167 replies to this topic

[stradacab]

Thanks for the kind words guys!
Mantadoc- No way is it scratch made!! I can cut, bend and hit metal with a hammer but I was 22 years old last time I used a wheeling machine!! Cut off the old car and grafted in, that's all I'm afraid.

GT/J rarer than an genuine 400? probably. More desirable... probably not!
"How many left" website is unreliable cause it used the entry from the V5, so even if you look up Manta GT/J for '80-'82 that might not include ones down as something else.
I know of Al's old yellow one, passmethegun's white one (which is now a 400r)that red one that sold on ebay and was latterly being touted round at Billing last year for resto (Darren wouldn't let me buy it), Alex's one, that grey one at the beginning of this thread and the other (was it Ian Goacher's) pine green one I saw at Billing in 2006. So that's 7 I know of in total. Would love to know what else is out there- say another 7 in hiding?? 14 left in the country is my best guess...

Tonights effort.

[Devil Fish]

didn't Nat and Cal (retropower dudes) have one aswell... originally purple? now white?

oh nice repair panel btw.... you getting good at this sh1t!

  

Edited by Devil Fish, 14 October 2011 - 10:42 PM.

[stradacab]

Devil Fish, on 14 October 2011 - 10:41 PM, said:

didn't Nat and Cal (retropower dudes) have one aswell... originally purple? now white?

oh nice repair panel btw.... you getting good at this sh1t!

  

Never saw it purple but yeah it's in their sig so 8 then

[paulmanta]

Why dont you cut/drill that crossmember out ? not all of it but about 8 or so inches from the sill to give access to all the inner sill. its goiing to be hanging under there as well and it will make it much eaiser to get at the ming and remove it.

Not telling you how to suck eggs though, feel free to ignore me !!

[mantadoc]

paulmanta, on 15 October 2011 - 11:44 AM, said:

Why dont you cut/drill that crossmember out ? not all of it but about 8 or so inches from the sill to give access to all the inner sill. its goiing to be hanging under there as well and it will make it much eaiser to get at the ming and remove it.

Not telling you how to suck eggs though, feel free to ignore me !!

I as thinking that too, but on Mine I did a couple of other plates first as had fear about the side of the car wandering out wider.  Maybe notch some box section and slide on the lip from B pillar to B pillar.  Also, whne you have this much out the jacking points will move in the chassis rails so I put my stands under the axle and worried about it sagging. If you put a jack under the under floor cross member you can vary the door gap by about 3mm on mine and you don't have the rigidity the quarter brings or the shut as a frame of reference.  I found it a scary time.

If you want the dimensiones from the Vauxhall Cavalier Coupe Dealer body manual let me know

[stradacab]

Guys, thanks for your advice on this. I must admit that removing the cross member hadn't even occurred to me, dunno why, but that's the great thing about this forum!

This now gives a much better access to the repair and, as predicted, there is grot beneath.



As a result I have had to extend my original plate to travel beneath the crossmember and into the rear footwell.



And welded in...



I will put the member back in tonight once the primer I have put on is dry. Much better job for that advice!!

[stradacab]

I now have something to build the sill from





And I made something to weld to it...

[novashed]

cracking fab work!

[mantadog]

there is also a none original gt j in green by me in codsall, wolverhampton, last time i saw it it was running a v8 rover,  think its an x reg and its well loved!!!!

[stradacab]

Thanks Mantadog, I remember seeing one at the Retro Rides meet at Sparkford last year, I wonder if that's the one you mean. May not have looked cosmetically like a GT/J or I would have paid a lot more attention. Will have to revisit the pics....

----------------------------------------------------------

Been back on the car this week. I have welded the inner sill in and made up a strengthener for the inside. As with the O/S, it doesn't come down and meet the sill botton as it should, the aftermarket sills are too far out to stand a chance of those mating up. I figure that the main purpose is to transfer load from the jacking point up through the central hoop that is made up by the B post and rollover bar. As the plate is stitched onto the inner sill and jacking point area I figure it is strong enough (It's certainly stronger than it was before!)

[stradacab]

Had you forgoten about me? Don't worry, I've still been plodding away. I reckon I'm doing a couple of hours about 4 nights a week.

Not really had much to photograph either, the progess had been pretty boring and fiddly stuff.

Main challenge has been to get all the substructure for the wing correct so it all lines up. Remembering I had nothing to work to left on the car this has meant I have had to offer up the wing probably 30 times and clamp it all in place to get a measurement or to weld a fixed point for the arch, sill, boot floor etc. Oh, and its a big cumbersome panel to keep moving around too!

All the back part is finished and etch-primed now





Last two jobs are to repair the inner arch front and I have to put a section in the forward sill

Also have used a part of an old sill to repair the lower front of the wing as it had been plated before. You can see I am going to have to repair the arch too as that part was not as good as I thought. It doesn't matter too much because the wing would have had to come off to do these repairs thoroughly anyway



Once those jobs are done the wing and rear panel I'm hoping will come together pretty quickly and I'll really have something to photograph then

Edited by stradacab, 02 November 2011 - 11:10 PM.

[Manta again]

I admire your dedication and consistency of work. It will be fantastic when finished.

[stradacab]

The state of the nearside floor with all the thin and holed parts means it was easier to cut off all of the sill and repair it properly.

I have cut shaped and hammered the new panel to tighten it up as best I can and am trying to fit it like original by laying the rear wing over it.





I will have to repair the inner sill at front, plus this is going to need a jacking point as it is so far gone.

[paulmanta]

Looking as good as a rusty B can, its a mission but you seem to be winning bit by bit.

[stradacab]

The first of probably three plates to be let in to the floor. Slow work because I am butt welding here to so the repairplate  need to have the same curve and fit the hole exactly!- Reason is that I am trying to keep the floor profile as close as possible so that the outer sill will fit properly.

[monzta]

you are a superfreak at this (and i meen this in the most friendly of ways) As usual you keep impressing with those awsome fab´s..

[stradacab]

Outer sill plug welded on over the last few days and top ground down, need to tidy the plugs on the bottom tomorrow.

Now this is done I have something to attach the bottom front of the rear wing to so I can carry on with that job now!

[Devil Fish]

Come on, updates!!!

[stradacab]

I have had a bit of a lull! Not making excuses but gigs, Christmas and a dreadful chest infection (that I still haven't recovered fully from) has meany I havent done much.

Since the last update I have repaired the rear scuttle and the rear screen flange, and a bit more fettling of the wing. It is now just about ready to think about welding the rear wing back on. Pics to follow.....

[welder]

Awesome work.