Saturday, September 30, 2006

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.....

Friday, September 29, 2006

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!!!

Thursday, September 28, 2006

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.....

Monday, September 25, 2006

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......

Sunday, September 24, 2006

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...

Thursday, September 21, 2006

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.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

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.

Monday, September 18, 2006

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......

Sunday, September 17, 2006

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.

Friday, September 15, 2006

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.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

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!!!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

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.

Friday, September 08, 2006

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!!!