paulmanta Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 The original V8 is stripped right out and has been for a long time, all the bits were trial fitted to it to get them to work then removed again while i was prepping the shell. The shell took a long time to get back to a usable condition and there is still lots to do to get it in paint, Paint will cost a fair bit as its one of the things i cannot really do due to wanting the paint right first time and me not being up to the standard i want. The new car is done all but the bits i feel like changing so i dont need to spend more money just time. Buying the Blue Coupe worked out cheaper than finishing the other one, plus i have been selling some of the new stuff i collected for the other car to help pay for the A series to be finished. Its a bit mad but hopefully soon i will have 2 mint Mantas [and an Ascona] that are all very different. Its only taken me about 15 years to get to this stage, most of my early mantas were bangers ! "Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 It had occured to me that you had spent years building an awesome v8 only to go out and buy another one, already "finished".....[] OMOC 5885 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Well, yes. I had spent time and effort on the other V8 but the shell is safe in dry storage and the parts i am selling are what i have removed or already got on the new V8, what i am not selling is going on the new car. I helped build some of the blue V8 and was inspired by this car to do my own, What i was aiming for was essentially this blue coupe, I had to buy it from my friend or I would have been annoyed with myself forever. I am sure the other shell will get used, I wont cut it up, its too good now. future project once i have got all the others out of the way. "Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Hope to see it at Billing. Shame you and the Ascona to had miss the concourse last year. Will the v8 make Billing this year ? OMOC 5885 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 The progress has been a bit slow due to work again but I have had a few hours today and have been sorting out the clutch pedal arrangement, its supposed to have a hydraulic clutch and this is proving to be a little tricky to fit to the existing pedal box, I have a plan but the slave and master cylinders for my plan do not arrive till next week so its going to have to wait, meanwhile I have the steering column out and all the bottom of the dash out to allow entry to the pedal box area. I als spent an hour or so removing the sound deadening from the transmission tunnel in readyness for its big chop out, the tunnel that is in it is a right mess, the hammer modifications and the cut-n-weld has created a big lumpy thing that is way too big fro the new box and does not allow me enough room to operate a clutch pedal, I am going to plasma cut it out and weld in a standard one i happen to have lying about. The engine bay has now been cleaned, the exhaust manifolds blasted, dipped and coated, the inlet manifold is now bare metal waiting to be made shiny and the sump/block are next to be stripped and painted, the air suspension is getting an upgrade in the form of a computer controlled valve block and some increased tank capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted March 29, 2008 Author Share Posted March 29, 2008 Grrr. You take a simple job and throw in an amount of hassle, mix with some interruptions and then some wrong parts and you will then have a job that takes 5 whole days to do instead of a day. I cut the whole transmission tunnel out because it was beaten to death, all of it from the top of the bulkhead to next to the chassis legs and back as far as the handbrake. I then had to do the same to one of the scrap cars. Then i had to remove the gearbox mounts and widen the new tunnel by 5 inches so the V8 and box will have loads of room so if i need to I can take the box out without the rest of the Engine. I also wanted the front of the new tunnel 3 inches higher so the bell housing will not touch at all ever. After spotting the tunnel into place at the top and by the handbrake i set about making the first of the 18 or so patches to attach the floor and bulkhead to the new tunnel, its like a seam welded patchwork quilt now, very neat and much stronger than the original but by god it took ages, its all been primed and stonechipped and is top coated in gloss black so it looks great. I then started to much about with the clutch system and found the parts i had ordered were wrong so I am still waiting for Monday to chase the right bits. Meanwhile the year is passing at an alarming rate and i feel no further forward than two months ago. All i wanted to do was change it from auto the manual and it has exploded into a huge job again. At least its been raining so i feel ok about hiding in the garage in a cloud of smoke and paint fumes. I am now about to start the joys of making a sump for the engine because i want the V8 lower in the bay because the extra height from the NoS plate makes the air cleaner hit the bonnet. Also putting in all new brake pipes because i am re-piping it to have a bias valve on the rear. Plus new fuel pipes because the car is carbed and still has two old GTE pipes running down it with a bolt stuffed up the end of the unused line, nice. back at it again tomorrow because its going to be at Billing and if i dont work like a slave now it wont make it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h0tr0dder_uk Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Glad to hear its coming along. I find that when you have completed 90% of the car the last 10% is the worst as you seem to spend ages doing small (but important) jobs and the car never really looks any different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Fish Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Surely you need to get it finished the week before for the the Cornwall show Looking forward to seeing this motor...one final push and you can stand back and admire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 More work on it and more aggro. The new Monza master cyl i have seems to have seized up in the box due to garage dampness. nice, thats off to Pastparts to be sorted out, then while i was cleaning up the area around the bulkhead where the servo mounts i discovered the rubber covering is all mankey and coming off, no trouble i thought i must have a good rubber somewhere, Not a bit of it to be found, no idea where it all went but i am sure I had some. Now i am left witha scabby looking area that i will either paint or cover with a nice piece of shiny stainless. The correct clutch master cylinder has arrived and is going in this weekend finally. the new fuel pipe is coming from Andy clears soon, the old pipe and tank is out in readyness. some of the brake pipes are back on the car but that has had to stop now due to having no master cyl again. This is going to be a really really good car when done but I really wish I was not so fussy and did not do the auto to manual conversion till after i had used it a bit more but hey ho, hindsight is a wonderfull thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 I have an interior fitted again ! all minus the back seat which is past it with burns and saggyness, I am looking for a mint coupe rear seat if possible, its now got a set of chicago grey front seats and door cards and also all the carpets and trim to match. The clutch pedal mod went well and the master cyl bracket was simple but effective once i had worked out where i had room to put the cyl i made a template out of card and then copied it in 3mm steel, (I will post pics very soon as it has come out very neatly indeed) next item up for review was the piping for the clutch and this is mostly copper tubing going to a flexi down by the slave cylinder. Progress is slow due to lots of work but i am trying to get it an hour a day on it if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 Time for an update, Since I last posted I have re-fitted the engine again and played about with the new engine mounts i made and make a template for the new sump then i removed the engine again to fit the sump once that was built from the brand new landrover sump i ordered, cut up and then re-made. In all the engine has been in and out about 6 times to get it all right. the upside to this is that it fits much better than before and is mounted on fully adjustable mounts so i can get the position spot on when i fit the headers and steering shaft. The Engine got stripped and painted as well while it was out and is now the same colour as the car, also up for renewal were all the gaskets and seals and also the bolts holding it all together were replaced. The bracket mounting the alternator was re-designed and so was the bracket mounting the radiator, this is going to be fitted to the anti roll bar brackets and will come down to the bottom of the rad for the full width to give protection from below. I have now fitted the engine, gearbox and suspension to the car and its got shocks and brakes too. I am getting there but each time i go to bolt one of the old bits back on i feel the need to improve it and/or paint it. The interior is finished, thanks to another club member i have an excellent back seat, the last interior job was to make a completely new gear selector mech to put the lever in the middle of the hole, then i fitted the original centre console and gaitor, to look at you would think it had the original GTE box in there. it fits spot on. I have popped off a few pics to show its on 4 wheels and a shot from below and of the new engine mounts. Seriously, Its been a BIG job and i would have had the same amount of work to do if i had started with a standard car. I really thought i could "just whip out the auto and stuff a 5 speed in it" no no no. Everything has been checked, changed and modified. Still it should be nice when i get it done. here are the pics from today: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymanc Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 nice i think it's going to be one off the best manta's around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 Thanks mate ! I am in the last 10% now, lots of stupid little jobs, sort the anti roll bar, get the clutch flexi sorted, do the propshaft (the one i have is 2 inches too short, typical) finish the rad mount and then do the water pipes, couple of front brake pipes to do and also mount the fuel pipe in the inner wing a little better. more when i do more ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Cor blimey that's looking tasty! Love the paint job on the engine, too many people leave the bare aluminium or go for black (which is okay) and I tried a bright orange but made an arse of painting it so it's nice to see something that works. What paint did you use? I'm guessing not the same paint as the bodywork. Those engine mountings look heavy duty but aren't they holding the engine far forward over the crossmember? It may just be the photo angle but there doesn't look like you've got much clearence between the water pump and radiator or much of an oil pan capacity, or is that the idea or having them adjustable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shug Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 That is looking seriously tasty. I guess when its finished, you won't be needing the ascona any more..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2908642343 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Having been down to see Paul last week while on holiday, i had the chance to see this stunning car, the pictures do not do it justice. It is brilliant and is a credit to Paul in the amount of time and effort put in to make in perfect. The air suspension Paul has fitted is awesome, well the whole car is awesome. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 Rick: The engine mounts are standard Rover V8 SD1, the bits that bolt to the engine and the rubbers themselves, the alloy blocks and spacers are my own design as are the brackets I welded to the crossmember, the cross member brackets have large holes drilled through and the nuts for the bolts are stainless and welded to a thick strip of metal to make sure they stay still when tightening but also so the nuts move about with the bolts, I have very good side to side and up and down adjustment but to make it move forward and back i would have to shim the thick alloy plates. It is all quite well balanced as the majority of the weight is behind the axle even though its only got 11mm clearance between the radiator and the water pump nose, still its not touching so will be ok ! Sump capacity dropped a lot when i cut it up but i made a wing to go on the passengers side that brought the sump capacity up to 4 litres, couple this withthe big filter and the fact the rockers and pump etc hold a wee bit then I am up just over 4.5 litres in total which is more than enough to keep the engine happy. As for paint on the block, A while ago i did an experiment with some bog standard spray paint in a can, i painted a 2.4 engine black and ran it about for ages and the paint was fine, this time I used 2 pack paint and laquer for the V8 block and heads, It was given loads of time to cure and I have every expectation it will be fine, several other hot rod chaps near me have done this and have had no peel and burn. Shug: naaah, I think i will keep it, i need somethng that does more than 10 mpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuviteer Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 at least I've got a better look of what my RMJ body kit will look like if I ever get round to fitting it on the hatch ! Some good work there. The water pump nose does look like it will be a bit close to the radiator.Have you tried one with the shorter nose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 I have trimmed as much off the water pump shaft as i dare, I have 11mm clearance so its not too much of an issue, its not touching and there is room for a movement. I would worry if it ever moves 11mm. once i get the brackets done i will post pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith1200 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Very nice Paul I love the V8 'looks better then new' and air suspension? thats the dogs b*llocks I like the idea behind the engine mounts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuviteer Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Doesnt the P1 have a shorter nose water pump tham the SD1 ? Or is it the other way round !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 The P6 water pump is shorter but you cannot put a damn great shiny Billet ally pulley on the P6 pump ! The air suspension is a step into the unknown, initial tests have shown its good but until i drive the car hard i will not know exactly what tweaks i have to make. less air means softer and lower, more air means hard and high, i have to get the ride height at a level between the two for good sharp handling and still have a low stance. I have a system of shims ready, the bags have no shims at the moment and room for up to an inch of adjustment upwards, the car is low now at 3/4 bag pressure so i think i might need a shim or two yet, Damping is provided by a set of Bilsteins so that side of it is a given, its the re-bound rate and spring pressure i am trying to get right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Excellent stuff. So you've used car body panel paint on the block, did you have to etch prime the bare metal or have you got a layer of enamel under it? I did try a 'double acrylic' areosol on a head and cam cover before and that peeled and fell off the next day so I've been warey ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 The block was stripped, cleaned, degreased and then etch primed first. then hit with two pack blue and laquer. took ages. the V8 runs cool in comparison to the CiH engine i suppose its to do with the bigger rad and possibly more water pump flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christ Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 That looks really nice some impressive workmanship and I wouldn't worry about water pump clearance, as you've said yourself - it shouldn't move 11mm forward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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