Michael called me and picked me up to look at another Opel to use as a parts car. Registered on Craigslist for $400. One complete car and almost every part from a second car. Here’s the story:
The guy had bought two Opels in 1995 with the goal to restore one of them. One of the cars had the roof cut off of it to turn it into a convertible, but the previous owners did a bad job of it. The guy took that car and chopped it into six pieces, removed all of the relevant and salvable parts and stored those parts next to the Opel that still had a roof. This Opel (with the roof) has some nasty rear quarter panel damage. He had kept the rear panel of the roofless Opel, but had never placed it on the keeper. This rear panel still has the trim piece so that’ll offset some of the cost. All in all, it would give us two replacements of all parts. Two engines, two drive shafts, two transmissions (one of which I’m commandeering for Tollsten, my own Opel), two front ends, two rear ends, and all glass, lights, wiring harnesses and a bunch of other stuff.
When we started talking price the seller informed us that he already had an offer of $500, and if we could offer him $600 we could take it, which I feel is kind of bull-shitty. Michael gave a call to his wife for the final go-ahead and then we made a counter-offer of $550. He accepted, we borrowed a truck, grabbed the trailer and started to haul it home. As we were loading the car onto the trailer, come people on the road saw us and offered us $1000 for just the car. It was very tempting, but in the end Mike didn’t like the feel of these people and decided to keep everything. I agree that it was better to keep the car. It’s good piece of mind.
We finally unloaded the car at Michael’s lace and I went home. We still need to inventory everything we have and find out if there is still anything we need. I know we still want brakes from a BMW, but I think we have everything we need not pertaining to brakes/suspension.
We also looked into getting a fuel cell, but they’re hella expensive, so we’ll use the OEM fuel tank (of which we have one from the parts car, and one in a shop somewhere in Roseville) for now.
Also, sometime between the last journal entry and this one, Michael cleaned out the carburetor that came with Project Phoenix, installed it, and ran the car. That carb works fine from what Michael tells me so that’s good. I wish I had an exact date of that piece of news, but it’s not the end of the world.
The next couple of times I go out to Michael’s to work on cars won’t be dealing with Project Phoenix. We need to strip one of Michael’s trucks, and the Opel so they can be sold on Craigslist. He wants to clear out some of the cars in his back field.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$364
Today
None. Will include items
parts car when installed
$0
Total Expenses
$364
Budget Remaining
$136
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
Parts car and
additional parts
$550
Total Expenses
$1,790
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$2,154
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Hard-Copy Journal for 21 June, 2013
Got to Michael's house fairly early and began installing my carburetor onto Project Phoenix. Mike got home from work shortly thereafter. He didn't see me working on the car, but he did see that the garage was open. This made him certain that his Harley was stolen. This was amusing to me. He helped me finish installing the carb. We also installed the fuel pump. He then rigged a wiring harness to see if we could get it to run. It runs very well indeed. No undue noise. No smoke. We then took the car off of the tire stands to see if it could move under its own power. The moves in reverse and in first gear. This is very promising. We also tested that the emergency brake works. It does marginally. So, things that work: Engine, Transmission, Clutch, Parking brake.
Michael then went to sleep and I continued by removing the remainder of the interior that I could easily remove. All major components are now out of the car. Still need to remove the sound deadening foam from the floor and the heating box thing from the passenger well. I also removed the rear trim piece to sell. That was an annoying part to remove. It was too hot to do anything else.
No additional costs to report.
Video of Project Phoenix finally running.
Michael then went to sleep and I continued by removing the remainder of the interior that I could easily remove. All major components are now out of the car. Still need to remove the sound deadening foam from the floor and the heating box thing from the passenger well. I also removed the rear trim piece to sell. That was an annoying part to remove. It was too hot to do anything else.
No additional costs to report.
Video of Project Phoenix finally running.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Hard-Copy Journal for 20 June, 2013
I pulled off the carburetor from my Opel this morning. I also removed the battery and found my old clutch cable. I'll be bringing each of these over to Michael's tomorrow morning. Following are the goals for tomorrow:
Also, I found out that I'm missing my 13mm wrench from my tool set. That is essential for the Opel. I'm also missing my 10mm socket for the 1/4" ratchet. Again, essential. I'll have to replace those, probably next month. I should also buy a super cheap set of metric wrenches that I can brake in half to get to the hard to reach areas of the engine bay.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
Primary Wire
$8
Fuel Pump
$54
Fuel Line
$2
Total Expenses
$364
Budget Remaining
$136
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,604
Photos from today.
.jpg)
Carb as attached to my own Opel.
.jpg)
Carb without air filter on it.
- Install carburetor
- Finish stripping major components of interior
- Remove rear trim piece and take picture to be able to sell it
- See if I can get e-brake to function
- Make Michael happy by getting the lights to flip
- (Maybe) Try to get car to run with carb. I kinda want to wait until we're both there for that though.
- Above ^ Fist need to install fuel pump if Michael hasn't already done so.
Also, I found out that I'm missing my 13mm wrench from my tool set. That is essential for the Opel. I'm also missing my 10mm socket for the 1/4" ratchet. Again, essential. I'll have to replace those, probably next month. I should also buy a super cheap set of metric wrenches that I can brake in half to get to the hard to reach areas of the engine bay.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
Primary Wire
$8
Fuel Pump
$54
Fuel Line
$2
Total Expenses
$364
Budget Remaining
$136
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,604
Photos from today.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Hard-Copy Journal for 18 June, 2013
I finished the article for The Blitz and went to Michael's to get the photo of the both of us with the car. When I got there we wrenched on the car a little bit. Michael had put his spark tester on one of the plugs and we found it does indeed have spark. He then decided that we need to see if it ran, but we still haven't cleaned out the carb. He heard of a technique of testing if a car runs without the use of a carb. If you soak a rag in gasoline and place it over the intake, the air passing through the rag would also pull some gas vapors into the engine which, in theory, would allow the engine to run. What could possibly go wrong? We try it and sure as shit the car fires right up. I was in charge of the gas rag so after about 3 or 4 seconds I pull the rag off. The car sounded solid. No coughing or sputtering, no visible oil leaks, and the exhausts sound great. I think we're going to keep the exhaust. We tried it a second time, but there was some blow-back through the intake which caught the rag on fire. I threw the rag on the ground, blew out the fire on the intake, then stamped out the rag. Apparently using a gas-soaked rag as a makeshift carburetor isn't the best of ideas. Anyway, we learned two things about the car. First, it runs so we don't have to buy another engine. Second, flame leaps up through the intake. This is not ideal. We'll have to figure out why later.
After the fire fiasco we decided to curb the rest of the work today. I also had a class to get to. He took me to lunch where he reviewed the article I wrote. We also discussed ideas for the theme of our car since so many people have already done the A-Team theme. These ideas can be found on the last page of this notebook. We also made a To-Do list for the remainder of June.
To Do List For June:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,540
::Theme Ideas::
This is how we brainstormed to get the idea for Project Phoenix.
After the fire fiasco we decided to curb the rest of the work today. I also had a class to get to. He took me to lunch where he reviewed the article I wrote. We also discussed ideas for the theme of our car since so many people have already done the A-Team theme. These ideas can be found on the last page of this notebook. We also made a To-Do list for the remainder of June.
To Do List For June:
- Get the carburetor from my Opel so we can test the engine for the LeMon Opel.
- Try to get the brakes good enough so we can move and stop it easier.
- Finish Stripping the interior.
- Test the transmission and clutch.
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,540
::Theme Ideas::
This is how we brainstormed to get the idea for Project Phoenix.
Hard-Copy Journal for 15 June, 2013
Received an email from Mike with TinyVette today asking me to write an article for The Blitz.
"500 or more words on what possessed you, your plan, and when your first race will be. Plus 1-2 photos, preferable one with both of you in the photo."
The Blitz is an Opel Magazine that (I believe) is funded by Opel GT Source and Mike is the editor. I'm kinda flattered that he wants to tell our story. That's all for today. No work on the car; no costs to report.
::Below is a copy of the article I wrote for The Blitz::
Infancy of an Opel LeMon
by Robert Ferris
Our little project began two or three years ago with a bottle of brandy, a box of cigars, and an argument. “Which car would be the most fun to make into a track toy at the lowest cost?” A little background first:
Michael and I both love cars with equal zeal. However, one could make a comfortable living taking two to one odds that the car I find wonderful is one that he finds deplorable. While Michael loves the gurgle of huge American Muscle, I love the buzz of tiny European Sports Cars. Hence the need for a bottle of brandy and a box of cigars; this was going to take a while. For every Trans-Am or C4 Corvette he suggested I countered with an Alfa Spider or MG-B. As the evening progressed we both started giving more and more leeway to our original ideas until he made a suggestion that I’m embarrassed I did not come up with myself. “What’s that small car that looks like a toy Corvette?” A consensus was reached. The Opel GT was our answer and finally the evening (or indeed morning by that time) could come to a close.
The issue was forgotten for almost a year until I learned about the 24 hours of LeMons which brought the topic back to the forefront of our minds. Immediately Michael jumped onto Craigslist and kept the search up until he found a good runner. It was too much money for LeMons, but it didn’t stop me from buying it for my own personal use. That is where I caught my Opel Bug, but I digress. Michael kept looking for another properly priced GT for LeMons, but life got in the way. My funds dried up, and I became too busy with school to think about racing. I thought the whole idea would be tabled for at least the three remaining years of my academic career. Another year went by without talk of Opels nor LeMons. However, shortly after my 30th birthday Michael called me up and told me to get down to his place because he had a surprise for me. He did the whole blind fold thing and had me walk around and finally revealed the 1971 Opel GT that we’re going to use. Becoming a co-owner of a race car is a hell of a birthday gift let me tell you.
As this car is LeMons priced, it’s not running at the moment. The history of the car is hazy at best, but it’s obvious that there was an engine fire. The good news is that the more we work on it the more we realize how much this car was loved by its previous owner. Little clues abound, like the electronic ignition system and the electric fuel pump (which we suspect might be the cause of the fire). It also has a lowered suspension, a quad-tip exhaust, and remnants of an Opel Club sticker on the rear window. Because of these little clues we’re confident that this car was well maintained before the fire. Since we were (and still are) very much in our infancy when it came to transforming our car into something that we could run in LeMons we felt in over our heads, but we were able to find some guidance.
As I mentioned earlier, I bought an Opel GT about a year and a half ago and with that, I also became a member of the NorCal Opelers which gave me a great contact for this project: Mike and Alan from team TinyVette. Michael and I had a meeting with the TinyVette crew and they gave us some great direction. We now know which brakes we should get. We know that sway bars are a great thing to buy right away. We know what kind of budget we should set for the roll cage and other safety equipment and where we should have it done. With their advice we no longer feel out of our depth, but it also shows us precisely how much work there is to be done.
Because Michael and I have almost exactly opposing schedules at this point in our lives, this work is probably not going to go as quickly as we’d like. We want to be as realistic about this adventure as we can be, which is why we’re aiming for an entry in the Thunderhill event of 2014. With over a year to prep the car, we can be sure to tick all the required boxes without the stress of looming deadlines. And with the help of the TinyVette crew, we can make sure that we know what all those boxes are. So keep an eye out for us in 2014.
::Below are the photos I submitted for this article::
.jpg)
Opel on the Stand ready for work. 2014 here we come.
.jpg)
Proud parents of this infant race car.
"500 or more words on what possessed you, your plan, and when your first race will be. Plus 1-2 photos, preferable one with both of you in the photo."
The Blitz is an Opel Magazine that (I believe) is funded by Opel GT Source and Mike is the editor. I'm kinda flattered that he wants to tell our story. That's all for today. No work on the car; no costs to report.
::Below is a copy of the article I wrote for The Blitz::
Infancy of an Opel LeMon
by Robert Ferris
Our little project began two or three years ago with a bottle of brandy, a box of cigars, and an argument. “Which car would be the most fun to make into a track toy at the lowest cost?” A little background first:
Michael and I both love cars with equal zeal. However, one could make a comfortable living taking two to one odds that the car I find wonderful is one that he finds deplorable. While Michael loves the gurgle of huge American Muscle, I love the buzz of tiny European Sports Cars. Hence the need for a bottle of brandy and a box of cigars; this was going to take a while. For every Trans-Am or C4 Corvette he suggested I countered with an Alfa Spider or MG-B. As the evening progressed we both started giving more and more leeway to our original ideas until he made a suggestion that I’m embarrassed I did not come up with myself. “What’s that small car that looks like a toy Corvette?” A consensus was reached. The Opel GT was our answer and finally the evening (or indeed morning by that time) could come to a close.
The issue was forgotten for almost a year until I learned about the 24 hours of LeMons which brought the topic back to the forefront of our minds. Immediately Michael jumped onto Craigslist and kept the search up until he found a good runner. It was too much money for LeMons, but it didn’t stop me from buying it for my own personal use. That is where I caught my Opel Bug, but I digress. Michael kept looking for another properly priced GT for LeMons, but life got in the way. My funds dried up, and I became too busy with school to think about racing. I thought the whole idea would be tabled for at least the three remaining years of my academic career. Another year went by without talk of Opels nor LeMons. However, shortly after my 30th birthday Michael called me up and told me to get down to his place because he had a surprise for me. He did the whole blind fold thing and had me walk around and finally revealed the 1971 Opel GT that we’re going to use. Becoming a co-owner of a race car is a hell of a birthday gift let me tell you.
As this car is LeMons priced, it’s not running at the moment. The history of the car is hazy at best, but it’s obvious that there was an engine fire. The good news is that the more we work on it the more we realize how much this car was loved by its previous owner. Little clues abound, like the electronic ignition system and the electric fuel pump (which we suspect might be the cause of the fire). It also has a lowered suspension, a quad-tip exhaust, and remnants of an Opel Club sticker on the rear window. Because of these little clues we’re confident that this car was well maintained before the fire. Since we were (and still are) very much in our infancy when it came to transforming our car into something that we could run in LeMons we felt in over our heads, but we were able to find some guidance.
As I mentioned earlier, I bought an Opel GT about a year and a half ago and with that, I also became a member of the NorCal Opelers which gave me a great contact for this project: Mike and Alan from team TinyVette. Michael and I had a meeting with the TinyVette crew and they gave us some great direction. We now know which brakes we should get. We know that sway bars are a great thing to buy right away. We know what kind of budget we should set for the roll cage and other safety equipment and where we should have it done. With their advice we no longer feel out of our depth, but it also shows us precisely how much work there is to be done.
Because Michael and I have almost exactly opposing schedules at this point in our lives, this work is probably not going to go as quickly as we’d like. We want to be as realistic about this adventure as we can be, which is why we’re aiming for an entry in the Thunderhill event of 2014. With over a year to prep the car, we can be sure to tick all the required boxes without the stress of looming deadlines. And with the help of the TinyVette crew, we can make sure that we know what all those boxes are. So keep an eye out for us in 2014.
::Below are the photos I submitted for this article::
.jpg)
.jpg)
Hard-Copy Journal for 10 June, 2013
I Received a text from Michael stating that he had bought a trailer for the Opel. It apparently has electric brakes, but they don't work at the moment. It's certainly big enough and it is open along the center so we might be able to get under the Opel easier.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$40
Today
Trailer for Opel
$1,200
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,540
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$40
Today
Trailer for Opel
$1,200
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,540
Hard-Copy Journal for 5 June, 2013
Setup a Meeting with TinyVette.Want some guidance.
Questions to ask:
1) Q: Should we get the Roll Cage first and then the seat?
2) Q: What kind of wheels should we get? Tires, cost?
3) Q: Should we keep the heater core to act as a secondary radiator?
4) Q: How much fuel do they go through? Is it available on site?
5) Q: Should we sell our nifty quad-tip exhaust and buy some cherry bombs instead?
6) Q: Can we pit for your next race?
7) Q: Should we wait to remove the windows until right before the race?
8) Q: How does one remove the motor?
9) Q: Have you ever had to replace the motor on race weekend?
10) Q: Should we make structural improvements?
11) Q: Should we get a shock tower brace?
12) Q: Should we get anti-roll bars?
13) Q: Should we save our wiring loom? We have a replacement and our original has a significant amount of fire damage.
14) Q: What kind of carburetor are you running?
15) Q: What should we do about out lighting? Also, we have some Manta lights, should we use those or are they worth saving?
16) Q: Should we keep our original fuel pump or change it to electric?
17) Q: Is our rear trim piece good enough to sell and if so, how do we remove it?
Those were the questions we asked while we were crawling around TinyVette. We then took them out to lunch where a few other things transpired. They told us that the oil cooler they have came from a Volvo and their brakes came off a BMW. There is an article in "The Blitz" that goes into more detail about the brakes. They told us that we'd have to get longer lug rods. We told them that our starter was toast and Alan gave us a spare that he'll never use. Super nice guys.
After that we went back to Micheal's. We worked on the car for a while. Before I got there he had stripped the passenger side. Following are things we did after we got back.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$0
Today
Lunch w/ Mike & Alan
$40
Total Expenses
$40
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$340
P.P.S. We found that the car had an electric fuel pump. It was spliced and re-spliced into the electrical system and looks like it could have been the initial cause of the fire.
SAMPLE PHOTOS FROM TODAY:
.jpg)
Weber Carb.
.jpg)
Engine Bay complete with melted fan
.jpg)
Stripped Interior. It's starting to feel like a race car.
.jpg)
Good looking profile.
.jpg)
Good looking quad-tip exhaust.
.jpg)
The new (to us) starter is in and ready to turn the engine.
.jpg)
Our old starter which ended up not being broken.
Questions to ask:
1) Q: Should we get the Roll Cage first and then the seat?
- A: They got their cage, seat, belts, and steering wheel all at the same time from evil-geniuses. It cost them a total of $2,200.
2) Q: What kind of wheels should we get? Tires, cost?
- A: They bought 15"x7" rims for their car, but they're heavy. Tires have to have a tread wear rating of 190 or better. They cost about $125 per corner for their car. The tires last three weekends for them. They said the size wheels we have may be difficult to find tires for. Also, they talked at some great length about lug-nut studs, but I don't remember much about that. Will have to ask again later.
3) Q: Should we keep the heater core to act as a secondary radiator?
- A: No, but there is still a problem of overheating. They have an oil cooler and they also increased the size of the opening in their air dam.
4) Q: How much fuel do they go through? Is it available on site?
- A: They go through about seven gallons per stint. 2 hours per stint. About 84 gallons of fuel per race. It is available on site, but it is much more expensive. Should bring our own containers and when it is empty, go into town and refill the containers.
5) Q: Should we sell our nifty quad-tip exhaust and buy some cherry bombs instead?
- A: They don't think we can make enough from the existing exhaust to offset the cost of cherry bombs. They suggested we try to trade for parts.
6) Q: Can we pit for your next race?
- A: Absolutely. They'll be at Buttonwillow at the end of the month [June 2013], then at Thunderhill in September.
7) Q: Should we wait to remove the windows until right before the race?
- A: The windows (windshield included) should be removed prior to the cage going in. The windshield we have is cracked so they recommended getting a Lexan one (not plexiglass)
8) Q: How does one remove the motor?
- A: You have to disconnect it, lower the motor onto a some sort of dolly, like a piano dolly, then raise the nose of the car 3-5 feet and pull the engine from the underside.
9) Q: Have you ever had to replace the motor on race weekend?
- A: No, we don't bring a spare motor with us and it's never blown up.
10) Q: Should we make structural improvements?
- A: The A-arms sometimes deform after hard driving so it's a good idea to have the channels of those A-arms welded closed.
11) Q: Should we get a shock tower brace?
- A: They don't have one, but it might be a good idea. It would significantly improve the torsional rigidity of the front end. Don't have to worry about the rear because the roll cage is rigid enough.
12) Q: Should we get anti-roll bars?
- A: They got their sway bars before their first race. Be sure to bribe the judges so they don't penalize you for it.
13) Q: Should we save our wiring loom? We have a replacement and our original has a significant amount of fire damage.
- A: It's not a bad idea to save it. If for nothing else it can be a good reference.
14) Q: What kind of carburetor are you running?
- A: They had a Weber like ours. Ours in solid enough but be sure to carefully thread the fuel inlet to put a better nipple on it.
15) Q: What should we do about out lighting? Also, we have some Manta lights, should we use those or are they worth saving?
- A: You only need a high brake light so maybe we should save the Manta lights.
16) Q: Should we keep our original fuel pump or change it to electric?
- A: They still use their original mechanical fuel pump.
17) Q: Is our rear trim piece good enough to sell and if so, how do we remove it?
- A: They can sell for up to $300 so yeah, sell it. There are several bolts on the inside of the back panel that have to be unbolted before it just pops off.
Those were the questions we asked while we were crawling around TinyVette. We then took them out to lunch where a few other things transpired. They told us that the oil cooler they have came from a Volvo and their brakes came off a BMW. There is an article in "The Blitz" that goes into more detail about the brakes. They told us that we'd have to get longer lug rods. We told them that our starter was toast and Alan gave us a spare that he'll never use. Super nice guys.
After that we went back to Micheal's. We worked on the car for a while. Before I got there he had stripped the passenger side. Following are things we did after we got back.
- Removed the Radiator. The coolant looked brand new!
- Replaced the starter and found out that our original starter is fine, it's just the wiring that was bad.
- Removed the carburetor and kinda cleaned out the intake
- Engaged the starter and found that the engine turns easily. More good news
- Removed more of the interior. Most significantly, the dash.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$0
Today
Lunch w/ Mike & Alan
$40
Total Expenses
$40
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$340
P.P.S. We found that the car had an electric fuel pump. It was spliced and re-spliced into the electrical system and looks like it could have been the initial cause of the fire.
SAMPLE PHOTOS FROM TODAY:
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
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