autowatch Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Hi guys, I've recently acquired a '78 Ascona B which I intend to restore to factory standard and also run a '78 Manta B (named Magnus) which I serviced as an Opel apprentice mechanic in 1980 and bought it from the original owner in 2007. The Manta was used in a commercial in London (Barbican) on Tuesday but they wouldn't tell me what or who for .... however there was a scantily clad lady running around so it wasn't a bad day out! Anyway, the Ascona (or Adolf as he has become known) is in need of a fair amount of work and particularly needs a left front wing and lower front panel/skirt....if anyone can point me in the direction of either of these or other Ascona B spares I'd be very grateful. Can't work out how to post pics yet.....anyone help? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upk Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 You need to upload to photobucket and the link the img code. Welcome on board look forward to those pics!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Get some pics up and keep us updated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
611 Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Stick the pics on facebook, then click on the image so it pops up and then right click and then select copy image url. Then click on the little image in the post tool bar and paste in, one picture as below :-) and welcome to the club! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autowatch Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 The Photobucket route worked for me, thanks to all.... Pics of Magnus (Manta) on the film shoot the other day....... I'll upload a couple of Adolf (Ascona) over the weekend but he's not a terribly pretty sight at the moment.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1900SR Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Welcome, the Manta's looking good. Are you the guy who used to work for Jones of Cheltenham? The car looks familiar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autowatch Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 Good memory! It was actually Jones of Chelmsford but I'm still impressed! Started there in '78, left in '83 a year after I finished my apprenticeship, had a lifelong love of Opels and hate people who call my cars Vauxhalls!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy220 Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Hi Dave, and welcome to the club, and nice to hear about another Essex member. There's a local meet on Sunday 22nd from about 5.30m pm at the Halfway House on the A127 near Brentwood if you can make it? Whereabouts in Essex are you? I remember Jones of Chelmsford, I used to be a service mechanic for a local rally team in the late 80's who were partly sponsored by Jones. Do you know a guy called Dave Drake that used to work there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Don't forget to tell us where the manta will pop up in the media when you find out what the footage was intended for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autowatch Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 Dave Drake! Christ yes I remember him starting at Jones's, probably around '81......we used to call him Daffy in reference to his surname, it used to wind him up something rotten!! Do you still see him? I'm up in the wilds of North Essex on the Suffolk border.....unfortunately at a family boxing match - sorry BBQ - tomorrow afternoon where alcohol will make the event bearable so will have to take a raincheck on the Halfway House meet but let me know when the next meet is and I'll try to make it......then I can bore you all stupid with my nostalgic opel stories! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapierdave Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Mmm nice chrome bumpered hatch. Nice bodywork in the third shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1900SR Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 Good memory! It was actually Jones of Chelmsford but I'm still impressed! Started there in '78, left in '83 a year after I finished my apprenticeship, had a lifelong love of Opels and hate people who call my cars Vauxhalls!! Sorry Dave, long day yesterday, I meant Chelmsford. JHK3V is still about, now slowly being rebuilt by my brother down near Bristol. Like you I have a dislike of people referring to Opels as Vauxhalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upk Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 And not one mention yet of the exceptional bodywork in the two tone pink & black! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autowatch Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share Posted September 21, 2013 Sorry Dave, long day yesterday, I meant Chelmsford. JHK3V is still about, now slowly being rebuilt by my brother down near Bristol. Like you I have a dislike of people referring to Opels as Vauxhalls. I did the original PDI on JHK 3V, a green B hatch with tan interior if I remember correctly (sad old man aren't I....) It was given to the then Service Manager John Youngs who was permanently pi**ed..... I also PDI'd JHK 2V which I think (not 100% sure though) was a blue Ascona & JHK 1V which was a Rekord E. This is bringing very powerful memories flooding back guys..... brilliant time of my life and Jones of Chelmsford probably the best company I ever worked for.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1900SR Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 This is JHK3V as a cover star! The pics were taken before I go it, but it was published after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANTAMAN Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 welcome to the Club Dave, Love your Manta, i like two slot hatches and they are so rare now, as well as the Essex crowd it might not be too far for you to come to events in 'my' area and of course you have to come to the Annual Rally at Billing Aquadrome near Northampton second weekend of July ( generally the method is pitch your tent friday morning at the latest, enjoy a riot of a weekend and see if you can sober up enough sunday afternoon to get home ! ) Incidently the model in the pink and black, the body isn't perfect, think it needs some filler..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiffy220 Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 Dave Drake! Christ yes I remember him starting at Jones's, probably around '81......we used to call him Daffy in reference to his surname, it used to wind him up something rotten!! Do you still see him? I'm up in the wilds of North Essex on the Suffolk border.....unfortunately at a family boxing match - sorry BBQ - tomorrow afternoon where alcohol will make the event bearable so will have to take a raincheck on the Halfway House meet but let me know when the next meet is and I'll try to make it......then I can bore you all stupid with my nostalgic opel stories! I used to see Dave Drake a lot as he was chief mechanic in our rally team in the early 90's. Good guy. However he split up with his wife and went and moved down Plymouth way I think it was, so lost touch with him then. Nice looking hatch you have, and a pity you can't make it along tonight. I think this will be the last meet of the year for a lot of us, car will be SORN'd at the end of the month. Do check in regularly on here though, will sort out some meets for next year. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autowatch Posted September 22, 2013 Author Share Posted September 22, 2013 Thanks for the warm welcome guys and the nice comments about the Manta. I have so much history with this car I can never sell him.....I worked on him as an apprentice then lost touch for 26 years until a customer of mine asked me to do a bit of electrical work on his wife's old car, a 1978 Opel Manta. They are American and live in Florida for 9 months of the year, only living in England from June to September, and had owned the Manta from new......hence the genuine mileage of 66000 when I got it on 4 September 2007. In addition my wife used to run a tyre & exhaust centre in Witham and I've got hand-written receipts by her from the late 80's when the Manta went there for MOT..... anyone believe in fate? I do.... With the car came every bill from any work ever done on him plus every single old MOT certificate. I've got both original keys, tax disc holder, rear window sticker and hand-written mileage logs. And because I'm motor trade I don't have to register him so the log book still shows 'none' under previous recorded keepers. He's never been welded and after I got him I rebuilt the engine using oversize pistons shipped in from Germany and drove him down to the Le Mans 24 hour race in 2008 but since then he's hardly been used...... he sits proudly in my workshop and gets admiring comments from customers on a daily basis. If, however, they call him a Vauxhall......the door is thataway!! So there's a potted history of the Manta's background. I bought a blue Ascona B 2.0SR which was on Ebay about 4 months ago, also 1 owner from new but hasn't quite been as pampered as Magnus. I'll put a few pics under the Project section and hope that one of you fellas has some bits going begging.... Thanks for reading my rambling and again, for the welcome to the club. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapierdave Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 (edited) Hi Dave Was the blue Ascona you recently bought the one that is on a T plate, basically sound but needing a respray due to being parked next to a boiler vent pipe? http://www.ebay.com/itm/1978-OPEL-ASCONA-B-BERLINA-2-0-SR-4-DOOR-RIGHT-HAND-DRIVE-88000-MLS-/271203040771?nma=true&si=qh7v%252BSqzOF0P8tiJF%252BF4XsgNY9s%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557#ht_1858wt_1153 Edited September 23, 2013 by Rapierdave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve price Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 awesome intresting thread,dont you just love all that product knowledge and nostalgia,thanx for sharing it with us steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autowatch Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 Hi Dave Was the blue Ascona you recently bought the one that is on a T plate, basically sound but needing a respray due to being parked next to a boiler vent pipe? http://www.ebay.com/itm/1978-OPEL-ASCONA-B-BERLINA-2-0-SR-4-DOOR-RIGHT-HAND-DRIVE-88000-MLS-/271203040771?nma=true&si=qh7v%252BSqzOF0P8tiJF%252BF4XsgNY9s%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557#ht_1858wt_1153 Yeah that's the one.....It was on ebay about six times in total....the seller was a trader who picked the car up for £100 and reckoned it was worth £1500. He won about three of his own auctions before lowering the classified ad price to £1000. I offered him £600 by phone and we settled on £700 which I'm happy with. What he didn't know was that it was one owner from new which I love.... no history unfortunately but both original keys.... It certainly needs more than a respray though! Left wing, left front door and front valence all knackered. I can repair the valence if absolutely necessary but I'd really prefer to replace all three parts if anyone can help. Rear inner and outer sills and both front jacking points along with right front chassis leg all shot but repairable. The usual stuff really and as there's no rush to do it I'll do a bit here and there when time allows......I regard it as therapy after spending all day working on soul-less modern diesels..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opel2000 Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 OMG A Chrome Bumpered B series Hatch ......... Very rare back when I used to frequent this forum, but "My God" what a lovely car. Podering whether I'd lose a testicle to own something like that.......... Hmm perhaps not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANTAMAN Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Good grief! your back Clive! how's things fellow? still got a Manta? Gotta agree, chrome bumper hatches are rare and very nice, like the red you had Clive very much, there was a yellow one in Holland this year, completely plain, this was doing things for me all weekend. Been thinking of 'back converting' a 1.8 hatch to chrome bumper but it's getting hold of the wider rear bumper to do the conversion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autowatch Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 Not sure that I'm in the market for a slightly-soiled testicle Clive but thanks for the offer! Talking of offers, I'm getting a bit closer to needing a left front door and wing for the Ascona B pictured below if anyone can help? I'll put some more pics in the parts wanted and/or project forums but if anyone knows anyone that has got please let me know...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkB1 Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Hi Dave, Nice Manta, my father used to valet cars at Jones of Chelmsford and DW Jones on Baddow Road so I spent many a happy day there cleaning cars with him. Probably one of the reasons I like my Opel's too. Now have a 85 GTE Coupe myself although I am still toying with the idea of converting it to manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.