Manic 108 rebuild onto new R8 /10 platform

[manicgt]

I tried earlier to submit this article but I could not get the pictures to load up ! so I will try again .

It was a year ago that I posted a few pictures of the winter and my R8G and Manic projects ! Well we are back in the minus temperatures again and it feels better to be inside trying to post a few pictures of my progress

The Manic GT car is a car that was built in Quebec Canada in the late sixties early seventies I will not go into any more detail you can find info on the web .

I thought I would post a few pictures on the site to show you the running gear and platform of the car which is R8 and R10 ,
I thought it would also be good info for those that are running the R8 and 10 cars .

This shows the start of the tear down.


This shows the rust that was present in the original platform and the remains after the body was removed from the R8 /10 platform





This show the start of the donor R8/10 platform initial inspection and some restoration and modifications It made me realizer how light these platforms really are .





I will continue in the next post showing s the side rails after sand blasting and weld thru zinc coating plus some added box tubing To the R8 /10 side rails .

 

[manicgt]

Thought I would continue with the 108 Manic rebuild

These are some of the R8 /10 rails after sandblasting and weld thru zinc coating than onto boxing the rails



I boxed everything than plug welded the original rails into the new boxing more pictures of the added bracing and plating on top of the boxing .



This completes the pictures of the frame rebuild so next it will be time to replace the shell .

after test fitting the shell was bonded with the use of 2 part structural epoxy and I installed pop rivets as well to match the original manner of mounting that was used from the factory . As a side note the car needed about 3 gallons of fiberglass resin and cloth to get it totally installed . Some stress cracks and damage showed up as well that needed to be repaired once all the original paint layers where stripped off . So onto door alignment and final body work for the shell .




Some extra parts getting prepared for upcoming power plant and mechanical rebuild which is next .




Not sure if I will post any more on rebuild since it is just the normal R8 / 10 mechanicals .

I still may be up to a year away from final completion .

Hope this was of interest to the forum readers .


Manic GT

Now onto the final body work and mechanical rebuild .

 

[zaccy]

That's fantastic - please keep (at least) me updated via the aussiefrogs site. I would love to see the finished product.

 

[CarNut]

Hi there ManicGt; I agree with zaccy.....am I seeing correctly? It looks like you've replaced most of the floorpan AND done a really good job at it too.
I'm so impressed at what restorers in colder climates manage to restore. I know alot of cars get condemned "down under" for much less severe rust.

 

[56 Fregate]

Hi there ManicGt; I agree with zaccy.....am I seeing correctly? It looks like you've replaced most of the floorpan AND done a really good job at it too.
I'm so impressed at what restorers in colder climates manage to restore. I know alot of cars get condemned "down under" for much less severe rust.

Wot he said..

We would have run a mile at the sight of all that rust, Full marks for taking this on and for taking photos as you go, keep it up, oh please.

You will find that the more of this you share with others the more personal motivation you will draw from the wider internet family.

You have a big French car audience here and I for one will be watching and encouraging you (from a distance) as you go.

Bring it manicgt.

 

[David Cavanagh]

I agree with all the above. Keep the story rolling. I've done some big rust repairs (big for Australia anyway) but nothing like this and what a fasinating car.

I've been around Renaults all my life (well not all my life, my 1st encounter with them was on 1960 when I was bought home from hospital, can't remember if I was in the 4CV or the Traction Avant as I was only a few days old) but I thought I knew most versions of them but I've never heard of a Manic GT.

We crush them here because there old and unwanted but I wonder if in hindsight you would have been better off getting a rust free shell from here, I'm sure people here would gladly donate a shell for such an important project.

 

[keith mcelroy]

Hi there ManicGt; I agree with zaccy.....am I seeing correctly? It looks like you've replaced most of the floorpan AND done a really good job at it too.
I'm so impressed at what restorers in colder climates manage to restore. I know alot of cars get condemned "down under" for much less severe rust.

Agree wholeheartedly. You have our respect. Please show us more from time to time. A very attractive car.
Keith

 

[manicgt]

I agree with all the above. Keep the story rolling. I've done some big rust repairs (big for Australia anyway) but nothing like this and what a fasinating car.

I've been around Renaults all my life (well not all my life, my 1st encounter with them was on 1960 when I was bought home from hospital, can't remember if I was in the 4CV or the Traction Avant as I was only a few days old) but I thought I knew most versions of them but I've never heard of a Manic GT.

We crush them here because there old and unwanted but I wonder if in hindsight you would have been better off getting a rust free shell from here, I'm sure people here would gladly donate a shell for such an important project.

David if you are looking for a project and you have a platform I still have 7 other shells needing floor pans ???
All kidding aside I have thought about importing a couple more floor pans but I still have a couple more pans to use up for the next couple of cars after I get thru my first one .

 

[manicgt]

Since it is still cold outside and there seems to be a interest in the Manic car I thought I would show a few pictures the interior and make note of just how many parts the Manic used that was from other Renault cars .




The dash is the same instrumentation that the R8G used . The door exterior and interior handles window mechanism latches are R8 , R16/17 and ?

The tail lights are R8 and the front head lights are the round R10 . clearance lights R8 , signal lights R12& ? door light switches R8/10, steering column R8/10 , dash switches R8 ,R16 .

Front windshield is R8 & 10 , rear windshield R16 .

I think you sort of get the idea of how the design of the Manic was a Renault guy !

I was out of the Renault cars until I retired 4 years ago and decided to restore /rebuild /refurbish a few of these old cars .
I did not stay current with the newer Renault models so you may be able to pick out parts from other or newer models that continued to be produced after these little cars ceased production in 1971 . .

In closing for now a picture of the Manic seats after recovering and yes even the seat rails are R8 .




I am experimenting with different Renault engine builds and transmission combinations but I have not fully decided how stock or modified I want to go .

That's enough for now

Manic GT

 

[CarNut]

Wow, so the seats are a fiberglass shell? They look so good once they're upholstered! And that's really fascinating that so many parts from so many Renault models were used for the Manic GT......reminds me of What Colin Chapman did with his cars, in particular the Europas. Very interesting stuff!!

How did you get involved with these cars? How long ago? I think it's interesting to hear people's stories and how they became involved with certain makes and models of cars. I'm a shocker when it comes to these sorts of things. It doesn't take much for me to want any car, and all of mine have different stories behind them.......that's why I'm "carnut".

 

[Sunroof]

This is a great story.

 

[manicgt]

Wow, so the seats are a fiberglass shell? They look so good once they're upholstered! And that's really fascinating that so many parts from so many Renault models were used for the Manic GT......reminds me of What Colin Chapman did with his cars, in particular the Europas. Very interesting stuff!!

How did you get involved with these cars? How long ago? I think it's interesting to hear people's stories and how they became involved with certain makes and models of cars. I'm a shocker when it comes to these sorts of things. It doesn't take much for me to want any car, and all of mine have different stories behind them.......that's why I'm "carnut".

This was a production car that was produced out of Quebec Canada they figured that only about 160 made it onto the road before it suffered foreclosure . The Manic was distributed to the local Renault dealers first ,that way any bugs could be were worked out then they started shipping to dealerships further away it was how a small company did its quality control back than . More of its history can be found on the internet .


I was working at the local Renault dealer when a yellow one came into the dealership it was the first seen one I had seen and also was the one I had my first ride in . That Manic also became the one that I purchased about 3 years later form the owner who had driven it hard and had actually rolled it . The car was in sad shape and had been sitting for some time, the original engine was no longer running and the owner was in desperate need for a set of wheels so I traded my running 1966 red R10 for it . I was 20 at the time and the car I think had about 12 or 13000 miles on it I could go look at the odometer because I still have it !

After I got the car I replaced the motor with one from a wrecking yard a 1289 cc R10 motor and than I did the body work it needed to have some fiberglass repaired and a seat re done (which is another story I will get to later ) The car was repainted R8S yellow and my new bride and I made new racing strips it and installed them . The car really did look good !!!!
Once repairs had been done to engine and body I noticed a bad vibration from the rear which turned out to be a bent axle it was replaced and all was good for a while .
Now back to the seat > One of the seats where missing when I got the car ! I found out later it was when the car had been sent to a frame striating shop after the accident. It was at that shop some how some one was able to steal the seat . A friend noticed some young kids with the seat who had turned it into their go cart. They laid it on its back and spiked it to some old lumber ! I was able to get them to give it back to me by threating them with the line I was going to have them charged with thief if they did not give me the seat it worked and after some repairs to the fiberglass and off to the upholsters everything was good as new and I had my Manic #93 .

The story goes on ! Manic #93 was on the road but in all the on goings at the time I did not have any door locks for it . No keys came with the deal in retrospect don't why they just where not there !!
Manic #93 came into my life about one week before I was to be married and with no furniture or any house hold items and having just purchase another R8 as well I had to many Renault car purchases and no furniture . I was hoping my new wife to be was not going to leave me before we even got started in our life together so I convinced my younger brother to buy the R8 in hopes that she would go with the Manic . She loved the car and life was good .

I had the car for about 6 months and life threw my new wife and I a curve my work transferred me to what seem to be the most remote community there was and the only accommodations we could find was a apartment complex owned by the company.

Remember the no door keys I mentioned earlier !!!???? I left the car in the safe keeping of my younger brother the same one that bailed me out by taking the R8 . It was in his care when he decided to race My Manic against a Ford Mustang muscle car he lost the race and almost his life on a corner he missed. The car was a write off and he almost kill himself and my youngest brother Thankfully they both lived but the car was in many pieces .

I keep the car pieces for all these years and even moved them a couple of times and I still have them they are in my back yard and some of those pieces will be used in Manic car #108 .


Quick summary I was forced into a early retirement due to a illness and I decided to cleanup things so I wondered about the left over pieces of my Manic was it time to finally take them to the dump or ??? So one day I was looking on the internet and someone had started a series on a Canadian car that was not remembered called the Manic! I got in touch with him and realized that there was a number of these cars still around and a lot of people just didn't have the heart to destroy them . The fiberglass lasted but the metal had rotted away and I realized that there where still some scattered around the country so I managed to find a few and now I am rebuilding Manic #108 . I have collected 8 Manic cars and that is not counting my original Manic #93 .

Carnut hope you are not sorry you asking the history but I can tell you that I and my bride of over 40 years and my Manic car seems to be doing Okay !

Manic gt.

 

[keith mcelroy]

Manic gt,
This is a wonderful story! A love story, adventure, mishap and recovery, and a happy ending on the way. When does the TV Series get commissioned?
regards Keith

 

[Simon]

All kidding aside I have thought about importing a couple more floor pans but I still have a couple more pans to use up for the next couple of cars after I get thru my first one .

This is a great thread, keep updating it as more progress is made!

Be careful about buying an Aussie shell though. Here the tendency is to rust from the inside out (rather than from the outside in like a winter salting car), so the sills, chassis rails and box sections can be horribly rusty internally with only minor evidence of rust from the outside. Some eras of the R10 are more subject to rust than others due to process changes, and also how the car has been used previously.

 

[manicgt]

Simon thanks for the warning about shells . What I discovered is even the donor R8 platform I used looked good ! But because I wanted to stiffen up the frame anyway it was a no brainer that everything should be removed blasted and coated once the side plating was removed. I hope the writing in the pictures come through okay !

I figured if you are going to put this much effort into a car you may as well do it right and hopefully it will be around long after I am not and the future generations may be able to enjoy this older technology .



What I was interested in seeing was how the frame rails of the R8/10 where built . I guess they really are not frame rails but uni-body components . The whole platform seemed very flimsy! I am glad I spent the time building a rotisserie jig that I could anchor everything to and had the factory specifications . It sure made me realize how much the outer shell of the R8/10 actually adds to the final strength of the car as a whole . The Manic dose use a tubing system that gets fiber glassed to the shell than welded to the platform to bring back the strength and support needed for the platform . I added a few pictures of the Manic factory and my car off the rotisserie . Note the tubular frame setup on the jig at the factory .




The Car actually is quite solid once everything is welded and fiber glassed together .

Lots of blocking and final gap adjustments are next for the body than onto paint .

Manic gt

 

[JohnW]

That is all wonderful and many thanks for sharing it with us.

Someone has to ask what you'd charge to rebuild another of them for sale....

I presume you are linked up with ROCNA?

Best wishes,

 

[manicgt]

John This is a project I started for my own enjoyment I may consider selling a couple but I have not even figured out what this one is going to run me ! I suppose it will also depend on the final power plant that ends up in the car ! I plan on leaving this one fairly stock with maybe a stroked engine with a wedge head and the stock 4 speed 330 transmission .
Eventually will probably build one with the 336 R16 trans upgrade and the R16 TS 807 style motor with the cross flow head .

 

[CarNut]

Hi ManicGT,
Thanks for sharing your story with us......it's a lovely one, and warmly told as well. I think it's just wonderful that you've had such a long association with this very rare piece of motoring history, and that you're now restoring one. It seems that the Manic GT is practically a member of your family and an integral part of the story of your life, much as I imagine that John W's little R8 is.
Another thing that I think is wonderful is that, once you have restored your Manic GT, you'll be able to share it with your lovely wife of all these years. I have a shocking sentimental streak, which partly accounts for the number of cars I have.....it's a rare occurrence for one to leave the stable once it's arrived:wink2:.
I'm one of those crazy people who tend to have multiple projects on the go at any one time and, although progress is always happening in one area or another, it often takes a long time for progress to be apparent to others who may be looking on:roflmao:. Sometimes I have friends express frustration that they "haven't seen this car or that car on the road yet" and I just laugh and say that I'm doing it for me, not them and they just tell me I'm nuts but hey, that's ok:roflmao:.....I figure I'll eventually drive THEM nuts and then everything will be ok!!:roflmao:
Moving at your own pace, and in your own time, is what I think the key is to continued enjoyment when it comes to old cars. A good mate of mine once said that I should "follow my passion" and get into a business that has something to do with old cars. I said to him that the most enjoyment I get is working on a car that doesn't have to be back on the road at a particular time or within a particular timeframe. The times I experience the most frustration are when I am working on my daily driver as a matter of urgency....that's when it becomes a chore and not enjoyable. Working on OTHER people's cars every day would probably rob me of my passion completely, and then I'd end up having to look for another hobby......maybe I'd start drinking too much wine and chasing after bad women:roflmao:. I'm not sure which one would be more expensive...the cars or the women!!! :roflmao:

Cheers
Steve

 

[rubyalpine]

The Manic GT reminds me of the Puma GT which is also a 2 door coupe, but built on a VW floor pan.
Do you have the moulds for the Manic body? I was thinking that this might just be an attractive alternative for R8/R10 owners who have rusty (car) bodies, but good (or restorable) mechanicles.

Cheers, Henry

 

[manicgt]

Car nut thanks for your out look on your projects it definitely strikes a cord with me ! I also have several projects on the go but it is not always just the car stuff > I usually try to collect enough stuff so that when I think I have enough pieces I start the project., This way I can get it started and accomplish at good deal before running in to trouble needing parts and so on . With this Manic build I collected pieces for 2 years before even thinking of starting !
At the start of the build I had collected 4 cars to guarantee enough parts I am now up to 8 Manic cars in bits and pieces , my original R8G, a R10 plus 2 additional R8G bodies . The original R8G is another story for another rebuild .

Manic gt