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Engine Rebuild Kit? Is There One?

12K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Frozen Tundra GT 
#1 ·
Hello,
I acquired a 1972 Opel GT for $200, :eek: with 1.9L engine with a 4 speed trans. The previous owner ran the engine low on oil. The engine had a rod knock, so I pulled the oil pan and checked the crankshaft out. Found the crank was worn bad.

I have access to a new remanufactured crank at a local machine shop. If I’m going to pull the engine and replace the crank. I might as well rebuild the entire engine.

Is there a complete rebuild kit that I can purchase? Or do I need to buy each part piece by piece? :confused:

Also, what is the best way to remove the engine from the car? Can it be removed from the bottom? Or thru the hood? Do you need to pull the transmission out? Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! :)
 
#2 ·
Sorry, no "rebuild" kits are available. But all the required parts are (under-size bearings, pistons, rings, gaskets, seals, etc.) from http://www.opelgtsource.com/ (and also maybe from your local engine parts store, if they will take the time to look it up). And anyway, you will need to know if you need oversize pistons (depending on how badly the cylinders are worn or scored), which "under-size" of rod and crank bearings you need (how worn/crooked is the crank), and so on. But the gaskets are available as a kit, depending on whether you just need the head kit, or the complete engine.

And the great debate on how to remove a GT engine? First, buy a Factory Service Manual (from eBay, and many used book stores). It will tell you what I am about to. DROP the engine and transmission as a unit out the bottom. Search around this forum heading (where I moved you thread) and you will get lots of good information. And you need a FSM to give you all the specifications for the rebuild.

HTH
 
#3 ·
And by the way... Dropping the engine out the bottom is very easy to do. Pulling it out from the top is darn near impossible.

And it is a real good time to check the clutch
 
#4 ·
If you dont mind doing a little cut and chop, you can pull it from the op easy. Just cut the radiator crossmember out and turn it into a bolt in setup, and pulling from the top is gravy. You doo have to have a leveler though.
 
#5 ·
pulling the engine from the top. you do not have to have a leveler if you pick the motor up from the outer exhaust port in the manifold and the "loop" in the bottom of the block near where the alternator goes, if you pick it up from here, it comes up almost perfectly level, and just rotate the engine counter clockwise as you pick it up to clear everything in the engine compartment. pulled one last weekend out the top in an hour and a half.
 
#6 ·
Cut a structual member out of a unibody car? NEVER. Although I've seen it on other GTs. What bothers me is that it is so easy to put in a strap and a couple of bolts on each side to retain the structual integrity once it is cut and no one has done it. But it is too easy to drop the complete engine/tranny package out of the car with a floorjack and cherry picker. Checkout the pics in my photo gallery, under the heading "one out". The rear wheels are on the ground and I lifted the car high enough with the cherry picker to slide the engine/tranny out from under it. JMTCW

Ron
 
#7 ·
As far as a egine kit, long ago, JC Whitney had them. Then "someone" bought them all when JC decided it was a dead item. So now, whoever that was is sitting on a small gold mine and selling pieces out of it "High". Good planning? Maybe, but it dosen't help the small guy who wants to keep the GT origional and on the road. It dosen't help but that's the info I got from the JC Whitney office. :mad:
 
#8 ·
Thanks guys for all the info!

I pulled the engine and tranny out today, It was very easy and simple. I put the front wheels on ramps, removed all the necessary parts. Used a cherry picker and lowered the engine to a cart that had wheels. Unhooked the picker and hooked it to the body of the car, and lifted the front end of the car high enough to roll the engine and tranny out. Took about 2 hours.

I ordered a complete repair manual but, it wont be here for a while. In the mean time what is the process of regaining the proper timing, when I reinstall the crankshaft I’m about to remove for a rebuild?

How do I align the camshaft and crankshaft properly?

How do I install the distributor so I will get correct timing?
 
#10 · (Edited)
Crank Undersize Mains Thrust Surfaces!!!

kwilford said:
Sorry, no "rebuild" kits are available. But all the required parts are (under-size bearings, pistons, rings, gaskets, seals, etc.) from http://www.opelgtsource.com/ (and also maybe from your local engine parts store, if they will take the time to look it up). And anyway, you will need to know if you need oversize pistons (depending on how badly the cylinders are worn or scored), which "under-size" of rod and crank bearings you need (how worn/crooked is the crank), and so on. But the gaskets are available as a kit, depending on whether you just need the head kit, or the complete engine.

And the great debate on how to remove a GT engine? First, buy a Factory Service Manual (from eBay, and many used book stores). It will tell you what I am about to. DROP the engine and transmission as a unit out the bottom. Search around this forum heading (where I moved you thread) and you will get lots of good information. And you need a FSM to give you all the specifications for the rebuild.

HTH
A word of warning about "undersize bearings" here! Found out after having crank ground .010" under, that the matching bearings from OGTS also have the rear main bearing thrust surfaces sized .010" over, ie crankshaft thrust surfaces also must be ground .010" under (wider)!

This is NOT normal machine shop "crank grinding" practice!!!

:mad:

First time either my machinist or I had ever seen this. Bearing sets were current Australian manufacture from OGTS stock. Maybe that's standard practice down under??!!
 
#12 · (Edited)
A word of warning about "undersize bearings" here! Found out after having crank ground .010" under, that the matching bearings from OGTS also have the rear main bearing thrust surfaces sized .010" over, ie crankshaft thrust surfaces also must be ground .010" under (wider)!

This is NOT normal machine shop "crank grinding" practice!!!

:mad:

First time either my machinist or I had ever seen this. Bearing sets were current Australian manufacture from OGTS stock. Maybe that's standard practice down under??!!

My crank is ground .020 under and replacement thrust bearings from Ogts are too wide???!!! fits the crank journal itself fine but too wide to fit in channel. old ones are also marked .020 but fit fine. they measure with a micrometer 1.078" and new ones are 1.089" wide. I should point out all machine shop did was polish crank. new bearings ordered are same as old. different brand.

old set crank slips in fine, new set cannot fit at all. Considering these bearings are supposed to be the same size, what gives? Do I need thrust surface machined now?

Also I am unable to find proper main bearing cap orientation. they are numbered but which way does number face? I dont see it in manual, or on the site.
 
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