SUPER PIG

The weight update for those lazy folks. Well, really its for me, because I am the one that is lazy. I don't want to go back and add it all up either. 605.5 pounds of weight off the Capri. There is more weight to be found. I really don't want to throw out the carpet, door panels, etc, so I'll look for more ways to be creative. I hear that folks "swiss cheese" parts. I am going to look into that. I'll update you on my findings. LATER...

NOSE JOB

What a beautiful December day in Kansas City. The day allowed me to get several things done I have been unable to do for a long time. We have some help at work and I have a few days off......WOW DAYS OFF IN A ROW...I almost forgot what days off where. Well, I removed the front nose off to get to the front bumper support. 39.5 pounds of weight came off the front. I included a picture of the support. It is actually was heavier than the rear support.
I also remove the clutch fan in the engine bay and I am going to look for an electric fan, this along with some pulley's should yield about 8-15 horsepower gain. I ran the engine without a fan. I can really tell the engine has some extra "UMPF". You get to know your car when you have worked on it as much as I have. The slightest change can either yield results or not. We will see what results I gain when I hit the track again. LATER......

ARE YOU KEEPING TRACK

For those of you keeping track, but are too lazy to look at the old posts. The Capri has lost 566 pounds (not including me). Base on "fuzzy" math that's over a half second in the quarter mile for me. That's free horsepower and anything free is good for me. Two posts in one day.....hmmmm.....Later

WINTER DIET

Well, I really don't know where to begin. It has been a while since I've turned a wrench on the Capri, but that was a little different today. Work has been crazy, working 6 days per week, then you have the holidays, and no garage. That means little time for the Capri this winter. What a difference a day makes. It was 60 degrees today!!!
I removed some weight off the car today. There was not much involved and it only took me about an hour. I removed 34 pounds off the car today by removing the rear bumper support. I have also chose the battery you see in the picture. It has a weight of 13 pounds, which is 20 pounds lighter than your typical automotive battery. Since I.... don't want to move the battery to the back of the car, this was the most logical choice, as well as the cheapest. On average it will cost you about $100 to move your battery to the rear of the car, especially if you want to remain legal at the track, per NHRA rules. The battery about $69. So, that was worth 54 pounds today. I have lots of time to read now that old man winter has set in and I am looking for ways to remove that weight. The front bumper should yield the same weight loss as the rear, but it involves a little more work and since I will be putting new fenders and stuff on the front. I figured I would do it all at once.

OLD MAN WINTER

What a change of seasons! Three days ago it was 70+ degrees and now its like 7 degrees. The poor Capri!!! I am going to get a car cover for it. I have been starting the car about every three or four days to keep the juices running. I am going to rebuild a 750 carb soon, so i'll document that over the winter. This is my first attempt at a rebuild on a carb, so it should be intresting??? Sorry for the delay on the updates, but with weather like this, it makes it difficult for me to get motivated to work outside.

LIFE IS GOOD

Ok, so I go out Wednesday morning before work and check out the ole' Capri to see if I can figure out what the TICK TICK TICK noise is after running at the track. Well, I pull the valve cover off and start to do the inspection. To my amazement, I had a loose rocker arm. The exhaust side was loose as a goose. So I pulled them all off inspected the pushrods to be sure and torqued em' all down. She fired right up and no TICK TICK TICK. I am so HAPPY...NO major carnage. The Crane rockers look good and the top of the heads look good also. No oil sludge or anything. I hooked the monster tach, so I can monitor those RPM's better. I think I need to move it just a bit, the yellow shift light is going to blind me. Several folks wanted to know if I really broke something, now you know. Later...

RACIN' AND BREAKIN'

The picture says it all. Racing in the 168,000 mile Capri. I ddn't break the stuff I thought I would, but I believe a bent a push rod or have a lifter stuck. I'll have to pull a valve cover and see what the heck is going on. See ya!!!

HE SHOOTS......HE SCORES

Well, the new transmission in the truck is working. The truck is now just a truck. The tranny shop took out the stall converter along with the shift kit and anything else that was performance related. It has now been put back to stock I can really tell the difference. Oh well, it runs drives and gets me to where I need to go. Now that it is working, I was able to go and pick-up a trailer I won on Ebay.It pulled fantastic on the ride home and didn't even seem like it was behind the truck. I now feel comfortable going to the track. If I break something now, I have a way to get it back home. I fixed some of the wiring and ran wire loom from front to back for all the wiring. I'll look at coating the floor and try to find some fenders. That's it for now....see ya!!!

MORE TIME...MORE WORK...EVEN RECYCLED SOME PAPER

Well, not having a truck to drive gave me plenty of time today to do some work on the ole' Capri. As you can see the rot is gone from the passenger quarter. I'll keep it a secret exactly how I did it, but it involved no welding. I am pretty proud I got both quarter panels done before winter. I hope I can get the doors on as well. I also need to go get the front clip......Oh wait I can't... I DON'T HAVE MY TRUCK.......AHHHHHHHHHGGGGGG. Its looking pretty good for an amateur. See Ya!!!

Grenade!!!

This post has nothing to do with the Capri, but everything to do with me. I believe I put one of these in my truck today. The transmission in the truck went to sh%^ today. I am REALLY PISSED OFF. This is money I have to spend on the truck that could be spent on the Capri. I hate the fact that all of the new sh#@ they make today is computer controlled. Oh well, I need a place to vent and this was the best place. I also included a picture of the truck. It is my daily driver...but not for a while. Later for now...

SILVER BULLET

I said I would post a picture of the Rust Bullet rust paint before I covered it with a topcoat. Well, here it is. As you can see I have some rot on the rear bottom of the quarter panel. The drivers side only had some rot about the size of a quarter. This will require me to do a little more work. The good news is that I have about 7 days of dry weather coming up, so I should have time to complete it. That's it for now..I'm off to my real job. LATER.....

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

With a pair of Vise Grips and some patients, I was able to get the sway bar on. After getting it on I went out for another ride. Things seem even more stiff and the car is still launching hard with no wheel hop, but I still have the drift. I do have to remember I am doing this on the street and without the Mickey Thompson tires on, so I bet It will perform better at the track. I need to get a camera that I can shoot video, so I can take all you folks for a in-car ride....OH YEAH!!!

MMMMM......SHINY

Ceramic Coated Headers? Why, yes they are. These will give several benefits to the ole' Capri.
1. Lower underhood temperatures=HORSEPOWER
2. Better engine efficiency=HORSEPOWER
3. Louder exhaust=HORSEPOWER ( A stretch I know)
3. Cleaner engine bay=I HEARD SHINY STUFF MAKES YOU GO FASTER
4. Improved gas mileage=WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?
Seriously, I should see a 8-12 horsepower gain when these things are installed. I wanted to take the easy way out and have the local muffler shop install these things. " We don't do headers" is all I heard. Once my hands don't look so bad I'll attempt to put these things on. I am sure I'll be fine? Later.....

TWO WORDS TODAY HOLY SH$%

What a difference a day makes. My hands still hurt like hell, but the passenger side went much easier. I have included a picture of the stock lower control arm to show what it should look like if bolts don't hassle you. I also included a picture of the suspension on the side that is complete.(I'll do a complete one soon) As you can see the Comp. Eng. 3way adjustable shocks are on set at 50/50. I changed my mind on the rear springs. I did not go with the Moroso rear springs as originally planned. I went with the Laurel Mountain Mustang Brand. Why? Well, I purchased their front drag springs on Ebay awhile back and I found the rear ones after I purchased the Moroso springs. I'll be listing those on Ebay. I should get my money back on those pretty easy. Well, went for a drive. NO WHEEL HOP. I feather the clutch when I launched, the power felt well balanced,it really launched hard. The problem came when I connected with second, it wanted to drift(fishtail). When I got back I noticed that I forgot to install the rear sway bar. Well, I went to install it and it won't fit with the new lower control arm. What am I going to do? I need to go think. LATER......

I'VE GOT FIVE WORDS FOR YOU: FU#$ FU%$ FU&* FU$# FU*!

I would take a picture of my knuckles, but it is hard to take a photo with no hands. OUCH. The good news is the lower control arm battle boxes where any easy install, not the rubic cube troubles that others experienced. Well those of you that know what picture #1 is. Yes, that is part of my stock lower control arm. The rusted bolt got the best of me. I have lived to see another day...the control arm did not. It took me 2 days of work just to get one side done. I should be done with the whole thing. Oh well, hopefully the passenger side goes a little quicker and much easier. By the way, adjustable control arms are a pain in the ass as well. I would go with the factory style solid control arms if I where doing it again. I sure hope that these upgrades make a difference. My knuckles can't take this again. I'm going to go and take a longggggggggggggg hot shower. Later...

CHECH IT OUT

Just a quick post. I just wanted to thank all the folks over at the Carbed Ford message board. There is lots of knowledge over there, so check it out. carbdford.com
Also, don't forget, you can click on most of my pictures to super size them. You might even see more detail ...or screw-ups I'm making. LATER....GOTTA GO TO WORK.

NIP AND TUCK

Women pay thousands of dollars to get a facelift, lipo, and BOOBIES. I have a tendency to spend a little less on my cosmetic surgery. Thanks to my Marty (brother-in-law) who spent some time teaching me when I was about 14 and my brain for remembering. It took me several days, but this panel doesn't look bad compared to what it looked like in the other photo. We will see how good the Rust Bullet paint really is. I'll take a photo of what this stuff looks like when I do the other quarter panel. The primer and the guide coat ...kinda looks like the Capri is becoming camouflage...Who the hell thought of this color combination? No one to blame except me. The uglier the better..no flash here, just function. Later.

SANDING AND PRIMING...IT DOES A BODY GOOD

Well, I forgot to take a picture of the door I sanded and primed today, so I included a picture of the other door and what it looks like. You get the idea. It will be winter soon and I want to get all of the body work done before I put the car away. Another FREEBIE scored on the two rust free doors. Looks pretty good, if I say so myself. I also started on one of the quarter panels today. Maybe I'll have it in primer tomorrow. Later......

SHIFTING GEARS

There is not much of an aftermarket supply of shifters for the old SROD transmissions. Yes, for those of you that know what the SROD transmission is ...I know it is better used as a boat anchor, but it shifts good, pulls strong, and if my sister didn't break it during her driving years, then this thing is going to hold-up ok. It has a fairly new clutch and pressure plate and that is what counts. So, the Hurst shifter handle was about all I could find to give it some life. Also, it has that cool nostalgia feel. Later for now.

Just One More Scoop

I am working on keeping everyone entertained here, so I'll try to post more often, even it is minor. The scoop looks pretty good. I have got about two more sanding/primer sessions before the flat black gets put on. Doing this has reminded my how monotonous body work can be. I have already spent about 4 hours on the scoop. Oh well, time is all I have. LATER.

FRESH AIR

Another quick post, while I am waiting for the primer to dry. I had some time before going to work today, so I decided to do a little prep work on the hood scoop I plan on installing soon. The scoop is another FREEBIE from my sister and brother-in-law. I plan on doing the "blackout" treatment to the whole hood. I noticed that Hot Rod magazine is promoting the "blackout" hood thing this month. Great....I must be doing the "IN" thing I guess. Oh well, I planned on doing it for a while now, so I am going to stick with it. I want the car to have some 60's ...70's look and feel to it. The scoop should work in keeping fresh air to the carb...along with the dual snorkel air cleaner...It should have all the air it needs. Later for now, time for another coat of primer. SEE YA!!!

Weight Watcher

Hey, I just thought I would give a quick update to keep all of you folks in the loop. I removed another 31 pounds off the car. The weight came off the front. I snapped the power steering bracket while doing some "driveway" racing, so I decided to eliminate the darn thing. I just looped the hoses, so the fluid cycles through and keeps the seal nice and fresh. I'll try to takes some pictures to show what I did. If you haven't been keeping track, we are now at a total loss of 512 pounds eliminated from the car. With my 29 pounds lost, that's 541 pounds the car doesn't have to carry down the track. I believe I have taken the interior down as far as I want to go. I plan on taking some weight from the bumper supports and changing the battery out to a dyna battery. I think I can take off about another 100 pounds from the car, but we'll see. Thanks to all that have been supporting me and thanks for visiting the site.

NEW WORKING SURFACE

I realize the photo looks like it might not have anything to do with the Capri, but I can't tell you how happy I am with this photo. I HAVE A DRIVEWAY!!! I have been working on gravel since we move to this house. Creeper's don't move, jack's don't move, and your back doesn't feel real comfortable when you get done crawling around for several hours. This will speed up things tremendously. If you live in Kansas City and need some residential/commercial work, check out Prairie Paving. I can't wait until I can do a BURNOUT!!! Oh Yeah!!!

Celebrity Status Will Soon Follow..FAME? FORTUNE?

Check out the October 06' issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords!!!! Page 36 to be exact. Yes, I have been published in a major magazine. OK...OK...Its only a little paragraph, but it did mention the Blog and I have been getting LOTS of feedback about the Blog. I AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK....PARTS.....TECHNICAL INFORMATION...FREE STUFF...MORE FREE STUFF...ETC.
No updates on the car, I have been busy doing work on the house..Later for now.

MONSTER TACH.....OH YEAH

Just a quick post. No car is complete without a MONSTER TACH to monitor the RPM's. Though the car is not complete..I got this cheap from a co-worker and I couldn't pass up it up......Later

Optimum Bite Off The Line

With the addition of these struts the basic suspension should be in place for some serious racing. The object of drag racing is to achieve sufficient weight transfer to the rear of the car, so the tires can get some good bite. These lakewood drag shocks are the 90/10 version, which means that they allow the front end to raise quickly off the line and set the front end down quickly to avoid too much air to get under the car. Another quick update.....Later.

Gas....it does an engine good

Just a quick post to keep everyone informed. The car is now running on 100 octane and wow has it woke up the engine even more. Throttle response is instant now and with all the chassis stiffening the car really feels solid. I have included a picture of the Lower Control Arms that I have acquired. These are from JDI Performance. Jeff and Dawn at JDI Performance where very helpful and the product looks pretty good. We will see how they function. The picture also has the polyurathane spring isolator bushings from Energy Suspension. These control arms and bushings should help with the wheel hop and help keep the rotation of the axle to a minimum.....and they look pretty good too. The upper control arms will come, but I am still doing some research on the best way to go with those. Later.......

Its All In The Prep

I was never a big believer in prep work, but as I have time and I am not in a big hurry, I am taking my time when painting new/used items. I always wondered why when I have painted engine parts and stuff in the past, I would always get runs, fish eyes, etc. When you take the time to scuff, clean and use self-etching primer on items, it really makes a big difference in appearance and how long it will last. I have included pictures of the Dual Snorkel Air Cleaner assembly I finished. Yes, I am going to use the original air cleaner assembly when racing. Independent test show that the factory air cleaner would flow about 535 CFM. Based on a quality air cleaner element (K&N) and a small change in the routing of the air tubes I can estimate a CFM flow of about 881. Based on my calculations, I should see a 2-4 tenth drop in the quarter mile times.
I can say one thing about taking this building a race car seriously..I am actually learning from this project. I am surprised on the amount of geometry, algebra, physics, etc that are needed to build a car. MY BRAIN HURTS....That's it for now.

Update..Update...where is the update???

Sorry for the delay but I have been busy with work and other things in life. I have included a picture of the interior, so that you can see the interior progress. I lost lots of weight in the interior, but as you can see, I have kept it pretty intact. The other pictures that you see include pictures of the Sub-Frame Connector. These are the bolt-in style, but they will get welded in the future. (I NEVER WANT TO PUT A SET ON AGAIN!!!!) As you can see as well, I have begun painting and repairing the bottom of the car. I have included some before and after photos. I also included a photo of the new "Torque Boxes" from JMI Performance. These are to support the bottom lower control arm mounts. I have primed em' and painted em' red to give some contrast to all that black under the car. It should go well with the black and red paint the car will have. Well, that is it for now....