107 replies to this topic

[blitzi]

where did u got the floorpans mate and how much ? nice job by the way

[upk]

floor plans from here:-
http://cgi.ebay.de/B...=item335757f2de

sent payment by paypal and they arrived 2 days later!!

really good fit too

highly recommend these panels, not cheap but they save alot of time in fabrication.

Edited by upk, 15 November 2009 - 07:30 PM.

[mantadoc]

Spotted and seam welded in? (the floor)

Nice roof

[upk]

not seam welded as yet, but they will be. Gonna replace the chassis rails etc first and then seam welding will be home straight.

also will need to dress the welds on the roof to finish that before lead loading the joint overlaps.

[blitzi]

cheers well worth it

[Retro Power]

upk, on 14 October 2009 - 05:28 PM, said:

just to clarify i have added same pic but marked up where the cut will be made !!

Really impressive work there! We've done it the 'Kev' method before, and it seems like the best bet.... Just a note on the drawing above.... The roofskin gutter seam is a continuous 'roller' weld (hence why you can't just drill out the welds)

Keep up the good work, be interested to see it develop.

[mantadoc]

Retro Power, on 21 November 2009 - 01:32 PM, said:

Just a note on the drawing above.... The roofskin gutter seam is a continuous 'roller' weld

The point above has been debated a lot.. and at last count it appeared although "knurled" along the top it is spotted, look on the underside of the gutter.
I always thought it was continuous roller weld can't remember where the thread was.........

[upk]

picked up the donar car the other day, very pleased as its a lovely example, very clean and low mileage with service history.
actually its nearly to good to break!
However the manta comes first and then i can sell on the bits i dont need to recover the cost of the car!!





by the way i can concurr that the roof skin is knurl rolled and spot welded in one operation  by opel.

[upk]

Project withdrawel symptons................major boredom!!

not been so good for the past 2 weeks or so, got an inner ear infection that plays havoc with ones balance, even go dizzy if i get up too quick in a morning, all stemed from an infected tooth nerve.
Well i have now had a root canal filling............doesnt hurt!!
on even stronger antibiotics!!
and feel alot better but still not well enough to work on the manta!!

only good thing is the girlfriends brother decided to tax the omega and use up the rest of the MOT(before i break it) so its not sat on the drive...............room for something else i thinks!!!!?????

anyway still bloody bored!!!
ah well one more week in work then thats me done till 4th Jan.

[Retro Power]

mantadoc, on 21 November 2009 - 07:28 PM, said:

The point above has been debated a lot.. and at last count it appeared although "knurled" along the top it is spotted, look on the underside of the gutter.
I always thought it was continuous roller weld can't remember where the thread was.........

Hmmm, interesting. In "the last manta" video you can see the roof welds being done, and its a roller welder being used.............maybe they changed the process at some poin, unless they pulse the current to the roller welder maybe?

Certainly you can see the knurled electrodes sparking as they roll along the gutter

Edited by Retro Power, 14 December 2009 - 05:49 PM.

[upk]

Well all the xmas shopping is done!!
(hope she likes it)
we seem to have missed out on the snow and ice that many areas are experiencing!

so i am gonna have a go at the Manta today as i have not touched it for over a month!

Happy xmas to you all and a Very Merry New Year!!

hey do you think theres much chance Santa will bring me a 400???

[upk]

well an enjoyable morning in the workshop. Managed to get the swan kneck repair sections cut and set up in final position.
before i can weld them i have marked the floor pan so that i can remove them and drill through for the plug welds ( intention is to drill floor pan etc and weld through to the swan kneck)!
this is tedious process as i have fitted and removed several times already to ensure the cutting and welding will be right and the best fit achieved, but hey ho, its gotta be done right!!

[upk]

Well its been a while, cold weather and decorating stopped progress but got back to it yesterday.....

tacked the jacking point in place ( after swopping over the jack tube) and fitted the replacement chassis rail( dont panick, jacking point is fully welded to swan kneck under the rail). For the latter had to make a couple of small modifications as the new swan knecks would not allow rail to butt up flush to floor. So i cut a slit at each corner along the length to allow it to expand over. Plan is too weld the two rails together and then use a flap disc to dress to profile.

Was going really well and then i ran out of mig wire!!!!!!!!!
time too go shopping for supplies.







as you can see, all plug welded from inside




Watch out for my Manta A in aprils edition of Total Vauxhall  

Edited by upk, 14 February 2010 - 11:19 AM.

[keith1200]

Kev was it the front chassis leg you had to mode or was it the rear one? looks like the rear one from the picture. I suppose fitting 4 different aftermarket panels from 4 different suppliers can be time consuming and tricky getting them all to fit 'spot-on'.
The work is looking 'top-notch'  

[upk]

the rear one where it sits over the front one, its hidden by the axle stand but if you look closely you will see the red of the lower one. I basically slit lengthways at the corners in the bottom of the u section.

[2908642343]

Kev;

any chance of a couple of extra pics of the new floor pan you fitted.?

John

[upk]

Hi John,
some shots earlier in the thread have a look see if they help you, if not give me a clue as too what specifically you need to see. I recommend these panels as they fit extremely well and have saved me loads of time in refabrication. they even have the pressed strengthener channels in them, an all too often overlooked repair detail!!

ps Also in thread is link to supplier.

Edited by upk, 17 February 2010 - 08:32 PM.

[upk]

New roll of mig wire to hand so i did a bit more on the chassis rail to finish the passenger side off





will need a bit more welding and fettling to finish but the plan is to do the other side first, once i have some strength back in the chassis legs the shell will go on the rollover and that will make finishing a lot easier.
that said i started to prepare the driver side swan kneck for the reinforcment box section. Not as bad as the other side but it still needs serious attention!!
Heres how i left it after cutting away the outside face.

[upk]

fabricated and welded in the box section reinforcement today:-





then cut away the old rusty floorpan so i can weld in the new swan kneck sections same as other side.




I do enjoy the fabrication side of a project .................test's your metal!!   

[stradacab]

Quick question, did you brace the car when cutting that much leg out in one go?
I'm always afraid it will go a bit wobbly if I take too much out at once.