[luckyjimmy05]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=6390&item=2432926920https

Ok now all I need to know is ANYTHING about these cars. I have never owned an opel. I have been restoring 61-66 ford trucks and came across this. Liked the style, so I bought it. Outside looks great. No rust, one ding, one owner. The inside was TRASHED. I gutted it last night, looks much better now. Where do I get parts for this thing. What years will work? Any other models years that I can pull parts off of? After market companys. Anything would help guys!
Thanks
Ben

 

[madhatterpdc]

Welcome aboard. The search engine on this site is works great. There is a TON of useful, Opel specific information. Most of us here are getting our "off-the-shelf" parts from places like Opel GT Source and Goin Manta (check the links section of this site). Performance parts are either homemade or sourced from one of the Opel Godfathers. TGSI Racing is a good place to start, check out "Gimme A Brake" while you are there.

Oh yeah, service manuals help a lot too. Multiple versions help too. There were a lot variations from year to year, model to model and day to day on these cars.

Search around for some good suggestions.

 

[luckyjimmy05]

Ok more questions. I havent seen to many Opel kadetts online. Are they just not a popular model? I have a 70 kadett 1900 ls.
Seems like everyone has GTs and other models. Just curious.
Getting up to speed...
Ben

 

[opelbits]

Need to dig up the pics of the 'mini-brute' Kadetts. They will give you some inspiration.

 

[opelgt73]

hmmm If I had seen that I would have bid on it........

I have only Owned GT's but I would like to build a Rally Kadet

 

[luckyjimmy05]

It wasnt a bad price. You should have seen the interior though. I mean this thing had its windows unrolled for 10 years in the harsh desert climate. Underneath the dust I found some neat things. All the original paperwok, tons of parts, old magazines from 72, a nice looking engine. Any ideas people?
Ben

 

[BQS4]

Ben;
The thing about the Kadetts was that they were a bit older than the GT's, Mantas, Sportwagons, and Sedans that most of us have. Now the motor is a 1.9 liter (1897cc) with a 2bbl down draft solex carb, probably rated at 102hp. The motor is the same in all the 1.9 Opels up to 1975, which is the last year Opel was imported here to the US. The transmission, whether auto or manual are the same in all the 1.9 Opels. Most of the suspension is the same as the GT, but, some of the brakes are the same in all 1.9 Opels. Now if the carb goes bad, you can replace it with a weber 32/36 down draft, a little more performance from this carb.

 

[opelbits]

Ahhh! Here we go!.....

 

[kwilford]

As Gene (BQS4) has mentioned, the GT is based on the Kadett platform. The model you have is a Kadett "B" (the second generation) and came out in 1966 (I think), and the GT was first introduced in 1968 (although VERY few '68 GT's were built). I can't say I have ever read the exact number of Kadetts built, but I am certain it is FAR more than the GT. Approximately 103,000 GT's were built from 1968 to 1973, and I would bet that four times as many Kadetts were built in the same time. So why is the GT more common now? Simply because it is more "collectible", due to it's body shape.

And many folks on this list have owned a Kadett. I had a '68 Wagon (1.5 litre CIH, which was only available the fist year). There was a 1.1 engine that was more common in the early models, and although it had less power, it was also lighter.

For more on the Kadett, read around this forum heading (where I moved this thread) and also go to the other main board at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/classicopels (you need to sign up, but both this and the [email protected]? sites are MANDATORY for Opel owners). Oh, and to get you motivated, here's a photo of a very nice Kadett that was at the Opel Motorsport Club (OMC, at http://www.opelclub.com/) Picnic this summer at Huntington Beach CA.

 

[oldopelguy]

better car

At the risk of starting a war here, I think the Kadett is a better all-around car than the GT. Sure it doesn't look as cool, but it is much more comfortable to drive, can carry 4 people, has a useable trunk, and is a ton easier to work on than the GT.

I've had a Kadett as my daily driver for most of the last 15 years, usually a wagon. More than half of the cars I pass and easily 80% of the pedestrians I pass do double-takes when I drive by. I was recently following a Viper down the main drag here in Saratoga and I got easily twice as many thumbs-up and points as the it did. It draws more attention than my GT, in fact, and the GT is pretty nice too.

A nice Kadett is a fun, well balanced, RWD car that you can have a lot of fun with. You'll enjoy it, I'm sure. If not, I need a front end for my wagon.........

 

[calvin]

There was a kadet at the Route 66 this weekend show let me post a pic

 

[oldopelguy]

I realy did like that one

That was the "free Kadett" I had a year or so ago. Nice car, I probably should have kept it!

 

[OpelJim]

check out this site too



http://www.webnow.com/opelsforever

 

[Old Hippie]

WHAT? BETTER THAN A GT! agh! ugh!
Just kidding. Yes, I agree with the comfort and trunk space thing. But there's nothin' like squeezing into a car that makes you feel like your part of it, like a good woman. Opps! sensitivity training just flew out the window

 

[luckyjimmy05]

comming to life ...

Well the $200.00 gem that I bought on ebay that "RUNS"
is actually days away from actually running. I now have all lights, horn, wipers, now all I need is the damn engine to start!

ITS ALIVE!!!!

Ben