Opel Manta Turbo Ecotec Build

[SRD art]

Thumbs up!

[andrewb70]

Sounds like a solid plan!

Andrew

[Autobahn-Outlaw]

Hi,

this is a nice project ! I had also a Manta A in limegreen, over 30 years ago......
It was and is a very nice colour and you see the colour on a 70s Challenger or other Mopars.
A very nice car from the beginning, you need only to change the US bumpers, they are junk.
The A Manta was a very good racecar in its days and even Walter Röhrl drove 24h races with it.
For me one of the best racecar drivers ever !

You get mostly everything for this car, it is an icon !

https://www.fotocommunity.de/photo/m...ander/23395193




.

[Autobahn-Outlaw]

I have found another nice pic:

http://www.fahrzeugbilder.de/bild/pk...trowumbau.html

http://www.fahrzeugbilder.de/name/ga...1970-1975.html

Most of the racecars here in Europe/Germany have flares.....

[Later-A-body]

Well after it finally stopped raining out here in sunny southern Ca., I decided to get the Manta out of the garage and attack the rest of the factory installed asphalt sheet insulation. I really needed to remove all of it to make sure I was not dealing with any hidden rust. So it was about 80 degrees last weekend, and because I left the car sitting outside a few hours, the insulation came up super easy after it warmed up. Luckily, I did not find any other rust. A few months ago I found a very small area under the drivers left foot that turned out to be just surface rust. I took the grinder to it, and it is lifted quite easily.

[Later-A-body]

The other work I performed was to remove the large front and rear 5 MPH bumpers front and rear. I did purchase a used rear bumper from the '71-'73 Manta. It is in one of the pictures just hanging but not installed yet. Big improvement. I have not weighed the bumpers yet, but I am guessing they are approximately 30 pounds each. That will play well into more weight reduction. I also had to buy a front grille. I will be buying a front bumper soon, but am saving the money right now.

[Later-A-body]

Last thing to talk about are wheels. I have been researching wheels for the Manta for months. I'm confident that I am now an expert on ALL 4x100 15/16/17" wheels. I have looked at every available option, and have learned quite a lot. For one thing, the Manta uses the same 4x100 bolt pattern as the Mazda Miata. And the information that I learned about the Miata has given me a lot of help choosing wheels. Because the Miata is a lightweight car with limited power, heavy cast wheels are a big negative for handling and performance. Since Miata's are probably the most popular model used for road racing and autocross, there are many very high quality lightweight 15 and 16 inch wheels available. Also I really don't want to completely blow the hell out of my budget by buying very expensive wheels that would probably wind up being too heavy, and negatively effect handling. I have narrowed my choice down to Konig Dekagram's. Konig makes very high quality wheels that are very popular in the tuner market. The best part is that they are not a cast wheel, the are Flow Formed. A few companies have this technology which allows them to create a very light wheel that is much stronger than a cast wheel. As an example, the 15x7.5 Dekagram weighs approximately 11.5 pounds!! This will allow excellent suspension movement and not add unnecessary rolling mass. They are only offered in a black and bronze. I always liked bronze wheels, so I am getting the bronze. I think the bronze will look good against the lime green. These wheels are only $139-$159 each due to the smaller diameter. I will for sure install the 15x7.5" (+35 offset) on the front with a 205/50/15. I am considering a 16x8" (+35 offset) for the rear in order to get a little taller tire (23.9") and a little tuck in the fender. The 16" would be a 225/45/16. 17" wheel are not an option. I have seen them on this car, and it looks like a clown car. Here is a picture of both the 15" and 16" side by side.

[Later-A-body]

Thought I would throw this picture up just because it's such a clean example of the Manta.

[jpplageman]

Very interested in following your build. Looks like you're quite a few steps ahead of me. I picked up a 1972 Manta Rallye a few weeks ago and am strongly considering going the same route with the ecotec. Is there a reason you went for the turbo 2.0 vs. the n/a 2.4? Assuming space was a constraint?

[tonykim]

Wonderful thread that I am going to follow. I have been around Opels all my life. The small bumper conversion requires holes to be cut in the quarter panels and fenders for side mounting provisions. The gigantic 74-75 bumpers mounted
just to the straight out braces. I love the Miata wheels. One catch on those is finding a center cap that will cover the front hubs. A lot of folks run without caps. Relocation of the heater box and the battery tray to make more room makes a ton of sense. the heater boxes fall apart and the battery trays rust out so nothing lost there.

[Later-A-body]

I haven't been paying attention to the thread for a few months so sorry for the delay in response. First thing to state is this project has not been abandoned! I am going forward on the build but have been sidetracked the last few months. The major hold up has been wheel choice. Because I planned to have a custom brake set up built for Manta, that required me to know exactly what wheel I was running. Specifics such as bolt pattern, width, diameter, offset are all needed up front so the custom brackets, caliper size, rotor size were needed for measurements and fit. Todd at TCE Performance in Arizona will be building the brakes kit. We will be using Wilwood components. Two piece rotors will be used most likely in the 11.75" range for the front. A 4 piston caliper such as a Dynapro is being looked at. The car does not need a overly large rotor due to the 2150 lbs. the car weighs. So I finally picked wheels. I honestly was sick at looking at wheels. I really wanted 16" wheels. 15's would work, but 16's appealed to me more. So instead of a modern wheel, I got very lucky and found a set of vintage AC Schnitzer Type 1 wheels in a 16x7.5, et25. 16's are very hard to find. 15's and 17's are easy to find. 17's are too big for this car. I will be running Toyo r888r tires in a 205/45/16 front, and 225/45/16 rear stagger. The AC's will really keep this looking vintage. I always loved these wheels so I am glad I didn't have to settle. They are so simple and classic. They will need to be restored. I am looking at doing a subtle medium hyper silver color. German car....German wheels.

[Later-A-body]

Very interested in following your build. Looks like you're quite a few steps ahead of me. I picked up a 1972 Manta Rallye a few weeks ago and am strongly considering going the same route with the ecotec. Is there a reason you went for the turbo 2.0 vs. the n/a 2.4? Assuming space was a constraint?

Honestly I was looking for a late model N/A Ecotec motor but they were way overpriced. I kept seeing the turbo
LTG Ecotec engines for reasonable prices. I couldn't pass up a 2016 motor with 14,000 miles for the price I paid. Space was not a factor. All the Ecotecs are fairly large so the only issue will be intercooler placement.

[Later-A-body]

There are a few details I am considering for the Manta. One idea I have is to remove the gas tank and replace it with a fuel cell. A few reasons for this are the tank would have to be restored which will cost at least $250-$300. Another reason is that I want to build a very conservative rear diffuser style panel with dual tips, see picture. There is no room to run exhaust on the passenger side with the stock tank in place. I also have a buddy who is a fabricater who builds fuel cells. He can build one in any shape I want. I would like something more rectangular and low profile that will not sit very low under the car. I would like to see it sit half way in and out of the trunk floor. I think 12 gallons is about right.

[68Formula]

Updates? I love Manta As. Very cool build.