Keep in mind that you need a Weber 32/36 that is JETTED for an Opel. Just off the shelf they are not ideally set up for our cars.

OGTS sells Webers with the correct jetting for your car, I strongly suggest you start off with a brand new, properly jetted, carb from them.

I am not a believer in trying to make a Weber carb last 100 years, as some guys do. Maybe they can do it, but I can't. Your carb is the brains of your engine, a new carb doesn't have any of the potential fluff-ups that the previous owner might have done. I have had carbs where the PO had drilled out the jets and passageways, floats that are hopelessly out of adjustment, and mixture screws that had been overtightened and broke the seats, so that they could never be made to run right. Plus, you should buy a basic rebuild kit when you get any used carb to replace the rubber o-ring seals and several rubber diaphragms that dry out or tear inside.

Get a new one from OGTS.

 

Sometimes new is better unless it has been gone through by someone you trust. Some kind of guarantee from the seller is nice. I've rebuilt several Webers, unfortunately, I don't have time to go through one at the moment.

Harold

 

There is a great video on you tube on how to take a Weber apart and clean which would also be useful in a rebuild situation. The video more importantly shows you how to put it back together. However my first weber was a used one from Opels Unlimited which never worked right, - so I purchased a new one - ran great for 5 minutes. Called the supplier they said check the float so when I took the top off to access the float I found that a piece was totally unscrewed on a brand new unit. Sometimes it just seems that the deck is stacked you know. It was however an easy fix just frustrating that something brand new would not be correct. Good Luck......

 

I have a 2 webers 32/36 that I have torn apart the one is probably just parts. The other one though is better but still needs a full gasket set and rebuild. Also I might have stripped out the one of the secondary throttle blade screw holes. But I can probably tap it out.


I also have I think 2 solex and a parts one, but I think I want to keep those because it would be very cool to get a GT running with the og solex. Those carbs need gone through too.

I would just check ebay, there are some guys on there that sell rebuilt ones.

 

Good Solex carburetors are hard to find. Correct units are even harder to find. Solex discontinued carburetor production in 1974, but until then, in addition to Opel, you could find them on Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, and Rolls Royce, among others. It had a good name.

Solex carburetors found on Opel 1.9 engines are not interchangeable. Those found on the GT had a manual linkage for opening the secondary throttle, while other Opel models used a vacuum-driven linkage. The former pushes down from the front of the carburetor, while the latter pulls up from the rear. The two carburetors are easily differentiated by the large bulb affair on the back of the vacuum-driven linkage. The difference is that the GT with its manual linkage will show better pickup.

 

Getting an Opel Solex to run is not hard, getting one to run well takes a magician. I fought one for a year then replaced it with a DCOE and never looked back.

 

Getting an Opel Solex to run is not hard, getting one to run well takes a magician.

As my old wrestling coach used to say, "When you tell me you 'can't', you're telling me 'you won't!"

Actually, he didn't just say it -- he screamed it. ;-)

 

There are some pretty small pieces "hiding" inside those factory Solex carbs on the GT that PO's tend to lose. The last two that I rebuilt required 3 rebuild kits to get all the correct pieces to do it properly. Plan on putting the carb in "dip" for many days and doing a LOT of hand cleaning in tiny places. I guarantee, it is NOT a one day job. I personally like the OE Solex, but you do get more torque and better idle from a weber. The OE Solex tends to "fall into" idle vs. Weber will drop there and hold idle. A well rebuilt Solex will not be the cause of hesitation or stumble on acceleration. A poorly rebuilt one will, mostly due to vacuum leaks in the bottom plates not being flat, missing pieces, using old rubber parts and springs, and not taking care of the tiny damn check ball in the float bowl. Finally on the OE Solex the setting for the butterfly opening at idle is REALLY important to get right or you will never get the car to idle right. Go online YoungGT and do a lot of reading before you tackle the OE Solex.

 

Every Solex I have found on my cars was falling apart. Fuel inlets fell out, screws loose, and they absolutely dumped fuel into the engine. The Webers are supposed to be more fuel efficient AND give you more power, plus they're easier to get parts and advice for. The choice is obvious.

 

With the exception of a few original owners, most of us have never seen a properly working Solex. Every time I've tried to rebuild one I've sworn never again. The main fault I've noticed is the base of the carb body and the base plate containing the throttle plates, they're usually warped beyond repair.

Harold

 

I have a Solex, that came from an Opel GT, that has less than 100 miles on it. I'm willing to part with it.

 

I sent you a PM about a 32/36 that I have.

 

To this day I think that the failing Solex carburetors along with the smog laws insistent upon the Opel retaining the failed rebuilt Solex (no longer available new) on the cars haunted enough mechanics that the majority hated the site of an Opel pulling in to their garage. The rest of the car is to well built.

I agree a good Solex is a keeper, a failed Solex could be rebuildable but only for the people who have vast experience dealing with them. I did really like the Opels I had with good original Solex’s, headache free in my experience. First Opels offer may contain one of those rare good Solex carbs.

GoldGT’s Weber would be a very good bet for sure.

 

Thanks everyone for replying! I will get to the people who have responded in private messages soon, but I'll be making a new forum for a new issue I'm having haha but I'm pretty sure I'll be needing a new carburetor anyways

 

In addition to all this, it is known that some dealerships swapped out the Solex's and installed Weber 32/36's on brand new cars.

 

Sounds like a bit of a stretch to me. I did line duty as a make-ready mechanic at a Buick dealer in 1969, and I recall no issues or incentives to routinely replace the carburetor on the new Opels. The cars that went through our dealership were considered to be a step up in quality from the Buick Special, Buick's entry-level vehicle, and few adjustments were required -- even the headlamps were aimed properly.

One of the problems with the Solex was not really a Solex issue. In 1969 and 1970, at least, the GT (and perhaps other models) did not have an in-line fuel filter. Given the filtering technology available at the time, all kinds of "stuff" could find its way into the fuel tank and, after about 35,000 miles, the carburetor would be quite fouled and the usual fix was to replace it.

 

One issue with the Solex carburetors was a number of updates and changes were sent out to the dealerships with part & repair information. If the car owner never returned to the dealership these updates or repairs (not a recall) were not done.

 

Like I said, it's a KNOWN thing that was done, and we've had discussions about it in the past. Usually it happened in places in the mid-west.

 

I recall when I owned the '70 GT that I purchased new from the dealer that I did not think anything of the fact that there was no in-line filter on the car. This despite the fact that I had worked in a dealership and also spent several summers working in a Texaco station. It did not dawn on me until the car began to run rough, and when I pulled the top off the carburetor. what I saw inside was so extensive that I decided to simply replace the unit with a new one, rather than try to clean it all out. And I added a more-or-less standard in-line filter popularly used over a wide number of automobile brands of the day.

Some history: Solex sold its carburetor division to the French aerospace firm Matra in 1973, and in 1974 the division was moved to Magneti Marelli, then to Renault, and finally to Motobecane. In 1986, Fiat acquired what was left of Solex and merged it with...Weber.

Here is an interesting discussion of "real" versus "similar" Weber carbs:

Tech Wiki - Weber 32/36 Carburetor : Datsun 1200 Club

datsun 1200 club

datsun1200.com