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TheThe OfficialOfficial NewsletterNewsletter ofof thethe OANAOANA VolumeVolume 66 No.No. 22 -- Mar/AprMar/Apr 19981998

(Good bye to an old friend)

(Welcoming a new one) Resurrection of an GT ( A story of loss and renewal ) OANA CLUB INFORMATION

The Opel Association of North America has been in existence as a local club since 1985. From 1994-1996 the club saw many transformations and in 1996 the O.A.N.A. was formed in its current form for the purpose of providing a source for locating parts, service, tech-help and a forum to exchange information with other owners of all Opel models from the 1957 Olympia to any gray market imports that are in North America; with a special emphasis on the Opel GT, Manta and Kadett models. Our ultimate goal being to keep the Opel marque a presence in North America, improving the collectiblity of all in North America and most of all have fun doing it.

The North American Registry was formed for the same reasons as The Opel Association, but with the small number of Bitter SC coupes imported into the U.S. and the non-existence of any club to help the owners of these rare and exotic , it was determined that our club would be the right place to give assistance to our sister make and help their owners have a place to become interconnected. · Club membership dues:

Regular Newsletter membership for U.S. and Canadian members are $30 for a 1 yr ($60 for 3 yrs) Net Only Membership (Members do not get a mailed newsletter, but download it from the net) is $20 for 2 years. · Mail all membership dues and advertising to:

The Opel Association of North America - c/o Membership 394 Mystic Ln. Wirtz, VA 24184

Our Email address is : [email protected] Our web site and links to our chapters web sites: http://www.opel-na.com/ Site Login: oana PW: 55gt Join the Opel mailing list : Send email to [email protected] and request to be subscribed.

OANA CHAPTER INFORMATION

Mid-Atlantic Opel Association New England Opel Club Northeast (DC, DE, MD, NC, VA, WV) (CT, MA, NH, RI, VT, ME) (PA, NJ, NY) President - Charles Goin President - Gary Farias President - Kevin Podzebka Address: Address: Address: 630 Watch Hill Rd. 24 Columbia Rd. 6852 Fremont Rd. Midlothian, VA 23113 Swansea, MA 02777 Syracuse, NY 13057 Phone - 1-(804)-379-9737 Phone - 1-(508)-679-2740 Phone - 1-(315)-656-8238 Email - [email protected] Email - [email protected] Email - [email protected]

Southern Great Lakes Lone Star (AL, FL, GA, MS, SC, TN) (IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, WS) (AK, LA, OK and TX) President - Mark Elias President - Stuart Brewer President - Martin Reimer Address: Address: Address: 6462 Paula Ct. 3007 Evanna Ct. 5910 Hidden Mist Rex, GA 30273 Floyds Knobs, IN 47119-9620 San Antonio, TX 78250 Phone - 1-(770)-968-7895 Phone - (812)-923-3669 Phone - 1-(210)-520-6213 Vice President - Ken Litke Email - [email protected] Phone - 1-803-279-5796 Email - [email protected]

Mid-West Rocky Mountain Pacific Northwest (IA, KA, MN, MO, NB, ND, SD) (AZ, CO, MT, NM, UT, WY) (ID, OR, WA and AK) President - Chad Fellmer President - Branston DiBrell President - Ed Thomas Address: Address: Address: 4915 S.Main St. 5245 Wainwright Dr. 1233 Firpack Dr. SE Cedar Falls, Ia 50613 Security, CO 80911 Lacey, WA 98503 Phone - 1-(319)-266-0940 Phone - 1-(719)-391-9421 Phone - 1-(360)-491-0865 Email - [email protected] Email - [email protected] Email - [email protected]

California Canadian Opel Club The Bitter SC Registry (CA, NV and HI) President - Marisa Giancarla President - Senen Racki President - Richard J. Anderson Address: Address: Address: 104 Esplanade Ave. #134 45 Memorial Ave. 26 Brandywine Pacifica, CA 94044 Stoney Creek, ON South Barrington, IL 60010 Phone - L8G 4C5 Phone - 1-(847)-836-5006 (415) 359-0385 (home) Email - [email protected] (415) 278-0727 (work) Email - [email protected] OANA TREASURER’S REPORT ( 1 FEB 98 - 15 MARCH 98 )

On 1 February 98 I set up an OANA banking account with the First Virginia Bank I then proceeded to mail individual letters to 77 members who were in arrears on their dues - many of them by several months or more. Some had moved and, according to the Post Office, left no forwarding address. So far, although the response has been far from overwhelming, I have received slightly over 10 percent renewals. On 1 March 98 I sent reminder postcards to all members whose membership expired during the month. I plan to continue this procedure in order to remind our members to pay their dues. Our club needs, among other things, our financial support if we are to succeed. Although I started with a zero balance, we had no outstanding bills facing us (except the past generous support provided by Charles). Specifically, we stand as follows:

Receipts Expenses

Contributions received: $ 100 Paid: Advanced Web Creations $ 74.55 Dues received (renewals): $ 255 (Quarterly Web Site Fee) Dues received (new members): $ 45

Total receipts: $ 400 Total Expenses: $ 74.55

Balance: $ 325.45

Membership renewals New Membership Contributions

Fox, Donald C. Mahoney, Dennis Foltz, Chris Miller, John E Przybylski, Edward Jr. Larsen, Erik Nordin, Carl Perry, C.Mark Zimmerman, G. (Net-only) Desroches, Thomas Contributions from 1/98 Thomas, Ed Conklin, Chester Rodney A. Misch Branston DiBrell

Sincerely, Erik Larsen – OANA Treasurer

LETTER FROM THE PREZ

Well, since last time we spoke I have gotten a lot of surveys back, had a pow-wow with a good bit of our chapter presidents and club supporters. In that time a lot of decisions have been made. So let us start with the good news. Good news is that it looks as if the treasury is on the mend. Most of this is thanks to our new treasurer, Erik Larsen. Erik should be thanked a million times over for doing this for us. He has not only been great in making sure all that goes into running the financial side of the club is done, he has even gotten us a checking account and our full blown non-profit status. Two things I have been needing to do, but have put off for years. With someone else now controlling the membership list, I won’t be able to let members that have paid their dues support members that haven’t. I had a bad habit of letting unpaid members, especially ones I knew personally, ride for a while until they got around to paying their dues. This was not only wrong but also cost the club money. Also he wont let me make the mistake of thinking the treasury is fat so I can go blow money on such frivolous things as T-shirts, etc. A good number of survey responses mentioned making club merchandise as a cash raising sort of thing. The problem is, that we have done that and not once have we done much better than just breaking even. The Medium news, not good but not bad, is that net memberships will not be life-time as I intended to do. Most of the membership thought that was a bad idea, as did the treasurer. So as of the next newsletter I will go back to changing the password to the website regularly. The good side of this is that net membership will now include a downloadable newsletter. Which in many ways is going to be better than the printed one you get now. This is because the pictures, etc. will be in full color and if you have a color printer, you will get a color newsletter. Also Net members will only cost $20 for 2 years. Which in of itself is a real bargain. The Bad news is that the dues for the newsletter will stay at the $30 per year rate, mentioned last issue, (with a $60 for 3 year option). This way we can keep everyone happy. Most members thought $30 a year was high, but acceptable and a few thought it was too expensive. You can make your choice now as to which way you want to pay and save yourself a few dollars. OR if you lack faith in us living out the next three years, you can just pay in the ordinary one year at a time fashion. On to other news, Carlisle is only two months away. This show is looking to be as big as ever. The show keeps growing and growing and I am sure the weather will be perfect for this show, which will make it even bigger. For those that haven’t been yet, this is a great place to find Opel memorabilia, parts, and camaraderie. Not matter the weather, and there has been some during the show at times, we all still find a way to have a great time. I have been to OMCs picnic the last two years, and it in itself is a great time, put on by a lot of great folks and is a blast. But the Carlisle meet is not like any other meet held by anyone, Opel club or not. Carlisle productions puts on a show that is so much different than and any other kind of show, it is hard to compare it to anything else. Lets just say that you would be hard pressed to not have a good time at the show. There are over 400 vendors and over 20 different car clubs of various different import makes. This show is for imports only and usually has an attendance of about 10,000 for the entire 3 day weekend. Believe me, I am not hyping this up, it’s a great show and you would be remiss not to come. Well with that said I hope to see you there, look into this newsletter for additonal comments and information on the meet, as well as the survey.

Till next time, Charles SURVEY RESULTS AND COMMENT

Let me take this time now to address most the common issues and comments that were mentioned in the last survey.

Ø Do you have net access? Contrary to the overall average of this country, it seemed that as stated before we have almost if not more than 50% of the membership with either their own access or easy access to it. Which confirms what I had thought. A good reason for this is that while the club has been around a while, we grew as a direct consequence of being on the net and our web site. I fully believe that if it had not been for our presence on the net we would still be a smallish local club.

Ø Would you mind getting your newsletter from the net? A surprising number of members with net access said they would not mind getting their newsletter from the net. So with that in mind, I am requesting all Net members that with to or would not mind be changed over to a Net-only member please email [email protected] so he can remove you from the regular membership roster and add you to the Net-only roster. For doing us this favor, you will get a extra year added to your current membership term.

Ø How important is the club to maintaining your car and getting information? The answers to this question ranged from “Not at all” to “Very much, I couldn’t have even thought of restoring my GT without the club.” So basically I guess it depends on how connected you are to the Opel world and our suppliers and how much you had to do on your own before you found us. Opel owners tend to be a resourceful lot, so these answers were about what I was expecting.

Ø Is $30 too much a year? What do you think is a fair rate? On average most thought it was either about right, or they would rather have the club at any rate. Then there were those in the middle that thought $20-$25 a year was fair and $30 was a bit high. TO compensate for all this their rates have been set as follows. $30 a year for one-year and $60 for three years (making it $20 a year). This way those that save themselves money by going for three years, also help up out by not having to send postcards, and the like to get them to renew. In our business meeting everyone seemed to think this was a fair compromise. One other comment that was raised a few times was “ I get the XYZ Car clubs newsletter for $25 a year and it’s a glossy newsletter, etc., etc.” The reason they can do that is the fact they have a MUCH larger membership base. The BCCA (BMW Car Club of America) and the Club, both have memberships in excess of 2000 members. That leaves a lot of room for members coming and going, it also makes it real cheap to print the glossy. If I went to a glossy with only a stable 200 membership (as opposed to 2000) it would cost us about $50 a year to produce the newsletter for everyone

Ø If you have net access, if I allowed all current members to be lifetime members on the net would you mind? Well the treasurer, and a lot of members minded the lifetime part of that statement. On the other hand a lot of members said they wouldn’t mind going on the net. So as I stated earlier we will give an additional one year membership to all current members that contact [email protected] and give him your email so he can confirm you as a Net-only member.

Ø Fund raising … (there were a few questions on this and I will just tackle all the responses here) First off a big one was trying to get money from our businesses. Well we do get some advertising, but it’s a drop in the bucket, could they pay more? Yes, they could but of course that would get reflected in the prices you pay and would limit their ability to put on the sales they do. If we had a ton of Opel business, like the BMW and Buick clubs do, we could charge more. A lot of times I have go to Opels Unlimited or GT Source and ask them to place a ad because we need the money to get the newsletter out. With the big clubs, the business go to them to advertise so its not so one sided. WE are a extremely limited market and some things don’t work on such a small scale. It is unfortunate but true. As for the “why not produce club items for resale” comment.. I will just say one thing, where have you been? On the inside cover of the earlier newsletters we always had T-shirts, Mugs, Mouse pads, Hats, etc. etc. for sale. They never sold. I spent over $500 last year for the Carlisle show getting mugs, mouse pads, and t-shirts made. The reason was the year before people asked me, why don’t you produce T-shirts for the meet? Well I did and very few were bought. Lets just say the idea of making things to sell to raise money for the club, while a nice idea doesn’t seem to work.

Ø Additional Comments: Most comments were very complimentary and we said. I appreciated al the effort you all went into to send me back the surveys, and I hope you feel that we addressed what were your thoughts and comments in the survey in a way that was satisfactory to you. I feel the addition of a treasurer for the club, the raise in dues and having the newsletter on the net. Will all make a big difference in our future. I have enjoyed being part of this community for the last 5 years, and I plan on continuing our efforts as a club for you and your Opel for years to come. Please if you don’t do anything else this year make a effort to get to Carlisle for this years meet. I always look forward to seeing everyone there, no matter how hectic it can become.

Sincerely, Charles UPCOMING EVENTS

· Cripple Creek Gold Run Englewood, CO April 18th,1998 · Import Kit/Replicar Nationals Carlisle, PA May 8th -10th,1998 · Euro Car Day V (SEE FLYER) Williamsville, NY June 14th, 1998 · Road Run to Glenwood Springs via Aspen Georgetown, CO June 20th, 1998 · Mid-Atlantic Opel Association 14th Annual Picnic Richmond, VA June 27th, 1998 · New England Chapter Meet Brookline, MA June 28th, 1998 · 8th Annual Opel Gathering (SEE FLYER) Tacoma, WA July 18th, 1998 · 18th Annual OMC Picnic and Show Los Angeles, CA August 8th-9th, 1998 · Estes Park Run Boulder, CO August 15th, 1998 · Summit Point Race Weekend & Road Rallye Summit Point, WV September 1998 · Spanish Peaks/Highway of Legends Run Pueblo, CO October 3rd, 1998

ROCKY MOUNTAIN OPELERS ARE GOING FOR A DRIVE IN 1998

The Rocky Mountain chapter of the OANA is planning four (4) road runs for 1998. This is a chance to get your Opels out for a drive and for some Opel camaraderie. Come on out if you can make it - your Opels don't have to be perfect (my '72 GT is still underconstruction). The runs are scheduled for April, June, August, and October. Rain/Snow dates for all of runs are to be the weekend following the original date. Call me (Branston) at 1-(719)-391-9421 or email me at [email protected] to see if a particular run is to be postponed. Watch for details of the runs in this and subsequent issues of this newsletter.

Ø Cripple Creek Gold Run - Saturday April 18th 1998. This is a run that has been established a couple of years ago. We start in the Denver area (Englewood) and end up having lunch in the gambling mountain town that is Cripple Creek. There is a gas station at the starting point (Cinderella City) - bring enough money for lunch in Cripple Creek plus a little change for walking up and down Bennett avenue in Cripple Creek. Parking in the lot is "free" (really $5.00 that is refundable in the Casino).

Timetable: 9:00 am - meet at McDonalds on Hampden ave, across the street from the now defunct Cinderella City mall. 9:30 am - leave McDonalds to start run. 10:00 am - pass through Pine Junction 11:00 am - pass through Woodland Park 11:45 am - arrive at Cripple Creek (park in the Palace Hotel & Casino parking lot). We will be having lunch at the Palace Hotel & Casino.

Ø Road Run to Glenwood Springs via Aspen - Saturday June 20th 1998. This may be our most ambitious run this year. We will be staging west of the Denver area in Georgetown,Colorado. We will run up through Leadville (the highest incorporated town in the U.S.) via either Fremont Pass at Climax (the main route) or Tennessee Pass (the alternate route), then over Independence Pass and down into Aspen for a late lunch. After a little time around Aspen, we will drive down for a dip in the Hot Springs pool at Glenwood Springs followed by an optional dinner break and overnight stay there. Bring enough money for lunch in Aspen (it won't be at the Ritz, okay) and dinner in Glenwood Springs and to refill your gas tank. Also, bring your bathing suit and enough to get into the Hot Springs pool. More details in the next issue of this newsletter.

Timetable: 9:00 am - meet in Georgetown. 9:30 am - leave Georgetown to start run. 10:00 am - pass by Exit 195 (Copper Mountain). - From Exit 195 - if we follow the main route: 10:45 am - pass through Leadville. 12:15 pm - arrive in Aspen - From Exit 195 - if we follow the alternate route: 10:30 am - pass through Vail and Minturn. 11:15 am - pass through Leadville. 12:45 pm - arrive in Aspen. - Where we eat lunch is as of yet still undetermined. 3:00 pm - leave Aspen. 3:45 pm - arrive in Glenwood Springs. We will be in the Hot Springs pool by the Hotel Colorado. Pre-staging locations for meeting locally: 8:15 am - Denver area residents can meet in the parking lot of the Outback restaurant at I-70 and Denver West Blvd. Leave for Georgetown at 8:30 am. 7:15 am - Colorado Springs residents can meet at the Monument Conoco station at Exit 161 off of I-25. Leave for Georgetown at 7:30 am.

Ø Estes Park Run - Saturday August 15th 1998. A scenic run from Boulder on the Peak to Peak Highway. This route is a natural for a road run. More details in the next issue of this newsletter.

Ø Spanish Peaks/Highway of Legends Run - Saturday October 3rd 1998. This run starts in Pueblo, CO and follows the Colorado designated scenic byway "Highway of Legends" starting outside of Walsenburg and ends in Trinidad with lunch along the way. A future optional leg of the run will be south to Raton, NM, then south and west to Taos (in time for dinner). More details in subsequent issues of this newsletter.

RESURRECTION OF A GT

I have to say that running this club prepared me the best anything could when it came to finally owning a GT. I knew a few of the basics:

1) They rust, so don’t buy one for restoration that is rusty because you will always find more rust than you originally thought it had. 2) The Headlights are a real pain to work with, so make sure they work well, repairing them if they need a lot of work is no fun 3) A Mint dash is worth its weight in gold. 4) The Window regulators are also tricky, see No.3 5) ANY Opel can run, DO NOT use that as criteria for getting a GT or any Opel for that matter. It doesn’t take much to get a Opel engine running. Running well, and not leaking is another matter especially if it still has a Solex. 6) What matters most is the condition of the trim, body, accessories and dash 7) They Rust 8) They Rust 9) Oh, and they rust

Well, basically the story goes like this. I had to get rid of my Manta for reasons mentioned in #7, #8 and #9. I loved my old car and it was a real diehard, but after 300,000 miles and a ton of bondo, its time had come. So there I sat, lonely and Opeless, I was in need of something to waste my money and time on, not to mention bug the heck out of my wife with. So just about this time a email comes to me from a man in Kentucky, who had a nice garage kept GT that he wanted a good home for and with the exception of not having a garage I was the best home he could have found. SO I started asking the basic questions, Any damage? Any Rust? How’s the dash and other things. Well he said it had “some” rust (we all know how much “some” can be), but it had never been hit and the interior was worn but in good shape and the dash was perfect. At those words “The Dash is Perfect”, I said I will be there next week to pick it up. I figured that if the dash was in mint shape then the rest of the car had to be at least decent. I wasn’t far off. The rust was manageable, rusty in the rear quarters and at the top of the fenders (all very common rust for the GT). But, the rust did not go into the floor boards or into the inner fender wells. But the car didn’t run, which was disappointing, but not a real big issue. So he I am now a Opel GT owner, and in the month and a half I have had the car I have fixed most common problems the GT develops. I figured this would be a good time to go over them with you while it is still fresh in my mind. If you haven’t gotten your GT out of storage for a few years or are about to buy one like that , this article will give you will have an idea of what you may need to do.

Ø First things first – When a car has sat up this long there are a few things you should do. 1) Change the Oil (Refill with a straight 30 weight), The Coolant (Replace with a coolant lubricant, prestone makes one) 2) Change the points, plugs, wires and condenser (If the car was driven before it was parked) they may not need to be replaced, but it is easier to do it now, and eliminate this potential problem. You will know if it doesn’t start, its not because the ignition is old. 3) Change the filters 4) New Battery or give the old one a trickle charge overnight 5) Pull the plugs and crank the engine for about 5 minutes

These things need done, to make sure the car is running with nothing acidic in the system (oil and coolant become acidic with age) and also to make sure you eliminate anything that could be bad causing it from starting. Also the cranking will lube all the old things in the car keeping you from dry spinning a bearing or burning up the cam, also it will loosen up the starter. Sometimes (as in my case) the starter acted like it was bad, but it was really just a little gummed up from sitting. Ø Fuel System – At minimum replace all the Fuel lines and drain the gas tank. You will probably have to replace the fitting at the back of the gas tank. It goes bad and rusts up quick. It is a screw fitting that goes into the gas tank. Opel GT Source is the only source for them and he gets them from Europe, they are pretty inexpensive too. Draining the gas tank is easy. Remove the fuel line from the back of the tank at the fitting and run it into a plastic tank. Its real easy to get to and usually make a minimum of mess. Be forewarned, it will be real hard to dispose of the waste gasoline. So most people I talk to mix it 50% with fresh gas and us it in their lawnmowers. Ø Heater Hoses, Radiator hoses and belts – Check them well, I would just go ahead and replace them unless you know how old they are. They can dry rot with age, just sitting in a garage. It is also true of the belt. Ø Brakes – Plan on at minimum replacing all the pads, bleeding all the brakes until there is clean fluid coming out (Brake fluid also gets acidic with age), and rebuilding or replacing the rear wheel cylinders and shoes. More often than not the wheel cylinders are bad in the first place and the shoes are covered in brake fluid and grime because of it. Also when bleeding the brakes, DO NOT JAMB the brake pedal, bleed them VERY slowly and smoothly. The master cylinder and calipers haven’t moved in a few years and if you are easy with them you should be able to not have to replace (or rebuild) the Master and the Calipers. Otherwise, if you are harsh with them you will rip the dry and aged rubber seals in the master and in the calipers, causing you to have to rebuild or replace them. Ø Gas Vent Tank lines – If the vent lines for the gas tank have never been replaced (or you don’t know) you will probably need to replace them. Just follow the directions in the following tech tip. It is simple enough to do. Just kind of a pain.

These are the primary things to look over on a GT before you even attempt at driving it after it has sat up for a few years, especially if it sat up outside. Of course there are other things, like tires, exhaust, etc. But those are fairly obvious. If you feel II missed something in need of mentioning or want to make a comment on the whole matter feel free to send in something and I will get it in the next newsletter. FUEL TANK VENTING AND THE CHARCOAL CANISTER – BY CHARLES GOIN (ADDITIONAL THANKS TO RODNEY DAVIS)

Ever notice that when you fill up the tank of your GT that it starts to smell of gas? Also notice its not just temporary, it can last for a good long time up to say a ¼ tank of gas or more. Have you looked everywhere and have not been able to find the source? Have you ever wondered where those hoses to the canister are supposed to go and why? Well let me fill you in on how to do this and where the hoses all go. Seems that Opel wanted to keep it a secret and never really gave any of us a good guide line on any of it. I personally ran into this problem just recently and Opel GT Source sent me a fax immediately, of an old tech tip from Rodney Davis of the North American Opel GT Club (now a chapter of OMC) . Rodney is unfortunately no longer with us, but his tech tips and advice are. The Opel GT has an intricate fuel venting system built into the rear of the car and is mounted above the gas tank in the back under and behind the spare tire platform. What happens is this, the plastic tubing that makes up this system becomes brittle with age and starts to break apart and fall into clumps of hoses on top of the tank. The venting system for the fuel tank consists of inlet tubes at diagonal corners at the top of the tank. These tubes are in turn connected to the fill pipe of the gas tank via a 2 – 3way tees and the plastic tubing aforementioned earlier in this article. The venting system is there to allow air into the tank to avoid a vacuum as the car uses its gas supply and also to vent the tank when heat expands the gas vapors in the tank as well. The clear plastic used by Opel for this system is obviously not designed to deal with the high temperatures of the car or the long-term exposure to gasoline fumes. The fix for this is quite simple though. Use standard reinforced 3/8 or 5/16 gas fuel line, 5/16 works better, but 3/8 is easier to get sometimes. In addition replace the two fittings with 2 – 5/16” tees available at any parts store. Also make sure to get the small hose clamps to clamp off each connection. This way you will never have to fool with this again. One note though, you will need to drill the hole that the vapor return lines goes trough the body at, just a hair bigger, since the fuel line is larger than the original material. DO NOT try to cap that line off. You will develop a vacuum in the tank and it will cause the car to stall. You will have to use a coat hanger to feed the fuel line through the body and up from under the tank. I found it easiest to do this with the rear tail light lenses out, it helped me when I was trying to fish the line up. As for where the lines go, the line that vents the tank runs down the body and to the middle port of the carbon canister. If you still have a Solex. This is how things hook up. (See picture). The small bottom hose of the carbon canister goes to the Solex fitting at the base of the carb pointing at the valve cover, the large one goes to the fitting on the Solex at the top of the carb facing the valve cover as well. If you do not have a Solex, get a large cap and cap off the large fitting on the carbon canister and leave the other one open to the air and hook up the line coming from the tank to the canister. While you don’t need the canister at all really, leaving it there and having the one tube hooked up looks a little neater and at least it will look like the canister is doing something.

Tank Filler Neck

Line to fuel filter (tank fitting and fuel line are on 73’ GTs only) Rear of GT Gas Tank Vent Line to Carbon Canister

5/16” Tee (typical) 3/8” or 5/16” fuel line (typical)

Hose Clamp (typical)

To tank

Carbon Canister

To Carb A NOTE FROM RICHARD ANDERSON – PRESIDENT OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BITTER REGISTRY HISTORY OF BITTER A.G. AND MEMORIES OF 10TH ANNUAL - BITTER CLUB INTERNATIONAL RALLYE

Automobile stories! That's the best memories. I learned how Erich Bitter drove race cars for Opel up until 1969. A serious accident at Nurburging left burnt legs and a retirement. The GM of styling studios were working on a dream car for the 169 Frankfort Show based upon the chassis. The show car was called Opel CD for “Coupe’ Diplomat”. The styling studio under direction from (Head of Chrysler and Also headed up the Opel GT and Dodge Viper projects – Ed.), who was then heading Opel GM Europe, shortened the Diplomat saloon's floorpan into a sports tourer. GM management in Detroit however did not want a Corvette competitor. The Opel CD had the same Corvette running gear, but a much sleeker fastback grand tourer body. So in 1971, Opel agreed that Bitter could utilize the design for limited production in Germany. The 1969-1973 Opel GT was all set to be followed by a big brother V8 powered Opel CD. GM cheated all Opel fans in USA! But by 1973 Erich Bitter had a Bitter CD to display at the Frankfort Show. It had definite Maserati and Lamborghini influences. European's purchased just shy of 400 Bitter CD fastback sport tourer's by the end of 1979. Then Opel stopped production of the Diplomat. But here I was in Weilburg, Germany in May 1997 surrounded by 20 Opel/Bitter CD's of every color. None of these show quality CD's was for sale, but there are always 5 or 6 CD's in the German auto mart ads. Now does anyone know how to get one into the USA? (Yes… They as long as it’s a earlier 1974 model you should have no problems getting one in next year at its 25th anniversary – Ed.) The next assistance that Opel styling studios did was to help Erich Bitter in 1980 with the design of a sport coupe on the new chassis and this time the utilization of the pure Opel fuel injected six-cylinder 180HP engine. It wasn't until 1981 that the first Opel/Bitter SC (Senator Coupe) appeared. These Bitter SC's did make it to the USA. Perhaps 150 to 200 of the total of 450 SC's produced through 1986. These Opel/Bitter SC's are available in the USA. Check Hemmings Motor News ads every month. Always 3 or 4 for sale. Many of these SC's are in California. Ed Swart in Long Beach has an SC for sale and also a stock of spare parts to help keep us all running. For the handyman there is one for sale in Miami. Cheap, but with rust and a Chevy V8 conversion, not running. Do one of our Opel readers have a spare Opel six-cylinder engine and can also do their own bodywork? For the SC enthusiast, the Weilburg Bitter Club International rallye also produced near 20 Opel/Bitter SC's, again of every color. And it produced an SC which was for sale. Erich Bitter shared with me that at one time this convertible was his personal car. Silver with the wonderful leather in dark blue. These leather interiors are fabulous. Made in Italy by Franco Gavini of glove quality feel. Remember when new these Opel/Bitter SC's sold for $50,000 US plus or minus over the years 1983-86. Now they are $6,000 to $19,000. If a convertible is more you, plan on spending $19,000 to $25,000. They sold new for $70,000 plus or minus in USA. Erich Bitter told me only 30 were made in total of which 24 came to USA. All to the same importer in San Francisco. The Opel connection remains for Erich Bitter. His personal vehicle is an Opel with 18 inch Bitter wheels designed for the new Opel/Bitter Berlina 4 door touring . Based on the new Cadillac Catera chassis and Opel running gear, Erich Bitter is still in the process of raising capital for tooling. The design and prototype are complete. Got a spare $10 million to invest in tooling? Erich Bitter is looking to make a public offering and if successful, the USA will see another Opel/Bitter Berlina 4 door.' As to the Weilburg rallye, it afforded me the opportunity to rent the latest Opel offering and tour Germany. From Stuttgart to Heidelberg to Frankfort and Bad Homberg. Then by back roads to Weilburg. Four castles and an Opel dealer were visited. The meeting in Weilburg was also a good opportunity to renew friendships with members of the British Bitter Owners Club. They will had their annual meeting Sept. 19-21, 1997 near Lymington, England. I am hoping to attract additional USA Bitter owners to help us enjoy our vehicles. Both the German club and the England Club have enthusiastic and friendly members. Joining their rallies are social highlights with great food and drink. They also represent added sources for spare parts. If you care to travel to Europe to attend the German or English rallies let me know. I have promised to seek USA participation for them.

One of the original Bitter CDs

An Bitter SC Our Area Code has Changed to: 562 Opels Unlimited 871 E. Lambert, Unit #C Your One Stop Opel Shop LaHabra, CA 90631 Visit us on the web: Phone : 1-562-690-1051 http://www.opelsunl.com/ Fax : 1-562-690-3352

Opels Unlimited Presents : The sale that will be talked about for a decade !!!!

On the last O.E.C. survey people loved the Christmas flyer and the On the road again sales. However the general consensus was that you all missed the big used parts sales we used to have every month. “All the other sales were great, but what about the rest of the car?” was a common question in the survey. Well folks, Opels Unlimited has promised O.E.C. $1000 to get stamps for the HUGE NEW 34 page newsletter and, on top of that, Opels Unlimited needs over $20,000 cash to go out to the east coast and buy out the East Coast Opel companies that are now folding and to visit with all his customers at the “Carlisle Import/Replicar Nationals” car show (May 8th through the 10th 1998) in Carlisle, PA like he did last year. So here it goes ...... The LARGEST MASS PRODUCTION, ALL OUT, CRAZY PARTS SALE IN OPELS UNLIMITEDS HISTORY !!!! NO LIMITS, NO CORES, JUST SELL ! SELL !!! SELL !!!!! NOBODY BEATS OPELS UNLIMITEDS’ PRICES, NOT FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS, NOT FOR THE NEXT 15 YEARS. BUT THIS SALE IS GOING TO BE RIDICULOUS, SO MAKE SOME ROOM IN YOUR GARAGE , HERE IT GOES (ALL Items are used and in GOOD to AVERAGE condition unless otherwise noted) :

Opel rear ends complete axle to axle.. Good condition for all Mantas, GTs, Asconas, and 1900 Wagons Reg $185 Now: $75 Opel front ends complete spindle to spindle w/ rack , arms, springs, ball joints, etc. Reg $285 Now: $75 Opel 1900 motors - good used running complete long block (no head), includes oil pan, timing cover, pistons, crank, and block. Any Year Make or Model Reg $200 Now: $75

Opel Automatic Transmissions for all makes and models. Works great - 1 year guarantee Only $50 each Opel GT A/C components - good condition - Console, blower, compressor, pulleys, etc. Only $50 each Opel GT Heater boxes complete w/ fan and heater core (Good working condition) Only $20 each / Ascona - Heater cores, like new condition, 1 Year Guarantee. Only $20 each Opel Manta / Ascona - A/C Components - good condition - Console, blower, compressor, pulleys, etc. Only $50 each

All GT, Manta and Ascona - Hood hinges, Headlight buckets, hood releases, grilles, wiper motor assemblies engine crossmembers, crossmembers, gauges, speedos, steel valve covers, torque tube housings, trailing arms, panhard rods, all visors, all arm rests, horn buttons Reg. to $65 Now: $10 All doors (door only) any model from 1960-1980 (Including GT) Reg. to $150 Now: $10-$75 All Manta, Ascona, Opel/ (Kaddett “C”) Fenders (Including Wagon) Reg. to $85 Now: $10-$40

All Brake rotors w/ good hub, good rear drums, caliper cores, upper control arms for the GT, Manta/Ascona Any Front Springs, GT Valve covers, Bell housings, Intake Manifolds, for 1.9L, Voltage Regulators, Alternators, Good Used Clutch sets, Rear Bumper cores, Good Solex Carbs, Used Tires Reg. to $85 Now: $20 ea.

All air cleaners, carbon canisters, motor mount ears, fan pulleys, dash vents, GT Master support brackets, Cheap Taillights, wiper arms, Regular Manta electrical dash, factory rims, beauty rims, hub caps, average door panels, grille sides, Old Solex Carbs, Starter and Master Cores, Torque tube shafts, spring perches, factory radios, Headlight bulbs, Only $5 each Average AM/FM Cassette car stereos.. WE HAVE 80 to choose from, removed from cars we stripped. Only $10 each Average GT complete electrical dash, plastic with guages, wiring, etc. Only $65

Large Pre-cut body panels - Front or Rear quarter panels, Whole fenders for GT, Floors, Manta A rear quarters, GT Rear panels or complete rear half of car, GT Nose panels, GT rear quarter panels Only $50-150 each

Good used GT radiators, hoods, master cylinders, w/ brake boosters, good Manta/Ascona steering columns, Good Opel/Isuzu steering columns, Windshields for all models, Good GT passenger seat frames, Alloy Wheels (10 kinds) Reg. to $100 Now: $50 each

Manta, Ascona Coupe and GT rear windows, GT, Manta, Kaddett, Opel/Isuzu door glass, GT rear quarter glass, Wagon hatch glass, wagon hatch rear quarter glass. Reg. to $85 Now: $20 each

Any 1.9l engine block good condition, rod set, solid lifter cam shaft, good cranks, good rod sets, oil pan, standard oil pumps, pistons, 4 speed flywheels, late model timing covers, timing gear and chain set Only $20 each

Well folks that should satisfy your cravings for low priced Opel parts. Also the half price off sale on lenses is still going. Until next time take care and Happy Opeling - Opels Unlimited. OPEL ADS – FOR SALE (IF YOU DON’T HAVE EMAIL ME – GIVE CHARLES GOIN A CALL AT 1-804-379-9737 FOR HELP)

FOR SALE: 1970 Opel GT factory special edition - Posted: 24 Jan 1998, 11:12:47 - EMail: [email protected] - Driver, needs interior work, currently in Buena Park, Calif. $2,000.00 or best reasonable offer FOR SALE: 1969 Kadett LS wagon wagon - Posted: 31 Jan 1998, 14:06:55 - EMail: [email protected] - Estate sale car with 64,000 miles good body, great interior $450 1-520-344-8224 Yuma Arizona FOR SALE: 69 OPEL GT - Posted: 08 Feb 1998, 12:00:38 - EMail: [email protected] - I Have A Black 1969 Opel GT. It Is All Original But Does Not Run - Dallas, Texas And Am Accepting Offers By E-Mail. FOR SALE: OPEL GT - Posted: 22 Feb 1998, 22:01:39 - EMail: [email protected] - 1971 Opel GT, red, black interior, low miles, been garaged for 8 years with monthly engine turnover and short jaunts. Seeking B/O. Currently in Monterey, CA area. call ED @ 408-655-2721. FOR SALE: 1.9 Motor Very Strong, 4 Speed Transmission, Custom Radiator - Posted: 24 Feb 1998, 03:21:00 - EMail: [email protected] Or [email protected] Motor & Trans. in Excellent condition, new starter, chrome valve cover like new, custom built radiator with more pipes you will never overheat. 310 675-5217 FOR SALE: 1970 Opel GT - Posted: 03 Mar 1998, 20:25:47 - EMail: [email protected] - Red 1970 GT good shape very little rust. $1500 obo. SC FOR SALE: 73-74 Opel Manta GT parts - Posted: 10 Mar 1998, 20:39:56 - EMail: [email protected] - Have several parts for 73-74 Opel Manta Gt FOR SALE: 1971 Opel GT, red, excellent condition - Posted: 11 Mar 1998, 06:16:48 - EMail: [email protected] - Ground-up restoration, babied 14 years, original, cardinal red with black interior,all Opel manuals, 150 page restoration log, stereo, alarm, no rust, no winters, 92 000 miles, appraised at $9000(Cdn) asking $7000($5000 US). 1-819-953-4966,Ottawa,Canada. FOR SALE: 1970 1900 Rallye Kadett - Posted: 13 Mar 1998, 21:28:51 - EMail: [email protected] - Body perfect, interior excellent, all original. New automatic, Engine 150 psi in all 4. Runs rough - timing chain slipped? Chris in Bremerton WA - 360-613-2540 FOR SALE: Three (3) 1970 Opel GTs - Posted: 18 Mar 1998, 06:55:30 - EMail: [email protected] - Three 1970 GTs for sale together/individually. 1. Original, orange, low miles, excellent - $5,500 2. Good condition, red, automatic - $3,000 3. Very good condition, blue, 4 spd - $2,500 All look good and run excellent - Call 612-403-0139 FOR SALE: 1973 Opel GT - Posted: 18 Mar 1998, 15:54:59 - EMail: [email protected] - Excellent condition. Over $8,000 in restoration receipts including engine, transmission, suspension, interior and paint. Solid #2-3 condition. Asking $3,900. Mark Corrallo Rockville, MD (301) 251-1105 FOR SALE: '70 Opel GT parts - Posted: 19 Mar 1998, 17:27:51- EMail: [email protected] - FOR SALE: 1969 Opel GT - Posted: 22 Mar 1998, 10:02:29 - EMail: [email protected] - Solid body has not been welded. have all glass. Engine and transmition included. New Hamburg Ontario Canda. Call 1-519-696-3349. Asking $1000.00 FOR SALE: 74’ Manta Parts – Head, Cam, Brakes, Dash inserts w/ guages, 4 Michelien tires, etc. etc. $300 o.b.o.for all - Call Jim 1-360-295-3435

OPEL ADS – WANTED (IF YOU DON’T HAVE EMAIL ME – GIVE CHARLES GOIN A CALL AT 1-804-379-9737 FOR HELP)

WANTED: Opel parts - Posted: 22 Mar 1998, 10:06:19 - EMail: [email protected] - rear light lenses for 1971 Opel Gt. Call Barry Bayuk at 1-519-696-3349. New Hamburg ontario Canada. WANTED: Manta A-series ('72 - '75) in XLNT condition - Posted: 25 Jan 1998, 21:08:40 - EMail: [email protected] - I'm looking for a daily-driver Manta in XLNT condition: smogged, pref. w/Weber carb, pref SR model (ie black interior & extra gauges). stick-shift. Gertrag 5-speed and any other modernizing mods a plus. Will consider non-original engine WANTED: Opel Manta SCCA ITB Racecar - Posted: 15 Mar 1998, 15:02:44 - EMail: [email protected] - Looking to purchase an Opel Manta that is race ready.ITB preferred. Contact Mel 813-869-6577 or E-mail [email protected] – Florida WANTED: PI/PII cars and parts - Posted: 12 Mar 1998, 05:57:03 - EMail: [email protected] - PI / PII (preferably CarAvan)cars (any condition) and parts WANTED. Either in Germany (until end of July) or in eastern USA (MD, D.C. Area, east coast). Will move to the USA in August. Info on cars in salvage yards appreciated, too. WANTED: 1.1L - Posted: 05 Mar 1998, 09:08:21 - EMail: [email protected] - I need a running 1.1L for my GT. Please email me w/ any info. WANTED: intake manifolds WANTED for dual Webers for 1.9 liter. - Posted: 05 Mar 1998, 19:32:06 - contact Trent at 253 891-0861 WANTED: Opel GT - Posted: 08 Mar 1998, 11:12:21 - EMail: [email protected] - Looking for an Opel GT near the Madison, WI area WANTED: TRANSMISSION (automatic or standard) - Posted: 26 Feb 1998, 15:57:18 - EMail: [email protected] - PLEASE!!! I'm in desperate need of a transmission for a 1972 Opel gt, new, used, auto, or standard, please contact me if you can help!?!?!?! WANTED: Rear Adjustable Sway Bar for an Ascona - Posted: 03 Feb 1998, 19:03:55 - EMail: [email protected] - Seeking someone's dust collecting rear adjustable swaybar. Help a guy get to Solo 1! Also any other interesting used speed equipment. WANTED: 72-75 Manta or 1900 sedan Posted: 07 Feb 1998, 20:54:31 - EMail: [email protected] - WANTED 72-75 Manta or 1900 sedan for daily driver. Would like little rust and straight body but any car will be considered. Missouri

A FAREWELL TO OPELS BY BOB LEGERE

What can I say? It’s like having your girlfriend of 5 years suddenly break off your engagement, or being laid off after 20 years on the job with nothing more than a cheap watch and a handshake for retribution. I find myself in a situation not unlike what I have just described. After 19 years in business and 7 years with myself at the helm, C&R small cars is closing its doors. The pending sale of the building that I rent space from will be the nail in the coffin. The high cost of real estate in Connecticut and the cost of a full scale relocation is way more than I can afford. I had the deal of the century as far as rent goes, but to find a similar space elsewhere would quadruple my monthly overhead. So, this has effectively put me out of business at a time when I had hoped to expand into covering more current offerings in the performance arena (i.e. Non-Opel stuff) However, it appears that the only thing I’ll be doing is looking for a place to store my workshop equipment and moving on to (hopefully) greener pastures elsewhere. It’s never been easy, but it has almost always been a pleasure being a so-called “Opel professional” all of these years. I’ll be spending my last few months in “Opeland” finishing up my fathers’ GT convertible as well as the last of my customer shop work. Who knows, maybe sometime down the road I’ll actually be able to work on some of my own long overdue projects once I’ve found another workshop. Thanks to all the customers who’ve supported me over the years. So long to all.

Bob Legere – C&R Small Cars / Legere Motorsports