Yes I have seen those and have one out of a modern Ford I was going to install, but the LED strips behind the visors are placed in a convenient location so they're not blinding in the line of sight. Thanks though!
So now here's the good part... 5 speed swap! Basically, the auto trans was on its way out. It was not until after I bought the car that I found out how poor of quality the auto transmissions were in these cars. When I did the first round of maintenance I had replaced the transmission filter, fluid and pan seal. I figured this would help the transmission with its minor shifting issues. Unfortunately, the slicker Lucas Oil fluid actually made it slip worse. I finished of the trans by buying a DelSol and towing it home with the Capri. Oops! I was not going to put another one of these slush boxes in, so I started planning my attack at a five speed swap.
For anybody interested in doing a trans swap, here's how to attack it. First, determine whether you want to spend $500-$700 on everything for a N/A transmission swap, or $600-$900 for a turbo XR2 5 speed. Rocketman can explain the differences better than me, but basically the Turbo 5 speed is beefier with a bigger flywheel, tougher clutch, different differential, and mechanical clutch. The N/A version is smaller, thus handles less power and has a hydraulic clutch. My money numbers are based off of the assumption you are in the same positions as myself; no personal connections, no existing parts, purchases from junkyards and buying a brand new clutch and components. Pricing will vary by location (I am in Ohio). I settled on a N/A swap as in my area the turbo transmissions alone were $400 and the N/A's were $200-$300. I am on a tight budget with school and wanted maximum efficiency with small drivetrain components, so this route made the most sense to me. Also, swapping in a cable operated clutch is a bigger pain under the dash than the hydraulic counterpart. Working under the dash is no fun.
Now that you have decided what swap to do, here's what you need: Transmission, manual axles left & right, slave cylinder, 36" hydrolic line with two inverted adapters (available at most speed shops), clutch master cylinder, clutch pedal WITH bushings, metal sleeve, cylinder push rod, safety switches, and the ubber long pedal bolt. You'll also need a flywheel specific for the N/A 5 speed and a resurface job, axle nuts, new clutch, new pressure plate, new flywheel bearing, new throwout bearing, shifter assembly including the shifter, floor mounted bracket, stabilizer bar, shift bar and whatever hardware is needed to bolt everything together, axle output seals, and a rear engine main seal if you want to go about swapping it out while everything is apart.
Important Tips: Buy an Exedy complete clutch kit as this is a great quality kit and includes the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, and flywheel bearing. For the clutch pedal, don't buy just a pedal off of ebay as most don't come with the little bits and pieces needed to use it. Find a junk car and rip out everything from the pedal box that is associated with the clutch pedal. if you can, get the ubber long pedal bolt out that holds the clutch pedal and brake, otherwise you'll be paying $20 for a specialty bolt from fastenal or finding a hardened 3/8" bolt from the hardware store. This is no easy task, trust me. it's a weird bolt. For the hydrolic clutch line dont screw around with trying to get the factory hard/soft line thing to work. Buy a 36" premade braided stainless steel soft line and have the shop order the specialty adapters to bolt it onto the master cylinder and slave cylinder. Make their life easy and take yours in for them to see. Also, your pedal box is ready for the clutch pedal, and the firewall is ready for the master cylinder... just unbolt the block off plate. No modifications necessary. Another tip, have someone help you. Most of this work is "awkward" and is much easier with an extra set of hands. When you're working with hardware on this car, alot of threads are fine thread... 1 pitch, not 1.25. This includes the nut that holds the shifter stabilizer bar to the rear of the transmission. You can reuse the flex plate bolts on the flywheel as they are the correct length. Remove the starter from the bottom of the car... it's much easier. label bolts and organize parts so everything is easy to put back together. When slipping the transmission onto the engine, have someone kick/push from the wheel well area while someone else hangs over the fender and juggles & twists the trans to get it to slide on. This was the most effective method for us.
Sitting patiently to be resurrected.
The horsepower robbing slushbox is out.
Flex plate removed, ready for a flywheel.
This hideous eyesore will soon be gone.
One final thought on this project... don't be intimidated by it as this job is fairly strait forward as long as you have the tools, time, and a location. This took me four weekends to complete working partial saturdays and full sundays. I had around $650 in this, but many of my parts were new and I had very poor parts availability in my area which drives up cost. The biggest challenge is finding the parts. You WILL be traveling for hours and have a decent amount of money in gas. That is, unless you find a complete donor car, which those are becoming more rare with every year.
Goodnight all, I'll be back with more pics and info in the coming days.
-Reed