Is This Opel a Restoration Candidate?

[deloreandude86]

Hello fellow opelers, I have recently seen an opel gt in the junkyard, it looks to be pretty good shape. The owner says it ran 3 years ago when parked, so it has been sitting now for a little over 3 years. But before buying i would really like to get some professional opinion on whether its worth it or not so heres a list of good and bad from what i saw.

Has Title in Hand
95% there, and original.
Has Engine and Trans
might need back quarter glass and gasket
could have minor rot, (Please if you know where the rot is most common on these,
please add that to your reply, thanks)
Needs a little interior work
and a paint job

All for only 400 Bucks,

Now my question to you, is it worth it, wheres the most common place for rot, and whats a ruff estimate of how much it would be to restore.

Leave a reply or PM me with your email or IM so we can talk more about it.

Keep in mind guys i really want this car, so if you can think of a fair price for it to attempt to haggle please post it.

Thanks,

Austin

[BQS4]

Austin;
I just saw the picture you posted, and it looks a bit rough. But, getting it out to where you can see it over all, would be better. Going just by the way it's sitting, $400 is a bit much. If they'd go for just $100, I'd say take it home, and re-access it. It could be more of a good donor car for parts for a better body.

[Phoenix]

Check floorboards, jackpoints, belly pan and quarter panels. Looks like there is some rust in the back quarter panel. Windshields are something that are very important to make sure are in good condition. They're getting harder to get in good condition. Check for fogging, chips, and cracks. By now most every Opel you find that hasn't already been restored needs new window seals, paint and interior. The rear window is easy enough to find.

[opelspyder]

I would pass or try to buy for parts, you can find a lot better for the same or less money. That car if you cannot do the work yourself, it will be very expensive to have someone restore
Keith

[opellane]

I would pass or try to buy for parts, you can find a lot better for the same or less money. That car if you cannot do the work yourself, it will be very expensive to have someone restore
Keith

I would have to agree, Pass on it! It looks like it would make a good donor car for parts. My best advise is to try and find a Opel GT with the least amount of rust/bodywork. The motor/transmission etc and the rest of the car, can all be found pretty easily. Better to spend alittle more money and get one that needs less Bodywork, and is a running car.

[blancojp]

Hello fellow opelers, I have recently seen an opel gt in the junkyard, it looks to be pretty good shape. The owner says it ran 3 years ago when parked, so it has been sitting now for a little over 3 years. But before buying i would really like to get some professional opinion on whether its worth it or not so heres a list of good and bad from what i saw.

Has Title in Hand
95% there, and original.
Has Engine and Trans
might need back quarter glass and gasket
could have minor rot, (Please if you know where the rot is most common on these,
please add that to your reply, thanks)
Needs a little interior work
and a paint job

All for only 400 Bucks,

Now my question to you, is it worth it, wheres the most common place for rot, and whats a ruff estimate of how much it would be to restore.

Leave a reply or PM me with your email or IM so we can talk more about it.

Thanks,

Austin

You can buy a running or close to running car for the same amount.

[deloreandude86]

Now keep in mind, i'm not planning a full blown out restoration, i just want to it to look good and hold together, not barrett-jackson quality.

[tcav]

About 2 months ago I went and looked at this exact same car in the salvage yard.In my opinion it is way past the point of trying to bring back to life.I was looking at it as a parts car,but everything is so deterioated I passed on it.
I belive you would be better of serching a little bit more and find something in better shape.Their are some very reasonablly priced GTs on ebay and visualopel.com right now.
tom
livingston,TX

[just4fun]

For $400 you can find one in much better shape. Patience can save you thousands in the beginning. Keep searching, find the right car, and if you need a parts car come back to this one, but only come back with a $100 or so.

[ungermm]

it has been sitting now for a little over 3 years. ]

It doesn't look like it's been sitting there for only 3 years nor does it look like it's in a junkyard. In another 3 years it may be in to deep to rescue. Only a close inspection would tell you if it's worth restoring to a drivable condition or if there are enough parts to spend the $400.

The most common rust areas are the floor boards, belly pan, and low on the doors and wheel wells.
GT "Things to Know"

Having the title is definitely a good thing. But, determine how easily and expensive it will be to get it to you and how much it will cost to get it to the condition you want it in is the big question.
Jerry

[ungermm]

Needs a little interior work
and a paint job

By just looking at the photo, I think it needs a lot more in the way or interior work and a paint job.

Your original question is a good one. It comes down to what you are capable of doing to get the car to the condition you want it to.

Opel GT's are still inexpensive to buy in a non rusted and titled condition. I'm always looking for one that is in the $500 range and nearly complete that I can go look at, running or not. If the one you are looking at is near you, complete, and titled, it is worth looking at. Checking for rust is probably the most critical part of the equation. If the floor boards are rusted through, then you will need/want to replace them. Are you able to do this yourself? You won't be able to find replacements easily, so, you will need to fabricate and weld them in yourself. Forget it if you need to hire someone to do it for you. If the floorboards are rotted, then there are other likely areas that are affected. Even though you may be in Texas where there isn't a lot of rusted out junkards, you need to check it out. Remember that GT's are unibodies. If the body floor boards and door rockers are rusted, then the frame is maybe compromised. So, even if you can fabricate and weld, plan on a lot of labor if you have rust issues. Then getting it running and looking good is another thing to consider. How much time, ability, money, etc. you have should be a consideration. If it's a challenge you are looking for, then this might be the one for you. If you're looking for something that you can fix up and sell for a profit, pass. Me, I love challenges and I've done a few GT's. I'm sure this car is going to need a lot of work, time and money though. Click on my name and check out my Ratty GT that I bought for $150 (the owner wanted $500) 2 years ago. It was a big challenge and well worth the effort.
Good Luck

[deloreandude86]

Just refreshing the the thread to get it back on top for some more replys

[wklopf]

I'm posting a link here to the description of a restoration which Opelspyder described in great detail a couple of years ago. He provided a link to the comments thread, but I did not see this link. I read most of it a while back and it is very sobering to see what you might encounter with a project like this. Before you buy the car which you found you owe it to yourself to read this thread. Bill

http://www.opelgt.com/forums/opel-gt...-download.html

[markandson]

There is sort of no such thing as restoring a car to just drive it. I understand what you want but at the same time you have to enjoy driving it, be able to rely on it so that you are not stranded all the time and have it be safe so that you stay alive to enjoy the car. What I am trying to say is that with a car this old you have to go through the whole thing, brakes, drive train, electrical, engine, steering, etc etc,. You will not be able to put the car in usable condition for $500 if that is what you are thinking....be prepared for Thousands just to make it safe, I bet the gas tank is rusted just from sitting in the weeds for 3 years. Find a better GT, I have restored 2 cars back from rust bucket condition, it is a nightmare.

[Gordy]

Since you live in Texas in the great South West, I think you could find a car in the desert in much better shape. That looks like a car that one would find at a junkyard in Wisconsin, not in Texas.
Watch E Bay or Craig's List for a while and I think you'll score much better!
There was a GT on E Bay this weekend in Arizona the guy just wanted to get off his ranch.

[Phoenix]

Gordy, I didn't even notice that deloreandude86 lived in TX. There are so many GTs in TX that nobody picks up becuase it's to far for either Northern, Eastern or Western Opeler to go. Just wait for another to come up on Craigslist.

[Aardvaark]

I voted earlier without commenting. So, I believe I'd keep looking
for a better car to start with. This one looks too much like a parts
car to me from the single picture.
The old advise to "start with the best car you can afford" because it will
end up costing less in the long run to bring up to a nice standard is
very wise.
I belive most here are saying that in one way or the other.

[thescifiguy]

I wouldn't touch that car with a 10 foot pole. You can't even see the front end and that tree looks like it's where the engine used to be. The rust on the trunk looks like it's ready to punch through.

Parts car!

[caramiciu]

By the looks of it, you're in it for 10K
I would not start this.Your call anyway

[deloreandude86]

Hello fellow opelers, I have recently seen an opel gt in the junkyard, it looks to be pretty good shape. The owner says it ran 3 years ago when parked, so it has been sitting now for a little over 3 years. But before buying i would really like to get some professional opinion on whether its worth it or not so heres a list of good and bad from what i saw.

Has Title in Hand
95% there, and original.
Has Engine and Trans
might need back quarter glass and gasket
could have minor rot, (Please if you know where the rot is most common on these,
please add that to your reply, thanks)
Needs a little interior work
and a paint job

All for only 400 Bucks,

Now my question to you, is it worth it, wheres the most common place for rot, and whats a ruff estimate of how much it would be to restore.

Leave a reply or PM me with your email or IM so we can talk more about it.

Keep in mind guys i really want this car, so if you can think of a fair price for it to attempt to haggle please post it.

Thanks,

Austin

Thats what it looked like when it was bought, here it is now