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| Group 3 - Suspension and Steering Front Suspension, Steering Linkage, Rear Suspension, Wheels and Tires |
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#51 (permalink) |
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1000 Post Club
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Overland Park KS
Posts: 1,998
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update from flipper..flipable spring?
his advise: 1- put it back together the same way, make sure the perch is the same on the left as the right( probabaly the outter holes) 2- flip the spring ( put the right onto the left side...to account for the 34 years of load by its driver)...he thought the spring was "flipable" 3- make sure upper ball joints bolt back up the same way as the 2 bolts are offset and you can be off 180 degrees and your wheels will be leaning. 4- probabbly best not to move perch inward to bring left side up, he thought if i was lucky...it might fix it self by replacing the compressed spring eyes and compressed ball joints. 5- you may have to get it all together..then go back and move a perch to adjust body lean
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Thank you members of opelgt.com for helping me on a 5 year reconstruction of the most beautiful car in the world Celeste: 1917,cc ,getrag resealed, 2liter Intake valves,ported,ISKY cam on solids,Opel forged rods,9.52 compression,total seal gapless,oil dam,RB gasket mod., DCOE side drafts,sprint,2in straight exhaust,pertronix,OMNI paint,SACHS clutch,OGTS & Kadette sway bars,Manta finned pan,3 V clock,Ball joints and Poly all... SAA-WEET! |
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#52 (permalink) |
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Senior Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Paxico, Ks.
Posts: 787
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Dean, did you feel any rough or sloppy movement in the ball joints? They'd be shot for sure if you did as good ball joints don't move by hand well at all. I couldn't hazard a guess about turning the leaf. I will say this: clamp the spring in the center to a level beam (sq. tube, small I-beam, etc) above the floor and measure the distance from each end to the floor. It's a quick down and dirty test to see if the leaf is more compressed on one side. It won't tell you if one side is weaker though. A shop could do a weight deflection test for you. Just my 2c's.
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#53 (permalink) |
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1000 Post Club
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Overland Park KS
Posts: 1,998
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Chad's metal ferruled poly bushing for late "A arm"
we ran into a problem this am. My lower bushings are too small for the a arm.
apparently my 70 A arms have been changed to late model. 1-here is chads solution..has anyone heard of this? burn out the rubber of the old ,early bushings,...then press them on the new late poly...seems like it was almost made that way.."as the shoulder is small on the A arm anyway...according to Chad" 2- upper A arm set for neg camber..is this correct? Advise
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Thank you members of opelgt.com for helping me on a 5 year reconstruction of the most beautiful car in the world Celeste: 1917,cc ,getrag resealed, 2liter Intake valves,ported,ISKY cam on solids,Opel forged rods,9.52 compression,total seal gapless,oil dam,RB gasket mod., DCOE side drafts,sprint,2in straight exhaust,pertronix,OMNI paint,SACHS clutch,OGTS & Kadette sway bars,Manta finned pan,3 V clock,Ball joints and Poly all... SAA-WEET! |
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#55 (permalink) |
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opel assimilated
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: springfield mo, was chicago
Posts: 141
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I would recommend trading in those for the right ones, and check your other side to see what size it is. It is worth the wait from ogts to know its right. Different size lower a arms seems to be common as gts get older. To anyone replacing their a arm bushings, check diameter of both sides before ordering. Or, order both sides and return the ones you do not need with ogts permission of course. Just my $.02
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"and James Dean thought he had a lil' Bastard!" |
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#56 (permalink) |
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No Access
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: in transit
Posts: 3,873
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There was a reason Opel went to a larger diameter. The smaller ones had a tendency to flex and this was thier solution. Yes the rubber has to be removed first. It's the inner diameter that was changed.
Last edited by nobody; 04-15-2005 at 12:47 PM. |
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#57 (permalink) |
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1000 Post Club
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Overland Park KS
Posts: 1,998
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I need to read the instructions
ok, burning out the bushing is in the instructions.I am learning.
Gil (and the instructions) said 1-the metal sleeve is a part of the lower A arm,,,it should of stayed there...he said tack weld it. Gil said: 2- dont use neg camber..thats for sport spring only. 3- moving perch will affect ride height ,but not not enough to select the neg camber position of the upper ball joint. problems i ran into: i was short a spring eye pair, even tho 2 members on the site (svopel and tking) had sent me spares thru rush mail.(thanks for trying) ..but they were for sport springs which will not interchange with a reg spring eye..sport spring has a smaller eye...so we used tr6 rubber bushings...1/2 on each side for balance...had to improvise a bit as its all apart in a shop . i filmed what i could and I hope to get I can get back for the reassembly...passenger side upper ball joint was rusted and loose..even rattled...old spring eyes bushings were oval and split..i cant believe how much better this car is going to be...
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Thank you members of opelgt.com for helping me on a 5 year reconstruction of the most beautiful car in the world Celeste: 1917,cc ,getrag resealed, 2liter Intake valves,ported,ISKY cam on solids,Opel forged rods,9.52 compression,total seal gapless,oil dam,RB gasket mod., DCOE side drafts,sprint,2in straight exhaust,pertronix,OMNI paint,SACHS clutch,OGTS & Kadette sway bars,Manta finned pan,3 V clock,Ball joints and Poly all... SAA-WEET! |
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#58 (permalink) |
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1000 Post Club
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Overland Park KS
Posts: 1,998
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will align tomorrow
imissed the spring install with the video camera
couldnt get away from my work , but work paysfor opel stuff chad is going to show me how to align it tomorrow.. i wil be able to take photos or video.. in the shop...car was level! groans and squeeks are gone..tomorrow pm i will be driving her chad moved spring perch to outboard hole on each side, spring was also flipped ball joints are set with neg camber,chad said he wants to see how it measures up tomorrow
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Thank you members of opelgt.com for helping me on a 5 year reconstruction of the most beautiful car in the world Celeste: 1917,cc ,getrag resealed, 2liter Intake valves,ported,ISKY cam on solids,Opel forged rods,9.52 compression,total seal gapless,oil dam,RB gasket mod., DCOE side drafts,sprint,2in straight exhaust,pertronix,OMNI paint,SACHS clutch,OGTS & Kadette sway bars,Manta finned pan,3 V clock,Ball joints and Poly all... SAA-WEET! |
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#59 (permalink) |
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1000 Post Club
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Overland Park KS
Posts: 1,998
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no body lean...soft smooth ride over bumps
well today is a big opel day for me. no body lean. I have driven it 20 mlies. we checked toe in,camber,castor..its about right...only thing right wheel is showing positive camber of +2....i think the manual says 1/2 degree positive..although ball joints are set for neg camber in the sport spring position...we will recheck it after the suspension settles in
i will try to get photos..camera card malfunctioned this am. car drives great. it feels like a new car..oddly enough...it feels softer ,cushier ,and very sedan like. A lot of big differences, car is level and you really notice it when you drive. Another thing is how easy the steering wheel turns...has a buttery ,well lubed feel. no squeaks or groans...vey soft and supple. cambor,castor, toe in...chad has some simple tools to check this. the car drives show room new, when Truman drives it next month on our way to carlisle..i will let him vouch for me...as he has driven it before repairs. ( we are not bringing the car to carlise tho, as there isnt enough oil in kuwait to get us there) next project...start working on the engine rebuild that is part way if I had it to different he is what i would do, (if you want to do more of the project yourself...and still be safe,especially if you dont have good equipment or good tools or want to drop a car on yourself trying to get off that last rusted nut on the spring retainer-crosspiece) i wish i had bought some salvage upper and lower A arms. get these painted ahead of time and disassembled. get the ball joints installed and get the new bushings in..take your time. then i would take it to a shop...have them decompress the spring, swap in the new arms, having the arms ready to go,jacking with the A arms is over 1/2 of the shop time. also have all the needed grade 8 bolts ready, as the shop will probably not have these ready) if you are not going to do that, at least order a double set of A arm bushings, old and late model,,,so that the car is not apart and you are back ordered from your opel dealer....maybe your" A arms are not the same year as your car?" also: i have been assured,that there really is nothing challenging for a shop to do this. the folks that did this said " not hard at all".. from what i saw...working at a a pace..if your A arms are ready..the whole job could be done in 2 hours by someone with good tools( and who can find their tools)...4 hours at most..if rusted bolts were encountered. my mechanic spent about 5- 6 hours on the job..i will have to ask him all in all...unbelievable...it rides/steers like new..
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Thank you members of opelgt.com for helping me on a 5 year reconstruction of the most beautiful car in the world Celeste: 1917,cc ,getrag resealed, 2liter Intake valves,ported,ISKY cam on solids,Opel forged rods,9.52 compression,total seal gapless,oil dam,RB gasket mod., DCOE side drafts,sprint,2in straight exhaust,pertronix,OMNI paint,SACHS clutch,OGTS & Kadette sway bars,Manta finned pan,3 V clock,Ball joints and Poly all... SAA-WEET! |
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#62 (permalink) |
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6,000 Post Club
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Imperial Beach, CA South of San Diego
Posts: 6,054
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Dean, here's the pic of how you can drill the jam nut for safety wire on the tie rods we discussed last nite in the chat room. You will also have to drill another hole for the safety wire to terminate at from the nut. Maybe in the casting the tie rod screws into. In retrospect, as I was searching for the bolt, I stumbled, literally, across some of the thin steel plate I made the new hood seal from. I do believe you could make some locking tabs out of that material easily. Just a thought.
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Ron 72 GT 3.4L V-6/T-5/ZF posi - almost done - Just need AC installed. ![]() 75 Chevy monza 5.7L/TH350/Auburn 3.08 posi - Next |
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#63 (permalink) |
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1000 Post Club
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Overland Park KS
Posts: 1,998
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ron/dave
RON: thanks for the tip
dAVE: these arent Monza/pacesetter resonated tips...just straight thru tips i found on ebay, although i thinkk i need the resonation, i am a little loud...do you want to swaP?
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Thank you members of opelgt.com for helping me on a 5 year reconstruction of the most beautiful car in the world Celeste: 1917,cc ,getrag resealed, 2liter Intake valves,ported,ISKY cam on solids,Opel forged rods,9.52 compression,total seal gapless,oil dam,RB gasket mod., DCOE side drafts,sprint,2in straight exhaust,pertronix,OMNI paint,SACHS clutch,OGTS & Kadette sway bars,Manta finned pan,3 V clock,Ball joints and Poly all... SAA-WEET! |
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#64 (permalink) |
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Reidsville N.C.
Posts: 2,160
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davegt27,Bucky, here is a site that I found that had the monza tips. http://www.autopn.com/autoparts/perf...aust_tips.html
My question is did you mount yours to the original tips, just cut off? I noticed coming back from Charlotte the other weekend, mine is kinda loud at 70 going down the interstate. I just thought about cutting off the tips and putting on the Dual tips with the original rear muffler. Then again I was wondering how restrictive that would be. Thanks, Jarrell |
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#65 (permalink) |
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Certified Opelholic
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Aurora, CO
Posts: 936
Real Name: joe blow
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Back in the day JC Whitney used to sell all kinds of crazy stuff
one was the Chrome Header that did not fit. the other was a Monza exhaust the problem with the Monza 4 Tip was it was designed wrong and was very restrictive Rally Bob and others called Monza told what the problem was so they could fix it. as soon as i herd the problem was fixed i order the "Opel GT Monza exhaust" this was a rear resonator made just for the Opel GT later while i was autocrossing i hit one of those big cones and ripped my Monza 4 tip right off (noticed a power increase after that) i never reinstalled it the 4 Tip is over in my storage unit maybe i can get a Pic, I thought i tripped over it last week Davegt27 |
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#66 (permalink) |
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 494
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I just put these exhaust tips on mine......the size worked well, they look good and they seem to have slightly reduced the sound. They only stay red for about a week, or less, which was fine with me. I paid about $19.00 each.
http://www.hedman.com/pages/hedmanmain.html
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Next stop the Twilight Zone..... 1973 Opel GT 1977 Datsun 280Z Previously: 1971 Opel GT 1973 Opel Manta |
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#67 (permalink) |
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Opeler
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Ste Genevieve, Mo.
Posts: 40
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If the car has the engine in it this is NOT a difficult task. Make sure the lower control arm is on a jackstand and bearing the weight of the vehicle. remove ball joint thru bolt and sperate it from the steering knuckle. you can then jack the car from the frame behind the wheel opening and slowly raise the car this will remove the spring tension and the spring can then be removed. Install it in the reverse order. New springs can be purchased from any spring manufacturer. They will need the spring to match it. Always change springs in pairs to insure spring rate from side to side. Check the pockets for wear when these springs are removed.
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#68 (permalink) |
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1000 Post Club
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Overland Park KS
Posts: 1,998
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back to stock rear springs
i took out my cut down sportwagon springs. the car was too high in the back,even with a loop or two cut out.the sportwagon spring ended up short(w/o tension) and too tall (with compression) . if the car is jacked up, the short spring would come off its spring hat seat...then when the car rested on it..it was too tall in the back..
i went back to my stock rear spring.car looks better, now that my front end has been rebuilt. car is awesome!
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Thank you members of opelgt.com for helping me on a 5 year reconstruction of the most beautiful car in the world Celeste: 1917,cc ,getrag resealed, 2liter Intake valves,ported,ISKY cam on solids,Opel forged rods,9.52 compression,total seal gapless,oil dam,RB gasket mod., DCOE side drafts,sprint,2in straight exhaust,pertronix,OMNI paint,SACHS clutch,OGTS & Kadette sway bars,Manta finned pan,3 V clock,Ball joints and Poly all... SAA-WEET! |
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#69 (permalink) |
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Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: corning ny 14830
Posts: 2,182
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would anyone know the ID and the OD of the bushings used on a 70 (early) front suspension?
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1970 Opel GT 1.9 1980 Moto Guzzi V50 2000 Saab 9-3 2.0 turbo 2000 KTM 200 exc STOLEN |
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#70 (permalink) | |
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Über OpelGT.com Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 4,079
Real Name: Keith Wilford
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I am unsure of the inner diameter, but they are all the same. The sleeve thickness, and hence outer diameter, changed in 1972. Read the last post at:
http://opelgt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=398
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#71 (permalink) |
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1000 Post Club
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Overland Park KS
Posts: 1,998
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bushing substitute for stock spring eye.
this is a clayflex bushing, it says sab 935 on the end.
someone asked about this,as ogts is out of stock.i lost their name, i dont know who needed these. i got them today from chad. I have 4 which i believe will work. they came from "victoria british in Lenexa ks."..if anyone needs an set ...i got 4 for shipping costs. check the size as these were unmarked in a box where mine came from in the shop. you will need to grind the end.
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Thank you members of opelgt.com for helping me on a 5 year reconstruction of the most beautiful car in the world Celeste: 1917,cc ,getrag resealed, 2liter Intake valves,ported,ISKY cam on solids,Opel forged rods,9.52 compression,total seal gapless,oil dam,RB gasket mod., DCOE side drafts,sprint,2in straight exhaust,pertronix,OMNI paint,SACHS clutch,OGTS & Kadette sway bars,Manta finned pan,3 V clock,Ball joints and Poly all... SAA-WEET! |
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#72 (permalink) |
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Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: corning ny 14830
Posts: 2,182
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Has anyone some across a strange problem with the ogts poly spring eye bushings where it crushes the bushing within it's confines as the bushings are not fully cylindrical, it's OD has two flat spots on it. The spring is squishing the bushings towards the flats, though this is the way to install them (flats are perpendicular to the spring) Will it stop doing this once there is a preload? Why in the world are the spring eye bushings not fully cylindrical?
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1970 Opel GT 1.9 1980 Moto Guzzi V50 2000 Saab 9-3 2.0 turbo 2000 KTM 200 exc STOLEN |
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#73 (permalink) |
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Senior Contributor
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Kent Lakes, NY
Posts: 1,957
Real Name: Jeff
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Jordan,
I don't remember if mine had a flat spot or not, since I put the front end together 2 years ago, but I do remember that I had no problem with assembly, and that there was nothing unusual that happened during my assembly process. If you are using that lowering spring that I sold you, that might be the issue, I am not sure you can use the stock bushings in it.
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Jeff '73 GT,5spd,Recaro,EDIS4 2.2 EFI by MegaSquirt, Ali Flywheel w/S10 Clutch, Electric Fan, Roller Rockers, Venolia Pistons, 6 Cyl Intake w/ Custom Injection, 15" Wheels,Lecarra,F&R Sway Bars,Custom Exhaust,1" Sport Spring,Koni Reds,Big Brakes,3 Core Ali Radiator,Hse of Colors Kandy Pagan Gold. 123 WHP @ 6800 RPM ![]() '64 VW Karmann Ghia '08 BMW M3 |
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#74 (permalink) |
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Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: corning ny 14830
Posts: 2,182
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I made some little thin bushing sleeves out of .016" aluminium and the bushings fit snug in the spring eye after that. I can not think of any specific problem with the spring that would cause this problem, I will call ogts on tuesday and possibly gil can explain if this is how they should be. Is polyurathane machineable? Could delrin or polyethelene be used in the spring eyes? I may make my own and then there wont be a problem, But I know I am not impressed with the large flat spots on the bushings that without a reason seem stupid.
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1970 Opel GT 1.9 1980 Moto Guzzi V50 2000 Saab 9-3 2.0 turbo 2000 KTM 200 exc STOLEN |
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#75 (permalink) |
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Old Opeler
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 5,686
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"Square" Eyes
The eyes in the ends of the top lef of the front spring are not round but strangely squashed out of round. The original rubber bush is almost square - I can only guess that Opel made them this way to prevent the rubber bush rotating in the eye - the bush has to 'twist' rather than turn. I am sure it was designed that way by Opel.
Thus, when Poly bushes are used they need to be out of round too - and only rotate on the inner sleeve that slides over the bolt.
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GTJim Opel Owner since last Century! Copyright © 2000-2009 J D Henry All Rights Reserved |
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