need picture of GT Headlight lever, no laughing allowed

[kndlindsey]

Okay, you all know my 2 gts are still sitting, haven't even tried to start them yet. With the temps here this weekend it aint gonna happen soon.

I got my chilton's 1971-75 opel yesterday, have had fun reading it. I think I need an owners manual too.

Can someone post a picture that shows me the headlight lever that operates the headlights? the one that moves them up and down? The yellow car has no interior and i sat in the purple one for 20 minutes looking. I have searched this site and looked at pics i have saved.

I think it is supposed to be by the ashtray in the center console? I do have a "slot" about 3" or so long on the left side of the ashtray but no lever. Does it go there?

[baronbors]

Here ya go

[kndlindsey]

Thanks! So i take it I was right and the empty slot by my ashtray should have a headlight lever in it. wonder if that is all that is missing?

Does the car have to be on to rotate the headlights?

[okieopel]

The car does not have to be on to have the lights rotate over. They are controlled by a leaver that pushes the cable, or pulls the cable when you return the lights to their closed position.

HTH

[kndlindsey]

thanks dan. Now if i wanted to go looking, the yellow one is stripped(i really need to give these cars some names, i'm tired of typing "the yellow one" and "the purple one")

anyways, if i wanted to go looking in the yellow car, since it has nothing but sheet metal on the inside, what am i looking for, i know there is a headlight cable. if they took out the lever would the cable just hang down below or is it attached to the underbody before it comes into the car? wonder if i have a cable at all. Yellow is easiest to look at, purple just has the open slot but is put together elsewise.

[tom_laan]

anyways, if i wanted to go looking in the yellow car, since it has nothing but sheet metal on the inside, what am i looking for, i know there is a headlight cable. if they took out the lever would the cable just hang down below or is it attached to the underbody before it comes into the car? wonder if i have a cable at all. Yellow is easiest to look at, purple just has the open slot but is put together elsewise.

The cable could be hanging out under the car but this means the mechanism of the lever is all gone. if you want to check if you got a cable just look under the hood.

Attached some pics of it.

[wrangler]

thanks dan. Now if i wanted to go looking, the yellow one is stripped(i really need to give these cars some names, i'm tired of typing "the yellow one" and "the purple one")

I vote "Barney" for the purple one! lol Do you have the FSM (factory service manual) yet? It is a big help, and it sounds like you have alot of work ahead of you. It is available electronically in the downloads section of the main page ('73, but alot of the info covers all years), but it is helpful to have it there when you are working. Much better than a chilton or haynes manual.

[Gary]

Check out Wayne's article in the OpelGT.com Tech Center

[kndlindsey]

Barney, hmmmm since it will be my parts car i guess i could call it Barney, would never call my future driver that though I bought the chilton's what more/better does the factory service manual have? I think I may just buy one of those also. I have looked at the available downloads but am on dialup and it takes forever or just doesn't happen when downloading big pdf files.

Tom, thanks so much for the photos and where to look. I feel like i have embarked on a lifelong scavenger hunt at times.

we are still looking at buying one that is more complete and running and going from there, just looking for a very good deal.

[markandson]

Here is a shot of the light lever under the body with the cable. Note that the cable is disconnected in this picture. I just added a shot of the cable attachment under the hood.

[kndlindsey]

I just wanna say, I really love you guys! You always have the answers i need, super fast and post pics, what would i do without this site? I haven't even done one thing to my car yet and i am getting such an education

thanks for all the pics guys and i saved the diagram of the headlights, i have a big folder on my desktop with all the posts i think will help me, plus a folder in my internet favorites with posts, study study study.

[saxybiker]

Kim,

That is when we started naming them, when it got too difficult to describe which one we were talking about...the orange 72 or the red 69, etc., etc. Allen had named his original GT, so we continued with his idea of the letter "O" for the first name on all of ours (see signature).

Also, they do get a personality. So sometimes the name just comes to you once your start working on it. Due to their mulishness toward breaking loose old rusting bolts , and occasional tendency to "fight back" when you are working on them, I've threatened to name a couple cars, "Obstinate", but haven't followed through with the threat, yet.

Good luck finding the right names for yours.

Vickie

[nobody]

I agree with naming them. I got into that problem when the colors started repeating. 2 blue Mantas, 5 red GTs over time can get you confused. At one time I had a silver Manta and a silver GT and realized I could not refer to them by color because it confused people.

[jerseydave]

I need a picture of the light lever under the car, but with a better shot of where the ball socket connects to the cable-the PO only has a bolt which doesn't belong there.

I bought a cable last year and am just connecting it today, front part was easy-except I have to figure out the starting point of the cable---Yes I will read more threads!

Thanks for any input.

Dave