Christmas is coming early

[azopelnut]

I found out today that Ms. Wonderful (Dr. Susan) is buying a 5 speed getrag from OGTS for me for Christmas ....so now I need a yoke from an automatic driveshaft. Anyone out there want to sell one???
Yes Larry, it's going into the 1975 Sportwagon!! It's so great having a woman that likes Opels...and me!!

[Tru-Craft]

Does she have a sister? That likes Opels?

[Gary]

...so now I need a yoke from an automatic driveshaft. Anyone out there want to sell one???

Paul - The automatic yoke is standard GM. You do not need to get one from an Opel automatic. Check out the thread on installing a Getrag in a Ascona. It has the dimensions for the trans cross member. (or those pics may still be in my camera)

[azopelnut]

Does she have a sister? That likes Opels?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Three sisters all blond,attractive and fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lewdawg]

You may want to talk her into buying the whole kit from OGTS unless you feel thats pushing your luck. Thats what I just bought from them and after talking with Gil and how easy their kit makes installation (about 3 hours) it is well worth the money. By the time you get a drive shaft cut, a cross member modified and everything else, you will be into it that much any way. Unless you have those capabilities handy, why make life hard???

[nobody]

Yes the tranny end is a standard GM end but the U-joint end is strictly Opel so you need a donor drive shaft for that. I got the 600 dollar version and had about 2 hours in modifying the shifter and the driveshaft cut and balanced was 60 so all told it was maybe 3 hours and 660 bucks.

[jeff denton]

Is that the same yoke as a 4 speed S10, TH700R4, etc? And the Vega version of the Opel trans? Are they all one and the same?
I found a NAPA U joint that will fit the GT, but you have to retain it by spot welding a washer to the yoke. Works fine.

[GT Tim]

Lucky lucky man!! I think that is the best idea for x-mas.One day my car will have a 5 speed until then I can simply drool over others.Good luck

[azopelnut]

You may want to talk her into buying the whole kit from OGTS unless you feel thats pushing your luck. Thats what I just bought from them and after talking with Gil and how easy their kit makes installation (about 3 hours) it is well worth the money. By the time you get a drive shaft cut, a cross member modified and everything else, you will be into it that much any way. Unless you have those capabilities handy, why make life hard???

I agree but according to Dennis they no longer have kits...he suggested that I ask the Opel community on this site.

[RallyBob]

Paul, if you can't find a core driveshaft locally I still have a few.

Oh, BTW, here's something you won't be getting for Christmas this year.:P

Custom short-throw shifter for a Getrag....

[Bill Hoffmann]

Here are some photos from my Getrag conversion. The first photo is the 4-speed next to the Getrag, to show the difference in shifter position. I used a metal cutting hole saw to cut the opening for the new shifter placement. I made the mistake of telling the drive shaft shop that the slip joint was standard GM. It is close, and oddly, it would slide onto my spare automatic tailshaft, but it sure wouldn't go more than a half inch onto the Getrag spline. I had to go back with an automatic shaft and have him do it over. The rear mount is simply the original crossmember with two holes for the Getrag mount. The body mount holes are moved back using 1.25" steel angle, with aluminum spacers to adjust the height.

[davegt27]

Its a GM powerglide spline right?

things are getting fuzzy at my age


Davegt27

[Bill Hoffmann]

When I went through this, it was Friday, one week from the start of the OMC festivities. I thought at first the sleeve had burrs on it from being shortened, and I used a needle file to clean it up. Then I filed each groove. Then I used a drum sander on my Dremel to reduce the I.D. It would go on maybe 1 1/2 inches after that. The next morning I spoke to Gil at OGTS, and he said what I was trying to do would not work, and the lack of a commonly available front yoke was the main problem with selling Getrags. I trust he did the research on it, but who knows. Maybe there's something out there. Unfortunately the BMW Getrag has a completely different type of drive coupling. The following Monday morning I went back with more spare drive shafts, and had him do it again. He was nice and didn't charge me the second time.

The easiest solution is to bring an automatic and a manual drive shaft to the shop, have them remove the manual yoke, cut the tube 3" shorter, and weld on the automatic yoke. Make sure you tell them not to disassemble the U-joint, as my shop did on the first one! You can't reassemble it using clips. It's held together by injecting plastic into a groove, and they may have to be reassured that welding it on will not damage the joint.

Here's a shot of my ill fated drive shaft.