About to purchase a capri...

[pauleo9]

Hello All,

I'm looking at purchasing a Ford Capri 2.0 S from a someone and I'm just looking for some advice. My knowledge is limited but we all have to start somewhere I guess!

The car has sat still (in a garage) for over two years and has over 99000 miles on the clock. The body work is in great condition considering the age and the interior is all original. The underneath, wings, door hinges, suspension struts are all in great condition.

The concerns I have are over the engine, brakes and tyres. The brakes are stiff because its not been used for at least 2yrs and I'm worried that starting it could damage the engine. Should I be looking to have the engine reconditioned considering the time it's sat and the mileage on it? If so, what sort of price could I expect? I've been told that I should drain the oil & fuel and hand turn before starting.

Does anyone know of any garages in the northwest that I could speak with that have good knowledge/work with capris?

Is there anything else I need to consider since its sat for so long?

I understand that this is difficult to advise on when you havent seen the car, but any pointers would be welcome!! I just want to get a good idea of how much is going to cost before purchasing the car.

Thank you!

Paul

[stevep944]

Change the oil and filter, new petrol and coolant, charge battery and start it up and see.
If the engine was really no good replacements/or parts are plentiful and cheap still.
Take a look at www.capripower.co.uk/forum/index.php?/index for loads of helpful advice from Capri enthusiasts.

[Tubb]

Check the tyres too, if its been sat on its wheels for a couple of years they could be knackered.
If it was me, I would see if the engine turns over by hand before trying to start it.

[pauleo9]

Brilliant, thanks for the tips!

Luckily the person selling it has said I can use the garage its stored in as temporary storage/working space until I get it running. One thing I'm not sure about is whether it can run on unleaded or if I still need to use a lead additive. If I'm looking to get it changed to unleaded, how much can I expect it to cost? I believe its the valves that need changing as they get ruined by the unleaded fuel.

I'm thinking that once I get it running, take it to a suitable garage to look it over an get it through an MOT, is that the process I should be looking at? Never done anything like this before so is that the route I should be looking to go??

Thanks again for your help!! Much appreciated!!

[Tubb]

Getting the head converted to run unleaded will cost a couple hundred quid I would of thought. It will need the valves and valveseats changing to hardened ones.
You could probably pick up a secondhand unleaded head on ebay or a ford owners club for not much.
Or you could leave it as is and use a lead additive - I use Castrol Valvemaster in my Capri.

Regarding getting it MOT'd, it depends if you want to do all the work yourself - if it was me I would just stick it in for an MOT and see what it fails on, then take it away and do the work myself.

[pauleo9]

I'll get a few prices for a second hand head and the see how much it is to get the other converted. Someone told me that you shouldn't really run the car on the lead additive for too long, can this be a problem or is it ok to just keep using the additive?

I think I'll do that with the MOT, I'll do what I can myself an save some money. Firstly I'll run through the things above thats been mentioned - drain oil/fuel, change filter, turn by hand before starting, check tyres and brakes out, then throw it in for an MOT to see what else is needed.

Thanks for the advice, no doubt I'll be back on this forum again with more questions!!

Cheers

[checkmate91]

Change the tyres, they'll be flat-spotted. Every chance the timing belt will have perished if the engine's not been regularly turned over. Good practice will be to change the brake fluid, coolant, oil (which has the added advantage of soaking camshaft and sundry other surfaces on replenishing). Battery may also not hold a charge after being sat for so long.

[checkmate91]

And (forgot to add) go for a well-known lead substitute. Castrol Valvemaster is well regarded as is Redline Lead Substitute. Both are available from Demon Tweeks and other well known retailers. As for how long to run LS for, I ran a mini for about 60k miles on Redline LS, no problem at all. To be frank, I over-judged the amounts rather than try to save myself a few pence. That particular car ran loads of high speed mileage and when I took the engine apart the valves and seats were the least of my probs (bearing wear after 110k miles and flywheel fretting onto crankshaft were the expensive areas, the cylinder head was more or less reuseable)

In your case however a 99k pinto engine is getting on for end-of-life anyway...

Edited by checkmate91 on Thursday 2nd September 22:14

[Spitfire2]

Only thing I'd add is that when you are ready to try the engine, remove plugs and turn over on the starter to get the oil pressure up. I had a 2.0 Capri years back and can't remember if it has an oil pressure gauge but in any case, turn it over until oil light goes out. Then put plugs back in and try to start.

This'll reduce initial wear on dry bearings should the car fire up first time - stranger things have happened.

[ymwoods]

In terms of the underneath you say it is all in good condition. Has it ever been welded? It's rare to find one that hasn't and it is not a big deal if it has been welded either but I know a few people with un-welded Capri's and its always a glorious sight when the MOT man sees it.

[pauleo9]

Ok, once I get it going I think I’ll start with the lead additive to put me over while looking to get the valves e.t.c changed to use unleaded. Think I’ll pick up a second hand battery for the time being as well. Any particular brand of tyres recommended?

Regarding the engine, I’ve been told they start to degrade after about 80,000 miles, would having the engine reconditioned be worth while or just put the money into purchasing a lower mileage engine? (which I’m guessing there are many knocking about now).

I’ve not managed to get underneath (currently stored in a very cramped garage), but the owner passed away and it’s being sold by his wife, who does know too much about the car. As far as I know this fella has put a hell of a lot of effort into looking after it. Its never seen rain while in his possession and always been garage stored, but I will check for welding next time I go to look (if I can move it out the garage!).

I’ve got a good feeling that I’ll be able to get it going, its just the mileage on the engine that is a concern. I’d like to use it as a regular vehicle (show it off as much as possible!) but want to make sure it will keep me going before becoming too reliant on it.

Thanks again for all your advice people!!

[stevep944]

I'd think the engine mileage would be your least concern to be honest, they are easily replaced or reconditioned.
More important and possibly expensive would be the dreaded rust!! Look all over very carefully!

[charlestdci]

You may find this info useful re: pinto engines and suitability for unleaded fuel:
http://www.burtonpower.com/technical_1/unleaded_fu...

[hot metal]

stevep944 said:

I'd think the engine mileage would be your least concern to be honest, they are easily replaced or reconditioned.
More important and possibly expensive would be the dreaded rust!! Look all over very carefully!

I agree ,apart from the obvious places check the a posts,turret tops,chassis rails ,particularly around the rear spring mounts.
Also check underneath the headlights as this area collects water.

It doesn`t require an expert to work on a Capri as they are realy just like a big Escort,very similar layout.

Edited by hot metal on Sunday 5th September 09:44

[pauleo9]

I've checked all over the car and can only find the odd bit of paint bubbling, so apart from that its in remarkable condition. It's been dry stored for years and been very well taken care of.

I'm thinking that once I get it going I'll put it in for an MOT and see what comes back. Once it's passed an MOT I'll get the engine reconditioned to give it a bit more life and concentrate on bring the rest of it up to scratch.

Think I just need to concentrate on the cost of getting it going then worry about the rest later, obviously the cost of getting it road-ready will determine what I'm going to offer. I was wondering whether this model would be fitted with power steering, how would I tell? If it isn't I probably look at getting it fitted so how much could I expect?

[Wacky Racer]

checkmate91 said:

In your case however a 99k pinto engine is getting on for end-of-life anyway...

I have done over 500,000 miles over the years in various Cars fitted with pinto engines, both 1600 and 2L. never had a single scrap of bother...They are bulletproof.

I ran one Granada 2L for over 140,000m, engine sweet as a nut.

Just make sure the oil and filter are changed every 6k. as the spray bar can get clogged causing premature camshaft wear....A fairly easy cheap fix anyway.

[hot metal]

Wacky Racer said:

checkmate91 said:

In your case however a 99k pinto engine is getting on for end-of-life anyway...

I have done over 500,000 miles over the years in various Cars fitted with pinto engines, both 1600 and 2L. never had a single scrap of bother...They are bulletproof.

I ran one Granada 2L for over 140,000m, engine sweet as a nut.

Just make sure the oil and filter are changed every 6k. as the spray bar can get clogged causing premature camshaft wear....A fairly easy cheap fix anyway.

I used to change the spray bar regularly too, cheap and easy, can`t hurt.

[pauleo9]

Hey! Would just like to say thanks for all your help people! I'm now the proud owner of a Ford Capri Mk3 2.0 S. I'll get some pics up when I get chance if anyone wants a look. Passed its MOT 2weeks ago so just need to get rid of my current car so I can make the most of the Capri and show it off!

There's a couple of small things I'd like to see to ...

The radio doesn't seem to work
- It turns on, but no sound comes from the speakers. I thought they might need replacing but thought it was weird that none of them worked. Coincidence or should be expected? I'd like to keep the original radio but not sure what spec' speakers I need to replace the originals with, any ideas?

Central arm rest has collapsed
- The arm rest behind the handbrake has caved in a bit, not massive problem but will probably keep my eye open for a replacement on ebay or something.

Heater motor
- I think the heater motor has gone. I half expected this as I heard this is quite a prone problem. Any ideas on how complex/simple this is to change?

Boot pistons
- Again, something that isn't exactly a big problem but its the small details that can make a big difference. Probably keep an eye on ebay again e.t.c

Seats and Dash
- The traditional dash cracks and front seat 'wear and tear'. Nothing major but would like to try and fix at some point.


And apart from a few other tinkering bits, then that's about it! Again, thanks for all the help and advice, really helped me! Cheers!

[young_bairn]

pauleo9 said:

Hey! Would just like to say thanks for all your help people! I'm now the proud owner of a Ford Capri Mk3 2.0 S. I'll get some pics up when I get chance if anyone wants a look. Passed its MOT 2weeks ago so just need to get rid of my current car so I can make the most of the Capri and show it off!

There's a couple of small things I'd like to see to ...

The radio doesn't seem to work
- It turns on, but no sound comes from the speakers. I thought they might need replacing but thought it was weird that none of them worked. Coincidence or should be expected? I'd like to keep the original radio but not sure what spec' speakers I need to replace the originals with, any ideas?

Central arm rest has collapsed
- The arm rest behind the handbrake has caved in a bit, not massive problem but will probably keep my eye open for a replacement on ebay or something.

Heater motor
- I think the heater motor has gone. I half expected this as I heard this is quite a prone problem. Any ideas on how complex/simple this is to change?

Boot pistons
- Again, something that isn't exactly a big problem but its the small details that can make a big difference. Probably keep an eye on ebay again e.t.c

Seats and Dash
- The traditional dash cracks and front seat 'wear and tear'. Nothing major but would like to try and fix at some point.


And apart from a few other tinkering bits, then that's about it! Again, thanks for all the help and advice, really helped me! Cheers!

r.e speakers it is probably a loose connection or the radio is gone.

I would love a capri. My dad had one and I thought it was the coolest car in the world

[pauleo9]

I don't know where my fascination with capri's come from but I'm made up I've got it!

I actually tried the cassette player yesterday and it seems to work, slightly. When a tape is put in, it will play for two seconds on one side and then switch to the otherside, and again play for 2 seconds then switch back. No idea why this is happening, any clues? If I'm going to replace it I'd like another original, but I'm not sure how often they come about. Worked out two of the speakers have gone though, I believe they are 4x6's in the front, not sure about the back.

Took the interior door panel off and the speakers seem to be riveted to the door! Not sure if it is supposed to be like this but any clues to get the speakers out would be brilliant!!