[Young Gt Lover]

Hi guys this is a start of a long journey. I got a 1969 Opel Gt. It has an automatic and a red interior. The original color is silver. We picked it up today It took us about 3 hours. I will make a youtube video maybe this week. The front brakes were stuck so we took the calipers off.Sam

 

[Young Gt Lover]

 

[Young Gt Lover]

It was a lot of work but totally worth it!

 

[rrossjr]

Hey, congratulations! I'm glad you were finally able to work out a deal for the car. Now that you excavated it from storage, you can start doing
a proper assessment of the GT to see what you have and what you will need. Sort of like what this guy is doing, but digging a little deeper, I would think.
Have fun and keep us posted on your progress.
Cheers,
Ron in FL

Project Opel GT Assessment: Dream Restoration or Scrap Metal?

Tony bought a junky 1970 Opel GT, now he has to fix it. We discuss all of its initial issues in our first assessment of the damage.

www.thedrive.com

 

[First opel 1981]

Now THAT is a barn find.
I mean... hard to find the barn!

Looks pretty straight from the angles we can see.

 

[rrossjr]

Looks pretty straight from the angles we can see.

Flat panel too, although it has a different color paint, so could be a replacement.

 

[Will I. Finish]

Very Happy For You. Good luck with your project. Best, Carl

 

[Autoholic]

Congrats. A flat panel '69 in silver and red. Pretty cool. Good luck restoring it.

 

[Young Gt Lover]

There is some bondo on the rear "fender flares" that are cracking. Also some one repaired something on the front fender but it isn't correct. The rockers are a little rusty but not that bad. I think I counted 3 rust holes on one side in the rockers. The interior is in great condition! The only thing wrong with the interior is the dash is cracked pretty good and the carpet is a little worn. Also the original tire iron was in there or else we would have wrecked the lug nuts because we forgot to bring metic tools with us.

 

[Michael A. Smith]

Several years ago I advised, from afar, a young man your age as he restored an early 1950s Willys (forerunner of Jeep) pickup. He had some advantages that you will need -- experts in the field. First, he had a grandfather that taught welding at the local vocational school -- very important and if you see Bondo and rust holes, you will need this expertise as well (Opel body panels were not sealed well and rust prevention was primitive -- water and dirt would work their way inside, where the rust would start). He also had help from a professional body shop and an engine builder. First thing you need to look for is a copy of the Factory Service Manual. Someone mentioned that the 1969 models were fairly unique to the subsequent years, especially with respect to wiring, but any year's FSM is better than none. Also, make sure you bookmark this link from Opel GT Source:

https://www.opelgtsource.com/tips

Best of luck...

 

[Young Gt Lover]

Several years ago I advised, from afar, a young man your age as he restored an early 1950s Willys (forerunner of Jeep) pickup. He had some advantages that you will need -- experts in the field. First, he had a grandfather that taught welding at the local vocational school -- very important and if you see Bondo and rust holes, you will need this expertise as well (Opel body panels were not sealed well and rust prevention was primitive -- water and dirt would work their way inside, where the rust would start). He also had help from a professional body shop and an engine builder. First thing you need to look for is a copy of the Factory Service Manual. Someone mentioned that the 1969 models were fairly unique to the subsequent years, especially with respect to wiring, but any year's FSM is better than none. Also, make sure you bookmark this link from Opel GT Source:

https://www.opelgtsource.com/tips

Best of luck...

My grandpa has a few cars that he is restoring and that have been restored. He has a 1970 triumph spitfire, 1966 mg midget, 1933 american austin, morris travelall, mgb. He has taught me a lot! I am still learning how to weld. I know how to do spread bondo. I have restored a Kohler k241 with his help. The Gt is going to his house because I don't have the room or the tools to work on it. My grandpa and I just want to get it cleaned up and driving. Where do you find FSM at?

 

[The Scifi Guy]

Ebay has factory service manuals.

These cars are all about the body. Parts are fairly cheap, but fixing the unibodies is a PIA and there are no new replacement panels available. We strongly suggest that contain your anxiousness to start driving it as soon as possible and take the time to fix the body, which could take as long as a year. '69's are rare, so it's worth it to fix up this one. Rusted out floorboards and rocker panels are what usually send these cars to the crusher, so try to fix the inevitable rust you will find there. Try to do the best job you can fixing the body, it's the entire value of the car, worry about the mechanical stuff and fancy wheels later. Once you have a decent body, then it will be a pleasure instead of a pain to get it all working. Be patient and go through the proper body stabilization process and you will be proud of the awesome car you restored.

 

[opellane]

Hey You Got a GT,,, Wow,, that really LQQKS COOL
Nice of your Grandfather to Help you out. He sounds like a very wise man, Lots to learn on restoring cars. The Cool Factor is you own a GT. Like Gordon says these Cars are all about the Body. The Rust, and Rotten Metal on these cars is the lack of Rust Protection from the Factory, poor Mild steel, GM must of learned from Opel, and started making cars with Galvanized zinc sheetmetal.
Body Patches, and being a Good welder, try not to patch with bondo or fiberglass filler, in my opinion
I know your anxious to drive it, but as said...Saving the Body...the shell is the most important part,,
maybe time to learn a little sandblasting too..lol

the best Part of saving a GT is being a Jack of all trades, you'll see... I wouldn't park it on anymore Grassy places... to save a GT ..must be parked on black top in my Opinion

Good Luck and keep us posted

 

[Young Gt Lover]

Hey You Got a GT,,, Wow,, that really LQQKS COOL
Nice of your Grandfather to Help you out. He sounds like a very wise man, Lots to learn on restoring cars. The Cool Factor is you own a GT. Like Gordon says these Cars are all about the Body. The Rust, and Rotten Metal on these cars is the lack of Rust Protection from the Factory, poor Mild steel, GM must of learned from Opel, and started making cars with Galvanized zinc sheetmetal.
Body Patches, and being a Good welder, try not to patch with bondo or fiberglass filler, in my opinion
I know your anxious to drive it, but as said...Saving the Body...the shell is the most important part,,
maybe time to learn a little sandblasting too..lol

the best Part of saving a GT is being a Jack of all trades, you'll see... I wouldn't park it on anymore Grassy places... to save a GT ..must be parked on black top in my Opinion

Good Luck and keep us posted

I think we might do a rotissry restoration on it. I think we are going to clean it and then get it started. Then we will take it apart. This will be a long restoration.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[Michael A. Smith]

My grandpa has a few cars that he is restoring and that have been restored. He has a 1970 triumph spitfire, 1966 mg midget, 1933 american austin, morris travelall, mgb. He has taught me a lot! I am still learning how to weld. I know how to do spread bondo. I have restored a Kohler k241 with his help. The Gt is going to his house because I don't have the room or the tools to work on it. My grandpa and I just want to get it cleaned up and driving. Where do you find FSM at?

Your grandfather is an LBC (Little British Car) nut! Cool! I have a 1964 Triumph Spitfire. When I was not much older than you, I was the "furrin' car" specialist in a Texaco station -- most of the iron I worked on was Triumph and MG, although one of our customers had an E-Type Jag that I coveted. Then there was the Europa...

FSM: This link should get you somewhere:

Opel Car & Truck Repair Manuals & Literature for sale | eBay

Get the best deals on Opel Car & Truck Repair Manuals & Literature when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices.

www.ebay.com

You can also place a request in the "Parts Wanted" section of the "Opel Ad Board" on this forum -- on occasion there will be a member with an FSM that he is willing to part with.

Parts For Sale

Listings of parts for sale

www.opelgt.com

As for your exhaust system question on another thread, as others have indicated, you have a system cobbled together by a previous owner or a muffler shop. You will need the following parts to bring it back to original configuration (Opel GT Source parts numbers)
Front muffler #10005
Hanger bracket for #10005 -- #10018
Connector pipe (runs over the axle #10006
Rear resonator (includes the twin tail pipes) #10007
Rear resonator hanger bracket #10021
This assumes you have a solid OEM header pipe (OGTS #10004)
Rubber hangers (4 required) #10008
Pipe clamps (3 required) #10022

 

[MattsAwesomeStuff]

Congrats! What an exciting day for you!

Time to start cleaning and note taking. You're going to have a million "Oh I'll remember that..." but trust me, you won't, so start writing it all down. You'll have so many notes on so many different sections of the car and what you've discovered and what you might do with them.

Take detailed pictures of anything before you take it apart, even the manual is often not enough to show you exactly how to take something apart. Seeing it in a photo from multiple angles will be quite helpful.

 

[Young Gt Lover]

Your grandfather is an LBC (Little British Car) nut! Cool! I have a 1964 Triumph Spitfire. When I was not much older than you, I was the "furrin' car" specialist in a Texaco station -- most of the iron I worked on was Triumph and MG, although one of our customers had an E-Type Jag that I coveted. Then there was the Europa...

FSM: This link should get you somewhere:

Opel Car & Truck Repair Manuals & Literature for sale | eBay

Get the best deals on Opel Car & Truck Repair Manuals & Literature when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices.

www.ebay.com

You can also place a request in the "Parts Wanted" section of the "Opel Ad Board" on this forum -- on occasion there will be a member with an FSM that he is willing to part with.

Parts For Sale

Listings of parts for sale

www.opelgt.com

As for your exhaust system question on another thread, as others have indicated, you have a system cobbled together by a previous owner or a muffler shop. You will need the following parts to bring it back to original configuration (Opel GT Source parts numbers)
Front muffler #10005
Hanger bracket for #10005 -- #10018
Connector pipe (runs over the axle #10006
Rear resonator (includes the twin tail pipes) #10007
Rear resonator hanger bracket #10021
This assumes you have a solid OEM header pipe (OGTS #10004)
Rubber hangers (4 required) #10008
Pipe clamps (3 required) #10022

I think I am going to keep the exhaust how it is as long as it sounds good and it is loud.

 

[rrossjr]

I think I am going to keep the exhaust how it is as long as it sounds good and it is loud.

Um, yeah, about that.

 

[Will I. Finish]

I am very jealous of your opportunity, the beginning of a very long project and the fact that you have a grandfather that has the knowledge and desire to help you with this awesome protect and the help of this forum and all of the information accumulated over the past 20 plus years.. To mirror some of the other comments and go a step further - you will be tempted to rush the process with the need/desire to just get this car on the road. A very natural reaction even more so with a " young GT lover". But this project is going to take a lot of time and a lot money and you cannot rush perfection or even a good daily driver that is 50 years old, safety is always a major concern especially when just getting started and you don't know hat you have - don't get in a rush as you will just have to go back and do things a second and third time. Any car of the age of your car but even more so an Opel GT is virtually going to need to have everything replace. Someone on this forum once told me that an Opel GT is kind of like a Bic pen, disposable. They really were not made to last, not like today's cars. So take your time and enjoy the journey, bask in every successfully completed project and move on to the next project as there will always be another project. Good luck to you my young friend. Again you are very lucky to have a great car to start the project, a skilled and caring Grandfather, and a forum with 20 + years of information at your disposable and a group of people that are willing and able to answer your questions to help you achieve your goals. Now, let's make it happen! There are a lot of step - It felt really great when I got to this step:

And the next step was also so rewarding - when after all of the preperation was done and the car was ready for paint and then painted - I was rewarded with the opportunity to begin to put it all back together again - that was one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life and I took my time and enjoyed putting back every new or reconditioned part as I spent months, years, putting my car back together. So much fun. But I rushed it so now I am doing things I should have done 25 years ago. I blame myself of course but also the fact that I did the majority of my work before the forum existed so I could not just post a question - wish I could have as that would have saved so much time and prevented so many mistakes...........................

Replacing each little part, each big part, each step, was so rewarding and I know that I speak for so many of the members of this forum. And how long does it go on for, well, as long as you want depending on your goal. Again if looking for a daily driver this is not the route you want to take but you still have to be patient as the same rules apply just to a lesser extent.
Again best wishes to you and your grandfather on this wonderful project. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you from a distance. Best Regards, Carl

 

[Young Gt Lover]

I am very jealous of your opportunity, the beginning of a very long project and the fact that you have a grandfather that has the knowledge and desire to help you with this awesome protect and the help of this forum and all of the information accumulated over the past 20 plus years.. To mirror some of the other comments and go a step further - you will be tempted to rush the process with the need/desire to just get this car on the road. A very natural reaction even more so with a " young GT lover". But this project is going to take a lot of time and a lot money and you cannot rush perfection or even a good daily driver that is 50 years old, safety is always a major concern especially when just getting started and you don't know hat you have - don't get in a rush as you will just have to go back and do things a second and third time. Any car of the age of your car but even more so an Opel GT is virtually going to need to have everything replace. Someone on this forum once told me that an Opel GT is kind of like a Bic pen, disposable. They really were not made to last, not like today's cars. So take your time and enjoy the journey, bask in every successfully completed project and move on to the next project as there will always be another project. Good luck to you my young friend. Again you are very lucky to have a great car to start the project, a skilled and caring Grandfather, and a forum with 20 + years of information at your disposable and a group of people that are willing and able to answer your questions to help you achieve your goals. Now, let's make it happen! There are a lot of step - It felt really great when I got to this step:
View attachment 434161
And the next step was also so rewarding - when after all of the preperation was done and the car was ready for paint and then painted - I was rewarded with the opportunity to begin to put it all back together again - that was one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life and I took my time and enjoyed putting back every new or reconditioned part as I spent months, years, putting my car back together. So much fun. But I rushed it so now I am doing things I should have done 25 years ago. I blame myself of course but also the fact that I did the majority of my work before the forum existed so I could not just post a question - wish I could have as that would have saved so much time and prevented so many mistakes...........................
View attachment 434162
Replacing each little part, each big part, each step, was so rewarding and I know that I speak for so many of the members of this forum. And how long does it go on for, well, as long as you want depending on your goal. Again if looking for a daily driver this is not the route you want to take but you still have to be patient as the same rules apply just to a lesser extent.
Again best wishes to you and your grandfather on this wonderful project. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you from a distance. Best Regards, Carl

Thanks so much!!!! I talked to my grandpa tonight and it sounds like we are going to do the major body work like the rust and get it running and driving so it is like a daily driver. I don't have that much money to do a full blown restoration so I am going to do a decent one. When I have enough money and I am older(I am 14) i will restore it the proper way. I am probably going to buy a 1990-1991 Honda Prelude Si for my daily driver($500) and I am still looking to buy my great uncles other Gt a 1971-1972 Gt. I am still saving my money for these opportunities.
How much did your paint job cost? My grandpa and I were looking at the correct paint and It was around $100 a quart. So my grandpa thinks it would be around $300 to paint it. We might just use rustoleum spray paint. That is what my grandpa used on his spitfire and so far it looks good.

Thanks Sam