1974 Opel Manta 1900 - 4 speed w/ dealership installed AC

Description

Always a southern California car, my Grandparents bought this 1974 Manta from the original owner (a “little old lady”) in 1977. As a kid in the late 1980s, I remember riding in the passenger seat as my Grandpa drove the Manta to pack down the fresh asphalt patches in his long driveway. It was one of four cars they had, so they drove it sparingly, and maintained it well (their daily, a 1979 Mercedes 300SD made it to 500k miles before they decided to replace the diesel engine. They still drive it today). In the late 1990s it was repainted and reupholstered, the fuel tank was cleaned and resealed and a Weber 32/36 carburetor was installed. Years passed and it was being driven less and less. I was gifted the car around 2008/2009 and started preparing it for use as a daily driver: The radiator was cleaned, rodded and repainted. Koni adjustable shocks were installed in the rear. KYB shocks were fitted to the front, along with new ball joints and polyurethane control bushings. The alternator was upgraded to a modern, modified GM unit from MechMan Alternators in Tennessee. I think it is rated around 135 amperes. The low beam (outer) headlights were upgraded to a high quality, DOT approved, glass H4 lenses and bulbs (made in Germany, too). The starter was rebuilt, an ANSA sport exhaust /muffler was installed and there’s probably more that I’m forgetting. It was a daily driver for a few months, until the clutch started slipping and I parked it in 2012. It sat until the beginning of this year when I had the clutch, pressure plate, bearings and cable replaced and tried to fire it up again. The fuel pump was found to have gone bad. When I replaced the fuel pump, I rinsed the tank and also replaced all fuel feed lines and most breather lines. The old fuel pump is a serviceable type, so it comes with the car. In fact, a lot of parts come with the car, which brings us to the next section. --------- EDIT: All brake hoses and rear wheel cylinders were replaced on 08/03/2018 along with the rear passenger-side marker light and lens. Parts that come with the car: I am including everything I have that is Opel related: A thick file of receipts and paperwork going back to the 1970s, a 1974 Opel factory service manual, an Autobooks manual for Manta A & Ascona A, a spare cylinder head (bare), FelPro gasket set, new timing chain, Pertronix electronic ignition kit and another similar unit of an unknown brand. New Old Stock QH brand upper ball joints (pair), MagneCor 8.5mm spark plug wires w/ 2 different style coil wires, pair of black “bullet shaped” side mirrors, 16x Gorilla brand security lug nuts and 1x key. New thermostat, cap, rotor, and brake master cylinder are all included along with other miscellaneous OE and aftermarket parts. The stock Solex carburetor, stock alternator and all five stock wheels (wheels and caps only) are also included. The ugly truths: The car is 44+ years old and has a few areas of rust bubbles forming under the paint. The upholstery is fairly good quality but the door cards don’t fit quite right. The radio/speakers are not functioning. The rubber door seals and carpet are cracked/crispy. The glove box door hinge has separated and the dash has some cracking. The door locks need servicing. The rotors have a decent layer of surface rust. The wheels and tires on it are not great, just a set of rollers. The carburetor needs a tune and probably a cleaning. Not really sure what else to say at this point, other than sharing that I am sad to sell this car, but am also hopeful that someone will give this car the love and attention it deserves. Our family grew this year, and keeping this car just doesn't make sense anymore. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I drive for a living so I may take up to 24 hours to respond. Thanks for looking! ~ Steve