Hello from South Africa

[jmvv]

Hi all

My name is Johann and I am based in Centurion South Africa.

I stumbled upon this site while researching info for an Opel Rekord C Coupe that I was asked to refurbish for the owner.

The car was originally purchased by the owner's father in 1970 and he inherited it after his dad passed way. The car sat unloved for a few years until the owner's son decided that he wants to use the car to his matriculation farewell (similar to a Senior Prom)

I started work on the car on 2009/07/06

Work currently focusses on getting the car safe to use, get it clean and also to enhance the appearance a bit.

The following are some progress pictures.

This was taken the morning the car was dropped off with me




The engine is a scarce 2.2 liter in-line six with a 2 speed automatic gearbox. The air filter in the picture is not the original item and will have to be replaced in due course.



I then had the windows tinted to protect the irreplacable upholstery from our harsh sun



Then I replaced the wheels with something a little bit more sporty. Wheel size went from 165x13 to 195x60x15



I then replaced the exhaust with a quiet dual freeflowing system, added some bonnet stripes and some pinstriping. The idea is to emulate the Opel Rekord Sprint that was available here in the seventies in very limited numbers.



Finally, we took the car to a meeting of the Piston Ring Club this past sunday.



The blue car next to ours is a called a Ranger. It is also a 1970 model. It is basically a badge engineered version of the Opel, but with a 2.5 liter four cylinder engine and a four speed manual gearbox

[BQS4]

Johann;
Nice story, and you have done well on the car. We have a "handful" of this model scattered about the US, but, still it's not one that was imported to the US. That being said, it's still great to see Opels, of all types being put back on the road. Also, it is a treat for those of us who don't get to see these models, to be able to see them. Welcome to the Opel Community.

[Rionart]

Nicely done Johann!
The ranger looks more like it was based on the Vauxhall Victor/VX of the time?...

[jmvv]

Nicely done Johann!
The ranger looks more like it was based on the Vauxhall Victor/VX of the time?...

The Ranger uses the same bodyshell and underpinnings as the Opel Rekord C.
The engine was the was the generic GM 2.5 liter four cylinder with a four speed manual gearbox.

The frontal styling does bear resemblances to the Vauxhall Victor though.

The Opel Rekord C was discontinued in 1970, but the Rangers were produced up to 1974 in Coupe and 4 door body styles.

[heimue]

I don't know whether you are aware of this, but this nice Rekord Coupe with the 2.6-6 is one of the rarest Opels around from its time. Keep up the good work, and keep the car rolling!

Dieter

[hrcollinsjr]

Neat car and nice work! You need to post more pictures.

Harold

[jmvv]

Thanks for the kind words from everybody.

Today we started to attend to a few items in the interior.

First on the agenda was the console, which was in a very sorry state, as can be expected after nearly 40 years in our harsh environment.

This is what the console looked like before we started. It was badly faded and the top edges were broken in a lot of places.



We started off by sanding the console down to get rid of all the brittle material and to uncover all the defects.



The defects were filled in with body filler and sanded down. Once satisfied, the console was covered in red vinyl that matches the material on the seats. The trim around the gearshift was painted in satin black to restore its appearance.

This is the end result once the console was re-installed in the car.



You'll notice that we also made a cover for the storage compartment to hide the contents from prying eyes. I think it rounds to console off nicely.

[blind_msq]

If you think the factory manual might be usefull to you, send me a message. Cheers!

[jmvv]

I have been having a very difficult time trying to source engine spares for the Rekord, so decided to do the easy thing and replace the engine.

I did not want to butcher the car ,so I found a 3 liter fuel injected unit with GM Turbo-hydro 350 gearbox out of an Opel Commodore.

The engine architecture is exactly the same as the 2,2 liter unit. This means that the new engne will sit exactly on the old engine mountings and even the exhaust manifold outlets will line up with the new stainless steel freeflow exhaust that I had fitted previously





The engine weighs about the same as the old engine, so the balance of the car will not be affected.

As it develops twice the power of the original, I will have to upgrade the brakes though.

Currently, I am busy stripping the paint with paint stripper. This was necessitated by the fact that the car had been resprayed a number of times before and one of the paints used is plastic based, so when you try and remove it with a orbital sander, the paint heats up and melts into the sanding disc, catastrophicaly clogging it.



The rust is flash rust that formed overnight. The paint stripper also attacks all the body filler. So the car is really going back to bare metal. All the dents and rust will then be repaired before the body is prepped for new paint

[blind_msq]

For future projects you should search for a solution that softens the paint and after that you can remove it with a plastic scraper (hope it's the right term for what i have in mind). In my country, that solution is produced by a native factory and it's called "feruginol" or "deruginol" (don't know the name of the solution made by other commerciants, like body).

My advice to you in the actual state is to passivise the metal surface imediatly after sanding/sandblasting/removing paint until shiny metal. The pasivisation is a method to protect the metal from oxide (aka rust). "Body" has something in it's offer, don't remember the name. Haven't reached this phase yet.

PS: If you can not download the manual from the link tell me, and i'll send it to you via mail.
PPS: searched ebay and car part shops for patented opel spares?
PPS: The braking pump and servo that fit without any modifications can be taken from an omega/senator/monza. A friend of mine did that. He fitted the steering box (and servo) from a senator without any adjustments as well.

[jmvv]

This is the car before we put it on the trailer to take to the panelbeaters.





As can be seen, there is quite a bit of previous war scars, that need professional attention and my current infrastructure does not support the necessary skill set.

[tomking]

That will be a fine looking Opel when you are finished. Thanks for sharing and show us the steps along the way. Good Opeling.