1970 Opel GT

This 1970 Opel GT has had a long and interesting history.   I got it from an Opel nut in Poughkeepsie New York who had given up on it.   He got it as a non running car in Rochester New York and managed to get the engine running.   As near as my research shows it was last inspected and on the road in Rochester in 1993.   Before that it appears to have been in Michigan where the engine swap occurred I believe.   Checking the internet you can see the car go thru various sales but always as a v8.   In Michigan in the 1980's it was in primer.   When I got it. it had been painted blue by someone with a lot of ambition but very little to no talent.   The body work was terrible and the paint was worse.   They had cut out the original headlights and replaced with a set of pop ups that didn't pop up and looked like 10 lbs of body filler had been applied with a dull butter knife.    The rest of the car had similar bodywork including a hole cut in the hood to fit the V8.    But the car is solid with very little rust underneath.   I pop riveted a fiberglass mopar scoop to cover the hole in the hood.  I replaced the front rotors and calipers with new parts from Opel GT source and bled the system it now stops whereas before it was locked up (old calipers go with it if you want they are expensive parts maybe someone can rebuild them).   I put on an old 2100 carb I had and low and behold it starts and runs.   It needs a carb rebuild for sure but the engine feels strong.   I had to fab up a throttle linkage using Home Depot pulleys and cable but it works well.   I have a throttle cable from an old Mitsubishi that I was going to use after I either rebuilt the carb or put on a new intake and 4 bbl.   The headers leak and you will be taking your life in your hands if you drive it with the windows closed.   All the lights work (I purchased old GT headlight buckets and bulbs and mounted them fixed where the pop ups had been) and signals as well.   It has 4 brand new 13 inch tires.   I couldn't justify fixing the body work and giving it a good paint job (it is a rat rod after all) but I did spray it with 6 coats of gold plastidip and put on a bunch of race decals.   If you don't like they all peel off and then good luck with the paint.   The interior is very nice with one rip in the passenger seat. new carpets and a new battery and my winter project was complete (for me at least).   All in all a cool rat rod Opel Gt V8 swap.    I like to leave them better than I find them.  

Also published at eBay.com

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