Irmscher Man Posted April 14, 2023 Share Posted April 14, 2023 I have been reminded today that I probably ought to get a proper build thread going to document the progress on the Gold Hatch, especially as it has been taking up most of my spare time for the last 18 months. Some of you may remember that I bought Ian Virco's 1985 Gold Hatchback a couple of years ago and have been trying to sympathetically care for the old girl ever since. I certainly didn't want to rush into a full on restoration as that would not be sensible on a car that is 99% original and besides, it doesn't really need that. It currently has genuine 33k miles on the clock, so quite a rare beast and mechanically, it is sound. Ian took the car off the road in 2016 due to some corrosion on the rear sills and around the back arches....not uncommon for a car of its age. It sat in his storage barn for a number of years and as you may know, Ian sadly passed away during December of 2020 and his collection of 19 cars and other vehicles was sold off. This car was one of Mantas that we always associate with him, so I was pleased to be able to offer it a new home at the start of June '21. It’s in remarkably good condition but has suffered a bit from being laid up for a few years. I did some tidying up last year and managed to get out to a few shows. I'm continuing on with things this year. Anyway - some photos from the last couple of years. These are from when the car was removed from storage and brought out into the day light again. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Ian had started to strip the car down, ready for some work before he fell ill. It was all there but in boxes.....at least it was Hatch parts, so easy enough to tell the difference with glass etc. Note the new sills in the boot....now on the car. 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. Running fine but.......urgh....... 😞 Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. The reason for the MOT failure in 2016. 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. Usual Manta Battery tray horror show.....although at least this hadn't gone through and once cleaned up, was actually not too bad. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmscher Man Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 Next step, once I got the car home was to have a good clean up and see what state it was in. I obviously knew what work was required on first view but there were a few other problems that needed sorting out. There was a petrol leak and the front brakes were also not that good - usual sliding caliper problem from what I could tell. The brakes were okay at first but after a few uses, the car was pulling to one side and it just got worse with every mile. At one stage, I had to stop off and let the near side disk and caliper cool down......not had to do that for about 20 years! So, I knew that job was on the list too. So - here we are stripping things down for a good look at what needs to be done and also take the opportunity for a bit of a clean up. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Engine bay needs some elbow grease to clean it up - although everything is there and nice and original (including the cold start intake pipe which is in the boot). 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. Floor looks pretty good, once it had a been attacked with the hoover. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. I took the interior out to give it a good clean and a bit of an airing. Only one slight bit of wear on the drivers side bolster - which goes to show how quickly these wore out! Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Hmmm......nasty surprise hiding underneath the front spoiler. In fact, it looks as though there has been some damage to the front end a very long time ago. You can see from the lower front valance that it has had a knock. Nothing too serious though and I have straightened it out again now. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. The usual front end stone chips to sort out. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Underneath the grime, it was actually starting to look quite good. A little bit of surface rust on the O/S inner wing, and the same on the Battery tray (standard for any Manta). Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. You can see on this photo that the front valance is a little out of whack.....hidden by the front spoiler of course, but I knew it was there! I'm not sure if the car has ever had a new front spoiler but the paintwork on it was really bad, so that got sent off to the Paintshop. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. The Rear bumper also had some damage and was cracked underneath the N/S lamp unit. I think this may have been from a famous incident when Ian's father was parking the car up and he reversed into another members car. Not one of the clubs finest moments but at least it was all sorted out amicably.....apart from the poor old Gold Hatch, which still wore the scars. Anyway - new rear hatch bumper sourced (thanks to Mick Maher) and that went off to the paintshop with the front spoiler/bumper. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmscher Man Posted April 20, 2023 Author Share Posted April 20, 2023 Next instalment, a bit more cleaning up, especially the engine bay. There was nothing too serious to attend to other than some scabby looking paint in the usual places - behind the headlamps and the Battery tray area. Luckily, the washer bottle side was okay, so just a good clean up. At some point, the Servo will need to come off as it looks pretty bad but as I'm going to be renewing the brakes at some point, that can happen then as I will need to bleed the system. What is noticeable on this car is that the original paint under the bonnet is pretty awful. It has been put on quite thick in some areas (around where the earth wires for the headlamps connect to the inner wings on both sides) but in other areas, it looks like a single pass over with the spray gun, (inner wing rails.) If anyone has watched the Last Manta Video, this probably will come as no surprise. The exterior bodywork on the Manta was the only function that was Robotised during Manta Construction at the Antwerp factory but the interior and engine bay was still being done by hand, hence the inconsistencies! One of the issues with the car was that it had been standing for a few years, so every single bit of Ally had a fine layer of oxidation on it. There is only one way to deal with it and that is to take everything apart and gently clean it up. I went for the easy option with some larger parts and had them Vapour Blasted by a chap locally who does it for a bit of a hobby. Starting to look a bit better...... Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Cam cover looking rather tired Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. ....and after Vapour blasting. Still not perfect, so might try and find a better one. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Radiator was fine but hadn't seen any attention, so needed a tidy up. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Cleaning up the Battery tray area ready for some paint. I was pleased to see it was structurally okay. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Radiator all cleaned and painted. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Cleaning up the Chassis Legs - actually under the grime, they were really nice. Just a little bit of surface rust to sort out but better than expected! Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Inner wings starting to look better. I was pleased that this one has the Brass type Brake proportioning valve, rather than the steel canister type (which can develop leaks). The brass ones always clean up nicely too. Onwards and upwards - next time, sorting out the fuel pipes and Brakes. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessopia74 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 Vapour blasting gas done a great job bringing these parts back to life 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmscher Man Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 I haven't been updating the build thread as often as I had intended, so I have a few instalments backed up. This time we have the overhaul of the front brakes. The rears have just been taken apart, cleaned out, back plates painted and new springs/shoes fitted. The fronts needed a bit more work. Ive found over the years that they either work faultlessly and hardly ever need any attention (as on my Silver B ) or they are a constant pain the backside and seize up at every available opportunity - usually when you have plans and are off to a show. This had happened to the Golden turd a few times, so only one thing for it - new disks and calipers. I found a recently reconditioned set via the forum, and decided to inspect them and refresh the seals, but they were as good as new. The caliper overhaul kit came from Bigg Red, and was about £35, including new pistons. The new Disks came from EBC (direct replacement OEM Spec) and were quite reasonable at £80 for a pair. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. The caliper overhaul kit came from Bigg Red, and was about £35, including new pistons (but not new sliders). I polished the sliders up and they were actually not too bad once done. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. The piston bores looked like they were corroded/scored but this was more discolouration rather than anything critical. You couldn't feel any wear and there is actually a decent amount of clearance in these calipers, especially noticeable when they are new. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. When removing the hub from the disk, it is really important to get the bolts as clean as possible. I usually knock the star drive into the head quite firmly before trying anything. Once the hub was clamped up onto the workbench and the drive well and truly located - them came apart quite easily. I know from the cars history that these have not been apart before. I know some folks have struggled with this but proper prep pays dividends here. The hub retaining bolts are m10x1.25 - and you need to retain these as they are high tensile bolts.....don't replace with stainless or aftermarket ones, unless you know they are the correct strength. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Whilst the hubs were on the workbench, I cleaned up the threads on the studs, as it was always a struggle to tighten and undo the wheel nuts......I think through 40 years lack of use! Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Cleaned up and ready to reassemble. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Put back together again. I also cleaned and painted the front brake dust plates too, as these were a bit crusty - but at least they were still there! Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Time to have a good look at the wheel bearings - clean them out of the 40 year old grease and regrease them again. To be fair - they look very much like new. The car has only got 34k on the clock, so this seems to be reflected in the wear on parts like this. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. Cleaning up and making things ready for the new disks and calipers. I didn't have the luxury of doing this in the garage, as the other cars are in there at the moment and this one is supposed to be the reliable one! Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. When trying to bleed the brakes, the front banjo kept weeping. I didnt want to bodge it and end up using half a dozen brass washers as I knew something was wrong. The bolts I had from the old calipers were too long for these ones. Whether this is a Girling/ATE issue, I am not sure but these are ATE calipers, so they needed the shorter banjo bolt. They were sourced off eBay and were M10 X 1.5 and certainly about 3mm shorter than the ones that came off the car. Problem solved and brakes all bled. I did try and use a compressed air bleeding kit from Amazon, but you know what - the old fashioned ways are the best, so I got Mrs B to sit and hit the brakes a few times. The MOT tester was impressed when it jumped out of the brake tester - both perfectly in balance too. Next job - fitting rear seatbelts. Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutty2006 Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 Lovely job there Paul. 👍 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmscher Man Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 Fitting Rear Inertia Reel Seat Belts - Hatchback So, as I am using the old gold girl quite a bit, I decided it was sensible to put rear seat belts in. My 11 year old loves to go out in the Manta and as he is not quite old enough to be allowed to sit in the front, I needed some seat belts fitting. I hadn't ever really done this before as the hatches I had previously all had seatbelts fitted from new. They were a cost option in 1985 though, and the old girl didn't have them, so first issue was to try and find some. One of the great things about being in the OMOC for a long time is the amount of friends and contacts you make, so I knew who might have some seatbelts stashed away - and sure enough, after a quick phone call, a set of new old stock seatbelts was procured! 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. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutty2006 Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 Amazing how these bits crop up! If you need to see how they’re routed, I’ll pop up to my unit and get pictures from mine. believe it or not, my 1976 S coupe has rear belt captive nuts in it. Must have been a design specific to the B1 when it was designed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRealExile Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 4 hours ago, Irmscher Man said: Fitting Rear Inertia Reel Seat Belts - Hatchback So, as I am using the old gold girl quite a bit, I decided it was sensible to put rear seat belts in. My 11 year old loves to go out in the Manta and as he is not quite old enough to be allowed to sit in the front, I needed some seat belts fitting. I hadn't ever really done this before as the hatches I had previously all had seatbelts fitted from new. They were a cost option in 1985 though, and the old girl didn't have them, so first issue was to try and find some. One of the great things about being in the OMOC for a long time is the amount of friends and contacts you make, so I knew who might have some seatbelts stashed away - and sure enough, after a quick phone call, a set of new old stock seatbelts was procured! 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. In the box as well 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmscher Man Posted May 28 Author Share Posted May 28 Fitting Rear Seatbelts to a Manta B - Part 2 (Hatch) So, following on from the previous post, I thought it would be good to document the process of fitting the seatbelts and take some photos of the job as I went along. (I have put this in the "How to" section of the forum for reference too). There are two parts to the GM seat belt kit: The inertia reel seatbelt itself, which on the hatch is located under the side pod of the rear parcel shelf The separate seat belt anchor catch, which is the part that is located under the rear seat for the belt to latch into. First off, these are the sets that I used. Obviously, these are not all the easy to find nowadays, so most people will come across second hand fittings. I am hoping that this might help folks check if you have everything that you need and hopefully will show how they are fitted according to the OEM instructions. 90008118 – Seat Belt Anchor Catch and fitting set 90008921 – Inertia Reel Seatbelt, C Pillar bracket and plastic fittings Bolts and fittings: Note All the bolts used are 21mm but there are 3 different lengths used to fix the rear belts. This is the shopping list required for this job. 19mm – Used for the end seat belt bracket (under the rear seat squab) - you need 2 of these. 24mm – Used to secure the loop to the C pillar - you will need 6 of these 35mm – Used for the Belt Reel under the parcel shelf - you will need 2 of these Large Washers - you will need 8 of these Spacers - you need 4 of these Plastic covers - 2 sorts required - 2 x covers for the belt loops and 2 for the metal locating bracket on the C pillar Bolt covers - 2 required for the Bolts on the C pillars Plastic Belt locating escutcheons - one on either rear parcel shelf side pod (if they are missing) Inertia Reel Seatbelts x 2 Belt Anchor Catch x 2 The fitting process is slightly different in a hatch to a Coupe but the fitments are roughly the same. I will sort out the diagrams for the Coupe in the future if anyone is interested (I have both). The first job is to disassemble the rear parcel shelf and remove each of the side pods – remembering to unplug the speakers in each one. I then removed the bottom squab from the rear seat, (push in from the front end to release the catches either side, and then lift up and out of the car - easy job). Fitting the Seat belt Reel – Point U The easiest place to start is Point U, underneath the Parcel shelf side pods. The Belt Reel and the side pod have to go on together as there is a locating peg above the bolt that must fit through a pre-drilled hole in the parcel shelf pod and into the car body (see diagram) The Belt Reel is fixed with a 35mm Bolt, then through the metal body of the Belt Reel, a small ally spacer, then the large washer. Once lined up with the locating peg in place, this can be tightened up. It helps to spool most of the seat belt off the reel when doing this, so you can get at the bolt properly. It is also worth noting when you have the reel located in place, you must remove the plastic guide from the rear shelf pod to push the belt, chrome loop and buckle through the hole. The plastic guide is split, so push it out from underneath, rather than prize it off from the top and it will pop out easily enough. Once the belt is through, just clip it round the belt and back into place. Old ones can be quite fragile though - so be careful with them. The Belt Loop to C Pillar On the Hatchback, this uses a small steel bracket to ensure that the belt loop hangs in the correct place. Fit this so that the captive nut faces towards the rear quarter-glass and tighten using a 24mm long bolt, with one of the small ally spacers behind it. This holds the belt in the right place for use - although it does feel a bit odd when fitting it this way. A plastic cover will make it all look better once everything is tightened up. The Seatbelt Loop can then be attached to the metal bracket using another 24mm long bolt. The plastic D ring also fits inside the mounting hole for this belt bracket, which allows it to swivel freely when it is tightened up. Once the mounting bolt has been tightened, I fitted the plastic covers onto the rear of the metal extender bracket and then another one over the belt loop bracket itself, and the bolt cover can also be pushed on (I've fitted both plastic covers but not yet fitted the bolt cover on the photo below). They just clipped into position. Seatbelt to Floor mounting point As this car hadn't had rear seat belts fitted before, I needed to remove the plastic bungs from the holes in the floor pan for both ends of the seatbelt. The mounting points are found in the corner on the wheel arch housing and on either side of the transmission tunnel for the seat anchor catch. The locating hole for the bottom of the seatbelt runs through into the rear wheel arch, so can be corroded and/or full of dirt. Clean this out thoroughly and wire brush the thread, to allow the bolt to bite. They can be tricky to line up (especially on a rusty car), so be ready for some swearing at this point. I ended up brushing the hole out with some WD40 and carefully running a thread tapper through it.....after many expletives were dispensed trying (unsuccessfully) to get the bolt to line up. I then fitted the 19mm bolt (with a washer) and tightened it up, ensuring that the seatbelt was not twisted. The seat belt inertia mechanism should work correctly in this position, so I checked that it retracts back into the reel. Don't forget, the catch in the inertia reel needs to be upright for it to work correctly, so once it is bolted in place, check it works okay. Fitting the Seat Belt Anchor Catch. The final stage is to fit the central anchor catch – probably the easiest bit and these bolts are not exposed to the open air and as such, mine were nice and clean and dry. Locate each one using a 24mm long bolt. I angled each one towards the centre, so that they sit better when the seat base is replaced. When putting the rear seat base back in, I had to keep hold of the Anchor catches so they appeared between the bottom and top of the rear seats cushions. The seat base could then go back in by pushing the back edge of the seat into position and then applying pressure to the front edge of the seat bolster, so that the retaining brackets latch onto the underside of the seat frame. Once the parcel shelf went back in - that's it !!! Another little job done to make the car a bit more useable. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kr1s Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 (edited) Very useful as this is a job that should have been included on my "to do" list! I don't suppose you know the thread of the tap you needed do you?! Edited May 29 by Kr1s tap request Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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