Manta a ,bad springs

[Raza]

hi peoples,

the rear part of the Manta A is very low, I heard that some rubber shock absorbers from Mercedes are installed that are higher than the original ones.  Does anyone know exactly which part it is, from which type of car?

[hoobby]

Hi klora if it's sitting low then that would be down to the springs have you checked to see if they have broke? Or possibly someone has fitted shorter springs.

Edited May 4, 2023 by hoobby

[Raza]

not broken, I think springs just become bad with the time , steel is not so hard any more. It is inposible to drive 2 people on the back without wheel touch back fender  at bad road.

[611]

Never heard of anyone fitting anything from Mercedes to an A series.

Standard shocks and springs should be all you need for a decent ride and if you want something a bit stiffer get some adjustables.

I think Monroe did some for the A series.

Check the shocks are ok as if they are not working the springs on their own wont give you the right height or a decent ride.

[rutts]

The top rubber off rear of BMW 2002 lifts back up by 25mm. German ebay or BMW specialist. 

[611]

Poly top hats are better.

https://www.opelgtsource.com/search/2565/details

[Raza]

thanks,

is this red are the same hight like original? 

I need higher about 3-4cm because my Manta looks like a speedboat from the side.

[611]

1 hour ago, Raza said:

thanks,

is this red are the same hight like original? 

I need higher about 3-4cm because my Manta looks like a speedboat from the side.

Have you checked the old ones? as the rubber ones usually degrade and the sprint goes through the rubber. these are the same height but dont compress.

I suppose you could get two sets and chop the lip off of one and add two to each side. 

Have you had the shocks and springs off to see what its all like under there?

They might have added lower springs or shorted shocks, do you know what the shocks are? are they the right ones?

I have the set of Koni adjustables from mine that worked fine but i just replaced them when i did the new springs and top hats. They are sat in a box in the loft, if you want them, you can have them if you cover the postage to you?

This is how mine sits with length uprated springs, poly top hats and standard height Koni adjustables.

 

[Raza]

I didn't remove the shock absorbers and springs, but everything looks original like 99% of the car.  I was thinking of buying lowered KAW springs maybe to straighten the car and make it look lower, better. You have adjustable Koni shocs ? I think I just need springs or caps , I will see little closer.

Maybe I will take kaw but dont know what size is better 60/50 or

80/70

 

[611]

51 minutes ago, Raza said:

I didn't remove the shock absorbers and springs, but everything looks original like 99% of the car.  I was thinking of buying lowered KAW springs maybe to straighten the car and make it look lower, better. You have adjustable Koni shocs ? I think I just need springs or caps , I will see little closer.

Maybe I will take kaw but dont know what size is better 60/50 or

80/70

 

Yep, Koni shocks. They are only adjustable in ride, not for height. I used standard speings (but uprated) on the back and then had a set made for the front as that sat too high.

https://www.koni.com/en-US/News-Events/News-Releases/Reactivated-application-for-Opel-Manta-A-and-Kadet/

Worth taking one side off and having a look to see what you have as you might find they are not the right ones and then if you got a set that were lowered you could end up with the same problem. The A series usually seems to sit ok on the back and too high on the front.

I have never looked at KAW to see what setup the have. 

Might be worth looking to see if there is any info on any of the German website to see what a standard height spring for the A series is?

 

Andy

[Raza]

I didn't see a picture of your manta before, now it has appeared.  Tastefully arranged, top!  

I took off the rear wheel and looked, the springs are black with a small yellow mark, the rubber parts looks good.  I will have to remove the entire rear axle to put new higher rubber hats and maybe springs because this tool I have for compresing springs cannot do it.   The front and rear part is quite soft when I press with my hand .Maybe your Koni would really help with the new higher rubber hats. Would you really send me your Koni to me?

 

[611]

Thanks, it took a while to get to this condition 🙂

Sometimes you can get away with jacking the car up under the spring cup to compress them and then use some strong rope to tie around the coils then take the panhard bar off and lower the axel and pull the springs out. If they need quite a bit of compressing to get them out then i expect they are standard height ones as usually lowered ones are much shorter and stiffer and come out easier.

If you take the diff right out make sure you drain the oil as if you disconnect the prop shaft you will lose the oil out of there when you drop the diff.

 

The shocks are just sat in the loft getting in the way and i would probably never get around to selling them so if they are of use to you and it helps you out you can have them. I would need to check the cost of delivery to you. Are you in Croatia?

Here is a pic of them. You can see the yellow paint on the on the mounting point which Koni only used on adjustable ones. You would need to check what they are set to as on the new ones i have them on the softest setting which is still quite hard 🙂

 

Andy

 

[cam.in.head]

2 hours ago, 611 said:

Thanks, it took a while to get to this condition 🙂

Sometimes you can get away with jacking the car up under the spring cup to compress them and then use some strong rope to tie around the coils then take the panhard bar off and lower the axel and pull the springs out. If they need quite a bit of compressing to get them out then i expect they are standard height ones as usually lowered ones are much shorter and stiffer and come out easier.

If you take the diff right out make sure you drain the oil as if you disconnect the prop shaft you will lose the oil out of there when you drop the diff.

 

The shocks are just sat in the loft getting in the way and i would probably never get around to selling them so if they are of use to you and it helps you out you can have them. I would need to check the cost of delivery to you. Are you in Croatia?

Here is a pic of them. You can see the yellow paint on the on the mounting point which Koni only used on adjustable ones. You would need to check what they are set to as on the new ones i have them on the softest setting which is still quite hard 🙂

 

Andy

 

 

never had an a so am assuming the suspension setup is totally different at the rear to a b ?

as we know they are 1 nut to remove the shocker top and the spring lifts right out .whats the a setup like ?

[611]

10 hours ago, cam.in.head said:

 

never had an a so am assuming the suspension setup is totally different at the rear to a b ?

as we know they are 1 nut to remove the shocker top and the spring lifts right out .whats the a setup like ?

Thought they were the same but i have never had a B 🙂

Been a long time since i took the springs out and mine were always uprated so i would presume shorter and easier to get out than a standard set? Im not sure if he knows what he has on his car so it could be a set that are not Manta ones and maybe longer and a softer spring?

I couldnt remember if you could get a full drop on the axel with the panhard bar still attached??

[cam.in.head]

you can on a b yes. rear springs are a doddle. 1 shocker nut and jack car up .mind you front ones are only 2 or 3 nuts anyway .

thats a good point about softer springs.  i always knew that firmer / uprated springs would be stiffer.shorter (free lenght)but firmer .(thicker steel ?)

but always wondered if you could get softer but longer springs to fit. after all the standard ride is always a compromise between comfort and handling. and i would lean towards more comfort if such a spring existed ? 

[Raza]

I had a B GTE.  

20 years later I wanted it again but I found an A model at  old grandmother :))

It's really special to drive gte with a light rear end with 100+ horse power seats at floor level.  It had momo rims and a momo steering wheel, it's hard for me to talk about it.  If you know someone, he would sell it with, not a lot of rust.

...back to reality,  

I will try to remove the springs in another way, so I will know more.  Yes, I am in Croatia, where do you live Andy, no problem for transportation costs, it's a Koni.  Can send you the address in a private message.

Ivan

[611]

9 hours ago, Raza said:

I had a B GTE.  

20 years later I wanted it again but I found an A model at  old grandmother :))

It's really special to drive gte with a light rear end with 100+ horse power seats at floor level.  It had momo rims and a momo steering wheel, it's hard for me to talk about it.  If you know someone, he would sell it with, not a lot of rust.

...back to reality,  

I will try to remove the springs in another way, so I will know more.  Yes, I am in Croatia, where do you live Andy, no problem for transportation costs, it's a Koni.  Can send you the address in a private message.

Ivan

Hey Ivan

Once you have the A sorted with the suspension and a bit of extra power they are nice to drive as well. Drove mine from the UK all the way down to Hockenheim in Germany before!

You might be interested in my A series blog https://theopelproject.com/ lots of info on them and all the stuff i have done to mine!

Drop me your address and i can weigh the shocks and see what sort of price it is to send them. Im in Bournemouth in the UK.

Andy

On 09/05/2023 at 17:36, cam.in.head said:

you can on a b yes. rear springs are a doddle. 1 shocker nut and jack car up .mind you front ones are only 2 or 3 nuts anyway .

thats a good point about softer springs.  i always knew that firmer / uprated springs would be stiffer.shorter (free lenght)but firmer .(thicker steel ?)

but always wondered if you could get softer but longer springs to fit. after all the standard ride is always a compromise between comfort and handling. and i would lean towards more comfort if such a spring existed ? 

I think the floating rear axel always does make it a bit of a compromise to get it right. Too soft and they wallow, too stiff and they are very harsh. Mine is not a daily drive so i went for the harder setup. Mind you with the shit roads we seems to have these days anything other than the great big SUV's and its not a great ride whatever your setup is!!

[Raza]

I looked at your blog, you really made an effort about Manta.  In better condition than when she left Rüsselsheim.  Engine and seats are top!    Mine is also  1974. I have a service book, the engine is original with matching numbers, so I would not go for major modifications. I love tuning but not on this Manta. Maybe only carbs))

 

if there are mistakes in the texts, it's not my fault, it's Ai's