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  1. #1
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Smile Hemlock's 1984 Mercury RS 5.0 Capri build Thread

    Hopefully this isn't too long winded

    In early 1984 My Father bought this car brand new from the local Ford dealer here in my home town of Santa Clarita, California. The car came fully loaded with the 5.0 4V H.O. motor, 5 speed T-5 transmission, T-Tops, Cruise Control, AC, Rear defroster, Power Windows and Locks, Premium Sound and the RS graphics kit. I am guessing that when the kit was being installed the person that put it on messed up the front air dam stripe because when my father bought the car it didn't have it on. It never bothered him it wasn't there, so he never fixed it. In Christmas of 1990, I was riding a junker motorcycle and my dad and mom were moving out of state for his work. He knew the RS wouldn't have made the trip across the country because of the work it needed so, he asked me if I would like to have it as a Christmas gift from him. I said HELL YEAH! The car had several problems which included the carb when I got it, so I had the carb rebuilt and got it working correctly. I drove the car for another 100,000 miles before the crankshaft broke in 1995 at around 180,000 miles.

    The original motor was in bad shape. When the crankshaft broke it took out the front main on the block and bent several of the rods. I basically pulled the top end off the motor and junked the rest of the block in a dumpster. I moved the car into my garage and there it sat for 11 years with no motor or transmission in it. I bought a few small parts for the motor over the years but never really had the cash to buy the major parts I needed to get the car back on the road. I am sure I could have thrown something together motor wise but I didn't want to put it back on the road half finished or with cheap second rate parts. I put all the parts in the back of the hatch area, put a cover on the car and there it sat. Fast forward to 2007. I had just sold a house and moved my Capri to my new place and I told my wife "I am going to fix my RS with some of the money from the sale of the house!" She agreed, after I bought her a brand new 2007 Dodge Charger LOL. I wanted to make sure I bought all the really good parts for this build.

    As the car sat when I moved it to the new house after sitting for 11 years.




    First Motor, when I got to the $12,000 mark after building a new motor, new electronics, new Z-class T5 trans and new rear end is when my wife started saying "hey this is getting expensive!" So at that point I started buying items according to price, instead of just buying the best stuff I could find. After that I just bought what I needed to get the car back on the road safely. I figured I could always upgrade the other stuff down the road. My goal was to keep the interior, exterior and under hood area of the car as stock looking as possible and just add a more aggressive modern stance to the car. I got the first Motor finished at the beginning of 2007.

    (My first "Smog Legal" Motor)




    Block: Stock 1987 302 Roller
    Displacement size: 347
    Compression Ratio: 10.3:1
    Rotating assembly: Eagle Forged with SRP Pistons
    Cam: FMS Smog Legal Grind E303
    Lifters: FMS Hydraulic roller tappet
    Heads: Edelbrock Performer 60359-1.94 Intake 1.6 Exh. with stock Edelbrock valve train
    Rockers: Crower Stainless Steel Roller Rockers
    Intake Manifold: Edelbrock Performer EGR
    Carb: Holley 5.0 4V 575cfm Stock Carb
    Exhaust manifold: Stock 1985 headers 1 1/2" to 2.5" collector and Hooker true duel 2.25 offroad exhaust with cats installed
    Ignition: Full MSD Ignition
    Starter:Mcleod High torque Mini
    Power adder:None

    Running Tremec Z-Class T-5, Hurst shift kit, Aluminum FMS driveshaft, rebuilt 8.8 rear end swap with new 3:55 Gears , new Eaton Posi, new Alloy USA 31 Spline Axles, Lakewood Traction Bars, Edelbrock quiet gear drive, Milodon Oil Pan and high flow water pump, ASP red anodized underdrive pulleys, FMS "C" lowering springs, Riken Raptor Tires in back.

    Because I live in California I was initially motivated to build a "smog legal" motor. I basically wanted a motor that would pass smog, sound nice and be a decent street/track motor. It ran pretty decent and with the light weight of the car it was just a little faster then a stock SVT Cobra, raced a few guys LOL



    The motor actually put down just under 300 RWHP on a standard Dyno which is real close to what the desktop dyno predicted and I was pretty happy with the build, although it still wouldn't pass smog even with all the smog legal parts. It passed the visual but not the sniffer. The smog guy basically said "that because I had every smog legal performance part made for my motor instead of just a few combined with the 347 CID, my car would NEVER pass smog in it's current configuration". My Oil Pump locked up at around 5000 miles on the motor and I was forced to rebuild it. At this point, I said Screw it! I'm gonna build the motor I want!


    ((My Second "Screw Smog" Motor))




    Block: Stock 1991 302 Roller
    Displacement size: 347
    Compression Ratio: 10.5:1
    Rotating assembly: Eagle Forged with SRP Pistons
    Cam: Comp Cams FW XE274HR-12 with Spring matched Valve train
    Lifters: Comp Cams Hydraulic roller tappet
    Heads: Ported Edelbrock Performer 60359-1.94 Intake 1.6 Exh.
    Rockers: Crower Stainless Steel Roller Rockers
    Intake Manifold: Port matched Edelbrock RPM Air Gap
    Carb: Holley 4777 650 Double Pumper
    Exhaust manifold: Hooker 6132HKR 1 5/8" to 3" collector and Magnaflow Catted X-pipe
    Ignition: Full MSD Ignition with in car timing controller
    Starter:Mcleod High torque Mini
    Power adder:NOS 150 Shot Sniper

    Running Tremec Z-Class T-5, Hurst shift kit, Aluminum FMS driveshaft, 8.8 rear end with 3:55 Gear Ratio, Eaton Posi, Alloy USA 31 Spline Axles, Maximum Motorsports adjustable lowers and strut tower brace, Lakewood Traction Bars, Edelbrock quiet gear drive, Milodon Oil Pan and high flow water pump, ASP red anodized underdrive pulleys, FMS "C" lowering springs, BFG Drag Radials (scary to drive with old Rikens, Zero traction in first and second).



    Figure The new build will be somewhere around 480 RWHP using the nitrous, around 350 RWHP without.



    (Current Car Configuration)

    Engine:
    Engine:
    1991 302 Roller Block stroke clearanced for 347
    Eagle balanced 347 forged rotating assembly
    SRP forged pistons
    Edelbrock ported and polished aluminum heads /w
    Competition Cams reworked valve train and springs
    Crower Stainless steel roller rockers
    Edelbrock quite gear drive
    Competition Cams XE274HR cam
    Edelbrock port matched RPM Air Gap Manifold
    Holley 4777 650cfm double pumper carb
    NOS Sniper 150 wet shot Nitrous system
    MSD Pro Distributer
    MSD 6a Box
    MSD in car timing controller
    Meling high volume oil pump
    Milodon high flow water pump
    Milodon Oil pan
    Powermaster 150 amp Alt.
    ASP Red under drive pulleys
    Mishimoto Polished Aluminum Radiator
    Mcleod High Torque Starter
    Flex-a-lite Mustang Black Magic Xtreme electric fan

    Exhaust:
    Hooker Competition 1 5/8 headers w/ 3" collectors
    Stage 8 locking header bolts
    Magnaflow 2.5" catted X-pipe
    Flowmaster 40 series mufflers
    Magnaflow Stainless 3" tips


    Drive train:
    Tremec Z-Class T5 transmission
    Centerforce DF clutch and pressure plate
    Fidanza 10.5" Aluminum Flywheel
    Hurst short throw shifter kit
    Hurst Nitrous T handle
    Ford Racing aluminum drive shaft
    Ford 8.8 rear end swap
    Ford Racing 3.55 gears
    Eaton Posi unit
    Alloy USA 31 spline 5 lug axles
    Ford Racing Axle Girdle

    Suspension / Wheels & Tires:

    Custom Through floor welded sub-frame connectors

    Front:
    UPR Heavy Duty K-Member
    Viking 200lb Coil Over Springs
    Strange 10 Way Adjustable Struts
    1987-1993 Spindle Upgrade
    Power Stop Cross Drilled and Slotted Rotors
    Factory Sway bars
    Centerline Scorpions 17"x 8" w/ 5" back space
    Riken Raptor Tires 245/40R17

    Rear:
    Maximum Motorsports Adjustable Lowers
    Ford Racing Heavy Duty Uppers
    Lakewood Mustang Traction Bars
    Monroe Sensa-Trac shocks w/ Coil over for rear
    Centerline Scorpions 17"x 9.5" w/ 5" back space
    Mickey Thomson Drag Radials 275/40R17

    Stereo:

    Pioneer 6800 CD / MP3 player in dash
    Rockford Fosgate 3.5" speakers in stock dash location
    Infinity 3 way 5.25" in front of drivers and pass seats in custom boxes
    Pioneer 5 way 6" x 9" in stock hatch speaker location
    JL 12" Sub-woofer in back hatch area
    Earthquake Competition 1800 watt 5 channel amplifier in Hatch area






    I will add more pictures and videos later. I will also add mods as I upgrade parts and try to get the car closer to being done.

    Car is very fast now and to me sounds pretty nasty. Still have a bunch more stuff to do to it. Kinda wondering if I should change direction at this point in time. I am tired of jumping through all the hoops for smog on a car that in this "condition" will never pass smog here in California with the current laws. It is getting harder and harder to find someone to "help" me out with it. Love the Car, it is a family heirloom, hate the FREAKING HASSLE every 2 years! At this point I am actually considering a SuperCharged 5.0 Coyote swap. The only thing stopping me from doing it is the fact that the car will no longer have any nostalgia appeal to it at all. Might also be the $16,000 price tag to do the swap as well ROFL!

    Thank you to all the really cool people on this site that have helped me get this car back on the road, your wealth of information has been priceless! I also wanted to Thank FEP for putting together such a cool site for us Capri, Mustang and foxbody owners to come too!

    Thank you for taking the time to check out my car!
    Robert
    Last edited by Hemlock; 09-04-2020 at 10:53 AM.
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  2. #2

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    Excellent OP.
    I'd recommend going back to a stock motor for the Capri, and get something else to go really fast in - or maybe EFI?

    I had a black one, but I can't say that I remember ever seeing a white one. Good looking car!
    '88 Mustang GT convertible, T5, 3.08:1 gears. 5.0 Explobra Jet: A9L Mass Air conversion, Fenderwell Mac cold air intake, 70mm MAF meter = 4.6 T-Bird/Cougar housing + '95 Mustang F2VF-12B579-A1A sensor, aftermarket 70mm throttle body and spacer, Explorer intakes, GT40P heads with Alex's Parts springs and drilled for thermactor, Crane F3ZE-6529-AB 1.7 "Cobra" roller rockers, Ford Racing P50 headers, Mac H-pipe, Magnaflow catback, Walbro 190 LPH fuel pump, UPR firewall adjuster and quadrant with Ford OEM cable, 3G conversion ('95 Mustang V6), Taurus fan, rolled on Rustoleum gloss white paint...
    Past Four Eyes: Red well optioned '82 GT 5.0, Black T-top '81 Capri Black Magic 3.3L 4 speed, Black T-top '84 Capri RS 5.0 5 speed.Over 200,000 miles driven in Four Eyes, and over 350,000 in Fox Body cars.

  3. #3
    FEP Member
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    I really love this car. I have one exactly like it, just no where as good of shape as yours. Crazy thing is my crankshaft broke just like yours and I parked it. Right now I'm waiting for the weather to run off all the spiders and critters out of it to get started on it. Hopefully I can post a build thread also. Does you car have the burgundy interior?
    Thanks for sharing this build.

  4. #4
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Default Prepping for new Clutch, flywheel and Sub-frame connectors.

    Thanks for the compliments! I figured I would post some pics of the interior seeing as you asked about the color. When I first fixed the car, I bought new carpet, a new dash pad, a front winshield, replaced the car's failing tint and purchased a set of Pro-Car Racing seats to temporarily replace the factory ones due to a little worn out piping damage on the factory ones and the stench of cat piss! When the car was parked for 11 years with no trans in it a neighbor's cat was getting in my garage and then into the car through the shifter hole and sleeping and spraying on the seats! Needless to say I was very "pissed" when I found out!

    I got rid of the Pro-Car seats because they were extremely uncomfortable with my suspension setup and sat pretty tall in the car even after I had paid for a bunch of custom welding to be done to their seat frames to make them sit lower. I am around 6'3" and when ever I would hit a big bump my head would hit the T-Top! NAVYCAT gave me a really nice set of factory Charcoal low back GS Capri seats to temporarily replace the Racing seats, Thanks Joe! I will be keeping these seats in the car until I can get the old ones either factory recovered (just got a matching sample from SMS) or do all the seats in custom leather. After checking the prices it might actually be a little cheaper to do the whole car in leather then just redoing the drivers and passenger seats in the factory fabric! I haven't decided what to do yet, Any suggestions? Leather could be pretty cool!?!?

    Stock seats, cat piss smell is gone now after 8 years of sitting with fabric softener sheets all over them with covers on top of that and then bagged!



    Here's some pics of the current interior taken today,


    I originally had the rear hatch subwoofer covered by the hatch area carpet but I knew it was killing the bass and sound of my stereo so I finally bit the bullet last week and uncovered the JL Sub. I think it looked better covered sort of in stealth mode but holy crap it made a huge difference in the sound of my stereo! The thing sounds freaking unbelievable now with the new head unit! The bass really pounds!

    Before:

    After:


    This is the car as it sits now waiting for a new crank rear main seal. A leak is currently out of control making the car un-drivable due to the oil dripping back onto the X-Pipe during hard acceleration making the car smoke like a piece of crap! Plus while getting the seal done I am installing a new Centerforce DF clutch and aluminum Fidanza flywheel. Still waiting to get the clutch in the next few weeks.

    New Flywheel: it weighs 11 pounds less then my current Ram Steel Flywheel


    Nice picture I found on the net someone took of my car at the 2012 Fabulous Fords Forever Show at Knott's Berry Farm California.


    Will post more pics and info when I have more time.
    Robert
    Last edited by Hemlock; 02-14-2016 at 02:02 AM.
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  5. #5
    FEP Power Member 4-barrel Mike's Avatar
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    Beautiful car!

    Mike

  6. #6
    FEP Senior Member fascat's Avatar
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    I have always liked your car Robert. It is beautiful. I always thought it sounded good as well. Good luck with your decision on which way to go with it. I think it will always have a nostalgia appeal to it since your Dad bought it new and passed it on to you. That is pretty cool.

  7. #7

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    Wow, that car sounds good! I will put my vote in now for you to make as much power as possible and screw smog legal. Also, what size tires are you running? I like the look. Do they hook up?

  8. #8
    FEP Power Member bridgener's Avatar
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    Really cool to read the story behind your car. We're lucky here in Quebec, no smog tests to contend with. Somebody once told me "never own a car with sentimental value". He was an idiot. My Uncle gave me my Capri, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else.

    Those Centerlines look just right on your car. It takes a particular car to make those work and yours fits the bill perfectly.
    Brian

    1982 Capri 5.0L
    1965 Fastback project car - more rusty than not

  9. #9
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Default Rear suspension and tire setup.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hammer Down View Post
    Wow, that car sounds good! I will put my vote in now for you to make as much power as possible and screw smog legal. Also, what size tires are you running? I like the look. Do they hook up?
    FRONT
    Centerline Scorpions 17"x 8" w/ 5" back space
    Riken Raptor Tires 245/40R17
    BACK
    Centerline Scorpions 17"x 9.5" w/ 5" back space
    BF Goodrich Drag Radial 275/40R17

    When I first put my car back on the road I had some bad issues with wheel hop. My first attempt to kill it was a stiffer set of rear Monroe coil over shocks working in conjunction with my FMS "C" springs which helped out but it still hopped if I really jumped on it on certain road surfaces, which in my opinion is really embarrassing when doing a burn out LOL! The next additional fix was to add a set of Lakewood Mustang Traction Bars with anti-dive Loops. These traction bars worked killer! I could burn the tires off all the way down the street with no hopping but my car's ride really suffered from the addition of the bars using the coil overs as well. I would almost compare the ride to a stagecoach . Although seeing as my tires in the back stick out a bit the limited travel keeps the tires from getting too damaged from fender rub. With the addition of drag radials the car really hooks hard!

    After I put the second motor in, it would spin the Riken Raptors through 3rd if I was leaning on it so I went with BFG Drag Radials. The BFG tires were decent when they were new but if I really pushed it in first gear it would break them loose on the street. I hear they do much better at the track. They were 10X better then the standard street tire though. They are pretty low on tread now and getting like the raptors were traction wise these days so I need another set. I am most likely going to go with M/T Radials or the new Nitto 05 Radials this time. I heard they are just a much better tire. I have around 5000 miles on the BFG's. They started to break loose at around 4000 miles. I heard the Nittos and the M/T tires are only good for around 3500 because they are an even softer tire.

    hope this helps you out,
    Robert
    Last edited by Hemlock; 01-31-2019 at 12:34 PM.
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  10. #10
    FEP Power Member conmech's Avatar
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    Rob,
    The car is fabulous. Hoping to see it in person next FFF.
    conmech - aka Marshall
    Pending build-1983 Mercury Capri RS NOT staying as it left the showroom floor......
    Sonic blue pearl, sand beige, netted halos, FR500 wheels and shiny under the hood.

  11. #11

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    Awesome car Robert, it really looks great! Unfortunately, I can relate to the car sitting untouched while life is happening. It sure feels good when you start working on them again. Nice job!
    '85 GT 7.5L
    Got it together in time to make my son's senior prom May 13th!
    Next goal is to be sitting at National Trail Raceway on Sept 11th for Drag Week '16
    Some build pics:
    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-My-85-GT-7-5L

  12. #12
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Just got the Centerforce DF clutch and Steeda Quick-Release Clutch Quadrant and Firewall Adjuster Kit. This combined with the Fidanza Aluminum flywheel should be a vast improvement over what was in it. I will most likely have it installed next weekend if the guy doing it has time (getting to old to be changing the trans. myself), if not I am guessing it won't be until after Christmas.

    Thanx for all the compliments!

    Robert
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  13. #13
    FEP Senior Member Quicksilver's Avatar
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    Great looking car! The color, the wheels, the stance...well done.
    Rob

  14. #14
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Default Got car back from trans shop.

    Just got the car put back together after getting it back from the transmission shop after a main seal, aluminum flywheel, and centerforce clutch install. Turns out a major part of the smoking when driving was not just due to the rear main seal but also due to oil leaking past a cork valve cover gasket. I replaced the old cork gaskets with a set of the top of the line steel reinforced rubber gaskets from Fel-Pro. I also pulled the tires and strut-tower brace off and had a friend weld some nuts in the inside of the strut-towers for the brace so I don't have to take the front wheels off every time I want to pull off the air cleaner to work on the motor! Total pain in the A$$! I noticed a few things when we were working under the car, The new rear main seal still drips occasionally and I desperately need to install a set of full length sub-frame connectors! There are a few places on the sub-frames that are looking a little stressed. Apparently the 420+ HP has been taking it's toll on this old foxbody

    I am buying the MM sub-frame connectors next week after I send a part back that I bought from American Muscle. I ordered the part on the 23rd and I won't see it until the end of next week! Guess that is what I get for not buying the part from Summit Racing (Summit didn't sell the part). I bought a set of the MAC chrome pipe style radiator hoses to fix the problem I was having with my rubber lower hose collapsing during high revs and my friend said "DO NOT USE THE SOLID HOSES! they will wreck your new polished aluminum radiator!" He explained that the rigid pipe style hoses would eventually crack the radiator inlet and outlet due to the stiffness of the hoses and the added weight putting down pressure on the radiator inlet and outlet during driving bounce and engine twist. He went ahead and installed the hose spring I had bought a few weeks earlier in a new lower hose (I couldn't get the damn spring in the new hose after an hour of trying ) and he said the old style hoses work fine send the other crap back and spend the money elsewhere! I also ordered 50sq ft of the GTMat Onyx sound deadener tonight for the interior. I figured if I was going to be pulling the interior out to do the sub-frames anyway, I might as well do the sound proofing at the same time.

    OK now for the good news, The new aluminum flywheel is Freaking Awesome! My old billet steel Ram flywheel weighed a whopping 28 pounds and the new aluminum flywheel is only 12lbs! The car now revs super fast and the acceleration is unbelievable! Now I definitely need new drag radials! The flywheel made a huge difference in motor performance! The clutch style is slightly more touchy then with the heavier flywheel but other then that it is real similar to the steel one.

    Any comments would be much appreciated,
    Robert
    Last edited by Hemlock; 02-14-2016 at 02:05 AM.
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  15. #15
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Default Interior teardown.

    Started pulling the interior out of the RS yesterday to begin the install of the sub-frame connectors and the sound proofing. I went ahead and bought 50 sq ft of the GTMat Onyx (Butyl rubber), I know others choose to use the asphalt based mat for less money but I have used it and it is an inferior product. Hopefully 50 sq ft will be enough to do the areas I want to sound proof in the car. I already did the hatch area in Dynamat Extreme when I installed the sub-woofer in the hatch area. When I originally did the interior of the car in 2007 I noticed it already had the factory asphalt mat in the car and it was in decent shape so I left it alone and installed the new carpet over it.

    I was planning on installing the new mat over the old stuff but when I peeled back the new carpet, I noticed that all the asphalt mat is starting to crack and break up! This is exactly the reason I am not using asphalt mat. I am now wondering what is the best way to go about getting the old asphalt mat out of the interior now.



    Anyone do an old asphalt mat removal? What is the best route to take to get rid of the stuff?

    Robert
    Last edited by Hemlock; 02-14-2016 at 02:06 AM.
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  16. #16
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    I used a flat thin putty knife to remove mine. Most of it is gonna come out pretty easy, at least mine did.

  17. #17
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Currently have my entire interior torn out and I am installing the through floor sub frame connectors and after that is complete I will be doing the sound proofing. I will post some pics when it is done.

    I am currently wanting to purchase a UPR K-member and I am a little worried about what springs to buy for the coil overs. I was considering the 14/150s but I want to make sure my ride height isn't going to change to 4X4 status! I love the look of my cars stance right now but the ride quality sucks big time! I want my ride to improve but my stance to remain close to the same or maybe even a 1/4" lower. I heard someone state on here that the 14 inch spring would put my ride height back to stock height even when adjusted to the lowest setting on the adjuster, that is not the result I am looking for. The 12/200 has the shorter spring but is the 200 going to make my car have a bad ride? My car has some lighter parts on it so will the 200 give the same result as the 14" spring as far as ride height goes?

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions you suspension guys can give, I don't want to buy the K-member until I know what is going to work best for my car.

    Robert
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  18. #18
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FUKAZ28 View Post
    I used a flat thin putty knife to remove mine. Most of it is gonna come out pretty easy, at least mine did.
    Thank you for the hint on the putty knife, I used the one I had and it was working pretty good for some areas but there were a few areas I had to switch to a wide blade chisel! I finally got all the old mat out and began the installation of the sub-frame connectors a few weeks ago. It was a long stressfull 3 weeks!

    Robert
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  19. #19
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Default Through floor Sub-frame connector install.

    I found several types of through floor sub-frame connector designs I liked so I kinda did a hybrid of the designs I did like. I wanted no floor interference by the peddles so I did a reduced section near the floor area in front of the drivers and passenger seat. I was pretty happy with the finished product even though my welding skills are kind of lacking. I haven't welded since auto and metal shop in high school 30 years ago LOL.

    I first had to expose the under-frame rails through the floor of the car on the drivers and passenger sides in front of the seats.


    After exposing the front rail I had to open up the back rail on both sides and cut into it to make room for the 2"x3" 1/8 inch steel beam to be inserted into it. The driver side was a pain to get the beam into due to a factory tooling pinch in the frame rail! I cut the beam to 52" inches long and made a 32" inch cut in it to reduce the floor height in front of the seats. The cut was 1" inch at it's smallest near the seat rail to 1 1/2" inches at the peddles.


    Unfortunately the front and back rail do not line up so I had to make some mods to the new rail to get it to fit. My car had about a 2" inch variance between the front and back sub-frames. I made opposing 3/16" cuts into the new rail and "Z" bent it and welded it to make it conform to the factory locations. This was not an easy job and it is what took the most time to do getting it right. Measure twice and cut once!




    The new rail was a very snug fit and cutting the rest of the floor pan to squeeze it in was a total pain in the A$$! I had to install it and then pry it out several times to get it right on both sides. The passenger one was a lot more precise due to the fact that there was no frame pinch I had to deal with on that side.


    Welding the floor pan was a nightmare due to the fact that you are welding a thick metal to a thin one and I had several areas where the weld just didn't want to stick to the pan! I finally got those areas worked out and I had a terrible time welding the seat rail back together due to my welder blowing holes in the ultra thin metal!


    I was pretty happy when I was done and the finished product didn't look too shabby!


    I now have the task of putting in the new sound proofing and working on the doors to get them back into shape. I am redoing the inner dew wipes on both doors and the window guides on the drivers door, plus putting a new window motor in the passenger side and then sound proofing them both.

    For those that are curious, the new sub-frame rails weighed in at 14 pounds each. I removed 18 pounds worth of old sound proofing and metal from the car to install the new rails. The new sound proofing comes in at 24 pounds. All the new mods will add around 34 pounds to the car but will increase longevity and car performance by leaps and bounds!

    I am currently installing the sound proofing and doing the door work. The guide bar on the drivers electric window is a total NIGHTMARE!!! How the %$#@ do you get the thing back in without breaking the window!!! I have already destroyed the tint on the window and I am now considering hiring an auto glass place to come in and re-install it!

    Any tips or tricks to getting it re-installed would be much appreciated.

    I am currently collecting all the new parts to go on my new UPR K-member before I install it. I want the suspension/steering to all be brand new.

    Thanx for checking out my thread and I will post pictures of the sound proofing install/door work after I get it finished,
    Robert
    Last edited by Hemlock; 04-20-2020 at 07:14 PM.
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  20. #20
    FEP Power Member ccurtin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hemlock View Post


    I am currently installing the sound proofing and doing the door work. The guide bar on the drivers electric window is a total NIGHTMARE!!! How the %$#@ do you get the thing back in without breaking the window!!! I have already destroyed the tint on the window and I am now considering hiring an auto glass place to come in and re-install it!

    Any tips or tricks to getting it re-installed would be much appreciated.

    Robert
    I gently pulled the metal skin on the inside until the width of the gap was wide enough to slide the window back in, lining up with the guide bar. Then slowly pushed the metal back. It wasn't completely straight, but the door panel went on and the window is fine.

    Go slow.
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  21. #21
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ccurtin View Post
    I gently pulled the metal skin on the inside until the width of the gap was wide enough to slide the window back in, lining up with the guide bar. Then slowly pushed the metal back. It wasn't completely straight, but the door panel went on and the window is fine.

    Go slow.
    The window is still installed in the door, I only removed the guide bar to replace the guide bushings. The trick on the bar re-install seems to be getting the bar through the new bushings and then lowering the window down. The glass makes it real tough to put pressure on the inner panel on the door when the window is up! The bar is almost impossible to get into the bottom guide with the window down. It just won't line up! Going to try again tomorrow to get the bar re-installed. I bought some lithium grease to lube the bar to see if it helps.

    Robert
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  22. #22
    FEP Power Member Jerry peachuer's Avatar
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    Awesome car

  23. #23
    FEP Power Member ccurtin's Avatar
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    Hmm, I don't remember having that much of a problem. I put the guide bar in through the opening (from the top) with the window down (I think, it has been a while) which made it easy to get the bar through the guides in the window. Then moved the window up until I could get the bottom bolt in the door hole, then moved it around some more to get the top bolt in. I do remember having to turn the top piece 90 degrees to get it in.

    Another thing to try, mark the position of the window guides on the sides, then loosen them. These are the bolts towards the engine compartment. I suggest marking them so you can set it back correctly.
    I'm an FEP Paid Supporter and proud of it. Are you?

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  24. #24
    FEP Power Member Hemlock's Avatar
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    Default Sound Proofing and door work.

    Finally got the guide bar re-installed today! What a total pain! I rolled the window almost all the way up and pushed the bar though the guides and then lubed up the guides and bar with lithium grease. I pushed the bar down until it hit the floor of the door and then pushed a couple of large screw driver handles into the top to spread the door skins apart to get the top of the guide bar in. I then put both my arms into the openings into the door interior and moved the bar around until it lined up with the hole in the floor of the door bottom and then pushed down from the top until it dropped into the bolt hole. I got it all adjusted and the window is now working great.

    I finished the sound proofing on the floor and have now done the drivers side door. I also replaced the door panels inner dew wipe that was dried out and breaking up. I still have to do the passenger door. I went to put the door panel back on after I took some pictures and discovered that the door panel push pins were to old to reuse because they were falling apart so I had to order more from Late Model Resto. I am a little pissed at LMR right now because I ordered a new hatch striker from them a few weeks ago and they sent me the one for the 90-93 Mustang even though I ordered the correct one for my car. They are now expecting me to pay to ship it back to them even though it was totally their mistake! I also bit the bullet and ordered the heavy duty bolt kit for my new K-member and for the new rack and pinion. I still have several things I have to buy before I can do the K-Member install. The cost of all the new parts is pretty pricey to do all at once so I am buying a few parts a week until I have them all collected. The high priced items are the struts, cross drilled rotors with ceramic pads, bump steer kit and the spindles. I still haven decided whether I am going to buy new 2" drop spindles or just pick up some nice used ones. Anybody buy the 2" drop spindles? Are they worth the cash?

    Here is a few pics of the sound proofing. I used GTMat's Onyx (70mil Butyl rubber) It's a smidge thinner then the Dynamat Xtreme but it was also $100 cheaper (50 Sq Ft, $160) and will work fine.




    Almost have the carpet completely re-installed and now I'm just waiting for the parts from LMR so I can complete the doors.

    Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and for the cool compliments!
    Robert
    Last edited by Hemlock; 02-14-2016 at 02:08 AM.
    1984 RS 347 Capri, To many car parts to list, check out my car build page here for the story on my car and a full parts list/setup!:

    My RS in Action

  25. #25
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    Geeze Robert. I think with all that sound deadening, you should now be able to run an even noiser exhaust.

    Total believer in emissions era grunt. Despite being a dirty non emissions Kiwi.

    I do understand the issues.

    It doesn't have to be hard to make a 347 a street legal weapon. I just like your Capri sooo much.

    The solution is pretty cheap.

    See Option No 1 in my post #2

    The suggestion I have is now this carb set up.




    In the old days of Ak mMillers 351w, it was way taller...



    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...p-passing-smog

    Space saver spare ex 2007 Dodge 300 on top of the spare wheel cover frees up the space for a 25 by 9" wide tire. That allows the space liberated to add a torodial 47 liter propane fuel tank like Canvaspaul,
    See Canvaspaul's Lavato Renzi set up in his 1981 Mustang 3.3 Notch



    For example, you hook the Impco carb to any combination of Holley bases. For instance, in my little 4.1 liter, I used one 432 cfm one Impco CA 300 A5 carb on a honed out Holley 2-bbl 2300 series 500 cfm carb base. Good enough for 175 hp and a 15.9 second 1/4 mile.






    two CA 425 Impco Gas carbs are 920 cfm, and on an Edelbrock F-28 Dual Quad Manifold, good enough for 575 bhp at the flywheel. On two 650 double pumper 4150 Holley 4bbl bases

    http://www.summitracing.com/int/part...5435/overview/

    Twin E series converters, VFF 30 lock offs and 5/16" brass lines.

    Basically Ak Millers 1982 system but under hood, and without a turbo.

    Use EDIS8 ignition,

    None of this needs any EO order, its just a propane conversion.

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