TeamCapri

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Summer will be upon us soon! Make sure you check the Meets subforum to see if there's a get-together near you!

Pages: 1 [2] 3

Author Topic: '92 Mild Widebody Build  (Read 11723 times)

greywolf27030

  • Old-Timer
  • *****
  • Posts: 1658
    • 1991 XR2, 1992 XR2, 1993 XR2
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #15 on: October 11, 2021, 09:24:33 AM »

Excellent work, you definitely get an A+. What is the info on the lights? I got Hella conversions for my '93 but those look like they might be getter. Definitely cool and I would think draw less amperage.
Logged
Jack Byrd

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #16 on: October 11, 2021, 09:55:12 AM »

They're way better than Hella H4 conversion.  I bought Hellas for dad's S10 years ago and while they're better than sealed beams they're pretty poor since the reflector area is really limited on 4x6 headlights.  The LEDs are really good on low beam.  High beam is decent but doesn't have as much distance lighting as I want so I'm planning on adding driving lights to get more light farther down the road. 


https://www.amazon.com/Z-OFFROAD-Headlights-Rectangular-Freightliner-Oldsmobile/dp/B07ZH6L5PS?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1
Logged

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #17 on: October 11, 2021, 12:34:31 PM »

I bought a Momo Futura in the rare darker gunmetal color for the build awhile back but never could find a hub adapter that fit correctly, so I made my own.  I pressed out the steel insert from the cast steering wheel so I could weld it into the adapter I machined down from a Honda Odyssey hub.  The Honda hub's ID was a perfect press fit for the steel insert from the capri wheel. 















After parting off the flange I turned the OD down to fit an outer trim cover from a cheap Miata hub adapter I got from ebay.  I still need to make a larger cover to hide the big opening in the column trim around the clock spring.








After welding the insert in.  I need to buy a 1.5" spacer to get the wheel away from the stalks and closer to the seat.  I also want to modify the shifter to make the knob ~1.25" closer to the seat, and dent the floor under the pedals to drop my feet about an inch lower. 

Logged

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #18 on: October 11, 2021, 09:22:53 PM »

I got the car out of the shop for the first time since January about a month ago.  The shop is right beside a high school so I drove it around their parking lot to make sure it was still running good.  Notice that it's sitting lower in the rear...  with the extra weight I've pulled out the car wasn't as low as I wanted it even with the H&R drop springs.  The bumpers weigh a good bit and reinstalling them would drop it slightly, but I'm not planning on reusing them... more on that later. 




I cut out the one section of the progressive coils and made a limiting strap from seat belt material to keep the spring from getting loose in the spring pockets.  This also reduces body roll since the spring isn't pushing the inside wheel down/body up in corners. 






Before cutting/no limiting strap.




After cutting with limiting strap.



So the rear was noticeably lower but still not as low as I wanted, and it now had almost no bump travel.  Back to the drawing board. 

Logged

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #19 on: October 11, 2021, 09:49:42 PM »

On my Festivas I've used MK2/3 Golf/Jetta coilovers on the front to drop the car and make it handle better.  The Capri knuckle interchanges with Festiva knuckles so I bought a set to try out knowing I could use at least the fronts.  Festivas can't use the rear VW coilovers so if they did end up working on the Capri then the Festiva community's leftover rear coilovers will finally have a purpose.




After pulling the cartridge out of the VW coilover.  The shock insert is from a Rabbit front strut, we use those to replace the shock inserts if we blow a front coilover.  They're a bit under-damped on the front of a Festiva so I'm hoping its about right for the rear of the Capri.




Carefully cutting into a Capri strut to drain the oil.




Gland nut modified on the lathe from a squared recess to a tapered recess to center the shock insert in the housing.




First attempt- Shortened coilover housing, shortened Capri housing.






Mocked up... I cut the housing too short, this is fully extended.  Measure twice, cut once?   ::)






Plenty of compression travel, the tire is against the inner fenderwell.  I'll either pull another strut off a parts car to chop longer, or get a leftover coilover from a Festiva friend and chop the coilover tube longer, and add a spacer under the insert. 







Logged

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #20 on: October 11, 2021, 10:41:57 PM »

Bumper situation- I've hated the stock bumpers, both the 91-93 and the '94 version the whole time I've had Capris.  They're just too big and have way too much overhang. The proportions of the Clubsprint bumpers are way better but I'm not crazy about those either, they have a cheap "kit car" look. I had an idea to swap on bumpers from a first gen Eclipse but finding the bumpers I wanted didn't seem possible in the time frame I wanted to finish the car by.  So I started prepping the stock bumpers to use temporarily. 

Stripped and shot with three coats of SPI epoxy. I used red because it was just out of date, so I didn't want to use it on the really important shop projects. I used 120 on a DA to strip them which was probably too harsh but there's no risk of the epoxy not sticking this way.  The nice thing about SPI epoxy is that is stays flexible so it won't crack on plastic bumpers if they flex, and it builds thick enough to fill in imperfections almost as good as a high build. 






I roughed up the tag bracket holes so filler would have more surface area to grab onto.




Block sanding the texture out with 150 grit.




Fully sanded smooth, three more light coats to seal over the filler and have enough material to wetsand with 400. 






A Festiva friend in Indiana found a rough but usable Eclipse front bumper in a local junkyard and it worked out to "Festiva Train" it from Indiana to Illinois to Kentucky, then to the Festiva Madness show in NC where I was able to pick it up a couple weekends ago.  I cut the upper lip off to get it to tuck under the header panel and zip tied it in place to take pics.  The fit is pretty amazing as is.  I'll have to make the diagonal cut at the fender edge, and possibly cut and reposition the wheel opening to make it match up with the diameter of the Capri wheel opening.   The overall shape and size is what I was hoping for- it sticks out from the header panel half as much as the stock bumper as-is and I can do some slight trimming and tuck it in even further.  I'll probably go ahead and paint/install the stock bumpers for now so I can be driving it soon (maybe next week?) and use a parts car to fit/prep the Eclipse bumper.  I'll build a lightweight inner bumper frame out of 1/16" plate for the mounting plates, and 1/2" round tubing rolled to the bumper's shape.   I'm planning on filling in the vertical indention for a smoother look. 



Logged

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #21 on: October 11, 2021, 11:05:35 PM »

Last update to bring the post up to date.  This past weekend I went to the Columbia SC Pull-A-Part after a guy that had bought parts from me in the past texted and said that there were two '94 NAs in the yard. I needed a nice set of front marker lights and turn signal lenses and he said that one of the cars had a set still.  Seems like someone brought them down from Ohio; they were rusty and one had an Ohio license plate in the trunk.  Both had been sitting a really long time; the tires on one were super dry rotted and the tires on the second were brand new but weathered and didn't have a modern date code.  There were signs that the engines had been partially disassembled for a long time as well.  Unfortunately the hoods had been left up and water had gotten into both engines.  The window regulators had been taken out of both cars but everything else was there. 






I grabbed the tail lights, filler panel, valve covers, front marker/signal lights, headlight popup modules, airbag modules, intake boots, a pair of '94 bumper grills, and a few other parts from an Aspire and an Escort wagon. Most of this will be for sale to help fund the project, PM me if you see anything you need.  If the weather is good this Saturday I may go back for the one unbroken windshield and front brakes/knuckles from the Aspire.








The lenses from the junkyard were in good shape but the reflector coating was starting to fade.  I used 3M foil tape and Mothers metal polish to make them reflective again. I still need a matching '94 passenger side marker lens to complete the set if anyone has one.




Left side restored, right side faded- noticeable improvement in how the lights look with the inside evenly reflective.




Before/after.






Much nicer looking than the old lights.




After installing new bulb holders and bulbs.  All of the lights work now so the car can be driven legally.  I'll work on getting the bumpers prepped/painted and installed and get the car insured and registered.  I'd like to have it back on the road within a couple of weeks. 




Logged

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #22 on: October 11, 2021, 11:15:32 PM »

Almost forgot, I traded the wheels I initially bought for the project for a set of '95 Miata M Edition BBS wheels, then sold the BBS wheels for a decent profit.  I had bought a set of 15x7 +17 Riken Mesh wheels in good condition earlier this year and the offset is nearly perfect for the pulled fenders and wider quarters.  I want to run a couple degrees of negative camber so I'll probably have to use a 10-15mm spacer to make the wheels fit flush and not rub the coilovers.  I'm looking into sticky 200tw tires for it, and was planning on using Federal RS Pro in 195/50 but they seem to be out of stock everywhere. 





Logged

greywolf27030

  • Old-Timer
  • *****
  • Posts: 1658
    • 1991 XR2, 1992 XR2, 1993 XR2
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #23 on: October 12, 2021, 09:05:12 AM »

Who says you can't put an aftermarket steering wheel on a Capri.....lol This has to be the most interesting project I have seen since getting into Capri's. You're the man.
Logged
Jack Byrd

Aus Capri

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 107
    • 1989 Capri Turbo
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #24 on: October 12, 2021, 08:50:15 PM »

Hey man I have always thought the stock bumpers are way to big as well, especially the rear one! I've been considering putting a duck bill spoiler on mine I think it would look heaps better than the stock one too. Your cars gonna look awesome man your inspiring me!
Logged

Aus Capri

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 107
    • 1989 Capri Turbo
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #25 on: October 12, 2021, 08:53:24 PM »

BTW what's wrong with the steering wheel adapters you can get? I've got one on my car and now I'm worried I shouldn't have.
Logged

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #26 on: October 12, 2021, 10:19:46 PM »

Who says you can't put an aftermarket steering wheel on a Capri.....lol This has to be the most interesting project I have seen since getting into Capri's. You're the man.

Not bad for a Festiva guy, eh?  ;D


Hey man I have always thought the stock bumpers are way to big as well, especially the rear one! I've been considering putting a duck bill spoiler on mine I think it would look heaps better than the stock one too. Your cars gonna look awesome man your inspiring me!

Thanks!  I shaved the stock spoiler holes and third brake light with plans to maybe fit a small duckbill style spoiler.  I've had this pic saved for awhile, that's about the height I would want.  I like the look without a spoiler too, the rendering that originally got me wanting to build a Capri is spoilerless. 






BTW what's wrong with the steering wheel adapters you can get? I've got one on my car and now I'm worried I shouldn't have.

US Capris have a weird Ford/Mercury steering column so they could be fitted with airbags, and there is no hub available that fits correctly.  Some Mustang hubs halfway fit but I tried one and it seemed sketchy so I made my own.  From what I understand Aus market Capris had Mazda based columns and Mazda style adapters fit no problem. 
Logged

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #27 on: October 18, 2021, 11:13:02 PM »

This weekend I removed the cruise control system and windshield washer to drop more weight.  I used a Festiva one piece throttle cable to replace the dual cable setup after I took the cable junction box apart and decided that I didn't want to attempt making it work without the cruise input cable. 






I pulled the boot back and shot PB Blaster in it, then snapped it back in place and hung it up to let it drain into the cable overnight. 




Tonight I took a front strut off and apart to see what needed to be done to adapt the top mount to the coilover.   The coilover has M14x1.4 threads compared to the stock M12 threads.  The spring hats that came with the coilovers are both the wrong size, I'll have to use the pair with smaller holes and drill them to fit the M14 threads.   

M12 stock top nut vs M14 coilover threads. Notice that there isn't a step in the shock shaft to match the ID of the top mount bearing.




The spring hats from the rear MK2/3 coilovers are the right size to fit up against the bearing in the stock top hat.  This is important to keep the spring from getting in a bind when turning.




I used the lathe to trim back and cut a taper into the bottom of the stock nut.  A nut with a tapered bottom is needed to center the shock shaft in the top hat. Stock struts have a small area on the shock shaft below the threads that matches the ID of the top hat bearing, but the coilovers don't have that and are loose in the top hat bearing.   This would have worked, but it made the nut too short, so I wouldn't be able to tighten the nut.  I'll pick up a M14 x 1.5 tapered lug nut at a parts store tomorrow to use instead.  I was hoping the stock nut would work to retain the o-ring seal that keeps dirt out of the bearing, but I can find a plastic or rubber plug to use instead. 

 






Another modification- I'll weld large washers off center over the bottom two knuckle mounting holes, this adds enough material to safely slot the holes horizontally for a lot of camber adjustment.  Once I get all of this figured out to assemble the coilovers I'll make a detailed/condensed write up for anyone interested in making their own set. 

Logged

greywolf27030

  • Old-Timer
  • *****
  • Posts: 1658
    • 1991 XR2, 1992 XR2, 1993 XR2
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #28 on: October 19, 2021, 09:21:58 AM »

Great work, how much weight do you think you can shed?
Logged
Jack Byrd

theastronaut

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 21
    • Festivas, Aircooled VWs, Chevy C10s, Capris
Re: '92 Mild Widebody Build
« Reply #29 on: October 19, 2021, 01:23:27 PM »

Curb weight for a base model is listed at 2381.  I think I can get it down to 2200 pretty easily without cutting anything.  Dropping the factory bumpers and seats is a pretty big chunk, and I have a smaller/lighter battery that will save around 25 pounds.  I'm not installing any carpet and the wheels and coilovers are lighter than stock.  The steering wheel is lighter as well.  I haven't posted about it yet, but I gutted the driver side door, there's no regulator or motor or wiring in it now, just a pull strap with a couple of snaps to raise/lower the glass.  I'll make simple/flat door panels to cut down on noise.   I'll see what it weights like that, then maybe start cutting the inner bracing out of the trunk lid and other non-structural areas.  Brad Hazard pulled "over 270" pounds off his '94 XR2 but he removed the soft top, bumpers, trunk lid, soft top lid... I think he eventually got it down to 18-1900 pounds with everything possible removed, even the dash, but of course it was only barely driveable like that.
Logged
Pages: 1 [2] 3