Rick-Manta Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Rick's 1982 Opel Manta 1.8S Hatchbackid="red">id="size5"> (registered in UK 1983) Please excuse the sh1t picture quality, but I thought it was time I show off my pride and joy! Currently used daily for work and social stuff doing a 150 miles a week as my only car, this import right hand drive features the following modifications:- K&N Bolt-on filter with cold air pipe Weber 32/34 DMTL Carburettor (yet to be fitted) Savage breather adaptor on blue laquered cam cover Wolfrace Street Octane 15" black alloy wheels Front calipers painted gold Custom Solutions washer bottle Custom Solutions rad tray Custom Solutions gauge console (on order) Richbrook alloy gear-knob and handbrake cover Richbrook alloy ariel OMP Inner wing brace (yet to be fitted) Sparco Harnessess (removed for practicality!) Pioneer CD/MP3/WMA mega tasty headunit Pioneer stereo remote control Pioneer 6"x9" rear shelf speakers JBL replacement rear side speakers Vauxhall Calibra space saver spare wheel Rear silencer replaced with straight pipe Auto Gauge Tachometre and shift light* Eye level shift light* Tim Temperature gauge* Tim Performance gauge* Savage Oil temp gauge*id="blue"> *not in photo, to be fitted upon arrival of custom gauge panel I'm on the save & hunt for a few extra bits including a MK1 Astra GTE head, a stainless steel exhaust and manifold (possibly an Ashley sports mild steel if all else fails) and anything else just to give the car a bit more ooomph! Brake and suspension upgrades are possibilities but I'm not to keen on the idea yet. 16v Red top? No chance! I appreciate any comments, suggestions or if you have any spares and upgrades to sell me, I'm in the market so please let me know. Thanks for reading. Rick.id="size4"> 1982 Manta 1.8S Hatchback with K&N, Wolfrace, Sparco, RaceX, Richbrook, Savage and best of all, Custom Solutions parts. (coming soon Ashley sports exhaust and manifold) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat Posted June 20, 2006 Author Share Posted June 20, 2006 NICE , SIMPLE , STYLISH[^] i wish you luck with this manta mission should you choose to accept it omoc member 2126 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Your manta looks good mate i do like seeing a nice clean engine all painted and shiney Good luck with your project just rember to take loads of pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Cheers guys! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 those wheels are what I had in mind for mine (ie keeping the exclusive look). Never thought of using a space saver spare. Might be a good way to remove the ugly Coupe wheel well. Looks great BTW. Square lights look much better in a hatch. post Roanoke OMOC 5885 loose lips sink ships Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 I wanted the black exclusive alloys but couldn't get any. I was told these wolfies are the wrong offset for the manta but they seen to fit fine. I just hope they aren't putting strain on the wheel bearings! Notice in the cars profile picture, my front centre caps are missing as I can't get them over the grease cover[!] Now's a good time to get a set as they're not made anymore in 15" and the catalogues and shops have them with sports tyres for around £400. 1982 Manta 1.8S Hatchback with K&N, Wolfrace, Sparco, RaceX, Richbrook, Savage and best of all, Custom Solutions parts. (coming soon Ashley sports exhaust and manifold) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 what offset are they ? (Factory Ronals run ET30 BTW) post Roanoke OMOC 5885 loose lips sink ships Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opel2000 Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Suggestion.... 1" suspension drop Otherwise that is one seriously clean smotth looking Manta, wheels do it justice, quite like the Wolfrace Octane. Very very Nice Rick http://www.customsolutions.me.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANTAMAN Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 Nice to see your Manta,and that looks like a real 'good'un' I like the red interior,Teracotta i think they called,got a coupe with the green interior,good to see a Manta with something other than Exclusive Grey in. One way to improve your Mantas performance would to go to injection,you'd need various Manta injection bits like a fuel tank (hard to get a good one but not impossible) and you'd need most of the engine bay injections bits from a 1800 Carlton,this combination would give more power than a GTE with a little less wieght. Will we be seeing you & car at the great gatering of the tribe on the plains of Billing? South Midz Manta Bitz Selling all sorts of parts for your Manta,we dont know exactly what we have got,but there's so much we probably have what you want!surplus parts bought,whole cars considerd. M/B 07947 640505 A MANTAMAN Enterprize OMOC Member number 2658F Ian Virco,area rep,Beds and North Bucks,and now with added Hertfordshire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaMad Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 A nice looking Manta - these wheels really set it off. David OMOC Member 420 http://www.mantamad.fsnet.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opel2000 Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 Just been looking over this post again, and just cannot say how much I like that car, just something about it that is just so right. Oh and a little item in the post to you mate[] http://www.customsolutions.me.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 Thats a real nice manta hatch, and from the photos she looks very clean a nice example for an everyday driver, my manta is also my everyday car, its a White GT/E hatch, as Im only 18 and a bit I can only afford insurance for 1 car so I dont have a cheep runabout but might come the winter, dont want her desroyed on the salted roads. aka Butcher Man or just Chris OMOC:5912 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunman Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Very refreshing to see a clean 18S where the owner wants to keep the original engine. It's exactly what I would do if I wanted more power from the car, just mod the original engine. I had a 18s a couple of years ago with sports exhaust, piper cam, K&N etc. had a rebuilt engine and went like stink! If what I say can be taken in 2 ways and one of those ways get you angry....I meant it the other way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Crikey! Thanks for all your kind comments. Haven't logged on for two days and got all these posts as a nice surprise. I'm not sure what the offset is Pete, but I'll let you know once I get the wheels off to repaint the brake drums and calipers before Billing. Thanks for finishing the gauge panel Clive, I wasn't expecting it so soon since I read about your rush on the V8, also as you mentioned, lowering suspension is what the car is crying out for as it does sit far too high. My only concern with this is ruining the handling which is what happened on my last lowered 1.8 and if I'm late for work in the rain, could be nasty! I'm going to Billing Ian, so if you have any of those parts that we were speaking about earlier and have room to take them, I could buy 'em off you there? By the way. Check out my new bumper banner...... 1982 Manta 1.8S Hatchback with K&N, Wolfrace, Sparco, RaceX, Richbrook, Savage and best of all, Custom Solutions parts. (coming soon Ashley sports exhaust and manifold) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opel2000 Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 As far as lowering the suspension goes against ruining the handling, just make sure you get a set of progressive rate springs with approx a 35mm to 50 mm drop or more (this will be a drop over the ride height of the original coils, and your coils will have already sagged a little you could find a 25mm/1" drop would make no difference. AND above all else......... Make sure you have good tyres and not a cheapo brand, makes all the difference in the world and simply cannot emphasise this enough. http://www.customsolutions.me.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I'd be inclined to get rid of the rear wash wipe, or replace with a smaller, more up-to-date affair. Oh, and do something about the fog light. [] post Roanoke OMOC 5885 loose lips sink ships Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 I've been doing loads of work today in the red hot sun. Phew! The orange interior really pulls in the heat! Firstly I wanted to get the gauges working again in the instrument panel. I was hoping to replace it with another but due to no feedback from my advert I've had to bite the bullet and do a tempory bodge before Billing as I don't fancy the trip without my temp gauge. Thanks to Tom's (autoscum101) advise on another post, I found a massive bit of the PCB joint had peeled away. A nightmare with soldering due to the prats at Focus having only flux-less solder I had to rely on my good friends at the local boy racer shop to get me some pronto. Next thing whilst everything was easy to access I took the lower part of the dashboard out and took out everthing to do with the heater circulation and the heater box itself (this is the thing that stops headunits fitting flush) also the cr4p speaker, thanks to Andy (D818 ANR) for advise in an earlier post to do this. Big thanks to Clive (Opel2000) for finishing my gauge panel before Billing as I have put wiring and terminal blocks in for several performance gauges and I wired up and bolted in a big rev counter with shift light. Also thinking ahead, I installed the manual choke control for my Weber carb which is next on the to do list. 1 = throttle cable 2 = new choke control 3 = vacuum hose to run a gauge 4 = a custom solutions washer bottle All the tubes and airways for the heater now bin fodder........ ...now the stereo fits completly flush with no squashed wiring. Incase anyone's interested 'Enjoy the Silence' by 'Lacuna Coil' is playing, they've got a great album out shortly!!! Now all my clocks work (for now, until my solder falls off) and accuratly as I put a new voltage stabilizer in. The new rev counter is great also, adds a sportier feel. Just need to plumb in the new rear temp gauge at a later time and I have another couple of gauges to install. Hopefully I'm getting a replacement backbox this week, but unlikely to be on before the big show. See you at Billing 1982 Manta 1.8S Hatchback with K&N, Wolfrace, Sparco, RaceX, Richbrook, Savage and best of all, Custom Solutions parts. (coming soon Ashley sports exhaust and manifold) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opel2000 Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 Good to see you getting stuck in there Rick, look forward to meeting you at Billing http://www.customsolutions.me.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 There's a few Custom Solution bits going on I see. Really set the car off.[] Stuart Kowalski OMOC 5091f Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Oh yes, a Manta with no Custom Solutions parts (or any other car for that matter) feels somewhat incomplete! Plus I want loads more bits like the kick plates and the thingys that you put behind the rear quater windows. I'm also after some 400 style mirrors, so I guess I need blanking plates too. Not forgetting a possible custom alloy fuel filler cover!?! Good news, I might just get the peco backbox I'm buying off of 'blackout manta' tomorrow, as the blowing backpipe (an earlier bodge) will really let me down at Billing. Looking forward to meeting everyone and raising a few beer cans this weekend! Rick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opel2000 Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 [:I][:I][:I][:I][:I] Rick that is just so damn flattering, thankyou very very much.[] http://www.customsolutions.me.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Thanks for buying the back box have fun at billing[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 Thanks for that mate it's a beaut! Had a nightmare with the exhaust as I bought the backbox to replace my straight pipe and once underneath the car, I notice the centre pipe had broke off the silencer. Luckily my reliable motor factors (Apex, Witney) didn't let me down and got me a new one the very day I ordered it. Now with the new bit and the peco fitted, I'm back in business and the large bore makes it look a lot better from the back! (this does make it sound like I easily replaced the rotten centre pipe, this is not the case[V]twas well 'ard) Nightmare again of course (ie before Billing) as after driving about with the new exhaust my oil pressure light comes on and I notice at idle the pressure is 2 bar, too low, but off idle it shoots over and past 5 bar, too high [][!][][!][}] I'm going to fit a new spring to the regulator valve and try to remove the plunger to give it a good clean up, if I can get it out! Also a change of oil to a slightly thicker mineral oil will help when the engine's cold and choking. All and any advise on oil pressure probs will be very much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Got a few jobs done today including the long overdue 'tearing out the heater system'. Quite a lot of brute force required because of the caulk sealant around everything, but now all the sound proofing, plastic casing, heater, heater box, etc is in the bin. It's all a load of useless sh1te which didn't work and it now gives me plenty of room to fit a rear facing distributor setup and Astra GTE head once I find a good one. Next step was to remove as much chaulk residue, broken plastic and all the muck from 24 years of use. Also to connect up the heater hoses, which look pretty tatered so I could do with getting some custom made silicone hoses just to branch the heater water off for good. With the bulkhead exposed, my stereo and glove box contents are on display from the engine bay! After a clean, polish, battery refit, hose joining, cardboard and gaffer tape, the bulkhead now looks like this:- Most of this is a tempory bodge until I get the earlier mentioned silicone hose, something to tidy up all the currently cable tied wiring, and a nice polished steel plate to cover the bulkhead. At least it's done now as it was on my to do list since November last year! I have also taken an earlier suggestion from PeteM and removed the massive rear wiper and washer bottle, but I need a couple of big grommits before I remove the motor. A nightmare find was a hole rotting in the passenger footwell area under the front wheel arch, I can't weld so this is a right pain. I've taken off the under seal which had peeled and subsequently let water in, rubbed back all the rust from the edges of the rot and gave it a splat of Hammerite but with the carpet showing welding is inevitable. My oil pressure is still sky high. I've removed the regulator valve and cleaned it up to no avail. The plungers aren't availiable anymore so a whole new oil pump might be on the cards. Sheeeesh! One step forward, two steps back!id="size4">id="blue"> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickappy Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 good work there mate, what u going to use as an heater? also why dont you add 60 horses[] and 8 valves.[] omoc member 5918 new chasiss rails coming soon, (all been well) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.