Yet another Portuguese Opel Manta SR restoration

[ricardo.diz]

Hi all,

I am now a proud owner of a 1971 Opel Manta A SR, that I will be starting to restore. I wanted to share with you my project (I intend to post its status as I go along), and I would also appreciate your feedback.

The Story
This Opel Manta was bought by the parents of my girlfriend. At the time (around late 1970), there was no possibility to buy a Manta SR in Portugal (or so I've been told), and so they went to Paris to buy it, and drove home. The car didn't stay long in Portugal though, as my girlfriend's parents moved to Mozambique (and took the car). Eventually they returned to Portugal and so did the car. My girlfriend and her brothers grew up in that car, as their mother drove them everywhere. After a while, the car was repainted, but since 1985 it is not run, and stayed in the garage until now.

My plan
I'm now planning to do a full restoration of the car. Although the car seems at first sight in very good shape, the paint is hiding some small rusty spots. Since I do not have the time nor the skills to do this myself, I am thinking on either putting the car in a classic cars garage for the initial restoration (expensive, but will do the work well for sure), or putting it in a garage that belongs to the father of a friend (cheaper, but I'm still not sure about its work). In the latter option I would follow closer the restoration and would be in charge of finding the needed parts. What do you think? BTW, I am not in a hurry to get this done (I prefer to do it well rather than fast), and I know the restoration of a work is almost a non-ending work... My idea is to maintain the car as it originally was, although I would probably will substitute the carburetors by Webber's (a customization that I believe is an usual one), and would like to changes the front yellow lights for white ones.

The car status
Pictures of the car are attached in this message, but remember that the paint hides how it really is beneath it. The motor should be ok, and in fact, the father of my friend already put it to work. The front console does not have the clock installed, but I found it already. I am worried about the buttons near the steering wheel (some are missing and should be hard to find). The doors close and the windows are ok, despite the used rubbers. The interior obviously has to be redone. The car paint is like the original (this one did not had a black painted hood).

Tips and references needed
Since I'm starting, I might as well as for tips and references. From the pictures, can you "guestimate" how much will the restoration cost? Do any of you guys have specific tips? Anyone knows Portuguese references for specific work (eg. wheels restoration)?


Thank you all for sharing your thoughts,
Cheers,
Ricardo

[opeletti75]

i have new gas a just shocks kyb brand for the rear on this sight if your interessted and i have the toggle switchs also

[ricardo.diz]

Hi all,

A week has passed since I have my Manta, but unfortunately I haven't had much time to work on it.

Nevertheless, I have a some questions that I though I should ask you. My first one concerns the external radio antenna. My car has a broken external antenna near the right side of the hood (see attached picture). I have seen some pictures of Mantas that do not have a antenna on sight, but I was unable to understand if it was hidden, or if the car did not had a radio. Is there an original solution to hide the antenna? This would have advantages in terms of usability, as there would be no need to pop the antenna out manually...

My other question has to do with carburetors. As stated in my last post, I am thinking about using weber 32/36 carburetors, but I was told a simple replacement of the solex might not be enough, as the rest of the engine needs to be reinforced. Can you comment on this?

Thanks,
Ricardo

[BQS4]

There are various "on the glass" type of antennas. I have one mounted on the inside back hatch glass of my Sportwagon. It is an electronically amplified antenna. Meaning it does the same as a long whip or mast antenna, without being seen.
As for the weber 32/36, I don't know what "reinforced" means, unless you mean a more performance built motor. The 32/36 is the best replacement for the OEM solex. It can be used right out of the box, but, it can be tuned for better performance (meaning your type of driving, location, and the condition of your motor, stock or not)

[BQS4]

I have attached pictures of mine on my Sportwagon. The first picture is what you see, or rather don't see from the outside. Window tinting helps hide it. The second picture is the antenna from the inside. All you mostly see is the little red LED indicating it's on, and the third picture is the hatch open so you can see the antenna. Below is a link to an EBAY auction of the same antenna I have.

METRA 44-UA200 AMPLIFIED GLASS-MOUNT AM/FM ANTENNA NEW! - eBay (item 160234436552 end time May-03-08 11:45:13 PDT)

[ricardo.diz]

Thanks for your prompt answer . This hidden antenna seems indeed a better solution. I just wanted to understand if there was a similar solution/used in original versions. I will take a look at your antenna auction (thanks for posting this).

As for the weber 32/36, I take from your response that this carburetor can be used as a simple replacement solution for the solex. Great! This will probably be the only engine modification that I will do. I rather leave the rest of the engine in its original state, rather than tunning it for higher performance.

Cheers,
Ricardo

[BQS4]

You can tune JUST the carb for better performance, like throttle responce, more economy, and throttle responce at speed, such as passing another car. The motor itself doesn't have to have anything done to it.

[ricardo.diz]

Hi all,

This last week my Manta saw its first progress, and it is evident that I am still in the stage of understanding how much work is ahead

As I look to the car, all I can think of is if I can replace all the rubbers and small little pieces that are rotten. Despite this frustration, I'm glad I started this long restore process, as the Manta sure is beautiful!

In attachment are some pictures that I would like to share. The first two are the scariest. You can see the interior part that belongs beneath the rear window (on top), and it doesn't seem recoverable. This is the kind of piece that I would say it is very hard to find or restore. Any ideas? Beneath this piece, there's another part in very bad shape that belongs to bottom part of both doors (the one that seems similar to plastic). Once again this doesn't look good/easy to restore...

I think this stage of the process is probably the one that gives the least happiness, as it seems that the car is being destroyed, instead of being "reconstructed". There is still a lot of work to be done before the first painting though.

I will post some more information as I have it.
Cheers,
Ricardo

[ricardo.diz]

More pictures...

[BQS4]

Ricardo;
Those coverings, they're plastic, correct? We had those only on the Manta Rallye or SR to you. I could keep a look out for you on a set.

[timemachine]

Listening to all that you have said, it sounds like you have a lot of car to work with and a good opportunity for an excellent outcome. I look forward to following your progress. Congratulations and welcome.

If I were in your position I would first make a list of the state of all of the mechanicals: drivetrain, brakes, suspension, fuel and brake lines, - all of which can be replaced - so you have an estimate of the running condition of the car and if upfront costs that could be necessary there.

Following that estimate, I'd turn my attention to and act first on the condition of the body and subframe, as you have, consider if it's sound and straight to begin with. That is the part that requires most of the custom work and expense. You don't need a Porsche restorer to make a professional repair of a hole in the floorboard. I imagine you know the extent of the work that is likely by your descriptions and he fact that the car has been in your family.

Many amateurs and upholstery shops do a fine job of mending or recreating original materials. As for the trim below the rear window, consider what you are looking at. The panel itself is laminated paper or cardboard and easily replaceable with cheap materials. The damage is mostly at the seat area and below so I don't see a problem there either. I'll bet you could restore the center console with minimal materials and no need for a replacement.

The antenna issue is up to you. Many cars came with "radio delete" and no radio or antenna but drilling a hole in the proper place on your right fender won't ruin anything and you should feel free to do so if you want, especially since there is a radio in the dashboard already. You will find good replacement parts for the console on dash on e-Bay if you are patient. Since many radio and other options were dealer installed there is no factory pedigree of your car to worry about. My opinion is, if you choose an internal antenna, a) make sure it works as well as you want and b) don't make it look like it doesn't belong on the car. Outside antennas always work better.

As for the Weber, the vast majority of owners in the US have converted and prefer the Weber. Many German owners still prefer the Solex on restorations and on daily runners. Judge how it runs first and don't worry about converting if you don't need to. I have a 1974 Manta that runs very efficiently and happily on its original Solex carburetor. If and when it fails I will swap in a Weber with no worries. But again, assess the overall running condition of the car before you start buying replacement parts and fix what needs fixing first.

It appears all the issues of cosmetics you've mentioned can be handled on what looks like a solid foundation compared to what I've seen Manta owners in the US deal with. The battery tray and wiring beneath are very important to examine for damage. I might make that the first priority. You are wise to not rush the process and lucky not to have to. I think you are on the right track and will end up with a very nice car.

Jim

[ricardo.diz]

BQS4,

Yes, they are probably plastic. I didn't know these were only available on SR versions. If you find a set I do appreciate!

Thanks,
Ricardo

[ricardo.diz]

Jim,

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. You raise a fair point about the assessment of all of the mechanicals. Until now, I have only confirmed that the engine appears to be ok (at least it runs), but I have not yet checked the brakes nor the suspension. I plan to do this as I take off the wheels to restore them. On a side note, the battery tray seems in very good condition, with no need for special attention.

As for the Weber, your advice makes sense. I intend to leave the Solex until I have the car "up and running", and then think about this again.

In parallel with the body work (that I believe it is have under control), I am trying to get the parts I know I will need (eg. through ebay). Nevertheless, I still have doubts about restoring some of the parts, such as the steering wheel (as this has rubber and not leather). I should see this as I go...

Cheers,
Ricardo

[4speed]

Hi Ricardo!

I've seen your pictures and it seems like you will have lots of work to do. But it also looks like a perfectly possible task.
Jim’s advises are wise, I would follow them!
About the radio, your external antenna is in the original place, so why not keep that?
And you already have my mail, so if there is anything that I can help, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Ricardo Silva

[timemachine]

I didn't notice your car had an antenna in the proper spot. Most Mantas were delivered just this way. I'd just repair it in that case.

I have a couple of rubber steering wheels, they turn up on e-bay, I think I spent $10 on the last one which is in very good condition. Again, if you are patient I think you'll find what you're looking for.

Since you are in Portugal, I'd have a look at the Dr. Manta site, which has all sorts of parts for your car. They can be expensive depending on what you need, but shipping from Germany to you is a lot less than to the US.
http://www.dr-manta.de/english.htm

Don't be intimidated by various flaws. If your engine runs, I wouldn't feel any need to take it apart now, same for the whole drivetrain. You just want to know ahead of time of major problems while you are going about fixing the body and interior. Opels are very durable and easy to work on cars, especially the Mantas and Asconas. Since you are not on a deadline, you should consider it a pleasurable hobby to work your way through the car and get it fixed up.

Good luck,

Jim