Goodbye Little Opel

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by 73 gt man just about any car can be made to blow the doors off of something else, it just depends on how much time and most importantly money into it.

Truer words have never been spoken!

It's all about what you're into. Anything can be fast...for a price.

[cherokee]

Originally Posted by Tru-Craft One thing the Falcon (Mustang) had was a marketing plan! Opel GM, let's sell Opels through Buick dealers! The place my Grandfather buys his cars from!!!! I was 10 when I saw my first GT in 1969! Me and my Dad went to look at it, they didn't want to sell it, just get people in the door! Look over here what you can get for a little more $. My Dad bought a Buick Estate Wagon instead! Damn you GM!

Ford did the same thing with the Pantera.

[ConreroGT]

Originally Posted by opelwasp Gil has a severly modified GT. It has a 2.4L block crossflow head, dual side drafts, and a 5 speed. It needs 255's on the rear to keep traction, not to mention it is a work of art. His engine is worth more than ill ever put into my car.

Actually, he has 285's on the back-end. I have 265's on mine and it grips so well I'm afraid I'll break $omething if I dropped the clutch from a stand still.

[bq97]

Opels and early Mustangs go together. Well at least at my house anyway.
Brian

[ratz]

Well I'm not saying opels are crap I admitt I have a soft spot for them little GT's but. The truth was my kadet was a piece. It's purchase was a lapse in better judgement to be hounest. I love my mustang its more than enough car for me. And I admitt there are tons of faster cars but non appeal to me quite as much, like they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Now the thing is fox body mustangs in there time were the fastest car on the road that your average person could afford, even the Iroc Camaros couldn't take em. A stock 5.0 could take any other stock car in its day and many stock cars today. But the thing is once you start adding turbos, blowers NOS and what not to the competition the poor old pony dosen't stand a chance. Now the thing is I consider NOS to be artificial HP because the car only has all that HP for that second when the shot goes into the intake. The other thing theres no mechanical talent involved in building high horse fast car with NOS just about anybody can install a NOS system or have it done for them. Real mechanics add horse power by boreing, stroking, installing larger heads, blowers any thing mechanical. I have little to no respect for some one who bolts in a NOS kit and brags about how fast his car is. Where was the real thought time and mechanical knowledge? Sorry for getting of on a rant.

[neuropel]

Enjoy your Mustang now.
By the time you turn 40, you'll be looking for another Opel...TRUST me.

[Stanley_P]

I've always been a truck man and this Ford Lightning next to my Opel GT is
a dream come true....My truck, like my soon to be modified Opel, is fully modified with SuperChip, shift kit, 4lb pulley, electric fan, traction bars, etc....
The Opel is next after the GTO rebuild...Did I tell everyone that I'm very busy these days.....Ohh, I do have a full time job as a contract Draftsman and man is it a busy season.....

Thanks,
Stanley_P

[ratz]

Originally Posted by neuropel Enjoy your Mustang now. By the time you turn 40, you'll be looking for another Opel...TRUST me.

I just got to thinking about my Opel tonight and I remembered this site so I logged on. Im 21 now and I already miss my opel I still own and love my mustang but the Opel was something different. I wish my folks would have had the room for me to keep both. After a few years and a lot more learning mechanically, I wish I still had it to work on it really could be fun. Oh well one day maybe another Opel.

[opelwasp]

Trust me, you'll be back.

[timemachine]

Originally Posted by ratz I just got to thinking about my Opel tonight and I remembered this site so I logged on. Im 21 now and I already miss my opel I still own and love my mustang but the Opel was something different. I wish my folks would have had the room for me to keep both. After a few years and a lot more learning mechanically, I wish I still had it to work on it really could be fun. Oh well one day maybe another Opel.

Some day you'll be looking for a Manta, as in a little German Camaro, as in one that can take a corner better. I'll look for the day you're back.

Breaks my heart every time to see posts on threads from Ron D. Never met the good man personally but went back and forth enough times here to feel I knew him. He was fun to read for his sense of humor too.

Jim

[Gordy]

I sold my restored blue GT this summer to Mike Wilson who I ran into when I had my red GT up at O'Rieley's Auto Parts. He was admiring my car and said he used to have one years ago and that led me to saying I had one I might be interested in selling. He currently had a 1967 Mustang that he was selling and as soon as that went through he wanted to look at the GT. Within a week I was signing the title over to Mike. He lives in the area and I have run into him a couple of times and he just loves the GT. Lost your number Mike so if you read this get in touch. Was hoping we could have gone to Springfield together this year!
Just a case of a Mustang owner getting back to his Opel roots. Mike's other all time favorite car was his 57 Chevy he used to own.

Question?????????? Besides any Opel, what was your favorite other car you ever owned?
I had a 1966 Mustang (a nice one but just a six) but I think my 64 Impala SS ragtop beats out my 67 Chevelle SS396 as the one that I wished I still had.

[newman27]

Originally Posted by ratz I just got to thinking about my Opel tonight and I remembered this site so I logged on. Im 21 now and I already miss my opel I still own and love my mustang but the Opel was something different. I wish my folks would have had the room for me to keep both. After a few years and a lot more learning mechanically, I wish I still had it to work on it really could be fun. Oh well one day maybe another Opel.

Good to hear you are thinking about Opels again. BTW, I couldn't help but notice that the occupation you list in your profile is/was the same as the first job I had out of high school - "meat department clean up" . It's a dirty job isn't it? But, those funds (along with a paper route I had for six years) are what enabled me to buy my Opel. Good luck on getting another one...

Matt

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by BQS4 From what I understand, Gil's red GT can smoke most 5.0 Mustangs. There's also a guy in CA with a 3.4 (correct?) Manta that he had to change the rear out for a 9 inch FORD unit because it was too strong!

I have been there and done that!

I have a '70 GT that has a 2.3 turbo; which I mainly use the car for shows and so on. The car is in storage in Miami but the dyno states 322Hp / 361Tq at the rear wheels.

The second one I built was also a screamer. It was a '72 red/white with racing flares and also a stroker 2.8 V6. The car did not take off too fast but it was mean after the 20Mph mark.

The third one was the Animal, also a '72 with a 3.8L bored to 4.1L with a TH350. This one was anything but mild mannered and was extreemly fast.

I have built several Opels for customers ranging from mild to wild, but I always noted that 135Hp at the rear wheels will eat almost anything on the road. Perhaps when I go into stage two of Stealth I will replace the Opel engine with something a bit more alive.

Anyway the point is, you might sell / trade your Opel but you will come back and buy another at a later date.

[ratz]

Originally Posted by newman27 Good to hear you are thinking about Opels again. BTW, I couldn't help but notice that the occupation you list in your profile is/was the same as the first job I had out of high school - "meat department clean up" . It's a dirty job isn't it? But, those funds (along with a paper route I had for six years) are what enabled me to buy my Opel. Good luck on getting another one... Matt

Thankfully that's long outdated. After graduating highschool I spent 3 years getting my diploma in civil engineering technology. Now Im in university upgrading my diploma to a bachelors degree. Haha so technically Im unemployed at the moment since I left my techjob to come out here. Once I get through the broke/in debt student thing Ill be looking for some new toys and an opel's pretty high on that list.

[GTJIM]

Yep, Mustangs will eventually stampede all over your heart - but Opels just siddle up and make a wee hole there into which nothing else but another Opel will fit.

Bit diferent to what they will do to your wallet though!

[newman27]

Originally Posted by ratz Thankfully that's long outdated. After graduating highschool I spent 3 years getting my diploma in civil engineering technology. Now Im in university upgrading my diploma to a bachelors degree. Haha so technically Im unemployed at the moment since I left my techjob to come out here. Once I get through the broke/in debt student thing Ill be looking for some new toys and an opel's pretty high on that list.

I figured you had probably moved on to bigger and better things - congrats!