Chrome_GT

Just logged into Oldschool for the first time in years and searched Capri, and came across this post. Awesome build JR. My orange Capri hasn't seen any attention in 7 years since having kids as well haha! So i know the feeling.

Just in case the leather strap issue isn't resolved you can order them minispares.com or any other Mini parts uppliers. They are used on Mini bonnets a lot and will be the perfect size. 

Mikesgarage

Good for modern stuff. Offer various brands. Beware they always charge VAT even though sending international. Irish rules apparently. Good prices. Efficient shopping. Good website

Have bought alfa stuff from there

Cheers

I had same symptoms on my capri. Would pull up at lights an the car would just die as it dropped to idle, ten wouldn't restart. Another symptom at te same time was on cold humid nights the car wouldn't fire unless the the distributor was kept reasonably warm. I honestly had a hair dryer in the garage to help in those situations

The problem: I was running a non ballast coil when I should have been running a ballast coil. So even though I could see the spark whenever I checked, it must have been quite weak.

I'm unsure I this helps you though with you elec ignition. The knowledge it was a weak spark may help narrow it down.

Brilliant to see the feedback on here. I'll get in touch over pm with more details.

Got some work required for the mini and then the capri you may be keen to have a go at.

Mini needs a new piece of tunnel section under the handbrake lever. The front weld on the level bracket gave way which meant the bracket pryed open a nasty tear every time the handbrake was used. Can you braze as well? I noticed there is already some brazing there so that may change what you do. Will send photos etc so you can give me an idea of what you reckon is needed and cost etc.

Capri has some quite serious work at the lh sill, floor, inner guard. Also many minor jobs required such as bubbles on arches, patch near headlights etc.

FTR I've had my mini and capri with ami for many years now under the vintage/classic policy. Very cheap insurance but the vehicle couldn't be your 'daily' . So for a while there my mini was my daily while the capri was my classic. I've never had to agree to a km limit. never claimed so no experience on that side of things yet.

Not sure if similar but...

On my mk2 capri, the hinges were sloppy simply because the hinge pins were rotten. All they are is roll pins which you can buy from edl blacks etc. you tap/pull them out of the hinge and whack some new ones with copper grease and all is well. In my case I used a Sykes pickervant hinge pin removal tool.

BMW Museum / Showroom in Munich as well. Unfortunately the Factory tour wasn't happening on the day i was there due to storm damage. If you are ever in Munich - definitely add it to your list even if you don't particularly go for Beamers. The Sky tower & old Olympic village are just across the road.

Great architecture and quite an experience watching the drama as people pick up their new cars. When the lucky family arrives they are escorted up to their new car which is spinning on a turning platform. They take family photos with the car and all sorts. Then after a big handshake the family drives off down a swish spiral indoor road with everyone watching. 

You asked for opinions so here's mine The back is just slightly too low for me, relative to the front. Depends on how accurate that Photoshop image is though. 

Hi. I'm particularly interested in British motors Ford OHC, Mini A Series Engines etc. I've found David Vizards books quite good (Ford SOHC, Mini & BL Series). They'll give you a good all round understanding of things which can be done. As someone said above details may change with Jappa motors but maybe a good intro is what you need before worrying about details.

https://www.google.c...iw=1851&bih=995

I learnt most of the stuff while doing an aircraft mechanic course with Air NZ as the tutors would go off in tangents when we discussed Piston Engines Are there any cheap courses at Polytech that do an engine rebuild over a couple weeks? You can guarantee the tutor and other students will discuss potential mods while you are rebuilding the bog standard motor.

Sorry didn't read the rest of the posts. I did exactly the same thing on my driveshaft. Same place even.

New single piece driveshaft for the Capri $263 in 1999

Cut driveshaft shorter and weld a different yoke on, and balance. $115 in 2001.

I'd say your prices are pretty much bang on considering inflation over the last 12 years.

FYI. I had massive shudder while gently turning left in the Capri (not during braking). Turned out to be a slightly loose inner TCA Bolt. Only found it myself after spending a fortune on disc rotors, wheel balancing, alignment, Ford dealership mechanics. Not sure if this applies to your case but worth checking.

On a side note..beware that more cores doesn't always mean better cooling.

For a work project we did back to back testing of two custom built aluminium radiators with the only difference being 2 core vs 3 core (and thicker corresponding end tanks). same cross section, Same engine, same fan , same rpm, electric fuel pump at same flow. Found absolutely no improvement in cooling - a surprising result but made some sense when we put it down to...more cores means more air resistance. With more air resistance you get slower/less air flow. Front cores trasnfer lesss heat due to reduced air flow and the rearmost core can be surrounded by warm/hot air. Basically just ended up with a heavier radiator carrying extra fluid.

Hey. Is there any chance you swapped the Coil recently? I had these symptoms. Turned out I'd put a non ballast coil into my car (which has a ballast resistor) This gave less spark so although it ran, it was difficult to start when cold and if dropping revs at intersections it'd sometimes die.

As they said. Got my Capri one re cored for $200 at A1 radiators. Looks like new!!

Consider a Jaguar MK2?

True Story - a mate bought one for $6500 in mid 2010 which needed some body repairs and had badly faded paint. (Quite a good find though - would expect to pay somewhere just under 10 for the condition it was in)

With a cut & polish and a $1000 panel beating bill for repairs on one side he sold it for $15000. That was after using it for his wedding photos etc. Tin arse!

Once they are tidy these old brits go into a different market - full of old dudes or people wanting to start up wedding car businesses etc. Quite different to a car that appeals to the younger market as they are prepared to pay $$$ to spare themselves the ordeal of completing a restoration.

There is one opposite Blackadder motors in chch for $5500.

If they are the same as the escort ones then contact palmside automotive - hoonhay

Yeah I'm on my 2nd urethane one - the holes ended up oval which caused the steering to slip and graunch when tight turns at low speeds (ie parking). Could be due to proximity to the pipes. Only replaced it with another urethane cos it was convenient.

Not sure where you could get rubber ones

I imagine one of those paint remover drill attachments will rip the clearcoat off no problem

Haven't read all the above posts. I have only seen one semi-official mention of this so far (stuff website article).

Otherwise they've been discussing this since when i first started to drive in 1998. I was quite surprised last week when i read that it was actually going ahead.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicle/registr ... ntary.html

smaller than normal registration plates (300mm x 114mm) and have the word ‘supplementary’ along the bottom.

Normal plates are

360mm x 125mm

So they aren't actually that much smaller. I was picturing half the size. Oh well - it's already on its way.

http://www.licensys.com/NewZealand/Supp ... fault.aspx

http://spokemagazine.com/2011/08/12/i-f ... -are-here/

Supplementary Plate will cost $17.08 (incl. GST) and takes 7 – 10 working days to be mailed by standard post

Just incase anyone is interested. The intention is obviously for use when bike racks obscure the view of the original plate. However if you have P-Plates then you might just want your own mini copy. It's a shame they say supplementary - otherwise they could look very cool fitted o the front of a mini. Probably highly illegal though due to reduced size. I've just ordered one.

Enjoy

No matter which euro you go for you should consider getting parts from Speed.co.nz. Speed fills the gap where repco / supercheap etc don't supply many euro parts and dealers who do have the parts but at ridiculous prices.

http://speed.co.nz/page.php?pid=33

Whenever I need something in a hurry due to failed wof or unplanned maintenance I order bits from Speed. To give you an idea of prices, the bits I have purchased have been approximately:

V6 thermostat - $100 from speed, $300 from Euromarque chch

rear transverse arm $108 from speed, $250 from Euromarque.

Add a bit for overnight shipping.

As mentioned above - For other planned stuff like cam belt, auxiliary gear i'm purchasing from alfaworshop http://www.alfaworkshop.co.uk/ which works out cheaper again even though freight for 2kg is approx nz$50. Haven't had any GST issues yet. Parts take 2 weeks to arrive.

Alfa .................... have the turning circle of the titanic.

Very True on the V6. Get used to 3 point turns.

Got a 98 Alfa 156 V6 6spd

I really enjoy owning it.

A few good things:

Fast with brilliant noise on acceleration

Gorgeous from the right angles.

Nice factory alloys - some types are ugly but i like the 16's

Best car to drive of anything I've been in. Twisted roads in the mountains - yummy

Sporty but comfortable Interior (Audis are soooo boring on the inside)

Look more expensive than they actually are. People are surprised every time i tell them how much i paid for it. ($8800 in 2009 with 72k)

After owning Classics - I love how reliable they are - seriously!

They aren't a target for thieves.

Bad things.

Parts are pricey. Cambelt change minimum $1200. I've been buying parts from the UK to spread the cost over time - alfaworkshop.

You need to find a mechanic who knows them. Normally Simple jobs seems to come back with a massive labour cost.

400km from 60litres approximately so quite thirsty.

Impractical - 100mm ground clearance to lower cross brace if sportpack config.

Tiny boot with awkward shape access. Difficult to get more than one luggage case in.

Test drive!! So important. I found a massive difference in enjoyment in the non sports 2.0ts compared to a 2.5 6spd with sports suspension etc. The 2.0 nearly put me off 156s completely

Hope this helps.

This is identical to what i've got at 10k in a car yard. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-ca ... 744993.htm

Same here, run my Capri for 20mins every fortnight or so. The longer it has been since the last run, the more carbon/moisture spits out. Pretty normal so don't worry about it.

To fire up it also requires a spray with jump start if it has been sitting for more than a few weeks - - would be interesting to see if you guys do the same.