Willit? Update

[namba209]

Thanx for the good words, guys. I have to agree the wheels really do look good. Now if I can just get that #@$%!! busted tap out of the hole, the sun will really be getting with it here in sunny SoCal.

[namba209]

Well, it's been a really good day, actually two good days, the city finished up the road work, almost, I got to chemically treat the forward bottom of the car so painting can resume again. OpelDean sent me some burr cutters to use on the busted tap, I don't know where he got them, but, I will tell everybody on the site, find out and get some! I've spent hours with carbide cutters taking out drill bits and easy-outs over the years, and I figured on spending the same on the broken tap. 30 minutes was all it took, I am totally amazed! I started opening up one flute on the tap going from one flute to the next, I had to break out the shop-vac there was so much metal dust I couldn't see where I was. In minutes I had taken out one of the four cutting threads, and the tap was starting to turn in the hole. A couple more minutes and the adjoining section was almost gone and the tap was really loose. A pair of very small needle nose pliers and the tap was out. A redrill of the hole, run the heli-coil tap down and insert a new heli-coil and it's done good as new. All in a half an hour. Unbelievable. Dean, thanks so very much for the cutters, you may want to think about getting more of those, they are the neatest I've ever used.

Attached is a pic of what's left of the 8 mm X 1.25 tap, not very good, I tried to get as close as possible and still be able to show how good these cutters are.

[GTJIM]

Great to see that tap came out OK! THose wee carbide burrs did the job very well. Even when you put other brand motors into these GTs they still persist at being character building.

[namba209]

Jim, if you don't have something like these cutters, get hold of Dean, they are fantastic. They went through that tool steel like the proverbial "Hot knife through butter", unreal. Character building? Doggone it Jim, as old as I am, "I don't need no steenking more character". I have more than my share of character attributes.

At least now that the engine/tranny is split I can change out the new pilot bearing that has a chip out of it, and fix the rear main seal I found leaking. I guess there was some good that came out of the tap busting on me.

BTW the welder already has the old exhaust manifold, the Fiero manifold, new reducers, and the plan to integrate all three into one useable system, again. Looks like a target date of Christmas is out the window, but we'll just keep on keeping on.

[GTJIM]

Originally Posted by namba209 Character building? Doggone it Jim, as old as I am, "I don't need no steenking more character". I have more than my share of character attributes. Looks like a target date of Christmas is out the window, but we'll just keep on keeping on.

Ron, "Character" gets built better on good ole sound foundations.

It WILL be finished by Christmas ...... just not this one .....

[namba209]

Well, we had a character building episode today. Got the exhaust manifolds finally figured out and all welded up, it fits perfect on the driver's side. The pax side needed just a little clean up to get the bolts started and run down flush on the flanges. I opened up the holes just a bit so the bolts would all start and run down a few threads with my fingers. I got them all installed and run down to the flange by finger and got 5 of the 6 torqued down. One bolt needed to have the flange weld taken out a bit more, so I took all the bolts out but that one. As I was spinning it out with an extension and socket, it bound up, so I took the ratchet handle to it and it siezed. So I tried to turn it back in, and it siezed again. So I borke out the 1/2" breaker bar and knew what was going to happen and it did. I snapped the bolt off in the head. What is really maddening about this, is, these are ARP bolts, reportedly the best bolts going. What happened and caused the bolt to snap is this, the bolts are chrome plated steel. The chrome started to gall as I was taking the bolt out of the hole and siezed up. Because I did not plan of leaving the bolts in the holes, this was a trial fit of the manifold, I didn't use any anti-sieze compound on the threads. So because of the bolts being chrome plated, I now have a busted bolt in the head. You'd think, someone with knowledge of metallurgy, like the ARP folks, that chrome plating bolts in high stress areas is not a good idea. Yep, they do look nice and pretty, but not when they break. So there will be another hel-coil in the exhaust holes, this time on the other head.

[RallyBob]

Damn Ron, you haven't caught many breaks doing these manifolds.

[nobody]

Ron if it makes you feel any better I snapped off a tap in the flange for the turbo. It will not budge or shatter. I was just gonna stay silent on it until I got it fixed but it sucks big time.

[namba209]

Bob, I shoulda known better after working on aircraft that needed special treatment of hardware before being installed. Like steel spark plugs in aluminum heads, or titanium screws holding titanium panels going into titanium nutplates that will be heated in excess of 1200 degrees. But running a bolt all the way down to the flange by hand and having it sieze on the way out was just too much. So I just quit for the day and I'll tackle it tomorrow.

Nobody, I know the frustration and then some. I can send you one of the super fantastic burrs that Dean sent to me, and I guarantee it will take out that tap with a Dremel in no time.

[v6transplant]

Wow Ron, no breaks for you it appears. Do you think you've upset the Opel Gods with the non-German engine?

[namba209]

Well, Greg, that is a possibility, but the GM gods smiled down on me this morning, after running three drill bits through the busted bolt, and using a hammer and center punch I was able to extract the remains of the bolt without doing too much damage to the threads. A quick run through the threads with the correct tap and all is well with the world again. Either that or more stumbling blocks are gathering on the horizon waiting to appear after the holidays. But I'll take the good stuff for now and enjoy the reprise along with the holidays. A new rear seal and pilot bearing for the engine, a new tail shaft seal for the tranny and I can assemble the two into a single package again. Next week, I'll go after the engine compartment and inside the front of the nose with the cleaner, vapor blaster, chemical treatment, and paint. Then, it all starts going back together, a little behind schedule? But better late than not at all.

[v6transplant]

I think you need to put the peices in a jar, and set them on your fireplace mantle; like a trophy...

So I take it the new manfolds came out as you had hoped?

Keep up the GREAT work!

[namba209]

Greg, if I put all the bits and pieces of busted stuff I've had over the years, in a container, I would probably have enuff raw material for a couple of Opels. That's if you want to count busted racing motorcycles, busted model racing boats, and of course the inevitable broken tools, and there would probably have been enuff vocal invictives to load up a dozen audio CDs. The only trophys I have are the good ones, that meant everything stayed together long enuff to see the checkered flag.

As for the manifolds, the driver's side worked out great, other than having the busted tap. We were able to modify the pax side enuff that it is now functional in it's original configuration. Which was cost effective as far as the welder was concerned, but not as far as the parts I already got that are not going to be needed, again. So all in all, it's looking pretty good right now and I'm not going to temp fate by doing any more mech work until after the holidays.

[namba209]

Well, It's been a week or more since that latest update, so here's the latest. I talked to the body shop, they came and looked at what I've got, and we decided that it would be a good idea to do all the body work and put a base coat of POR-15 on the exterior. That way, after the front end is cut out and replaced, I won't have to redo the engine compartment and inside the front again. So, after replacing the engine rear seal, pilot bushing, the front and rear tranny seal, I installed the front suspension, and after a year or more I have all 4 tires on the ground again. Saturday, hopefully, it will be loaded up on a tow rig and make the trip to the body shop for total exterior restoration. All that will be left then is to remove the suspension paint the interior forward of the firewall and start putting it all back together. Not too bad after 3 + years of playing around on it. Still have to fab the alternator, AC pump, and auto belt tensioner brackets, but I should be able to do that while the GT is in the body shop.

[namba209]

Here's a short update, the weather delayed putting the car in the body shop, hopefully, if the weather cooperates it will go tomorrow. In the meantime, I got another set of wheels off e-bay, courtesy of Gene Smith, AKA BQS7, somoeone in his home town had a pair of slotted mag style wheels up for grabs and I grabbed 'em, Gene picked them up and shipped them here to SoCal. I can't thank him enuff for the assist. So with the 2 "new wide" wheels, Shelby 500 mags, I just found out, the 4 I got from Rick Bennett, AKA benncojr, and the originals on the car when I bought it lotsa years ago, minus the one that blew apart on me, I'll have a pair of wide wheels on the back a pair of medium wide on the front plus a spare, and the skinnier ones on a trailer "oldopelguy" is building. Now all I have to do is hope my finances hold up so I can chrome 7 more wheels. Attached is a pic of how they stack up against each other as far as size, width.

[benncojr]

Looking good

It sounds like your rims are doing the same thing that project Opels do....Multiply

They look great. I hope everything works out for you!

[namba209]

Yeah, Rick, I just wanted to replace the one that blew apart, but such a deal I got from you, I couldn't pass up. Originally I was gonna put your wheels on the GT, even though they're a tad narrower than the originals, then the Shelbys showed up on E-Bay, and I figured, I got the 2-axle trailer coming, your wheels will go there, the Shelbys would go on the rear of the GT, two originals on the front and I'd have a spare. Margaret said I was going overboard on the wheels, especially having them all chromed. Brings memories of the statement from my teen years, " If it don't go, chrome it". At least they will look pretty.

[namba209]

Well, after 3 years and 6 months, the GT is finally out of the drive way. Margaret was so happy, she broke out the camera and took these shots. Finally, she said, she gets her driveway back. At least for a while.

[nobody]

Ron is it going out for paint?