73 manta restoration saga

[blitz74]

We do have the spacer on. Thanks for the info though. We did recently put the distributor in, and it took a while to get the 'screw' at the bottom of the hole in a good position so that the vacuum thing on the distributor was pointed the right way. Of course this was done with the fuel pump out, which was installed after the distributor. But we did, and still do have the spacer on. Not sure what else could be the problem unless the new fuel pump is a piece.

[CDN OpelNut]

Originally Posted by blitz74 So we removed the filter thing and made sure the fuel tube was clear, put the unit back in, hooked everything up, put in about 2 gal, and tried again.

After you did this did fuel flow freely out of tank? It almost sounds like there is something in the tank that settles over the outlet and blocks it. If you disconnect the line at the pump does gas pour out?

Hate to ask, but you do have the lines connected to the right side of the pump right?

[blitz74]

Originally Posted by CDN OpelNut After you did this did fuel flow freely out of tank? It almost sounds like there is something in the tank that settles over the outlet and blocks it. If you disconnect the line at the pump does gas pour out? Hate to ask, but you do have the lines connected to the right side of the pump right?

Didn't try disconnecting the line from the tank after taking off the filter, so I'm not sure if gas would come out. Not sure if it would, because the level of the fuel may have been below the outlet tube. The end of the tube that goes into the tank does bend downward though. When the sending unit was out, I stuck a finger in there to feel the bottom of the tank and it felt clean, but I guess there could be gunk settled further back.

We have tried disconnecting the line from the fuel pump and nothing comes out. We blew into it and heard bubbles in the gas tank though.

Also, we have tried switching the lines on the fuel pump (this was before messing with the sending unit) and that made no difference. I'm assuming the right side for fuel inlet is the bottom, and the one that goes to the carb is the top, right?

[Paul]

Remove the existing fuel lines off the input and output sides of the fuel pump. Using a couple of feet of new of fuel hose, run the input to a full gas can and the output to an empty gas can. Now crank the engine... you should be able to isolate the condition of the pump this way....

[Aardvaark]

If you haven't already done so, I'd try pouring a small amount of gas or starter fluid down the carb to start the engine and get the fuel pump pumping fast since often a dry pump is hard to first get primed. If that doesn't work then move on to other suggestions.

[blitz74]

Good ideas. I'll try those out the next time I go over to work on it.

[blitz74]

Well, we went ahead and ordered another new fuel pump. We pretty much tried everything. Hopefully it'll work this time, stay tuned.

Random question time!! Has anyone ever tried putting spinners on a stock Opel 13" 4-spoke wheel? I was thinking that spinners might look cool, but I'm worried that there is no good way to put a 3-spoke spinner on a 4-spoke wheel. Also -- pros and cons of the bolt-on type vs. the screw-on type? And last, if anyone knows the size of the center hole opening off the top of their head that would be helpful to know.

Another option is the 2-spoke spinners, but I don't like them as much as the 3-spokers. Also if it helps, I plan on using trim rings and raised white letter tires!

This is only speculation at this point, just looking for opinions

[blitz74]

Alright folks. Time to beat a dead horse. I did some searching around and found some very helpful info on the Weber 32/36 vacuum connections, but the images I came across were either confusing or just hard to see. I was hoping to get some clarification on some things, and identify where a couple connections go.

Valve Cover

Small hose --> intake manifold (mine is attached on the engine side)

Large hose --> air filter (currently have the carbon canister hooked to the L fitting -- do I need a separate hole in the filter for the canister?)

Dist. Advance/Retard

Think I have mine hooked up right, but some people mentioned that it's almost better to do away with this system and plug the connections. True/False?

Red Arrows

See pic below for the following unknowns:
A) Small connector on top of the booster line fitting?
B) (Not visible) Small tube on exhaust downpipe w/connector on round diafragm?
C) Hose coming out of carb base?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[blitz74]

Also, I tried to take a video of the motor running. It did run for almost a minute and sounded pretty good, but then of course when I grabbed the camera and tried to get it to start again, no luck. And I know we don't have the cooling system on, but we didn't intend on running it for very long.

Video is here.

[blitz74]

bump... Still looking for some widsom / resources on the carb and emissions stuff

[blitz74]

I've been procrastinating on putting up some of the pictures of miscellaneous progress, so here's a taste finally.

Here are some shots of the polished trim and stuff that I promised a while back. The aluminum seems to scratch and bend really really easily. I'm hoping that a good polish or wax job will take care of the fine scratches.

[blitz74]

Also the front speakers are finally mounted. They are 5-3/4 Alpine speakers with 1 inch spacers. Remember that I had to cut out a fair amount from the kickpanel area sheet metal to get these to work. It was kind of a painful job and I could only get 3 mounting screws on each side to work, but they are solid and look good.

Also included a shot of one of the rear trim panels mounted in place. I think the 2-tone interior is going to look good (original gray headliner, visors, handles etc on top of black seats, carpet, panels, etc)

Next is a pic of the original front left brake rotor which has been resurfaced. As of now the caliper is back on with new metal master pads. Drivers side isn't done yet (left it on for reference).

Finally, the bad news. We still haven't gotten the car running. I did a bunch of searching around and finally found out about the vacuum, EGR valve, and ventilation connections. We got a T-fitting (believe it was a Ford emissions piece, kinda rubbery) for the air filter to hook up both the carbon canister and valve cover ventilation hoses. The electric choke is now hooked up to a white/black wire near the wiper motor that is switched. I can't figure out what this other connection is though (see red circle). There was a short black wire on this before that went right to the choke but I took it off. Is it some kind of California smog thing? I realized after I took it off that the end that goes on the choke had an extra connector on it so maybe I should have both wires hooked up.

Also noticed looking down into the carb that when pulling the throttle cable, fuel only squirts in the outboard barrel and nothing squirts in the inboard one. The carb has not been rebuilt but supposedly worked fine before. Should we go ahead and dismantle/rebuild it?

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by blitz74 Also noticed looking down into the carb that when pulling the throttle cable, fuel only squirts in the outboard barrel and nothing squirts in the inboard one. The carb has not been rebuilt but supposedly worked fine before. Should we go ahead and dismantle/rebuild it?

Only the primary barrel (outboard) has an accelerator pump squirter on a 32/36 Weber. It's perfectly normal.

When your foot is on the gas hard and the engine is running, the secondary barrel will be open and the engine's vacuum will draw fuel from the secondary barrel's auxiliary venturi. But you won't see that when you're driving it!

[timemachine]

Don't know why but for some reason I just LOVE a Manta in Signal Yellow.

Congrats on your project. This has been a fun thread to follow.

Jim

[guyopel]

Also on your carb. the wire from the ele. choke goes to the idle solenoid ( red circle in photo ) this must be connected for car to idle and the choke will have to have voltage for it to work.HTH
John
Your car looks good .

[BQS4]

Originally Posted by blitz74 I can't figure out what this other connection is though (see red circle). There was a short black wire on this before that went right to the choke but I took it off. Is it some kind of California smog thing? I realized after I took it off that the end that goes on the choke had an extra connector on it so maybe I should have both wires hooked up.

That's the ICO (Idle Cut Off), it just means you have a later weber. You can replace this with an plug from Top-End Performance. Import Car Parts and Tuning. Weber Carbs. 818 764-1901 or Weber Carburetors. 818 764-1901 Carbs 40 DCOE 45 DCOE 32/36 32/34 Jeep. Top-End Performance 818 764-1901

[blitz74]

Cool, thanks guys. One more thing - my intake manifold has the brake booster fitting with two smaller fittings (auto trans type). I have the angled fitting (pin hole) hooked up to the distrubutor and the vertical fitting (larger hole) plugged. Is this backwards?

[blitz74]

Well, today was a good day.

It began with the same frustrations and confusion. Everything was hooked up properly. We got the radiator and everything in. We rotated the engine to #1 TDC and reinstalled the distributor at a better angle so the vacuum diaphragm wasn't so close to the block. The engine sputtered and backfired and still refused to start.

Thinking we had checked everything, I wondered if not all the plugs were firing, or if some valves were sticking, or something of that nature. So I went to check out the spark plugs and noticed something unusual about the order of the wires on the distributor. They were set up for a firing order of 1-2-4-3 instead of 1-3-4-2 the way it's supposed to be. Even though I wasn't the one who put the wires on in the first place, I felt like an idiot.

So after setting this and everything else straight, this is what happened.

[timemachine]

It's Alive!

And, it's always the last place you look. How come you post to Japanese YouTube or is that something I am doing?

Congrats. Screaming yellow Mantas rule.

Jim