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Dan's i240R Restoration


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I've got the whole front wing and chassis rail to go in from Martin and a new OCP crossmember as pictured by Snowy so it will all be back in as standard.

Problem is I need to pull or push the part of the chassis rail left on the shell down by a couple of cm as it has been pushed up during the shunt it has had to the front end. Once thats done I will be able to really get on with the rest of the welding to the sills boot passenger inner wing etc.[:P]

Dan

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http://www.mantaclub.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6321

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Thats not a bad idea about the jack Pat, I'll look into it main concern would be that I'm on the second floor of an old mill and I'm not sure how thick the floor is and what it's made of, looks solid but I'm not sure. Plus I think that the back corner of the car would just lift off the ground so I would need to bolt that down too. Hmmm

Dan

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here are some pictures of the welded up repairs I made to the footwell so far

24.jpg

25.jpg

Managed to force the chassis rail across. Below are some pictures of the new wing in place, not welded up yet as I need to make sure that all the dimensions are correct and make any fine adjustments to the chassis before I do.

27.jpg

28.jpg

Hope to get it measured up, straight and start to weld it all up tomorrow.

Dan

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I notice you've got a haynes manual in the car[:0]. dont think you'll find many instructions for the work you've done in there[:D][:D].

Looks well i must say, how are you going to join the chassis rail? I wouldnt just butt it up but would make an insert to go up maybe 3-4 inches each side. then drill about 4 holes each side to spot weld. finally seam weld the whole thing round (both sides to the insert as well.) It will give a much stonger joint. Just remeber to waxoyl it well as it will be more likely to trap water[:(].

Hope I haven't just told me granny how to suck eggs[:I][:D].

If what I say can be taken in 2 ways and one of those ways get you angry....I meant it the other way

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Well now you mention it. [:P]

29.jpg

On the right is a box section which I had made at a local metal workers to fit the exact internal profile of the chassis rail as it's not just a basic cross section.

Left is a shim made from part of the new wing chassis rail section I removed. This is to use inside the front section of the rail as there is an area of rienforcement in the section arround the top subframe mounting hole which the box section was designed to fit exactly into.

Sorry, thats quite difficult to describe.

I'll take a picture tomorrow!

Dan

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Cheers clive, i took my time making stencils for the repairs and it really paid off as it all went together rather easily. Unfortunately that was only the tip of the ice berg as far as patching up goes. I've probably got to do nearly the same on the n/s footwell, replace both jacking points, underside of drivers footwell, both sills, both the base's of the C pillars and the area of boot floor they should be connected too. Oh and before that I'm going to be chopping the roof off and putting a non sunroof roof on.

I've been down at the car again today measuring up. Had to make sure the car was perfectly level and then try and work out what is out of shape.

Seems that the damaged chassis rail is about 8mm higher than the n/s. It was also going towards the centre of the car more than it should but that was easliy sorted by jacking it across from the other rail.

Problem now is I can't think of a way of forcing the rail down 8mm without bolting a jack to the unit floor which I rent. So it's not really mine, plus I'm on the first floor and don't know how thick the floor actually is.

I'll have plenty of time to have a think as I'm off on hols for a week on wednesday so will get stuck in when I get back.

Here are some pics of the reinforcement of the chassis rail.

Cross section on reinforcement

30.jpg

The reinforcement section in car chassis leg

31.jpg

The same reinfrocement and the shim in the wing leg

32.jpg

Really whish I'd never got so attatched to the damn car. [xx(]

Dan

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rotten washer bottle trays, our favourite hey clive!

Seriously Dan I'm well impressed, to take all this on when I'm pretty sure its your first go at anything like this is superb! Can't wait to see her back in all her glory at Billing. Keep it up mate, your doing a proper job there!

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Andy Turner a.k.a Fat Southern B'stard

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  • 2 months later...

Sorry for the lack of updates. Didn't realise that it had been so long since I'd posted any pics.

Since I last posted the saga of trying to pull the remainder of the chassis rail down to it's correct possition carried on. I had the idea of bolting a jack to what I thought was the concrete floor and use it to pull the rail down.

P1010002.jpg?t=1164974720

Turns out that the floor isn't that strong and is now about an inch higher than it was before.

I made a repair to the replacement inner wing and the n/s rail and moved on.

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So with the rail still to high I put 9 spot welds on each of the four surfaces of the rail onto the rienforcement I had had made. It was then very easy to pull the rail down using the whole leverage of the full length of the chassis rail. Which could have saved me about six weeks of faffing.

P1010028.jpg?t=1164975309

The wing was then welded in place. I used some rope to pull the rials together in the correct position to weld in the new crossmember.

P1010031.jpg?t=1164975358

P1010034.jpg?t=1164975387

The car is now ready to go on the spit, front end back together. I've done some more repairs to the front end, got the doors off, broke my windscreen and got the rest of the glass out. Just need to shift the unit arround to create some more room and grab Trev and his engine hoist.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not had it upside down yet. It is really easy to move round though. It is literally a bare shell so there isn't a lot of weight in it.

The front legs are as long as I could make them with the bar you gave me. Does make the stands more stable though. Might add the chain like you suggested too, then they will go no where.

It does make getting to the underside so much easier than sitting cross legged or lying upside down.

Thanks again

Dan

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Dan,hats of to you mate,how the hell do you guys do the things you do.I've seen Clive do things and repair stuff anyone else would just chuck,there really are some very very skillful people in this club,hats off to all of you (i'm very good with a bucket and sponge btw)cheers

Paul Ansell omoc 5963 (Birmingham)

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  • 3 weeks later...

OK so I spent five hours on the car today removing the jacking point and sill on one side and have come to realise that I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

I'm confident in my abbility to do all the work my car needs but would like to have it finished before I have grand kids and it's just taking too long.

Dan

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Keep your spirits up Dan. [:)] Besides, I'm in much the same position as you and I'm putting comfort in the fact that if you can strip 'n' rebuild a car while learning as you go then there's no reason why I shouldn't atleast try. [:o)]

You know there are people who would kill for decent work space within spitting distance of their house (me included).[xx(]

OMOC 5885

Hope for the best, expect the worst.

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I know what your saying Pete and I am gratefull that I have the money and space to work on my car at the moment but at the end of the day the reason I am repairing a manta which any normal person would have scrapped long ago is that I love Manta's, and mine in particular.

I have come so close to scrapping it but just can't bring myself to do it. The whole point of me restoring my manta was so that I can have it back as my daily drive and love it even more than I used too.

Not having my car on the road upsets me and the thought of going another year or more and the added expense and time which I'll loose by keeping it in the unit so I am going to beg for some help because I'm sick of driving round in a chuffing Honda Concerto!

Dan

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  • 1 year later...

It will get finished one day.

I regularly think about scrapping the car and selling off the thousands of pounds worth of parts I've got stacked up but can't bring myself to do it.

Had a bit of an argument at work with a Ferrari wheel/brake caliper and managed to break my finger and had to have the nail taken off(well I say taken, more like yanked off with pliers) at A&E. Put me out for a couple of months but am back on with the car again now.

Dan

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