Hi Steph, let us know where you are based and we can put you in touch with your local expert [:D]
There's not much to worry about with wedges and £2k should buy you a very nice fixed head (FHC). Things to watch for are mostly rust and body related:
<b>Check turrets in engine bay</b> - costly to repair so make sure they are sound and rust free.
<b>Sills,</b> check they are solid and structural, not crumbling or made up of cover panels.
<b>Rear trailing arm mounts </b> should be solid and treated where they meet the rear of the floor - major corrosion problem area and costly if it breaks in a big way.
<b>Arches </b> - check for signs of filler, unevenness and rust bubbles - they may extend further than they let on.
<b>Floorpans</b> - pull up the carpets and check the inner seams with the sill and the rear floor behind the seats. Often badly repaired.
<b>Check for clean fuel</b> in the fuel filter and if possible check the tank for leaks - I ' ve just had mine pin-hole on the V8 and its a real pain of a job. I did it over Xmas [8D]
On the 2 litre the <b>timing chains </b> give out so check for sounds of an audible rattle coming from the front of the engine. Not a major issue but needs fixing so use it to barter the asking price if body is sound.
<b>Waterpump </b> - again not too bad to do, but check how long its been a problem as coolant shortage is an issue with the slant 4 engine. The tell tale sign is to look under the front carb at the slot in the engine block - if there is a dribble of coolant then its a leaky pump and is in need of urgent attention.
<b>Head gaskets </b> - the TR7 2 litre has an alloy head on a cast iron block which means they contract with heat at different rates due to the different properties in the metal. Take the car for a long run, say 20 mins, pull over and let it idle. Watch the temp on the run and when stationary - there should be no spikes in the reading and between 1/4 and 1/2 is normal temp on the gauge. Check also the filler for salad cream which indicates coolant/water/oil mix i.e blown gasket. The cylinder heads are awful jobs to remove.
<b>Check coolant,</b> should be topped up to the level and nicely concentrated. Id stay clear of cars that have brown in the header tanks or have been run on just water for a while as they are likely to have clogged waterways.
<b>Heater Matrix,</b> check for puddles or drips of coolant running into the passenger footwell from under the dash, usually down the transmission tunnel indicating a leaky heater matrix. The dash has to come out to fix this.
<b>Out on the road,</b> just listen for whiny diffs and stiff gearchanges. Dont be worried if its baulky into second when cold - just aslong as its fine when warm, common endearing quirk. Also a slight wheel wobble around 50 - 60 mph is a known fault you may come across.
There may be more things specific to fixed heads but im a convertible man so not overly familiar.
Nice upgrades to look for include upgraded brakes, roller bearings in front struts, electric fans and halogen head lamps.
If you want similar performance to the Capri though, you may want to be looking at a V8 [:D]
Hope that helps [:D]
<b>FOR SALE!!!!Purple 2.0 Litre DHC Grinnall</b>
Red 4.0 Litre V8 DHC Grinnall (with huuuuuge arches...!)
