New XR2 for me!

[Rocketman]

I've been wanting another "stock" XR2 for a long time now. My GTXR2 is so far modified at this point I can't really use it as a development platform / testbed for new parts.

I'll be updating with my progress and projects.

At the moment she sits like this:

Been sitting almost 10 years. Still fires right up! Stock 91 XR2. Believe it's a shortnose engine. 116k miles.
Front end has been in minor wreck. Needs header panel, bumper, intercooler, etc replaced - car comes with most of these parts. Needs a new ragtop, I'll probably throw one of my hardtops on it for now.

The brakes need bled something fierce, hardly any pedal at all. Clutch is dodgy. Supposed to have been replaced at some point.

Interior is shot. Going to try to source newer Escort/focus/whatever seats I can find in the junkyard.

Rough brainstorming plans:

-Test out ITB's thoroughly. May switch to high compression longblock for this, maybe turbo maybe not.
-Possibly finish developing & test my B6 supercharger kit
-Finish developing cast B6T T3 exhaust manifolds

Eventual plans: build this into my "iRPAC" concept - mid-engine RWD capri

She's in rough shape, but the chassis is rust free!



Getting towed to my shop tomorrow AM. STAY TUNED
-Rocket

[Hot_Wheels]

you need a festiva for your test bed!

[zoom zoom]

AWESOME!! Can't wait to see what you come up with man Nice rims too, I'd love to get ahold of some 5 spokes! These 7 spoke protege rims will do for now though..

[Rocketman]

you need a festiva for your test bed!

I had one lined up but after looking at it, it was *way* too rusted out. Guy ended up scrapping it a few months ago.

The wheels on this are Borbet, but one is dinged in pretty good and I'm not sure if it can be straightened :/

[Rocketman]

Hauled her home on Friday AM. I'll be replacing the front end within the next week or two and hitting up the junkyard for some seats. Need to find a tackweld drill



In transit!

[Rocketman]

Started to replace the front end. Unfortunately it's all welded together, it's not a bolt on/off deal sucks to replace these

Started with this




Got to play a long, tedious game of locate, punch, pilot drill, and drill out spot welds. I ground my own bit for removing the welds - they're available purpose-made but at the moment I've not the cash to throw at one.



It's surprised!



About 100 of these later



Out with the old!



Gotta clean up & remove all the extra sheet metal on the donor piece



Just aboot there



Test fitted:


It still needs a handful of grinding before it can be re-assembled. I've decided it needs to be welded back together, there's not enough meat on the headlight buckets or elsewhere for it to be bolted together. Everything's too thin

Scrap pile!


More to come once it's welded into place!

[Advancedynamix]

Nice work Matt! I'm excited to see where this goes. Oh, and the T3 exhaust manifold. You should make the outlet hole small enough to be machined for t3 or t25 flanges. Since you'll have to surface/drill and tap there anyway, you can make the hole bigger for a t3 fairly easy if it's sized for t25. T25 turbos are better sized for the b6t and also more efficient, but can be more costly than a good used t3, so I think both options would sell. I'd buy one of each right now if you had them made already. lol

[Rocketman]

Yeah, I gotta think about that. I've seen people cast a T25 port w/ T3 size flange, and drill/tap for either size and port the hole to match either. Not sure if I'm interested in doing that quite yet - casting each to net size is an option but requires complex changepieces in the tooling. I might work on the BP one first, as there's more demand and better market - and the flange bolt pattern is much easier to work around than the B6T's.

I got some more work done on the XR2 - ground down all the mating surfaces of the header panel and pulled out the frame a bit. It looks like the passenger headlight frame might have been pushed in a bit, so I'm trying to straighten that out a bit before welding everything solid.

I do have it tacked into place at the moment, with everything roughly placed to check panel alignment. It's slowly starting to look like a Capri again!

[Tommychu]

I'm still mad that they never sold those here in Canada. Some day I'll have to go stateside and pick one up...

[Rocketman]

They weren't available in Canada but they can be imported easily - There's at least two Canadian members of TeamCapri with at least 3x capris up there collectively

[Tommychu]

I'm not saying it would be hard to bring one up, just a bit of a pain (especially since I don't have a passport), and it would be a little tough to get parts locally. Plus the fact that they weren't sold here means very few B6Ts in our junkyards. Also the Capri brake swap is highly impractical up here for those reasons.

[fastivaca]

There was one here in Calgary a number of years ago. I used to see it at Market Mall quite a bit.

[Advancedynamix]

I'm not saying it would be hard to bring one up, just a bit of a pain (especially since I don't have a passport), and it would be a little tough to get parts locally. Plus the fact that they weren't sold here means very few B6Ts in our junkyards. Also the Capri brake swap is highly impractical up here for those reasons.

You guys got 323 gt's though, and it's mechanically the same car as an XR2.

[Damkid]

I got respect for the XR2's but I just don't like the styling of them, they're neat but weird looking, so it doesn't bother me that we didn't get them in Canada

[Advancedynamix]

I didn't like them until I got one, and it was a great car that was really fun to drive, then the look of the car started to grow on me. They are a well designed convertible. With the top down they are pretty quiet and comfortable even at high freeway speed. It's faster and more comfortable than even a 1.8 Miata and for it's time was well optioned. I bought my Capri to be a donor for my Festiva, but after driving it couldn't cut it up.