Ownership Verified: Meet Karl - 1974 Opel Rekord

While @_Jules_ is working overtime, I went to the garage to put plates on the car.

This means no proof pic yet, but at least some interior pics:




As well as some engine bay pics:





And some Ruhrpott/Sauerland bonus:


Oil change, proof pic and more pics in general will follow on Saturday.
 
It's soooo 70s. I expect you both to attend Ringmeet wearing corduroy flares with a flower in your hair.
 
Nostalgia kicks in

ziy1rXN.png


Though i prefer 60's Opels that have the more sqaure looking front facia like the commodore or admiral.
 
This looks to be in amazing condition. Love the car. That bonus instrument must go though. It destroys the interior.
 
This looks to be in amazing condition. Love the car. That bonus instrument must go though. It destroys the interior.
As there are mounting holes drilled, we'll replace it with a more period-correct aftermarket rev counter...
 
As there are mounting holes drilled, we'll replace it with a more period-correct aftermarket rev counter...

Holes can be patched up.
 
I always had a soft spot for old Opels - with my Ascona B and my Rekord E being my first two cars. Welcome to the club of car owners with decent bonnets!

;)
 
Ok people, so before I give you an update on the car and what we did so far, lets get this proof pic business over with:



And after I worked way to much for the past two weeks, as Dr_Grip already pointed out, we finally took Karl to the Soul Garage yesterday to get it checked out and fix some of the most urgent problems.



Here he is in all his glory!

Good news first – checking Karl’s underside revealed no rust issues. Some patches on the driver’s side sill we missed before purchase, but done to a very high standard (with drain holes even).



Moving on further we set ignition timing (was a bit too far advanced) and tried to do a base recalibration of the carb. Sadly, the Solex carb seems to be thoroughly fucked: The electric choke is randomly malfunctioning, sealant is smeared across the carb body, evidence of lackluster earlier repairs, but the worst thing is that the Umluftsystem (can some Brit please provide us with the word here) clearly is not working, meaning that trying to set idle speed messes with the mixture settings. For now, we found an interim setting that enables the car to run well-ish (when warm, at least) while not totally off in terms of mixture as well. Never the less, a rebuild very much is in order – great chance to get to know the car and it’s workings from the comfort of our kitchen table (close to the coffee maker).



We also checked the brake system – driver’s side front caliper was stuck, probably due to lack of use (oil change reminder in the engine bay tells us Karl has run less than 2000 kilometers in the last four years), but we managed to get it unstuck, helping with braking as well as getting rid of a very annoying high-pitched whine. On the rear, the situation is a bit worse: As usual for drum brakes, one of the cylinders is leaking (passenger side), having fouled the brake shoes with brake fluid. Also, as the seller already mentioned, the rear wheel bearings are shot, so there’s a bit of maintenance ahead there.



Finally, oil was changed.



(Visual proof that this is not Dr_Grip’s third car – that’s a Chrysler – but me actually doing my own wrenching)

All in all, though, I am still very much in love with the car and happy with my purchase, the worst surprise so far being a slight leak of the sunroof under heavy rain.

And one more question for all of you: hub caps – yes or no?




What’s coming next:
  • clean the sunroof’s drain pipes
  • fix carb
  • fix rear axle, bearing and breaks
  • fix radio – or install VDO/Continental unit
  • some interior improvements
(- buy fun 70s outfits for photo shoot at ring meet)
 
I'm really happy seeing all this stuff here! The car looks like a pearl and certainly seems like a good enthusiast/hobbyist project. The hubcaps are neat, but I'm really partial towards the partially black steelies.
 
So standard problems for such old cars, it seems. Nice to hear that there is no rust! I'd personally keep the hubcaps, but then, it looks great either way.
 
I'm in the "keep the hubcaps" camp, not a big fan of bare steelie look.

Either way, really looking forward to seeing Karl alongside Lucille at this year's Ringmeet :) The diversity in car choices is one thing I really enjoy in this community.
 
Top