White (Black) Magic downunder!

[Foxy Capri]

G'day all,
I have just looked at a 1981 "White Magic" Capri with a 3.8 liter V6 and Auto. The car is ex-South African and has been converted to RHD for use in Australia, though it hasn't yet made the road! The guy is selling her and says it's 90% complete, though I'd say more like 75 - 80%. He's advertised it on e-bay and had a starting price of $4000AUD, with a buy it now price of $6000AUD, that's roughly $3000USD to $4500USD. Is this a reasonable price and can parts still be readily obtained in the US? The VIN number is 1MEBP6734BF629453. I am President of the Capri Car Club here in Melbourne and would love to see her in the Club and restored for our show circuit. Any thoughts, ideas or comments would be greatfully received. Many thanks

[93-331-29PSI]

What parts are needed? Is there a link to the Ebay listing? I think that $3000-$4500 is a little on the high side for a car that is only 75% complete, but that is based off the market here. Unseen, I would think that car in the US would probably get $1000-$2000 tops. Parts are still obtainable here but not as available as the mustang parts.

[negusm]

It's a very rare car *IF* confirmed as a White BlackMAgic.

How do you know it is a Black Magic car?

Anyways, parts can be had here in the US fairly easily. The gotchas are things like the seat upholstery (special to Black Magics) underhood insulator pads and such but most items like drive train parts are easily available.

Here, the car is worth $1-2k as mentioned above...but overseas....who knows?

-Mike

[Foxy Capri]

Thanks guys for your replies.
Here's a link to the e-bay ad (in Australia) which hopefully you can see:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

if not, here's another link to a set of the photo's from the ebay ad:

http://www.geocities.com/terrymwalsh/1981uscapri.html

I'm assuming that it's a White (Black) Magic Capri based on original Mercury brochures that I have and looking at photo's of others compared to those at the above links and seeing the car in the flesh! It all adds up as I see it!

I'm still not sure what parts are needed, as I wasn't able to talk to the owner when I viewed the car except that it definitely needs the Dash Crash pad for a RHD vehicle now rather than a LHD version. I think I'm right in saying that these cars were released in the UK as RHD???

I'm very keen on this Capri, as I loved the Fox Mustang and the Capri is just that bit rarer than the Mustang. Plus, I am a Capri nut, which also helps!

The upholstery is original and looks to be in very good condition so I guess that that's a bonus. The original striping and body appear to be fairly straight too. It's been off the road for 5-6 years and was bought from a deceased estate back then. It shows 43,000 miles on the odometer which may well be original, but I don't know for sure.

Any comments or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks guys,

[Mustang Marty]

It sure looks like a white Black Magic especially with those seats and the gold TRX wheels. The thing that throws me is the 3.8L V6. Ford didn't make those until the fall of 1982 for the 1983 model year. It would be an odd engine swap.

[75coug]

That's the real thing, all right. What a great find! While I would try to get the price down a little bit, that is definitely a car that must be saved and restored. Good luck.

[Foxy Capri]

Guys, I'm liking what I've read so far!

Can someone please decode the VIN number which is 1MEBP6734BF629453 especially the 6734 which tells me the body type and more importantly, the engine type! I'm not sure how many Mercury Capri's of this vintage are actually in OZ, but it would be less than the number of fingers on both hands I'm sure. Thanks heaps for your help and thoughts on this. Keep on Capri'n!

[negusm]

1MEBP6734BF629453

1MEBP = Mercury Passenger Car
67 = Capri
3 = B?? = L6, 3.3L 200cid 2v
4 = Chaeck Digit
B = 1981
F = Dearborn
629453 = CUN

the vin as posted is incorrect. I'm assuming the 3 is really a "B".

Yes it looks like ablack magic car.

-Mike

[negusm]

when I viewed the car except that it definitely needs the Dash Crash pad for a RHD vehicle now rather than a LHD version. I think I'm right in saying that these cars were released in the UK as RHD???

I am not aware that Capris were ever exported anywhere except to Canada or Mexico....so technically I would say that all were converted by someone other than Ford for RHD.

ANY Dash Pad can be RESTORED to show quality for about $450-$500 USD by a place called Just Dashes:
http://www.justdashes.com/Index.htm

They rework the original pad back to life. It's not cheap but I don't have any clue where you would track down a RHD dash pad. Maybe over there you guys can find stuff like that.

The door tag codes will also have a special code for the interior which was special to the Black Magic.

Look in my sig to a link to my documentation repository and you can pretty much find any info on that car you need to. I'll leave it to you to find the correct interior code in there

Nice, nice car. Glad to see one survived in good shape. Best one I have seen yet.

-Mike

[DVSCAPRI]

Terry, did you buy this car??? What a great find!!!

[Foxy Capri]

DVSCAPRI, No, I haven't bought it, YET!

I'm trying to convince myself that:
1. it's worth buying at or below the $4000AUD price (i'd prefer to pay only $3000AUD that's about $2100USD!)
2. I can restore it back to good health,
3. I can register it and use it on OZ roads,
4. I can come up with the money and,
5. That I can convince my wife that I haven't gone stark raving mad, even though she already knows that I am!

I do want it now desperately after getting so much good and positive feedback from this forum (thanks everyone!)

It does however appear to have the wrong engine for this model. I now believe that it should have the 3.3 liter I6 rather than the 3.8 liter V6. Any further thoughts on this issue anyone? We do have the old 200 CID engines over here, thay are plentiful, but not the 3.8l V6! Also, two of the four hubcaps are not gold, all 4 wheels are, but 2 hubcaps are polished chrome not gold! Can I get hold of a pair of the Gold ones?

I just hope that this guy doesn't sell it and is willing to drop a bit on price a bit.

I'll keep you posted via this forum. Thanks heaps everyone!

[grabbergreen84]

That's odd about the engine and code, but 3 is for the 3.8 V6. I wonder what's up with that.
Did you win the car Terry?

[negusm]

Not sure how Ford made these things "gold" but you can get wheels plated in different colors. You might have to send the whole batch out to get replated in gold. I would hope a good wheel shop or metal replater would know something about how to refinish the wheels and caps.

The caps come up occasionally but they are very very very rare here. They usually got pitched with the wheels because super expensive TRX replacement tires simply are not an option for most people.

-Mike

[Mustang Marty]

It does however appear to have the wrong engine for this model. I now believe that it should have the 3.3 liter I6 rather than the 3.8 liter V6. Any further thoughts on this issue anyone? We do have the old 200 CID engines over here, thay are plentiful, but not the 3.8l V6!

Yeah, you guys have kick ass I6's down there. Imagine that car with the 4.0 EFI Turbo inline-6.

[negusm]

That's odd about the engine and code, but 3 is for the 3.8 V6. I wonder what's up with that.
Did you win the car Terry?

My one code book didn't list a 3 for 1981. Is that book in error? I'll have to check my other book. Did 3 become a code for the v6 starting in 1982?

-Mike

[grabbergreen84]

My one code book didn't list a 3 for 1981. Is that book in error? I'll have to check my other book. Did 3 become a code for the v6 starting in 1982?

-Mike

Not according to my book ("The Complete '79-'93 Mustang Data Decoder Book"). It says '83 was the 1st year for the 3.8, but the VIN code is "3". It lists '86 as the final year in the Stang and of course the Capri. It says that 3 was the code the whole time.
I was just thinking that maybe that engine was available for cars that were to be exported - kinda farfetched, really.

[Travis T]

I don't believe the 3.8 V6 even existed before 1983 in any Ford/Lincoln/Mercury.

[LTDScott]

Bulla, eh? Right next door to my home town of Sunbury.

Travis, I've seen 3.8Ls in Fox Granadas (last year was 82), so it might have been a late 82 introduction. Example: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2391707

[negusm]

Not according to my book ("The Complete '79-'93 Mustang Data Decoder Book"). It says '83 was the 1st year for the 3.8, but the VIN code is "3". It lists '86 as the final year in the Stang and of course the Capri. It says that 3 was the code the whole time.
I was just thinking that maybe that engine was available for cars that were to be exported - kinda farfetched, really.

Not farfetched.

Canadian Capris appear to have had Turbo 4s for years the US market did not get them.

The trick to this car might be to see if the car is an export car. Like I said, I don't think I've seen a Ford Exported Capri. Mustangs got exported by Ford but I am unsure about the Capri.

-Mike

[75coug]

Ah yes, another Capri mystery. Mike needs to write a book on the enigma that exist with regard to these cars. The sad thing, of course, is that only a dozen or so of us would buy it.

[Foxy Capri]

G'day guys, I'm still here and still frothing at the mouth!

I haven't bought this car yet, but I am still as 'keen as mustard', or is that an Australian/English saying?

Anyway, it seems to me that it should be a 3.3 in-line 6 and NOT the 3.8l V6 that it is, but I'm still very, very interested. I'm being told at work to not get too excited, as that might bump the price up too much!

I will be in touch with the seller again soon and I hope that he says that no-one else is interested and that he just wants to be rid of it, half my luck if that's the case!

One of our Aussie race car drivers, Dick Johnson, used to race a green 1983 Mustang and I'm sure that most Aussie race fans would remember his car fondly, it is now a museum piece in Queensland, still in LHD, but I digress, what am I to do?

I will be in touch with the owner very soon and hopefully negotiating a reasonable price. Then, I will be leaning on you guys to help me to retsore her and get her back 'on the road again', as Willie Nelson would say.

Seriously though, if I buy this Capri, I want to restore it and drive it to our Capri events here in Australia and show these guys what we could have had. We also missed out on the UK Capri Mark II and III, which were never released here in OZ! We only ever got the Mark 1 Capri in the 1600cc and 3000cc formats.

I'll keep you posted,

Terry

[75coug]

Thanks for the update. I will be watching for more of them as matters proceed.

"Keen as mustard" - Must be an English/Aussie thing.

[Foxy Capri]

"as Keen as Mustard', yes, that is definitely an Aussie/English saying, sorry guys!

Keen's is the brand name of a mustard that is nice on boiled beef and also means 'very enthusiastic', that's the English language for you, full of double meanings! We Aussies tend to take a different slant on what might have been the original meaning, please excuse me for this indulgence!

I soon hope to be one of very few who own a genuine US built, Mercury Capri 'Four Eyed' Liftback down under here in Australia. I might even have to join a Mustang Owners Club downunder, so that I can tap into the wealth of expertise of information that exists down here about these rare 'Capri's', that is if there is any!

I'll keep you posted!

Terry

[MHISSTC]

I was looking at this picture of the rocker cover and was noticing/wondering a few things. First, I can't make out the year in the date. All I can see for sure is 06/22/??. It almost looks like an 03, but I can't be sure.

Second, Is that a fuel injector I see to the left of the valve cover? If so, it's definitely not the original eninge. It would have been carbed.

I'd like to see an overall picture of the engine bay along with some clarification on that date code. With only those closeup photos to go by, I'm not even sure that engine is in that car? Another reason I question it is that I think the second picture (below) would have been hard to take with the engine in the car. Also, what is that loose bolt supposed to be holding?

[MHISSTC]

One more thing...usually the front end of the foxes don't sit up in the air quite that far...unless they don't have an engine in them.

I hope I'm wrong.