bringing my Opel out of 5/yr Storage

[RckymtnOpel]

I just bought a 72' Opel GT 1900 im so exited to get it running but its been in storage for 5 yr's... i dont want to just put gas and oil in it and start it and all the guy did to store it was take out the battery... can i take the gas tank out and boil it, do i need too do something befor i first try to turn over the engine.... i want to bring it back to cherry can anyone give me some help in the Colorado Denver area for $$$?? or has anyone els brought a GT out of such a long storage??? I need some serious advice here....


thanks guys,

RMO

[BQS4]

RMO;
I would definitely get the old gas out. But, as for starting the motor, I'd drain out the oil in it, fill it again with new and a new filter. Then, pull the coil wire off the dist cap and ground it, and with a new battery installed, spin the motor over till you get oil pressure. Then, either clean the plugs, or use new ones, along with new points and then try and start it. I wouldn't go too long, before, changing oil and filter again, just to get all the old junk and crap out.

[ConreroGT]

if it was running when it was parked, chances are it'll crank right up. Opel motors are pretty tough. I would agree with BQS4. Change all the fluids first. I'd also drain the radiator and give it a fresh refill. How does the brake fluid look? Do that soon after you get it running....or sooner. There's not much more you can really do to prep the motor from such a cold start...short of tearing the engine apart.

Just do what you would do on a normal tune up and change all the fluids.

Good luck! My 72 had sat for almost 7 years when I got it. Fired right up after I changed the plugs, cap, rotor and oil. (I got it free because it "wouldn't start" --it was the starter.

[opelbits]

I'd everything they said plus:

flush the cooling system

pour a little atf (1/2 oz.?) into each cylinder. Let it sit over night. Then turn the motor by hand and do it again. This will help loosen up any rings that might be a little sticky, thereby reducing the likelyhood of breaking them and lubricates the cylinder walls to prevent a somewhat 'dry' startup. Even if the rings do not break, they could damage the cylinder wall if they aren't loose.

put a see thru fuel filter inline before the fuel pump and another before the carb. The glass ones with a cleanable element are great, you can see the crap that they catch. Even if you have the tank boiled and relined, there may be debris in the lines or the fuel pump.

[RckymtnOpel]

I am currently restoring a 72' GT and I am thinking about putting in a 5 speed... is it easy... what are the pro's and con's I also am thinking about installing the original German suspension... has anyone done one or both of these mod's to a stock 1900 72' or have any advice?

[Jim Branham]

RckymtnOpel- It's an easy enough mod, question is how much hiway driving do you do? I have a 5-speed getrag in my 72, it's rarely in 5th unless I'm on the hiway doing 65+. Check the links found here for info on the getrag and the changeover.

[RckymtnOpel]

I live west of Denver... its almost a hazard going below 75 mph on i-70 coming to and from denver.... whats the top speed of a 4 speed when using a stock 1.9 and with your 5 speed mod whats the new top speed?... maybe i don't need one... also has anyone put the original German suspension in a gt? I heard that GM made them change the whole suspension system on all GT's imported to the US and the difference is dry bread to butter...

thanks for the help,

RckyMtnOpel

[houserc]

I had an old 4 speed 1.9 ltr up around 125 back in the early 80's. Don't know that I would drive it there for too long. My current Gt has seen 95 mph while checking some stuff out and it has a 4 speed. It gets kind of loud, since GT's don't have a lot of sound proofing.

You can buy the various aftermarket suspension kits. In a nutshell, GM decided that we Americans couldn't or wouldn't take the rough ride of the European suspension, so they had GT's shipped over without them.

With torsion bars the ride is rougher. You feel all the bumps in the road on the highway. But the difference really is enjoyable when you take a corner like the car was on rails.

There is a good thread here on bolt-on torsion bars. Check it out.

[BQS4]

RMO;
The only difference between the Euro spec'd GT and the US spec'd is that the Euro ones had front and rear sway bars.

[RckymtnOpel]

So I have the original 13" opel wheels on right now and one is missing the center cap thing... sense I'm sure you all have upgraded to 15x7 and 15x8 wheels there must be someone who wants too sell me a cap off of there stock wheels.... any takers??... also, I live at 8,500ft up in the mountains and drive between here and Denver (5,400ft) quite often... is there anyone els who has ran an opel at this altitude and if so, is there anything special I need to do too adjust my gt besides the mixture???

[BQS4]

RMO;
It would help to know if you have the center caps with the "flying saucer" caps, i.e. the ones where the lug nuts show through, or the later model ones, with just the "blitz" emblem on it. It's approx 4 inches in diameter.

[greensmurf20]

RMO: i have both caps that BQS4 was talking of......i dont know who he posts as but i talk to him on AIM and he lives near colorado and has a 72GT, says he loves the way it runs, so must run OK even with the high altitude

[Buck]

I've had my GT in storage for about 18 years, I just got a chance to start it up again today after coming off a deployment onboard the Carl Vinson. I just checked all the fluids, gave the car a once over, threw in a new battery and put some starter fluid in and she started right up. Last time I started it was about 9 months ago and it's been like that for the last 18 years, just starting it and running her around the block when I get the chance, the Navy isn't too accomodating when it comes to staying in one place, but looks like I'm finally going to get the chance to stay in one place for a while so I'm going to be bringing my Opel out of storage for good and start stripping her down for restoration, I"ll post some pics when I get her home. They are very tough engines, we've had 4 in our family and every one of them was in pretty rough shape when we bought them and every one of them started right up with a little coaxing, no major problems with any of them. I also agree with the previous posts about changing all of the fluids as soon as possible, who knows what could have contaminated the fluids while it was sitting.

[RckymtnOpel]

I have the original Solex carb , do you think i should get the weber 32/36 or is the Solex just fine for colorado... I'm up in Evergreen at about 8400 ft... im about to flush all my fluids do you think i should use 10w40 this winter?I might start using some valvoline high milage cus my gt has 126,000 mi's under its belt and its kinda beat up... also I'm having some trouble getting my lights to click back into the body when im done using them and one side even rotates farther than it should.... is there any quick fix for this or can i adjust them some how?

by the way I need one of the 6 inch diameter original 13" wheel caps where the bolts show through if anyone wants too sell one

[greensmurf20]

RMO: i have a few of those hub caps....ok almost two complete sets but anyway theres one there for you if you'd like, email greensmurf20@hotmail.com if your interested.

[RckymtnOpel]

so I'm going too try and start her tomorrow, I got the old gas out and disconnected the fuel line at the filter then drained the line... should I replace the filter?... I'm also not sure how to put the atf in the spark plug holes should I drain the oil put atf in put the plugs back in put new oil in and then turn it over by pushing it forward in 4th and then let it sit over night and then change the oil again and also where do I drain the radiator from? I'm also not quite sure what to do about the brake fluid and draining/cleaning that out...

"Then, pull the coil wire off the dist cap and ground it, and with a new battery installed, spin the motor over till you get oil pressure. Then, either clean the plugs, or use new ones, along with new points and then try and start it."

I understand cleaning and re-gapping the plugs but spinning the motor till I get oil pressure and new "points"? Pull the dist cap and ground it.. . I know where and what it is but ground it t these things I do not understand could you please clarify it for me for I'm not much of a mechanic

Thanks all I'm real exited to listen to her purr,
RMO

[West Coast GT]

Rocky Mountain Opel,
It's always cool getting the car fired up & on the road. Best of luck.

I just noticed your elevation is 8400 feet. Rule of thumb is a normally aspirated engine loses 25% of it's rated horsepower (3% per 1000 feet above sea level). Assuming somewhere around 100 hp originally gives you 75 hp, before figuring in wear & tear.

So if your thinking about more power to compensate for this, check out the thread on "performance ideas" from a couple of weeks ago. There were some great ideas from folks that are very helpful in developing an overall strategy and to create a list of specific items to attack.

The best two responses come from RallyBob who broke it down into "bolt on" improvements and "internal" improvements. Internal meaning opening up the engine. The other good list came from ?????? (can't think of his name now 'cause I'm like, ya know, old) the guy that owned an Opel shop. You'll see his list. Both offer really good, sensible approaches to modest performance gains.

Of course, if you really want your Opel to act like it's at sea level, you'll need a turbo or blower. But that's pretty radical, and beyond quite a few of us. And, I'm guessing it's kinda spendy as well.

Hey - do you have to put snow tires on that car?

[namba209]

O.K. one question at a time, and I'll try to answer, but these are my opinions and may not reflect what others may advise or do.

should I replace the filter?

Yes, and you may need another one if the new one gets clogged up with gunk that's been in the tank for a while.

I'm also not sure how to put the atf in the spark plug holes should I drain the oil put atf in put the plugs back in put new oil in and then turn it over by pushing it forward in 4th and then let it sit over night and then change the oil again

That's a bunch, You can put the ATF in the cylinders with a funnel or piece of small tubing, The idea here is to get the rings lubed and maybe unstuck. Change the oil before you attempt to spin the motor, leave the plugs out, take out the coil to distributor center wire from the coil and distributor. Let the ATF do it's thing for 24 hours or overnight, before you try to spin the motor.

where do I drain the radiator from?

Take off the lower hose at the radiator, there is no drain cock on GT radiators.

I'm also not quite sure what to do about the brake fluid and draining/ cleaning that out...

Take the screen filter out of the top of the brake reservoir and get as much old fluid out as you can. Then get a 1-person brake bleeder hose, or an assistant, fill the reservoir and bleed the brakes in the following order, right rear, left rear, right front, left front. Keep checking the reservoir make sure it does not get empty during the process.

but spinning the motor till I get oil pressure?

After you get the engine to just turn over, there are no stuck or broken rings, put in a good battery and spin the engine with the starter for about 30 seconds, wait a couple of minutes, spin it again, using this cycle until you get an indication of oil pressure on the gauge or until the oil light goes out in the gauge. This means oil pressure is coming from the pump and lubricating the entire engine, supposedly.

but ground it these things I do not understand could you please clarify it for me for I'm not much of a mechanic

Grounding the coil means that there is no high voltage spark coming from the coil to the distributor. The same can be done by removing the high tension wire
from the coil going to the center of the distributor cap.

The big thing here is to make sure the rings are not stuck in the cylinders and break, the second is to make sure you have oil circulating through the engine before you start it. No oil means damaging the engine. HTH

Ron

[RckymtnOpel]

"The big thing here is to make sure the rings are not stuck in the cylinders and break, the second is to make sure you have oil circulating through the engine before you start it. No oil means damaging the engine."

I changed the oil today. It looks wonderful and there is no water in it. I flushed all the fuel lines and there is no gas in it right now I got that out... I noticed that the rubber cap to where the hard line connects to the bottom of the tank is shot... do I need a new one?... I put atf in each cylinder today... I'm going to put it in 4th tomorrow and push it too turn the motor over... what els can I do too make sure I protect and lubricate my rings? I would hate to damage them but im defiantly going to use atf again after I turn it over by hand.... I put in a new battery today and I can hear my electric fuel pump turn on when i turn the key.... there is no gas in the lines and it almost sounds angry. should I replace the plugs after cleaning them and turn over the engine with the starter for 30 second increments until I get oil pressure and then put gas in it? is that the difference between just turning it over with the starter and actually starting it because i want to make sure I have pressure before i crank it up... I also noticed that my headlight wire rubber is shot... I don't want it to catch fire when I reinstall the battery will these lines stay dead as long as the switch is off so I can replace the wiring and or where is the fuse box and can I just take out that fuse?


thanks for the knowledge all!!!! it is a real big help I am so exited to crank this hoss tomorrow,

RMO

[namba209]

Alrighty, let's do it one ? at a time.

I noticed that the rubber cap to where the hard line connects to the bottom of the tank is shot... do I need a new one?.

The vibration may chafe the line and it will eventually rub a hole in it. Opel GT Spurce has the replacement.

I'm going to put it in 4th tomorrow and push it too turn the motor over... what els can I do too make sure I protect and lubricate my rings?

If you have a 1/2 inch breaker bar and the correct socket, I think a 19mm, you can try to turn the crank with the bolt in the center of the crank shaft pulley. If it turns the crank, you won't have to push the car with it in 4th gear. Loading the cylinders with ATF won't hurt at this stage either, just leave the plugs out until you're ready to start the engine.

there is no gas in the lines and it almost sounds angry.

I would disconnect the electrical wiring for the fuel pump. You don't want to run it dry for very long, the fuel going through the pump keeps it cool to prevent overheating.

should I replace the plugs after cleaning them

I would throw the old plugs away and start with new ones.

turn over the engine with the starter for 30 second increments until I get oil pressure and then put gas in it?

With the fuel pump electrically disconnected, you can put gas in the car at any time. The 30 second start then 2 minute wait, is for the starter to cool down, again, to prevent overheating and damage to the starter.

I also noticed that my headlight wire rubber is shot... I don't want it to catch fire when I reinstall the battery will these lines stay dead as long as the switch is off so I can replace the wiring and or where is the fuse box and can I just take out that fuse?

The headlights work off a pair of relays in front of the fuse panel under the dash, driver's side. The relays get signals from the microswitches in the headlight buckets and the turn signal lever. If the relays are good and the microswitches are functional, as long as you do not rotate the headlights, there will be no power to the headlights. As a safety precaustion you may want to rewire the headlights before you put in the battery, or check the individual wires to the headlights and see if the insulation is worn through. If it is you can retape the wires temporarily, until you can replace the wires. HTH

Ron

[GT-Freak]

Hey RckymtnOpel. Your blue Opel looks like mine! (Except mine has an inch of dust.) My wife has a cousin that lives in Littleton, CO. He used to own 6-7 Opels. I haven't talked to him for a while. I think he could store a whole car in a closet. He's a great guy.