Hello all...I Own a 69 gt with A 1.1 engine. I want to install a 1.9 engine.. how many changes are needed to make this happen? Thanks...crawlinghamd...
1.1 to 1.9 engine swap
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The 1.1L opel gts are pretty rare. I would keep the engine or you could get another gt with a 1.9L. I think only 3500 gt had the 1.1L in the us.
Agree with the youngster. I would not consider such a swap on my 1.1.
However, your car; your choice.
Just off the top of my head, here are the things you need to make the swap. Others here are WAY more knowledgeable on Opels, and can weigh in.
Complete engine.
Trans with bell housing, flywheel and clutch parts.
Driveshaft.
Rear axle with torque tube.
Radiator
Motor mounts.
Trans mount
Rear Cross member.
Speedometer (guess you could use an adapter, but I was told Opel used different speedos for 1.1 and 1.9)
The only cost effective way would be to find a complete rusted out 1.9 car and use it as a donor vehicle.
However, your car; your choice.
Just off the top of my head, here are the things you need to make the swap. Others here are WAY more knowledgeable on Opels, and can weigh in.
Complete engine.
Trans with bell housing, flywheel and clutch parts.
Driveshaft.
Rear axle with torque tube.
Radiator
Motor mounts.
Trans mount
Rear Cross member.
Speedometer (guess you could use an adapter, but I was told Opel used different speedos for 1.1 and 1.9)
The only cost effective way would be to find a complete rusted out 1.9 car and use it as a donor vehicle.
Hello my name is Jerry... The 1.1 has no get up and go.i already have a 1.9 and want more power and want to keep the fuel economy...
I already have spare parts from 3 opels in storage 70 thru 73 including 3rd members.and transmissions..driveshafts... Thanks for the information...crawl....
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Keep the 1.1L you can easily exceed the HP of a stock 1.9L with minor mods including head porting, a camshaft regrind and a tuned carb. The 1.1L handles better, has better throttle response, and is an overall smoother and more enjoyable engine.
Swapping to a 1.9L requires:
1.9L rear axle
1.9L torque tube
1.9L drive shaft
1.9L transmission
1.9L radiator
1.9L engine and all associated parts including exhaust
1.9L engine crossmember
1.9L throttle linkage assembly
1.9L brake booster, and master cylinder
1.9L front calipers
Possibly a 1.9L front leaf spring. I’m not sure if they are actually different.
And more… but this is the majority.
Please find a 1.9L GT instead and do not take apart one of the rarest opels in the US. There were less than 4000 1.1L GTs made and probably around 100 left if that.
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I'll second that
Like others have said if you have the other (parts cars) Keep the 1.1 inact and restore it. It will bring a higher dollar if and when you ever decided to sell it because of it's rarity.
Carburator bases.are damaged on1.1 linkage is worn plus hose is dry rotted from air cleaner to valve pan and radiator needs replacement.... Would consider restoring if I could get the parts....
It would definitely fast fast track this project to keep motor in tact.. car has been in storage well over 40 years and is rust free other than. Lower left fender.... Floorboard is rust free .... No dents no dings no Bondo.....
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I’ve owned my GT for over 30 years and have the 2 liter in it now. One of the reasons I fell for my car so long ago was first the reliability of the 71’ Ascona (my first car), and the good gas mileage it gave me. I wanted that again. My obsession has been to get the most power and best gas mileage and hitting that spot so I share your passion in that regard.
I have to say that I would gladly welcome the idea of a 1.1 liter GT. I’ve heard or read of some people getting as much HP from the 1.1 as the 1.9’s and you end up with the lighter chassis and better gas mileage. Knorm mentioned above some ideas, he has a Kadette with the 1.1 in it, hopefully the more knowledgeable members than myself here can add on to the ideas involved with helping you achieve that with your current engine. It very well could cost more to convert.
I can’t fault you for wondering since you have those parts lying around, perhaps you can get another 1.9 GT by trading yours, they are very common. It’s value is more now & will be worth more if you choose to restore it.
I have to say that I would gladly welcome the idea of a 1.1 liter GT. I’ve heard or read of some people getting as much HP from the 1.1 as the 1.9’s and you end up with the lighter chassis and better gas mileage. Knorm mentioned above some ideas, he has a Kadette with the 1.1 in it, hopefully the more knowledgeable members than myself here can add on to the ideas involved with helping you achieve that with your current engine. It very well could cost more to convert.
I can’t fault you for wondering since you have those parts lying around, perhaps you can get another 1.9 GT by trading yours, they are very common. It’s value is more now & will be worth more if you choose to restore it.
I have too many projects on the burner now...recently moved to Kentucky from Ohio have no friends to help my son's health is failing ...must travel every two weeks 300 miles each way....to visit him...hard to focus.on anything..at this point in time...
I’m sorry your son’s health isn’t good right now. I hope he gets better.
There are parts to restore a 1.1L GT. Some of that is in the US, some comes from Europe. When you have the time to restore the car, we would be happy to help you source the parts you need. You really do have a rare GT worth restoring and there is lots of knowledge here about how to wake up that little engine.
There are parts to restore a 1.1L GT. Some of that is in the US, some comes from Europe. When you have the time to restore the car, we would be happy to help you source the parts you need. You really do have a rare GT worth restoring and there is lots of knowledge here about how to wake up that little engine.
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Nonsense! Get rid of that 1.1. Nobody will give you a plug nickel for it. I've seen plenty of guys go to all the trouble of fixing up 1.1's and they were almost all put up for sale within a year of completion and they got peanuts for them. If they were any good they would have kept making them.
Swapping out the stuff mentioned is pretty much the drill for almost any GT restoration. Engine/tranny/rear axle are shot, front end needs a rebuild, all the brakes need to be tossed in the dumpster, etc.
Do your 1.9 swap and get the HP AND torque that you desire. Or go even bigger with a 2.0/2.2/2.4, since you already have a 1.9 car and already know what you get with that. Plus, I'm sure that it's a lot easier to find and hook up fuel injection on a 1.9 block engine than a 1.1.
😀
Swapping out the stuff mentioned is pretty much the drill for almost any GT restoration. Engine/tranny/rear axle are shot, front end needs a rebuild, all the brakes need to be tossed in the dumpster, etc.
Do your 1.9 swap and get the HP AND torque that you desire. Or go even bigger with a 2.0/2.2/2.4, since you already have a 1.9 car and already know what you get with that. Plus, I'm sure that it's a lot easier to find and hook up fuel injection on a 1.9 block engine than a 1.1.
😀
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A ported head with larger valves, the stock 11SR cam, a 1bbl intake modified to fit a Weber 40IDF(or a Weber 40DCOE and intake), a header and a free flowing exhaust system and you will have a sporty rev happy engine that is fun to drive. A lot more fun than a low compression 1,9 liter smog motor.
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1.1L GTs sell the same or 10% more if they are in good shape and not running like trash. The Germans will pay a crap ton for them too.Nonsense! Get rid of that 1.1. Nobody will give you a plug nickel for it. I've seen plenty of guys go to all the trouble of fixing up 1.1's and they were almost all put up for sale within a year of completion and they got peanuts for them. If they were any good they would have kept making them.
Swapping out the stuff mentioned is pretty much the drill for almost any GT restoration. Engine/tranny/rear axle are shot, front end needs a rebuild, all the brakes need to be tossed in the dumpster, etc.
Do your 1.9 swap and get the HP AND torque that you desire. Or go even bigger with a 2.0/2.2/2.4, since you already have a 1.9 car and already know what you get with that. Plus, I'm sure that it's a lot easier to find and hook up fuel injection on a 1.9 block engine than a 1.1.
Seriously? I have rarely heard of anyone replacing a GT rear axle. The transmissions are usually fine too.
Front end and brakes are usually shot though.
They made the opel OHV for 30 years because it was a fantastic engine with excellent power, torque, and efficiency. And they are actually very easy to fuel inject. You can buy fuel injection pulleys, there are even turbo fuel injection kits out there for them (currently for the vauxhall version but opel version is in development). The engine is small enough for motorbike fuel injection systems too. There are thousands of fuel injected OHV Kadetts in Europe.
Also Opel GT source carries pretty much every part you need for the 1.1L
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I'm sorry but I agree with Gordo on this. While Kyler will tell you a bunch of stuff to convince you to keep the 1.1, and pretty bold claims of HP numbers, I do not see the 1.1 GTs selling for 10% more. And in fact I find it rare that someone is actually wanting the drivetrain more than the 1.9. And at what cost would doing all these mods cost, that you could easily put into the 1.9 and get even more out of it? The only ones wanting the 1.1 cars are nerds...I mean really! But what do I know, Kyler obviously gets phone calls and sells these cars all the time to know I guess. I stand with Gordo...and Johnny Depp! Amber Heard and Kyler are Liars!
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OH MY 
well this just got interesting
well this just got interesting
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All due respect to Kyler, who is a great fan of Opels and an asset to the community, but he's also a young guy with limited Opel experience and hasn't seen as many Opels as some of us. AND he also recently got himself a 1.1 Kadett, so, obviously, he's a cheerleader of them.....for now. Some of us have been driving Opels longer than he's been alive and been on this website since it began and seen a number of attempts at 1.1 fix-ups and their sale relatively quickly thereafter. Keith probably has the best sense of the pulse of the buying public of any of us, since he fixes up and/or sells Opels in all sorts of degrees of oem and heavily modified. And yes, most 4sp equipped GT's have pretty worn rear axles(ones that had autos are almost never worn out). 2 of the 5 GT's I've had and driven so far(a new undriven one in the pipeline) had completely screwed 4sps(The other 3 with autos worked like brand new and refuse to break). And everyone who gets a used GT that's been sitting for a long time probably needs to rebuild the engine, whether it's a 1.1 or a 1.9, and there's a heck of a lot more performance enhancing goodies available for the 1.9's than there are for 1.1's.
The best reason to fix up a 1.1 is for the challenge of it, but it's low power is totally inappropriate for a rocket ship-shaped car like a GT.
The best reason to fix up a 1.1 is for the challenge of it, but it's low power is totally inappropriate for a rocket ship-shaped car like a GT.
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If this is the direction the forum is going...I'd rather have the political 'discussions'....what's next? Kardashian updates? To maintain civility on the forum we must act our age and pretend there is nothing new to report since China repossessed Hong Kong!
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Oh bless your heart Opelbits!
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The benefit of a 1.1 is exclusivity. You want it because you want it. The benefit of the 1.9 is more power. If you go thru all that work, since you have to buy stuff to rebuild the motor anyway make sure you do some of the standard mods (32/36 Weber or single DCOE Weber, a not too big cam, flat top pistons, decent 2" exhaust, that really won't cost much more to make it a bit more enjoyable. But keep all the 1.1 parts wrapped and safe. As Amber says, there are very few 1.1 GT's left and someday Johnny might write a big check for it.
By the way, I know your username is 'crawling hand', but I think I like 'crawlingham' better even though you left an errant 'd' on it.
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