[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

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[rrossjr]

Here is a youtube video of us pulling the Gt out of the barn.

Lots of excitement! When was this car parked? How's the varmint situation?🦝

 

[rrossjr]

Congratulations. I'm genuinely not surprised that it started. These CIH engines seem to be able to sit for a long time, then not miss a beat.

 

[rrossjr]

It doesn't look like you will have to do much at all to the interior, other than cleaning and perhaps a new carpet set. You will get a lot of hands-on body work experience with this car-a good learning opportunity!

I stayed at my grandparents house for the last few days and we got a lot done! I drove my first car, my fist Opel Gt, and my first car with no brakes! On the first drive I just shifted into park when I wanted to stop. Then we got the e-brake working and I stopped with that the next day. We made sure the thermostat was working. We order a bunch of brake lines and brake stuff from rock auto parts. The gas tank is leaking so the next thing we will do is start taking the interior apart to see what is wrong with the tank. Then we will put the brakes back together. We had to split the calipers because the pistons wouldn't come out with air. We pressed them and eventually got them out with screw drivers. We may have chipped the pistons:0

We will fix the rockers before we drive it down the road.
Videos are coming soon!
Sam
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[rrossjr]

Quite a stash of GT goodies. Those wheels look outstanding, and I really like the Indiana plate. I bet it will clean up really well. Your project is off to a good start (no pun intended!)

 

[rrossjr]

It actually sounds pretty smooth for a car that has been sitting so long (and with a Solex too!). That red interior is very salvageable. I'm guessing it will clean up nicely. As Matt mentioned, the bodywork should definitely be your focus. Don't worry about making it too pretty, but sorting out those rotten rockers should be a priority.

 

[rrossjr]

Nice lenses. Don't forget the gaskets (they tend to collect water if not properly sealed)

 

[rrossjr]

Do I just buy the gasket set that has all the gaskets for the lens?

https://www.opelgtsource.com/search/2409/details

 

[rrossjr]

Sounds like good progress. Definitely prioritize a new set of tires for the GT. 25+ year old rubber sounds like trouble-even at slower speeds. You don't want to end up in a ditch and undo all of your hard work.