Ford Capri Mk3 Track/Race Car Project

[Will01]

So Saturday was another semi-successful day, i managed to get the drivers side front sill repair sorted and also finished off the drivers side inner sill repair. Unfortunately the new grinder which i had to buy last week set on fire after less than 3 hours use. This will be returned and i will upgrade. I reckon i might even try my luck to contact Halfords to get a replacement to my old one as it was brilliant, but unfortunately they do not stock any more!
Whilst i wasn't able to do any more grinding i thought i may aswell try and get the drivers side rear lower corner prepped for repair. Again like the last time i have cut back the quarter panel so that the repair line will be hidden by the rear bumper. I also emptied the inner section of all the expandable foam used for sound deadening as this stuff like to burn when welded.
Before i fit the outer panel in place i will need to mock up a repair section for the internal part of the lower corner, but thankfully the last remaining pieces of steel sheet i have should be plenty.
Once this is complete i will just have the chassis leg to repair and some small little repairs, then it just leaves some strengthening to be carried out.

I have been reading some old Historic rally prep documents for Mk1&Mk2 Escorts on how they factory welded the shells for added strength, i may adopt this in a few areas around the suspension etc to help a little. I don't want to fully seam weld the shell as I don't really like the idea. I suppose time will tell.

[Will01]

A quick blueprint showing rough paint scheme chosen by my wife. To give more details the inner cockpit area will be going Satin black to be inline with old Capri racers to keep the glare down. The engine bay will be yellow. The front and rear light area will be black along with the bonnet and tops of the wings.
The actual colour code is Signal Yellow which is not a Ford colour, however it is the yellow paint they use to spray emergency doors and the yellow that they use on warning signs, so it looks as though i may have to wear sunglasses when approaching the car. Luckily i have the paint already and i have plenty spare for future aswell.

[Simon]

Ah, signal yellow and satin black, that sounds familiar ;-) You're make good progress there Will, I know how difficult it is to keep the enthusiasm going when faced with what seems to be a never ending cycle of cutting out rust, making panels, welding and grinding, especially with the dark evenings. I often find I have to do something else for a while, then come back to it a week or so later and view the remaining work as a new smaller job. Keep the updates coming!

[Will01]

Thanks for the encouragement Simon. I know the yellow black theme is popular with some on here. It does look especially.good on your 124.
It is hard going when I start to think I am making lots of progress with these big bits being finished, but then realise how many small things there are still left to weld and tidy up. Now that my Alfa is off the road SORN it is giving me more encouragement to get on with the rusty pieces over the winter period so I have plenty of time to do the mechanical jobs on the Alfa come better weather.
I just hope I can finish the Capri to a high standard like your 124.
Will

[Will01]

Hi Guys
Just another short brief update, first off i have found a company who are able to machine their own three piece design wheel rim to fit my compomotive centres. So even though my wheels are discontinued i can still buy replacement parts so long as the centres stay in good condition.

On the shell preparation front i have been in contact with a man from a company who build rollover jigs and they have something that they can build which will be suitable for restoring an E-Type shell and carry a Capri shell. I have done a deal with my Dad so i don't incur the full cost myself. The great thing about the jig being able to hold am E-type is that it is a heavy duty version of what they normally sell for Escorts etc, the jig we are purchasing is even able to carry a VW camper. This also means that i will be able to add a little more weight to the Capri whilst it is on the jig e.g. leave the rear axle on so i can use to build up the Watts linkage for the rear or leave the front suspension on so i can attached compression struts etc. I am very impressed and can't wait to get hold of the new toy.
I will let you know how it goes when it arrives and give some useful feedback aswell if anyone else is interested. If all goes well i will be in touch with Guy also to see if i can add a link to the company in question.

This jig is also going to make painting the underneath of the car a doddle so i am hoping we can paint the car to a semi-high standard.

[Will01]

Rollover jig arrived today and i am currently waiting to finish work so i can go have a look and start setting it up so i can mount the car tomorrow.
First of all i will remove all extra components from the car to allow easier installation in the jig, but then i will start to re-mount certain components e.g. front suspension so i can start taking measurements for planned upgrades. I will also do the same with the rear suspension but i will just have to be careful with what i weigh the car up with.
The last time i weighed a bare Capri shell it was around ~250kg, the jig we purchased is meant for an E-Type tub (which is considerably heavier). I just need to find out how much a bare E-Type shell weighs so i can get a rough idea how much stuff i can load onto the shell whilst it is on the jig.
I will upload a few pictures once it has been built up and the car is loaded. I feel like a 10 year old kid at Christmas, soo excited.
It will also give me a perfect opportunity to see how much work is left to do underneath.

[Will01]

Quick update, the rollover jig is now all built up. Next step is to finish priming and then paint in order to help protect against the elements. I have to say I am very impressed with the jig, cannot wait to get the shell mounted now. Pictures to follow.

[Will01]

Finally some pictures of rollover jig built up with various adaptors and primed up

[Will01]

I know this is a bit out of sequence with the build, however one of my searches via a well known auction site landed me with a choice of side mirrors to fit. I was originally looking for some nice lightweight Carbon Fibre motorbike mirrors or some off a single seater. I know my track car build is all about being lightweight, however i really don't think the chosen mirrors will have much if any influence.
I am a lover of old classic design and when i saw these mirrors at a great price i had to have them. Pretty sure they will look great when finally fitted to the Capri.
Probably the biggest challenge is going to be packaging them up nicely so they don't get damaged before fitting.
What do you guys think?
If they don't work i will be offering them back up for sale, maybe even use them on one of the other Classic builds.

[Abarthnorway - Remi L]

Hi Will!


Not a lot of response to Your thread on this forum - probably not the most Pinto/Ford entusiastic crowd here;-)

Anyway - very good job, interesting thread and enormous amount of work.
I am following Your thread closely!

Whats the status regarding engine??
(A 3.2 l Fiat 130 Lump would be nice with suitable triple IDFs......)

Keep up the good work!

Remi

[Will01]

Hi Remi I know its probably a little hard to get all the Fiat guys interested in my old Ford. Each to their own, but I would love to power the Capri by something from FPT.
I never thought about a 130 3.2 v6. They make similar power to the 2.8 cologne engines. I also own an Alfa 156 GTA and I would love to fit a big busso V6 from this car in the Capri.
I have been on the lookout for a 2.5 or 3.0 v6 as I love the engine an they are relatively cheap, also quite light compared to a big cast iron ford engine.
We will have to see how the build goes and how long the Pinto lasts.
Thanks, Will

[Will01]

This past weekend went quite well, first of all i thought i would get the Capri mounted and start playing with the roll over jig.
I have to say so far i am really impressed. It makes the limited space i have much more useable, only real downside is the car with jig are too long for my garage so i have had to wrap both up with tarpaulin sheet. Fingers crossed the shell repairs wont take long so the Capri will not be subject to horrible weather for too long!
It took me half a day to clear the garage out of tools and parts just so i could get the jig mounted with car and give enough clearance for turning it over.
I still have to balance the car a little bit more, but it is quite easy to use single handed. I have left the windscreen and boot lid and steering column/crossmember in the car as i have no real need to remove these. Plus the cross member adds more rigidity to front end of shell.
The self balance/loading tool that i bought with the Jig was well worth the extra few quid.
I have taken a picture of the car mounted, i do also have a video which i will ask Guy how is best to add link to. For those of you on a well known social website you may already have seen it.

As for the Capri, i managed to get the internal structure of the lower rear corner on the drivers side finished as well as attaching the outer repair panel. I am happy how well they turned out. So the next big repair needed is the front passengers side chassis rail. But before i do this i have several small patch repairs to finish off.
I also made a start on cleaning up some other areas as i intend to get the shell stripped down to bare metal all over. You only need to see the piles of underseal and paint on the floor to see how much weight is being removed. Really i am doing this to find any hidden areas which need attention before painting the car, i am trying to be as thorough as i can with out cutting every panel off the car.

[fingers99]

Love the roller.

There's a lot of great work going in there, but I can't say I love old Fords.

For the mirrors, easy way is to wrap in bubble wrap, place in sealed bag with a couple of silica gel sachets in each. It's re-useable, cheap as chips on a certain internet auction site(!). I use a few in the wire compartment of the MIG to stop the wire oxidising. Just change them every so often, pop the old ones into an oven at 150C for 10 minutes or so, keep in a freezer bag.

[Will01]

So the mirrors arrived and are in great condition untouched, very pleased with them.
For now these will stay inside the house wrapped up nice and warm to prevent damage. It will be a while before i try them on the car, sorry if anyone was waiting to see what they looked like right now. Pictures will be uploaded eventually.
Out of interest where do people think would be the best place to attach the mirrors as per previous reply in this thread?
Top of wings or side of wings or fitted on doors in near original placement? I am undecided, time will tell.
On the E-Type we placed them on top of the wings quite far forward to make them look good, but as mirrors go they are too far forward to be of much use.
Hopefully tomorrow i will be able to continue with some of the smaller jobs on the shell which need repair. In the next few weeks i know my wife is also going to be able to give a hand stripping the shell back to bare metal.

[Will01]

Just continuing to grind the car back and finish little areas of welding. Unfortunately I have burnt out another grinder after a few weekends work. For the time being I will exchange, however can someone recommend me a good grinder? The old Halfords one I had was brilliant but I cannot buy any more. Help would be much appreciated as these breakdowns are wasting lots of time.
Thanks. Will