ascMcLaren Enthusiasts Forum Index ascMcLaren Enthusiasts
An asc McLaren forum for ALL Mustang and Capri based cars modified by Automotive Speciality Corporation, a Division of American Sunroof Corporation.
(a trademarked corporation) with no affilation to this site.
 
 AlbumAlbum   FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Looking at the car that is listed in the classified forum

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ascMcLaren Enthusiasts Forum Index -> ASC Discussions
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Daveh



Joined: 02 Dec 2018
Posts: 2
Location: Harrisonburg, VA

PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 12:02 am    Post subject: Looking at the car that is listed in the classified forum Reply with quote

The car is the '86 Roadster listed on Craigslist in Salisbury, MD and was mentioned in the Classified Forum. Anyway, brand new to this forum and it is interesting to see this car posted as it is why we registered with this forum. We are thinking about going to look at this car and while we are huge car buffs ('69 Mach 1 428 CJ, '69 Mustang Grande, '67 Cougar, '71 F100), we don't know anything about the ASC McLarens - other than we like the looks of them and we had an '84 Capri RS that we loved dearly Smile Anyway, we've talked to the guy and he seems honest. The car supposedly was purchased at an auction 2 years ago by this guy's brother. The story is that the car was purchased at the auction many years ago and was never picked up. The title was lost during the time that is sat at the auction house. After much red tape the guy's brother was able to get a legitimate title. We have questioned some of the McLaren stuff that appears to be missing and he has sent pictures of the missing items. Of course, we're not sure how much there should be that isn't there, just the obvious. Our main question is, how hard is it going to be to get McLaren specific parts for it? We know that since there weren't many made, the parts are what could bust this car for us. Can anyone post pics of the seats that would show if the ones he has are actually '86 McLaren seats? It is obvious that the seats that he has are not from this car - they are gray. Is there supposed to be anything on the door panels that say McLaren? He says that it has a manual top - not motorized. We question that as we've never heard of a car of that quality having a manual top... It appears that the instrument cluster, glove box, etc. needs new wood graining. I saw it on the McLaren website, but is it available anywhere else? What color is the carpet and trim supposed to be if not red? Should it have leather interior or cloth? The good thing for us is that the body appears to be straight and the guy says very little surface rust. We do our own body work and painting so having little body work would be a plus! Any help that anyone is willing to give us would be great! Thanks!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Album
negusm
Site Admin


Joined: 25 Aug 2004
Posts: 5183
Location: Charlotte, NC

PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey! Thanks for signing on.

I am not a vert expert but depending on what is missing, yeah, it can add to the cost. ascMclaren specific parts are really ONLY available at ascmclaren.com.

Regardless, it's not unusual for people to just roll with Capri/Mustang seats or wheels or whatever since they are cheaper and easier to source.

For the Top, maybe the motor just stopped working? I would think that might be the case.

Also, these cars are odd in that some got certain style seats and some got other (Ford vs Recarro). Pretty sure all got leather. But you know again...not the end of the world to use something that fits and looks good.

Mechanicals are all Ford so that is a plus. Nothing too hard to source there I think.

-Mike
_________________
1985 ascMcLaren Coupe - Midnight Blue
Under Restoration
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Album
86MclarenCapri



Joined: 27 Sep 2015
Posts: 231
Location: Norfolk, VA

PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Someone needs to buy this car before I do! I just don't need another project, but this one is perfect to customize because it needs about everything redone. I am not a fan of the tan interiors, so it would be just as easy to make it a grey interior as it would to keep with the tan. Also, it needs a top, so a black top would be the same.

It is also a manual, which is pretty rare for roadsters.

I saw that it has the 140mph speedo, which is cool. It also has the rear radio antenna. I didn't see the whistler radar detector and there is no mention of air horns.

It looks like it was sitting out for a long time, so I would inspect the hood and trunk lips and the bottoms of the doors. I would take a LONG look at the sub frame and floor boards.

You will want to stiffen the frame, so if the car doesn't have the frame stiffening kit, you really want to get one. Also, weld-on sub frame connectors are pretty much required. I just got the stiffening kit for mine but I have not installed it, yet. It is the 83-90 convertible stiffening kit that consists of two support bars that rivet to the rocker panel and pinch weld and 4 plates that rivet to the frame and the support bar. IF you get the kit, it is easier to install the kit first then the frame connectors. I did it the other way and... it is taking a lot more time to fit the reinforcement plates.

So, your question on the McLaren specific stuff. Everything you need is reproduced and available on www.ascmclaren.com. It looks like the windshield molding and the tonneau cover are cracked and/or warped. They are pricey at that site, but they are fiberglass and are much more sturdy than the originals. A word of warning, though--both those parts take a lot of work to get them to fit, so be prepared for that. Otherwise, I haven't had a problem with anything else I bought from Hank.

One of the bonus things about that car is that it has the full body kit that looks like it is in excellent shape! The kit alone runs about $1200 new. Also, the body lines look AWESOME on that car! It is WAY straighter than mine and I have had some work done. Look at the lines between the trunk lid and the tonneau cover-- they look great!

On the interior: The roadsters could have come with the deluxe door panels and Recaro seats, but if the buyer didn't want to spend that much, then they would have kept the same Mustang GT door panels (that are on the car!) and would have had standard Mustang low back seats with headrests. ASC reupholstered the seats in leather and had the ASC McLaren logo stitched in the seat backs. I think Hank has the 1986 tan leather seat covers, but they are expensive. He didn't have the grey ones for my car, though. My car came with the Mustang door panels and standard seats. I bought standard vinyl charcoal seat covers and installed them myself and they look great. I have a friend who owns an upholstery shop who is going to make custom leather seat covers with the logo for some SVO seats that I found, so I will eventually have something that looks closer to stock ASC. I wouldn't keep the halo seats that he has, I would look for either the Mustang seats or SVO seats, or.. 87-93 seats because they are better than the standard 86 seats. Hank has leather seat covers for the 87-93, so you would be good there. I think that the 87-93 seats may have had Thunderbird headrests installed, so you might have to find a pair of those, too, if you get Hank's seat covers. He would know about that.

Hank also has tan Recaro seats and tan deluxe door panels. I'm not a fan of the Recaros and I hear the seat heater and speakers fail early and never really work. IF my car would have come with them, though, I would be a fan. Apparently, they didn't make grey deluxe door panels, so I'm SOL there. I wouldn't want to dye the panels.

The wood panels for the dash are available but expensive. I am not crazy about them so I took mine off and got a set of Mustang GT dash and glove box bezels and I think they look much better. It is a whole lot of grey in my interior, though. Now, to me, the wood grain looks good with the tan interior, just not in grey. I kept the original wood grain that needs to be refinished, so I may eventually go that route, but it is not a priority. I 3-D printed the bezel that goes around the information station!

The wood grain in the car looks pretty good, I would try refinishing it like Mike suggested.

The top is available from Hank and is pretty expensive. There has been a lot of talk on this forum about his tops because we don't know if they are original or not which might effect the plastic window. I just got a top from topsonline.com and I am very happy with it.

It looks like the console and rear compartment will have to be redone, too. There really isn't a mystery to it, except that it should be all tan. You can have an upholstery shop re-do it, the materials are available. Hank does have new rear compartments, but they are expensive. If you have someone redo those parts, I would go with material that is as close to stock as you can--I have seen where people customize them and.. it just doesn't turn out well.

The top is manual. However, it has a pull-down motor that pulls the back of the top down to the tonneau cover. It has an electric release switch, too. I was surprised to see that it was manual when I got my first ASC, but it really isn't that bad. The motor can get tricky sometimes, but once you get it, it's an easy process.

Looks like you would need carpet, It must have been replaced, It should be tan. You can get the carpet with the rubberized backing. It is a little harder to install but it is much better than the plain carpet.

A lesson that I learned late--this car was made off of a Capri, so one would think that you could order all Mustang stuff for it. Wrong. You can order MOSTLY all Mustang stuff for it. The Hood and bumper covers are Capri specific but they are the same general shape as 79-82 Mustang, so if you are looking for under hood insulation or brackets for the bumper, you can use parts from those years. IF you can find Capri specific parts, get them instead of the Mustang. There are subtle differences, but enough to make it worth your while to find Capri parts.

You will probably find that a lot of the small electrical sensors, relays and switches need to be replaced. I just bought all new ones and didn't even try to test them. I didn't want to spend a lot of time chasing electrical issues.

Now, the BIG thing to think about is that the car started out as a hatchback and ASC cut the back off to make a 2 seater. if you are looking for ANYTHING under the car, ALWAYS get coupe or hatchback parts. This applies to the carpet, as well.

If you want to talk to me about the project, you can call--757-589-6920. I don't answer my phone much, so a text would get my attention and I can call you back.
_________________
Dan
Norfolk, VA
86 Capri Convt Silver/Charcoal/Black
67 Mustang GTA Convt


Last edited by 86MclarenCapri on Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:51 pm; edited 2 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Album
negusm
Site Admin


Joined: 25 Aug 2004
Posts: 5183
Location: Charlotte, NC

PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do you have to strengthen the Capri verts? Asc put a massive spine in those cars, front to back, because they chopped the roof.

(Mustang verts I think were braced differently?)

Seems like any more bracing isn't going to do much.

-Mike
_________________
1985 ascMcLaren Coupe - Midnight Blue
Under Restoration
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Album
86MclarenCapri



Joined: 27 Sep 2015
Posts: 231
Location: Norfolk, VA

PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh yeah, you do. There is a massive reinforcement piece that goes all the way down the center hump under the console and across the back between the rear shocks. It just isn't enough, though. They really should have added the frame strengthening kit but I think that at the time, they thought it wasn't needed.

I read that the Mustangs were delivered with the full (6 piece) frame strengthening kit included but not installed. I think it was one of the pieces that Ford threw in the back of the car for ASC to install.

I installed the weld-on sub frame connectors first and that made a HUGE difference! I didn't know about the factory stiffening kit at the time. Granted, the frame stiffening kit AND the sub frame connectors may be a bit of an over kill together, but it certainly couldn't hurt. The Capri roadsters are squeaky, creaky cars compared to the Mustang roadsters.

I just got new tires and replaced a bent rim (didn't know it was bent) and darn it, the car rides like a dream now. If I had done that before I installed the sub frame connectors, I might have a different opinion on the ride quality and need for frame stiffening, but.. it didn't happen that way.
_________________
Dan
Norfolk, VA
86 Capri Convt Silver/Charcoal/Black
67 Mustang GTA Convt
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Album
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ascMcLaren Enthusiasts Forum Index -> ASC Discussions All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
Number of shameful bots caught by Anti-Spam ACP: 474