Mancona Conversion

I've been tempted to put a Manta nose on my 24v wagon. (why not? It's far from stock!)

I have most of the parts and the planning has begun.

The first issue found was the nose is from a big bumper Manta and the bumper supports are blended into the frame rails vs the '72 bumpers going straight into the frame rails.

This means the rails will need to be cut further back near the brake line brackets and aligning and blending the old and new fender wells will be more difficult. The driver's side well was modified to accept the larger booster and master cylinder. Once the Ascona nose and fenders are removed, the Manta fenders will be bolted on which will set the nose placement and hood gaps before welding the rails.

The main rail opening is just about the size of 2 1/2" x 2" angle iron. I ground down the edges and now have a sleeve inserted into the opening which will support and align the nose during fitment.

A wackadoodle idea that may be tried is to use a front panel piece sacrificed from the greenhouse wagon to blend to the Manta panel so the Ascona hood can be used. That one will take some thought once the nose is in place. My current hood hinges from the rear so the front hinges are not used.

Next up is to deal with some rust on the new nose and paint it.