up from someone in San Diego, who was going to try and mount them to a Mitsubishi Eclipse.

One of my go-to parts sources from the UK is Motorsports Tool.  They emphasize the Mk I & Mk II Ford Escort, but many of the performance parts interchange with the Ford Capri, since a lot of the Enfo Escort guys would upgrade their cars with Capri parts.

The 73 in my avatar is my current project and was initially built by Capri Parts USA.  If you're interested and have an Instagram acct, my IG acct is @umanisti.

Again, thanks for posting your build. I'm looking forward to future posts.

Shawn - San Diego, CA

In reply to pkingham (Forum Supporter) :

To further your travels down memory land, are you aware of the Capri Club of Chicago website?  Capri Club of Chicago - P. Kingham

In reply to Umanisti :

Thanks for posting, and thanks for the link to the Capri Club page... I actually have those pictures in the log book, but it's good to see some history on the car.

Yes, the previous owner was Bob in Tucson.  

I haven't been to the Fab Ford event at Knott's since the early 90s, when I was a regular in the 5.0 Mustang crowd...

Maybe someday this Capri will take a trip back there... 

And thanks for the link to Motorsports Tool... that one wasn't on my radar.

Tires are in, finally... planning to get them mounted on the Minilites tomorrow.

I did manage to find a set of the Nankang AR1s in 245/275, which is what arrived yesterday.  I got them mounted up this morning. 

Rear...

The rears are sitting at ride height as the jackstands are under the axle.   The ride height will be coming down a bit when I get around to fiddling with the suspension.  I may actually need to clearance the lip on the flares slightly... not a big deal.

Fronts are at full droop with the jackstands under the pinch weld.

I'll try to get some pics at ride height tomorrow.  Fronts are very close to the shock/spring... will probably need a little more spacer.

Got around to jacking the front to the current ride height... the car will eventually be a little lower.

Also finally got around to having a good look at the leaking oil line... looks like it's a failure of the AN line, as the leak starts mid-run, and there's nothing touching the line at that point and no visible damage to the SS outer layer.

Time to drain the oil and pull that line.

Had to move the Capri so I could do some work on the BMW tomorrow, so I took some pics while it was sitting on the wheels.  Definitely needs to be lower, but I'll deal with that after I get the oil leaks sorted.  Minilites look great, IMHO, and it no longer looks like it's got space saver spares under the flares.  

In reply to Rodan :

That looks... Amazing. 

What highbeams are those and why do they look like aircraft landing lights?

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

I don't know the brand off the top of my head, but they're LED hi/lo beams.  The outer is painted over on the passenger side, and an air intake on the driver's side.

In reply to Rodan :

That is a beautiful Capri. 

Now that the cooling system on the Touring is done, it's time to get the Capri back in the workspace.  The NB can also get a break from the weather...

Before the Capri went up on stands, I took some measurements for the front toe.  Just looking at the car previously, I thought it had a lot of visible toe out, but it was worse than I thought...  total toe out was 1 1/16"!!  Looking at the tie rods, I'm not sure I have enough adjustment in the threaded collars to take that much out, so I may have to shorten or replace them.

Once it was up, I started draining the oil, starting with the oil pan drain plugs, and then moving on to the feed line to the pump (the line that's leaking mid-run).

I'm going to let it drool overnight, and then work on the pressure adjustment screw sealing.  Next up will be replacing the feed line... parts are on the way.

Umanisti said:

In reply to pkingham (Forum Supporter) :

To further your travels down memory land, are you aware of the Capri Club of Chicago website?  Capri Club of Chicago - P. Kingham

That is a blast from the past!  I'd forgotten about that and am quite surprised it's still visible 25+ years later.

Got the rear brakes cleaned up and re-installed with new pads yesterday.

My initial information was that the rear rotors were late 1980's Ford Thunderbird... that made sense, but the dimensions don't match what I'm finding online.  The discs on the car are 247mm (9.75") diameter and 24.1mm (.95") thick... lug pattern is 4x108 (4.25").  I'm having trouble finding anything using a rotor with those dimensions.  

The PO told me they built this setup to fit under 13" wheels, so I can probably use the larger diameter (258mm) T-bird rotors with a different caliper bracket if necessary down the road since I'm going to be on 15" wheels.

Also managed to track down the GAZ rear shocks...

I'm starting to get a little irritated at all the overspray on the suspension and brakes...  pure laziness on the part of the painter, whoever that may have been.  I've tried acetone and laquer thinner to clean it up, and nothing touches it so far.  Any ideas?

Weather delayed the oil line parts, so I'm going to try to get to that after the front brakes over the weekend.

Front rotors cleaned up, repacked the bearings while I had the hubs off.  New pads installed all 'round.  Flush/bleeding tomorrow.

Got my A-N hose and fittings, just need the tool to assemble them... should be here today.

After finding a dimensional diagram online, I do think the rear rotors are late 1980s T-Bird, but I think the outer diameter has been turned down.   Not sure why, as it looks like the full diameter T-Bird rotor would still fit with the current caliper mounting, and the caliper would have been the limit for wheel fitment.  The PO told me the brakes were built to fit under 13" wheels, and I've got loads of room under the 15" Minilites.

At the front, the rotors appear to be OEM Euro MkIII Capri rotors, which are often used to upgrade the earlier cars.  Not available easily in the US, however... I'll have to get replacements from UK/Europe.

The PO apparently LOVES anti-seize... the stuff was everywhere, including between the pads/pistons, and on the wheel studs.  PITA to clean all that up.