my opel runs!!!!!

[kndlindsey]

Dave got home at a decent time, I ran and got gas and carb cleaner and oil. We hooked the jumper cables to it and it made noise right away but wouldn't start.

The water pump is seized up but Dave cut the belt for now just so we could see if it would run. we put in water/antifreeze. I know he had to clean or do something to the points and the sparkplugs and got it to fire up, then he spent a lot of time adjusting the idle.

It would have been hilarious to see. Most of the interior is out, no seats, the dash is dropped down and so is the steering wheel. I tried putting a milk crate in to sit on so I could do the clutch and work the key but it was too tall so there I am, sitting on a piece of carpet on the floor, the a coffee can holding the dash in place and the steering wheel between my knees. Then Colt climbed in and sat behind me bobsled style while we worked on it.

I know it needs sparkplugs, wires, a water pump and dave said points and then said skip that and we need to buy a pertronix, can i buy that at an autoparts store or do i need to order from ogts?

I did put it in reverse and first and move it a few feet(was still hooked to the jumper cables) and it went just fine. Oh yes, need a battery too.

I'm going to search and have before, the yellow one does have the healight lever but it won't budge at all....and i looked in the engine bay and don't see anything like the pic that was posted for me, is the cable/rod that runs to the headlights on the sidewall under another piece? if you just open the hood can you see it? I know what to look for since the pic was posted for me but saw nothing like that. Could the lever just be rusted?

I know some of you skip the microswiches and just run a toggle switch to turn the lights on and off. I am wondering if they have done that already in my car. On the left of the steering wheel is a switch hanging from a wire, it is maroon colored with the words LITE in white above a white/grey switch, almost looks like something off a 1950's blender. Is this original to the car?

It's supposed to rain tomorrow so we are planning a good old fashioned garage cleaning and hopefully next weekend get the yellow one in the garage so i can work on it.

I figure i should buy a battery and then get to work on checking out all the lights, etc. before i try to put the dash back in. I need to put the dash back in before i put the steering wheel back up.

Also, the driver's door hangs when you open it, i figured out what it is, there are 4 allen head bolts that are gone on that door, I don't see them anywhere in the boxes or coffee cans and will most likely take one out of the other door to go buy a new one but if anyone knows offhand what size/kind bolt this is that would be great.

[nobody]

On the lever issue you usually one of two things. First is small change and whatnot down in the lever machanism. Second it a rusted cable. Let's hope for loose change.

[saxybiker]

Congratulations Kim! Isn't first start up exciting They become more yours when you work on them yourself...have fun!


Vickie

[GTJIM]

Welcome to the world of Metric threads!

The screws that hold the hinges to the doors are 'Allen Head Cap Screws'.
M10 X 1.5mm pitch X 30mm long.
M10 is 10 millimetres diameter/ 1.5mm pitch is the spacing apart of the threads/ 30mm is the length of the threaded bit of the capscrew under the head.
They have six-sided holes in the head into which an 'Allen Key' fits to do them up - an 8mm Allen Key (but a 5/16" one is very nearly the same size). I see you know about 'Allen Heads'

The ones that bolt the hinges to the car - way deep inside the hole the hinge fits into are M8 X 1.25mm pitch X 25mm long.They have a 6mm hex in the heads and you have to have a 6mm Allen Key for them as there is no 'inch' equivalent - 1/4" is too big at 6.35mm but can be ground down to fit if the 'real thing' cannot be found.

HTH

[ben]

great to hear you got it running
is a good feeling to know thats it live
i get that feeling every time i've gotting a gt to run, thats been siting for years, i think its the opel bug biting

[kndlindsey]

whoops, is there a story or secret behind allen head? because once you brought it up i'm pretty sure it is alan head but i was excited so you'll have to forgive me

Thanks so much for the info on the screws, that's why i love this site, it saves so much time and trouble!

nobody, i did a search while waiting for answers and found a link to the Opel northa american association, i think that's what it is. wonderful 4 page article with good directions listed, iwill be testing them out tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

I need to go through the parts again and see if the lever cover is in there, when you have no idea what you are looking for it all looks greek.

[okiejohn]

if the headlite cable is rusted remove it from car scrape all the black plastic coating of the cable housing (its probably cracked anyway) soak it in a pan of tranny fluid for a day or so i usualy blow some down the cable with shop air after you get it free and moving nicely go and get some heat shrink tubing and recover the cable housing its alittle work but way cheeper than trying to find a new cable and it will work for a very very long time after you do that to it

[kndlindsey]

okiejohn, thanks, i can see i am going to have to go shopping for a folder to put all the info i print off here in! I will definitely consider that route if it is rusted and I am betting it's rusted

I was reading another headlight post and they recommended a factory service manual......i have chilton's and the only thing about the headlights is changing the bulbs, does the factory service manual cover the actuator cable and all the fun bits and pieces in the headlights, etc. If it does there is one up for 9.99 on evilbay and i will snap it up, but i don't want to duplicate what i already have in the chiltons.

[saxybiker]

Kim:

Buy the service manual. It goes into detail. Tell Dave it is about as close to a "Motors Manual" as it gets for Opels.

Vickie

[kndlindsey]

thanks vickie, will do

[yellaopelgt]

Did you do the "HAPPY DANCE???" Its a great feeling isnt it?
Joe

[kndlindsey]

yes i did the happy dance and hubby will be getting a proper thanks from me I wish i could have been at the engine end of things so i could see what he was doing and understand it better but I dont think putting the six year old in to operate the clutch and key would have worked out too well

[asdasc]

And we need photo's of you and the little one in there with the milk crate! Those are the memories of your kids you will cherish. You will laugh about it in ten years, but he will never forget that moment and the excitement.

My kids are getting to be teenagers now, and the things they remember most are the 'emotional times' when everyone was elated for some reason or another.

Congratulations!!!

[kndlindsey]

darn that would have been a good pic, but we were in the car dave was working the engine and the camera was in the house Dave asked Colt if he wanted to have one of the opels to drive when he got older and he said "NO" if you can imagine, but secretly he is in love with Barney and sits in it all the time pretending to drive, he is just at the age where he likes to be difficult, you know, that phase that lasts till they move out

[okiejohn]

the gt 1973 field service manual is available for download for free on this site and it goes into detail about the headlight mechanism

[GTJIM]

whoops, is there a story or secret behind allen head? because once you brought it up i'm pretty sure it is alan head but i was excited so you'll have to forgive me

I need to go through the parts again and see if the lever cover is in there, when you have no idea what you are looking for it all looks greek.

1) You got me wondering so I looked up the History of the "Allen Key" found that it is named after an American Company!

"Allen wrench" was originally a trademark of Allen Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut in 1943. In non-English speaking parts of Europe, it is usually known as an "Unbrako key" (also often misspelled as "Umbrako"), which is a brand name established in 1911. The brand is owned by SPS Technologies. In Germany and Netherlands, this type of screw is known under the name Inbus™, named after the company that invented them in 1936, Bauer & Schaurte Karcher in Neuss. (Innensechskantschraube Bauer und Schaurte) [Inside, six-sided (hexagon) screw]

Amazing what wonderful info fixing GTs leads on to!

2) If you see a GM Parts Division "Illustration Catalog - Opel and GT" and its companion "Opel and GT Parts Book" grab them as there are exploded diagrams of all the Opel GT parts in one and lists of everything in the other .. including the sizes of the screws and bolts that hold them together.
Makes finding things and knowing what to look for sooooo much easier.

[kndlindsey]

that is the problem with this site, i spent last night looking at 500 pages with the search term seats, only a few of them covered seats you sit on but i went through them all and i get so sidetracked....oh! this isn't seats but it sounds interesting, i spend 20 minutes reading all 4 pages of the thread and in the thread i find something else i was looking for, open up a few extra search windows, my computer is beggin for mercy because i'm abusing it and i get lost reading for hours.

Now i get it, i think, it is allen but key not wrench, we have just always called them wrenches here, might be a midwest thing?

thanks for the names and pics of the manuals, now i know what to look for.

the one factory service manual that isn't $30-60 is from a seller with good feedback but doesn't take paypal, i never do check or m.o. but may have to this time.

[maglinjosvinn]

the headlight cable is GREAT! i loves it so.

i've repaired 3 now, and (ish only 22 so thats an accomplishment) and the last one, particularly in my car, i had to crawl under while the tranny was down, release the cable low, (where it connects to the interior lever) then go up to the bar between the hood hinges and release it there. after MUCH fighting it comes free. i placed mine in the vice, so it ran down along the floor, put a nut on the threads where it bolts to the flange in the front of the car, and dripped oil down into it. just had to get a mild medival with it, but then i got all 6 - 8 inches of back and forth play outta it. over all it took me about 40 minutes to get it out and reoiled. putting it back in was fun but not too bad.

i can't go without those lights tho. everyone's liek Wow. cool car dan. and i'm like "Yeah? wanna see something really cool?" *throws headlight lever* *Friends fall over in shock at the coolness* *Grins*

lol. good luck.