Guest Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Hi, im new to the forum as this project is my first manta. I have aquired it off good old ebay after it had been shoved through the garage wall. I decided i would be better with a few bent panels than a lifetime of rot and am glad i made that choice because she's a beauty and becoming straight no sweat its an auto so thats got to go and even though the engine is a minter i think il change it allong with the gearbox. My thoughts ar 16 valver and getrag box, but the red top with the coscast head seems so hard to find, does it really matter and are the later ones ok too? I intend to leave the bodywork original (un bent of course) appart from i think i must have one of those turbo front spoilers! As soon as i find a way of posting some progress pics or a link i will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 wasn't that green one was it ? oh, and try http://www.uploadit.org for free image hosting Pete M OMOC 5885 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Yes thats the one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d818anr Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 dont worry about the coscast, its nice to have but not vital. just make sure its a 16v xe and not an ecotec. If its the green A Series I suspect that you've done well there. Yes a lot of straightening but like you say probably easier than a lot of rot. Good luck, make sure you join the club as you'll find theres a lot of good people with a lot of great advice! http://www.chavspotters.com Andy Turner a.k.a Fat Southern B'stard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon p Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Nothing wrong with an Ecotec Suffolk County Mantas. Engine conversions,Customs, Full restorations, paintwork. http://www.suffolkcountymantas.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Good to have you onboard John, the car looked well bent on flea bay, but glad to hear that you are getting stuck in and things are coming along. really looking forward to seeing and few pics and your progress. Another A series lives [^][^] http://www.mantamagic.com OMOC N,Ireland Rep id="blue"> OMOC 5706 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Ah, ive done it! check out this link to see some pics of my car as I got her and after a little reverse bashing. http://72mantasr.blogspot.com/ Ive decided that i need the upper front pannel in front of the bonnet. looked on dr manta and this item is about £200. This would not be so bad if it included the bit under the front edge up to the light fixings, but i cant tell if its just the skin or not. Doesent look like you can get the bit between the light fixings and the vallance so i guess il have to reconstruct that. Front vallance will survive, especially if i can cover it with a spoiler! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 You cant get the part of the front valance that the lights bolt into, for that you would have to buy a complete front and thats silly money, the top part you mention is the complete bit doen as far as the top of the lights. Spoiler isnt a problem as there is a guy in the Uk who makes them I got one lately thanks to Russ, so if you need the info I can pop it up for you. As for the 16V conversion that getting expensive some people are paying over £200 for the sump alone which in mental. The other thing I have noticed is that nearly all A series cars lately that people buy get modified engine wise, I'm a culprid there as well [] I have started another one and I,m doing my best to keep it on a standard track [] To pick up a manual gearbox, pedal box and clutch cable should not be to hard. It might be worth sitting back on the engine mods and seeing where u really wantto go with the car. http://www.mantamagic.com OMOC N,Ireland Rep id="blue"> OMOC 5706 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1900SR Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Good luck with that rebuild, it'll be nice to see the car back on the road. omoc 5660 Cambridge & The Fens Area Rep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Cheers Robbie, that helps a lot. it doesent seem such silly money if it includes the piece underneath rather than just the skin. As far as the other bit goes a little fabrication should fettle that no bother. think the spoiler is a must though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Not a problem [] thats what the club is all about, hopefully you may join us nutters [] the guy you want is called John Stevens Retro Body Kits tel 07979 460 972 http://www.mantamagic.com OMOC N,Ireland Rep id="blue"> OMOC 5706 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Thats great, I sent my membership form off last week, so maybe soon il be able to get into that restricted parts area! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Good lad [] we A series owners are growing [^] http://www.mantamagic.com OMOC N,Ireland Rep id="blue"> OMOC 5706 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 The standard CIH engines are nice torquey units and really pleasant to drive with the 4 speed gearbox. I'd stick with that for a start and see if you like it or not. I've a spare 4 speed 'box if you need one. You could also consider fitting a Frontera 2.4 CIH engine which would keep it looking original but with loads more umph. Ask 'Paulmanta' (one of my fellow Moderators) on here about that. Handy workshop by the way! Cheers, Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Thanks for the offer of the box Joe, I can see I have some serious thinking to do! Only thing is the original engine is running on lead replacement and getting the cylinder head converted to unleaded is an extra cost, which I thought I might be as well investing in an engine with a little better economy. I heard mid 30's mpg is achievable with an injection red top while still having plenty of poke when wanted. With a five speed I was hoping I could cruise along quite nicely at lowish revs when on motorway journeys. Does the four speed not run out of steam quite quickly, and would I be reving rather hard on the motorway guzzling fuel. This 2.4 Frontera sounds like a bit of a guzzler, is that the case? Plus the red top sounds like too good an engine not to have one. My experience is with diesel engines but didn't really want to resort to putting on of those in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 I've never given the fuel economy of the 2.4 any thought to be honest. I wonder if it would be better than the 2.0 as it's a big engine in a small car, or whether it would simply use more due to the increase in capacity. The 2.4's will all be unleaded but you'd need a late 2.0 for that to be safe. We must be very environmentally unfriendly one here. I can hardly ever remember anyone asking about MPG! I think the 5th gear in the 5 speed box is a higher ratio than 4th in the 4 speed so yes, you might be revving well on the motorway. If you want a cheaper alternative to the redtop, the 2.0 SOHC 8V (Cavalier SRi etc) engine is another option, and they'll certainly be okay on unleaded. I must admit I do still fancy an 'A'. Cheers, Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmanta Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Joe...Buy an A !! John, the 2.4 doesnt drink much more than a standard GTE, and can make around 170 bhp if you do a little work, not expensive work either, just time ! i have done the conversion for a friend and we were amazed by the transformation from mild 1900 to fire breathing 2.4. I used a 2 litre 5 speed box, modified the tunnel a little, and used a 2.2 carlton injection system with 2.4 injectors. very torquey and extreme fun, am going to find out if the car will be at Billing this year. Climbed a mountain and turned around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 Keep all these snippets about the 2.4 coming Paul and I'll end up being able to write that article for Manta Magic you promised me (ahem...) for you! Cheers, Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 quote:Originally posted by Joe We must be very environmentally unfriendly one here. I can hardly ever remember anyone asking about MPG! Cheers, Joe. id="quote">id="quote"> when I decided to get a 2ltr, 20 yr old coupe with more miles than the space shuttle moaning about crappy MPG seemed a bit ridiculous..... Pete M OMOC 5885 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 Maybe so, but whats the point in having a cool car if you cant afford to drive it. Thats ridiculous, ends up being parked up and no one gets to see it, now that would be a shame! Why should it cost you more to get less power, seems simple to me, especially when their are more modern alternatives around that dont require detremental alteration of the car. If I ever get my hands on a jag v6 diesel, that will be straight in!A little too rare at the moment unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TURBO A Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 HI JOHN72MA NICE TO SEE ANOTHER MANTA A BEING SAVED.I KNOW JOHN(RETRO BODYKITS)VERY WELL HE TOOK THE PATTERN OF THE BROADSPEED SPOILER OFF MY ORIGINAL SPOILER SO IT SHOULD FIT A1.HE ALSO DONE A COPY OF A LOVRE WHICH FITS THE REAR WINDOW.HES WELL WORTH A RING FOR THE SPOILER. IF YOU ARE STUCK FOR A NOSE CONE I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH A GOOD SECOND HAND ONE!!!!LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE STUCK FOR ANYMORE BITS HAS IVE HAVING A GOOD SORT OUT... MY FIRST MANTA A WAS THE SAME COLOUR PLUS IT WAS ALSO AUTO.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drew Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Hi if you havnt got fixed up with a front panel i have got a good second hand one. no lower front valance but i see you dont need one. give me a call 07977950044 regards Drew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Hi John Nice to see that car getting saved. It did look mint underneath[]. I have 1.9s and 4 speed, I think it was close to 4.500 revs at 70mph and I think it was 109mph flat out. Did the 2.0 16v conversion and it's very expensive! And I've still used mostly second hand parts. But I'm looking at 200bhp now[]. You've got engine, a bloody £200+ big wing sump, engine management, exhaust, manifold, radiator and fan, hoses, fuel system, intake (I used throttle bodys so I could do away with dizzy and clear the brake sevo)and loads of other stuff to get right and hunt for parts. There are so many things to do and I'm still at it! Take a look at what I've done and had done to my 'A' John: manta73.zoomshare.com, I'm doing the mods first getting it all right, then next winter strip down and restore the underside and new paint. And maybe a fat chrome rollcage[8D]. Don't worry about mpg, NO TAX[] and VERY CHEAP INSURANCE[] See yu Gaz Gaz Never, ever, bloody anything, ever!!!!! http://www.manta73.zoomshare.com http://www.sonsett.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Ive posted a couple more photos on http://72mantasr.blogspot.com/ As can be seen from the photos the boot area is more or less straight now. I managed to pull the lower vallance fairly well by wellding a nut on to the panel, then using a threaded rod to pull the panel out. I just cut the nut off and moved it allong. This saved me from drilling the panel with a load of holes. I got the front panel removed also. This took ages drilling and grinding all the spot welds. Im glad the wings are bolt on! I think I might rivet the replacement panel back on as this will allow me to get a nice amount of paint and waxoil in the seams. It should save some hassle too as I dont have a propper spot welder. Haven't made my mind up on the engine front yet. I do have a couple of ideas up my sleave but of course more power does of course lead to the requirement of better brakes. Rally Design (http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/catalog/default.php) have a nice wilwood four pot front brake kit for the chevette and manta but all these costs add up. Thought I could save some money by moving the front brakes to the back and run a hydraulic hand brake, but it seems the mot requires a cable one. May see how an Audi caliper looks on the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Front is looking well, the car is coming back into shape nicely, well worth trying to save as much as possible as A series parts arnt the cheapest [] http://www.mantamagic.com OMOC N,Ireland Rep id="blue"> OMOC 5706 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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