EXPERT CLINIC

Your Ford’s problems solved.

Q I’m about to fit an unleaded head from a Sierra 2-litre to my 2-litre Capri Laser. I bought the head on the understanding that it’s compatible with my standard carb and manifold, but I’ve noticed that the entrance to the inlet ports have a slight cutaway to clear the injectors — about 3 mm. Is this head OK to use? My main concerns are that it runs normally and is reliable. The carb is a Motorcraft one and hasn’t been particularly reliable — can you recommend a suitable replacement?

Finally, it’s been suggested that the Type-9 fitted needs a quickshift conversion to shorten the throw. Is there one suitable that’s fitted to any other Ford, or have you any ideas how one could be made, bearing in mind that an original Ford lever has a vibration absorber fitted to dampen the buzzing through the gearlever.

Tom Ormerod UK

AThe injection head will fit on your Capri’s bottom end with no problems at all.The cut-outs for the injectors make no difference, and like you say, you’ve got the added bonus of hardened valve seats so you can run on unleaded without fear of valve seat recession. As for the carb, Webcon stocks brand-new Weber 32/36 DGV carbs — one of these is perfect for the Pinto.

You don’t need to fit a quickshift to theType-9 — it’s all down to personal preference. A few fit them because someType-9s are notorious for having a vague shift and the quickshift tightens this up nicely for minimum outlay.

There isn’t a Ford-sourced shorter-throw lever available, but Burton Power stocks a good-value conversion kit. If you’ve got a bit more cash to spend, then highcomplete gearlevers are available from them. Any extra transmitted noise should be minimal if the original trim is being retained.