A proud new Opel GT owner

[EastcoastOpel]

Hi Everyone, I found this great site about a week ago when i was doing research on a GT i was looking at, i got tons of great info here by reading the posts and last saturday i bought a 1972 GT! heres a little about it.... i found it on Craigslist, it was parked in a garage since the mid 80's, the last time it was inspected was 5-9-89 and the mileage then was 91,812, when it was pulled out of the garage last saturday the mileage was 91,865!!! the body is in really good shape for being in the pocono mountain region, the worst part is on the drivers side rocker bottom and a little on the drivers fender bottom, nothing major! i stood on the rocker sill and nothing happened and i'm 6'2 and 260 , the floors are solid too!, the belly and battery tray has some very tiny/minor spots of surface rust but nothing else, the rear is rust free, shock towers, jacking points etc. are all good with very minor surface rust, quarters have a small quarter size hole but thas it. the doors close perfect with no sag or any issues, the gaps are all great and the doors close freely and solid.

the interior was white but someone did a decent black dye job on the seats and doorpanels, the steering wheel has a aftermarket cover on it and it protected the original wheel, its like new underneath the cover, all original glass.

the car has not been started since 1989 so i'm not going to try anything till i prep it, new gas, lube in cylinders etc. the owner said it ran fine when he parked it and by looking at it it looks true, it even has new points, plugs etc still in it.

I've alway really like the GT's since waaaay back in high school, but over time I kinda forgot about them till i lucked out in finding this one. the best part is what he wanted for it, $500.00! and when i came to look at it, i was telling him about how i really wanted one when i was younger and how i was going to restore this and not part it out, he said "since you gonna take care of her and not part it out, just give me $450", well i couldnt get the $$ outta my pocket fast enuff! he then said he had some stuff to throw in, he gave me 6 original wheels, an original radio, 3 solex carbs, the orange 1972 service manual, a new muffler and some othe misc. parts

well there are plenty of pics in my album to look at, so i hope everyone here can give me some honest feedback on the car, was it worth it? (i think so, and am happy no matter what). I have 2 quick questions, #1 i kinda jumped the gun, i'm building a garage in the spring so it will need to sit covered in my driveway till then, whats the best way to "winterize" it, i'm not sure what the antifreeze is like, can i just pull the lower rad hose? or will there still be too much water in the block? and #2 last year the old owner sold his neighbors kid the weber 32 carb and chrome weber aircleaner, he called the kid and he said he would sell it to me for what he guy sold it to him for, $60.00 is that a fair price, i'm thinking it will need to be rebuilt so am i better off just buying a new one? thanks in advance for the answers and i'm looking forward to being amember on this great sight, i've got a ton of questions so you will be seeing me alot!! Rob

[kwilford]

Originally Posted by EastcoastOpel the body is in really good shape for being in the pocono mountain region, the worst part is on the drivers side rocker bottom and a little on the drivers fender bottom, nothing major!

Based on the one photo of the lower rocker panel, there is QUITE a bit of rust. Have a really good look at what you might think is solid metal before you spend too much time and $ on this GT. The battery box has been modified somehow, although the photo is a bit hard to tell, and that is often the first place for rust. Look very carefully at the inner fenders behind and above the front wheels, where there is a ledge below the outer fender that collects mud and rusts through, and at the quarter panels behind the front and rear wheels. And of course the jack points, and especially the attachment points for the rear trailing arms. I might be wrong, and I hope I am for your sake, but paint and bondo can hide a lot of ills.

Originally Posted by EastcoastOpel the car has not been started since 1989 so i'm not going to try anything till i prep it, new gas, lube in cylinders etc. the owner said it ran fine when he parked it and by looking at it it looks true, it even has new points, plugs etc still in it.

Another good idea is to pre-prime the oil galleys by removing the distributor and inserting a slotted rod driven by a drill to spin the oil pump BEFORE you crank the engine over. That gets oil flowing around the engine and up into the valve train, and will actually build pressure without dry-running the bearings.
And of course you are going to have to totally rebuild the brakes. After that much time, the master cylinder, wheel cylinders, probably calipers and for sure all three flex hoses will have to be rebuilt or replaced.

Originally Posted by EastcoastOpel 3 solex carbs, the orange 1972 service manual, a new muffler and some other misc. parts

Good to have. Although 3 Solex carbs are about five too few to make one good one

Originally Posted by EastcoastOpel was it worth it? (i think so, and am happy no matter what).

Probably. The rust will determine that for sure.

Originally Posted by EastcoastOpel #1 i kinda jumped the gun, i'm building a garage in the spring so it will need to sit covered in my driveway till then, whats the best way to "winterize" it, i'm not sure what the antifreeze is like, can i just pull the lower rad hose? or will there still be too much water in the block?

If there is still antifreeze in it, is it of sufficient strength (at least 50/50) to avoid freezing? If so, I would be inclined to leave it as a partially dry coolant system will corrode faster than a "fully wet" one, and you're going to drain, flush, and clean everything out next spring anyway including the radiator and such. If it is just water, you MUST drain both the rad and the engine (drain plug is in a most inconvenient place on the passenger side of the block behind the exhaust manifold)

Originally Posted by EastcoastOpel #2 last year the old owner sold his neighbors kid the weber 32 carb and chrome weber aircleaner, he called the kid and he said he would sell it to me for what he guy sold it to him for, $60.00 is that a fair price, i'm thinking it will need to be rebuilt so am i better off just buying a new one?

For $60, buy it back and try rebuilding it. A new one is going to run you several hundred $, and there is a chance (albeit slight) that this Weber is jetted properly. VERY slight but at least it will give you a base line. A new Weber will NOT be jetted correctly.

HTH and good luck

[69opelgtfvr]

Congratulations on your new GT purchase! The car looks real straight and primarily intact, so that's a great starting point. Since the driver's rocker panel needs to be replaced, you would either have to fabricate one or get one out of a used body, since no aftermarket patch panels exist.

Probably the best place to look for a used replacement rocker panel is at Opels Unlimited in CA. The owner has a stock of bodies that he needs to liquidate, so you could probably get a good deal. Check out his site at:
Opels Unlimited - Your One Stop Opel Shop for ALL U.S. Imported Opels from 1960-1979

Good luck and enjoy your new Opel!!

[yellaopelgt]

To save you a headache....go to Opel GT Source for all your parts, you will get the right parts in short order.
Their customer service is undoubtably the best in the business!!!

[grslightng02]

69opelgtfvr may have overlooked a recent article on Opels Unlimited. They have had to scrap a lot of their cars to be in compliance with code. And although they have spare parts already pulled....

Let's just say I'll stray away from doing business with them based on the MANY horror stories I've heard from others.

You may want to consider adding new oil to the engine and let it work it's way down through the winter. Of course add new oil just before you start it in the spring. Don't forget any fuel in the tank that hasn't evaporated by now may be full of rust and sludge and the fuel lines may have deteriorated. I'd buy a few feet of fuel line and replace the fuel line from the pump to the carb, and put a fuel line from fuel pump into a fuel can. At least you'll be running clean gas. You can deal with removing and cleaning the gas tank later.

Best of Luck!

[newman27]

Congratulations on your "new" Opel! There is a bunch of info on this site plus some specific "winterizing" info on the Opel Motorsport Club (OMC) site. Best of luck on restoring your GT - every dollar spent is a dollar toward a lot of fun!

Matt

[Dennis Texas]

Looks like good deal to me ...before you do any engine work and it is sitting around while your trying to figure your approach out, pull the plugs and shoot some pentrating oil in the cylinders and let set. When you intially crank it up preprime oil as suggested already don't crank it dry on bearings. check points (polish the point contact surface until shiny, if they were open all those years of sitting the surface of the points will be cruded) that usually the second problem that old sitting motors have after fuel in my past for reasons of no start. Read the Threads about the starter additional relay to save your ignition switch and the post on wiring issues for headlights and you will be off to a good start.

[Dale .D]

I'm the same as you I think.There's allot of midlife crissis's in this group.I got my 71 a year or so ago. Loving every minute.Good thing the cost was right.Your baby is going to need some time & dollars.But it'll be great.I noticed the push button switch under the steering wheel.Good chance it'll be the start button.The ignition in these cars go & then you have to install the bypass to start it.Mine is still there. Don't install the otto start bypss unit untill you fix the ignition.I'd get a new weber 32 36 dgev & worry about the rejetting later.Change the points to electronic.Pertronics or the next one up. It's in the OGTS catalog.Get there catalog.It's a must. Get the fitted car cover to help protect it till your shop is done.Headlite circuit has t be rebuilt if it hasn't already.There's so much more but you'll figure it out as you go along.Check out my allbum.I'm just in the process of putting the car away for the winter for some on going upgrades.Good luck

[EastcoastOpel]

the rocker on the passenger side is about 85% rust free, the driver side looks bad because someone riveted a patch all along the rocker along time ago, it rusted and is hanging straight down, so it makes it look bad, i had the car in the air b4 i bought it, climbed under and poke and pushed really hard and everything was solid. as for the engine, i'm not really looking to get it running to be drive, just to start it while the bodywork is being done, then it will be pulled and rebuilt along w/new clutch , brakes etc., as far as the antifreeze, if i pulled the thermostat and just cranked it over a few time,will that get new antifreeze in enuff to protect? my major concern is to not crack the block and can anyone tell me what is different about the battery tray?? thanks

[EastcoastOpel]

thanks dale, the switch is for aftermarket driving lights in the grill, all ready got the cat. and sup. from OGTS, i feel this will be the cause of my saving account to go to zero, engine rebuilt,rims, louvers....lol!!

[Redskinsjbs]

Hey Rob!

Congrats on the new GT!

Where on the East Coast are you? There are a couple of us in the DC area, al currently helping me in my restoration.

[opel kid]

Welcome to opelgt.com
Rex

[jlthunder]

Welcome to the Group. It is nice to see another PA opel in the mix. I see you are near the Wilke-Barre area. I think a local getogether is in order at your house. We have a few down here in SE PA. What town did you find the GT in?

I drove mine up to a college buddy's home in Lehighton and we had it going 90+ MPH in neutral with 3 people in it at Jim Thorpe back in '83. Let me know if you need any used parts. I have a collection of parts in my barn. Mostly mechanical/interior. Not much sheet metal.

[bear's GT]

Welcome to the best Opel site on the web.

[EastcoastOpel]

Redskinsjbs- I live near Wilkes-Barre, its a small town right outside of W-B its called Larksville
jlthunder- I found the car in Mountaintop, its kinda right outside of Hazelton, in the spring or early summer i'll hopefully have my garage done, I'd definately have a getogether then!
thanks to everyone for the tips and the friendly greetings!

[Redskinsjbs]

Cool. I was just up in Bloomsburg a couple or weeks ago looking at a BMW 2002 for my friend. I drove right through Larksville! Route 15 ROCKS!

[SpringGT]

It's hard to see clearly in the picture because of the glare, but is that a crack-free dash that you have there? If so, that is a pretty rare item.

[EastcoastOpel]

no its not a crack free dash...i wish it was, there are a few lines in it near the vin tag area and a small spot in the glove box lip but its ok for now, first i'll do the body, then the drivetrain, then the int.

[weemotors]

Congratulations on your new Opel GT!