Andy's Auto Body's Ford Capri Mk1 RS3100 restoration
Ford Capri Mk1 RS3100 — Andy's Auto Body
Read the full write-up at Ford Capri Mk1 RS3100 — Andy's Auto Body ↗
Photo: Ford Capri Mk1 RS3100 — Andy's Auto BodyA barn-find Ford Capri Mk1 RS3100 rebuilt panel by panel
A genuine RS3100, laid up for 30 years, is being stripped of heavy corrosion and rebuilt using new old stock Ford panels, grafted donor parts, and salvaged original fittings. Andy's Auto Body documents the painstaking panel sourcing and precise measuring needed to restore an otherwise 99.9% complete car.
Parts used
Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.
Body & Trim 10
- New old stock front wingsFord
Genuine RS3100 wings came with the car
In the shops
Idler Arm (New Old Stock) - Mark 1 ↗
Kelvedon Lotus (Kelsport)· £55.00 GBP
Wheel Brace (Europa, New Old Stock) ↗Kelvedon Lotus (Kelsport)· £24.95 GBP
Datsun 520/521 Relay (New Old Stock) ↗
Datsun Parts Shop (Australia)· $97.00 USD - New old stock boot lidFord
Genuine RS3100 boot lid came with the car
In the shopsBoot Lid Stay ↗
MGOC SparesBoot Lid Striker ↗MGOC Spares· £30.95
Boot Lid (Mk2/2.5) ↗
MX5 City· $358.96 USD - New old stock quarter panelsFord
Sourced while shell was being blasted
In the shops
Rear Inner Quarter Panel R/H - GT ↗James Paddock Ltd· £44.10 GBP
Rear Inner Quarter Panel L/H - GT ↗Idler Arm (New Old Stock) - Mark 1 ↗Kelvedon Lotus (Kelsport)· £55.00 GBP - New old stock doorsFord
Pre-facelift doors fitted; original handle apertures grafted in and original hinges and new pins salvaged/fitted
In the shopsIdler Arm (New Old Stock) - Mark 1 ↗Kelvedon Lotus (Kelsport)· £55.00 GBPWheel Brace (Europa, New Old Stock) ↗Kelvedon Lotus (Kelsport)· £24.95 GBPDatsun 520/521 Relay (New Old Stock) ↗Datsun Parts Shop (Australia)· $97.00 USD - New old stock front valanceFord
Pre-facelift panel used; correct slots templated and new tags fabricated to secure the grille
In the shopsIdler Arm (New Old Stock) - Mark 1 ↗Kelvedon Lotus (Kelsport)· £55.00 GBPWheel Brace (Europa, New Old Stock) ↗Kelvedon Lotus (Kelsport)· £24.95 GBPDatsun 520/521 Relay (New Old Stock) ↗Datsun Parts Shop (Australia)· $97.00 USD - New old stock sill and inner sillsFord
Fitted to replace corroded sections
In the shops
Inner Sill RH ↗
Inner Sill LH ↗
Inner Sill R/H (Heritage) ↗ - New old stock rear panelFord
Fitted during panel replacement
In the shopsIdler Arm (New Old Stock) - Mark 1 ↗Kelvedon Lotus (Kelsport)· £55.00 GBPWheel Brace (Europa, New Old Stock) ↗Kelvedon Lotus (Kelsport)· £24.95 GBPDatsun 520/521 Relay (New Old Stock) ↗Datsun Parts Shop (Australia)· $97.00 USD - Floor reinforcers
Replaced as originals were damaged from being mistaken for jacking points
- Donor roof skin
Good used roof skin salvaged from a donor car and grafted onto the shell
- Fabricated bonnet inner skin section
New section fabricated and let in to replace corroded inner bonnet skin
In the shopsBonnet Skin ↗MGOC Spares· £525.30
Rear Wheelarch Inner Section, LH ↗
Rear Wheelarch Inner Section (RH) ↗
Photos
40 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from Ford Capri Mk1 RS3100 — Andy's Auto Body. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.
How it was done
Starting condition
The RS3100 is described as a genuine barn find, laid up for 30 years, 99.9% complete but suffering from serious corrosion due to damp. It did come with a pair of genuine RS wings and a boot lid.
Sourcing panels
While the shell was away being blasted, the team gathered new old stock Ford panels including quarters, doors, a front valance, sill, inner sills and a rear panel. Remaining panels came from ex-pressed steel or secondhand sources.
Fitting and measuring
The front end was loosely fitted and checked with a measuring system to ensure millimetre accuracy before final welding. The usual floor reinforcers were replaced, as they are often mistaken for jacking points and damaged.
Door and valance work
The only available new old stock doors were pre-facelift, so original handle apertures were grafted into the new doors, and original hinges and pins were salvaged. Similarly, the only available front valance was pre-facelift, so correct slots and tags were templated and fabricated from the original.
Roof and bonnet repairs
A good used roof skin was salvaged from a donor car and grafted on. The bonnet's outer skin was sound, but the inner skin had corroded, so a new section was fabricated and let in. Radiator supports had also corroded, likely from earlier front-end accident repairs.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at Ford Capri Mk1 RS3100 — Andy's Auto Body ↗