Rusty Springs Seat And Axle Swap! Advice Please!

[CRAZYDAVE]

Hi everyone

Just made a start to readying my manta for its impending engine swap. First on the list new fully adjustable spax setup with lowered springs and full set of superflex polybushes which i fitted to my 1985 gte only to find the bottom spring seats in the rear axle are full of little holes and was not apparent until i disturbed things! I have a spare axle however this is from a 1.6 mk1 cavalier. Are there any strength issues or differences between this and the manta axle or are they very similar? Are rebuild kits for the axles and torque tubes still available off the shelf? Obviously the diff ratio is different and the brakes are smaller and will need changing but is there anything else i should be aware of? Also i will be fitting a 4.6 rover v8 in the near future and have not heard good things about the torque tube setup handling it!

Any help advice and ideas appreciated

[lamchop77]

Hi everyone

Just made a start to readying my manta for its impending engine swap. First on the list new fully adjustable spax setup with lowered springs and full set of superflex polybushes which i fitted to my 1985 gte only to find the bottom spring seats in the rear axle are full of little holes and was not apparent until i disturbed things! I have a spare axle however this is from a 1.6 mk1 cavalier. Are there any strength issues or differences between this and the manta axle or are they very similar? Are rebuild kits for the axles and torque tubes still available off the shelf? Obviously the diff ratio is different and the brakes are smaller and will need changing but is there anything else i should be aware of? Also i will be fitting a 4.6 rover v8 in the near future and have not heard good things about the torque tube setup handling it!

Any help advice and ideas appreciated

If your gonna be fitting a 4.6 rover set up i would forget about the manta axle, they do there pinion bearings witha std 2.0 motor never mind a 4.6 lump. Go for an atlas axle (could cost a packet though!!!!) or mod to an irs set up (bmw, sierra, etc). I know some people will probably say that its ok to run the V8 through the std diff, BUT i ran a ZF lsd in a std axle on the grasser and shattered then whole rear end with 160 bhp...think the 4.6 might put a bit more than that out with a load more torque.

HTH

Chris

[kerplunk]

I ran a 2.0 GTE engine with my standard 1.6 axle on my ascona a, which as far as I'm aware is the same as the Mk1 Cav.

Ended up cooking it quite quickly so I don't fancy your chances with a V8!

Although it was the original 37 year old axle, and I did drive it quite hard!

I've seen rebuild kits for them for about £120.

[Retro Power]

Manta axles aren't the strongest, I agree, and the bearings are now exceptionally expensive (over £300 for a full axle set now, they have got a LOT more expensive recently).

Lots of people recommend the atlas axle, but to be honest although they are stronger, they are not unbreakable (I've used them! ) and will require 5 linking to fit.

If you are going to the trouble of 5 linking the manta, you might as well use something really strong, either Salisbury 4ha or Volvo 240. Either will take 500hp when properly built up, and can be rebuilt for £300 ish. We tend to use the salisbury, as it is easily available in two convenient widths, the one from a reliant scimitar se6a/b is nearly std manta b axle width and the one from an SE5a/b is approx manta a width (slightly narrower)

However, back to your question, if you are using the manta b axle, you can just cut the pans off the other axle and weld them onto the other one. I am not sure on interchangeability of the rest, as some 1600's seem to have the small bearing axle and some the big one.........

I have plenty of decent manta b axle casings if you want one.

[mantadoc]

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