Capri Factory Authorized Body Parts/Ground Effects

[rescard]

It is my understanding that the 85/86 Mercury Capri was used as a pace car and that the factory authorized many modifications and helped produce in excess of 30 vehicles. The project I am working on requires the Capri to be have stock/factory authorized components. Can anyone help me determine what ground effects, spoilers, etc. was available? I am also interested in knowing if the fiberglass hood(like the Mustang Saleen had) was used as well. Any help will be appreciated. I think the terms Sports Package or the McLaren Package include these parts and were factory authorized.

[1985 Motorsport Capri]

what year/style of Capri are you working on?
that may help determining what your car should have on it.

[Sandy]

This is an extremely fine line of interrpatation. Factory Authorized deletion of certain parts, so that another outside company can produce additional (Read: different) parts in substitution, is the area Ford wandered into. You are speaking of a "grey area".

Example: My company manufactures mens shirts, we;ll say. They have tradational buttons down the front. YOUR company wants to purchase 50,000 of my shirts, but they want zippers down the front. My company does not have zippers, but we agreed to manufacture the 50,000 shirts without buttons, and we put you in touch with a zipper manufacturer. You & the zipper manufacturer reach a deal, and to assist you, I will send all 50,000 button-less shirts to the zipper company for zipper installation.

Now, with this example, I ask you, did my company authorized the zipper installation?

If you followed this thru, it's very similiar to FoMoCo(s) involvement in the ascMcLaren, and Ford's Motorsport program and McLaren Racing and even Firestone Tire, back in the mid-eighties.

A&A Specialties made fiberglas parts under contract to ascMcLaren, for installation onto Mercury Capris that Ford made with certain parts normally installed, deleted for a specific build that promoted Ford Motorsports & Firestone Tires and Stewart Warner Gauges.

Similiar to Firebird/Camaro/G.M. & SLP so, it's alot of how an individual interrupts it. It's just not black & white but alot of grey areas.

[stangmodifier]

Rescard, what do you have? Are you trying to clone a pacecar or do you have one? They are out there, some members here have them.

[negusm]

Yes, what exactly is your project? That might shed a little light onto what you're after.

Here's a thought though....

Let's say that there is a Racing class where the cars can have nothing on them except what was available from the manufacturer. If you entered a 1985 ascMcLaren coupe....would it be disqualified? Would Firehawks, Callay (sp?) Vettes and Shelby/Saleen/Shinoda Mustangs be disqualified?

All these cars got parts that were not made or produced by the car's original manufacturer.

-Mike

[negusm]

I am also interested in knowing if the fiberglass hood(like the Mustang Saleen had) was used as well.

No fiberglass parts were used to replace stock ones. Also, does the Saleen hood you mention, count as "Ford" authorized? If so, in what way?

This questions makes me think your trying to compete in some kind of stock racing class or bracket.

-Mike

[rescard]

I truly appreciate all the responses. Let me try and be a bit clearer. I am building a Capri to compete in an NHRA Super Stock class. Since the shipping weight of these cars do not vary all that much, I am open to building a 1979 - 1985/6. Super Stock allows significant weight adjustment (up or down), so I have flexibility. NHRA does have some interesting quirks in dealing with body styles and accessories, but suffice it to say that if 50 or more units were produced and sold to the public and somehow documented by the factory, I should be able to use the parts off those vehicles.
Most recently, I have seen a 1985 Mustang coupe run the Saleen ground effect w/a fiberglass hood and be LEGAL (in the eyes of NHRA). Therefore, I can plead my case if there is ample documentation. Since the Mercury Capri is new to me, I am not familar with all the bells and whistles that were/became available.
Lastly, the chassis is complete as are the driveline components. We are just finishing up the paint on the motor compartment then I can wire and plumb. The car will use the 289 Mercury engine (produced in 1964), a C4 trans and a 9" rear. The NHRA classification will be either GT/LA or GT/MA and should run 10.7 - 10.9 @126MPH.
Hope this helps.

[Sandy]

Well, I'm pretty lost, right about now, but from 1979 to 1986, no Capri arrived at a Mercury Dealership WITH a fiberglas hood. Not even an ascMcLaren. The top of the line, Hi Po model always wore a front air dam

[negusm]

Well, documentation is going to be tough.

Unlike Saleen who is still around and can verify production figures, asc all has forgotten these cars. Detailed records are gone and I don't even know if they even know total figures anymore.

Ford probably still has records pertainng to the special DSO builds but they are not available to the public in any fashion.

The one thing the Capri has over the Mustang would be the rear bubble back. It drops the coefficient of drag considerably and also shifts weight slightly back which will get more traction to the rear wheels. Somebody at FEP dug out a note on an old magazine test and the bubble back Capri bested the Mustang by more than .1s in the quarter

-Mike

[rescard]

Mike and Sandy, it appears you guys know this stuff pretty well. I agree that the bubble back window will help traction and drag coeffeciency. I would like to complete the car with the ground effects (like the #1 picture in Sandy's album). My plan is to gather as much data as possible and submit my findings and construction wishes to NHRA for final approval. The better I'm documented, the easier that will be. The number of pictures and written print that can be found on the Capri pace cars is very compelling.

If I can somehow make a connection between the fiberglass hoods that were available for the Capri and parallel that to the Saleen Mustang's hood, I can round out the package.

Lastly, I am pretty excited about this project because the motor makes enough power on the dyno to set both sides of the NHRA National Record in the Capri body. To date there is no evidence that a Capri has held any records in Super Stock - it would be an honor to build and race the first one.

[Sandy]

Would I be outta line to ask you where you ever heard of, or documented fiberglass hoods for Capris of 1979-1986 vintage? I have never seen or heard ot such. There WERE fiberglass hoods on Mustang McLarens of 1980, made by Firestone, McLaren & Ford, but that is a different animal.

Search "A&A Specialties" on the web. Either Oklahoma or Michigan.
Contact them for documentation. It may have been for sales over the counter at Mercury dealers, in prime, though I never saw such.

A&A (if still in business) did much work (body-panel wise) during that time frame. What was your source that led you to believe that such was available on a 79-86 Capri ?

[negusm]

If I can somehow make a connection between the fiberglass hoods that were available for the Capri

Like Sandy says. There were NO fiberglass Capri hoods....unless you have found something different.

If there was one used...it would have been a one-off on a prototype car.

-Mike

[1985 Motorsport Capri]

there were fiberglass hood SCOOPS on capri's. just no fiberglass hood.

[rescard]

To be honest with everyone, I have no hard facts about a fiberglass hood on the 79 - 86 Capri's. What has me on this kick is the 85 Mustang I saw at the end of last year using a fiberglass Saleen hood (which I didn't know was produced by Ford either). My hope is that I can bridge that logic into using one with the Capri.

In addition, as I look at these hoods, I wonder if they were produced in fiberglass as well.

http://www.ascmclarencoupe.com/Literatu ... _06-07.jpg

http://www.ascmclarencoupe.com/Literatu ... _01-14.jpg

[negusm]

To be honest with everyone, I have no hard facts about a fiberglass hood on the 79 - 86 Capri's. What has me on this kick is the 85 Mustang I saw at the end of last year using a fiberglass Saleen hood (which I didn't know was produced by Ford either). My hope is that I can bridge that logic into using one with the Capri.

In addition, as I look at these hoods, I wonder if they were produced in fiberglass as well.

http://www.ascmclarencoupe.com/Literatu ... _06-07.jpg

http://www.ascmclarencoupe.com/Literatu ... _01-14.jpg

No sir. Those are 100% metal hoods. The scoops are fiberglass is all.

There was NEVER a production fiberglass hood for the Capri.

There is an aftermarket company that does make a cowl fiberglass hood for the Capri but it doesn't look stock in any real way.

You are never going to find even so much as a stock looking (non-cowl) fiberglass hood. I don't believe they were ever made even in aftermarket form.

-Mike