Manta A 19 - from Portugal

[David McCollam]

Ricardo,

I will be watching for a cover for the heater box and get one for you if I find it. The repair that you completed looks wonderful.

Good luck with the restoration.

Dave

[4speed]

Hi,
One question to my American friends ... it's just a curiosity.
The American version has this type of safety belt older?

[BQS4]

Originally Posted by 4speed Hi, One question to my American friends ... it's just a curiosity. The American version has this type of safety belt older?

Ours (US version) was totally covered in a vinyl hood from where the belt goes through the buckle and up in your picture.

[David McCollam]

Ricardo,

The 1971-1973 Manta had that style of seat belts in the US models. What parts do you need for the belt?

Dave

[4speed]

Dave I've both plastic covers, but one doesn’t stand in place, because of the plastic inside! I'll try to repair it!

The project manta has been kind a stopped ... at the weekend I usually take him out of the garage and go for a ride.

My daily job is taking me too much time, and when I get home at 8:00pm ...it's cold, night and time to dinner:

At the end of 2006, I took my manta to a friend "shop"? that restore and paint cars... to know how much a good paint work will cost me!
He said that to do a good work needs to sand off all the paint until the steel bright colour, and repair some rusted parts, and only after that he will paint it.
A work to 2000€ minimum!!!

But I've been gathering some parts, basically looking and buying in ebay!
Like new pillar vents, and a pair of rear shock absolvers! I use to buy in Germany ebay, but some parts at last minute get really expensive.

(Reading it back my English doesn’t sound very good … so please be patience and if so correct me )

[BQS4]

4speed;
I'm still trying to find a heater cover. You have an early Manta with the single dual washer jet mounted in the cover. Bear with me, I'll get one located.

[4speed]

When I took off my rear bumper, I notice that there were a rubber part missing.

So I went at home and with the other one I improvised! It is almost as good as new!

[4speed]

I've bought another part on ebay to my Manta!

The plastic cover with wood imitation! It come 3 days agow and saturday, I cleaned and repaired it.

Lets see some photos...

[4speed]

I was all happy with the good condition of the new part, that I went right away to the car to assemble it.

But ... the thing went wrong, the clips that should fit in the heater buttons part, didn't fit.

Those clips in the old part were broken, and the part was glued, so I've never notice anything strange. But with the new part not fitting ... I thing that they were purposely broken.

The heater part seams original and doesn’t admit any regulation... so Why doesn’t fit?

Any ideas????

[GTJIM]

There is a distinct probability that Opel had some problems with either fit or bits breaking and did an update on the part so there are two (or more!) different heater control brackets and trim pieces.
All manufacturers do this sort of thing as problems occur in production ......
It is not even unknown for production line workers to break off bits so that things fit - to keep production bonuses!

[4speed]

GTJIM, probably it changed along the manta's production.

I'm back from a job trip from Germany (Frankfurt) didn't see any old Opel, only new models.

[66kadett]

Que bom Opel! I never thought I liked white cars, but yours rules! Felicidades!

[Mike Preble]

I have a heater cover for a Manta with the single, central, washer jet. Nothing broken on it. If you want I can PM you pictures. I also have multiple other parts for the early and late Mantas. If you give me a list of items I can put together a box of parts. Lets talk. Send me a PM or email me at mjpreble@earthlink.net. I also have a lot of trim pieces. If Dave and Gene can't help you maybe I can.

Mike

[BQS4]

Mike;
I have a few things to send him, just waiting for a piece or two to arrive from other people then send it out as one package. I have not been able to locate the heater cover like he needs, so, you can either send it to him direct, or send it here and I'll put it all in one package, doesn't matter to me.
Gene

[4speed]

Mike as Gene, said they are already helping me with some missing parts! Gene and Dave have been unstoppable searching and getting parts to my manta, I heaven don't know haw to thank them for all the work that they are having.

I never thought that I would find such great guys on a web forum!!!

About the heater cover, please send me a photo, because if it is like mine … and if you could … I prefer that you sent it to Gene so he make only one package to send me.

66kadett, my English it's not better then your Portuguese LOL

Once again thank you all for the help and the support !!!

[David McCollam]

Hi Ricardo,

Last weekend I sen an oil pressure unit to Gene for the gauges that he has for you. He has instructions to put the sending unit in the package for you. I will also send him a wrench for you to attach the gauge. I forgot to put this in the package for you.

How is everything else at the moment?

Dave

[4speed]

Hello Dave,
I was surveying an ebay oil pressure unit ... but since you already found one

The manta project is going too slow, I've been repairing the wood imitation plastic on my old plastic cover. I done right and it look fine with a wood print vinyl. The problem is that I've the wood wrongly orientated . .. so now I need to take it off and make other one .
I've photos of this and I'll post it here.

I've been able to mount the VDO cover but is forcing a little! I'll see what I can do. (Dave, no need to send one. Save it to other user that need more than I)

Further notices when I get the photos from my digital camera.

Ricardo


Ricardo

[BQS4]

Richardo;
You didn't get the wrong orientation of wood, just turn your material so that it runs laterally across the panel face. I do this with most all the Manta/Asconas I have owned over the years. I even carry it over to the rally gauge cluster that mounts under the dash, just to give the dash a nice "look". Anyway, as an update, the oil pressure sender arrived yesterday from David, and I'm waiting for the heater cover from another member, then I can put it all together as one package and forward it onto you. Be patient, it's almost there

[4speed]

Gene here is a photo of the wood imitation cover!!!
I've only seen, that it was wrong when I finished the work

[Jeff Pozorski]

As a Manta owner and lover I think the dast looks great! The vertical look of the grain is very sharp looking. I would not redo it and may consider doing my Manta the same way.

[BQS4]

Richardo, Jeff;
This is the way I do it. I have the grain running across the dash. This is the dash in my wife's Sportwagon, but, as you see, it's the same as the Manta. But, I have done this to just about every Manta/Ascona I have owned. Notice the rally gauge pod too.