Suttys most expensive but long lasting collection/project thread EVER. Contains Manta porn.

[sutty2006]

Work has begun. 
 

replacement fuel pump and filter from the spares department will be going on soon. 

[sutty2006]

So the pump didn’t go on, cheap aftermarket unit has round connectors not spades, so I’ll order a proper one soon. For now, I’ve jiggled the pump and bracket a little to allow the fuel pipe to be less restrictive and fitted a slightly different filter, which is good for the Carlton so no issue there. 

[Six-cylinder]

On 06/04/2026 at 16:25, eddyramrod said:

Those could be Opel brochure shots!  

 

[Six-cylinder]

On 05/04/2026 at 10:30, sutty2006 said:

Hopefully yes. This one has never been to any meets or shows in its life (apart from one that he stumbled on by accident and left when it got too busy for him)

and yes. The exclusive came in 86 or 87. This car was ordered in February 88, then invoiced in May, and finally delivered to Dave on the 1st August 1988 when the F plate came out. 
 

 

My price list is dated 16th May 1988. Did he get a small discount or was it priced from an earlier price list?

 

[sutty2006]

26 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

My price list is dated 16th May 1988. Did he get a small discount or was it priced from an earlier price list?

 

It was ordered in feb, unsure if it was ordered on febs prices but i recon by May they were desperate to get rid of them in line for new stock. Possibly. 
 

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

 

I could have a go at recreating that but there’s grass involved 😅

[horriblemercedes]

On 06/04/2026 at 16:06, sutty2006 said:

 

 

 

Impressive one tyre fire!

[sutty2006]

I’ve started the cleaning process. 
 

The rear quarter windows were stuck solid to the seals but eventually came free with some gentle persuasion. glass cleaned and seals cleaned lightly with silicone spray 

 

 

here. Have a quarter shot. 
 

there are a couple of paint blemishes. They look to be stone chips that have been touched up. And a scratch in one door that’s been painted in. otherwise, very good condition 

 

 

[trigger]

Bloody hell! That's amazing! Sorry to hear about your friend but what a legacy! 

That's got to be up there with one of the last, and one of the best ones left. Congratulations!

[sutty2006]

A small job completed today after work. 
 

Rocker cover gasket leaking. I had a go at cleaning the side of the engine, but like everything in this day and age, I make a mountain out of a mole hill. 

despite this rocker cover being repainted a few times, I still felt bad breaking the paint off

 

nice and clean inside!

never seen a CIH breather so clean

 

 

old gasket removed, new installed

once back together, another quick clean. There’s a lot of road dirt stuck to wax and oil, it’s quite hard to clean off! 
 

but I’ve made a start, and I’ll attack it again soon. 
 

ordered these bobbins today for the fuel pump

 

[Essex V6]

On 05/04/2026 at 09:03, sutty2006 said:

I’ve been keeping this secret. And I don’t really know why. There is a long story to this one, but I’ll shorten it down as much as possible. 
 

A little over 12/13 years ago I was talking to my builder friend about my Carmine red Manta Hatch. He told me that his builder mate had one and that he’d pass my number over if there was anything he needed help with. Dave contacted me not long after, with a problem with his Carmine red GTE exclusive coupe, a knocking on the front end. I visited, and what I found was a low mileage, garaged all its life from new car. Amazing. It had knocked from new, the selling dealer, local to us, had replaced the front shocks with equally knocky replacements. This had annoyed Dave but he lived with it. Long story short, I fitted better shocks to it, and cured a 30 year gripe he’d had. A friendship was built and as the years went by, anything that “the old girl” needed she got. Over the years I’ve had the radiator recored, new water pump, new fuel hoses, new battery, and new wheel cylinders. Since the great plague of 2020, Dave had some medical problems and mobility issues. 50 years of being a bricky also payed a toll on his hips and knees. He kept the old girl MOTd, fuelled and ready to go despite this, but rarely drove her. Last time I spoke to him, November last year, I suggested that I’d take him out in it, go for a drive and have a few “scoops” on a day where clouds were at a minimum. Sadly, Dave passed away in December just before Xmas, and I only found out 5 days before his funeral in February. The family and friends sorting his estate out were left specific instructions to allow me to buy the car in the event of this happening. I met with the family last month, an emotional rollercoaster due to my own family issues with deaths and heart attacks left right and centre, but none the less, I agreed to buy the car. Raising the funds was a “hey dad, lend us some money and I’ll pay ya back soon as” kind of conversation. I’d also had good friends offer to lend the cash, which was also heart warming, as times have been tough recently. 
 

Good Friday was agreed on to collect the car and another manta club member picked me up and shuttled me over to Dave’s house. 
 

 

Dave was meticulous with his cars. Dry garage, covered and on trickle charge. A very well looked after car. 
 

 

we uncovered her. I could tell she was happy to be getting another nice warm home to live in. 
 

pictured above, is Dave’s son getting into the car for the last time. He wasn’t keen on it as a child, but the memories proved lasting. 
 

the family had pictures next to the car before I set off for home 

 

and there she is, her new residence for the foreseeable future. 

 

🥰

 

On 13/01/2026 at 14:43, Marm Toastsmith said:

Does depend on the context and the exact car. The Primera is happy to cruise at 90, it’s also fairly conspicuously old. I find that on the motorway/dual carriageway people speed up if you overtake them. It’s a signal that they’re not going fast enough.

I also find everyone tries to race me in the 106, lots of white vans tailgating on B roads etc. I think it’s because it was such a popular learners car, lots of people remember them as their 1st car, which they were glad to move on from.

In a scruffy banger you can throw your weight around a bit though, if it’s obvious that you don’t give a fuck about your paintwork. 

Oh my…. That is stunning!

[Essex V6]

On 06/04/2026 at 16:06, sutty2006 said:

Compulsory new car pictures were achieved today. From this spot at Thorncliffe, you can see the Wrekin, joderal bank, elmsmere port and the Welsh mountains. Such a nice place to be. 
 

 

jobs going forward. 
 

1. she’s not happy. I think the fuel filter is blocked. Lack of power intermittently after idling in traffic, eventually pops back into life. 
 

2. very slight pull to the left on braking. Possibly needs the front brakes stripping and cleaning or they might just come back around after some use. 

As a general rule I was never a massive Exclusive fan (big Manta fan and owner at one time) but that looks so right in red with the black wheels. As far as I am concerned, I won’t see a better car posted up on AS this year!

[sutty2006]

The whole underside of this car is THICK in layers of underseal, road dust, underseal, road dust, underseal, road dust…. I bet it would be 50kg lighter if I got rig of it all. 
 

I’ve had an hour spare after work today to start the clean up. I’m not going to remove it all, as it’s doing a pretty good job of keeping the car cancer at bay. 
 

the wheels are THICK with it too. TFR and wheel cleaner along with the jet wash just weren’t cutting it. 
 

the tyres have been coated in some sort of gunk too, not just your normal tyre shine, oh no, this stuff is like tar. And also hasn’t come off with all the cleaning products I have. 

 

 

Eventually I’ve given in, and got the brake cleaner out which is better at shifting it with the help of some good ole fashioned elbow grease!

 

 

and I’ve given the wheel a layer of Murr polish. 

 

apart from a gouge in the alloy where someone’s raunched at the centre cap, it’s in A1 condition. 

 

now. The mud flap is next. Bear in mind, I need to do this on each corner. 
 

this is the retaining bolts. Behind them was thick with crud. Good crud, you know, the stuff that just falls off onto the floor.

like this. 


 

that  flap really was a mess

 

 

and the gap it’s left. 
 

all the dark bits are “rust stop”. The paint underneath is like new. 

 

Join me next time when I rebuild the mud flap! 

[Dyslexic Viking]

I wonder if it may have had wax rust protection first and then applied something like Fluidfilm as that creates a sticky goo that is difficult to get off as the oil/film treatment dissolves the wax and also attracts dirt. I've had a few cars like that and it's a nightmare.

The best thing would be, in my experience, get the car up in the air if possible and to have the underside thoroughly pressure washed. And if necessary, use a rotating high-pressure nozzle or a hot water pressure washer if possible.

I recently washed the undeside of an old Yaris that had been waxed and then Fluidfilm treated. I'm not exaggerating when I say I removed a few kg of mud etc from the underside of it. I used a pressure washer with a rotating nozzle which got it off effectively the only thing is that it can be damaging to paint so I was a bit unlucky and took off some paint on one of the wheel arches.

[sutty2006]

Work continues to secure the fuel pump. 

 

You see that little brown dome looking object? That’s the remains of a little rubber mount that is screwed into a captive nut, that’s welded to the chassis. Fuck. 

 

the only thing I could do was try and attach some small vice grips and undo 

much swearing and rolling around in waxoil later….

 

as much as waxoil saves cars, there’s waaaaaay too much on this one. It’s everywhere. All over my arms, clothes, floor, floor mat, EVERYTHING. 
 

 

[sutty2006]

These were the little blighters 

 

 

the old ones 

 

when I said it was thick, I meant it

 

sorry for the “down under” picture 

[RayMK]

There is so much gooey waxoil under there that even trying to clean it off would be a major problem at home.  I'm not sure that commercial car pressure washing or steam cleaning businesses would gladly take it on either.  It's a superb example that you've bought, so I suppose having a black mess as a problem is far more preferable than rampant corrosion everywhere.  If your passport is due for renewal, do it before cleaning the underside (to avoid embarrassing questions on ethnicity when presenting new photos 🫠).

[sutty2006]

44 minutes ago, RayMK said:

There is so much gooey waxoil under there that even trying to clean it off would be a major problem at home.  I'm not sure that commercial car pressure washing or steam cleaning businesses would gladly take it on either.  It's a superb example that you've bought, so I suppose having a black mess as a problem is far more preferable than rampant corrosion everywhere.  If your passport is due for renewal, do it before cleaning the underside (to avoid embarrassing questions on ethnicity when presenting new photos 🫠).

Exactly my thoughts. 
 

I’d rather it be lamped in that stuff than rust. At least I know, deep down, under a tonne of waxoil is a pretty new looking shell.

and there’s no way I’m going anywhere near it with a pressure washer, no matter how powerful. It’s never been properly wet let alone jet washed from underneath haha, it’s just asking for trouble 😅

[Brigsy]

My old r5gtt was the same underneath, absolutely coated in waxoil but mint. I also left it be as it was doing a decent job keeping the rust away.

Wonder if dry ice blasting would get it off.

[Wibble]

13 minutes ago, Brigsy said:

My old r5gtt was the same underneath, absolutely coated in waxoil but mint. I also left it be as it was doing a decent job keeping the rust away.

Wonder if dry ice blasting would get it off.

I expect it would, it’s an impressive process but would leave it unprotected but ready for a coat of Bilt Hamber, or similar.

I spent a lot of time looking at dry ice blasting and, despite numerous loss adjusters saying they’d be our best friend if we offered it, I couldn’t get the boss to commit to the investment.

[Brigsy]

Seen this vid of dry ice removing old underseal. Looks good / light work but most likely expensive !

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXV5u1BCKlM/?igsh=MXFlYWNjZGxmbGxtOQ==

[sutty2006]

Doing small jobs. 
 

bought a new right hand mudflap off eBay for 4 quid. 
 

 

the one on the right is original and is covered in gunk. It’s probably ok, but it’s a bit swollen and the badge is missing. 

[sutty2006]

Small car meet in Biddulph today 

 

 

[Wibble]

When people ask if it’s for sale, I suppose you could simply refer them to do as the reg says  and F ORF!

[High Jetter]

Was just going to post similar! When someone asks a dumb question like that, just point lazily to the plate 🤣. Brilliant.