Compatability/interchangeability?

[kdouze]

hello all,
I am new to the forum and looking for help.
my younger brother is looking to buy a car and i found a '69 opel gt for sale for 1400. i dont know much about the car except it has a pretty ridiculous paint job that suits my brother perfectly (black with blue and red flames).

my question i guess is two-fold, the first of which i have pretty much answered via searching, but the same old what to look for?

the second is a bit different and my biggest inquiry. i have found OGTS and it seems parts are fairly available through them to keep the car fairly stock, but are there other options? to clarify, are there parts from newer cars that would bolt on (or else easily modify) to replace worn out parts, i.e. replacing disk brakes with those from a miata or something of the sort? i dont mean to sound sacrilegious but i like the idea of mixing parts from other cars together and making neoclassic hybrids, the best of both worlds and the availability of a local kragen.

i don't know much about the GT and if the one we are looking at pans out i plan on learning more quick. the car would be my brothers first car entirely his, and i thought an older car might teach him a bit about cars more so than could be learned from a newer overly complex car.

from the specs it dosent seem like a bad first car, not too fast, not a total death trap, not bad on gas. am i completely off base with this thought?

sorry for such a long post, and thank you for any help in advance!

[Phoenix]

Get it Trump Tight and take it down some twisty turns. These things can handle.

There are a lot of options for brakes. Honda, BMW 325i (which are th same as the 75 Manta and Asconas), Cadillac, Scirroco, Fiero, look-up "vented disc", "BMW brake booster", and you can buy 3/4 inch rear wheel cylinders from OGTS.

Look up "Honda aluminum radiator". Look-up "Getrag 240" and "chevette 5 speed". Look-up the Willit? thread and the rotary power thread. Just about any engine you can think of has been put in a GT but none are easy and most require cutting firewall, rad support and other decreasing the strength of the unibody. The 2.0, 2.2 and 2.4 CIH engines are direct replacements for the Opel 1.9 and FI was standard on 75 Mantas and Asconas. Look up Recaro, Miata, and Fiero seats. Weber DCOE, DGAS, and DGEV. And look up anything by Rallybob.

[opel kid]

Originally Posted by kdouze i thought an older car might teach him a bit about cars more so than could be learned from a newer overly complex car

if you want to learn about cars, the Opel vehicles will help you!
if it wasn't for my gt i wouldn't know half the stuff about cars i know now!

[charlie1966]

Originally Posted by opel kid if it wasn't for my gt i wouldn't know half the stuff about cars i know now!

I still know nothing about the workings of a car but I have great fun pretending when my GT needs attending to. So far it has been just PO problems, or are they some of the most difficult problems to solve? Have fun with it anyway.

[ungermm]

I've seen the ad for the car you are thinking about. It's been listed on craigslist for a couple of months. It was originally priced at $1900, so $1400 is quite a drop in price. It is a wild looking GT with those flames and body modifications. Not what I would want on my car, but it still looks pretty good. I'm sure that all the work must have cost some serious time and money. I was thinking that $1400 was a great price for it especially if, as the ad states, it runs great. However, it does deserve an up close and personal look.
As far as updating and swapping parts with other vehicles, you can look at the forum heading of parts substitutes. Part Substitutes - Opel Forums. Tips and tricks is another good one. Opel Tips & Tricks - Opel Forums. If your brother does get it, I hope he becomes a member here. This is a great place to learn and share.
Jerry

[wrench459]

Originally Posted by kdouze hello all, i don't know much about the GT and if the one we are looking at pans out i plan on learning more quick. the car would be my brothers first car entirely his, and i thought an older car might teach him a bit about cars more so than could be learned from a newer overly complex car. from the specs it dosent seem like a bad first car, not too fast, not a total death trap, not bad on gas. am i completely off base with this thought?

Welcome to the site kdouze!
Most stock parts are still some what easy to find..sort of .. thank goodness
for OGTS.
One thing the 69-70 rear axle bgrs. are impossible to find but you can always slap a later model diff. under the car.
The number one problem is rust pay close attention to the rocker rails.
Your right its a simple car easy to work on unlike the modern techno-nightmares. Good luck and post pictures of you and your brothers progress in the Opel adventure.

[kdouze]

thank you all for your responses, I am very optimistic after hearing your input. if the car is as good as it sounds the only drawback will be that my parents (whom he still lives with) are afraid of parts availability and his lack of car knowledge. i hope this all pans out well.

[BMWonly]

The car is very modified - no rotating headlights anymore, body kit, wing, interior. Not everyone's taste. However, it has an AC center console. If it still has the AC unit, the combination of 4speed and AC is worth the money, unless the rest of the car is junk (read: rust).

Dieter

[kdouze]

so after going and seeing the car my brother has decided to pass, turns out he was more interested in the car than the flames, which is great. the car needed too much work and the engine looked as if hadn't been tended to in quite some time, apart from the seemingly new oil filter. it looked cool, but none of the original interior exists and it looks as if someone had spent a good deal of money on revamping the interior at some point in the cars life (probably early 90's) and then sat it in the sun. But after seeing it i think i am hooked, and will probably attempt a small block replant at some point in the distant future, that or an electric car? anyway thank you all for your input hope to be talking about an opel project of my own sooner rather than later.