1974 A Series Opel Manta Blog

The Opel Project blog has been setup to record the rebuild of my 1974 A Series Opel Manta.
OPEL
1974 A Series Opel Manta Blog
ring compressor sleeves from Wiseco
CIH Engine

Fitting Pistons

Last time i built the engine up i used one of those pesky band type piston ring clamps and it wasn’t the greatest thing for fitting them. So this time i did a bit of reading and came across these ring compressor sleeves from Wiseco. They start off wider and taper to the same size as the piston bore. So i bought one to try it out and they are Amazing. No hitting the piston top with a hammer end or something like this. These you can just push in with your fingers as unlike the band type that you…

Continue reading
CIH Engine

Time to get the engine back together!

So the crank is back after being ground by .25mm. New bearings and piston have arrived + plus a few other bits 🙂 Now time to test out the new piston ring compressor sleeve! Im going to try the old damaged piston first to see how it works, it looked nice and easy on youTube!

Continue reading
Brakes, Interior

FOOT DOWN, LETS GO!

Now the winter has finally passed and the nights are longer is full speed and back on the project again 🙂 While i wait for the crank to come back i have a few other things to keep me busy! Today i had a full day on the Opel and as the weather was nice and dry i managed to get quite a lot done. When i removed the engine and box to give that the check over i noticed that the torque tube doughnut looked like it had a crack, and on further investigation noticed it was totally shot! so…

Continue reading
OPEL

Spring Time = Opel Time

So now the bad weather is out of the way and its getting warmer its time to get moving on the car again. I have a new plan of attack to try and get her finished this year! The crank is at the engine shop and needs a slight grind which i think was down to the problems starting her up and getting the oil pumping as a few of the bearing did have wear that looked like they had been short of oil. So hopefully in a couple of weeks, the crank will be back and i can get…

Continue reading
OPEL

1974 A Series Opel MantaFeatured

My 1974 A Series Opel Manta. It’s been a long project and there are still a few little modifications I want to do in the future,. Now running a 2.0l+ CIH engine on full OMEX 600 engine management with Webcon throttle bodies. Everything is custom-made or adapted, from the full 2.5″ stainless steel exhaust, Wilwood racing callipers, Cosworth rear callipers, Hydraulic clutch, Chevy S10 clutch kit and lots more.. Read on for full details of the rebuild and hopefully one-day pictures of her out on the road in Germany!

Continue reading
Clutch

Hydraulic clutch

So lots to do and this weekend its time to get started again. So along with a clean up of bits im looking to get the hydraulic clutch started. I have it setup as a little mock up and need to secure a few bits and get testing.

Continue reading
CIH Engine

Engine out

Ok, it’s been a while since i posted and also since i did much to the old A series! Life kind of gets in the way far too often!! So as i decided to fit the S10 clutch and new flywheel i decided it was time to fix a couple of bits i was not happy about and as i like to do things big style! it was engine and box out. So i now have the box and engine completely out, the front suspension and part of the exhaust. So things to fix: Manifold – drill out holes as they…

Continue reading
CIH Engine

Opel Manta running full Webcon Alpha system

Just a quick little pic of the engine before it drop it and the box out to add the new S10 clutch and flywheel and to sort out a few little bits and get the hydraulic clutch setup, then its back in and time to run her up and see what to do about tuning her up properly.

Continue reading

Popular posts

GM/Opel CIH Engine Timing Chain Guides & Potential Problems

Im writing this little post on some of this issues i have encountered when building my Opel Manta CIH engine due to the differences between the Original GM/OPEL timing...

Finishing the Exhaust

I have finally got back round to doing some more work on the car!! The summer has been a bit busy with work so not much time has been...