Where have i been the past 3 months while waiting on the guy to be able to sell the truck? well, ive been fashioning myself a spare car, the ever undying 1996 crown vic isnt always unkillable, and after getting kicked off my parents insurance I cant just borrow a ride from my dad if it breaks down! so i went and grabbed from my stash of cars ive acquired, a 1993 capri xr2. its a 1.6 liter turbocharged 5 speed convertable, which is a codeword for FUN. first thing on the list, brakes, rebuilt them and got them working, pads were **** but it was good enough to drive around the yard. next thing on the list, charging system, replaced the belt and tensioned to spec (this will be a recurring issue) power steering pump is siezed so i just deleted it for now, itll get a volvo electric pump in time. after the first drive i realized the tires are absolutely thrashed, they sat flat for decades, even if the tread is brand new, theyre from 2008. the gas was also absolutely junk, not rusty luckily, just old. 3/4 tank of 93 and a dose of octane booster fixed the pinging. its turbocharged, so it needs it. so i grabbed some 90s enkei wheels and some toyo all season tires. imo, they look very good on this car. theyre directional too. registered it as historical so i can run this cool old kwm-314 plate, technically not legal but i dont drive it often enough. the soft top got very (c)old very fast though. post tuneup, new shift bushings valve cover gasket spark plugs and wires, ready for a road trip a 2.5 hour drive on a car i hadnt even test driven 50 miles. for a steel hardtop that insulates and keeps the wind noise down. i made the mistake of turning the radio up while on this road trip speaker obliterated. so i swapped in some era correct aftermarkets. mid 00s correct shift knob... it was around 3 weeks into driving it where i decided "this could definitely be faster" so i started my hunt. the first thing i came across was the early 00s APEXI AVCR boost controller which byp***es the stock wastegate with a map sensor and the second is a "rocket chip" ecu. 18 psi tuned. roughly 250hp limit. cant be retuned though. all the wiring pains! wasnt too bad all things considered, its all exposed. the next quality of life upgrade i was working on before the snow set in was the subwoofer. i even have seat shakers for under the seats for extra b***! once i can move the car inside i have some suspension goodies for it. coilovers and a full set of poly bushings. for now shes nice and reliable and drivable, going to wait until after i perform the repairs on my 96 (ball joint is failing and intake coolant crossover is leaking) and drive the capri the next couple days. the goal for this build is for it to seem like i ******ed it right out of the late 90s/early 2000s with a 2005 cutoff.
remember back in 2022 when i slid my 06 crown vic off into a ravine? well, in march 2025 my parents insurance outright dropped them because of it! and better yet, they didnt call us until TWO WEEKS after they dropped us on the first. we were notified on the 17th. they never even refunded us the remaining 2 months of insurance. we went with two big companies (progressive for me and geico for them) and havent had a problem since, our rates are way cheaper too, for 3 cars i pay 88 a month. not great, not awful either.
Cool little car to zip around in. I remember when they were new, they were not cheap. But a small turbo 2 seater in the '90s could surprise IROCs and the like.
Rotten!! I had a 92 I bought for $200. Tightens the bolts in the valve body and sold it for $500. To my boss.
The Jalopy Journal
