Automotive Engines,
Tuning & Modifying,
Hydrogen Fuel Cell
(water fuel)
Hello there,
fellow engine
enthusiast!
 My
name's Emmanuel
Grigoriou and some
of the things that
really get
me moving are:
-
building my own high
performance engine
in my backyard
-
tuning and modifying
classic engines
-
best tools for the
job
-
hydrogen fuel cells
- Diy
info re: engines
-
watching good
youtube driving
videos
- automotive
engines
...if you're built
the same way then
bookmark this site.
I started this site to
log what I'm doing in
the engine section of my
life. If
any of you reading this
have interesting related
info to share then I'm
happy to log that too... (contact
page coming soon)
My 'project' started
about 4 years ago, after
I'd moved to the UK,
when I saw an ad in the
local paper for a 1983
ford capri.
At that time, my
knowledge of capri's was
limited to knowing only
that this was an old car
I'd seen drifting and
bellowing in and out of
corners while waiting to
catch the bus home after
school, in Greece.
I thought this car was
really something!
...amazing! ...and of
course I dreamed of
owning one.
When I saw the ad,
I was working hard as a
waiter and thought "the
time's arrived...
classic ford, here I
come!"
I hired a recovery
lorry, drove to the
address and £280
officially made me a
ford capri owner. I
thought then that it was
a bargain but now I know
otherwise!
Anyway,
I towed it home, parked
it on the drive and gave
it a quick once-over.
I remember it had a
great crop of mushrooms
growing under the carpet
fed from soggy mud
infested in rust
particles. After a
while I realised that
this may take longer
than I thought.
...BOY, was I right!!
This is when the ford
capri began to make
sense to me. I
started reading
books on vehicle
maintenance,
restoration, engineering
history, technology,
racing etc. I
started looking for
information and related
articles and videos on
the internet. Only after
all this research -
which is still on-going
- did I start to realise
what I had unknowingly
brought my self into.
Still working as a
waiter I started
restoring the shell in a
garage unit I'd hired.
It was an industrial
garage previously used
by Barnardo's charity -
an organisation that
helps young children
develop their interests
and in this garage they
had been building and
then racing the cars,
together with the
youngsters!
But Bernardo's needed
more space so I
sub-hired from them half
of the unit and moved in
with 2 gentlemen who
were training themselves
for paintless dent
removal.
I pushed my capri the
half mile to the unit
and rolled her in!
brought in the
collection of tools I'd
inherited from my uncle,
Robin, and was ready to
roll...
First off, I bought a
second-hand welder which
was a complete waste of
money because it was
knackered. Lesson
learned, I went and got
a new one and
set to, cutting out the
rust and welding fresh
lashings of steel.
I taught myself to weld
through trial and error
but it didn't take long
to get the hang of it.
I also learned how to
use leverage. I
say leverage because the
angles I got that car in
to weld it were pretty
amazing considering I
only had basic
equipment. I would set
the car up in a way that
would help me negotiate
difficult areas with
ease and safety; no
sense in getting
squashed before I had
the capri on the road.
The garage was large and
in amongst forging
factories and car
graveyards. I had to
watch out because I
would often be there
alone, working away all
hours of the night with
no one around to help in
case of an accident.
Some of the work I
undertook was pretty
industrial and heavy
duty.
Often I worked until the
early hours of the
morning. The experience
was unique which I am
sure others alike will
understand. My aim
was to produce an
individual machine that
was unique, powerful,
and inspiring!
For about 6 months I
worked and negotiated
obstacles and challenges
that sometimes worked
and sometimes did not.
The garage was equipped
with 3 phase electricity
so I could use powerful
lights and power-tools
which was great!
Then one night... the
garage door opened and
the demon eyes lit up...
(ha-ha!) I fired it up
and drove it for the
first time up and down
the empty street (no
brakes yet).
What a sensation!
The engine is a standard
2000cc ford pinto
engine, the colour is
mixed due to fitting
panels of other cars;
it's been poly-bushed
all over; all running
gear has either been
replaced with new parts
or restored to excellent
condition. The bottom
has had oil-tar
treatment to protect the
body from rust and the
internal compartments
have been wax-oiled. I
used black Hammerite
paint on all running
gear such as the diff,
tca's suspension units,
anti-roll bars, leaf
springs etc. It looks
really good underneath.
It failed its MOT the
first time, due to
incorrect positioning of
one of the front
springs, which I sorted.
So it got its MOT, tax
and insurance and then
it was on the road! I
was warned by ex-capri
owners to be aware of
the rear end as it
really likes to go
sideways (thats why I
bought it ;-).
When you sit in it it
just feels cool! it
has a kind of "I will
consume the road"
attitude, a predator...
a bit like a shark.
It's been having a bit
of a rest recently as
I've been setting up a
business as a
courier pickup/delivery
service. The
next step is the
painting of the body and
then the much
anticipated modified
pinto engine which I've
bought but not started
on yet.
I searched online for
classic insurance and
found the best value
ever for under-30's -
only £109.00 for 12
months.
If you've got any
questions or comments
you could send them from
the contact page on my
other site, just click
on the link above and
then on the 'contact'
button - it'll probably
be a few weeks till I
have a contact page set
up on this site here.
I've used Ebay a
lot
for buying parts and
tools and I've had good
quality with great
prices so I'm planning
on having some
easy-reference Ebay
pages made here.
If you can't wait for
those then here's a link
Ebay site
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