Opel Manta Turbo Ecotec Build

[Later-A-body]

I’m really excited to start my new project.This is a 1974 Opel Manta. GM imported the Manta from Opel in Germany and sold them through Buick dealers from 1971-1975. My friend and I traveled up to Northern California to get the car after his brother-in-law told him he would not be able to do anything with the car. My buddy owns two Manta’s, and he knows that I really like these cars, so he asked me if I was interested. His brother got the car about 5 years ago, but never started on it. He said he didn’t need any money for it, so for the price of gas to drive from Southern California to Sacramento and back ($275.00), the car is mine. It sat outside under a tree and greenery and was pretty dirty inside and out. After getting it home I realized the car was only registered once. I tracked down the original owner and spoke with him on the phone. He explained he bought the car in 1975 at age 26 for a cash price of around $3,000.00 at San Rafael Buick. The car had been on the lot for over 1 year. He originally wanted an Opel GT, but that model was discontinued. The dealer explained that the Manta was highly discounted to sell. The reason the Buick dealer couldn’t sell the car was the color. Nobody wanted a lime green Manta. Well he bought it, and drove it until 1986 when the head cracked at 133,000 miles. He was a high school auto shop teacher, so he parked the car at the high school for the next 15 years. Apparently during that time, a student that received an F in auto shop decided to vandalize the car which explains the busted windshield and some dings and dents. He sold it to an Opel enthusiast who never touched the car, and then it was sold to my friend’s brother. No other buyer ever registered the car in their name, and the original owners name is still on the pink slip which is how I found him. After speaking with the original owner, he agreed to send me some old photographs of the car. This poor little green car deserves a break.

[Later-A-body]

After doing a full cleaning of the inside and out, I found the car to be in surprisingly good condition. There is no rust in the car. All the floorboards, trunk area, doors are shiny green underneath. There is some minor surface rust that comes off with scotch-bright. So my plan is to leave the patina and restore all the mechanical's of the car, while updating the drivetrain. Honestly, I would not have picked this color, but everyone that sees it thinks it’s a great color, so I guess when it’s time to paint the car, it will stay lime green. The mechanical's include swapping in a GM Ecotec LTG 2.0 Turbo motor from a 2016 Camaro. I purchased locally from a auto recycler. The motor has only 14,000 miles on it. Price was $1200.00. I also bought a brand new GM/Aisan 5-Speed manual transmission for a 2007-2009 Solstice/Sky for $600.00. The largest hurdle is the front cross-member and the oil pan. I have spoken with someone that did an Ecotec swap, and that was the biggest obstacle. I’m looking at doing a 15” or 16” wheel, a disc brake set up on the rear, and some larger disc brakes up front. The car already has rack and pinion up front and a 3-link panhard bar set up in the rear. Some modern seats will be added as well. I am not turning this car into a hacked up race car. I would like to have fun with the car and be able to autocross and road race it occasionally. The body is not perfect. There are a number of dings and dents that need to be addressed, but for the most part, I am leaving it alone. And since it has the original paint, I know it has no body filler. I hope to get it running and driving by the end of 2019.

[Later-A-body]

After cleaning out the car I was happy with what I didn't find. No rust. Everything underneath all the dirt was well preserved. There was some surface rust on the drivers side floor, but it lifted off with some 100 grit sandpaper.

[slimjim]

great project and a stylish little car. I saw one for sale near me recently(NC) and was thinking how good it could look with a few minor changes. the ecotec will be badass

[ryeguy2006a]

That is an awesome project, and pretty cool you are using a modern driveline. I wonder how many of those dents could be removed by an experienced PDR specialist?

[andrewb70]

Fantastic project!!!

Andrew

[SonomaZ]

My brother had an Opel GT way back when. Fun little car.
I would be willing to bet the German/Euro version of the bumpers would be an easy styling makeover assuming they can be sourced.
US market 5 mph bumpers were the worst thing to happen stylistically to every vehicle they were hung on.
Love your engine choice.

[cornfedbill]

Nice project. This is a very good platform for the LTG. It is just the right size. The power to weight ratio should be great.

[Michaels 69]

This should be fun!

[Bugzilla]

Sweet, another Ecotec powered project going on here!

[Later-A-body]

My brother had an Opel GT way back when. Fun little car.
I would be willing to bet the German/Euro version of the bumpers would be an easy styling makeover assuming they can be sourced.
US market 5 mph bumpers were the worst thing to happen stylistically to every vehicle they were hung on.
Love your engine choice.

Yes, the big ugly bumpers are coming off. I will be replacing them with the 71-73 small bumpers. There are a few things I have in mind as far as subtle changes. The rear licence plate lights are way too big. I think if I recess the license plate, I can eliminate the lights and incorporate a hidden light above.

[Later-A-body]

That is an awesome project, and pretty cool you are using a modern driveline. I wonder how many of those dents could be removed by an experienced PDR specialist?

I was thinking the same thing. I will have a dent guy come over to get an idea if they can be worked out of the metal. The metal on the Manta isn't as thin and tinny as a like year Japanese car, but still thinner than US cars.

[Later-A-body]

Nice project. This is a very good platform for the LTG. It is just the right size. The power to weight ratio should be great.

It for sure will have a favorable power to weight ratio. I actually didn't want to use the LTG motor simply because the standard N/A Ecotec's are making between 180-230 HP with a stand alone harness and proper tune which I think is plenty. The problem I ran into was the N/A motors are all priced way too high for a low mileage version. I consistently found the turbo ones cheaper which seems odd to me. So I said fine, get the turbo. It will require a roll bar just to keep the car from twisting. I won't be installing a front section, just a center bar and a rear section, but will retain the back seat. Not a race car!! These Ecotec motors are some of the best 4-cylinder platforms available. The amount of engineering GM has in these are incredible. Since this is a GM car, I wanted to keep it GM under the hood. I know there will be quite a lot of work and fabrication needed to get this motor, turbo plumbing, intercooler, etc. to fit properly, but I always take my time when it comes to the details. One area I will not leave the patina is the engine compartment. After finishing all of the fab work, I will paint the engine compartment the lime green to look new, as well as the engine will be detailed .

[Later-A-body]

This picture is of a Manta GTE. This was the top of the line sporty version that was available. In the future when the car does get painted, this is what I want the car to look like. The blue car has 15" wheels, which I will be doing now. I will be replacing the big bumpers, and incorporating the front spoiler as pictured.

[cornfedbill]

It for sure will have a favorable power to weight ratio. I actually didn't want to use the LTG motor simply because the standard N/A Ecotec's are making between 180-230 HP with a stand alone harness and proper tune which I think is plenty. The problem I ran into was the N/A motors are all priced way too high for a low mileage version. I consistently found the turbo ones cheaper which seems odd to me. So I said fine, get the turbo. It will require a roll bar just to keep the car from twisting. I won't be installing a front section, just a center bar and a rear section, but will retain the back seat. Not a race car!! These Ecotec motors are some of the best 4-cylinder platforms available. The amount of engineering GM has in these are incredible. Since this is a GM car, I wanted to keep it GM under the hood. I know there will be quite a lot of work and fabrication needed to get this motor, turbo plumbing, intercooler, etc. to fit properly, but I always take my time when it comes to the details. One area I will not leave the patina is the engine compartment. After finishing all of the fab work, I will paint the engine compartment the lime green to look new, as well as the engine will be detailed .

My son and I ran a tuned HHR SS with an LNF in the Sandhills Open Road Challenge. We used a tune from ZZ Performance in Grand Rapids, MI and made a few small tweaks. The only hardware we changed were two MAP sensors. It ran pretty strong. The smaller lighter Manta will be a rocket.

[Later-A-body]

I have done a lot of research on the Ecotec regarding stand alone wiring harnesses and ECU tuning. ZZ-Performance is one of the companies I am aware of, but I have tried to contact them a few times and I get no answer on the phone. CBM Motorsports here in California does not support the LTG. I have spoken with Alpha Fab in Michigan and I am real comfortable with them. They seem to have all the knowledge and components I need to do the swap. They do a lot of Ecotec swaps and builds for off-road applications. They offer a nice harness/ECU package. They also can wire in the GM flex fuel sensor so I have the option to run E-85 which I want to do.

[Bugzilla]

CBM is working on the LTG ecu/harness. They should have a system out early next year. They just completed the LFX system (which was the holdup) and are now moving on to the LTG. Dont ask how I know haha.

[cornfedbill]

I have done a lot of research on the Ecotec regarding stand alone wiring harnesses and ECU tuning. ZZ-Performance is one of the companies I am aware of, but I have tried to contact them a few times and I get no answer on the phone. CBM Motorsports here in California does not support the LTG. I have spoken with Alpha Fab in Michigan and I am real comfortable with them. They seem to have all the knowledge and components I need to do the swap. They do a lot of Ecotec swaps and builds for off-road applications. They offer a nice harness/ECU package. They also can wire in the GM flex fuel sensor so I have the option to run E-85 which I want to do.

It's been done. See this clean Vega. http://gearheadnextdoor.com/blog/201...73-chevy-vega/

[Boosted Falcon]

Fun build, we have a couple of 17 RS Camaro's with the Turbo Ecotec engines. The engine is impressive and in a car 1000lb less should be really fun.

[wfo guy]

I'll be watching.