B3R Garage: Spinning the Wheels

Over two weeks ago I found myself, my wife, and the Mad Scientist cruising down the interstate in my '84 Mercury Capri at a more than reasonable rate of speed. Unfortunately before the ride was over the oil pump drive shaft decided it no longer wanted to participate and SNAPPED!  It was fun while it lasted. I won't lie, it is a great feeling to have been able to tear down a car and build it back up in less than a year. In fact, the Mad Scientist and I not only rebuilt one car but two. Due to a rapid shortage of funds, my poor Mercury will have to sit in the garage for a while longer. On the plus side my replacement RPM cam and lifter kit from Edelbrock was received just last week. Soon enough the winter season will be upon us and I'm not too sure that I feel safe testing the limits of the Capri in snowy conditions. So, it is likely that my 1984 Mercury Capri will simply have to sit in the garage until summer. It is looking as thought the winter project this year will be pulling the motor yet again in order to install a new oil pump drive shaft and my replacement cam and lifters.

Although the Capri has had little street time, the Mad Scientist's Maverick is still out on the prowl. If you are ever in the fort and happen to see bright blue 1970 Maverick with a three barrel carburetor scoop sticking out of the hood, you can probably bet that it is the Mad Scientist. If you are driving by, make sure to give him a "Thumbs-UP", and if you have time to stop be sure to let him know what you think of his ride. Although there where many ups and downs in building it, it turned out to be a lot of fun. Make sure to look out for the Maverick at the local cars shows as well. Perhaps the Capri will make it next year.

B3R Garage: The 84 Capri Project Hits The Road

It has take quite a while, but it has happened. My 1984 Mercury Capri has finally hit the road at an acceptable speed. Over the past two weekends I have been able to jump in and cruise up and down the road in my neighborhood a few times. Doing so was convenient for calibrating the carb and testing the transmission. However, this weekend I felt comfortable enough to leave the neighborhood and head down to the local gas station. Prior to leaving I conveniently fixed a slight battery charging issue by replacing the original 1982 alternator with a fresh one. So, the trip went well. I know that the hood is still missing (I need a hole in the middle of it so that it will fit), but below is a small clip of the '84 Capri getting warmed up for the short ride.

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: All new Still Issues

The 1984 Mercury Capri was intended to be a work in progress. However, I did have a time-frame in mind that I would like to have been driving it! Over the past few months I have been spending my weekends traveling to the Mad Scientist in order to work out the bugs with his 1970 Ford Maverick-leaving the Capri on the back burner. While helping the Mad Scientist, I would put as much spare time as I could tinkering with my Capri. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the idling issue on my own. So, I had to recruit some help from someone willing to travel just to see the engine. I called Pep!

B3R Garage: The Capri nears the Finish line

My 1984 Mercury Capri has seen a little neglect on the site in the past two months, but its progress continues. Unfortunately, I had a little transmission problems. As it turns out the current header setup requires that the entire engine and transmission be pulled every time the transmission needs to be removed. So, over the past two months the Capri has been completely dissected once again. The radiator, motor, headers, and all were once again removed in order to get to the tightly packed in transmission. The transmission was taken down to a local transmission repair shop to be completely rebuilt.

After just under two weeks the transmission was returned. However, after shifting it through the gears while it was in the car; it appears as though the shift kit was put in wrong! Go figure. On the plus side, I was able to gather enough hardware to put the cars interior trim back in, install the door panels, and even the glove box. I won’t lie, it is kind of nice being able to put my arm on the arm rest once again.

Tasks still at hand include fixing a minor power-steering leak, tune the carb, check the timing (yes again!), sand down the front bumper – primer it – paint it, and finally install it. As it turns out Orland Indiana has started having a car show in town ever third Tuesday of the month. I would like to get the car up and ready to go before the following week, but it may not happen. The Mad Scientist’s 1970 Maverick will likely be making the event. So, if you are interested in checking it out make sure you are in the area. If my Capri makes the deadline you are sure to hear B3R cars long before you see them. Hope to see you there.  

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.

B3R Garage: Craigslist Win!

Craigslist has been arguably one of the most used online services for buying and selling product locally. For most individuals, Craigslist may even be seen as a very lucrative source for finding parts for their particular project car or truck. However, in our neck of the woods Craigslist is more commonly used by companies than individuals. Therefore, it may be exceptionally easy for some to find parts for their 1984 Foxbody projects or Mavericks, but it is not for those of us here at B3R Garage.

Over the life of the '84 Capri Project build I have only had the ability to come across a broken T5 transmission that would fit in my ride. This was true until this last weekend. Over the weekend I came across a Craigslist post pertaining to chrome rims. Although I had a vision of what my Capri should look like I could not turn down a set of chrome rims for only $125. So I took a look. Conveniently the rims where in great condition and accommodated the 4x4.25 or 4x108mm lug spacing needed to fit.

With a set of new rubber and a little bit of chrome polish I am sure these rims will do just fine.