Volume 28, Issue 5 Sept/Oct 2008

Inside this issue:Inside this issue:Inside this issue: Long Term Opel Ownership 1990-2008

Vintage Car Insurance Tech: Body Panel Replacement

Tech: How to Build a Targa Tech: Plug Welding & Fiberglass Epoxy

Before

Welcome to the Opel Motorsport Club THE OPEL MOTORSPORT CLUB IS CELEBRATING ITS 28TH YEAR OF DEDICATION TO THE PRESERVATION AND APPRECIATION OF ALL GERMAN OPELS , WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON MODELS IMPORTED INTO THE UNITED STATES. WE ARE HEADQUARTERED IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA, AND HAVE CHAPTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IN EUROPE, AS WELL AS MEMBERS IN CANADA AND MEXICO. MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS INCLUDE SUBSCRIPTION TO OUR NEWSLET-TER, THE BLITZ, LISTINGS FOR PARTS AND SERVICE SUPPLIERS, BLITZ INDEX & TECH TIP INDEX (1985-DATE), FREE CLASSIFIED ADS (3 PER YEAR), CLUB ITEMS, MEMBER ROSTER, OWNER SUPPORT AND ACTIVITIES , INCLUDING MEETINGS AND OUR ANNUAL PICNIC & CAR SHOW

ON THE COVER:

Face: Targa GT ’Reborn’

Upper right: Before!

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2007 OPEL MOTORSPORT CLUB OFFICERS & STAFF

PRESIDENT TBA VICE PRESIDENT Jerry Hendrix 805-526-3765 ACTIVITIES TBA TREASURER Dick Counsil 818-248-5504 BLITZ EDITOR TBA WEBMASTER Rich Race Rep. Roger Wilson

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European Chapter (Netherlands) Contact Louis van Steen: (011 31) 297 340 536 (please take note of the time zone before calling), fast60gt (at) yahoo.com

Florida Chapter (Coral Gables, FL) Contact John Malone: 305-443-8513

Michigan Chapter Contact John Brooks: 616-233-9050 ext 12 Johncinquo (at) hotmail.com.

Mid Atlantic Opel Club (Richmond, VA) Contact Charles Goin: 804-379-9737 cgoin (at) mindspring.com

New England Opel Club (Swansea, MA) Contact Gary Farias: 508-679-2740 Gary (at) opelgt.com

North American Opel GT Chapter (Chicago, IL) Contact Jim Toler: 630-964-9797

Northern California Chapter (Sonora, CA) Contact Gil Wesson: 209-928-1110 Opelgts (at) opelgtsource.com

Ohio Chapter (Columbus, OH) Contact Larry Shal: 614-861-1565

Pacific Northwest Chapter (Shelton, WA) Contact Paul Kaman: 360-426-9267

Rocky Mountain Opels (Security, CO) Contact Branston DiBrell Jr 719-391-9421 dibrellb (at) rmi.net

San Diego Opel Motorsport Club Contact TBA when available.

Texas Opel Club (Leonard, TX) Contact Rodney Killingsworth, 903-587-9640 Tyrodk (at) fanninelectric.com

Carolina Opel Club Contact Roy Bell: 704-782-1866 E-mail: CarolinaOpelClub (at) aol.com We chose to use (at) in place of @ for spam

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Dennis G.

Letter From The Historian

Inspiration: any influence to create thought or action. Webster’s Dictionary

My Story of Inspiration

When I first began with Opels in the early 1980s my inspiration was seeing and being seen at the local cruise strip. I did more than my fair share of Street-Racing and was into just having some plain ol’ fun with my hot-rod 1974 Manta. In 1990 I attended my first OMC event held at the Laguna Seca raceway in Monterey, CA. While at the event my inspiration drastically changed. I spied a super clean silver 1969 GT with red interior GT, then owned by OMC founder Rick Graham. Right then and there I decided to build a first-class GT of my own. I had recently purchased an extremely abused and worn out ‘73 GT to do a quick fix and sell on, so it became the candidate. The restoration process took me until 1994 to finish when I debuted my GT at that years OMC Picnic. Over the next 6 years I took my GT to every OMC event I could. Life was good.

Then it happened. In 2000, while Caravanning down to the 20th anniversary OMC picnic, with only a few miles left to travel, my GT was rear ended by another OMC club member. Enter... Opel-Depression. My ‘73 Manta restoration project was on instant hold. My enjoyment of anything Opel-related, plummeted. There, in my garage, the GT sat alone, dented and twisted. The sheet metal of upper deck lid was twisted and torn, the tail lamp panel was punched in, a couple lamps were busted and the right rear fender was buckled.

Over the next 5 years I struggled my way through setbacks which further slowed repairs. I found a NOS tail lamp panel, paid for it, only to have the seller back out of the sale. My friend sold his body shop and with it went my favorite painter. I located two reproduction tail lamp and upper deck panels in Germany. However, they took over one year to arrive. Then before the reproduction panels arrived I located another NOS tail lamp panel. I subsequently sold the reproduction pieces. Luckily I was also able to find a broken and rusted rear trim strip on a GT in a local wrecking yard. It was repairable, but required some serious welding magic. Lastly I located a NOS brake lamp lens, lens housing and a new back up light lens.

What finally brought me out of Opel-Depression was the 25th anniversary OMC Picnic. The decision was made, I had to get back on track and fix the GT. I spent the better part of spring and early summer ‘05, cutting, welding and rebuilding the GT body. During my re-restoration I did run into one major setback. Hidden under the paint on the top rear of the passenger door was small defect that would soon rear its ugly head! Unfortunately, it did not appear until ‘after’ the GT came back from paint, the first time! Now what? With the OMC picnic less than 2 months away I had little choice but to disassemble the GT a second time, repair the passenger door and send her off to paint a second time.

After paint, the second time, I spent hundreds of hours reassembling the body. I upgraded the rear drum brakes to disk, re-polished numerous aluminum items, replaced non-critical bolts with stainless steel fasteners, powder coated small engine and EFI brackets and restored a cracked 2.4L valve cover that I had purchased in Germany. I almost didn’t make it. I finished repairing an electrical gremlin the GT the night before making the 400 mile trip down for the OMC picnic.

Since then I have again been able to enjoy my GT on a few fun runs and have attended a number of local car shows. The most recent show I attended was the Altamont Cruisers car show in Livermore, CA. Next year I am planning on making the 14+ hour drive from CA to WA to attend the Opel-Nationals in Tacoma, WA. Hopefully the weather next year will be as perfect as it was this year.

I hope that my little story has motivated a few of you to rekindle your Opel projects. As of this writing, I’m again working on my ‘73 Manta. I have still have a long way to go,... but I know I’ll get there.

Dented and Twisted.

Summer of 2000.

“I Think I Can Fix

That!”

(Movie quote from

‘Doc Hollywood’)

In this issue you will find a Tech Article on repairing just this type of common accident damage.

1973 Opel GT - Targa

One member’s Ups and Downs of vintage Opel ownership!

Back in 1990 when I obtained my 73 GT I had no intention of keeping it. A long time friend owed me $200 so I took his GT as payment in full. All I wanted was to fix the problems and sell it fast. At the time I already owned a restored ‘74 Manta and a restored ‘72 Kadett: What did I want with an Opel GT? Heresy! Heresy, I can hear some of your say… “Why would you not want a GT?” Well, my first car was a 74 Manta rallye, my second car was a 74 Manta, I had worked on many friends Mantas and knew them inside and out. Couple my familiarity with the Opel Manta to the fact that the first GT I ever laid eyes on was cut 6 inches shorter in the back, had a piece of plywood for a tail light panel with Ford Pinto tail lights and you might under-stand why I was not impressed with the Opel GT.

Restoration of any vintage car has never been easy, however some automobiles are more of a challenge to bring back to life than others. Many of our readership has seen my GT at previous OMC events, however few know of its history. This GT started life in a class 5 condition. Most Opel owners, viewing my GT, after I purchased it might have quoted from Beowulf and said, “Abandon all hope... Ye who enter here”, but to quote Paul Harvey, “and now you know,... the rest of the story”.

However this battered and neglected GT began to grow on me. Later that year I learned of OMC and attended their Picnic at Laguna Sega raceway. I attended with both my Manta and Kadett (driven by my friend), when I spied a beautiful silver 1969 GT with red interior, then owned by OMC president Rick Graham. During this event I also met Gil of Opel GT Source. So now I had a source for GT parts. Up to then I had purchased all my parts from either Economy Imports in San Jose, CA or at our local Pick-n-Pull.

Below: Rick Graham’s silver and red 1969 GT

Right Top:

My GT with my

1972 Kadett.

Right:

My GT 1990 with my 1974 Manta in the drive

way. Spring 1990

That OMC event and the Opel GT Source catalog got me to thinking: Why not build a custom GT out of the one I have? So I decided to restore the GT rather than sell it. I had a long road to hoe, as this GT had numerous body damages. The damage list included: Bent front driver and passenger fenders, can opened drivers door and quarter panel, badly dented roof above the drivers door, a bent tail lamp panel with cracks around the bumper mounts, bent upper deck lid, bent passenger rear quarter panel and bent hood. The only sheet metal that was unscathed was the nose panel, passenger door and floor pan. The body had virtually no rust except, the belly pan right below the non-existent battery tray. Considering this GT had only 98,000 mile on the clock, and that it was stored for many years, it was an amazing amount of damage.

The engine, transmission and interior were all in poor condition. By then I should have realized that I was in way over my head and should have contemplated finding a better GT. But, I was in my early 20’s and just did not think that way. Since then I have spoken with number of Opel owners and they all told me that they would have parted-out and scrapped the GT. I however went into the restoration with the intent of replacing and restoring everything. Subsequently this GT became the perfect candidate for the ‘guilt-free’ body modifications.

The first order of business was to completely strip down the body. As this was the days before digital cameras, I took very few photographs during the restoration process. A deficiency that I am remedying with my current ‘73 Manta project.

Note: For the first time restorer I recommend to ‘Bag-and-Tag’ every nut and bolt during disassembly. That and take hun-dreds of digital photographs. You never know when the photos will come in handy, in the future!

With the teardown well underway, I special ordered the Lenk Targa kit through Opel GT Source (OGTS). Once the car was stripped I obtained donor sheet metal from two different wrecked GTs and began cutting out my damaged panels. I also went and purchased a special air-powered step-flange hammer so I could ‘flush-fit’ the panels. Once fitted the panels were riveted in place for later welding. The next task was to fit the Targa frame reinforcements to both the interior and underbody of the GT. My dad used his Lincoln Arc welder to fuse the heavy steel to the unitized body structure of the GT. He also welded the upper window frames to the roof. pillars. Once the reinforcements and doors were welded, the door window frames were cut

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

PHOTO ESSAY Above are some of the photos taken during the panel replacement process. Pictures A. D. & F. illustrate removing damaged sheet metal. Pictures B. & E. illustrates the typical donor panel. Picture C. & G. shows the panels riveted into place prior to welding. Picture H. depicts the side marker delete panel I made. The last picture, (bottom right) was taken right after the donor panels were welded in at my friend’s body shop.

Above: Back from Welding

open at the base. At this point, I towed my GT down to my friend’s body shop and they welded the fenders, quarter panels and tail lamp panel into the body and filled the rivet holes. A few days later the GT was towed back to my home.

The next task was to install a ground effect kit and targa roof from OGTS. The next step was to install the air dam, side skirts, rear skirts and rear wing. To fit the fiberglass I temporarily mounted them with duct tape to the body, so I could position the fiberglass. I visually aligned the pieces by standing back 20 - 30 feet and adjusted the pieces as necessary. Once satisfied I drilled numerous 1/8” guide and mounting holes {every4 - 6 inches} through both the fiberglass and the body. Afterwards I removed the body kit and stripped the paint everywhere were the fiberglass was to touch. Using Marine Epoxy I glued the fiberglass onto the body using the previously drilled holes as my guide and riveted them in place to cure. After a few days cure-time I removed the rivets and filled the holes with more epoxy.

Next I installed the targa roof. (See pg. 16-20) Note: Some have asked me if my Targa flexes much. Actually with all of the reinforcements to the chassis the body is quite stiff and flexes very little. The body flexes less than some GTs that I have raised up on my 4 post shop lift. I am well pleased with the results.

Body work is not one of my strong suits. Smoothing all of the weld seams, feather edging in the fiberglass and Targa roof was a challenge. My goal was to make the transition from the fiberglass to the body flow seamlessly into the GTs lines. One added personal touch was to make eight steel caps to seal the cuts made at the door openings. These caps were difficult to make and weld in place without burning holes. All this was done in keeping with the seamless factory appearance goal.

Note: Some may question why I removed the rivets, or used epoxy. Two reasons.

1. Marine epoxy creates an extremely strong bond & isn’t hydroscopic, which means future rust is ruled out.

2. Removing the rivets and sealing the holes removes both the moisture path for rust, and removes the chance for an electrolytic reaction between the rivet and the sheet metal. I once purchased a red 74 Manta in which mois-ture via the rivets had caused paint discoloration.

The above pictures show the fiberglass panels fitted and bonded in place. Looking very closely at the top middle picture you may see the small holes drilled for the rear wing depicted in the lower left picture.

During this time I was working in my friends driveway and progress was slow. For those of you who are currently in this phase of restoration you know exactly how ‘automotive depression’ can creep in. The body is almost done, but is still in primer and looks quite ugly. Herein lies the builders greatest challenge. Having successfully body worked two previous Opels I found that seamlessly melding the complex curves of the GT body with the fiberglass was a huge challenge. Perhaps the problem was that I was working in my friends driveway, or perhaps I was nearing project burn-out. In either case I decided to called upon my friend’s body shop services once again.

I learned that having talented friends in the automotive industry does pay off. Sending my GT off to the body shop to double check my work before paint was the best decision I made to bolster my morale. As previously mentioned I was close to project burn-out just before the ‘paint payoff’. It took 3 long months before the body shop could work my project into their schedule, but seeing my GT after the red paint was applied, made it all worth while.

The GT in primer just

before heading off to the body shop. You

may notice I reopened

the rear windows.

The rear differential received all new bearings and seals. The shocks were replaced with red Konis and OGTS front and rear sway bars. After assembling the suspension it was time to install the engine and transmission. At the time I was laid-off from work and did not have access to a shop lift, so I improvised. I assembled the engine to the transmission, with both cross members, and placed everything on a plywood board. The front of the GT lifted high on my tallest jack stands and the entire assembly was slipped under the belly pan.

While the GT was at the body shop, I set aside garage space at home and began working on the 2.4L and 5 speed. I also took this time to have a number of items chromed, such as the bumpers, door handles, cowl screen wiper arms and motor cover, water and alternator pulleys, along with various other engine components.

On my days off I visited various upholstery shops to pick the interior color. After going through many upholstery sample books I decided on Hampton, ‘Bone’ and purchased 10 yards of material. This may sound like a lot of yardage, but I ended up needing every last inch. Upholstering the Fiero seats used up 3 yards alone! I had the dash recovered, custom door and quarter panels made, along with new visors.

While my GT was being painted I went and ordered all of the rubbers and suspension pieces that I might need. Upon its return the real work began. I rebuilt both the front and rear suspensions with new ball joints, tie rods, and polyurethane bushings. I also installed front and rear lowering springs.

Living in earthquake country, I quickly lowered the front of the GT back down to a safe height and slowly lifted the engine up from the bottom using 2x4 blocks of wood and a floor jack. I accomplished this by adding one block of wood, at a time, under each corner of the cross members until I could bolt them in place. Somehow,... I did this without scratching the paint.

Living in California also means dealing with 100-115 degree summer temperatures. As such, the 2.4L needed more cooling than the stock radiator could provide. I purchased a German autobahn radiator with a pressurize remote located tank. I also purchased a new five blade fan supplemented by a 16 inch thermostatically controlled pusher fan, which handles stop-n-go traffic nicely. Note: On my first long drive I did noticed the need for additional oil cooling when oil temps went over the 250 degree mark in heavy traffic. I subsequently installed a remote oil filter and a thermostatically controlled oil cooler. Fresh air to the cooler is ducted via the passenger side vent in the front air dam. The engine received a 2.0L fuel injection system grafted onto a 2.2L intake manifold and throttle body. The spent exhaust gasses travel down a 2.0 English exhaust manifold and dump into a custom 2 inch exhaust with a Dynaflow muffler and Anza oval exhaust tips. Oil cooler behind air dam duct

Left to Right: Autobahn radiator, remote oil filter and pressurized coolant tank.

Original: 1973 1.9L 4 speed Yellow w/ Black interior * Engine: 2.4L, with 2.2 EFI manifold and 2.0L computer, 2.0L Opel electronic ignition distributor and Opel ignition wire router, K&N air filter, HD radiator with expansion tank, Stacked oil cooler with remote thermostat and remote oil filter. * Exhaust: 2.0L English manifold with 2” exhaust, Dynomax muffler and oval Anza exhaust tips * Transmission: Getrag 5 speed with 9” Opel Clutch * Brakes: Front Big Brakes with Cross Drilled rotors and EBC Kevlar pads, Straus rear disk brakes with proportioning valve, Stainless steel brake hoses * Suspension Front: OGTS Intermediate front spring, Polyurethane bushings, 1 in. sway bar with Koni Red shocks * Suspension Rear: stock rear springs, OGTS 3/4 in. rear sway bar, Koni Red shocks, HD Torque Tube with Manta-B Damper * Wheels: HRE 501 15 x 8 ET12 * Tires: 205-50/15 front & 225-50/15 rear Yokahama AVS * Body: Lenk Targa roof conversion, OGTS RS01/B air dam, LT05 side skirts; LT12 rear skirts and GT04 Winter Tuning rear wing, Englemann sport mirrors * Electrical: 65 Amp Opel internal regulated alternator, 1975 Manta efi fuel pump and Derale 16 in. pusher fan with custom shroud, Bosch Driving Lights * Interior: Fiero seats, custom upholstered dash, door panels, center console and rear deck, 75 Manta 3 point seat belts, White colored gauges with supplemental Oil Temperature & Volt Meter gauge * Stereo: Sony X’plod XR-C7350X head unit, Sony CDX-838 10 disk Changer and Boston Acoustic 6x9s * Miscellaneous: Group 47 Battery, Alpine 8049 alarm with proximity sensor, 1992 Acura Integra dome lamp, Custom oversize spare tire shelf, Isuzu space saver spare tire.

B L I T Z - F A C T S

With the suspension and engine bolted-in, I focused in the exterior, interior and electrical work. I installed Hella H4 head lights and all new lamps and lenses. Installed the freshly chromed bumpers and door handles. Had the dash pad recovered, installed the rebuilt white face gauges and replaced the clock with a volt/oil temperature gauge. Installed new carpet, had the door and quarter upholstered. Upholstered and installed a set of Fiero seats and added a set of Manta seat belts. The newly repaired dash received a Sony head ,a Sony 10 disk CD changer was placed next to the spare tire and Boston Acoustic 6x9s speakers were added to the back deck. Lastly I installed and wired the fuel injection and ignition system, hooked up the new radiator system & fans, installed an Opel Omega 65Amp internally regulated alternator and fired her up!

With the GT up and running, a few small finishing touches were still needed. The upholstery shop needed my GT to make the spare tire flap and kick panels, due to the complexity of the stitch pattern I designed. Luckily the ‘94 OMC Picnic was 3 months away and there was plenty of time, or so I thought. While at the upholsterer’s one of their employees decided to take my GT out for a ‘hot-lap’ and crash it into curb. My body shop was able to fix the body damage in time for the OMC Picnic, however receiving restitution from the upholstery shop was much more difficult. They claimed no knowledge! No responsi-bility! And almost didn’t pay for the damages. One word of advice always have your restored Opel ‘professionally appraised’ and get collector car insurance before driving your bay on the street. This small bit of advice paid off for me in 2000.

Over the years past 14 years I have logged over 11 thousand miles on my GT, taken her to numerous car shows, went on sight seeing drives and loaned her to Opel for three weeks in 2007 for the launch of the New GT. There have been numerous ups and downs (see page 3, ‘Letter from the Historian’) however I still enjoy driving and owning my 1973 Targa GT.

Text & Photos: Dennis G.

As mentioned before Opel ownership, just like ownership of any automobile, has its share of Ups and Downs.

With a regular car the Ups might be: The day you drive it off the showroom floor, or perhaps the day you mailed your last monthly payment? The low points would be equally obvious, such as: The rainy night flat tire, or the transmission went out and you need a towed home.

With our Opels the experiences are similar and yet unique. You may have happy memories from building your Opel or your first drive with your spouse or girl friend on that sunny spring day. Perhaps its going to a car show and seeing old friends? I too share all those same experiences. One of those high points was when my GT was used to carry Mr. Erhard Schell (designer of the original GT) and Mr. Friedhelm Engler (designer current GT and Saturn Sky ) at the launch of the Opel GT in Palm Springs, CA. And of course one of the lowest points was when my GT was rear ended.

The only words of wisdom I have is enjoy and share those good experiences with your family and friends. The low points, well, send me or your fellow Opel owners an email, talk to us, we’ll understand and we’ll do our best to listen and hopefully be able to make things better. And,… “Never give up on Your Dream”!

Palm Springs Feb. 2007 in front of the xxxxx hotel. Two classic and two new GTs.

Worst-Case Scenario

Think it can’t happen to you? Think again. Make sure your Opel is properly insured with these tips.

You really have to feel pity for “the other guy”. He’s the one you always hear about, and bad luck seems to be his constant companion. Maybe his car was stolen, wrecked in a crash, or burnt to a cinder in a fire. It happened to me in 1992 and Friday August 11th. in 2000, the times that I became, ‘The Other Guy’. The first time it was my 72 Kadett the second time it was my 73 GT. In both cases it was an inattentive driver. I was just happy that the guy had insurance, and that I wasn’t taking an ambulance ride. And, if it could happen to me, it could happen to you. In 1992 I had a difficult time with a “no name” insurance which took months to resolve. In the second case it was clear sailing to get my payout. In both cases I was zero percent at fault. The estimates for repair was $1800 the first time and $3000 the second. However with the Kadett the insurance company offered $500 I keep the car and $800 if they kept it. I chuckled. Insurance companies are not used to dealing with classics—they generally deal with wrecked Toyota Camrys. Because of this, their labor rates are based on “production shops” and not shops that repair classic cars. They wanted to pay $48 an hour for repair, but our local shop charges $75 an hour. Again, since I wasn’t at fault, and in good position to negotiate my

for your Opel assume that you will need it. Buy it like you know that an accident will be your fault, and the other motorist is uninsured. Going cheap on auto insurance is bad investment.

‘Stated’ vs. “Agreed” Valve

The most important part of your insurance is whether your car is covered under a ‘stated’ or ‘agreed’ value policy, and it’s critical that you know what your current policy is. Most insured are in a cleverly worded stated-value plan and mistakenly believe they have an agreed-value policy. McKeel Hagerty, CEO Hagerty Insurance says, “Both stated-value and agreed-value policies can cover a collector car for its full value, but because stated-value policies are only required to pay up to that amount at the time of a total loss, there is wiggle room for the insurance company. Only agreed-value policies guaranty that a collector will be fully paid in the event of a loss. This is why we only sell agreed -value policies.” The afore mentioned wiggle room is where you can really get screwed. According to Chuck Wasoski of Grundy Worldwide, “In a stated-value policy, the insurance company will pay the lesser of the stated value, or the actual cash value. With the agreed-value policy, the insurance company would either pay the totals

losses. It took several hours to compile all of my receipts for previous paint work, for restoration parts and my maintenance list. It also required a trip down to the insurance adjuster for an inspection. In the end I was able to prove this was not some neglected Opel Kadett, and received the full settlement amount. I’m glad I kept all my receipts.

Keep all the Receipts!

Don’t be afraid to argue your case with the insurance company. Be firm, be polite and don’t loose your temper, it normally makes the likelihood you getting the settlement you want remote. If you feel you’re in the right, there’s always small claims court as the very last resort.

Whose at Fault?

There are two factors that determine how well things will work out for you after an accident: Fault and Insurance. If the accident is your fault, then the quality of your company comes into play. If it’s the fault of another party, then their insurance matters most. Unfortunately, even if you are at no fault in the accident, you can still get hurt in the pocket if the other person is uninsured or under-insured. In this case, your insurance company can help if you have uninsured motorist coverage. When purchasing insurance

Rear Ended, My 73 GT in 2000 Rear Ended, My 72 Kadett in 1990

Protecting Against Theft

It has been said that the best defense is a strong offense, and this holds true when protecting your automotive investment. Having your daily driver swiped is bad enough. Having your Opel stolen is worse. I will admit, it is rather remote that your Opel would be stolen, however I have spoken with those of you, to whom, this has happened. In most cases, the insurance company will want to wait a certain amount of time (sometimes several months) to see if your car is recovered. On top of that, if you only have documentation like receipts and pictures to argue what your Opel is worth it could still be an uphill battle. Having a current appraisal or an agreed-value policy will really help in this regard, but it is no guaranty. Take the time to make your Opel a less tempting target. While no single thing will make you 100% safe, there are a few tricks that may convince crooks to move on to an easier target.

A beautiful sunny day, winter 2000, driving up the California coast. Little did you know that this was one of the last pictures you would ever take of your Opel before it was stolen.

STOLEN

“When buying insurance for your Opel, assume you’ll use it.”

agreed to amount, or the cost to repair the auto (not exceeding the agreed to amount).” As you can see from the stated -value plan, the insurance company can always exercise the ‘Or’ option, and opt to pay you based on the actual cash value of the car at the time of collision. This obviously isn’t the same as the value you stated - it’s what they think the car is worth. After all, they never agreed with you about the value of your Opel in the first place, they merely wrote you a policy for what you stated it was worth. Get the picture? Many of you do not have either of these policies, and just add their Opel to the policy covering the daily drivers. In this situation, the insurance company is most likely going to pay based on Blue Book value. Good luck convincing them to cover your fresh painted 2.4L GT with that Getrag you installed last summer. To them, it’s just another old-car with little value. So what’s the solution? Go with an agreed-value policy, or roll the dice.

Specialty Insurance

Classic cars are all the rage, and many traditional insurance companies are getting into the collector coverage game. This may not be a bad thing, except that their appraisal and claims departments are usually geared toward normal cars, not one-of-a-kind customs, like that Steinmetz fendered Manta or Targa GT. According to Hagerty, “While several of the general auto insurance companies

now offer agreed-value policies and try to convince collectors that a multiple policy discount is the way to go, they are really not in this business, and their claims handling would prove it. The big companies are great at regular cars, but classic cars need special attention.” At Grundy, Wasoski echoed this idea. “The advantages with a specialty company will basically come down to cost. Collector rates could be as much as 75 percent less than standard car insurance companies. If a claim occurs, a collector car insurance company has more experience with how to handle the claim properly.”

Limits On Use

One way specialty insurance companies can charge you lower rates is by putting rules into place that limit the chances for a claim. Many companies place restrictions on how many miles you can drive your car each year; while other companies like Hagerty and Grundy, don’t have actual mileage limitations , they have limits on use. And both want to know that this isn’t your primary means of transportation, and that it’s mostly used as a hobby vehicle. Both also want your ride stored in an enclosed garage, and neither will cover you at the race track.

Almost all of the specialty insurance companies have some restrictions. In general, we found that as restrictions decrease, costs increase - and quickly. It’s also important to note that racing modifications are a touchy area. Some companies will not insure if you have a roll cage. Some will make you sign a statement that you won’t race the car. Again it’s critical that you ask questions specific to the way you use your Opel.

Only go with companies that have an A or A+ rating.

Hagerty: “We are definitely more cautious about certain types of racing modifications. We have a fairly strict racing restriction in the policy, so we are not too concerned about racing itself when people are open about it, because we simply do not cover any racing losses.”

Grundy allows for liberal pleasure cruising, and will cover your drive to the track - but don’t expect them to cover you in the staging lanes at the drag strip. Grundy did not exclude cars that have nitrous but they don’t like roll bars. Here a signed statement that you will not race the car was mandatory.

Heacock Classic insurance does it a bit different. With this company, you buy your policy based on use.

“Only agreed-value policies guarantee that a collector will be fully paid in the event of a loss.”

McKeel Hagerty, Hagerty Insurance

For example policies where you drive less than 1,000, 3,000 or 5,000 miles per year. According to their underwrit-ing manager, Gary Gandy , “We are less concerned with racing style modifications than we are with the way the car is used. We won’t cover a stripped race car with license plates, be we have no problem with modifying a street car.” Want to take your wife for a spur of the moment cruise up the coast? Not a problem. Just don’t drive it to Home Depot for a load of lumber. Remember, ask plenty of questions when shopping for insurance. For example, find out if your car is covered if parked overnight at a hotel. Also ask if they give discounts for security systems like alarms and GPS tracking devises.

Appraisals

The amount for which you need to insure your Opel for is determined by its value. Many specialty companies don’t require you to get an official appraisal; instead, they rely on what the owner

feels their car is worth. Hagerty; “We work very closely with owners to make sure they feel completely covered before we issue a policy. When someone has no idea what their car is worth, we often suggest a value range. Because classic and custom cars are unique by nature, we sometimes have the owners complete a worksheet to help us understand what the car actually is, and how much went into it. Only on rare occasions do we require an appraisal from a certified appraiser.” Even if an appraisal is not required, having your Opel appraised can serve as proof of its value in case of loss. It’s also a good idea to keep detailed records with pictures and receipts. And make sure you keep that information in a safe place where your wife can’t find it.

The Bottom Line

Do your research. Besides the big companies, there are a few smaller companies providing specialty car insurance.

Dude, Where’s MY Car!

Need to find your car if it becomes stolen? Is your teenager taking your car for a spin, while you’re at work or on vacation? - Remember ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ - or - Is your spouse being unfaithful?

Track your car from the internet at any time. You can program your GPS Snitch to call your cell phone or email you at the first sign of trouble.

One last word of advice from Hagerty; “People often get too fixated on covering the car, and forget to get enough liability and uninsured motorist coverage. This coverage should be as high as your daily driver.” I also suggest you study the benefits each policy offers. For example, Grundy and Hagerty both offer roadside assistance for an extra fee, whereas Heacock Classic includes this at no additional charge. Basically do your homework, a cheaper policy isn’t necessarily a better deal if it offers less protection or fewer benefits.

SOURCES:

GRUNDY WORLDWIDE 800-338-4005 www.grundy.com

Hagerty 800-922-4050 www.hagerty.com

HEACOCK CLASSIC COLLECTOR CAR INSURANCE 800-678-5173 www.heacockclassic.com

“Collector rates could be as much as 75 percent less than standard car insurance companies” - Chuck Wasoski, Grundy Worldwide

THE GPS SNITCH Protecting your Opel can be as expensive as an alarm system, or as low tech as a cleverly hidden kill switch. Sadly, neither will protect you from a professional with a flat bed tow truck, but every little bit helps. Another option is to install a GPS tracking device. A brand new one I like a lot is called the GPS Snitch, sold through MuscleRodz. It can be hidden anywhere, and is program-mable to call your cell phone if your car is tampered with. Once notified, you can go online to see exactly where your car is, and, if necessary, notify the police. - Or take matters into your own hands, if you prefer. -

SOURCES: GPS Snitch 1215 13th Street S.E., #110 Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 3J4 www.gps-snitch.com/

MUSCLERODZ 405-735-8405 www.musclerodz.com

Opel Panel Removal and Replacement

Scared of body work or welding? Time to put on those gloves and welding helmet!

Every car owner, at some point in time, will need to have some type of body work performed. Regardless if you will be doing the work yourself, or have a shop do the work, knowing what’s involved will give you peace of mind.

One of the biggest auto body tasks is the removal and replacement of damaged body panels, straightening of the surrounding body work and welding in a donor panel. Having a good welder, such as a Miller Power Mig 180c, with shielded gas will most definitely be a great plus to the newbie welder. However, all of the panel work shown of the next few pages was done with a no-name brand wire feed welder using 0.35 flux core wire. Not the most high tech welder, however it was effective.

Although I have been welding for more than 10 years now, I am by no means an expert. Much of the original welding, on my Targa, was performed by my father who actually stick-welded all of the frame reinforcements. His skill with that high powered Lincoln arc welder was impressive to watch. Note: The stick-welding method will generally cause more sheet metal burn-through and damage than you can imagine, much less be able repair.

Since then I have taught myself on an inexpensive wire feed welder. Only recently have I begun to use a professional wire feed welder which makes welding thin automotive sheet metal much, much easier. So I say, no more excuses for not learning how to weld. If I was able to learn,... So can you!

The first step in panel replacement is to locate a suitable donor panel, before you remove any body panels from your Opel.

In my case, I was able to locate an original NOS Opel tail lamp panel after 2 years of searching. You can also obtain new fiberglass tail lamp panels, good used donor panels, or in some cases locate a reproduc-tion or original panel.

Note: If the panel is to be reused, a spot weld drill is best used to remove that panel one spot weld at a time. Below is a typical spot weld drill, and is readily available.

The process begins with the removal of all of the lights, trim, bumpers and glass from the surrounding work area. Afterwards a spot weld drill is used to remove the damaged sheet metal one spot weld at a time. Locate the spot welds by finding the tell tale depressions in the sheet metal. Center punch those spot weld depressions and begin to drill, periodically checking your drill depth. Patience will reward you with a cut that is just deep enough to go through just one layer of metal. Once drilled locate and find the spot weld to just right or left of your first drill. Repeat until you have found and drilled every spot weld.

Once all of the spot welds have been drilled out, slightly bend the outer sheet metal lip to remove the tail panel. Once the panel is removed you will often find that stress-bends in the surrounding sheet metal will have relaxed significantly. In my case, the warp in the right rear quarter panel, just below the pop-out window, disappeared requiring no body work. The warp in the upper deck panel, near the filler neck, was reduced by 50%. {See Areas Circled above in yellow.}

With the panel removed, if any of the surrounding sheet metal was bent this is the time to straighten it. The tools of the trade (shown to the right) will help you to perform most basic body repairs.

Note: If you wish to learn more on how-to get the best results using these body tools, there are DVD’s on the subject as well as an excellent book entitled, ‘The Key to Metal Bumping’ available from Eastwood.

You will also want to check the bumper supports for any deformation. Straighten and align these as necessary. Any tears in the sheet metal should also be welded at this time. {My GT had a 1 inch tear in the bend just right of the filler neck.}

At this point your donor panel should be fitted and ready for welding. But before you fire up the welder I suggest you step back about 20 to 30 feet and verify, with your eye, that every thing is aligned perfectly... just to be 100% sure.

Trust your eyes. Your eye will notice any misalignment, and if you can see a prob-lem rest assured so will everyone else.

You will also want to protect and cover all surrounding body work with either welding blankets or other suitable non-flammable material. Also protect the surrounding glass from any sparks. In my case I cover the entire car. I also recommend having a source

Left: Once you have repaired any warps, bends or tears in the surrounding sheet metal your work should look much like this.

Note: Any exposed metal should be primed. Any metal that will be spot welded should receive a coating of weld-able primer, such as; Eastwood’s Bloxide or Copperweld weld thru primer. These products are designed to eliminate the corrosion that usually forms between two pieces of metal.

Next install and align the donor panel into place using a multitude of fasteners. I used a combination of clamps and rivets. You may also use ‘blind rivets’ or even screws. The main point is to make sure the panels do not move or warp during the welding process.

Above: Blind rivets also known as ‘Clecos’ and ‘Side Clecos’. Commonly seen at higher end fabrication shops as well as in Nascar. They are readily available though through Eastwood.

When you have finish welding your tail lamp panel in place, your weld should be nice and clean requiring minimal clean up with a hand held grinder.

Left: Note randomness of the plug welds in the tail lamp panel. This randomness is due to the fact that the factory spot welds were done by hand verses machine. The factory welds will dictated where you needed to weld.

Editor’s Note: The Opel GT body was actually hand built by the coach builder Chausson in Genevilliers, France. In the photo below you can actually see three workers hand lifting the front and rear skins onto the body, prior to welding.

Proceeding Page: Easily noticeable are the clamps and the bolts through the bumper mounting holes. What is not easily seen are the rivets on the perimeter of the tail lamp panel.

of water and a fire extinguisher near by. Always better to be safe than sorry.

The factory used spot welds to fuse the panels together, however most do-it-yourselfers as well as many body shops do not have a spot welder. The next best method to use is called ‘plug-welding’.

In this type of welding the outer layer of sheet metal is drilled with a 5/16 inch size hole and the weld is started on the inner panel and is fused to the outer panel. This not only creates an extremely strong bond (actually stronger than spot welding) but it also closely duplicates the appearance of an actual spot weld.

Tech: Take your time to weld slowly. Do not spend too much time in any one area. Vary your spot welds from one area to another, keeping heat build up to a minimum. The extra time spent here will not only reward you with a warp free panel, but will also minimize heat damage to the surrounding paint.

If your GT has no fiberglass ground effects then after a little bit of sanding and coat of primer your GT will be ready to send to paint.

If however your GT has any fiberglass that was damaged in the accident it will need to be addressed. If the fiberglass is severely damaged a new piece will need to be ordered. If the damaged was minor such as some separation or cracking then this is easily repaired. Fortunately my GTs fiberglass was only damaged during the panel removal process and required a minor amount of fiberglass epoxy to repair the damage.

Tech: I recommend a product called Marine Tex to handle any epoxy work. For regular cracks I recommend standard fiberglass cloth and a good quality resin from a reputable manufacture such as Evercoat.

You may also have received some damage to the trim strip on the back panel. When I originally built my GT this piece was already missing and I had the fastener holes filled. During my long search for the tail panel I was able to locate a trim strip that was been broken in half. Unfortunately, I was able to welded this delicate piece back together. (sorry no pictures .)

The donor trim strip had two problems: 1. rust pitting at the tips & 2. the two broken halves had been brazed together.

To weld this very thin piece of trim back together you will need to cut a thin strip of sheet metal. This piece will be trimmed to fit snuggly inside of the fastener channel on the trim strip. This piece will be used to securely hold both halves of the trim strip together. It will also serve as a backer material during welding. Tack weld the two halves together and allow them to cool. Check you alignment and if good add some more weld to your work. Due to the extremely small tacks I had to make I found it necessary to wire brush my weld between each tack. After about 2 hours of delicate work (and filing down the welds periodically) I was able to completely weld up the damage effectively salvaging a rare piece of Opel trim.

Over the years I have been asked repeatedly, “So,… how hard was it to install your Targa kit?” My rather lengthy and detailed answer often causes their eyes to glaze over with that deer-in-the-headlights look and either shake their head or tell me that that’s way more work than they want to get into. I myself have gone back and forth over the years about the merits of a Targa roof on a poor weather day or on an overnight trip. -Do I take the roof with me or do I leave it at home?- However, every time I take a drive on a picturesque day or on a sightseeing road trip through Yosemite, all that questioning of my sanity quickly disappears and would do it all over again.

Over the next few pages I will expose the work involved to transform your GT into a Targa. The kit, as of this writing, is still available from Lenk Tuning in Germany if you decide to tackle this conversion. You will want to start with a rock solid Opel GT chassis. Your GT should have minimal rust, a straight frame and have never have been involved in a severe accident. You basically want a body that has a solid platform to build upon.

Although my GT had been in some minor fender benders, the chassis exhibited no body flex at the doors when lifted I lifted it up on a shop lift and was still able to open and close the doors easily. If your GT does not pass this test and you can not open the doors most likely you have significant body flex. I would then recommend that you take your GT to a qualified body shop and have them inspect for frame damage, hidden rust inside the unibody or the tell tale signs of a severe accident.

Note: It was a common practice, back in the 70’s, to take a car that was badly rear ended, cut the entire back of the car off at the rear of the door opening, and weld on an entire rear clip from a donor car. I have seen this procedure performed on more than one car and a few GTs in my day.

A.

B.

C.

How to Build a Targa Choosing Your Chassis & Under-Chassis Frame Reinforcements

Under Body, Rear: 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch rectangular tubing grafted in the transmission tunnel frame rail (A.) back to the trailing arm mounts (B.) and is further welded to the floor pan at each floor reinforcement ridge (C.).

Once your GT passes inspection it is time to order your kit from Germany and strip the flammable items from the interior. If you are doing a full restoration, may I also suggest that you remove the engine and transmission at this time as well. Once your kit arrives from Germany you will be ready to begin.

The first step will be to install the under car frame pieces. As seen in the picture to the left, notch the transmission tunnel rails to accept the rectangular tubing. Next trim the rear of the tubing to fit snuggly against the trailing arm floor mounting brackets. You basically want a nice tight fit so that the rectangular tubing fits flush and tightly to the floor pan. This will allow you to weld the tubing onto the floor pan ribs increasing rigidity.

The better your work, the stronger your welds will be and stiffer your chassis.

This step effectively ties the front frame to the rear frame. Your next step is to tie the inner and outer frames together. This is accomplished by welding a piece of 1 x 1 inch square tube between the transmission tunnel and the jack point. The tubing should also fit flush against the floor pan.

Once all welding work is completed both the tubing and the welds need to be protected with an etching primer and painted with an epoxy paint that is resistant to stone chips and inhibit rust formation.

Tech: For a good quality epoxy primer & chassis paint I recommend Eastwood product paints. http://www.eastwood.com/

Shop Safety: You will be grinding and welding overhead. You must wear eye or face protection. I also recommend

ear protection.

Drivers Side Passenger Side

Moving on to the interior we are going to add seven more frame reinforcements. By far the easiest to install are the inner rockers. These panels are about 48 inches long and but against the rear floor step. The addition of these two pieces will beef up the perimeter frame at the door opening. The rockers can either be stitch welded or plug welded into place.

Continuing on to the rear of the GT we will be welding in three pieces of 1 x 1” steel tubing. The longest piece measuring 42 inches long is tucked into the existing rear shelf steel support, with the remaining two 7 inch long pieces mounted diagonal underneath the long piece for additional support.

A series of 1/2” diameter holes will be drilling into the top and front of the shelf support. Slip the long tubing into the shelf support and check the fit. Trim down the length as needed. Reinsert the tubing and clamp tightly to draw the tubing towards the previously holes drilled. Once the tubing is flush, plug weld each hole (C.).

Rocker Panel & Rear Interior Reinforcements

A.

A.

B.

B.

A.

B.

C.

Tech Hint: “Plug Welding” will be the best method to weld the square tubing to the inside of the upper shelf support rail.

Under Body, Front : Weld the 1 x 1 inch square tubing to the front transmission tunnel frame (A.) to the perimeter frame at the jacking pads (B.). This effectively connects both inner and outer frame members together. The square tubing must fit tightly between a. & b. as well as flush to the floor pan.

Two areas to be mindful of are: The seat belt mounting hole (A.) and the notch for the seat support frame (B.). At the seat belt mounting hole a 1 inch diameter hole should be drilled prior to stitch welding the opening to the frame. At location (B.) the notch in the rocker may need to be trimmed and fitted prior to welding.

During WWII women welders kept our Military

on the move.

C.

The last step is the connect the horseshoe to the perimeter frame at the inner quarter panel. The illustration below should help to clarify the placement. Once fitted, these two small plates effectively tie the perimeter frame to wheel house and horseshoe frames.

Horse

Next trim the two 7 inch long 1 x 1 inch square tubes to fit between the upper tubing you just welded in and the top of the wheel hump on both the drivers and passenger sides.

Once you have achieved a nice tight fit seam weld both the top and bottom of both diagonal support members (D.).

The final chassis reinforcement is the most challenging and also the most critical piece to install correctly. So, no short cuts please! Under the wooden rear shelf two “U” channels will be trimmed to extend the transmission tunnel and fit between the frame ‘horseshoe’. The final step will be to tie the horseshoe to the inner rear rocker panel. Once this step is completed all

A.

B.

Horse Shoe

A.

Shoe

D.

Transmission Tunnel Reinforcements

Begin by fitting the 42 inch long, 4 inch tall “U” channel (A.) to fit between the horseshoe. Next notch the “U” channel to snuggly rest against the floor pan contours and ribbing. Do not yet weld in place. Next trim the 5 1/2 inch long, 4 inch tall “U” channel (B.) to fit tightly between (C.) & (D.). Once fitted tack weld into place followed by full seam welding.

of the structural frame members of the GT both inside and out will be tied together. This will ensure that you will have a strong chassis that exhibits minimal flex.

I can attest that after 17 years of driving my GT still exhibits minimal cowl shake over train tracks or rough pavement, and that the chassis did not crumple after being involved in a rear end collision. I can still jump up and down inside the car and have the door gap flex by less than 1/16th. of an inch.

Tech Hint: Take your time to carefully trim both “U” channels to tightly fit the floor pan contours and floor ribbing.

Extra time spent here will greatly reduce the time spent welding and will ensure that the backbone of the GT (the transmission tunnel) is fully reinforced.

D.

C.

These two oddly shaped pieces, with a ninety degree bend each, (A .) are fitted between the horseshoe and inner quarter panel. Both plates measure 2 1/4 inches tall and 7 inches long, with the long part starting at around 4 inches wide and follow the contour of the horseshoe down to where the piece is only about 1 3/4 inches wide.

As before trim these two pieces as necessary to ensure a nice tight fit. Once fitted seam weld them in place.

STOP! HALT! LE BOUCHON! FERMATA! EINDE!

With all of the frame reinforcements finally welded in place you might think its time to cut the roof open. Not yet,… but we are very, very close. Follow along as we prepare the doors for modification.

Door “A” & “B” Pillar Detail:

Once you have aligned the doors tack weld the “A” Pillar of the door to the “A” Pillar of the Windshield. Then tack weld the “B” Pillar of the door to the cars “B” Pillar.

Hint: You will also want to do some tack welding to the interior side of both the A & B pillars.

Once you have tack welded everything go back and slowly seam weld the exterior side of both pillars. Grind the finished welds smooth.

Note: In the pictures above, the weather strip edge is rolled over, allowing the door to be opened and closed with the door glass rolled up.

A.

A.

Spot Welds

After the door are welded shut you will need to cut the doors back open at (A.) indicated in the pictures to the left. Make the cuts just above the window sill, giving your self about a 1/8 to 3/16 inch gap.

Next carefully roll over the outer edge of the door window channel 90 degrees. This will allow you to open and close the door with the glass rolled up and give you new weather-stripping edge.

Optional: For that finishing touch, you may make and weld in small sheet metal plates to cover the cuts made to both the door tops and to the roof pillar bottoms.

At long last, we are finally ready to begin cutting the targa roof opening.

Set the targa roof cutting template on the roof and center it to the door window openings. Once you have double and triple checked the placement take a few steps back and verify your positioning with your eye. Look it over from a number of angles and if anything seems wrong adjust the template until you are 100% satisfied. Tape down the template and trace the perimeter with a black felt marker. Remove the template and begin your cuts. Remove the section you cut and set aside.

Next grab the front and rear targa roof plugs and slip then into your roof. Clamp the inserts if necessary and install the targa roof. Adjust and center all three pieces, allow yourself a 3/16 of an inch gap both front and rear, and felt mark the front and rear plugs respectively. Doing so will allow you to quickly reset the plugs in place in the next step.

Remove the targa roof. Remove the front plug. Sand the fiberglass plug and the rough up the sheet metal where the plug fits. Mix up the fiberglass epoxy, per instructions, apply the epoxy to both the plug and the roof, insert the plug, align with your marks and clamp in place. Repeat this same procedure for the rear plug. Allow the epoxy to cure per manufactures instructions.

Once the epoxy has cured you may body work the targa roof, door pillars and doors to your skill level. If body work is not your forte, you may opt to seal your work with primer and go to your favorite body shop to complete the final body work stages.

Rear Fiberglass Plug Installed

As the Policeman on the proceeding bottom left states his words of caution from English to Dutch, we have a few more steps before you take that plasma cutter or saber saw to your roof.

Since you will be welding the tops of both doors to the roof this next step is critical. First you must perfectly aligned both doors to the door frame opening. Any door misalignments will be unalterable after the door frames (in the next step) are welded into the roof.

Targa Door Frames & Roof Inserts

Windshield & Door “A” Pillar Windshield & Door “B” Pillar

Depending on the manufacture of your targa kit the latching mechanism and the weather strip seals will be different. Mine originally came with a simple stud and nut latching system. Simple and strong but not convenient. A few years later I modified the roof to accept a modified BMW 325i convertible latch. This modification required both a repaint of the roof as well as a weather strip seal change.

I have also taken note of the various weather strip seals used by fellow targa owners in Europe. Some have adopted the use of simple aftermarket seals as I have, but the best I have ever seen is on a Dutch Opel GT owner. This Dutch owner’s GT uses an adapted Peugeot weather strip seal that also has a chrome strip built in.

Note: As of this writing I am still researching what model Peugeot used this seal.

From a brief conversation with this Dutch owner I did learn that this weather strip seals comes with one major drawback. It requires that you install a modern power windows which uses a window controller system.

This power window control system I refer to was once only found on high end convertibles, however is now used on many cars such as the new Mustang. In the future I do believe that I would like to try my hand at just such an installation.

Tech: Modern Power Windows

In days gone by, if you had a convertible you were expected to accept an automobile that both leaked in the rain and was rather noisy. Today’s automotive buyer however will not tolerate such a shortcoming.

Enter the modern door weather strip that has a hard outer edge with a soft skin foamed center. This type of rubber works exceptionally well on cars with a full window frame, but could not be used on a standard frameless window or a convertible. Problem!

As I stated earlier modern car owners will no longer accept noisy convertibles, much less one that leaks! This led to the manufactures to develop a smart power window.

Modern power windows have a control system that actuates the power window motor to slightly lower the door glass as soon as you operate the interior or exterior door handle. The same happens when you close the door. The system slightly lifts the door glass pressing the door glass tightly into the weather stripping.

The Verdict: Would I do it again?,… Maybe.

Back in 1990 I was 23 years old, had already restored a number of Opels, but was naïve in regards to the work involved and skills needed to build a targa GT. I learn quickly and was not afraid to ask for help. The build exposed me to my limits and challenged me increase my skills. All in all the experience, of the build, was well worth the effort.

However, the best part about owning a targa comes with the driving experience. On a recent cool fall afternoon with the windows up, and the top off, I was able to enjoy a simple drive to the gas station. But the true experience is a drive on a scenic by-way with a friend to enjoy… -The Ride-.

Plug Welds Explained

A plug weld is a type of weld that is made by joining one metal part with a circular hole to another metal part positioned directly beneath it.

Plug welding is an alternative to spot welding and is used by vehicle manufacturers where there is insufficient access for a spot welder. For DIY car restorers it is generally used instead of spot welding on panels and flanges that would have originally been spot welded.

Plug welding Start off by drilling 5/16 inch holes in the front sheet of metal with a spacing of between 1 to 1 1/2 inches (or whatever the original spot weld spacing was). Then clamp this sheet onto the back sheet.

Tech: Set your welder to the recommended settings and welding a test piece of scrap before welding a whole onto your Opel and check the weld for full penetrated through both sheets of metal.

Welding through the Hole Position the welding tip with the electrode in the center of the hole contacting the back sheet of metal. It is important to arc against this back sheet rather than on the edge of the hole, otherwise the weld might not penetrate into the back sheet. The torch should ideally be pointing directly into the hole rather than at the angle in the photograph.

Start welding in this position and do not move the welder until the hole is almost full of weld. Then move the welder outwards in ever increasing circles until the weld is completed. If you chose the settings carefully you should not burn through. (A.)

The Completed Welds If the sheets are of the same thickness then the power setting used for plug welding would be the same as you would use for 1.5 times the thickness of one of the sheets.

Weld Penetration This is the sort of penetration you would expect from a plug weld. The molten pool is just breaking out of the reverse of the back sheet. (B.) The heat marks indicate the weld has arced against the back sheet rather than at the side of the hole. If you do not get these marks consider a little seam welding just to be sure.

Electrode: A device that conducts electricity. In welding, the electrode also can act as the filler metal.

ARC Welding: A fusion welding process that uses electricity to generate the heat needed to melt the base metals.

Front View Rear View

A . B.

Plug Welding Clamp There is a special clamp designed for plug welding that makes life easy. The clamp holds together the edges of the sheet metal with a space in the middle for the MIG to weld the plug weld. The rear face of the clamp is offset so it can fit over flanges.

Marine Tex

Back in 1990, after I purchased the first fiberglass ground effects pieces for my GT, I asked what the best product was to permanently attach the fiberglass body panels to steel. The solution came from my local Boat and Marine repair store. They suggested I use an epoxy. They claimed that he they had used marine epoxy to repair the bro-ken mounting flange for an out board motor. I was impressed, but skeptical. I mean, how strong could this two part paste really be, to hold withstand the force of a hundred+ horse power marine engine pushing on the hull of a boat? Well, it’s now 2008 and I can attest that the epoxy I applied 17 years ago is still up to the task.

Marine-Tex, has become a legendary high-strength repair compound designed for filling, bonding and rebuilding fiberglass and is designed to withstand the harsh demands of marine environments. Amazingly it handles just like putty, but hardens like steel and sands like body filler. Not only that, but this marine grade epoxy is waterproof so that moisture can not get between the fiberglass and steel body of the Opel and start rusting.

Testimonial: I used it,… and I’m still sold.

Back when I first built my GT the upholstery shop guy working on my car decide one day that it would be fun to take my GT for a quick ‘Hot-Lap’. Unfortunately he ended up wrecking the front end of my Opel GT. The air dam was a mess,… but the epoxy held and did not crack. Nine years later my GT was rear ended and the epoxy holding the rear side skirts on did not crack. More amazingly, after nine years on the road, there was no rust at or under the bonding site.

Technical Info

Colors: White and Gray. White is best used on fiberglass and can be tinted with Evercoat fiberglass coloring agents. Gray is only recommended for machinery repairs.

Marine Epoxy: Is available in sizes from 2 ounces up to 1 gallon. Note: 1 quart kit will cover about 283.4 square inches or almost 2 square feet. - 2 quarts was enough to install my ground effects and my targa roof. -

Mixing Ratio: 5 parts epoxy resin to 1 part hardener.

Working Time: At 72F you have about 30 minutes, however if the material is thicker or left in a lump it will cure in as little as 15 to 20 minutes. Cooler temperatures will decrease the cure rate, and hotter temperature will obviously increase the cure rate. I recommend working on a cool day. Have the car prepped and have fiberglass panels pre-aligned before you begin mixing the epoxy. Mix only enough material to install one panel at a time. Remember, surface prep is key to any body work. Remove any rust, dirt, grease and paint from all surfaces and degrease with acetone or lacquer thinner. I also recommended you rough the surfaces with sand paper.

Cure Time: 24 hours at a constant 72F. The minimum working temperature is 55°F and this temperature must be maintained for a minimum of 24 hours while the epoxy cures.

Adhesion / Shear Strength: White - 2,300 PSI Tensile Strength: White - 4,000 PSI

Where to Purchase: Marine epoxy is available at most marine supply dealers, boatyards, at marine retailers and occasionally at your local Ace Hardware.

General Warnings: As with any chemical, always work in a well-ventilated area. Avoid contact with skin and eyes and always wear rubber gloves and eye protection.

For more information, go to: http://www.marinetex.com/

Epoxy & Fiberglass Body Kits

Now That I Have My Body Kit,… What Should I Use For a Bonding Material?

As our patriotic friend states,

‘OMC Needs You’. This year we’ve had some great officers, and two dedicated volunteers who stepped forward to create a few Blitz issues. I also want to take the time and thank those of you who have submitted Blitz articles in 2008.

These include members and non-members alike:

Dennis Gardiner, ‘Dude’, Art Bryant, John Boesfplug, George Rust, Stuart Parker, Roger Wilson, Ray Morley, Paul Heebink and John Dickerson.

If I missed anyone, I do apologize.

Now, at the close of 2008 we are looking for new members to step forward, become officers and take the club in a new direction, especially in the office of the Editor.

This year we had large number of submissions, however they we created mainly by two people who are truly the unsung Hero’s of OMC.

Unfortunately, we can’t continually rely on their generous submissions only. To truly have a vibrant and active club we need submissions from you.

Your submission can be as simple as a photograph (or more) of your Opel project car. What you have done, and what your plans and dreams are for the future. You can submit story of your last weekend outing with your wife or girl friend. What you or your buddies did at the races, or solutions you can up with to solve a problem. etc.

Be creative, and send in what you have. It does not need to be perfect,… our crack staff can handle anything.

I guarantee you that submitting an article for publication will energize you in ways you had never thought were possible, and your submission will undoubtedly energize your fellow club members with new ideas. So time to get off of the couch, get back into the garage and write that article. You’ll be glad you did it!

OMC Needs You!

Roll up your sleeves and Join OMC’s Officer ranks today

We need New Officers for All positions! If you have wanted be an OMC Officer ‘09 is the year!

Basically, if the OMC Membership can not or will not step forward, 2009 may be the last year of the OMC Blitz. It’s still the membership’s decision.

As such I ask for volunteers to step forward and contact Paul Heebink regarding the officers positions.

(928) 246-6801 We need you, to make 2009 the best member supported newsletter that we can.

Dennis G., OMC Secretary/Historian

Letter From The OMC

OMC Needs New Officers

Working on your Opel? Snap a picture or two and show us what you’ve got!

OPEL GT SOURCE Open Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm Pacific 9am - 6pm Mountain 10am - 7pm Central 11am - 8pm Eastern

Catalog: $4.00

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 4004, Sonora, CA 95370 USA UPS Shipping Address: 18211 Zeni Lane, Tuolumne, CA 95379 USA

New, Reproduction, Used & High Performance parts for: Opel GT, Manta A, 1900 Sedan, Wagon & Kadett B

Direct Importer. Same Day Shipping policy. We accept Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover. Serving the Opel Community Since 1987

Orders: 1-800-673-5487 Info: 1-209-928-1110 Fax: 1-209-928-3298 Web: www.opelgtsource.com Email: OpelGTS@OpelGTSource.com

Sales Brochures OPEL ORIGINAL sales brochures showing all Opel models, interiors, features for the year. Great for Restorations or Gifts! ALL PRICES PER YEAR: 1947-49, $40; 1950-54, $35; 1955-64, $25; 1965-69, $18; 1970-present, $15. Add $3.85 shipping. Specify year & model. VlSA/MC. Also have literature, manuals, all cars, trucks, motorcycles, world-wide. Visit our website: http://www.autolit.com Walter Miller, 6710 Brooklawn, Syracuse NY 13211. 315-432-8282. Fx 315-432-8256 or E-mail: info@autolit.com

Opel Wanted

I’m looking to buy my first Opel. Does anyone have one for sale in Alabama? Willing to travel. Carrie Cooper fancycarrie@yahoo.com

Opels For Sale, by Private Parties

1970 GT 1.9L 4 speed, original owner, 95% original, have orig. paper work & books $3,600 CA car 909-389-7810 ask for Sherli

1970 Opel GT White/Black. Motor runs, needs restoration. Good project. $1000. OBO. NV 775-577-4647

1970 Opel GT Ran about 5 years ago. $650. CA 714-315-9871

1970 Opel GT Red/Red. Runs, needs motor gaskets. Straight body, interior needs work. $2500. NV 775-746-1866

1971 Opel GT Silver, 4spd. Stockton, CA, contact TJ at tjowenstj@gmail.com

1971 Opel GT Red/black. $3,500. OBO NV 702-202-0785

1971 GT Red, A/T, left door hit. $900. AZ 480-981-9875

1971 Opel GT Red, 2nd owner, runs & looks great. $4500. CO 720-229-6993

1971 GT, British Columbia, Canada Comes w/ extra 4 spd. & parts $3000. Felix (250) 294-4051 fsrowell@shaw.ca

1972 Opel GT Needs work NYC car. $5500. ask for Dr. Charley Ferrer 718-916-4124

1972 Opel GT New Weber carb and other parts, needs brake and interior work. Straight body. $1600. CO 303-525-2820

1972 Opel GT Orange/black. 4spd. Registered, owner since 1974. $4500. OBO. Sonora, CA Emily at 209-533-1471

1972 Opel GT Yellow/White. 4spd. Needs work. $2500. TX 281-850-0299

1972 Opel GT Parked after brother died, currently not running. Has been Garaged for 9 years. PA 610-469-9047

1969 & 73 Opel GT 73 southern car not running has 5 spd. EFI clean dash. Comes with 69 1.1L GT & 69 GT 1.9L rough body. Extras. Lost interest. $3500. TIM millutensilusa@yahoo.com

1973 Opel GT Red, A/T, garaged since 1991 $5,000. OBO Oregon 541-488-1432

1973 Opel GT Blue, 4spd. $4,000. WA 253-279-4661

1973 Opel Manta Luxus Runs, needs lots of work, automatic, CA $400 owner is Zak zcmacphearson@gmail.com 530-333-0896 leave message

1974 Opel Manta Runs, needs work, no rust, CA $1000 wearedrivens@yahoo.com

1975 Opel Manta 3500 miles, All original, Not running. Improperly stored for 10 years, but still in good condition. Contact Jim leiststar@astound.net

1975 Opel Manta Gray, Complete but poor condition. FI, 4spd. $450. San Luis Obispo, CA 805-674-794

1975 Opel Manta Orange, 4 spd. EFI. Runs and Drives, Registered, straight body, needs TLC. I need the space must sell $2500. Seat-tle WA Paul 206-523-5306 paulperkins8@hotmail.com

Classified Ads

The Opel Motorsport Club offers Advertising as a service to its members and does not endorse or bear responsibility for any claims made by advertisers. OMC strongly suggests exercising caution in any transactions for items, including: Checking out Vendor reputa-tion on Internet discussion boards such as at: www.opelgt.com

YOUR ONE STOP OPEL SHOP

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.OPELSUNL.COM

COMPLETE PARTS & SERVICES

FOR ALL OPELS FROM

1960 TO 1980 “If You Bought It Somewhere Else,

You Paid Too Much”

1310 N. TAMARIND AVE. RIALTO, CA 92376 PHONE: 909-355-OPEL FAX: 909-355-6557