# 27 year old Ford Capri



## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Well firstly , this has been a long time coming . Intermittent Scottish weather and a car stuck in my garage meant this has been done in stages over the last 3 weeks .
I just realised i have enough pics to get my thread going .
I bought this car at the end of last year . It is my daily driver , 54k on the clock , all original panels , 2l pinto has been stripped and rebuilt with new cams etc and runs like a dream . the interior is from Ch4`s brookside , a capri driven by Big fat Ron . The car was sold to a club member and i subsequently got the interior . 
Anyway were here to judge my polishing ability not get a history lesson :thumb:

The 1st set of pics were taken inside the warehouse where i work with a halogen light . 
I`ll let the pics do the talking , sorry but there is no order , just befores and afters .
I have issues with the bonnet and sunroof , possibly it being a single stage paint , but im working on a way to get that up the the same standard as the two sides so not many pics of them yet.

This is my 1st time with a rotary polisher but have had some practice on a spare door and then my mates car which is in my garage .

My kit consists of 
Autobrite Super Snow Foam and lance
Autobrite aggresive claybar
Dodo lube
3M fast cut
3M ultrafina
3M finishing pad
PB black hole glaze
Meguiars deep crystal wax , i think . 
Autobrites Vinyl Trim Bubblegum Protectant , not used yet . Saving it till the morning of the show on Saturday .

Please try to remember it is 27 years old , there are a couple of rust spots but they dont detract from the overall transformation .
In no way did i set out to completely detail this car , my intention was to see if i could bring her back to life .











































































































































































































































*Now if they werent enough to make me want to stop right there then nothing would put me off !!! *

I like a challenge 





















































































































































































*These last 2 pics are of the damage i inflicted when i started using the machine . Not to worry , a job for the paint shop . 
*


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## john2garden (Nov 16, 2006)

Fantastic work, well done!


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## The_Bouncer (Nov 24, 2010)

Great result on that car :thumb: > and the last two pics where it went a bit pete tong is a good learning curve to move forward with - If you can remember how/when it happened i.e pad on high speed in single position too long, dry pad catching curve, trying to remove too deep a scratch etc etc many variations to this but overall a good job on that paint.

what pads did you use ? Was it the Green, Blue, Yellow 3M as per you compounds or a.n.other. & presume you used a PTG to cover any thin spots etc.

It's hard chasing scratches - even the Pro's will determine whether to actually leave a scratch in to spare damage/ uber thiness to paint etc. Its all about going over the car for RDS and playing safe at the end of the day.

Bet she's turning heads tho already :thumb:


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## Mr Face (Jan 22, 2009)

Baptism of fire fella. you come through smelling of roses. 

Great work and even better so given your first fight with the rotary :thumb:

Big respect :whats next ?? :lol:


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## Revolutionrock (Sep 27, 2009)

Nice job!
:doublesho:thumb:


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## jamie_s (Jul 10, 2009)

looks amazing!


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## Mango (Jan 16, 2011)

Well done. That's fantastic for your first time with a rotary. Can you share exactly what you did to inflict the damage in the last 2 pics? Hopefully it will help some of us beginners avoid the same error. Thanks.


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## David Liu (Mar 18, 2011)

Nice work!!


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## slobodank (Nov 17, 2010)

like


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

Wow, impressive turnaround!


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## ITHAQVA (Feb 20, 2011)

Bloody amazing! :thumb:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

WOW , thanks for all the positive comments . I will answer the questions a bit later , at work just now and have a Capri Club meeting this evening .


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## mk2jon (Mar 10, 2009)

Top job fella :buffer:
Nice touch with the sill badges :thumb:


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## Sveneng (Apr 20, 2008)

Cracking work, looks great!


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

The_Bouncer said:


> It's hard chasing scratches - even the Pro's will determine whether to actually leave a scratch in to spare damage/ uber thiness to paint etc. Its all about going over the car for RDS and playing safe at the end of the day.


^^ Very wise words there :thumb: I'm forever advocating (well, I think I've mentioned it a few times lol!) that going all out for 100% full correction on an older car and leaving the paint periliously thin probably isn't the best philosophy if you want to save a trip to the bodyshop, and want to avoid loosing the pride of retaining your original factory paint. Dave KG's spoken recently about this on here I've read, and as is the norm - the guy speaks sense.

Anyways, onto the car - blimey!!! that was one swirly old hector wasn't it? but tell you what mate, it's looking blinding now and there are some reflection shots here that could stand toe-to-toe with the best on the site, so you should be well proud of your achievements there :buffer: I have to say, total kudos to you for this being your daily - not many 'old timers' get fired up and driven every day so respect for that.

The odd cosmetic 'blemish' aside, it looks really solid in all the places where it counts - the A pillar shots especially impressed me, so you've likely got a little gem here.

Did you use the Black Hole by machine or hand btw. just out of interest?

Great turnaround :thumb:

_(PS. The sill badges are standard fit are they not? I've seen too many Mk.3s with exactly the same ones for them to all be retro fit? But I'll stand corrected if wrong ). _


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## FlawlessDetailing (Mar 13, 2010)

Hey Stomper,

Id love one of these ! in black too !

Amazing work there for the fist go, And as viper said, Quoting DaveKG, your always better off retaining the original paint. 

Splendid work. 

Picks look the mutts nuts :thumb:

Padraic


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## mk2jon (Mar 10, 2009)

Viper said:


> ^^ Very wise words there :thumb: I'm forever advocating (well, I think I've mentioned it a few times lol!) that going all out for 100% full correction on an older car and leaving the paint periliously thin probably isn't the best philosophy if you want to save a trip to the bodyshop, and want to avoid loosing the pride of retaining your original factory paint. Dave KG's spoken recently about this on here I've read, and as is the norm - the guy speaks sense.
> 
> Anyways, onto the car - blimey!!! that was one swirly old hector wasn't it? but tell you what mate, it's looking blinding now and there are some reflection shots here that could stand toe-to-toe with the best on the site, so you should be well proud of your achievements there :buffer: I have to say, total kudos to you for this being your daily - not many 'old timers' get fired up and driven every day so respect for that.
> 
> ...


Yes standard fit,nice and original.


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## rag1873 (May 26, 2010)

Stunning!!! Great turnaround!


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## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Great work mate, really lovely reflections in the afters, nice to see a good old motor getting some attention and looks so well now :thumb:


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## roy7 (May 25, 2009)

great job fella love the old skool fords:thumb:


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## vegasbaby (Feb 26, 2011)

awesome job, on a classic car. :~)


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Fantastic job mate.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Mango said:


> Well done. That's fantastic for your first time with a rotary. Can you share exactly what you did to inflict the damage in the last 2 pics? Hopefully it will help some of us beginners avoid the same error. Thanks.


Hi mate , thanks for your comments , I bought my rotary from flea bay and the pads which came with it were too small for the backing plate . 
Another factor was over confidence , just getting the hang of the machine and trying to polish the top edge of the door with the edge of the pad which has some Velcro showing around the edge . When it kicked I basically sanded the paint of with the Velcro .

I know I should have waited till I got the correct pads , but I was already into it for a couple of hundred quid and did buy the correct size pad for finishing . And no patience .


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

The_Bouncer said:


> Great result on that car :thumb: > and the last two pics where it went a bit pete tong is a good learning curve to move forward with - If you can remember how/when it happened i.e pad on high speed in single position too long, dry pad catching curve, trying to remove too deep a scratch etc etc many variations to this but overall a good job on that paint.
> 
> what pads did you use ? Was it the Green, Blue, Yellow 3M as per you compounds or a.n.other. & presume you used a PTG to cover any thin spots etc.
> 
> ...


Again , thanks for your comments , she turned heads before it was polished as she is so straight . When i started I polished the passenger side first so when i pulled up at traffic people could see themselves in it . Makes me smile now when i see people take a step back and look again.

I used the pads that came with my machine but used an m3 finishing pad .
As for the scratches you're right . Never had any intention of trying to remove them all , but I need a couple of rust spots cut out and arches repainted so I will get a few deeper scratches picked up then .


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

mk2jon said:


> Top job fella :buffer:
> Nice touch with the sill badges :thumb:


Viper beat me too it mate , yes they are standard on the later capris .
Thanks for your comments :thumb:


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

Nice job mate, cant say i've seen it around though.


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## trackslag (Mar 20, 2011)

Top job!


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Viper said:


> ^^ Very wise words there :thumb: I'm forever advocating (well, I think I've mentioned it a few times lol!) that going all out for 100% full correction on an older car and leaving the paint periliously thin probably isn't the best philosophy if you want to save a trip to the bodyshop, and want to avoid loosing the pride of retaining your original factory paint. Dave KG's spoken recently about this on here I've read, and as is the norm - the guy speaks sense.
> 
> Anyways, onto the car - blimey!!! that was one swirly old hector wasn't it? but tell you what mate, it's looking blinding now and there are some reflection shots here that could stand toe-to-toe with the best on the site, so you should be well proud of your achievements there :buffer: I have to say, total kudos to you for this being your daily - not many 'old timers' get fired up and driven every day so respect for that.
> The odd cosmetic 'blemish' aside, it looks really solid in all the places where it counts - the A pillar shots especially impressed me, so you've likely got a little gem here.
> ...


Viper thanks for your comments , they mean a lot . I been walking around like the cat that got the cream since I read it .
I am well chuffed on the outcome but need to take advice on the bonnet issue .
After polishing the first side I applied it by hand and although it was good I thought it could be better so I never waxed the car . After I done the second side I hit the first side again but second time round I used two spots of black hole with one spot of ultra fina and done both sides again like this . 
I applied boora carnuba wax and felt it lost a bit of it's lustre . I took a chance and applied a coat of meguiars crystal wax over the top the day after which is all I had to hand and it seems to have done the job . 
I know I can get better but I want to walk good before I start running .
My next investment is a good wax .


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Grizzle said:


> Nice job mate, cant say i've seen it around though.


I work six days a week mate so never really around town in it , and when home it's tucked away in a little cul de sac out of sight . Where bouts in grange mouth are you .


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

Stomper said:


> I work six days a week mate so never really around town in it , and when home it's tucked away in a little cul de sac out of sight . Where bouts in grange mouth are you .


ah that will be why, i'm up near the Leapark :wave:


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## Robw757 (Mar 7, 2011)

Fantastic job fella, we had a black 1600 Capri in the 90's, lovely car wish I still had it !


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## GSVHammer (Feb 7, 2009)

Very nice job there. Brings back memories as I owned a 2.0L S and a 3.0L S at the same time, both in black.


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Grizzle said:


> ah that will be why, i'm up near the Leapark :wave:


Oh im just around the corner too . Im in a cul-de-sac at the start of kersiebank avenue . Oldwalls place , The posh bit . Lol :thumb:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

GSVHammer said:


> Very nice job there. Brings back memories as I owned a 2.0L S and a 3.0L S at the same time, both in black.


I got a couple of 3 litres in pieces in my garage . One of them is a MkII 3L Sport and the other is a MkII 3L GT . Of which there are only* 1* left. Wait till you see the value of that when its finished . Not that i`d sell it :argie::argie::argie:


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

What a turnaround..fantastic...


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## Typhoon (Nov 1, 2008)

Stunning and pepper pots to boot .....morn my 69 3.0 GT-XLR and then a 2.0S


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## meanderlight (Jul 19, 2011)

Great car, brings back some memories


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## Scatty (Oct 1, 2010)

very nice !!


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## L4CKL (Nov 27, 2010)

i was really looking forward to reading this thread when i saw the title and in the 2nd half of the pictures, i struggled to see the car, just a really short guy holding a camera.........

must be a contender for best reflection shot on this site.

great work, is a restore on the cars then? (with the spots of rust you mentioned)


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

L4CKL said:


> i was really looking forward to reading this thread when i saw the title and in the 2nd half of the pictures, i struggled to see the car, just a really short guy holding a camera.........
> 
> must be a contender for best reflection shot on this site.
> 
> great work, is a restore on the cars then? (with the spots of rust you mentioned)


Yeh mate defo . Need a spot of welding on one the jacking points so will get the rust spots cut out then And have the four arches repainted. I am also switching the interior for a black one . Now that the paint is back to it's original colour I can be more certain of getting a spot on colour match


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Get out thats not the same car...:lol:
Great work...:thumb:
love the shot with the body missing...:lol:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Well today the sun shone and showed of all my good work at my first Capri Club meeting at the new car museum in Glasgow . Today they had a select few classic car clubs all set out on the area around the museum . 6 hours of between 12 and 20k car enthusiasts . 
A great day out and a proud day for me too seeing all the pictures being taken . 
I could show you loads of pictures , but this is my favourite of the day .
Taken with my mobile . :lol:


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## robtech (Jan 17, 2011)

clucking bell thats awesome stuff.i too once had a black capri..best color...wished i'd known there was a capri meet on..annoyingly past the museum today.doh


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

robtech said:


> clucking bell thats awesome stuff.i too once had a black capri..best color...wished i'd known there was a capri meet on..annoyingly past the museum today.doh


Its more of like an open day at the museum , loads of old cars the Army and to top it off for the boys .
Ladies Beach Volleyball . Oh yeh :thumb::thumb::thumb:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

roy7 said:


> great job fella love the old skool fords:thumb:


There seems to be hundreds of them around here . We have the rear wheel drive club here too . Plenty escorts too .


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

Stomper said:


> Ladies Beach Volleyball.


Don't suppose you got any pics of that (or better still video?). :lol: New forum policy on all these types of images now - they need to pass the site's chief censor before going on the forum - email to [email protected] :lol: :lol:

Car looks lovely mate, and would have like to see some more pics of the show


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

I`ll stick a thread up of the pics i took and put it in the Off Topic Chat section .
I`ll include the couple of volleball pics i took too . Just for you :thumb:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Nice little beading shot from this morning . One week after waxing with Meguiars stage 3 crystal wax .


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## ChrisJD (Apr 15, 2009)

Great work there. No surprise to see the paintwork in that condition after 27 years. Looks fantastic now, well done.

Chris.


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## MiLLe (Oct 13, 2010)

Fantastic job mate! I'd love to have a car like that.


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

Stunning turnaround


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## maestegman (Mar 3, 2011)

Beautiful work fella. I've really enjoyed this thread.

I'm 39 and during my formative years, I remember drooling over my neighbour's 2.8i Capri (in black with go-faster stripe to boot).

Great to see one restored to such great condition - nice one!


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Thanks , seriously . Comments like these make it all seem worthwhile . 
My first ever attampt at polishing ended up in the July competition top 10 , although i dont stand a chance against all the pro`s it is definately encouraging enough to make me want to try harder .
This forum has been a world of info and i couldnt have done it without help at every stage of my work .
It is appreciated . All of you .
Thanks
Mark


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

Having seen your reg i have seen your car a few times mate, i quite fancy an 80's Sierra xr4i


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## ianstaley (Jul 13, 2011)

*YOU can clean my car anytime*

Wow first off like you I am a beginner, still waiting for my snow foam lance so your ahead of me. FORD a CAPRI! man somebody realy looked after that one, FORD south of the boarder stands for "First On Rust & Decay" :lol: I mean the sratching around the drivers door, whoever owned must have been pis*ed a lot never able to find the door :lol: so I think you hit mark mate well done, just hope my supra comes out as good after the first time. Ian :thumb::thumb:


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Grizzle said:


> Having seen your reg i have seen your car a few times mate, i quite fancy an 80's Sierra xr4i


Funnily enough i recognise your face and your car , but not being from around here originaly , ususlly when i recognise a face its from my work .


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Sheet , Grizzle , i just seen your post count . I got a pro on my doorstep 
If you ever feel like passing any of your wisdom on , im your man . Lol


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## jde126hunter (Apr 26, 2010)

Great work , nice car too


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## Austin mini (Jul 15, 2011)

Looks really good well done mate!!


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## detaillover (Apr 25, 2011)

Any updates on this buddy? not seen the car running about for a while. Was speaking to keith and he mentioned he hadn't seen you either!! your not deed are you? lol (hope not)


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

Hey sir no way . 
Took it off the road to use the shell in a Mk2 rebuild , then found out the shell was ritten on the inner sills .
Now a project car .

I have been posting the progress on my facebook page , if you add me you can follow my progress . Anyone else feel free to add me .

Search , Mark Holmes . Im the one wi no top on and a beer in my hand .

Dunno if this direct link will work
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150650445203880.392919.770578879&type=1


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## Stomper (Jun 8, 2011)

detaillover said:


> Any updates on this buddy? not seen the car running about for a while. Was speaking to keith and he mentioned he hadn't seen you either!! your not deed are you? lol (hope not)


Has Keith still got the shop up in Linlithgow mate .


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## detaillover (Apr 25, 2011)

Stomper said:


> Has Keith still got the shop up in Linlithgow mate .


Hes just sold it as far as i know, not sure if anyone else is going in to the unit or not.
Which is kind of **** cos he was just up the road and a decent guy to talk to.


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