Classic Opel Spares

Alastair Macaulay owns a fine brace of Opel Kadett C series coupes. One is a stripped out, highly modified, speed machine; the other he wants to keep completely original.
Last year I was able to find him some brightwork trim, mostly side strips and wheel arch mouldings.

In recent weeks I was able to find a couple more Opel Kadett mouldings and a door weatherstrip for him.

For sale - Opel Kadett C series Trim

Kim Kullberg hails from Finland and keeps a collection of no fewer than 6 Opel Kadett B series. He spotted the bodywork list at markkinnon.com where a selection of wheel arch trims are listed for the Kadett B.

The level of detailing that went into the design of brightwork on classic cars has become a lost art. Since the 1980s cars have evolved into ever simpler, flowing, organic designs, which of course is a whole lot cheaper too.
Although this type of stainless steel trim is prone to stone damage, denting, retains mud which can lead to corrosion; when pristine it is a thing of great beauty.

Car brightwork - a thing of beauty

The Opel Manta A series is probably one of the two best looking models Opel produced; the other being the original Opel GT sports car.
If the bodywork had been made of fibreglass, aluminium or stainless steel, it would have been a distinct improvement though.
The Manta body shell is a typical GM monocoque design but is more complex than its contemporaries and hides rust well, which is not a good thing.

Mick and Caroll are busy rebuilding their Manta A series and have been able to source replacement inner wings from a German company. Not included were the braces which mount to the outside of the inner wings and can be quite a rust trap.
I had a single pair of repair sections left in stock, these were sold under the Veng brand here in the UK up until the late 1990s. Unusually for pattern parts the finish is very good, with an attractive spray painted finish. Much better than the usual dipped matt black paint.

Veng branded inner wing braces - nice finish

Mick James is converting his Opel Manta A series from an auto gearbox to manual. The automatic gearbox is quite effective on the Manta A, but does not suit the sporty nature of the vehicle and is also somewhat inefficient. All of which leads to reduced miles per gallon. The manual conversion provides an ideal opportunity to fit the excellent 5 speed gearbox fitted to the later versions of the Manta B series.

Mick was able to source a flywheel, clutch, gearbox and prop shaft easily enough but got stumped for a clutch pedal, pedal box and manual gearbox centre console. Most recently he discovered that he needed the plate that mounts to the top of the transmission tunnel and provides a fixing for the gear lever gaiter.

Luckily I have a well stocked box of salvaged parts and was able to oblige.

Mounting plate, not sexy but very useful.