[Mercougary]

Besides an expired powerplant, this is the first major problem I've discovered. Inexplicable damage to the radiator support right in front of the crank pulley.

 

[dallasmanta]

not a problem if you have a pair of channel locks and a hammer. bend and reshape the bottom brace where the rubber mount goes. then put the radiator in place to check if the unit is straight up and down. adjust as needed she will be as good as new. Ron

 

[Mercougary]

upon further inspection, it would seem that careless towing rigging has distorted the "skid plate" (for lack of a better term) and lower valance. kinda' strange, what do you guys think?

 

[Yellow73GT]

Is this on a Manta or something? Doesn't look like a GT thats for sure. Anyway, I know how I would fix it, but then I have access to all the necessary tools. As dallasmanta pointed out though, a channel lock and hammer minimum (vice grips are outstanding for bending and straightening tin) I would think by looking at it it's not structural (critically speaking) so straightening it as best you can through brute force, get it where it needs to be, soak it with etch primer and paint it and it will be fine. It is underneath and out of sight right?
But if your intention is restoration and your looking for showroom quality, and you dont know how nor have the tools to do it yourself, then your gonna need to go the extra mile and spend $$$ to have someone do it for you OR spend gobs more $$$ getting the tools you'll need and pay someone to show you or find someone you know who can show you how and bribe them with beer and have them teach you how to fix it. :yup:

Just looking at it I would guess I could make that fix in an afternoon, so long as I leave the beer drinking for afterwards

 

[The Scifi Guy]

I guess it's a Manta.

You're going to need to pull the motor anyway to start your restore, so deal with it then. Powerwash your engine compartment to git rid of all remnants of the previous owner. That bent sheet metal looks like it would be fairly simple to bang and bend back into serviceable shape. If it still looks ugly you could bolt a piece of angle iron over it to cover it up and add some stiffness.

This kind of damage is par for the course with our almost 50 year old multi-owner cars. It's nothing unusual or catastrophic, just take it in stride, repair as best you can, and move on to the next challenge. Eventually you run out of challenges and you're all done.

 

[Bill Hoffmann]

upon further inspection, it would seem that careless towing rigging has distorted the "skid plate" (for lack of a better term) and lower valance. kinda' strange, what do you guys think?

Probably, and frustrating considering there's a strong eyelet welded to the middle of the front cross member they could have used.

 

[Mercougary]

Is this on a Manta or something? Doesn't look like a GT thats for sure. Anyway, I know how I would fix it, but then I have access to all the necessary tools. As dallasmanta pointed out though, a channel lock and hammer minimum (vice grips are outstanding for bending and straightening tin) I would think by looking at it it's not structural (critically speaking) so straightening it as best you can through brute force, get it where it needs to be, soak it with etch primer and paint it and it will be fine. It is underneath and out of sight right?
But if your intention is restoration and your looking for showroom quality, and you dont know how nor have the tools to do it yourself, then your gonna need to go the extra mile and spend $$$ to have someone do it for you OR spend gobs more $$$ getting the tools you'll need and pay someone to show you or find someone you know who can show you how and bribe them with beer and have them teach you how to fix it. :yup:

Just looking at it I would guess I could make that fix in an afternoon, so long as I leave the beer drinking for afterwards

I don't mind bribing people, but nobody is getting any of my beer.:beerchug:

 

[Yellow73GT]

Eventually you run out of challenges and you're all done.

NEVER, NEVER EVER, NEVER EVER EVER are you "done". The minute your "done" you start to get bored with it and it gets sold so you can find another project to work on.

Least ways thats how it seems to me.

 

[Mercougary]

suitable replacement parts

Aside from a considerable amount of Pacific NW condensation corrosion in the cylinder bores, it was fairly obvious that my '73 Manta was parked ages ago suffering from a cracked head and a blown gasket. Came by this one to base my hot street motor build on. Appears to have "early" style rocker studs resembling press in type. Anyone familiar with this '68 quench head?

 

[RallyBob]

Aside from a considerable amount of Pacific NW condensation corrosion in the cylinder bores, it was fairly obvious that my '73 Manta was parked ages ago suffering from a cracked head and a blown gasket. Came by this one to base my hot street motor build on. Appears to have "early" style rocker studs resembling press in type. Anyone familiar with this '68 quench head?

1.5S head. Small chamber, and smaller valves than a 1.9.

 

[Mercougary]

1.5S head. Small chamber, and smaller valves than a 1.9.

I think I've got the valves covered following the 2.0 w/ 1.5 head recipe. I'm puzzling over the rocker studs??

 

[wrench459 (R.I.P.)]

.... Appears to have "early" style rocker studs resembling press in type.

... I'm puzzling over the rocker studs??

Why not try to pull the studs out first?

 

[RallyBob]

I think I've got the valves covered following the 2.0 w/ 1.5 head recipe. I'm puzzling over the rocker studs??

All CIH rocker studs are threaded in.

 

[Mercougary]

torquer intake mods

All the castings are out for hot tank and magnaflux inspection and the crankshaft mic'd OK. A good polishing is in order once I get it chucked up on the lathe. Bearings are on order and now I have some time to finish working on an insert for my manifold plenum. It is 1" radius. The void on the bottom of the "splitter" will need to be filled with epoxy to minimize heat expansion. It will be soft set and cast into place once the fit is completed and it drops in. Still working on porting the upper entrance of the runners.

 

[Mercougary]

better safe than sorry

1.5S head. Small chamber, and smaller valves than a 1.9.

Cautioned my machinist of the rarity and expense of the cyl head casting we are working with. The question now becomes whether or not any of y'all ever experienced any problems breaching the water jacket while cutting for the hardened exhaust seats?? I've supplied PEP PC1625-1 seats which are 0.218" depth by inch and 5/8.

Correction to the above post- Part No. is PC1562-1 which is only 1 9/16"

 

[First opel 1981]

Cautioned my machinist of the rarity and expense of the cyl head casting we are working with. The question now becomes whether or not any of y'all ever experienced any problems breaching the water jacket while cutting for the hardened exhaust seats?? I've supplied PEP PC1625-1 seats which are 0.218" depth by inch and 5/8.

You should have no problem but Gil at OGTS will know for sure.

 

[RallyBob]

Cautioned my machinist of the rarity and expense of the cyl head casting we are working with. The question now becomes whether or not any of y'all ever experienced any problems breaching the water jacket while cutting for the hardened exhaust seats?? I've supplied PEP PC1625-1 seats which are 0.218" depth by inch and 5/8.

Shallow depth is good...I've had issues on exhaust seats that were 3/8" deep and over 1.6" OD.

Personally I go with the same OD as the valve itself....so 1.5" seat with 1.5" valve.....certainly no reason to go larger on a 1.5 head. The actual seat-to-valve contact area occurs inside this diameter after all.

 

[Mercougary]

Shallow depth is good...I've had issues on exhaust seats that were 3/8" deep and over 1.6" OD.

Personally I go with the same OD as the valve itself....so 1.5" seat with 1.5" valve.....certainly no reason to go larger on a 1.5 head. The actual seat-to-valve contact area occurs inside this diameter after all.

valuable info, as always. many thanks. not one person I have tried to hire seems to know anything about 45-50 yr old Opels.

 

[Mercougary]

A Matter of Priorities

This is how most of my "projects" go. Right in the middle of building a motor I find these:

 

[First opel 1981]

This is how most of my "projects" go. Right in the middle of building a motor I find these:

Lucky you.
All I ever find, when rebuilding motors, is rust and mouse turds.