chris75stingray

just picked up this 1975 opel manta today. i got it from the 2nd owner . it's been sitting in his garage for over ten years, hasn't been started in about 2. it's pretty much original . interior is worn out , undercarriage ir greasy. only a few rust spots but nothing to worry about. picked it up for $500 so i couldn't pass it up.

it's kind of ironic because we were driving off with it loaded on the trailer and a few houses down there's a 75 vette for sale. paint was shot ,bumpers cracked, interior looked decent , underside looked straight and rust free. and it said he had 15,000 in a new driveline (didn't get to see it). he wanted 11,500 for it. to rich for my blood.

i can't wait to start working on this tomorrow!




but wait there's more good news. i just bought my first house too. i'm so excited about that!

pik

Very cool, my first car in the UK was an Opel Manta, a little later vintage though. Good luck with it and the house.

Glassbowtie77

Good luck with both. 2 excellent finds.

Attfay Elleybay

I like the opal that looked a little too much like a C3.

72LS1Vette

Looks like a nice candidate for a LS1 transplant.



Rick B.

Budman68

I've got a coworker that is Manta crazy. I'll pm you his email on Monday and he can steer you in the right direction for parts.

RMVette

Congrats to you on both the Opel and your new house. What plans do you have for the Opel? Back to stock or modified?

champs65

Opal GT. Had one in high school. Fun car.

I knew of one a few years ago that had a 283 somehow stuffed in it!

Mad Vette

It would make a good bracket car.

427Hotrod

Back in the early 70's Hot Rod magazine did a buildup of a Manta that turned out pretty neat. Fat fenders, handling upgrades, duel carbs, cam etc etc. might see if you can find the old articles.

Looks like a clean one.

Congratulations on the house too. Rule #1.......NOTHING that's not cool car related is allowed in the garage. No bikes, lawnmowers etc. That junk has to go somewhere else. Once you allow *man land* to be encroached upon..there is no going back!


JIM

chris75stingray

thanks everyone. i plan on keeping it mostly original just to have a fun little car to drive around in. it's a 4 seater and has a trunk so it's a little more practical than the vette but definately not as cool or as good performace wise. it has a fuel injected 1.9 liter with a 4 speed manual (don't know condition of clutch yet). got it started today. it needs all new rubber hoses in the fuel system and a new water pump (really wobbly ,grinding noise and leaking from weap hole)

427Hotrod- there's no wife to try and fill the garage with junk , so the whole house is "man land"

Paul L

Where do you get parts for a 30+ year old German car?

lvrpool32

Theres a huge following for Manta's in the UK/Europe. I had 3 or 4 of the 2nd generation Manta's, coupes and hatchbacks, used to rally a Manta 400...cool cars. The engines are pretty basic (4 cylinder, single twin choke carb, some of the Manta GT models did come with duals if I remember rightly) and they where used in many different model European GM vehicles (Vauxhall and Opel)Congrats.

Nick

chris75stingray

i came across a website were you can order direct from Germany(expensive though). there's also an Opel forum. i just ordered the water pump , belts, thermostat, and radiator hoses online from autozone. brand new water pump was only $36.
this is got fuel injection. my dad had an 85 bmw 323i and it's basically the same system but less complex.

didn't have much time to work on it before it got dark so i just vacuumed it out and wiped down all the vinyl with armorall. i started out with a white cloth and it ended up black,yikes! it was filthy. i'm going to get the fuel system taken care of and start tearing the front of the engine apart this weekend. i'll get some better pics too.

also found out the original color is yellow. the previous owner had it painted white. not a bad job.they did all the jambs and under hood and decklid. it's got alot of oxidation , i'm going to try and buff it out a little when i get it back on the road. i believe those are the only 2 paint jobs on the car.

Tombags

I too own a C3 and an Opel GT. There is a website opelgt.com that has a great forum. Great bunch of people that are very helpful. Plus there are several places in the states that sell parts. You could get any part that you need. The best is Opel GT Source located in California. Email me if you have any questions and the Opel looks great. Good luck

Tom

chris75stingray

i was working on it this weekend. they have 2 different waterpumps listed for it and of course i ordered the wrong one. so the right one will be here tuesday. i pulled out the radiator and cleaned and painted it. the stock fan was broken so i thought this was a good time to put an electric fan on it. i had one laying in my garage that i was saving for something and this was it. it came out of a newer toyota sequoia i beleive. also ran the wiring through a relay. i powered it hot with the ignition on and just put in a overide switch to kill power to it. i just really didn't feel up to getting into the wiring behind the dash and i also didn't have a temperature sensor to wire the fans through. but it will be good for now.



here's the new fuel pump and filter


it's a pretty simple engine to work on

interior cleaned up real nice

Eddie 70

Rick, You are starting to think like I do. One of my sons buddies has a Metropolitan. I think it needs an LS too.


Congrats on the new project. It would be a hoot with an LS in it for sure, if it would fit. Body looks to be in good shape from the pics. I had my two car garage completely full with my one project, the vette. No room for anything else. I am getting ready, November 21, to buy my next house. It has lots of room and I cannot wait.

dar322

how's the wife feel about this? she may not be very happy when you show her what you brought home.

chris75stingray

ahhhh, one of the upsides to being single.


i've seen a guy put in a v6 and he had to do some serious mods to get it to fit. i don't know about an ls. plus i kind of like living. the car only weighs 2200 lbs

chevy69

Hey Neighbor!

I had a buddy in HS that was a big Opel freak. Those things are cool!!! Nice find