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....

PLANTING THE POWER

I have been working to gather parts for the suspension. Here is what has been gathered up..so far. 1 set of Moroso Rear Trick Springs. I have included a diagram on what the springs should do to help plant power. As you can see by the picture, the rear springs are the black colored ones and one spring is longer than the other. This is the principal behind the the function of the springs. The passenger side has a tendency to plant all the power, so you get some twist and the car does not launch straight or plant the power evenly. These springs should help plant the power equally and make the car launch straight. The shocks in the picture are some Competition Engineering Rear Shocks. They are adjustable in 3-ways 50/50;40/60; and 30/70. These ratios represent the percentage of force required to compress and extend the shock unit. I'll probably set the rear at 50/50, this seems to be the best place to start and I'll adjust as needed. The yellow springs are for the front end. These are springs from Laurel Mountain Mustang. The springs help in weight transfer to the rear of the car, helping with the planting of the power. I have yet to find a set of front shocks...well I can find em' I just don't want to pay for em'. I'll keep looking because patients has paid off so far. I have also got a set of new Energy Suspension Coil Spring Isolators and Isolator Set for the front springs...The guy on Ebay threw them in with purchase of the springs. That saved me $25. SCORE. FREEBEE. Ok, so here are some great parts, I just hope I get them on soon and hopefully they work.

Leftovers

Look at the "spares" now. I had some center's laying around in a box and I have been meaning to put them on Ebay, but for a recycling job, they look pretty good. I had to trim some of the lip and "bond" them to the wheel, but it looks pretty good. They look offcenter in the picture, but they actually aren't. Hey, nobody will be looking at the cap when I am flying by anyway.
Here is something that you might find interesting. My ShopVac was full of debris. Why is that interesting you ask? Well it weighed almost 2 pounds. I know I am stretching here, but can you believe that you could have almost 3 pounds of sand, mud, hairpins, change, loose metal, sound deadener, screws and other interesting items hiding throughout your vehicle? That's it for now. Two days in a row on posting. I can't make this a habit.

I Did It One Piece At A Time!

As Johnny Cash would say, " I did it one piece at a time and it didn't cost me a dime." Well, it is costing me, but as cheaply as possible. What you see above is the "budget" front runner for 4 lug fox-body cars. These aluminum wheels where used on several ford vehicles as spare tire wheels to reduce overall weight in the cars, and when you can locate them, they make a cheap alternative to buying the "high dollar" branded wheels. You can easily spend $400.00 for a set for the front. My cost? Rims and tires? $120. This by far has been my biggest expense, but it helped in several categories. I saved 10 pounds per tire and 11 pounds per wheel. That's 42 more pounds off the car. Ok, for those that are not keeping track of the weight reduction. We are now at a total of 452 pounds of stuff being removed from the car. As for me, I have now lost 29 pounds. So, in theory, that's 481 pounds the car doesn't have to carry around anymore. For those that need to know. I was 217 pounds in January 2006, as of May 2006 I was 188 pounds. At 6'3" I am looking like I used to a LONGGGGGGG time ago.
The "skinny" tires will also help with the rolling resistance the car has , so in theory, I should be able to pick-up some time and some MPH down the track. Also, they look pretty good. Maybe I'll get the time to throw them on the car in the next several days. SEE YA>>>>>

SUPER SIZE ME!!!!

Hey, just a quick post. If you click on the pictures, you can super size the pictures to get more detail. Or see more stuff I missed. HA!! HA!!

It's Running Again

Ok, I have put the gas tank back in and the car started right-up. Before I installed the tank I did put new fuel line and clamps on. I had lots of problems finding hardware to put the tank back in, but thanks to Lowes and some creative thinking I managed to create some new body clips to hold the straps to the body. The originals broke and they are a part that is no longer available. I am also replacing any bolts with grade 8 bolts when I can. The local hardware store is going out of business, so I have been able to get some good deals on the bolts. By the way, it sucks putting a gas tank back in by yourself.
I Include some pictures of what the area looked like before and after. I scuffed the area with a 3M pad and removed any of the "flaky" rust. I then wiped it done with some 3M metal prep and proceeded to paint the area with some Silver Bullet. (Visit rustbullet.com) for more info on the product. The stuff required 2 coats as the manufacturer recommended and I then waited 24 hours for the stuff to cure and sprayed it with some flat black. It doesn't look to bad for the area that I did. I am doing sections at a time, so nobody give me a hard time about the areas that are not done. I have been gathering several pieces for the suspension, so hopefully by the next post I'll be able to show you what I have done with that.

Nothing Ever Goes As Planned

Well, it has been 21 days since my last post. I knew this was going to take forever.........My plan was to take the gas tank out, so that I could clean up underneath the car and install the suspension components a little easier. This did not happen as planned. 23 years of decay and gunk have taken easy jobs and turned them into a ALL DAY affairs. The gas tank in these things are held in with two straps bolted to the frame. Simple 30 minute job and the tank is out. How about THREE HOURS. Bolts broke...etc...etc. After the tank was out, you guessed it, I found a crack in the gas tank, nothing major, but a definent setback. So, after repairing the tank and letting it cure for several days it is leak free and has a new coat of paint. I have included a picture for your viewing. This has been my excitement with the car over the last several weeks. I have been extremely busy and have had extra things going on around the house...oh... like water heater replacements, but things are coming along and I hope to have the rear suspension improved by my next post. Until then......

The First Before/After

I decided to post a before and after photo of the engine bay. People at my work think that I realy don't have a car and they need more proof that not only do I have this car, but that I actually work on it. First. I did remove another 47 pounds off of the car. This weight came off the front off the car this time not the interior.
Well, as you can see there is a difference between the engine bay before and after. I have added a MSD Blaster Coil, MSD Cap, MSD Rotor,NGK Plugs, and Jeg's 8mm wires. NO MSD IGNITION BOX? NO! The Duraspark ignition by Ford is actually a very efficient ignition. I don't plan on running NOS or anything, right now, so I'll save the cash. Believe it or not I had these parts left from the 88 Mustang I had once. (4 years ago). The old anti-freeze catch can has been replaced by a JAZ catch can($5.00 swap meet part). New Battery(courtesy of Wal-Mart---FREE by the way...I know the manager that "sponsored" me. If you look to the back firewall, you can see my aluminum fabrication. The aluminum is covering all the holes that where left after taking out the heater core, AC, and other components. The Moroso air cleaner is a Ebay find and is temporary for now.
Not a lot of fancy stuff under the hood here. It doesn't make the car go faster, so why waste the cash. Bye for now.

Went For A Drive

OK, removed another 12 pounds of the car today, for those that are not keeping track, that's 363 pounds of weight off the vehicle so far. I have a long way to go. I myself have lost 27 pounds...so....in theory that's 390 pounds the car won't carry anymore.
Exhaust is on, the car is tuned, so we went for a ride. The neighbor (he has a nice 80's Elcamino running 12.20's in the quarter mile) said when I took of the right rear tire came off the ground. The car had massive wheel hop. it looks like I will need to do some research on suspension. I did get the tires to bark in 3rd gear..so it seems the motor is running pretty strong. There is LOTS of body flex, so sub-frame connectors are next. There is also lots of engine movement, so I am going to work on a torque strap tomorrow. They cost $55.00 in most mail-order sites. I think I can do it for about $8.00. I will include a picture of one I will try to fabricate.
I have been asked by some web-surfers to list modifications done to the car so far. I'll work on this so others may duplicate the mod's or whatever they want to do with the info.