[thatoreoguy]

ok, theres this 1969-1970 opel gt sitting in a field, basically im into drifting (www.drifting.com). .... since its such a unique car i think itd be a cool little project i have pictures of the field car but basically the engine has been stripped and is in rough condition im sure i could restore it but what kinda engine swaps can i do that yield the biggest bang for my buck in terms of torque and just general performance....????


because im looking to get about 140-180 to the wheels and i know stock its gonna be no mor ethen 90 if i do restore it

by the way im a student and very poor so please have pity also im located in canada



ummm.. any specific questions or if u want pics just email me

 

[greensmurf20]

i have never looked seriously into engine swaps, but i can guarantee you that your questions can be answered by using the search feature to read the old forums.

 

[billiard13]

I'm pretty new to Opels myself but i'm pretty sure you're not only gonna need serious engine upgrades to get close to 200 but you're gonna need some pretty good suspension upgrades to get a stock Opel up to drift ready.

Just something to consider before you get into the project given your financial status. Some of those suspension upgrades, not to mention possible drivetrain upgrades can really up the cost of your project I would venture to guess.

 

[thatoreoguy]

yeah, i can get most suspension for cheap i have friends in japan and other places where i can get proper stuff for a say japanese/american drift car so i can probrobly retro fit something

im pretty savvy with doing hard work i just wanna have a fly ride basically im looking at engine upgrade in the under $3500 price range


im also good with vw's and porsche's and can get those engines dirt cheap any help with any of my quaries would be super duper helpful

spanx all and i have looked at the posts of others i seem to think rotary would b e good but id liek something with more low end


by the way the opel gt in the field will cost me liek 200can!( 140 us) bux so ya help me with my performance question pretty please also i see that rally bob is mor ethen familiar with opel's i would love to hear feed back from him

 

[Geek]

Go with a rotary from an old Mazda. You can find 12a's and 13b's (stock) inexpensively, and a natureally aspirated 13b with a carb can put out ~180 horsies. You'll want to use the mazda transmission as well - the shifter won't fit in the original hole, so you're looking at some interior work as well as fabing motor mounts. When its done, you'll need to lower the front end - the rotary is lighter than the stock block. Then get ready to send about $3000 (US) to Gil at Opelgtsource for suspension upgrades (unless you want to get fancy).

 

[RallyBob]

also i see that rally bob is mor ethen familiar with opel's i would love to hear feed back from him

The GT suspension is not a good one for a drifting car, although I admit it would make a pretty sexy drift car compared to all the newer cars used in drifting. An Opel Manta is 5 times more tossable and predictable. I'd recommend you start from a clean slate on the suspension, rather than try to graft and adapt parts from other cars. Either swap a complete suspension from another car (known to have good handling characteristics), or build it from the ground up. Flare the fenders and go as wide as physically possible for stability, most of the newer cars used for drifting have a stock track width at least 10" wider than a GT's, and they also widen their tracks even more. Don't widen the track via high-offset wheels, you'll only destroy bearings and screw up the geometry more than it already is.....

When you have a solid plan in your mind, let us know here and we can help you to develop a better car for your intended use. Best of luck!

Bob

 

[thatoreoguy]

yeah thats what i was thinking, i believe i'll be swappping an rx7 suspension in , as for the engine id like to stay away from rotary's becuase i kinda wanted a turbo 4 banger due to the fact their sexy


and i make fun of my friends rx7 so i cant go grovel to him for an engine lol but we'll see maybe the full mazda set up from a turbo 13b would swap easy (suspension,tranny,engine ) i was also looking at the 20 valve corolla engine for teh 86's but those are kinda finicky


i'll be posting on here askin questions i think iiit'll take me a month to get the car here and strip all the paint and get it sand blasted and coated. hopefully by then ii'll kno what i wanna do and maybe have the car running by end of summer and then garage it in teh winter to do all the cosmetic stuff, i know end of summer is so quick but when u dont have a summer job and are waiting to go to skool you have all the time in the world


thanx for everyones input if anyone has anymore engine+suspension package suggestion please lemme know

 

[thatoreoguy]

oh also i wanna stay away from rotary's cause they only provide v-6 power but guzzels gas like a v-8 sad but true

 

[Old Hippie]

Okay! Okay! I'm just a old Crosby, Stills & Nash kinda guy living in the country! What is "Drifting"?

 

[thatoreoguy]

if you want pics of my project car in question by theway so u can see how crazy i am email me at [email protected] or add me on msn [email protected]

 

[thatoreoguy]

its taken two long days i think i found the engine i want 3SGTE turbo any comments, questions, suggestions ? and it looks liek rx-7 suspension is doable to. any body else have any other suggestions for suspension and engine picks?

 

[GTJIM (R.I.P.)]

Driftin' the Time Away!

Okay! Okay! I'm just a old Crosby, Stills & Nash kinda guy living in the country! What is "Drifting"?

You've heard of the "Drifters" ? Nothing to do with them!

Think: New tyres smoked till they burst while the car "drifts" about in barely controlled doughnuts!

Think: Impressing your (young female/male) peer group!

Think: World Championships!

Think we are too old!

 

[thatoreoguy]

lol, it was kinda pioneered by the japanese basically u are in control of a sliding car. its a whole being in control without being in control thing


at least im not one of them street racers those are verdy bad

hehe its more about skill and personal style rather then who has the biggest turbo ( penis) its about how u can use that turbo that counts


so anymore comments on my actual mock build up

 

[West Coast GT]

Drifting

Come on, the Japanese didn't just invent the drift. It's been around as long as cars have had enough power to break the rear loose. But one night back in 1980-81 after a light rain, I turned into the on-ramp in our previous Opel GT. Broke the rear loose in 1st, got sideways, kept on it through 2nd, and finally straightened it out somewhere in 3rd and merged into rush hour traffic. My wife, bless her soul, never said a word. She's still a good sport.

Back in college I pulled a four-wheel drift through a gas station in my 68 Camero, slid across both lanes on the highway, and lost a car-load of guys in an old chevy station wagon chasing me. It was a pretty cool move.

But, my trainer (in my 1st post college job) raced (SCCA) and pulled some amazing stuff in the company car. The best was a 360 on the Santa Ana freeway, never left the middle lane. That guy was good.

And lets not forget the classic drift - The movie "Gum Ball Rally", Mr. Guts in that yellow Camero, pulled out from the toll booth and slid it sideways into a parking spot between a couple of cars.

And with this many car enthusiists in the forum, you can't tell me there's not a lot of drift stories out there.

Hey! Where's the spell check on this new system?

 

[Old Hippie]

Ahhhh! Kinda like a smoking doughnut and punching it when you got it in the direction you wanted! Man, I guess I am kinda old . Hmm, do a pair of 360's on a snowy ramp count?

 

[bear]

I wonder if flat-tracking a bike or a speedway racer in the turns qualifies? If so, I do that in my monza when I get on the gas and smoke both rear tires going around corners. Naw, only the rear drifts, not all four tires

Ron

 

[thatoreoguy]

lol, im glad to see i sparked interest if ud liek some bad videos shot with my digicam send me a email on msn or something and i'll send u out to one


NOW b4 this turns into a drift post any comments on the actual mock build up i hav ein mind the 3SGTE turbo any comments, questions, suggestions ? and the rx-7 suspension

 

[GTJIM (R.I.P.)]

Go for it!

Do RX7s drift? - yes!

Do 3sget turbos have enough power to do the job? - yes!

Will a GT body be the coolest and most unusual bod on the pad? - YES!!!

GO FOR IT!!!

 

[thatoreoguy]

i saw inone of these posts that this body can only handle 180 hp give or take that engine is a lil ove rpowered at about 220bhp so liek 22 to the wheels any suggestions for how to strengthen

 

[RallyBob]

If you're gonna drift this car, add a bunch of horsepower, and improve the handling, it should have a rollcage anyway.....

This would solve your chassis problems, and will make it handle even better (a flexing chassis can't keep the tires in contact with the road very well).

In reality, the killer is not the HP, but rather the torque. A 220 hp 4-cylinder in a GT would be okay (although it may be scary at speed), but a 180 hp V8 conversion (with gobs of torque) would tend to make the chassis move around....a lot.