Arne's non-Porsche projects - Now a 1969 Bronco

[blueline]

Another milestone—it moved under its own power today. Not far, and not ready for the road yet. But getting closer.

Even though I only drove it a block or so total, I still learned a few things. One is that the front strut inserts are totally hosed, the front bounces uncontrollably over any small dip. Another is that the brake pedal doesn't like to return when the clutch is depressed—I found that the clutch pedal bushings are not just bad, they are totally non-existent. And the engine refuses to run much below 1500 rpm or so, even when warmed. I suspect the idle circuit on the carb is totally clogged.

The car has great lines and the body looks solid. I already know that you are going to turn the Capri into a good car - it's good watching a bit of it happening here!

[Arne2]

Engine tuning and refresh is mostly done. Much cleaning of oily gunk, valve adjustment, rebuilt carb. Lots of oily gunk. Someone's idea of dealing with leaky cork valve cover gaskets was to just keep tightening them down until they were paper thin. Who knows how many years they'd been leaking.

I decided not to mess with the ignition yet, as I knew it worked as is, and why introduce an additional change when messing with a fresh carb.

Runs much better, idles smoothly at around 800 rpm, revs cleanly. So I'll probably pull the distributor for cleaning, service and normal tune-up stuff soon.

This means I should be able to drive it to DMV for VIN check and papers soon.

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[blueline]

Moving right along. You don't waste time.

[Tom]

Moving right along. You don't waste time.

Is that a Jedi mind trick to try at the DMV?

[Stormy_Monday]

Moving right along. You don't waste time.

Is that a Jedi mind trick to try at the DMV?

there are minds at DMV?

[blueline]

Moving right along. You don't waste time.

Is that a Jedi mind trick to try at the DMV?

there are minds at DMV?

Minds? No!

Therefore, Jedi mind trick probably ineffective...

Oh how I'd hate a bureaucratic DMV. So glad we're left alone in Tennessee!

[Arne2]

Well, DMV trip still on hold. The car runs well with new carb and ignition tune up, until you work it hard. Under load (like steep uphill pulls in my neighborhood), it quickly stalls out. It felt to me like the float bowl ran dry. The car was equipped with a small electric fuel pump shortly before it was parked back in 2008 or so. Running that pump with the hose from the carb inlet in a beaker delivered a sad trickle of fuel. I'm not sure if the pump is bad, or just not big enough—it claims to output at 2.0-3.5 psi and 28 gph. Specs I've found for V6 pumps seem to vary from 3.75 to 7.0 psi.

The original engine-driven pump was still mounted on the block. I think I'm going to revert to that style rather than another electric. So still not drivable yet. I'll spend some of the time waiting for a new pump refinishing the air cleaner.

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[Falcondriver]

What a great find. My older brother's first car (way back when) was a '74 Capri V6 4-speed just like yours. Kind of a light root beer color with tan interior. What a great car. We had a blast in that thing. I look forward to following your progress.

[Arne2]

Still waiting on the new fuel pump. But things under the hood keep improving while I wait.

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[Arne2]

Fuel pump arrived a couple days ago, and works well. The car is a little fussy when cold, but runs well once warmed up. Nice, smooth idle at 600-700 rpm. Pulls cleanly, shifts well. Final prep for the trip to DMV for papers is pretty well complete.

Last bit is the wipers, since rain is predicted all week. I dislike modern black plastic wiper blades on vintage cars like these, so I was happy to find a pair of period-correct silver Anco Aero wiper blades in the car when I bought it. I refinished the arms and blades in matte silver. The proper vintage-style refills won't be here for a bit yet, but if they don't arrive before I need to drive to DMV I found I can rob the blades from my '96 Tacoma—they fit just fine.

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