Devil Fish Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 (edited) Well it was transported over to James's today... and boy its going to need some love, but having seen what he is capable of on my 400r it's all doable. But before any work starts I had to clear a few beasties off it for him (big girls blouse!)! Personally I found the rust more frightening! Anyway to give you an idea... Suspected fuel pump knacked, but amazingly it would run with some fuel trickle into the carb and with good oil pressure too... Bit of Henry action to hoover up the pile of rust behind the sill/rear arch Was all too much for some not much left of sills Edited May 14, 2011 by Devil Fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 14, 2011 Author Share Posted May 14, 2011 (edited) Oh, how Darren mocks me!! Thanks for the pictures of all the bad bits (that we have found so far!) Well, it was still there hiding under the cover We were both quite surprised that not only were the tires all fully inflated, after a brief shove the car rolled out and the brakes weren't siezed! Gentle run back to Patchway to unload And it has finally finished the journey to my garage that started back in February 2008. As I wont be able to access the loft of the garage with the car in there forst job was to unload all the panels and parts I have accumulated for it. Nose cone, chin spoiler, arch repair panels, rear lower corners, boot lid etc etc. Darren has the wings and the doors are stored elsewhere currently. Couldn't resist one little play- as the boot is being changed I fitted this Irmscher spoiler to see how it looks, I will probably go for this as a nice genuine period accessory on the finished product Edited May 14, 2011 by stradacab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith1200 Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 (edited) PMSL :lol: I love the personalised number plate :lol: (good humour post) PS I'll be Watching 'Rusty's' progress with great interest Edited May 14, 2011 by keith1200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Very nice GT/J had one in silver once That carburettor is a weber and is extremly reliable! If you are planning to change the feeding of the engine this unit should be salvaged and stored away as they are very very good. They never break down, and actually improve power a bit too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 14, 2011 Author Share Posted May 14, 2011 Very nice GT/J had one in silver once That carburettor is a weber and is extremly reliable! If you are planning to change the feeding of the engine this unit should be salvaged and stored away as they are very very good. They never break down, and actually improve power a bit too Love to see a pic of it! Thanks for the advice on the carb, two other people have told me the same so it must be a good upgrade! I will probably keep it on the car in that case, but imagine I'll need an overhaul kit for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 Teardown begins.... Found some lovely holes and some horrid MOT patches that will mean big cutting to get to good metal. The NS rear sill is one of the worst I've seen, the floor, strengthener and sill are all gone! (you can see a bit in the photo) I think I'm going to fit the nose cone first as thats the biggest panel and it's in my way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Love to see a pic of it! Thanks for the advice on the carb, two other people have told me the same so it must be a good upgrade! I will probably keep it on the car in that case, but imagine I'll need an overhaul kit for it. Oh i don´t think i have a picture of it, it was very similar to yours however. Silver and with the same stripes on the side as yours, plastic bumpers, and a two slot front grille. It had a black interior. We ended up scrapping it (it was 12 years ago where manta´s costed nothing and you´d kill´em just to get a good set of doors ) Yes that carb is very good indeed. There are still rebuild kits for them, and you can also get a nice chrome air filter for it Of course a set of twin 40´s is a much better choice but this carb, is in my mind the best of the single vertical carbs for the Manta´s ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantadog Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 good look with the project "RUSTY" love the period imscher spoiler used to have on my first manta, use to flap around at about 70mph due to rotten bolts after seeing pics of your other projects this is just a weldathon!!!! bet it has that loverly damp manta aroma!!! happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manta88 Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Good luck with the project, it should make it alot easier with the pile of new panels. Hope you have a good angle grinder as Henry looks a bit sick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 Did part of the tonight on it. Cleaned and stripped down the door cards so they can be stored flat and washed the front and rear carpets (Thanks George). I know you're thinking "Why is he poncing around shampooing carpet when there's a car full of holes to go at?" Well here's my first top tip- Your finished product, no matter how good your welding is, depends on the cosmetic stuff. If I assess its condition before it goes into storage, I've got 2 years of forum, eBay and autojumbles to source better trim parts if needs be. Don't worry my friends, there'll be plenty of time for hero-work later! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monzta Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Did part of the tonight on it. Cleaned and stripped down the door cards so they can be stored flat and washed the front and rear carpets (Thanks George). I know you're thinking "Why is he poncing around shampooing carpet when there's a car full of holes to go at?" Well here's my first top tip- Your finished product, no matter how good your welding is, depends on the cosmetic stuff. If I assess its condition before it goes into storage, I've got 2 years of forum, eBay and autojumbles to source better trim parts if needs be. Don't worry my friends, there'll be plenty of time for hero-work later! That is the way i have done it too Restored a silver 1,8GT many years ago and i was so lucky to find a spotless in mint condition GSi Exclusive interior (the one with the red center recaros!) and i acutally did the entire theme of the car becourse of theese parts. I actually even chose the paint sceme after the Recaro seats, and of course i added red H-type racing harnesses, a stearing wheel with red details, red Jamex pedals etc etc. That car was a real headturner Sorting out the details before you really finishes your car is the world when restoring a car, if you just put in the same old worn down seats, or carpets, or the same old scratched headlights etc you will get a car that might BE good but will not LOOK good So cheers to your project my friend, i plan to follow the progress closely in here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexwall Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Good work on the J restoration project. It's nice to see a '80 GT/J adorned with a bit of TLC. My pine green GT/J has been in the family for 30 years, and I've yet to see another on the road. WHich is why it's nice to see your project Here's mine in Leicestershire I've tried to keep it original, but I've a thing for lourves.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 Well it's great to see yours, thanks for posting the pictures! Please keep an eye on your pm cause I may well be in touch over the coming months for info on some details. For example, the rear panel has been resprayed body colour so I would love some close up pics to see where to mask out after its painted. If you don't mind your car being used as a point of reference of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 When you buy a car that has been in storage since 1998, you cannot help yourself having that romantic dream that you have aquired a car has somehow survived the ravages of time. In reality of course, by the time the car was stored it was already 17 years old and had probably come to the end of its working life. I'm fortunate that it was stored and not scrapped, but there is a lot of work to do. The shell is well saveable, but it has lots of bits all over so it's gonna keep me busy! The car is fully stripped and all the trim has been cleaned and stored along with the glass. The drivers glass and windscreen are tinted so I will have to source some clear replacements Ellis wanted to help- he has loads of toys but you cant beat a car full dirt, rust and broken glass to play in can you? As I said in an earlier post I wanted to change the nose cone first, the main reason being to get some space in the garage, but every time I look at the car its wrong. It doesn't even feel like a Manta cause of that Cavalier front! As you may know I changed the cone on Darrens 400r, as the job is "familiar" I whipped it off in about 20 minutes. Cleaned up the flanges (which will need some repair) and used a hammer and dolly to straighten the inner wings as they have ripples from the crash that caused the cav front panel to be fitted in the first place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexwall Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 (edited) Well it's great to see yours, thanks for posting the pictures! Please keep an eye on your pm cause I may well be in touch over the coming months for info on some details. For example, the rear panel has been resprayed body colour so I would love some close up pics to see where to mask out after its painted. If you don't mind your car being used as a point of reference of course! Not a problem at all my friend. I was thinking of a question posted on the first entry of this thread, of numbers left. It was a while back, but I do remember a chap saying there's only 16 GT/J's registered on the DVLA registry. For bits and pieces of that I've had no luck at in finding on ebay etc, Steven Titmuss in Northants has alot of bit's at his lock-ups. Edited May 22, 2011 by alexwall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 Spent two hours prepping the new nose cone and carefully removing the remnants of the car it was cut from. Again, the cone will also need some tidying before I can fit it. At least the car looks like a Manta now, this is the first time it has had the right front end on it since at least 1993. Obviously it is only offered up and gripped on presently, I reckon a week of fettling, prepping and aligning will be needed to get it bang on before welding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 You can almost see it smile now it has its proper face back on ! I am not fond of the blank nose style, even a Mk1 cav looks a bit bland with no slots. I think the two slot pictured above is better than the later 4 slots if I am honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantadog Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Much nicer with nostrils, amazing what a little face lift can do for looks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 Well, what did I say? about a week of fettling and prep before fitting? I reckon I wasn't too far off. Have been out there every night this week and am averaging about two repair plates a night. The nose cone was SH when it went on the car it came off- now it's s being fitted to it's third car. Obviously the GT/J is on its third cone now so you can imagine the combination of rust, sealer, braize annd chisel marks on the mating flanges... I decided the only way to do it properly was to cut the faces off the cone and make new ones. I have also let in repair plates for the inner wing flanges and tried to straighten the inner wings with a hammer and dolly to remove the ripples. I have about 4 more plates to do before fitting, at least it will be strong and will keep the use of sealer to a minimum You can see the state of the unrepaired bit at the bottom here And thats how it's come out at the side and the bottom on the finished one (I have to dress the weld nearest the chassis leg yet) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 OK, I need some advice, this has been bugging me all week and I wanted your thoughts.. As we know the car was involved in a front ender in the late 80's early 90's, certainly before Giles bought it in '93. There is a horrid kink in the leg ahead of the subframe mounting. I've measured and checked hundreds of times agains another car and the legs are square, in line and the nose cone lines up with the bonnet shut lines perfectly. I don't want to change the leg- a bit out of my league (and it might end up further out of line than the current one on there!!) Do you reckon it will be OK to leave it like this and carry on as planned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Treat it like a rust hole and cut it out, a nice clean straight patch will sort that out and make it stronger. That would bug me just knowing it was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opel2000 Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Heck, that is a nasty crease, can be a common sight to see these from a light front ender, but that is definately the worse crease i've seen..... As per Paulmanta, cut it out and put some strength back in there, although this is a crumple zone of the Manta, if you did have a bump this area would disentegrate a bit too easily if not repaired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christ Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 ^^^^^^^ Was thinking the same as clive re being in a crash with it in that condition. How does your ARB sit relative to the spring either side? Mine used to sit a lot closer to one than the other and can only put it down to a small crease in the chassis leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 James, Looking at the photos of the inner wings in the post somewhere above, the pic of the passengers side inner wing seems to show the top side of that crease, if I look closely I think I can make out the line under the yellowish wire. If I buy a Manta its one of the areas I look at for signs of a front ender as lots of people miss it when they do crash repair. It needs pulling out when you cut the crease out from the leg or its going to look like its crumpled when viewed from above. It is only tiny but it will show up in your bonnet shut lines if you dont do it now but make sure the dimensions are spot on or you will have what I had with the A series and the bonnet will touch on one side but be gapped the other. I had to cut the whole nose off to sort that. You already have the nose off ! You might get away with just slicing the leg crease at its lowest point all along the crease and pulling the leg forward with a ratchet strap until that top crease goes and then dressing the crease and welding it again. Weld a big plate or ring on the top of the chassis leg to fix the strap on, you can always grind it off later. Remember to work out the exact angle it got pushed back and pull it the opposite way. Its not too bad, that wall of text above reads worse than it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 (edited) Thanks for all your advice, I've decided to scrap the car.......... Only joking!!! It'll take more than that to beat me!! If we're going to do this it's got to be done right, especially factoring in the crumple zones like Clive pointed out. I have spoken to Master Automotive and they have a 8 point body jig in their workshop and all the correct dimensions. When it was originally repaired it obviously wasn't done properly so I have decided to leave the nose cone and wings off, pull the engine and they will jig it before refitting the nose cone. So I need to get on with all the other welding.....even though the "first" job I planned will be the very last, I'm glad I found it now. I've been a bit depressed about hitting such a big snag so early but I feel re-enthused about the whole thing now. Edited May 30, 2011 by stradacab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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