B3R Garage: An Old Cam Fixes a New Problem

My 1984 Mercury Capri has been the cause of many headaches over the past few months. There was a time where I could hop in and turn the key and the car would start. However, after a few times of starting the car it appeared as though the timing would change and the car would backfire out the exhaust and the intake. So, I invited a family member down to look at the issue. As it turned out the $240 Edelbrock (part #7122) cam and lifter kit I installed had burnt out. This really made me mad. The Mad Scientist and I followed the instruction to the "T" for installing it and took liberal lubrication to the extreme. However, the third piston lobes and lifters seemed to grind down to a smooth cave in a matter of a few operational hours. I ended up pulling the Edelbrock cam and lifters, just to put back in the original cam, and some over-counter lifter. With the old equipment in the car runs like a champ. Unfortunately, I am lacking the power I was promised and expecting from Edelbrock I can at least go down the road.

B3R Garage: Troublesome Timing Issues

When you begin to near the completion of custom car that you have never done before all of the tiny kinks and imperfections tend to reveal themselves. For my 1984 Mercury Capri, the problem laid in my inability to understand why my Edelbrock 1406 four barrel carburetor would not idle at all.

Why won't my Edelbrock 1406 idle?

B3R Garage: Fuel Line Upgrade-Old, Modern, & New

     Year ago when the Mad Scientist was young the normal method for installing fuel lines in any and all cars involved hard rubber hose and steel hose clamps. As the years passed much of the rubber hoses were replaced with steel fuel lines. At the current time there is yet another alternative to automotive fuel lines available known simply as AN(Army/Navy).

     Due to pressure issues with common rubber hoses, routing issues with steel fuel lines the 1984 Mercury Capri will be getting a fuel pump to carburetor fuel line upgrade. Currently, the fuel line from the Edelbrock fuel pump pours into a Mr. Gasket adjustable pressure regulator and gauge before actually entering the carburetor.

     Although the paperwork for the stock replacement Edelbrock Fuel Pump states that it should not require a pressure regulator, it produces approximately 7.5-10 lb. of fuel pressure before entering the pump. The issue is caused when the information about the Carburetor (Edelbrock 1406) states it should have no more than 6 lb. of fuel pressure at any given time. Therefore, a pressure regulator was needed to reduce the flow of fuel into the Edelbrock 1406 carburetor.

Unfortunately, the rubber fuel line coming from the pump into the fuel pressure regulator continues to leak due to excessive pressure and weak hose clamps. Therefore the foxbody Capri will be getting an AN -6 fuel line and fitting upgrade from the fuel pump to the carburetor.

B3R Garage: The '84 Capri Finally Hits the Ground

For a few weeks now my 1984 Foxbody Capri has been giving the Mad Scientist and I issues. However, over the weekend we were able to finally bleed all of the brakes and run the car through the gears while up on jack stands. We were even able to have the car idle on its own for the fist time ever. It was kind of nice to get out of the car while it ran and walk down the road a little just to see how it sounded from a distance.

Unfortunately, after a few time of letting the car idle for several minutes it would eventually die. After this occurred several time the car became very difficult to start and would not idle at all. I could not figure out why my Edelbrock Carburetor would not idle at all. I tried a few thing to hopefully remedy the issue but had no luck. On thing I did was included a fuel pressure gauge following my fuel pump to ensure I had enough fuel pressure. I also put a 2.5" spacer in between the carburetor and intake because it seemed as though I only had the issue after the car got up to running temp. Unfortunately  none of my attempts seemed to fix the issue. So I will eventually be swapping out the Edelbrock Carb for a known good one, and will eventually take the Edelbrock Carb apart for a rebuild.

Here is the video of the car Idling on the ground for the first time.
* I'm actually listening to the Radio in the car.

B3R Garage: '84 Mercury Capri Update

The 1984 Mercury Capri foxbody project has proven to be a bit of a tough pill to swallow for some time now. The recent issue I was having with the car was that the stock replacement starter shorted out. After a bit of research, I came to discover that most stock replacement starter bought at your local auto parts stores a re manufactured with used parts. bummer. Fortunately, I was able to come up with enough funds to buy a new replacement. The new starter is a Mini High Torque Starter from Summit Racing.

The process for installing the new starter involved pulling the engine yet again due to installing long-tube Hooker Headers. So, over the weekend the Mad Scientist and I disconnected the transmission mounts and hoses, drained the radiator, and removed the radiator. The radiator was removed to prevent unintentional damage when pulling up the motor. After the motor was pulled the new multi-position starter was set to optimal positioning and installed.

Additional parts installed included pre-bent transmission lines from Cool Tubes, and a new mechanical fuel pump by Edelbrock. The pre-bent tubes where installed to make sure that there was no real possibility of transmission fluid leaks in the near future. The Edelbrock fuel pump was installed to make sure that the new carburetor was receiving enough fuel to power the modified engine.

To finish the car off a set of 23" Jones Glasspack Straight pipe mufflers where installed along with the a modified Hooker down-pipes. Instead of keeping the original exhaust the Mad Scientist and I went ahead and installed 2.5" side-pipe exhaust tips that expel just before the rear tires.

With the exception of installing all of the interior components, and installing the front bumper clip the car is essentially completed. Although it is nearly done, I am sure that the car will undergo various changes in the near future including upgrades to suspension, and inter/exterior design & paint. So keep in touch in order to see some of the new images and videos of the 1984 Mercury Capri. This is one custom car.