MANTAMAN Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Reworked the cartoon, you could get a sticker made up for the rear quarter glass. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I have read this project from start to finish and it's such a good frantic thread to read. It actually made me think about your other Manta that's been going on for 14 years...maybe you can draw inspiration and motivation from this project and get the other Coupe finished an awful lot sooner than you thought. I couldn't do all that work on a Manta I haven't the abilities but it helps me a lot just by looking at some pictures of them undergoing work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Abbott Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 I have read this project from start to finish and it's such a good frantic thread to read. It actually made me think about your other Manta that's been going on for 14 years... Yea it's going to go one of two ways, make me want to do the other one or break it for parts It's been really really hard work in this timeframe, hard on the family too.. I need this one done so fingers crossed it will have a MOT by the end of the week.. A 3 week build! What was I thinking It's now been 11 weeks and it has hurt me. I am having to have an injection into my spine on friday to stop the pain because I have done something to my back while restoring this car. I'm too old for this shit Progress Twin lights properly built up, I secured the ends of the threaded bar by using a cold cure clear acrylic resin that sets rock hard A late night swearing session with Dan saw the newly valeted seats bolted onto the cleaned carpet Paint has sat for a few days and cured so it's time to colour sand it. Went to autopaint and got stung for £150 for consumables.... Flatting with the DA and I started with 1500 then moved to 3000 grit, I caught the door handle surround and went through the paint... Oh well.. foam finger time at billing on that bit Here you can see the paint shine flatted off the door and roof It took 2 days to flat it and some grit got into the airline and under my 3000 so after compounding you can see pig tails in the paint but for now I am going to live with it. Car was then cleaned before taping it all up with low tack plastic and masking tape to protect the black parts and interior Concentration face time, buffing through was my concern. Double team time Coming up nice All done, tape off. took ! day doing a double team. Used 3m cutting paste, then G10 No wax yet as Callum Turner is getting me some graphics Mirrors fitted Restored trim going back on 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 That's come as a big shock to me that you might be stripping your other Coupe as spares I mean it has taken you 14 years to get as far as you have with it! I think this working till it kills you attitude is very interesting and I find it interesting and amazing because it shows what can be done with the abilities that the individual doing the project has. This amount of progress and this amount of effort is nothing short of extraordinarily impressive. The twin lights look fab as well and with the adaptations you have made to them they are better than new and are no dought made with better quality bolts etc. Just look at how far this Manta has come and what it looked like 11 weeks ago. It really is a clean machine now! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Abbott Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 more progress New wheels fitted and balanced,skirts fitted.. Glass in the back, seals and B post covers on Back bumper on. Spoiler on. Random pics, sorry for any duplication, i'm even doing the write up quick Building the doors is fun.. Put the handle on, pig of a job.. forgot to put the connector bar in... off we come.... back in with connector bar.... now it's crossed with the lock!!!!!!!!!!! ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH Twin lights in Big Cliff the lifesaver arrived with these! In we go, front seat back is to be replaced today when I collect it from the valeter 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANTAMAN Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 This is looking one HECK of a good Manta, Certain Manta's have a look about them that just seems right, all but impossible to define, Like the ex Marty Drennan Astro Silver 400, Jock Ramsey's orange two slot B, Robbie Stinson's Broadspeed replica, Scibe-of-Lincoln's Blue two slot B (don't sell it!!) This Manta has something about it, perhaps it is the FMR paint set off by the grey wheels and the addition of a front splitter, hard to put your finger on it but you can see the result is brilliant. Only criticisum... i would have painted the door handles body colour, i have said this before about Manta's, on anything other than a black Manta they become a 'blob' of black isolated in a coloured area, i guess the bean counters made sure that the cheap option of one process for all door handles was adhered to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Looking absolutely stunning, I bet that Manta can't believe it's luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapierdave Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Wow just awesome in an incredible time scale, cant wait to see this Manta. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicsManta Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 its comming along very nicely. its amazing what you have all managed to do in a short period of time. keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Abbott Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Thank's for the kind comments. It's not a Retro Power build by any stretch of the imagination but it should make a good looking addition to the field at billing. The car was last used in 1998 so the engine and running gear are an unknown quantity at this point. More interior work and mods to the inner door with rust treatment liberally applied so will now outlast the car. I've never liked the plastic fitted to the inside of the panels so I've used this low tack plastic, it is brilliant.. It seals the holes rather than just covering them Door card then checked and repaired and shoved into place and door bits added. New rubber door glass guides from reprotech fitted Interior pretty much done apart from swapping out the dirty top seat bit the valeters couldn't clean off. It needs a good clean and I will be putting in a new voltage reg for good measure.. On fitting the twins and now wiring them up I was only getting one sidelight and no indicators or rear lights at all...The indicator relay gave an almighty squeal.. Oh God to get this close and have the project fail due to sodding Manta electrics The twin light have been re wired since that pic.. I took out every fuse and ground them back to good. Fiddled with the relay and cleaned up the fusebox. Ah ha, front lights ( and a sneaky shot of a new bit) More messing and I had front indicators, still nothing to the rear..... Time to go deeeeeeeeeeeeep into the rabbit hole of rear light restoration. Rear lights were rubbish, dirty tracks, poor bulb holders and connections so I did this A bad track compared to a restored one, now this car was supposed to be a quick in and out but I've gone a bit über on it. Tracks cleaned up Pins reground back to clean Bulb holders stripped, checked, cleaned or replaced Track modification and held in using acrylic to do the fog light conversion in the OS reverse lense All cleaned inside and out with boiling water and fairy liquid One of them needed new cardboard so I copied the other and flipped it The light bar arrived from the engineers, 316 stainless, yummy Cibie Super Oscar time Clear indicators made and fitted too. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANTAMAN Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Has that FMR paint got brighter as it has cured?? in these latest shots it is now retina burning red !! And it's not just going to dazzle in day light, with all those lights on the front it will be dazzling at night as well, infact the car infront will have the paint start to blister on it's boot lid!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volksdevil Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 More great work, apparently washing soda is meant to be good for cleaning out plastic lights too. PS: Who is this reprotech? Any links? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-400 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Nice Work! @volksdevil: I used these Reprotec parts also on my GSI, Found them on Ebay.de, Look for REPROTEC or on Google Reprotec Opel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Abbott Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 http://stores.ebay.de/reprotec-classics-engineering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Abbott Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Last few bits and then onto the MOT Gearbox mount changed for one of the german replacements, it didn't fit very well. Rear brake cylinder changed and all brakes bled with new fluid, brakes feel good now Alternator changed for a 16v one Booked in for MOT It passed Cibies on or off? First show Towneley Park yesterday Finished apart from a few graphics and to chase down a few bits of better trim Bought 29th March 2015 Finished 29th June 2015 Many thank's to the people who have supported me over the last few months, especially my Wife Janet who has put up with me not being home very much. Many thanks to my mates Dan, Cliff and Carl who have helped out with various things and Cliff for letting me have the back seats. A big thankyou to my little Brother Andy for the use of his workshops and Tom for laying the bog, sanding most of it off and covering it in FM Red paint Mancona next 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldwheels Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Looking great and carried out so quickly Perhaps you are in the wrong trade Quick question what size wheels, ET, and tyre size 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcliff Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 let the fun and games begin. its only just starting mate owning the best cars out there 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANTAMAN Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 From zero to show car in thirteen weeks, incredable !!! this means you could restore 4 manta's a year !!! Cibie's off, they work with a 400 but looks a bit 'saxo chav' on a standard Manta This story needs to told in a Car magazine, just the sort of inspiring tale they are looking for. Well done to all involved, you will now be inducted into the Manta Club 'hall of fame' !! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 From zero to show car in thirteen weeks, incredable !!! this means you could restore 4 manta's a year !!! Cibie's off, they work with a 400 but looks a bit 'saxo chav' on a standard Manta This story needs to told in a Car magazine, just the sort of inspiring tale they are looking for. Well done to all involved, you will now be inducted into the Manta Club 'hall of fame' !! Restoring Mantas would be the best job in the world. If you restored 4 Mantas do you reckon you could make a living off it? I want that as a dream job. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Abbott Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Hehe. I'd be dead if I did it as a job. It's very hard work, hats off to the people who do it for a job. I make teeth. No weight in them and I can sit down ! The car has had about 1000 hours labour so that would cost around 30k ! Who wants to pay that? Wheels are BMW E30 but have a bigger offset of ET-13 Tyres are ( at the mo because the back ones rub ) 205 50 15 May go to a 195 50 15 Ok. I said it's finished. Hmmmmmm. I fancy a valver in it, bigger brakes, LSD Is a manta ever finished? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 To be honest I am absolutely useless at anything like restoration, I have all the passion in the world but I am useless with my hands the only thing I can do with my Manta is clean it. It's the only thing I seem to be alright at and I think what it is is that I come from a family that isn't particularly hands on and I am sure it's genetic. If I could do something like this I would be prepared to kill myself in order to make it work but it's never going to happen. I have always wanted to restore my own Manta but would never be able to realistically do it even with all the tools in the world. I can't even fix my indicator that keeps flashing too fast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickappy Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 its never finished mate NEVER... up grade.. u will always find something to upgrade.. great work pal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howie manta a sxi Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 its never finished mate NEVER... up grade.. u will always find something to upgrade.. great work pal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicsManta Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 well done for finnishing the project, it looks amazing but i agree with mantaman keep the lights off, they are a bit show off ish (unless your going on a rally). now you all can get 13 weeks worth of sleep. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymanc Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Yes well done Kev it was a pleasure to park next to your roadworthy manta a job well done ,we just need that other fella to get his on the road now 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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