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berlinetta coupe rebuild/modify


stumpy
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just thought i would check in progress has stoppedfor the moment as ive torn both my meniscus in my kneesmean i cant kneel squat or crouch well i can but its extremely paunful  and legs lock when trying to stand so mri and operations  but still planning obn fixing the old girl

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Hey Charlie, I am waiting for the same operation. After 36 years of running- jumping- doing things in the army my right knee needs also meniscus operation. And I'm only 56 years young... Monday they are going to check me for corona and thursday under the knife. So I know what you feel and hope the best for you. 

The old girl will wait for you, grts Herman

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Thanks Buz, doctor said it is a rather big rip so it was necesarry. Asked if I could run again after healing but he said only on soft ground... So the pain is better than yesterday but didn't sleep a lot. And on the couch! Worst is I can't do anything on my cars, that special piece to fit the sunshade in the roof of my truck arrived so I'v got work to do.

When my wife arrives back from work I'm gonna lay down on the couch and moan so she will serve me whole evening😁🍺

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sorry Herman i missed your replies.
  glad to know youve had it and out the other side my freind 
did they put you out for it or were you awake through the procedurewith a local anaesthetic ?  well at least the ops done now and the healing can start   i had my mri tonight first had to have an x ray  to make sure i didnt have any metal left in my eye from grinder dust a couple of years ago 

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  • 2 weeks later...

so  ive spent today turning my make shift  lean to/car port into a garage by  closing in the sides and rear with feather edge boards
  sealing a few old screw holes in the box profile roofing sheets that i had given me
and picked up a load of 5 ft strip lights with bulbs and plugs all tested for 3 quid each cant go wrong
  so another day working on it tomorrow and it will be completely water tight and sheltered from all sides    new /old stock  mig bought   came with two large bottles of argon/co2 that were full    will then  be ready to  start work   ......had started piling boxes of bike parts on it so  needed to get a move on or it would sit there doing nothing  going to be a busy winter and wanted everything sorted so should we go into a further lockdown i had everything i needed to get on with it  oh and i picked up 4 2mtre x1 mtre sheets of 1mm  1,2 mm and 1,5mm zintec steel   from the same place i got the strip lights for £5 each

 

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managed to pick up a complete bulkhead/A posts/full windscreen surround panel and a hell of a lot of the inner wing with scuttle in mint condition for a ver good price this has been a long time coming going through a middle man acting on behalf of the chap selling  and to be fair hes been a great help

also managed to get my hands on a full nose cone been in storage indoors for many years can only be described as mint condition again with a section of the inner wing  where it was removed from a car those sections on my shell happen to need attention so ideal
and a set of genuine gm door skins new old stock  wont hurt to stick in the spares pile  

i will be ordering some floors  swan necks and outer sills from germany  [unless there are some in the uk ready for dispatch] and we can get stuck into it 

Edited by stumpy
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8 hours ago, stumpy said:

managed to pick up a complete bulkhead/A posts/full windscreen surround panel and a hell of a lot of the inner wing with scuttle in mint condition for a ver good price this has been a long time coming going through a middle man acting on behalf of the chap selling  and to be fair hes been a great help

also managed to get my hands on a full nose cone been in storage indoors for many years can only be described as mint condition again with a section of the inner wing  where it was removed from a car those sections on my shell happen to need attention so ideal
and a set of genuine gm door skins new old stock  wont hurt to stick in the spares pile  

i will be ordering some floors  swan necks and outer sills from germany  [unless there are some in the uk ready for dispatch] and we can get stuck into it 

It is amazing how much hordes stuff is still out there. Luck on talking to the right person, and a whole new world emerges 😎

Nice finds, all the right bits to make a great restoration 👍

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10 hours ago, Jessopia74 said:

It is amazing how much hordes stuff is still out there. Luck on talking to the right person, and a whole new world emerges 😎

Nice finds, all the right bits to make a great restoration 👍

definitely  mate theres many ways to tackle a job would have been far cheaper to use box section along the inner sills with another at 90 degrees to it run up the inside of the A post   wich was going to be my last resort would immensley strong  the hinges could be welded to these box sections ............BUT...its not right is it   ifit were a choice between saving a manta this way then fair play but tbh my shell is really quite good in alot of places i would say the pillar is most definitely the worst aspect floors sills ect dont faze me at all ive been chasing this bulkhead for 4 mths now  but its up in airdrie scotland .the guy who has it has loooooooooaaaaads  of manta/ cav /ascona bits apparently so yes  and ime thining the beauty of manta ownership and parts panel collecting is that someone will always buy what you have left over as we all need parts

9 hours ago, H-400 said:

I mentioned a few times that guy in the north of Holland, Egbert de Boer. He 's got loads of stuff but it is 300km's from my home. 

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Got to make a shopping list to visit him...😦

wow Herman  that would be worth a road trip  if other parts were available as well  they look mint to be fair

 

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enough waffle on with the work so today   i managed to get the seats out doesnt sound much but god what a job the bolts were rusted solid and the heads were chewed someones been in here before ......eventually managed to get them out though theyre not worth keeping except perhaps for the frames the seat base came off in my hands pretty much.. i think the damp from being stood for ten years did for them  the headlining is also  like paper and dried out  tears if you look at it

i then set about the fibreglas floor skin ???  and expanding  foam underlay  i have no idea what the thinking was behind this  a large part of the floor is fine an equally large part is not lol so full floors from bulkhead up to the front seat mounting points are needed i dont know if the available floor panels come up this far ?? it also needs a rounded strip running up from the seat mounting front bolts up to the  front of the rear seat base just where it comes down off the inner sill into the floor its been plated here previously same place both sides

i got underneath and had a little scrape around   and although the underside of the boot is very good  most of the chassis is ropey ime not really into patch repaires ide rather replace the lot in 1 section  ime now unsure where to go with the project  i can make inner sills floors  ect and right now ime kind of leaning that way     but of course it loses its originality but then theres the arguement if a car has been touched by a welder is it original

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3 minutes ago, stumpy said:

enough waffle on with the work so today   i managed to get the seats out the bolts were rusted solid eventually managed to get them out though theyre not worth keeping except perhaps fir the frames theseat base cameoff in my hands pretty much ithink the damp from being stoodforten years did for them  the headlining isalso  like paper and dried out  

i then set about the fibreglassfloorskin ???  andexpanding  foam underlay  i have noidea what the thinking was behind this  a large part of the floor is fine an equally large part is not lol so full fllors from bulkhead up to the front seat mounting points are needed i dont knw if theavailablepanels come up this far ??

i got underneath and had a little scrape around   and although the underside of the boot is very good  most of the chassis is ropey ime not really into patch repaires ide rather replace the lot i 1 section  ime noe unsure where to go with the project  i can make inner sills floors  ect and right now ime kind of leaning that way     but of course it loses its originality but then theres the arguement if a car has been touched by a welder is it original

Never seen or heard of someone doing that to floors before , novel but not the best stuff to use.

Floor panels are available from the seam in wheel well backwards, probably what you need from described. A few places gave them.
https://www.mm-opelparts.com/amfinder/?find=opel-manta-b---1975---1988--all--289095

or

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/tb-fahrzeugteile

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  • i forgot i had this reply in the say hello section very gratful to this memeber for posting pics of the car back in the day at a show and this is what was said about the expanding foam by him
      it did work on the sills theyre practicaly perfect from the outside at a visual  but the trouble with it on the floor pan is any water from feet or leaks or whatever i suppose can get underneath the foam and it will hold it ....  having said that mind you the floors are not awful the fronts have gone but i think every manta i have seen needs them doing or at least to an extent i will get pics tomorrow phone was dead today when i tried


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LOL! It's not that bad but the guy did say he filled the sills with expanding foam to keep moisture out. Be good to know if it worked or not after twenty years of wondering :lol:

These were taken at Holsworthy Vintage Vehicle and Engine Rally Sunday June 25th 2000.

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I remember reading about legs and cils been filled, but not floor 🤔

I guess the danger with water getting under any sound mat, foam etc is the same. One of the reasons why I had my 400r floor done with Raptor and multi coats of paint. Will do the same underside too to try and keep the rust away.

Opel cost cutting and not putting much if any paint in the floors really did not help matters I guess.

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yes a freind has used raptor on his rally mini and after three seasons its still very good obviously theres some come off but thats due to hitting rocks ect and its dented the panel slightly so i think thats what ime going for as wwell seems tried and tested by many

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i spent a few hours yesterday with heavy duty twisted knot wire brush n the grinder cleaning the A post  the old door was completely shot so i just cut through the hinges this side to get it off out the way 

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Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

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no i wont be chopping anything else until the A post gets sorted as its tied into the inner sill ect wich is gettin strength from the floor at the moment even though its crusty some metal is better than no metal

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The front floor pan panels i've had go about 5 inches back past the front seat subframe mount bar, so that should let you get rid a of a big chunk of rusty pan. They also go up the inside sill and tunnel a good few inches so hopefully they will let you get to good steel to weld to.

With how much rust there is in the car i would say it wouldn't hurt adding various races around the shell before chopping anything else out. Just to be sure nothing moves on you. I tend to do braces horizontally across the door appeture with one from the middle across to the trans tunnel and one down to the sill top with 1" box.

I put these in early on with bad shells (with the doors showing if the shell is still straight before i start) then i fix the A panels, washer tray and inner wing tops enough to get it on a spit. Then replace the chassis rails to make the shell strong before doing the floors and sills.

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yes all makes perfect sense and i will be bracing  i have a load of 30mm box here already  and some 20mm for just that purpose i have a spit also altho i need to make something to mount the manta to it  at the moment  it has  mounts for an old mini at the moment 

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