64 replies to this topic

[mantaray]

Well at last after 18 month outside, the A is finaly back in the garage.[]

I started working on the front this weekend, the nose cone needed moving, as the bonnet gap was always out due to the fitting on a new inner wing 10 years ago. After a bit of giging about I now have perfect gaps all the round the bonnet.[][]

Next was to takle the n/s head light houseing and front lower grill area.





New section

Old section






Primed up.





I also managed to clean down the inner wings, rust treat and prime.










Inside the wings looks good just needs a good clean.[]




During the week and next weekend I hope to get the engine bay finnished and the front wheel wells cleaned and protected, then I will be able to rebiuld the front end ready for preping.Then it's onto the sills and doors. Not too much here just a bad bit on the o/s door shut.




.........................

     Before            Now

[mantaray]

Well managed to get back in the garage again this weekend.

Finished stripping out the wiring and peddles.





Manta A / V6 wiring loom.

And then set too striping all the sound deadening ect.






Found a bit of rot in drivers side rear foot well.





And the roof needs a good clean down.




I also cleaned down the nose cone  and screen area to metel as there was some blistering in the paint.





Rust treated the wings.





All in all not a bad weekends work.

[endakillian]

A great weekends work Chris! I am folowing this thread with mucho interest

[Robbie]

You got a lot more done than me this weekend Chris, nice going M8

[mantaray]

Not alot done this weekend.

Continued with the cleaning down of the inside and moved into the boot area today, but I have to help a friend change the engine in his Sherpa van tomorrow so I don't expect to get any thing done on the car tomorrow.

I did pick up my new modifyed disc bells yesterday, so I can start putting the new brakes together now and I should be getting my roll over cradle back this week ( lent it to a fellow member) so once I have it on that I can start to sort out the welding and get the under side cleaned down.

[mantaray]

Well it took longer than the week to get my roll over cradle back, but it didnt matter as I have not had time to work on the car untill this week end.

I had planed to have a good 3 days on the car, but on cheaking my emails when I got in from work, this was not to be.

Anyway, finaly got in the garage this afternoon.

Frist of was to modify the roll over cradle, so it could be attached to the car and not the rear axle.  



This done, I was then able to remove the axle and roll the car over to get a good look at the under side.





Unfortuneatly I found more than I had hope for, or expected from the quick look over I had given it a few months ago.  The sills were holed and the OS chasse rails has a crack and hole in it. So it's going to be a biger job than first throught.





First job was to remove the outer sill to see how bad it was inside... not good.





After cuting out the worst of it, I cleaned it down and then left it covered in rust converter for the night.





Lets see how tomorrow goes.  {SMILIES_PATH}/hmmm.gif

[mantaray]

Well had another look at it to day and decided to remove a large section of the floor, just as well as you can see from the pics.









Having seen the state of the rails I am now planing to remove it and replace with box section as it is very thin in places.  

[paulmanta]

That floor and sill removal is pretty much what i did on my A, not quite as bad as yours because i left the inner sill in place and stripped the floor away from it but nearly.

Funny how the drivers side is always worse.

[Robbie]

Glad you braced the car Chris, better to get rid of anything bad and replace it with solid metal, at this rate you will be taking out shares in british steel and british Gas, cracking work  

[mantaray]

Up Date.

The A is back in the garage, got a little free time at the moment and more to the point an empty garage, so I got the A back in today.

Have just ordered a pair of chassie legs from Germany and have started to prepaire the old chassie ready to fit the new ones when they arrive.

Hopefully I will manage to get a bit done this time, before the garage is needed for paying work.

[upk]

awesome!

brings back memories!!

[novashed]

looks familiar lol

[simon p]

well done Chris, we'll take billing by storm next year   2011 should be the year of the A Series.

[mark morris]

Strange, i was watching a program about drag bikes earlier, filmed in santa pod, spotted the manta in the backround lol

[paul1393]

Best of luck with your re-build Chris. My advice for what its worth would be to take your time, don't set any deadlines, accept only the vision you have for the finished car no matter how long it takes to get there.

If I can help with anything let me know.

Paul.

[novashed]

paul1393, on 15 August 2010 - 07:41 PM, said:

Best of luck with your re-build Chris. My advice for what its worth would be to take your time, don't set any deadlines, accept only the vision you have for the finished car no matter how long it takes to get there.

If I can help with anything let me know.

Paul.

i think that is some of the soundest advice ive heard for some time!

[mantaray]

Well a bit of an update.

Started to stip the under seal off from under the car, and it's a night mare.   When I did the car some 13year ago, I painted the whole underside with a poduct called "Rubber coat". You paint it on with a brush but when it dries it forms into rubber . In most of the floor pan it has worked really well but in some areas it had got "ripped" and started to lift and it is a real bugger to get off.

I have deceied that I want to get the whole shell midia blasted, so I am looking at prices but so far the best I've come up with is around £350 to blast and zink prime it.

I have tried to use one of the DIY sand blast kits, but although it does work it would take months to do the whole car. The area in the second pic took about 4 hours to do.





I also received a new pair of outer chassie legs from Germany this week, they are for a Manta Coupe, but will not need much fettleing to get them to fit the A.

Front sub frame has been temp. mounted so that I can use it as a datum to trile fit the new swan neck.



So all in all some work has been done.

[mantaray]

Got a bit more done over the last few days. Drivers side chassis leg is now compleat and at last I have some strengh back in the shell.


Spot welds drilled out to remove section of floor to tunnel.


New floor section fabricated.


New section welded in and given a coat of weld through primer to protect it once the new rail is in place.


New inner rail welded in place.


New swan neck welded in place and trial fit of rear extending rail.


New section of rear cross beam fitted.









That the drivers side sorted  

[mantaray]

Today I deceided to have a look at the bottom of the A post. As most will know this area is prone to rot, it was not too bad but the metel was quite thin after cleaning it up, so I deceided to try and make up a new section.

Old section I wish to make.





I deceided to make it up out of 3 peices of sheet steel welded together.
1st peice after shapeing.


Test fit.


Second peice.


Welded together.


After a bit more work and fettleing this is what I ended up with. Not to bad.



Fitted in place to see what it looks like. I will fettle it in more as I weld it in place, but I'm very happy with the result.

[novashed]

exactly how i made mine, well the second one anyway, first was a little more boxy or 'robust' should i say lol.