Peter Teed Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Hi all, Well Im moving over here from the introduction section as I now have my Manta home and have started a very basic inspection just to get my head around what I have agead of me. As mentioned,it is a 1974 Opel Manta A,bought sight unseen from another enthusiast in my city.Generally speaking,I am more than happy with the purchase so far,no nasty surprises yet but Im only looking at bodywork currently,have not got on to the mechanicals yet. All the trim that I have pulled off to date has come off without problem or damage,no rust has shown up underneath it so its a good start,some of the trim will not be going back on in an effort to stop any rust at a later date.It used to have a vinyle roof,it will not have one now so that bit of trim around the finished edge of the vinyl is removed and holes will be welded up,also the trim on the wheel arches will go,most of it is in fair to good condition nbut I will not re-fit it. So,my rust issues are as follows,the roof,about 5 patches where I will have to put in new steel due to rust damage under the vinyl,the spare wheel well,just a small bit where the drain hole is,the outer door panel of what would be your drivers door,our passenger side door,it has accident damage and has been bogged up,water has got under it,the filler has fallen out and the panel is rusty,if its to far gone I will just re-skin the lower half of the door.At this stage that appears to be it,of course it has quite a few dents to deal with but thats par for the course. Im not big when it comes photo documentation,I'd rather just get on and do it but I will make an effort to include some from time to time with my various reports.More info later after I've pulled a bit more trim off,see ya! Pete. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiMarco Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Hi all, Well Im moving over here from the introduction section as I now have my Manta home and have started a very basic inspection just to get my head around what I have agead of me. As mentioned,it is a 1974 Opel Manta A,bought sight unseen from another enthusiast in my city.Generally speaking,I am more than happy with the purchase so far,no nasty surprises yet but Im only looking at bodywork currently,have not got on to the mechanicals yet. All the trim that I have pulled off to date has come off without problem or damage,no rust has shown up underneath it so its a good start,some of the trim will not be going back on in an effort to stop any rust at a later date.It used to have a vinyle roof,it will not have one now so that bit of trim around the finished edge of the vinyl is removed and holes will be welded up,also the trim on the wheel arches will go,most of it is in fair to good condition nbut I will not re-fit it. So,my rust issues are as follows,the roof,about 5 patches where I will have to put in new steel due to rust damage under the vinyl,the spare wheel well,just a small bit where the drain hole is,the outer door panel of what would be your drivers door,our passenger side door,it has accident damage and has been bogged up,water has got under it,the filler has fallen out and the panel is rusty,if its to far gone I will just re-skin the lower half of the door.At this stage that appears to be it,of course it has quite a few dents to deal with but thats par for the course. Im not big when it comes photo documentation,I'd rather just get on and do it but I will make an effort to include some from time to time with my various reports.More info later after I've pulled a bit more trim off,see ya! Pete. Need pictures peter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 They say "patience is a virtue"! It will happen... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiMarco Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 They say "patience is a virtue"! It will happen... I don't have any Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 A little more dis-assembly,a little more rust but still nothing drastic to report,checked the floors,all good,a little at the rear of the sills but still nothing drastic.Am I correct in assuming that the front nosecone comes of as a single piece,upper section in front of bonnet,area around headlights and area below bumpers,I have quite a bit of body damage below the front bumper,been run up and over something I think. Whether from the factory or elsewhere I dont know but sections of the sill section appear to have had holes drilled and then covered with rubber plugs,Im assuming maybe rust protection and most of the underside of the car is covered in a very thick type of body schultz,anyway a couple of pics,I hope.https://www.facebook.com/peter.teed.5/media_set?set=a.10202976594469977.1073741826.1057491287&type=3&uploaded=5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 Afraid you will have to use the above link,no matter what I do I cant get pics to post any other way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted October 25, 2014 Author Share Posted October 25, 2014 Well,the more I dig,the more I find,rust that is,so the current situation is- bottom of left hand front guard,inner sill behind said left hand front guard,two small spots behind each of the headlights,rear of sill,left hand side,rear quarter left hand side.I haven't even started on the right hand side yet.What I did have to do however was to cut out the lower stone tray under the radiator (the panel that the front indicators are mounted too),it was so damaged that there was no way to repair it in position.I have managed to massage it back into a close similarity of what it should be but a long way to go before I weld it back on.Anyway,its only been a couple of days so hopefully time is on my side,really,this is all pretty minor in the scheme of thhings so hoping the other side is no worse and maybe better,haven't even tried to start it yet,should get on to that soon I guess.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymanc Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Afraid you will have to use the above link,no matter what I do I cant get pics to post any other way! Hi Peter try this to post your pictures you need to upload the image to a web based host service, such as http://www.photobucket.com or http://www.uploadit.org to name but two. You'll need to register first but both are free for simple image hosting, though you can upgrade to do other things for a small fee. Once registered you can begin uploading images Note the "URL" box with it's text (highlighted). Copy this text (left click and drag to select all the text, right click -> copy or CTRL-C). In Uploadit, you get a list. Click the list and copy the http address from the new window. On to the forum, you have two options. You can simply paste the http address and post a link to your picture. Anyone who wants to see it will need to click the address. This is good if you want to post a lot of images If you want to display the actual image, use the "img" tags: http://premium1.uplo...hotobucket4.JPG That's all there is to it. As you may have figured, you don't actually post a picture but point the forum software to a net address which it converts into an actual picture. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve price Posted October 25, 2014 Share Posted October 25, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 Thanks steve but as I have not actually joined yet I cant see your pics,will have to get organised eventually! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 Hi again,a quick question,Im pretty sure I know the correct answer to this question but always good to have confirmation before jumping in! What is the best way to remove the door hinge pins without damage to any of the door? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 With one of these... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Laser-Tools-2133-Trim-and-Parts-Removal-Door-Hinge-Pin-Extractor-Kit-4pc-Tool-/310511897257?_trksid=p2054897.l4275 Search around for the best price/ Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 Have been doing a lot of reading of late through the various topics and postings that I have been able to access on the forum and found it all very interesting.To date,I would have to say that I am thinking that I may be very lucky regards the issue of rust.Even though I have really just started pulling things apart and I know nothing of the history of this car,yes I have found rust,I have also found signs of previous welding,especially in the battery tray area,this has been rebuilt,the fuse board moved and updated but no sign so far of any issues with the A pillars,floors etc in that area.The inner wing on the battery side is solid and never welded,there are two small holes at each end (front and back) of the sill panel and the rear quarter needs a little attention,I have not checked out the other side yet and I think I mentioned,two small bits behind the headlights in the nosecone,unfortunately the lower part of the nosecone is an absolute mess due to what I think to be a bad case of "touch parking",the whole underside of the car is thick with a black rubberised body sealer. I dont know how many of these cars made it to Australia,the previous owner says it is factory right hand drive but I have no other information,anyway,I have a welder,I have steel plate,I have some time,I dont however have some of the smaller parts that I will need and expect they will have to be imported so put it all together and hopefully I will be able to get a move on.Regards Pete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 A quick question,are there any quirky things I need to know about the electrics or is it just the basic of testing for power and earths?I've got the car started and running,its lovely,dont know how long since it was last run but fuel supply and a little gas down the car and it started straight up,ran smoothly and idles well,not even too noisy but quite a bit of the electrics dont work however I have disconnected a few things so that may contribute,will work through it. Other question,in the top of the rocker cover where there is the vent that recirculates fumes to the air cleaner,is there meant toi be some sort of actual fitting or is the vent hose just jammed in there. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted November 2, 2014 Author Share Posted November 2, 2014 (edited) Appears my opel was built in South Africa according to the build plates,Port Elizabeth,wonder how it made it to Aus. and yes,Im still finding MORE rust! Also,are the jacking points structural,could I delete them entirely without affecting rigidity or otherwise replace the box section but make it closed so that no rubbish sits in there? Edited November 2, 2014 by Peter Teed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Barrett Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Jacking points are structural, tie in the rail to the sill. As you suggest some box section would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted November 2, 2014 Author Share Posted November 2, 2014 Jacking points are structural, tie in the rail to the sill. As you suggest some box section would be fine. Thanks for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 Spent a couple of hours chasing rust today,wasn't my intention but apparently thats what you do when you have a manta! I replaced one of the jacking points the other day but on reflection decided that I wasn't happy with the job so cut it off and will start from scratch,after that ,thought hey,I'll just check out the rest of the floors inside,oh well.i should have known. Now remember that this is a right hand drive for those internationals reading this! Stripped all the deadener of the front and rear floors,what a shit of a job,passenger side first,great,no rust at all except for the patch I put on the other day above the jack point,which I may also re-do as part of fixing the jacking crossmember,again. Move on to the drivers side,damn,rust hole down the edge of the trans tunnel from the floor to half way up the firewall,about 50mm width in total,hole behind the accelerator pedal on the floor and hole where the accelerator cable comes through the firewall,none of these are too serious though. I dont really even want to look at the swan necks,think I will wait a while till Ive dealt with this stuff. Will get some pics shortly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
611 Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Rust finding on the old a series is a slow process of discovery :-) Sometimes the swan necks are ok on the inside and you can get away with just replacing the outer, i think it depends on how much water got inside the car as it seems to find its way in from the floor. Lots of good parts on here. not sure on the shipping cost but he is a very helpful guy. Got lots of bits from him and he has the door hinge puller and new pins. http://www.edelschmiede.com/ you will need the old google translate!! Andy Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
611 Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I also have the proper opel workshop manual, so if you need any sections scanned and mailed over just drop me a message. Got a couple on here and they show you what tools you need for some of the jobs. http://www.theopelproject.com/?page_id=223 Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted November 10, 2014 Author Share Posted November 10, 2014 Thanks for the info Andy,will keep it and your offer RE. the manual info in mind,thanks,Pete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 Where is the engine number on a 1.9ltr CIH engine fitted toi a 1974 Manta A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shug Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 It'll be on the right hand side of the engine, looking at it from front of car. Below the spark plugs will be a flat sloped bit that will have engine code, and number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 Thanks Shug, found it,was staring me in the face! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Teed Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 Just a short note to say "nothing to see because nothing has been done", the time of year and the weather have all been against me,hoping they will both improve very shortly before I go stir crazy from lack of a mechanical infusion.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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