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Manta B GT/E


AMG
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I'm sure quite a few will need no introduction to this car! My dad has had his eye on it for a while now, had tried to buy it off a previous owner, but couldn't be talked to at the time.
One thing lead to another and he now has it home, so hopefully have it registered and out and about over the summer.


Only plans are to give it a good clean, replace the lower front spoiler as it has went missing somewhere along the way, and possibly fit chrome bumpers.
Also have a set of 6x13 ATS alloys that I might put on as I am not overly fussed on the standard steel rims.

5 stud in some of the pictures is now gone.

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Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.






Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.


Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.


Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

Edited by AMG
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16 minutes ago, AMG said:

Also have a set of 6x13 ATS alloys that I might put on as I am not overly fussed on the standard steel rims.

Those original Steel GT/E wheels are incredably rare, in Europe owners are paying stupid money just to get a set to complete their restoration. Personally i'd keep them on the car so as you have a perfect original look.

You have a really nice Manta there, i have seen a few of these early GT/E's in the Netherlands and like them  lot.

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:ph34r:Not nice at all aidy, your just gonna have to send it on! My way!

Why settle for 6 inch ATS, ! Go for 8, keep the plastic bumpers too! And those wheels, healrh to enjoy lads, c ya out and about hopefully this yr

We are gonna have to organise a full manta meet! How many would we get?

Do you have a big garden available! :lol:

mantab.jpg

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  • 5 months later...

Finally got the Manta registered, big thanks has to go to Steve Hancock for his help with that! Took a lot of trial and error, but got there in the end!

 

Got the plates on today, so was all set to take it on a drive, but the car had other ideas! The starter decided not to play ball, so have it removed and hopefully get a new one on Monday!

Picture of it stuck in a messy garage as that's as far as it got.

 

Project images are available to Club Members Only, Click to become an OMOC Member.

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  • 4 months later...

Hi. I've took this one on and I've got big plans for it. By the start of show season it'll be 16 valved on bike carbs, 5 speed, have a ZF lsd, big brakes, lowered 3", poly bushed, have Bilstein shockers, Tony Law 2.5" exhaust and 7x15 Compomotive th rims. I'll keep the german GT/E theme though as it looks cool in this silver and black. I'd really like to strip it out and cage it like I've done with my other cars but I'm going to try a fully trimmed one that'll be more of a tourer than a race car. Might even try a radio in this one.

Edited by 399 road
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 Before you get busy with the spanners take a look at the money these early GT/E's are now making in Europe, they are VERY sort after, but only when they are original and this one even has the incredibly rare original steel GT/E wheels.

 It is your car and your free to do whatever you want to it, but don't do something that you will later regret because taking this Manta away from original condition will drop it's value by a large amount.

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Hi Ian. Thanks for your reply. Originally I was after another Ascona shell to rebuild my rusting one into. I also looked at lhd Manta bs and remembered how good this silver one looked when Drew imported it and was selling it a Billing a few years back. I put lhd Manta b GT/E for sale into Google and Adrian's car popped up. All I wanted was this car's lhd bodyshell in good condition with good paint, but it looks great in GT/E trim so I'll still swap the running gear across. At the moment it drives dead soft, the brakes judder and the ride height looks awkward, so I can fix it back to standard or stick all my stuff under it with the free bits off the Ascona to make it fast, handle properly and stop in a straight line. I'm not fussed about resale value as I keep stuff for years and years. I reckon those rare GT/E steels would look great, banded to 8" or so with skinny tyres, but I'll try and sell these on as there are five of them, all in perfect condition, with perfect chrome centre caps and matching newish tyres.

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  • 2 months later...

Last weekend I've made a start on this one. I've removed the interior and found a fair sized hole above the osf jacking point. This hole wouldn't have been visible from below, but needs repairing with a patch. The rest of the floor looks rock solid though and the front of the n/s floor has been repaired already. Today I've spent a few hours with the heat gun, warming the sound proofing mats then scraping them off. The jacking point is quite rusty inside too, so I might fit one if these while I'm at this stage. Still dead happy with the car and I was expecting some repairs anyway. I'll be cutting the bulkhead back for the 16v conversion and also cutting and rewelding the rear chassis' crossmember near the Panhard rod mount to make a bit more room for the exhaust with the car being really low. Next job is stripping the donor Ascona of all the bits I'm changing over.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Next week this project will progress quickly .I've got a week off work to transform it into the reshell of the Ascona. It'll be heading for my garage on Friday to be stripped of its wheezing CIH, soft suspension and warped brakes. I've decided to get the Manta stripped and weld it up before pulling the Ascona apart. That way the bits can get swapped across as they're removed.

For sale...2 door lhd Ascona shell, needs sills and tidying. On sorn and uk registered. Including 400 replica bonnet, spoilers, new windscreen recently fitted. Has welded in platforms for full roll cage and welded in seat mounts. Polar white with satin black round the windows and black dash.

Edited by 399 road
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I'll get it stripped and then take pics matey. It needs work and I struggle for spare time now so it was quicker to reshell it into this Manta then me restore it again. Love the car to bits but it has to live on in another body shell that's not going to look as good, but will drive exactly the same. It'll be rolling and steering when it goes.

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Manta had its last drive this afternoon as a standard car. Seats feel really high in the shell compared to the Ascona's buckets, so their frames might need shortening if they are going back in. Tomorrow it'll get pulled apart and sat on stands ready for welding. It got a fair bit of attention driving through town earlier too, so should get more once it's sitting low over some nice wheels.

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Manta is now a shell. A bit of poking revealed some repairs that need carrying out to the shell and this has put me back a few days. The worst of it is just in front of the rear spring mounts on each side of the chassis and the only indication of any possible rust was a slight crack in the ancient underseal. One of the rear drums is drilled for its previous 5 stud conversion ( now sadly gone ). The car's running gear looked pretty original and all the factory lock tabs on things looked untouched, so apart from the suspension and having being 5 stud, I don't think much has been done with it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Car is now sat on its lowered suspension, big brakes and Compomotives. It looks amazing. Offered Ascona's cage up and that fits too. Clutch needed replacing and the new pressure plate will need balancing as the old one was, so I'll drop the crank out this weekend and nip it over to the place that balanced the old one. This weekend it's brakepipe time and I'll remake the lot. If I get chance I'll make up some roll cage feet too. The drive plate in my clutch is from a Carlton, but I'm going to try an unsprung one from a dual mass Omega.

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