IT'S ALIVE!!! (kindof...)

[husker]

Some of you may recall a few months ago I acquired a 72 Opel GT that had been sitting since 1986. The car is in great condition (no rust, good glass and good interior). I am currently finishing a 1970 Challenger TA and I was lining up this Opel to be my next project. I didn't even bother trying to start the car because I thought after 18 years it was toast anyway and therefore I was planning an engine swap.

Well two weekends ago I get curious and drain the oil... It looked like yogurt dropping into my oil pan... not a good sign. I change the plugs, toss on a $20 electric fuel pump into a gas can and the thing fires right up... no smoke... sounds like a ricer because there is a 2 foot hole in the tailpipe just before the muffler... but it runs great.

Still not believing that the engine is worth anything, I let my 4-year-old daughter in the drivers seat (the car is 2 feet off the ground on blocks) and tell her to have fun with it. She floors it and gets the tach over 7000 and then I decide to put into gear (auto) and see what happens. Well now the speedometer is over 90 and the car doesn't miss a beat.

Anyway... it’s alive... after 18 years of sitting! Just thought I would share my enthusiasm. Below is a picture of what happened the following weekend… keep in mind the car is literally 2 feet off the ground.

[benncojr]

And that is why I am so glad I live in the south. The last time I saw that much snow this late in the year was 1993 and it was the first week in March and not the last.

Prior to that it was in Ohio when it snowed on easter.

[BQS4]

Benncojr;
I was here in '93 AND '82. Took me 6 hours to get from Doraville to Snellville.

[husker]

One of my Explorers got stuck 15 feet out of the garage... I had to use my other Explorer to pull the stuck one back into the garage. Fortunately my next door neighbor manages an equipment rental center and brought home a bobcat the night before the storm. I spent the day home from work playing on the bobcat. I still have 6 foot piles of snow where I piled it up, and there is still a solid 2 feet most everywhere the sun doesn't shine... I love it though... wouldn't change it for the world. The funny thing was that my wife and I were sitting in our hammock on Saturday (68 degrees) and the snow started on Sunday.

[1972GT]

you know, reading stories like this one give me great hope for my project GT. i'm new to the world of opels, so discovering this site was a godsend. anyway, back to my car. it's a 72....but i wish it was in the condition yours seems to be in. like yours, mine hasnt been run in over 15 years (granted, most of that time was spent in my backyard or buried in my barn), so it's encouraging to think that these motors last like they do. i think mine is or was seized (i'm doing the pickle-the-engine approach with the 50/50 mix of brake fluid and diesel fuel) but the idea that one MIGHT start up after sitting gives me great hope. maybe i'll try the $20 fuel pump and new plugs approach once i get the pistons broken loose.
thanks for your encouragement!

[greensmurf20]

welcome to opegt.com. you'll find the people here to very knowlegable, and somebody can help you with nearly anything you need help with..... we all owe it to gary *the owner of the site* and keith *moderator*....

[SoCalOpelGT]

Husker,

I can relate. When I found my GT, it had been sitting for 17 years. I had to tow it home and after the oil, spark plug, and fuel pump change, it fired right up!

1972GT, I hope you enjoy the same fortune.

Richard

[greensmurf20]

is it a common problem for the GT to waste a fuel pump if they sit for a long time? mine sat for 2 years and it was junk, everybody else claims theirs are junk too when they set, that was a 40 dollar pump......lol

[1972GT]

alright, im just gonn list some questions and you guys can reply to all of them or some of them or none of them, whatever works.

1. when i was pulling apart some of the lesser components of my motor (ie distrib. cap, air intake, etc.) i noticed that my ignition coil has a lot of some kind of liquid in it. might be oil....but i'm not sure and i dont know HOW oil could have gotten in there. what do you guys think?

2. IF i get my pistons unlocked, can i just use the $20 fuel-pump-and-gas-can approach and go? what else do i need to check in order for the engine to start?

3. IF all that goes well, (i should preface this by saying all 4 brakes are locked) can i put the car in gear(it's on blocks) and try to break (haha) the brakes loose?

4. My gas tank is locked.....i have the key, but is there a trick to opening the lid? the key refuses to turn.

5. And finally, how difficult is it to replace fuel lines and other such rubber components that are likely to be rotted?

thanks for your time and your warm knowlegeable welcome!

[opelbits]

If a car has sat for a long time, sediments, varnish, and rust can form. These elements act as a grinding compound in the fuel pump. Really damages the diaphragm or vanes. Or if it is the old pump, the rubber seals and diaphragm get brittle and fail. Before I start an old car or motor I put a see-thru filter before the pump and a second one before the carb.

Also, I have learned the hard way that if you intend on driving the car alot (mine was a daily driver for a year and a half), it is worht the time and effort to pull the tank and have it serviced (boil and reline). It cost $130 for my GT tank and $150 for the Manta. The filter in the GT kept clogging (causing the car to stall) about every 20 miles. There was so much sediment and rust scale in the tank that if I had not gotten fed up, it would have taken a year or more of cleaning my filters every 20 miles/30 minutes to get all the crap out. Try doing that everytime you drive to work or back home.

[greensmurf20]

to answer question number one... i think it should be there, mine has it and it runs, i mean ran great.

to answer question number two... you should be able to, but if you have the old solex keep in mind that that carb can only hand 3.5 PSI, if i remember correctly

question number three.... if your going to try and jack the car up to break the wheels loos, make it easy on yourself and leave the car in neutral, unless you get it running then put it in gear and let the motor break the rear wheels loose for you

number four... my car is the same way, i can't work it but my dad can!!!

number 5... the fuel lines are plastic from the factory... or atlest my car has them and appear factory. the fuel lines are not hard to replace since ther is no steel lines to flare and bend. other rubber componets can be a pain like bushings and window seals

[greensmurf20]

opelbits.
great advice, same problem with my car a while back. pluged both filters every 15 miles.

[1972GT]

hmmm interesting. ok, now that i'm a little more optimistic, i have another question about this fuel tank thing. yes, this car would be driven a decent amount, so i guess i should have the tank serviced. HOW on earth do i get it out of the car? and while we're on this topic, does ANYONE know how to open a GT gas cap????? it's driving me crazy!

[greensmurf20]

i can't help you with the gas cap, still cant figure it out.... for the gas tanke it comes out through the inside of the car. move your seats forward and then remove your spare tire holding rack and take that out and remove the plywood from the back of the car. there are 2 bars that are bolted to the rear wheel wells and i assume thats to keep the gas tank from bouncing up too high. the bars have studs in them so you have to get outside of the car and take 2 nuts off on each side, they may be hard to find if you have alot of under coating int he wheel wells. then back into the car, disconnect your vents that connect to the tank, and unplug the fuel sending unit, and disconnect your fuel line from the bottom of the car that feeds the fuel pump. then if i remember you have to take a rubber hose off that goes from the steel fill neck to the tank its self, and then with alot of pursuasion, and a few inappropiate words, it should come out fairly easy. thats very brief but gives a general over view of the project

[greensmurf20]

try the search feature, there might be a good description on how to remove and re-install the fuel tank

[opelbits]

Try squirting a little WD-40 or some such thing into the lock cyllinder then insert and remove the key several times. The little pins could be hanging up.

When removing the gas tank, it is much more helpful to have the gas cap off. The reason is that after draining the tank, it is a good idea to then fill it with water and drain it again. This will help to eliminate the chances of anything unfortuneate and noisy (to say the least!) from happening, compared to not doing this. An empty gas tank is much more dangerous than a full one, but you can't get a full one out of the back of the GT!

[opelbits]

Originally posted by greensmurf20 opelbits. great advice, same problem with my car a while back. pluged both filters every 15 miles.

Thank you. I figure 'my pain, your gain'.

[greensmurf20]

nah i changed the gas tank in the end of march, so i felt paint right along with you........lol had to figure them bars out too, and the thing that got me was that fill tube, i wrestled that thing for a good half hour.... i always win a fight with cars, but they still give me a run for the moeny.

[SoCalOpelGT]

1. You mentioned you have the key. You should have a key for the ignition and a different looking key for the gas cap. After swinging the Opel logo top to the side exposing the lock cylinder, insert your key and turn it 180 degrees.

The key has to be inserted a certain way. So, if it doesn't turn either way, take the key out and reinsert it facing the other way.

I'd also recommend spraying some WD-40 and let it soak for a bit first!

2. Coils are usually filled with oil and sometime epoxy.

Good Luck!

[greensmurf20]

my 70 GT uses the same key for the gas cap and the ignition right along with the doors, one key works it all, thank god because i only have one key. i can't ever figure out the gas cap so dad has to fill it up for me, but i know atleast on my car its the same key.....

[husker]

Glad mine and others experiences could be of encouragement to you. I have fallen love with these little cars since I got ahold of mine a year ago.

I have two keys - one for the ignition and another for the gas cap.

As far as simply changing the oil, and plugs I would not recomment this route... I am not planning on keeping the original engine in the car... I simply wanted to see if I could get it running and possibly have some fun with it before I yanked it. If I were planning on keeping the engine I would have torn it down and freshened up everything before firing it up.

I am still in a quandry about what engine to swap in... Chevy 3.4 6cyl? Ford 2.3 4 cyl turbo? Or a 4 cyl nissan, toyota etc? I have been following the various builds on this site but have not been convinced which one is the "easiest" and biggest bang for the level of diffivulty. Hmmmmm. I still have a little time before I start the full blown process. My 70 Challenger is being painted as I write. That car will be completely finished this year then it is on to the Opel.

[garrymc]

I am still in a quandry about what engine to swap in... Chevy 3.4 6cyl? Ford 2.3 4 cyl turbo? Or a 4 cyl nissan, toyota etc? I have been following the various builds on this site but have not been convinced which one is the "easiest" and biggest bang for the level of diffivulty.

Why not an Opel engine ??? The easiest swap would be a bored 1.9

Garry