TeamCapri

General => Build Threads => Topic started by: supercowmoo3 on April 21, 2015, 11:44:32 PM

Title: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 21, 2015, 11:44:32 PM
So I'm new to this forum and decided I'd post something about my build and ask for some help with it while I'm at it.

I bought it for 500 bucks from a guy in southern their new york whos grandfather had bought it at auction for aparently way too much money. He drove it a while and noticed it was reading low oil pressure so he parked it outside for two years then decided to sell it. All four brake calipers were rusted and locked up so I bought four new remanned ones and lined the slide pins up nice and good and put them on. Cleaned up the rotors while I was at it.

Next thing was the rust problem and the water leaking in causing it. There were rather large holes on either side of floor corners right behind the front wheel and the bottoms of the front fenders were rotted off. After knocking off the rust there wasn't much left of it and so I started making up rather large patches out of sheet metal, and since I was only 17 at the time and still didn't know how to mig weld, my grandfather welded them in for me. After the patches were welded and some boxed pieces welded in for strength was finished I rusty metal primes all of it in generous amounts. Then some roofing tar created a water tight seal. After I made patches for the bottoms of the front fenders they weren't quite even or smooth so a little bondo evened it all out. Then there's was the bare metal surface rust coated rocker panels to adress. This was all from just sitting outside mind you. I sanded and sanded the metal clean, primed it, and since I couldn't find the factory paint and the red paint that was already on there had turned almost pink, I decided to spray them gloss black for some two tone madness (actually because I'm cheap pretty much and I intended on plasplastidipping the car anyways at some point).

So the rockers are black, the holes are 'properly' patched there's still some underneath rust and things to one day clean up and respray or replace with custom chrome moly things like the front radiator support which has started rusting holes through it. Now what needs to be stressed is the leaky soft top. I had bought a new one from jcwhittney for around 200 bucks and it seemed to be too short in the front although the back and weather strips all lined up like the should. I called the company and they said it fits and just needs to be stretched to fit the top section. Aparrently they are right and it reaches. I don't really know myself as it was my grandfather who had tried it out so I'll just have to wait until Sunday when I can work on it to see for myself.

Now after the new top is installed I can finally put the car on the road and drive it. I know one of the injectors wires is touchy and shorts out if wiggled in a certain spot causing misfiring on the fourth cylinder I believe and it seems to idle rather high in the real cold (1800rpm at below 30). The idle speed I'm not worried about and the injector wiring I can fix. Now what I'm really wondering is what kind of power can you get out of these cars? Mine is n/a and has stock everything as of right now. I'm thinking of adding custom headers and exhaust and intake to make this thing breath better. I know it's got something like 110hp stock and thats not too bad for a light car. I'm hoping to get about 150 n/a with or without major internal work such as back cut vvalves, cylinder head porting and polishing, maybe a cam if I can find one, valve upgrades, probably a fresh bore and high compression pistons while I'm at it.

The absolute biggest problem with all of that though is that I can't find parts for this engine let alone performance parts and if anyone knows of a good source of them id be very greatful. another thing is what kind of ecu upgrades or full standalone programmable ecus are good for a forced induction conversion on an n/a capri? If anyone wants to help or knows of some good parts and resources sources id be very gracious. Thank you all
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Rocketman on April 22, 2015, 12:36:05 AM
Welcome to TeamCapri! Sounds like you've got a bit of a project on your hands.

The soft top, I've never known someone to buy a top from JCWhitney. There were two sizes, I forget which was when - perhaps you got the small size on a large frame?

There are some aftermarket bits for the engine. We share the same basic engine as the 1.6L Miata so things like pistons, valves, cams etc all will work. Stay away from cheap underdrive crank pulleys, they will ruin the rod bearings and the crankshaft itself. I've played a bit with ITB manifolds/throttles but don't have anything working yet.

There's not much to do with the engine management. You can advance your static timing a bit, but there isn't a magical chip for it like there is for the XR2. A Megasquirt is going to be your best bet for tunable management, and you can upgrade just about everything when you do it (injectors, ignition system, speed density vs VAF, etc)

If you want power, your best bet is to find an XR2: either as a donor, or as a car to drive. The tradeoffs with turbo'ing an NA are pretty major (weak transmission) and the conversion is pretty involved (easier if you have a complete donor! don't try to piece it together)
There's a thread I wrote about it here: Capri Nonturbo to Turbo Conversion (http://teamcapri.com/forum/index.php/topic,2866.0.html)

Post some pictures when you get a chance!
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 22, 2015, 10:01:42 AM
Thank you for the quick reply. As far as the converible top goes they said they only carry the one top for this car so I don't think I can get anywhere from that lol. I could return it and search for one elsewhere but I'd like to try and get this one on and see what happens.

As for internal upgrades and such, I kind of like the hydraulic clutch in the n/a capri and it shifts perfect, real short and very precise. I'm only looking to maybe get what a stock xr2 capri would produce so around 150hp so I would hope most of the stock components would be able to handle that. Does anyone know if the n/a connecting rods would hold up to a little more power? I'm hoping to find some high compression pistons that create something like a 10:1 ratio but that's if I do rebore it and such. First thing I was hoping to find was camshafts and valvetran upgrades. If a performance miata valvetran will work that would be great.

I've read a little about megasquirt and that it's a chip you have to get soldered into your ecu and it controls the fueling and such. Can you put a megasquirt chipset into an n/a ecu? If so that would be something. I'm wondering if with that you could turbocharge the n/a motor unless that's a really bad decision. if the n/a engine is built the same as the turbo then youd think it would handle it right? I know thethe transmission might blow and have to be swapped but I'm alright with doing that.

If anyone knows where to find some cams and valves that can hold up to a more agressive cam then I'd be very grateful. Thanks again for the quick response
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: mitch1204 on April 22, 2015, 10:44:37 AM
I wouldn't invest in a rust bucket. You want to have one in decent condition. Them floor pans play a part in the car's overall structure. There are still a few Capris floating around on Craigslist. I see them all the time $1500 and higher. One member posted recently wanting to sell his in northeast PA. He mentioned junking it so the price is probably right. His sounded in much better condition.

The good news are these Capris are known to read low oil pressure when in fact the oil pressure is good. Your valves would be rattling if the oil pressure dropped. I read about cleaning both sides of the ground strap attached by the passenger strut tower. Since the ground starts at the battery I cleaned that one too. It seemed to help as the gauge worked better but wasn't quite right. When I changed my head gasket I noticed a small hole the size of a toothpick feeding the oil pressure sending unit. I took the sending unit off and cleaned that hole out with carb cleaner. I also sprayed inside the sending unit. I also cleaned up the contact. Something worked because my gauge has been working great since. When in doubt do a compression check. How many miles does yours have?

Parts are a challenge but they are still out there. Advance and RockAuto have somethings available. Roo-sport has many hard to find parts. Even eBay and Amazon you can find parts. Avoid the no name made in China crap. Avoid Driveworks suspension parts at Advance. Go with Moog. They have better ball joints and tierods. I bought an all metal radiator off Amazon and a new gas tank off a guy that sells them on eBay. Very pleased with both purchases.

That's another thing, your tank might be rusted out. You can pull the back seat bottom cushion out to access the fuel pump. There you can inspect it.

Another area of concern is your cooling system functioning properly? The fan should be turning on and off when it reaches operating temperature. Are your hoses in good shape? This car has more than usual. You'll notice a hard pipe running above and about where the engine and tranny meet. That is a coolant pipe and each rubber hose off of it feeds other areas. Pay close attention to the tiny L hose under the distributor. Mine cracked along with one other member. The car overheated, warped the head and blew out my radiator gasket on that cheap plastic radiator. One little $10 hose caused a bunch of repairs. The head gasket was on my list, it just happened sooner. :)

TechCapri has an online manual straight from the Ford manual. There you can find much useful information. This forum is also a valuable resource in your quest.

You go to restoring this car it's out of passion. It can get expensive. It's worth it because I get comments all the time and I haven't got to the paint and interior yet. That's this summer.

Welcome to the Capri nut forum!
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 22, 2015, 11:14:06 AM
its funny you say that lol. When i first got it the gas tank was rusty and had holes through it but we brased them up, cleaned up the tank and even jb welded some of the smaller holes which seems to be holding up good. The majority of the car is surprisingly solid and should rust apart, the worst of it was the front corners behind the wheel well but when we welded them we actually boxed it to add some strength so it should be fairly solid. The cooling system seems to be working properly and the hoses look pretty good.

I will try to post some pictures once i figure out how to do it lol. Is there a post on this forum with instructions to posting pictures?

I also read that the ground strap could be a problem because what we had done to remedy the problem was replace the sending unit with one out of a ford truck that is just a switch and when it reads pressure above around 10 psi it will be on and below that itll shut off. It makes my gauge read 60psi all the time but if i see it drop then i know that ive got major problems. I still have the old sender unit somewhere so i could try cleaning up the grounding strap mounting surfaces and reinstalling the stock sending unit. The car has 150,000 miles on it and i just put on a new timing belt so im guessing since its a mazda itll run for a good 50ks more and then ill just rebuild it with some performance parts(high compression pistons, cams, performance valvetran, probably an xr2 transmission, better cooling, etc) i plan to be installing an engine and transmission oil coolers when i get the new top on the car and get it put on the road for the summer. Im taking an automotive course at school and next fall semester i can bring in an engine to rebuild and i might do that with this car although i was thinking of doing something crazy with it like a rear wheel drive tran swap out of a miata or something and swapping the engine over to a small block chevy out of an s10 or something. Easier to get performance parts that way and more fun in my opinion lol. If i do go that route it wouldnt be for a while and probably not until the car dies or i destroy the engine in the thing. the only rust thats on the car now is bubbles above the passenger side rear fender above the wheel well. I really love the stock capri though even n/a. It shift so nice and the clutch feels great, it takes corners pretty well and has that miata syndrome where it feels like youre going much faster than you really are.

Anyways if someone can tell me how to upload pictures that would be great thanks :)
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Rocketman on April 23, 2015, 12:28:27 AM
I'm guessing you're young & excited & have big Capri dreams. I was there once too :)

Did you read about thread about the turbo conversion? I know you don't want to hear it, but it is significantly cheaper, less work and less heartache to find an actual XR2. It's capable of handling decent amounts of power from the factory. The N/A is not. There's a lot of folks who have gone the same exact route you are going down, and have ended up buying an XR2 or leaving the Capri platform altogether.

A stock XR2 makes 132 crank horsepower. Thats ~115 to the wheels.
A stock XR2 engine is enough to kill an N/A transmission.
150 is at the very edge of what the N/A transmission will handle, IF you baby it. And let's be honest, who wants to baby it?
Even the stock XR2 transmission does not like abuse. Burnouts are the #1 killer of XR2 transmissions. You mentioned converting to XR2 trans- thats a lot of work by itself! Flywheel, clutch, mounts, axles & intermediate shaft, clutch cable, pedal assembly all need acquired & swapped out.

The Megasquirt is not a chip that installs in the stock ECU. The Megasquirt is a total ECU replacement - you remove the stock ECU and the Megasquirt takes its place. It's configurable and tunable in every way, and once you get it setup it's relatively easy to tune. There are even MS units that will plug into the stock engine harness - but these are not ideal if you're really going after performance.

Use Photobucket or IMGUR to upload pictures, and then hotlink the images here - the forum does not support direct uploads at the moment.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 23, 2015, 11:26:22 AM
thanks a lot rocket! I really do have big hopes for this car and i might end up doing an entire engine and trans swap to another mazda so itd be more of a bolt on deal with minimal mounting point modifications. Ive read more about the megasquirt and i think itd be a fun project to try. Im wondering how good the minisquirt is for this car and if anyone has tried it. its just a slightly cheaper and more compact option with the same full standalone control as the bigger megasquirt. i could get a minisquirt for approximately 360 fully assembled with a harness or an assemble it yourself megasquirt ecu for around 450 dollars. Or i could get a junkyard carb for around 100 rebuild it and make up a custom mounting intake for it. this route would be alot more headaches and probably leave me with a shit running capri but it is possible for me to do. Id much rather have the full control of the efi through a standalone ecu like megasquirt and ive been reading good things about it.

I really dont know what the real next step will be with this car, probably some form of headers and full axhaust and a larger diameter mandral bent intake piping. That will give me some power and make it alot more fun to drive.

Question! Do you have to run a catalyst in these cars as in will it trip a code if the catylyst is removed? Bacsically is there only the one o2 sensor in front of the cat or are there multiple which do not run the engine but will get very upset if they see that their precious catylist is MIA and start tripping codes like crazy?

im going to try to upload some pictures using photobucket now so hopefully that goes smoothly
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 23, 2015, 11:28:39 AM
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u444/supercowmoo3/0922141518b_zps2nve7rpx.jpg (http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u444/supercowmoo3/0922141518b_zps2nve7rpx.jpg)
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 23, 2015, 11:30:01 AM
i guess im going to have to upload images like this them lol, sorry if thats an inconvenience
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Rocketman on April 23, 2015, 03:15:13 PM
See on the photobucket page, on the upper right? It has things like EMAIL / LINK / IMG? Copy/paste that "IMG" link from the bar, directly into the post here, it will display it automatically for you.

(http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u444/supercowmoo3/0922141518b_zps2nve7rpx.jpg)

Like that!
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: chrispoe on April 23, 2015, 10:21:32 PM
The idea of playing with a megasquirt intrigues me, but the price and trouble for the small gains in N/A applications doesn't seem worth it to me. Diyautotune has the megasquirt 2 unassembled kits for $279 and assembled megasquirt 2 for $445.
All capris are OBD1, so they only have the 1 O2 sensor on the exhaust manifold before the cat.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 23, 2015, 10:31:47 PM
thank you for the really useful info! ill check on diyautotune and see whats involved in doing so. I was hoping to do a mild cam in my capri and see what kind of gains with it n/a i can get out of it before ultimately going turbo down the line. Also with only one o2 sensor to worry about i can make up headers and a full 2.5" exhaust. ill just cut out the threaded bit for the o2 sensor as im sure i dont have a tap for that and weld it on my down pipe. The cars not going to be used in  the winter either so ill just use regular steel and maybe get the header power coated. Thank you guys so much
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 23, 2015, 11:17:50 PM
(http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u444/supercowmoo3/0922141518_zpssnqg62z5.jpg) (http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/supercowmoo3/media/0922141518_zpssnqg62z5.jpg.html)
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 23, 2015, 11:18:36 PM
(http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u444/supercowmoo3/0922141519a_zpsvkya04ss.jpg) (http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/supercowmoo3/media/0922141519a_zpsvkya04ss.jpg.html)
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 23, 2015, 11:29:59 PM
so this is my 1991 mercury capri. The only rust is in the fender above the passenger side rear wheel. I personally feel that its held up extremely well for being up here alot of its life. I had the whole interior pretty much out so i know what was solid and what was not lol. Only a few floor pan patches and you guys already know of my firewall/inner fender/ floor pan holes that i had. I wish i had taken a before and after picture of them because we really welded up a good amount there. anyways the cars a lot better then it was when i first got it. I hope to have the new top on it this sunday and driving it monday but as we all know things rarely go as planned so we'll see what happens. Im planning on sanding up and painting the four new brake calipers i put on this thing from sitting in a field for two years lol. The cheap coating they put on them is already falling off and i havent even driven it yet so it needed to be done anyways.

A side note that ive thought about mostly because my family doesnt understand why i love having project cars 24/7 and why i spend so much on cars and spend so much time working on them. This is a passion. This is what i truly enjoy and love doing. Making something my own and creating a beautiful and custom and unique thing is an art and i happen to enjoy doing so with cars. I'm sure alot of you guys can relate but i just thought id just share my opinion of why i spent at least 100 hours on a car i picked up for 500 bucks and have about another 500 in it already before even driving it lol
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 23, 2015, 11:39:57 PM
oh and the black rockers are because of how we had welded the bottoms of the fenders with new bits and used a little bondo to smooth out the surface. Since we didnt have the matching paint we went with primer and black rustoleum after me and my girlfriend sanded the rust off the rockers lol. turned out better looking than i thought it would but its still not my favorite thing in the world. i have been considering going to the top of the trim with black plastidip all around the car as the clear on the bumper covers is cracked and peeling anyways it would make it look alot nicer if those were smoothed out and dipped. I have considered doing the whole car too so we'll see what happens with that. I do like the stock red though lol.

One more thing, has anyone riced out one of these before? Stuff like big rediculous alluminum wings and body kits? i would love to put an 80 dollar 55 inch black alumiunum wing on it and maybe try my hand at fibreglass and make up a body kit primarily to piss off everyone at my auto tech school and to have a unique car that no one else has. Also i kind of want to make a car that just doesnt give a fuck. Kind of like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmD5QZc2Xt8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmD5QZc2Xt8) and this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8ZQQirT78Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8ZQQirT78Q)
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Rocketman on April 24, 2015, 12:07:53 AM
thank you for the really useful info! ill check on diyautotune and see whats involved in doing so. I was hoping to do a mild cam in my capri and see what kind of gains with it n/a i can get out of it before ultimately going turbo down the line. Also with only one o2 sensor to worry about i can make up headers and a full 2.5" exhaust. ill just cut out the threaded bit for the o2 sensor as im sure i dont have a tap for that and weld it on my down pipe. The cars not going to be used in  the winter either so ill just use regular steel and maybe get the header power coated. Thank you guys so much

1. You can buy new O2 bungs to weld in. Do not put the O2 in the downpipe, it should be up closer to the engine. The exhuast gasses are too cold in the dowpipe, and unless you convert to a heated O2 sensor it will cause problems

2. Powdercoating does not work on exhaust items, they get too hot. Ceramic coat maybe

3. Its your car, but a giant spoiler is really just awful man. Don't ruin it. Yes people have done it. Its gaudy
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Jim Simms on April 24, 2015, 02:21:24 AM
That is a very nice looking car.
You are certainly at the right place, here at this forum. Everyone's experience and feedback is important.
Your family must know that there are a lot worse places you can spend your time and money than on your Capri.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 24, 2015, 07:28:43 AM
You're probably right about the spoiler lol. Also I'll put the o2 sensor right after the header then probably where the individual tubes all meet.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Rocketman on April 24, 2015, 05:15:17 PM
You're probably right about the spoiler lol. Also I'll put the o2 sensor right after the header then probably where the individual tubes all meet.
Still too far. Run a google search of how to add a heated O2 sensor. It requires an extra relay to drive the heating circuit, not terribly difficult.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 24, 2015, 07:01:42 PM
Alright thanks for the feedback rocket. I'm also considering doing some custom fabrication this summer to my capri so that it can accept a rotary 1.1L mazda engine and possibly a rear wheel drive tran. I've been watching that mini build you had posted about, project binky, and it's given me some ideas of how to accomplish this. Ill probably end up moving the fuel tank in the boot though which isn't the safest thing to do but because race car. Also I'd tune the carb (this is an older engine out of an 80s rx7 which was crashed and wrecked long before I was born. It was my mom's car. So please no hate for not trying to resto the classic I would if I had it.) to run pure ethanol and Mark the fuel adjuster at 100% ethanol and at regular pump gas so I can run either one with the turn of an adjustment screw on the car as you would need more fuel to make the same power burning ethanol as you do burning gasoline.

The great thing about a rotary is theyre compact and small. If it will though I will attempt to mate it to the transmission thats already in my car. I doubt it would though but I will try it lol. Imagine a fwd rotary lol just sounds rediculous. Rwd would be more fun anyways but alot of custom fabrication work like cutting out and welding in a larger tunnel in the capri to accomodate for the driveshaft and reinforcing the rear to hold the differential. Im thinking using a subaru rear diff as they're compact enough and I believe the shafts that come off of it are cv joints and not solid shafts so I can have true independent rear suspension. I would have to cut up the drive shafts to fit or space the wheels in or out whichever is necessary. I also have the transmission that would be used with the rotory engine so I can use it if I do end up going rwd. It's going to be one he'll of a project if I do end up doing it and I'm gunna have to make up a new wiring harness for the rotory but since it's carburated Its not that big of a deal.

Also I do know that going from efi to a carb is technically against emmissions and would fail inspection but I'm not too worried about that
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: chrispoe on April 25, 2015, 12:45:11 AM
The 12A engine or any other rotory for that matter won't bolt up to capri's tranny.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Rocketman on April 25, 2015, 02:21:29 AM
As Chrispoe said, it will not bolt up to the stock transmission. I have seen them bolted to other FWD transmissions with adapter plates, but it's a tough engine to work with for numerous engines. Finding a clutch combo that works is tough

A RWD capri is going to handle like crap, just FYI. The chassis isn't made for it. I think you need to buy a cheap Miata, its' already RWD and has most of what you are looking for. The various Wankel rotary engines have been done in them before, as well as smallblock V8s of both Chevy and Ford breeds have been swapped in too. there's even bolt-in kits available if you have the bank $$ I've also seen them with Toyota and BMW powerplants and I'm sure many engines have been swapped too. Even an eco-modder put a 1.3L festiva engine in his MX5

Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 25, 2015, 07:54:35 AM
I like the mx5 but I like the capri too, probably better as its something a bit more special to me. I'll do my best at reinforcing the chassis when I do this to make sure itll work and work well. Thank you for the tips though they're very useful
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 27, 2015, 06:41:19 PM
i finished installing my new convertible top :)
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 27, 2015, 06:42:08 PM
(http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u444/supercowmoo3/Mobile%20Uploads/0426151628_zpsd4pmgb6o.jpg) (http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/supercowmoo3/media/Mobile%20Uploads/0426151628_zpsd4pmgb6o.jpg.html)
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 27, 2015, 06:43:04 PM
(http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u444/supercowmoo3/Mobile%20Uploads/0426151658_zpsxhnnsfty.jpg) (http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/supercowmoo3/media/Mobile%20Uploads/0426151658_zpsxhnnsfty.jpg.html)
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 27, 2015, 06:44:32 PM
i think it turned out pretty good. The sun should take care of the little wrinkles and i still need to wash it and apply vinyl protector and wash and wax my car although i have though of plasti dipping the whole thing(http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u444/supercowmoo3/Mobile%20Uploads/0426151658a_zpso99rhfks.jpg) (http://s1068.photobucket.com/user/supercowmoo3/media/Mobile%20Uploads/0426151658a_zpso99rhfks.jpg.html)
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: greywolf27030 on April 28, 2015, 08:36:43 AM
Not bad.  Mine didn't fit quite that well.  It's a little short across the top.

Jack Byrd
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Pappy T on April 28, 2015, 09:12:22 AM
Top looks pretty good ! Where'd you get it ? Pain to put on ??
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 28, 2015, 10:52:32 PM
It took me half a day to pull the old top off and mock up the new one and then it looked as if it was too short to reach the end of the front bar and fold over it. I came back to it later and found that letting the top warm up in a hot garage for a little bit let it relax and stretch out a bit. This allowed it to fold over the front and fit perfectly like it should. The only troubles I had after that we're trying to get the little flaps glued by where the cotter pin goes in to hold the cable on. I have a feeling I'm going to end up epoxying those with jb weld so they never come undone lol. Anyways I got this top from jcwhittney online and it's a very credible auto parts store and I'm very surprised they listed convertible tops for this. They also had brake calipers that I needed too as the pistons were rusted in place on mine. The top costs around 250 bucks so its not a bad deal either. There are canvas tops elsewhere that are suppossed to be better for around 400+.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 28, 2015, 11:02:22 PM
I should have my capri finally on the road this thursday if insurance goes as planned. Then it's time to get to work making it look cool with a set of rims and tires I bought for it and then maybe a little plastidipling expedition as soon as I clean up the bumpers as the clear coat and base coat in parts has fallen off in parts. I'm gunna do some wet sanding with high grits and hopefully just smooth them out and keep most of the factory paint on them. I'll take pictures of that when I'm finished:) maybe a video for youtube. I've always wanted to make car videos.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 28, 2015, 11:05:04 PM
Has anyone ever done an oil cooler on an n/a capri and if so where did you mount it? I figure I might as well do that while I have the bumper cover off. I did find some space on the driver side in front of the radiator that would do nicely.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Rocketman on April 29, 2015, 12:01:59 AM
Why exactly do you want to install an oil cooler? Oil temp isn't an issue on these. They do tend to run warm on the guage, but they're supposed to.

Food for thought, the XR2 has a stock sandwhich type oil cooler beneath the oil filter. (it uses engine coolant) It's not really necessary even on the turbo cars.

The auto transmission is the one thing that needs cooling, and it has a pretty beefy stock cooler.
If you have an XR2, a bigger charge air cooler (intercooler) really, really helps.

Work on your maintenance first!
Oil change, coolant flush, replace the rotted coolant hoses (especially the little ones)
Change out the transmission fluid for something a little better.
Bleed the brakes.
Check your cap/rotor, plug wires, and spark plugs. Stick with OE style or Platinum/Iridium in the STOCK heat range, don't go hotter, DO NOT go with the +2/+3/+4 multi-electrode junk.
Change your fuel filter. Inspect/clean/replace the pickup sock in the fuel tank.

Then start working on upgrades.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 29, 2015, 08:02:14 AM
I'd like to run an oil cooler as itll up the longevity a little. I might rig up a manual transmission oil cooler using an electric pump as well. This is because I want to take this car to an autocross event and really push it so things staying cool is pretty important lol. And for when I put in a rotary, reinforce the chassis with chrome moly tubing, cut out and put in a bigger tunnel for a rwd set up and make a custom rear subframe that bolts up to my other reinforcments, I would already have all the coolers set up for it :)

I have done a lot of routine maintenance on it already but I haven't flushed the tranny oil or the coolant which I will do once I get it home for the summer. It has new oil in it but I don't know what so I will replace that too. As for cooling hoses I'll order those as they seem to be notorious for failure and no coolant is no good. I'll flush the old brake fluid as well although alot of that should be gone from when I did brake lines and calipers. It has new plug wiredisand distributor cap as the previous owner couldnt diagnose a fuel injector wire lol. Anyways I'll get new plugs and I'm not going to shy away from oem on those as im sure the ignition system is fine. I would like the special coated tips though as they seem to last longer and not foul as easily.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 29, 2015, 08:17:42 AM
Also I had the fuel tank out of the car because it was a rusty leaky tank and replaced it with one from down south (although that one has a couple holes as well...) and getting the fuel pump out of it was a bitch. The screws that held it into the tank were rusted in and I had to cut slots in them to fit a flat head screw driver. I managed to either get them out or break the heads off of all of them and before anything went back together I cleaned it all up and washed out the new tank with brazed up holes. In short my fuel system should be fine, I really hope it is anyways as that was a bitch of a job
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: chrispoe on April 29, 2015, 09:14:07 AM
When I upgraded my rusted out gas tank last year, I had the same issue.  The trick to removing the screws and bolts that seize from rust (like the phillips screws that hold the fuel sender assembly) is to hit the end of the screwdriver good and hard with a decent sized hammer a few times. Doing this will reforge the heads to the driver and the force of the impact will break the rusted threads free allowing the screws to  turn out fairly easy.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Rocketman on April 29, 2015, 01:14:25 PM
Did you do the fuel filter with everything else? It's so, so often overlooked on these cars yet so easy to get to compared to most.
F
lush the coolant! The #1 cause of destructive engine failure on these cars is overheating. Hoses pop, coolant is low, or the alternator belt breaks and people keep driving (If your BATTERY light comes on, PULL OVER AND CHECK THE BELT! do NOT continue to drive if it is broken. it drives the water pump too, and circulates coolant. Keep a spare belt or two and enough tools to change it in your trunk at all times.)

You want an oil cooler for reliability but you were talking about nitrous to blow the engine up in another post. Im really confused here

These engines are not a dime a dozen like they were 10 years ago. You've got a relatively rare car. They're dropping in large numbers every year. Treat it nicely
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 29, 2015, 07:38:28 PM
thats exactly why i want to keep it running well as the current engine is hard to find parts for and i dont want to destroy it just yet. I might keep it for another project or just toss it when i do my swap so im trying to make it reliable for now at least. when i have everything for a swap ill do some experimenting with the toughness of this engine and transaxle and if it withstands then it wont get junked but it most likely will be put in an old beetle
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: Rocketman on April 29, 2015, 10:30:14 PM
Here ya go man, would solve a lot of your wants real quick and real cheap

http://teamcapri.com/forum/index.php/topic,3355.0.html
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 29, 2015, 10:49:15 PM
i would but money is kind of tight right now and tied up in project cars. im trying to sell my 98 jetta right now as i dont need it anymore and then i can buy some stuff for my capri. Ive been thinking id make up some chrome moly strut tower braces front and rear to improve the body flex issues with these cars. Ive got my 84 rabbit tied up in my grandfathers barn right now waiting on an exhaust system so that comes first lol. Should go pretty quick when school lets out in a couple weeks. College takes a lot of time away lol.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on April 30, 2015, 10:36:51 PM
I just drove the capri home from its resting place today and I gotta say I really like it. Its not very fast but it's small and fun to drive. What I don't like though is injector number one not firing all the time. Also it smoked a bit when I first started driving and cleared up after about 3 miles so probaby just some oil in the exhaust manifold or something from sitting. It's running good now but the check engine light is on and staying on now after its misfiring fit because of the injector. I'm thinking it's the wiring as when I first got it she was running like shit and misfiring on number one and after playing with the wires for injector one it ran fine. Now I have a question, where is the obd whatever it is socket on these cars if there even is a diagnostic hook up location. If not how do you reset the codes and turn the check engine light off so I can know when I've fixed things
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on July 17, 2015, 10:27:15 PM
So, I'm looking for ideas and things that you can do to these cars. I was thinking some sort of autocross car, maybe AWD with subaru parts, and reinforcing everything. I can build custom suspension and toughen up the mounting points by tying them into a custom tube frame roll cage id like to make for it. The thing is i want the convertible top to still function properly so ill need to measure it's travel radius and see what i can get away with. I'd like to be able to build it as i go and not have the car sitting around for years and putting everything together at once. First I'm thinking of building a roll bar that's tied into the rear suspension mounting points. Then perhaps gas tank relocation to make room for three inch exhaust and custom rear suspension possibly leading to an awd drivetran. Not sure if a bigger tunnel is necessary but ill check out rockets build thread on that. if anyone has done some major reinforcing of these little thin sheet built cars id be happy to hear about it.
Title: Re: my 91 capri so far
Post by: supercowmoo3 on October 07, 2015, 04:42:55 PM
So I've been thinking. Has anyone tried building a mid engined capri? Ive got ideas for building one but I'd like to have a reference or just see what others have done. I'm thinking maybe using an early 2000's vw engine and drivetran, possibly a diesel tdi. I could get 150 horse out of that quite easily and 200+ ft lbs of torque. I have parts available for volkswagens as I've owned quite a few and so has my grandfather.

Anyways, a mercury capri with everything torn out of it and a fresh built tdi or some vw or honda gasoline engine and fwd drive tran in the back. Relocate fuel tank to the front (if that's legal that is. Custom reinforcement and roll cage (I'm talking full custom frame building off of the stock chassis.)  Custom roof to fit full cage. And weighing close to stock or less than stock 2000-2400 lbs. The rear suspension and subframe along with chassis reinforcement will take the longest out of everything else. Well then again if I'm building a harness for this then that would probably be the longest but I don't really plan on that.

Thoughts opinions questions comments? I'm really curious and pretty interested in doing something like this.