1980 Manta B: US Bound?

[AirForceWeather]

Hey everybody.
I've posted in the transmission forum regarding my Manta and my plans to import it from Germany to the US. I love my car a great deal, but, of course, being American there's a lot I don't know abou the post-1975 Opel range. I wanted to be able to post questions I have without worrying about drifting off the transmission topic. I've done some searching on the site, but the stuff I have to worry about is pretty unusual- stuff like which Opel components were carried over in American-sold cars like the Chevrolet Chevette, what components will swap from a 1.9L CIH to a 2.0L [GOT to be very similar, but I'm used to dealing with GM small-block V8s!], what are some parts that CAN't be swapped from a Right-Hand Drive to a Left-Hand Drive [so I can buy from English-speaking suppliers and use an English Haynes manual.] Some fairly specific issues that one of the few Manta Bs in the States might have to deal with. Folks on the transmission forum have been a huge help, but perhaps some actual Manta B owners may add additional insight.

[ard674t]

Pretty wide-ranging question, but I'll do my best:

- US-sold cars that can donate components
Your best source of service parts will be from cars that were actually sold here by Opel - GT, Manta A, Ascona A are probably your best bet. There are other generic parts that you can use from US cars - for instance, Fram's PH 966B oil filter is the correct one, and any 9x888 fan belt will work.

- What components are common between 1.9 and 2.0
Most of them, actually. The pistons and rings are different, and the head, valves, lifters, cam are all different. Other than that, most parts are interchangeable. Watch out for timing covers, though - they were different on early 1.9's (no bolts from the head) and the fuel pump aperture is absent on injection engines but open on carb ones.

-Handed parts you shouldn't get from England
Difficult to say until you need a specific part. There are the obvious ones (headlamps, steering rack, dash, etc), but then there are the less obvious ones (exhaust manifold, pedal rubber, blower motor, front sway bar, etc).

I'm English, live in the US and have 3 Manta B's (two in the UK, one in the US) and I've owned Manta B's since 1981, so I can probably help you out with any problems you come across. Let me know if you need anything else.
Cheers,
Nick

[AirForceWeather]

Cool! Thanks for the info, I'm feeling more and more confident about bringing the Manta Stateside. Since you actually have a B in the US, what kind of customs issues did you have to deal with? I know about the 25-year-old rule, and I've read the EPA and NHTSA forms exempting cars of that age from applicable regs, but are there any other issues, i.e. MPH vs. kph speedometers, side marker lights, headlights, glass, etc.? I appreciate the help a great deal, my wife's been a bit of a hard sell on the whole situation, and having answers to these questions is a great help.

[ard674t]

I actually bought the B in the US, but I have brought other cars over and never had a problem. For import it's the DOT and EPA regs you need to worry about. One has a 20 year limit and the other a 25 year limit. As your car is over 25 you need to worry about neither. The relevant paperwork has check boxes where you just say it's over the age limit and the regs don't apply and customs are happy.

So - other issues:
- MPH vs kph. Well, you could always just get a speedo from the UK. That will have MPH markings with smaller kph markings inside. That's what I've done on my cars. There are also places that will recalibrate your speedo for you so that you can use the kph speedo and have the numbers actually correspond to mph. Or you can just remember that 30mph = 50kph, 50mph = 80kph, etc.
- Side markers. Don't worry about it, that's a DOT regulation you don't need to meet anymore. If you really want side markers, get a set of aftermarket flat lamps and wire them into the parking lamps at each corner.
- Headlamps. Don't worry about them, that's another DOT regulation. As long as they're set up for LHD you'll be fine. I actually run Euro headlamps in all my cars as the beam pattern is better than the US ones.
- Glass. Another DOT regulation...
- Tires. Ditto...

Your local DMV may bitch because you don't have the VIN visible on the dash, but it's not a requirement and they can just check the one under the hood. Mine tried to convince me that it must've been removed, but I think some people believe that US regulations are applicable worldwide! In the end they marked it as "removed" on the paperwork, but it didn't stop the car being registered.

Honestly, it's a breeze bringing in a 25+ year vehicle. I was apprehensive first time but there was nothing to worry about. As long as you have the correct documents (and your shipper will ensure you have) customs just stamp them without question.
Cheers,
Nick

[AirForceWeather]

Awesome, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. I already have the forms on Adobe files on my PC. I don't leave Germany for at least 15 mos, but I wanted to leave nothing to chance.

[Stipe77]

You'd probably made better business bringing GT's to europe. Price for this is getting mad here.