bendy Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Hi folks im a new member, i live on the orkney isles and ive also been a member of the vauxhall sports car club for years. Ive got a calibra V6 and most of the bits to build a decent manta so im attempting to build a manta 400 replica with an XE engine, this will be a thread to show progress of how things are going for anyone intersested. Ill be running a thread over on vxlscc too but ill be asking for 99% of my technical help on here (and i will be asking alot) Hope you dont all get sick of my bombardment of questions[] The target is to have it finished for my 25th birthday which is april 22nd next year but as with most projects im sure it will spectacularly miss the finish date by a country mile : Ive had it around a month and only managed a few good runs at working on it so far, normally resulting in me getting carried away and realising its 2am when i get up for work at 6am ! Ive also got alot on at work just now so its 60 hours a week most weeks (keeps the cash coming to buy parts for the car though) Ill update as often as i can. these first photos are camera phone jobs as im waiting for a new digital camera at the moment so excuse the poor quality! heres the first pictures of the car as i got it and some of the bits and peices i got with it. 8x15 revolutions and xe motor Aleybars cage 1800 engine and box my poor van that had to ship it all over here on the ferry! non sunroof roofskin on the rack! Thats the lot at the moment till i get some progress with it all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 19, 2007 Author Share Posted July 19, 2007 bendy gid luck wi yur project awe thi hours und sare fingers wull bi worth it in thi end awe kin wi ma i200. cheers rab. Scottish Rep /OMOC Mem.2094 Opel Team Scotland. `ScottishClanManta` robert.crow@virgin.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassMeTheGun Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Good luck wi your 400 bendy! I just got one myself and its worth it for the smile everytime you open the garage, nevermind the driving. Looks like a helluva lot of stuff crammed into that van, can't wait to see it progress. Cheers, Pass me the gun and ask me again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny D114BCW Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 The car looks mint, hope it all goes to plan [:I] , keep us posted on whats going on and hopefully see it at Billing??? Dan [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 19, 2007 Author Share Posted July 19, 2007 Aye cheers, ill probably need plenty of luck! Ive wanted one for years but the calibra has always taken up most of my time and money. It just came to a point where i realised front wheel drive sucks! There hasnt been a manta on the road up here for about 9 years and the population is about 20,000 odd, i know of only one other rusting away in a barn on the island! The van was stacked out! two engines and boxes, subframe and rack, wiring looms, rubbers, hoses, brake callipers, roofskin, irmscher rear splitter, full 400 kit, spare glass, rear seat, rollcage, wheels, radiators, fans, boxes of manta bits everywhere![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantasrme Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I recognise those wheels, and the cage, and the 400 kit. That's my old stuff that i sold to Manta400barn [] I found one of the centre caps for the wheels after i'd shipped the stuff up to scotland, if you want it e-mail me your address and i'll post it up to you [] http://www.mantasport.co.uk OMOC no:3325 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 19, 2007 Author Share Posted July 19, 2007 All the gear has had quite a journey! Is it the caps for the revolution wheels you mean? If so ive got hold of 4 brand new ones for them as i intend to get them all straightenend up and powdercoated white so your alright but thanks for the offer[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 19, 2007 Author Share Posted July 19, 2007 here it is at the beggining stages of stripping it down and out! All glass removed, interior carpets gone and seats out. it took me 2 weeks to sort through the van load of parts i had before i even got it in the garage. Big tyson has taken a liking to the GTE recaros, i dont blame him they rock! Stripping off the sound deadening from the bootfloor with a wall paper steamer, softens it a treat then just use an old chisel to peel it off Sound deadening removed from under rear seats along with the metal heatshield (which was a nightmare to get off) before after heres a whole lot more in the front to take off Which looks like it may be hiding some very crusty bits :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 20, 2007 Author Share Posted July 20, 2007 been grazing my fingers and wrecking my 19mm chisel tonight! Sound deadening removed from the front sections only to unearth some rusty bits! it could be alot worse though it just looks bad. i cant stress enough how handy the steam has been in removing the stuff, bit of a wet mess but its a huge help. heres the before and after pics passenger side before passenger side after, note large rotten gash! driver side after Rusty bit close up Its just rotted out inside the box sections, the actual box sections seem very solid. Must just hold dampness in there. It will be better when i get it cut out and cleaned up. Ill be performing lots of tapping with the hammer over these bits to make sure first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Abbott Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 That is a good floor[] I'd give my right arm for that over some of the floors iv'e seen. Good luck mate, looks a good car to project Kev Many A Night Tinkering About OMOC 4076 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 I know it's too late now, but a hot air gun makes removing all that bitumen on the floor pan relatively easy. Big Tyson is beautiful by the way. I hope we'll see more of him as the project progresses. As Kev says, your floor looks like a good one, especially considering the age of the car (usually the newer the rustier with Mantas). Cheers, Joe. Please log into this site from the Home page folks. It helps to keep it as the first Manta site listed on Google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 21, 2007 Author Share Posted July 21, 2007 Well things sound good for my floor then, thanks guys! I should get a good bit done on it this weekend. Joe, Tyson is always in the garage with me when im messing about it, he is a big poof really! He is a 16lb scottish wildcat descendant and by far the biggest cat ive ever had, polishes off at least 4 Orkney voles a day, keeps the vermin down and any other pesky strays! Doesnt make normal cat noises ever, just growls and grunts! Heres him on a kitchen chair just to show how big a monster he is[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lepo5 Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 bendy, if you need an opel spark plug cover for the 16v, metal or plastic just give me a shout [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 21, 2007 Author Share Posted July 21, 2007 I managed tae get away from work at a decent time today which was unexpected so i set into the manta at around 3pm, first i investigated the rot in the floor and cut it back tae good metal, its not bad at all after i got it cut oot. ill soon have that patched up, there is still a bit tae get cut oot on the driver side but the philips screws on the seat rail brackets are solid so i tried the impact driver on them and i completely wrote it off! the casing burst so that will be on hold till i get a new (hopefully better) one! After that it was tea time but i thought sod it im in the zone now so i kept going, took the wings off and the bonnet too. The edge all the wing bolts fix tae on the passenger side is more or less fecked its so rotten but ill make up a new bit from the old sunroof housing which should work a treat, waste not want not and all that. By this time i needed some sustinance so went in for some mince ant tatties! managed tae avoid the post tea crash out and got back out there, thought ill disconnect everything from the engine ready for it tae come oot then watch the Moto gp qualifying. got clean carried away and at 11.45 i finally got the engine out after a right struggle and in the middle of it all a 6mm D shackle i had on the back of the head roond the chains suddenly let go! Absolutely shat myself but he angle i had it at the head hit the bulkhead and it didnt drop too far, thank god! heres the pics, 2.0 cih and stripped 1.8 cih in the grave yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 quote:Originally posted by lepo5 bendy, if you need an opel spark plug cover for the 16v, metal or plastic just give me a shout [] id="quote">id="quote"> Might take you up on that nearer the time, not sure what im doing with the engine yet, ive always been a vauxhall guy so thought i would keep the original cover but thats probably inapropriate when its in an opel! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 You've done more in a day than I do in six months there.[:I] I'm sure there will be a few folks who'd like your CIH engine if you want to sell it to help fund your new one. What a fantastic cat by the way. We had a really large one in the early 1980s but I've not seen one so big until now. I'm jealous! Cheers, Joe. Please log into this site from the Home page folks. It helps to keep it as the first Manta site listed on Google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midasmesh Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Have to say well done that man on your progress so far going to be keeping a close eye on this topic to see how you get on. As the others have said for an Exclusive that is in remarkeble condition seems like you have dropped on a real good un there. Good luck with your Manta project and definately keep us posted on your progress. Midasmesh giving it rear wheel action in the Staffordshire Moorlands. OMOC 5285 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutty2006 Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Looks like a decent manta there. I may be interested in your old 2litre if you want to part with it. Might do as a spare if my 1800 goes bang...... [8D] ------------ Drift on!!!! OMOC 6081 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 Aye the cat is quite a character, it will be a sad day when he is not around, ill never get another one like that i wouldnt think! By all means if the 2.0litre cih is of use to anyone and will keep their car alive then ill part with it. Slight problem is the fact i live on the Orkney isles at the north of scotland but ive shipped engines up here before so its not impossible. The engine and box is 95,000 miles and was all running fine about 3 weeks ago. What are these units worth? I could put some money towards getting a limited slip diff by selling it![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 27, 2007 Author Share Posted July 27, 2007 So heres whats been happening this week, doesnt look like much mores been done but it has, first i stripped the rest of the gubbings out of the engine bay and both wiring looms. Removed all the sound deadening stuff from the bulkhead, wrestled with the dash for a while to get it out and hit a brick wall tring to remove the heater fan assemble due to rusted screws. Stll not got a new impact driver so ill have to leave it just now. (pictures are from a proper camera now and not just a camera phone) Found a couple of patches on the chassis rail (very rough patches at that) Chopped out the old sunroof housing, i think im going to try to plate this for now as im not too confident on cutting the whole roof off the car and putting the non sunroof one on it even though i do have it here. I also thought i could plate it with the old sunroof panel as its strong and sound, is this a good idea? Ive also decided to remove the spare tyre well as its been poorly patched before and the spare wont be going there anyway, the old sunroof housing will be a good bit of metal for this as its ribbed and strong. The battery will most likely be situated here on a flat panel. After some pondering i concluded the big wobbly lower front panel (excuse me not knowing its proper name) doesnt do anything structural so as you can see i cut it off at both sides below the headlights and it litterally fell off the bottom radiator mount as the spot welds had corroded. I take it it will be alright without this? Finally i need to know if this is any kind of braking compensation device or balancer or just a splitter as ive never seen a brake setup like this? im most likely going to be keeping the drums at the moment but will probably fit a hydraulic handbrake and bias adjuster next to the conventional handbrake with the rear brake line run inside the car. Still nobody interested in the 2.0 engine and box? Just give me shout if you are. Ill maybe need to stick it in the for sale section. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny D114BCW Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Its looking like that is a great car you have there, nice example of an Exclusive and it seems to be going to plan (i think?) [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANTAMAN Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Your certainly getting stuck into this project Bendy The roof is something someone else will have to addvise you about but the front lower panel you can remove,this is the front of an early B series that got left in place after the face lift air dam front bumper was added because it mounts the bottom of the front wings,make something to mount the wing securely and loosing that front panel wont be a problem. I havn't ever owned an impact driver,always worried that using them on screws through bodywork will distort panels,what i do is get a screw driver that fits the screw well,push/hold it into the screw as hard as i can then using a pair of mole grips on the shank of screw driver try and turn the screw,you do have to be carefull you dont strip the screw head. I've got piles of all sorts of Manta parts,i might even have something you need! surplus parts bought,whole cars considerd. M/B 07947 640505 OMOC Member number 2658F Ian Virco,area rep,Beds Herts and North Bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantadoc Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 (edited) Deleted Edited September 26, 2017 by mantadoc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 I tried removing the screws first in the very way you described there and broke my best philips screwdriver, minced the point in bits. Then i broke out the sealey set i have with hex shanks after 2 days of soaking with WD40 and the same happened to it! At this point i thought impact driver its will have to be, broke it too. They are severeley stuck so ive been soaking them regular but i think its going to take a shock to break them loose. All becomes clear about the front valance when you say it now! In that case i definately dont need it, the 400 kit wings bolt independantly to the front bumper so the wind mounts arent even needed. Im sure ill recyle the metal to make a new top mounting edge for the wing on the offside as its completely rotted away [] As for the roof ive spent a while looking at the spare roof, then the car then the roof and was going to attempt a skin removal like you described but im not really confident at the moment and i dont want to end up wrecking the roof on the car and the spare one too. The thing is the roof on the car is not rotten at all and neither is the actuall sunroof panel so i thought why not just plate it with it as its strong and solid, if it goes goes wrong in a few years time ill still have the spare roofskin to put on. Might seem like madness not putting it on now but im not going to try something im not confident with yet. Bodywork isnt my strong point at the moment, mechanicals, engine rebuild etc no problem but not done much body fettling! If i was to go for it i think the overlapping idea would definately be the best, im not at all keen on the straght cut and shut idea at all. Can anyone tell me what this brake set up is all about on the manta? Can i just run new line to each front whells direct from the master cylinder then another single line inside the car through a bias adjuster then onto a hydraulic handbrake and to the T-piece on the rear axle? Thus scrapping the device in the last photo? Is it some sort of booster like what older land rovers have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutty2006 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 I will have to pass on the engine thanks bendy. An 1100 mile round trip is a tad out of the question at the moment! Would be an awesome road trip but cant afford! ------------ Drift on!!!! OMOC 6081 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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