1974 Ford Capri Mk1 RS3100
Phil has been in possesion of this RS3100 for some 4 years and decided it was, due to some previous poor repair work,
time to have the car fully restored. Phil has removed as much trim and parts possible but to leave it still running prior to the car being delivered to us.
Being this RS3100 is the sister car to the Daytona Yellow RS we recently restored, we are pleased to be entrusted with this restoration.
The first job was to get the car completely striped to a shell as it was to be soda blast cleaned. Both front wings had at some point been replaced with new items. They had been bolted on so we were able to remove them with no damage to any of the flanges. It soon became evident the previous repair work had been done to a sub standard level. Patch plates were everywhere as can be seen. Once the car had been striped to a bare shell it was loaded on to the lorry to be taken away for soda blast cleaning.
Upon return after blast cleaning, the first thing was to get the shell and panels etch primed to protect them during the restoration process. Once this had been done work could comence on the shell. The first area to deal with was the front inner wings. Many previous patch repairs, wing rail replacement and set-in corrosion meant the best course of action was to replace both inner wings completely. Once the inner wing had been removed a section of the bulkhead was also removed to enable a new section to be fitted. Again due to corrosion, the inside of the chassis leg was treated with a zinc primer prior to new inner wing being fitted into position. At this point the shell apperture was braced to avoid any movement. Also, as little as possible is removed prior to being replaced rather than removing all panels at once. Again this is done to avoid any movement to the shell. he new bulkhead and floor section was welded into position prior to the new inner wing being fitted. As luck would have it, the owner had managed to find a new bulkhead so this was used to repair the cars bulkhead rather than replacing the whole panel. The new inner wing was then fixed into position and all alignment checked and double checked prior to being final welded to the car.
The top section of the bulkhead needed minor repair due to corrosion before the inner wing was fitted. Once the repairs had been completed and the new panels welded into position, much the same was needed to the offside of the car. Again the inner wing was removed along with the section of bulkhead. The same protection was applied to the inside of the chassis leg and the new panels were then checked and welded into position.
Now the strength was back in the shell with the new inner wings and bulkhead sections fitted, we could move on to the A-posts and sill areas. As mentioned these had been previously repaired and as you can see what lurked beneath was not a pretty sight to say the least. A repair panel had been fitted over the top af the original panel. A very poor repair method which in fact, had caused the corrosion underneath to get worse as moisture is trapped between the panels. Once all the section had been removed it became clear the corrosion had gone in further than first thought. The inner hinge panel also needed to be replaced. Fortunatley a section taken from a used mk3 was adapted for use and welded into position. Again all inner panels treated with zinc primer before new panels being welded in.
Next was to remove the inner and outer sills. Once again as you can see, over sills had been used to repair the car along with patch repairs to the inner sill and floor edge. Once the inner and outer sill had been removed, a few repairs were needed to the floor edge and front section. Also the area around the seat mounting including the mounting itself needed to be replaced. A new seat mount was fabricated along with the surrounding floor section and welded into position.
After all the repairs to the floor had been completed, the new inner and outer sill could be fitted, checked and welded into position. The door and wing were fitted temporarily to check everything fitted as it should before the panels could be welded in. Much the same was needed to the nearside of the vehicle. A-posts salvaged from a Mk3 Capri were adjusted and some minor repairs done prior to being fitted to the car.
Next was to move on to the rear quarter panels of the car. Previous wheelarch repairs and some accident damage to the quarters had left them in a very poor condition. Due to the availability of new rear quarter panels, some new sections were found and along with a section taken from another car and some repair panels, the quarter panels were removed from the car ready for the new quarters to be fitted. Some repair work was needed to the boot floor drop sides and the inner wheelhouse. The boot drop side was fabricated and welded into position. Fortunatley we had managed to source a new outer wheelhouse so this was also checked and welded in prior to the new quarter panel being fitted to the car. Again much the same was needed to the other side of the car.
The boot floor had suffered quite severe corrosion, a good second hand floor was sourced to replace the original. At the same time the nearside chassis leg was replaced due to patch repairs and corrosion. A new genuine chassis leg was found to replace the original. Once the leg had been removed and a few repairs completed to the rear floor pan, the new leg was checked for correct alignment and welded into position. The section to the rear of the offside chassis leg had also corroded so this was replaced. Again a good rust free used section was found for this repair. The new floor and rear panel could now be checked for correct alignment to the adjacent panels and welded in to the car.
Further updates to follow shortly.