Best Factory and After-Market Service Manuals for an Opel

03-09-2002

Yeah, come to think of it, a few of manuals I've collected were from used book stores in Denver. The better ones had separate automotive-only sections, and since so many Opels were sold in Colorado--many of them still on the road--I found a HARDCOVER Chilton 64-70 (very nice, suitable for a REAL library), several copies of the very worthwhile Clymer 66-79 (good performance improvement chapter for those new to the car, & worth checking eBay for), the Autobooks UK book on the GT, & several others that have since fallen apart . . . as manuals often do. The best of them all, though, was the 71 Factory manual I found, covered in dust & forgotten by the previous owner, behind the spare tire on a GT I'd paid $200 for. :] Sweetened the deal considerably.

03-09-2002

I have found some manuals at garage sales, and at book sales of bookstores. there is a guy in Ontario that stocks old shop manuals. Last time I checked he had several left, he deals mostly in general motors, so your local dealership might have his number. I am in the process of moving otherwise i would give you his number. good luck

03-09-2002

Just remembered another source of the factory manuals--www.books4cars.com has each year's manual, from 1969 through 1973, for $32.84. They can also be contacted at VossMotors@AOL.com. Might seem like an expensive book, but if you're serious about restoring the car, it's absolutely worth the money. BTW, this info comes from the March 2002 edition of the Blitz, the Opel Motorsport Club's monthly magazine (which is especially hilarious this month--see the Member Survey results), which is another great Opeler´s resource you might want to investigate, Heather.

03-09-2002

Hi, Heather . . . I think most of us would agree that the Opel Service Manuals are the ones to have, the books that Buick dealer techs worked from back in the day. The Chilton books are fine for basic reference, but not nearly as detailed. The Service Manuals have been out of print for years now, of course, but you'll see them on eBay now & then, & are well worth bidding on. So, have fun, good luck, & feel free to pick this group's collective brains anytime . . .

03-09-2002

I placed this reponse on the OMC message board. Any comments or words of wisdom from this group? (sorry for duplicating the post, but there are probably more GT fans on this site than the OMC site, and even more on the classicopel@yahoogroup site. But this one has a more focused audience, and is the better structure of the three)

Author: Keith Wilford (---.cg.shawcable.net)
Date: 03-06-02 00:57

Heather,

My first advice is to surf IMMEDIATELY to two web sites: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/classicopels
and
http://opelgt.com/ .
These two sites will prove to be the best source of Opel help that exists, as there isn't a manual written that can replace the practical experience of seven or eight hundred Opel owners.

Any manual is better than none, and I have no fewer than four (4). I have an Autobook, a Chiltons, a Drake (quite rare) and a factory Service manual. At times it is vey handy to have a couple of choices on how to repair or re-build something. But the best is easily the factory manual. So my second piece of advice is to surf on to ebay.com and buy a used factory manual (I don't believe that any of the ones mentioned above are in current print, even the Chilton's).

One complication that you might have is the year of your GT. Early 1970 models and prior (with square indicator lights in the dashboard above the steering wheel versus the later round lights) have a different wiring diagram than the later GT's (late '70 to the end in '73), so that might affect which manual you should buy. But the good news is that the electrical diagrams (and other technical help) are available on the Opel Association of North America site at:
http://www.opel-na.com/
(another great site, by the way)

My last advice (for now) is to buy your parts from Opel GT Source, online at:
http://www.opelgtsource.com/ . You can also try one of the other Opel vendors, such as USA Opel at http://www.justwebit.com/members/39011/ or Opels Unlimited at http://www.opelsunl.com/ . I personally haven't used these last two, but they are kind of like having more than one manual. One might be best for most occasions, but another might just have exactly what you need.

HTH

Keith Wilford
'71 GT
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

03-09-2002

Just bought my first Opel - 1970 Opel GT. :D So what are the best manuals for me to buy? I normally work with a Chilton's manual - haven't found one for this vehicle though. This is going to be my first restore! 8)

Thank you!

Heather V. Havel
Michigan, USA

NEWGT71 · 10-02-2002

I've decided that I should have a repair manual, but haven't had much luck finding one here in Canada. Does anyone have
any suggestions?
As well, what is the concensus on rim spacers? Is it a bad
idea or is it workable?
Any thoughts?

Geek · 10-02-2002

opelgtsource.com sells repair manuals pretty inexpensively. Can't help with the spacer thing, sorry.

David

72GT · 10-02-2002

I have bought a couple books from this place - they sell new and used Opel service manuals.

http://books4cars.com/3way/result1.a...mageField.y=60

Bob

kwilford · 10-03-2002

Make sure you get a FACTORY service manual, versus an aftermarket version (Chiltons, etc.). The aftermarket manuals are better than nothing, but not nearly complete enough to repair most systems. Watch that you get a '71 or newer manual, since there was a fairly significant change in wiring and some mechanical designs (differential, transmission, etc.) in early to mid 1970.

There are usually a couple of factory service manuals on ebay. Note, do NOT get an Owners Manual, which is just the little booklet that you get when you buy the car. And don't be afraid of ebay, its a GREAT source of used and NOS (New Old Stock) Opel parts. Do a search for "Opel"under www.ebaymotors.com (or just copy and past this url to your address bar):

http://motors.search-desc.ebay.com/O...trypageZsearch

HTH

ps. Where in Canada are you at?

NEWGT71 · 10-04-2002

It would be great to get a few pages out of a manual.
I just bought one on ebay but it will take a while to get
here. Some wiring diagrams would help me trouble shoot
this weekend.

72GT · 10-04-2002

Some scanned wiring diagrams can be found here:
http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/oana/tech.html
maybe those will help?

(Sorry, after I looked closer, I noticed the diagrams are for a 72 GT.)

Gary · 10-04-2002

Originally posted by oldopelguy
On the service manual topic. I have a copy of every Opel factory service manual from '54-'75, as well as a copy of almost every available (and out of print) aftermarket service manual. I'm not sure about the legalities yet as far as selling them, but it would be possible to scan each in and offer either a downloadable version or an available CD-ROM. I'm not sure if my copy of acrobat allows me to save scans very well, so it may end-up a collection of some 400 B+W .jpegs, but they print out too. If you want it piece-meal, let me know the topic you need info on and I'll e-mail you the appropriate section.

Hmmm.... might be a good project for this site. I know there is a 55 meg file of a scanned manual out there somewhere and we still have 350 meg available here.

kwilford · 10-04-2002

If your GT is a '71, then the 72 wiring diagram should be fine. The change was made in mid '70 (in build time). There is also a '69 diagram at this site, which works for the earlier version.

To repeat what has been said before, if you are unsure as to what "build" version you have, look at the GT identification reference page on the same site, at:
http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/...ch/GTYears.pdf

HTH

NEWGT71 · 10-04-2002

Thanks for all the info.
Now comes the fun part. Electrical problems!!!

bozkm · 05-12-2004

I just purchased this manual (see attachment)..is this the factory manual?

Thanks.

GTJIM · 05-12-2004

Yep! That is the Factory Service Manual for 1971 Opels.

bozkm · 05-12-2004

Cool..so 10 bucks was a good price for it!

lgladdis · 05-12-2004

I just received the same '71 manual in the mail from an eBay purchase. It shows a lot more detail than my other opel manuals. It was good reading material as I fell asleep last night. Unfortunately, it also showed where I had made several wrong assumptions and mistakes. I was perfectly happy until a book showed me that I screwed up.

GTJIM · 05-12-2004

There is about a million bucks worth of info in those manuals - BUT - be aware that the Figure 60-2 Sectional View - Timing System has an error in it.
The key in the crankshaft should be depicted at the top and not the bottom of the shaft. The later picture 60-41 Valve Timing Marks is the correct one.

kwilford · 05-13-2004

Yep, $10 is a VERY good price. Typically, these go for between $20 and $40 on eBay, depending on condition, and that manual looked very good. I have made a bit of a collection of Opel FSM's (Factory Service Manuals). I have the '69, '71, '72, '73, '74, '74 Preliminary, and the '75 Supplement. Well, two '72 and '74 manuals, so I could put the worse-shape ones in a three ring binder for "garage" use. I also have the Glenn's manual, and four other aftermarket manuals (Chilton's, Drake, Clymer and AutoBooks), as they have useful photos and illustrations that the FSM's do not. And two manuals on the Bosch EFI, and a Weber manual. Yes, the wife and daughters think I am an Opel geek, but I resemble that remark.

Another thing to know is that the FSM's vary somewhat between the years, as do our cars. The '69 and '70 FSM's have the early model GT wiring diagrams (somewhat different from 1971 and later), so make sure you get the FSM to match your car. Other differences where the correct vintage of FSM matter include the pre-'71 differential, the '75 big brakes and Bosch EFI. Now, that all said, I had a '72 FSM for about the first twenty years I owned my '71 GT, and it worked fine. Oh wait, the '71 and '72 GT's are virtually identical cars. But the FSM's, interestingly, are quite different, as the '71 manual still shows some pre-'71 details, such as the floating rear axle and the older transmission. Probably the FSM went to publication before they realized the build had changed.

JM2CW

urbsnspices · 05-13-2004

Dont mind me, just hijacking the thread...

What does everyone think of the Clymer FSM? It covers a few opel models from 68-73, and because of this I think it might be a little vauge. Will this be good enough to get my GT running? I just bought a used Clymer for 7 bucks because I just lost an ebay auction for a '71 GT FSM. Some one bid at the last moment and I lost it.

greensmurf20 · 05-13-2004

should be good enough to get you going, if not i'll send you a manual that i used to get my first couple GTs going, it even has the correct diagram for the valve timing, most of them has the crank key facing down when it should be facing upwards!!! your book should be fine, but if you want a comparison, pay shipping and its yours, i got a 72FSM and a chiltons book on Opels.

03-09-2002	#1 (permalink)
Guest Posts: n/a	Yeah, come to think of it, a few of manuals I've collected were from used book stores in Denver. The better ones had separate automotive-only sections, and since so many Opels were sold in Colorado--many of them still on the road--I found a HARDCOVER Chilton 64-70 (very nice, suitable for a REAL library), several copies of the very worthwhile Clymer 66-79 (good performance improvement chapter for those new to the car, & worth checking eBay for), the Autobooks UK book on the GT, & several others that have since fallen apart . . . as manuals often do. The best of them all, though, was the 71 Factory manual I found, covered in dust & forgotten by the previous owner, behind the spare tire on a GT I'd paid $200 for. :] Sweetened the deal considerably. Last edited by kwilford; 07-25-2004 at 12:13 AM..

03-09-2002	#3 (permalink)
Guest Posts: n/a	Just remembered another source of the factory manuals--www.books4cars.com has each year's manual, from 1969 through 1973, for $32.84. They can also be contacted at VossMotors@AOL.com. Might seem like an expensive book, but if you're serious about restoring the car, it's absolutely worth the money. BTW, this info comes from the March 2002 edition of the Blitz, the Opel Motorsport Club's monthly magazine (which is especially hilarious this month--see the Member Survey results), which is another great Opeler´s resource you might want to investigate, Heather. Last edited by kwilford; 07-25-2004 at 12:14 AM..

03-09-2002	#4 (permalink)
Guest Posts: n/a	Hi, Heather . . . I think most of us would agree that the Opel Service Manuals are the ones to have, the books that Buick dealer techs worked from back in the day. The Chilton books are fine for basic reference, but not nearly as detailed. The Service Manuals have been out of print for years now, of course, but you'll see them on eBay now & then, & are well worth bidding on. So, have fun, good luck, & feel free to pick this group's collective brains anytime . . . Last edited by kwilford; 07-25-2004 at 12:15 AM..

03-09-2002	#5 (permalink)
Guest Posts: n/a	Opel Manuals I placed this reponse on the OMC message board. Any comments or words of wisdom from this group? (sorry for duplicating the post, but there are probably more GT fans on this site than the OMC site, and even more on the classicopel@yahoogroup site. But this one has a more focused audience, and is the better structure of the three) Author: Keith Wilford (---.cg.shawcable.net) Date: 03-06-02 00:57 Heather, My first advice is to surf IMMEDIATELY to two web sites: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/classicopels and http://opelgt.com/ . These two sites will prove to be the best source of Opel help that exists, as there isn't a manual written that can replace the practical experience of seven or eight hundred Opel owners. Any manual is better than none, and I have no fewer than four (4). I have an Autobook, a Chiltons, a Drake (quite rare) and a factory Service manual. At times it is vey handy to have a couple of choices on how to repair or re-build something. But the best is easily the factory manual. So my second piece of advice is to surf on to ebay.com and buy a used factory manual (I don't believe that any of the ones mentioned above are in current print, even the Chilton's). One complication that you might have is the year of your GT. Early 1970 models and prior (with square indicator lights in the dashboard above the steering wheel versus the later round lights) have a different wiring diagram than the later GT's (late '70 to the end in '73), so that might affect which manual you should buy. But the good news is that the electrical diagrams (and other technical help) are available on the Opel Association of North America site at: http://www.opel-na.com/ (another great site, by the way) My last advice (for now) is to buy your parts from Opel GT Source, online at: http://www.opelgtsource.com/ . You can also try one of the other Opel vendors, such as USA Opel at http://www.justwebit.com/members/39011/ or Opels Unlimited at http://www.opelsunl.com/ . I personally haven't used these last two, but they are kind of like having more than one manual. One might be best for most occasions, but another might just have exactly what you need. HTH Keith Wilford '71 GT Calgary, Alberta, Canada Last edited by kwilford; 10-12-2004 at 01:29 AM..

03-09-2002	#6 (permalink)
Guest Posts: n/a	Best manuals for 1970 Opel GT? Just bought my first Opel - 1970 Opel GT. :D So what are the best manuals for me to buy? I normally work with a Chilton's manual - haven't found one for this vehicle though. This is going to be my first restore! 8) Thank you! Heather V. Havel Michigan, USA Last edited by kwilford; 07-25-2004 at 12:19 AM..

03-09-2002	#2 (permalink)
Guest Posts: n/a	I have found some manuals at garage sales, and at book sales of bookstores. there is a guy in Ontario that stocks old shop manuals. Last time I checked he had several left, he deals mostly in general motors, so your local dealership might have his number. I am in the process of moving otherwise i would give you his number. good luck

10-02-2002	#7 (permalink)
NEWGT71 Pending Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Great White North Posts: 24 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Wheel Spacers? I've decided that I should have a repair manual, but haven't had much luck finding one here in Canada. Does anyone have any suggestions? As well, what is the concensus on rim spacers? Is it a bad idea or is it workable? Any thoughts?

10-02-2002	#8 (permalink)
Geek Code Goober Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 273 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	opelgtsource.com sells repair manuals pretty inexpensively. Can't help with the spacer thing, sorry. David

10-02-2002	#9 (permalink)
72GT rust + magic = gold! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: . Posts: 226 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	I have bought a couple books from this place - they sell new and used Opel service manuals. http://books4cars.com/3way/result1.a...mageField.y=60 Bob

10-03-2002	#10 (permalink)
kwilford Über OpelGT.com Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 3,725 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Opel Factory Manual Make sure you get a FACTORY service manual, versus an aftermarket version (Chiltons, etc.). The aftermarket manuals are better than nothing, but not nearly complete enough to repair most systems. Watch that you get a '71 or newer manual, since there was a fairly significant change in wiring and some mechanical designs (differential, transmission, etc.) in early to mid 1970. There are usually a couple of factory service manuals on ebay. Note, do NOT get an Owners Manual, which is just the little booklet that you get when you buy the car. And don't be afraid of ebay, its a GREAT source of used and NOS (New Old Stock) Opel parts. Do a search for "Opel"under www.ebaymotors.com (or just copy and past this url to your address bar): http://motors.search-desc.ebay.com/O...trypageZsearch HTH ps. Where in Canada are you at? Last edited by kwilford; 10-12-2004 at 01:32 AM..

10-04-2002	#11 (permalink)
NEWGT71 Pending Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Great White North Posts: 24 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Manual It would be great to get a few pages out of a manual. I just bought one on ebay but it will take a while to get here. Some wiring diagrams would help me trouble shoot this weekend.

10-04-2002	#12 (permalink)
72GT rust + magic = gold! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: . Posts: 226 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Some scanned wiring diagrams can be found here: http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/oana/tech.html maybe those will help? (Sorry, after I looked closer, I noticed the diagrams are for a 72 GT.) Last edited by 72GT; 10-04-2002 at 01:04 PM..

10-04-2002	#14 (permalink)
kwilford Über OpelGT.com Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 3,725 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Wiring Diagram and If your GT is a '71, then the 72 wiring diagram should be fine. The change was made in mid '70 (in build time). There is also a '69 diagram at this site, which works for the earlier version. To repeat what has been said before, if you are unsure as to what "build" version you have, look at the GT identification reference page on the same site, at: http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/...ch/GTYears.pdf HTH

10-04-2002	#15 (permalink)
NEWGT71 Pending Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Great White North Posts: 24 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Thanks Thanks for all the info. Now comes the fun part. Electrical problems!!!

05-12-2004	#17 (permalink)
GTJIM 4246 Post Club Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: New Zealand Posts: 5,507 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Fsm Yep! That is the Factory Service Manual for 1971 Opels.

05-12-2004	#18 (permalink)
bozkm Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 207 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Cool Cool..so 10 bucks was a good price for it!

05-12-2004	#19 (permalink)
lgladdis Opeler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Trail, BC, Canada Posts: 58 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	I just got mine too I just received the same '71 manual in the mail from an eBay purchase. It shows a lot more detail than my other opel manuals. It was good reading material as I fell asleep last night. Unfortunately, it also showed where I had made several wrong assumptions and mistakes. I was perfectly happy until a book showed me that I screwed up.

05-12-2004	#20 (permalink)
GTJIM 4246 Post Club Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: New Zealand Posts: 5,507 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Info! There is about a million bucks worth of info in those manuals - BUT - be aware that the Figure 60-2 Sectional View - Timing System has an error in it. The key in the crankshaft should be depicted at the top and not the bottom of the shaft. The later picture 60-41 Valve Timing Marks is the correct one.

05-13-2004	#21 (permalink)
kwilford Über OpelGT.com Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 3,725 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	You Can NEVER Have Enough FSM's... Yep, $10 is a VERY good price. Typically, these go for between $20 and $40 on eBay, depending on condition, and that manual looked very good. I have made a bit of a collection of Opel FSM's (Factory Service Manuals). I have the '69, '71, '72, '73, '74, '74 Preliminary, and the '75 Supplement. Well, two '72 and '74 manuals, so I could put the worse-shape ones in a three ring binder for "garage" use. I also have the Glenn's manual, and four other aftermarket manuals (Chilton's, Drake, Clymer and AutoBooks), as they have useful photos and illustrations that the FSM's do not. And two manuals on the Bosch EFI, and a Weber manual. Yes, the wife and daughters think I am an Opel geek, but I resemble that remark. Another thing to know is that the FSM's vary somewhat between the years, as do our cars. The '69 and '70 FSM's have the early model GT wiring diagrams (somewhat different from 1971 and later), so make sure you get the FSM to match your car. Other differences where the correct vintage of FSM matter include the pre-'71 differential, the '75 big brakes and Bosch EFI. Now, that all said, I had a '72 FSM for about the first twenty years I owned my '71 GT, and it worked fine. Oh wait, the '71 and '72 GT's are virtually identical cars. But the FSM's, interestingly, are quite different, as the '71 manual still shows some pre-'71 details, such as the floating rear axle and the older transmission. Probably the FSM went to publication before they realized the build had changed. JM2CW

05-13-2004	#22 (permalink)
urbsnspices Opeler Join Date: May 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 20 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	Dont mind me, just hijacking the thread... What does everyone think of the Clymer FSM? It covers a few opel models from 68-73, and because of this I think it might be a little vauge. Will this be good enough to get my GT running? I just bought a used Clymer for 7 bucks because I just lost an ebay auction for a '71 GT FSM. Some one bid at the last moment and I lost it.

05-13-2004	#23 (permalink)
greensmurf20 OPEL-LESS!!! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Gobles michigan 49055 Posts: 2,110 Classified Rating: 0% (0)	should be good enough to get you going, if not i'll send you a manual that i used to get my first couple GTs going, it even has the correct diagram for the valve timing, most of them has the crank key facing down when it should be facing upwards!!! your book should be fine, but if you want a comparison, pay shipping and its yours, i got a 72FSM and a chiltons book on Opels.