DeeBob Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 Hi all, I've had my manta for a little while now, but between moving house, changing jobs, buying crappy old motorbikes that break all the time and catching COVID once or twice, I've recently got up to steam with it a little! First, it came to the new house (on the back of a trailer) so I finally live in the same building as the Manta and can work on it a little more consistently. (Also visible is one of the aforementioned crappy old motorbikes) 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. Then, a quick painting up of the fuel pump bracketry ready for all the exciting new bits 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. Then came some real excitement! The engine started coming apart ready for a thorough cleaning up and some shiny new parts. Admittedly we could've probably got the car running as it was with some new lines, but I figure the whole time I've never actually driven it and it's off the road, I might as well do all the finicky bits that would be a pain to do later down the line, like cam chains, tensioners and valve seals 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. 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. Unfortunately the car is not entirely free of the usual manta rust, and somebody has done some shonky repairs on the swan necks in the past, but I'd sooner find out about that while there isn't a pesky 2.0 cih in the way of sorting it out! If anybody knows somebody with the means and skills to sort these swan necks at a reasonable price I'd be very grateful, as I'm far from a fantastic weldist. 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. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessopia74 Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 You might want to think about saving up to get those swan knecks completely replaced. It will cost for sure, but worth getting done right. I would be talking to Andy Abbot tbh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny D114BCW Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 On 08/12/2021 at 19:48, Jessopia74 said: You might want to think about saving up to get those swan knecks completely replaced. It will cost for sure, but worth getting done right. I would be talking to Andy Abbot tbh. I agree to get them done properly and at least you know it’s done for good then. I very much doubt Andy would do them as he only does his own as he’s a very busy person with his business and our own cars. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeBob Posted June 24, 2023 Author Share Posted June 24, 2023 It's been a while, but I'm back into the swing of things on the Manta! I found myself working as a motorbike mechanic for a while, and not only did that mean terrible pay and worse hours, but it meant I became too focused on the projects of a two wheeled variety, not four. I'm back in the field I originally trained in now, my mental health is better, my pay is better, and I actually have some time in the evenings and I get whole weekends off! I heeded you folks' advice about the swan necks, and the car is going for welding at a place that did some very good work on my mate's Cortina 2.0s at the end of July. That meant getting the car off the axle stands it's been on for some time, out in the open air, having a major tidy up and rearrange of the garage, and getting a start on getting the interior out. The tyres on the cavalier wheels I have it on were supremely flat, so it took some towing to get it out of the garage, but here the car is in the light of day, for the first time in a long while! Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. And here, in the freshly tidied garage: Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. That's better! The rest of the interior comes out tomorrow 😎 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooker Posted June 24, 2023 Share Posted June 24, 2023 Great that you’re cracking on with life as well as the Manta, a bit of a change of work and a bit more time to enjoy things makes all the difference with energy levels! Will look forward to seeing the updates 👍 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Pounsett Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 Good idea to get the welding sorted - when that’s done you know you’re building on solid foundations. Any work you do or money you spend is after that is not wasted. Where are you with the engine? Is that something you can work on while the cars is at the welders shop? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeBob Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 14 minutes ago, Jonathan Pounsett said: Where are you with the engine? Is that something you can work on while the cars is at the welders shop? That's exactly the plan, we're most of the way there with it, me and my buddy have the day off to take the car to the welders, and once it's dropped off we're heading back to his and buttoning the engine up. Once we have the car back parts can start going on and then we should have some real steam behind us. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeBob Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 The interior came out and the side skirts came off today, discovered a few new patches of rust and a host of newspapers from January 1999 under the carpets but nothing truly outrageous. It definitely won't be ready for VBOA, but I reckon I'll make an appearance there next year. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. The gazebo was a huge help, and it even got a quick wash to get that base layer of dust and grime off, although I forgot to take an "after" picture of any of the day's work. I've been lucky with the car so far that everything has come apart without a hiccup, with the minor exception of the Phillips head bolts holding part of the seat rail assembly to the floor, which took some serious persuasion but eventually came off fine. Feeling very good about having a running, driving car by the end of the year at this rate. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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