Sky to GT conversion info:

[Rionart]

Much as we all want to see the new GT here, reality is probably that we will end up "converting" the Saturn product to look like the GT.
So let's use this thread to list part needed, part numbers, sources for GT parts etc etc....make it easier for the poor people like me who will have to wait a while before we can get out sticky mitts on a Sky to upgrade...

[Ooooner]

Is it not possible to buy an Opel GT and have it brought to the United States? I realize that is probably financially crazy to do but could it be done if someone had money to burn?

[Anonymous D]

The Opel GT is built to European specifications,
not to the US Dept of Transportation specs,
so it couldn't be legally registered in the USA.
Exceptions or loopholes might be available
for diplomatic personnel or for the manufacturer's
testing personnel, but these tend to be strictly limited.

Converting the exterior appearance of a Sky RedLine to a vehicle resembling an Opel GT through use of badges, etc., will be possible. There have also been discussions with industry professionals about this. However, there are numerous parts, most not really noticeable at a glance, which will differentiate an Opel GT from a Sky Redline.

Before this discussion goes much further, it helps to consider the impact of theoretically importing an Opel GT for use in the USA.

Examples: Would a US driver really want to drive a vehicle with a kilometer-only speedometer, for the sake of the vehicle being called an "Opel GT"?
Or, would a US driver want to knowingly drive an Opel GT designed for the equivalent of 95-octane gasoline, thus voluntarily suffering lesser performance, when forced to drive with US-standard
91 octane gasoline?
(As a practical matter, I doubt it).

[Ooooner]

Seems to me that since the Saturn Sky and the Opel GT comes off the same assembly line, they would be virtually identical and that any changes would not be that hard to do to make it legal in the US.... I really don't know what differences there are but just more or less curious.

[namba209]

I'm going to presume the engine computers for both the Saturn and Opel engines are the same, both being high dollar units, changing the MPH to KPH, is really an easy task just by changing the values of resistors on the insrument panel, each one being peculiar to the marque and a lot cheaper to do. Both the U.S. and European emission standards are close enough that the computer can easily differentiate the O2 sensor outputs to the computer and make the required changes for whatever octane gasoline is being used and still meet the required standards for emissons. I think it would be an easy task to have one of our European members get the performance specs for a GT and compare them with the Saturn just to see how close they are. If they are close enough, then just minor exterior changes could be made to do what should have been by the GM bean counters and have only ONE car instead of three, (Opel, Pontiac and Saturn) on the same platform, and save a bunch of bucks on the different brands. JMTCW.

[wrench459]

did some digging around both the US (sky) and the German (GT) tonight
and as far as I can see there's no real difference between the two.
GT hp 264 C/R 9.2-1
Sky Redline hp 260 C/R 9.2-1
a simple reflash to the EEPROM (once its cracked) and voille even more power
engine tuners lets go

[newman27]

Originally Posted by Anonymous D Or, would a US driver want to knowingly drive an Opel GT designed for the equivalent of 95-octane gasoline, thus voluntarily suffering lesser performance, when forced to drive with US-standard 91 octane gasoline?

When I had the ECM reprogrammed in my Solstice, the company that re-flashed the ECM indicated that 93 octane would be required in order to realize the benefits of the re-flash (which is available everywhere in Atlanta at least). I imagine an imported GT could have its ECM reprogrammed as well to be optimized for 93 octane. As I recall, their submission form also had a check-box for 91 octane.

Originally Posted by namba209 ...then just minor exterior changes could be made to do what should have been by the GM bean counters and have only ONE car instead of three, (Opel, Pontiac and Saturn) on the same platform, and save a bunch of bucks on the different brands. JMTCW.

I've read the Solstice book cover to cover which also includes a chapter on the Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky and makes brief mentions of the Opel GT. I don't recall anything to indicate that the Sky RedLine and Opel GT are any different except cosmetically. In fact, there is text in the Saturn chapter which states "...the decision was made to also market this roadster in Europe as the Opel GT..." which implies at least that they are essentially the same car.

BTW, for our UK members, apparently Vauxhall was to get a Kappa platform roadster as well but it was nixed because of the right hand drive requirements.

[Anonymous D]

It would have to be a top-of-the-line
Sky Redline, that would have other
GT features like the power adjustable
driver's seat, and much of the interior
would have to be swapped over (ie
ashtrays) to appear as an authentic GT.

Presuming a kilometer gauge could be
altered to read accurately in miles per hour,
why would you do that? So you could have
a gauge that reads to 260MPH, yet is
not very readable in increments from 0 to 60?
And, what would the effect be on the
cruise control -- would it remain accurate too?
What about the fuel/distance computer
readouts, etc.? Is that worth the effort to
reprogram?

Reflashing the chip has been done by
others (to cut out the rev limiter),
but it would be a bonehead move to
do it (would void a 5 year warranty)
unless there were other intentions
(beyond common street use).

Really, this kind of speculation, should
have more of a basis in fact -- otherwise
readers may get the idea that a purely
theoretical goal is worth the pursuit
(and the more you learn, the more you
realize that replicating a GT in anything
more than appearance, isn't worth the
money or the effort).

[wrench459]

Originally Posted by newman27 BTW, for our UK members, apparently Vauxhall was to get a Kappa platform roadster as well but it was nixed because of the right hand drive requirements.

I was wondering why Vauxhall didnt have a clone
But what the beep there all in bed with each other i.e. GM,Adam Opel,
Vauxhall, and dare I say Issuuuu

[oldopelguy]

On my Catera I had to swap out the grill, taillights, trunk lid, and some emblems to make it look for all intents and purposes like an Omega. I think the goal here is something similar for the Sky.

[newman27]

Originally Posted by Anonymous D Reflashing the chip has been done by others (to cut out the rev limiter), but it would be a bonehead move to do it (would void a 5 year warranty) unless there were other intentions (beyond common street use).

My ECM re-flash did not remove the rev limiters. Rather the upper speed limiter was removed. The rev limiters were left in place but RPM levels were increased before they kick in.

[wrench459]

thank you Gary for correcting my mistakes
Dan

[wrench459]

which is what I'm talking about
you figure out the *.bin file for the reflash
there's a world of difference between a "factory reflash" and a aftermarket
"reflash" figure out the lines of code and then you can have your car
perform any way you want it too

[ard674t]

You know, all technicalities aside, it's got to be pure economics that says this is pointless.

Cost of car - Red Line: $29,500, Opel GT: $41,900 (both exclude taxes, etc)
Cost of shipping a car (that's made in the US) back again: $1000-3000

So you'd be paying near on 43000 for a car that would cost 30000 here. You could buy an awful lot of Opel GT parts (badges, seat motors, speedometers, whatever) for $13000 that would turn your Saturn Sky into a very convincing replica of an Opel GT.

Hell, for that sort of money you could even buy a plane ticket and buy the parts yourself at a German auto dealer.

[Rionart]

Originally Posted by ard674t You know, all technicalities aside, it's got to be pure economics that says this is pointless. Cost of car - Red Line: $29,500, Opel GT: $41,900 (both exclude taxes, etc) Cost of shipping a car (that's made in the US) back again: $1000-3000 So you'd be paying near on 43000 for a car that would cost 30000 here. You could buy an awful lot of Opel GT parts (badges, seat motors, speedometers, whatever) for $13000 that would turn your Saturn Sky into a very convincing replica of an Opel GT. Hell, for that sort of money you could even buy a plane ticket and buy the parts yourself at a German auto dealer.

And we go full circle back to where I started this thread....
If you want to make your Sky look like a GT (it will never be a 'real' GT, so get over it), then we need a list of parts required and part numbers.
I'm intrigued with the thought that, armed with the correct part numbers, I may be able to order my 'clone kit' from a Saturn dealer and thus not pay through the ring for shipping...

[madhatterpdc]

The best case scenario would be if we knew someone that worked at an Opel dealership somewhere in the EU (UK gets vauxhall, and I am not aware of that market getting a version of the GT).

What would be required? A cursory look from a non owner, it looks like you only need front and rear badges. The GT's rear bumper is a little different but I would rather keep the Sky bumper to better accomodate North American style license plates. Furthermore, the GT has dual exhaust, but some light body work would save a ton on shipping a whole new bumper. The front badge looks to be a quick swap as well.

Does anyone know of an online parts catalog similar to Rock Auto for the european market?

[Rionart]

Ok, I'm basing this on the Sky redline:
No need to worry about exhaust, the redline has dual out's same as GT.
Will need:
Front badge and possibly grill piece.
Rear blitz.
Steering wheel emblem.
Moulding cap for between seats (unless Saturn badge here is just a stick-on).
Seat covers from non redline (embroidered on redline).
Wheel center caps.

What am I missing?

[jordan]

Are the rims not different?

[Rionart]

Originally Posted by jordan Are the rims not different?

I don't think so...
Redline is available with 18"x8" alloys, painted polished or chrome. A very nice flangeless 5 spoke design.
From the GT pics I've seen, it has the same rims...

[Breen]

Originally Posted by madhatterpdc The best case scenario would be if we knew someone that worked at an Opel dealership somewhere in the EU (UK gets vauxhall, and I am not aware of that market getting a version of the GT).

I actually have someone in the family who works at the Opel production plant in Antwerpen (Belgium). He regularly orders parts for Opels in the family.

[automata3.0turbo]

the saturn sky red line and the new opel gt are one and the same, built side by side, right here in america. besides a few visual differences, one model gets to touch american asphalt, and the other gets lugged on a boat and shipped overseas.
same chassis, same engine. throw some opel badges ona sky, and there you go.

[dryandell]

I'm in the middle of a partial conversion. Undiscussed differences I've encountered are:
1 - There are no side marker lights on the front GT bumper.
2 - The fog/running lights are visually different (from the Sky base model anyway)
3 - The wiring for the backup and license plate lights are different on the Opel bumper. It wasn't difficult to correct though.
4 - The license plate area on the GT bumper is not tall enough to hold the American plate. (This is going to be corrected using the bracket from a vintage GT)
5 - The third brake light for the GT is the same as for a corvette (listed by the part number)
6 - the rear inner fender lines are slightly longer underneath to meet the sky bumper than for the GT (I'm going to trim mine to match)
7 - The reverse light on the GT has a red area on top instead of all clear (I'm running the stock sky light)
8 - The bumper reinforcement for the rear bumper on the sky is larger than the GT (due to differences in the license plate area) It will fit but it is extremely tight.
9 - Opel badges just look way cooler than Saturn badges (but I think everyone already knew that!)

[2 Fast 4 U]

And do think if you're going to bring a GT back to the States, to place the car in a sort of clear plastic bag, filled with dry gas with a bit of over pressure so that the car is protected from the sea air [=salt].
In the early 70s the Japanese cars came to Europe by sea and we used to say that they were already rusting in the sales folder only because the cars weren't protected against the salty sea air

[Jerry C]

Do a search on the Saturn Sky site. All the parts and numbers are there. Why would you want to do that in the first place? The total number of Sky's built was around 35,000 Of that only less than 1/2 were red lines.