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Just bought a 1.8 hatch


spiney_norman
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Yep, as the thread title says. Some of you spotted it on ebay I know, it's the black one in Devon (click!)

A couple of people in another thread have already questioned whether it'll ever go back on the road, simple answer is it'll depend on how bad it is when I pick it up. The seller did say it'd been stood for 4 years, and if it's been stood on grass that whole time like in the pictures my guess is it's gonna be absolutely rotten underneath.

If that's the case, I'm sorry to say it will be stripped for parts, as I'm seriously skint at the moment and don't really have room for more cars. If it's worth saving I'll have to have a rethink.

Guess I'll just have to see what it's like when I actually get my hands on it!

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Yep, as the thread title says. Some of you spotted it on ebay I know, it's the black one in Devon (click!)

A couple of people in another thread have already questioned whether it'll ever go back on the road, simple answer is it'll depend on how bad it is when I pick it up. The seller did say it'd been stood for 4 years, and if it's been stood on grass that whole time like in the pictures my guess is it's gonna be absolutely rotten underneath.

If that's the case, I'm sorry to say it will be stripped for parts, as I'm seriously skint at the moment and don't really have room for more cars. If it's worth saving I'll have to have a rethink.

Guess I'll just have to see what it's like when I actually get my hands on it!

not a couple of people questioned whether it'll go back on the road, it was one, me, i did however add (hope im wrong though)

your car, your choice

and as it has already been pointed out, no need to explain yourself to anyone on here...

the vultures will be circling though :thumbup

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Spiney Norman - Congratulations on your taste and style buying an 1800 Manta Hatch,a type of Manta overlooked by a lot in the Manta Club despite being alot closer in performance to a GTE than most people imagine,easier to find engine parts for and of course being a hatch its a very usefull car.

I really hope it is restorable because the 1800 in original form is now becoming rare,at bIlling this year there was my Gold Hatch and Sara Piere Red GT Hatch but i dont remember any other original 1800's in the concours,there certainly wasn't any 1800 coupes, they are next to extinct now.

Now for the Vulture bit,if it really is too bad to restore and you break it for spares i need a gearbox for an 1800,Briteny which i drove down to yours to collect the front seats (while you were getting loud and swetty in a field in Reading!), has been laid up since the AGM when the internals of the gearbox chewed themselves up and 1800 gearboxs aren't so easy to come by.I know its possible to use a GTE box and have that rebuilt with the 1800 front case but then if that front case is damaged i've gotta get another 1800 box to get Briteny back where she belongs,on the road.

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Yeah, I knew as soon as I put that bid on it that the vultures would be circling if it did get stripped. That's half the reason I did put a bid on it in fact!

If it does end up going for spares, Sean, you got first dibs on the head gasket set and Ian first dibs on the gearbox.

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Please dont get me wrong, i'm always fighting the 1800's corner and first and formost i like to see another 1800 back on the road (actually i think if you did get this one back on the road you'll like it more than you might imagine) Infact if you do try and put it back on the road parts could be traveling the other dirrection,i might even have something you need to get it going again.

Its only if its truely rotten and there is no hope for it then of course it should be broken to provide spares to keep other Manta's going,much as i'd like to see every Manta restored we've got to be pragmatic,if only there was a huge storage shed where all Manta's that appear on e-bay etc for restoration could be bought and stored till they could be found a new owner who would bring them back to thier former glory.

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That's the problem Ian: I'd like to see this one back on the road myself, and if it's saveable then I might well have to do something with it. Problem is I've got nowhere that's really safe to keep it, so it's gonna end up staying on the trailer at my Dad's mate's farm until I can do something with it. I also have no time, money or welding skills.

If I knew it was just gonna be a head gasket change I'd do it myself and put it back on the road, but if it's been standing for 4 years already I've got a feeling all the usual rust spots are going to be virtually non-existent.

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If it's knackered it's knackered - and it's your car, so I don't see that you have to justify your actions to anybody.

People always scowl when a 1.8 hatch gets broken for XE conversion parts, but if they cared THAT much they'd buy up every knackered one that came along. In real life people just don't have the time and money to do that, so lots will get broken.

My hatch is also a 1.8 and some people are upset that I want to perform a 16v conversion on it. But the car is mine, I can do as I please, and if I ever want to return it to 1.8 then I can easily do so.

As long as you are happy with your decision

EDIT

I didn't really make my other point - I am all for seeing more Mantas on the road, be they GTE's or 1.8's!

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but if they cared THAT much they'd buy up every knackered one that came along.

i'VE TRIED TO! i've currently got six of them that are not going to be sold to anyone unless they are deffinately going back on the road,i've also helped save two others.

My hatch is also a 1.8 and some people are upset that I want to perform a 16v conversion on it.

This is not a problem,the Manta still lives on,its people who buy an 1800 just rip the gearbox and sump out and stick them on on e-bay for a bit of beer money,another Manta into the car crusher just so as they can get pi55ed up on a saturday night, C**TS.

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The Initial re-action to the photo's of this Manta is its a 'SAVER' one to go back on the road, the outer panels all look good,doors,wings,bonnet,nose cone,back panel etc.

Underneath rust holes can be repaired by simple patch fabrication,outer panels are much more difficult to cure of rot holes.Plus this Manta Hasn't got a sunroof (well it dont look like it has) and that is a major bonus.

Anyway you or someone has GOT TO SAVE THIS ONE. there has in the future got to be one Manta left with that amazing terracota (red) interior!

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The Initial re-action to the photo's of this Manta is its a 'SAVER' one to go back on the road, the outer panels all look good,doors,wings,bonnet,nose cone,back panel etc.

Underneath rust holes can be repaired by simple patch fabrication,outer panels are much more difficult to cure of rot holes.Plus this Manta Hasn't got a sunroof (well it dont look like it has) and that is a major bonus.

Anyway you or someone has GOT TO SAVE THIS ONE. there has in the future got to be one Manta left with that amazing terracota (red) interior!

I must admit I was sort of hoping it'd be rotten underneath because I bought it hoping I could get away with stripping it for bits without feeling guilty, but it does look like it might be too good for that. I haven't had a good look underneath but the sills will probably need a bit of work, the chassis rails at the front feel a bit bubbly but I can't really see much at the moment. The nose cone, bonnet and front wings are a bit bubbly but I don't think they're actually holed, and one front inner wing's a bit rusty on the seam behind the headlight. But you're right, it's non-sunroof...

Trouble is, I need the money at the moment, financially speaking I'm running on fumes... but I know it's saveable, just not by me as I have no time, money or welding skills.

If someone wants to save it then make me an offer quick, otherwise unfortunately I'm going to have to strip it. I've already got several people interested in various bits so I know I can make some money that way, much as I hate to say it.

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I'd love to resto a manta hatch like this one, like Ian I'm quite partial to 1.8 hatches and an earlier model in black would be perfect. However, your ebay sale price of £250 is probably the most I'd pay for a project and let's face it, it's worth more in pieces which is a no brainer if you're skint. Collection/delivery costs could be close to £200 also.

I used to have a very solid manta 1.8 with the terracotta/burnt orange interior in top condition, regrettably I sold it due to having three cars and (at the time) one driveway spot. It was later crashed, and I did try to buy it back but never heard back from the owner. Due to the front end damage I would have broken it for the bits but I'd keep the interior for another car...

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If you want some cash Rob, sell one of those silly Lancias Gimme a shout when you want to start work on the Coupe - I'm free for a week or two, then it's coupe time for me.

Cheers Chris. Tried ringing this afternoon but no answer - you're a nightmare to get hold of at times!

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