Opel Kadett Gassers

I grew up watching this old Opel gasser running local here in Ohio, when I bought my second house their shop was right down the street. I would stop in and talk and always asked if they wanted to sell let me know. Last time I seen the car was 2007 at the Hot Rod Reunion at National Trail Raceway. I got that phone call last week and now the 1969 Opel Kadett is in my garage. Here is some pictures, if anybody has any photos of the car please share.
Dave.

 

One of the cool items that came with it is the magnesium case Doug Nash 5 speed complete with everything to put it back in the car. The magnesium wheels were a nice bonus also. Its a small block Chevy with a single four right now but the tunnel ram and lots of extra carbs were also included. These pictures are when it was just painted in 1974. It was green and black before Rainbow.

 

looks too cool!

 

Hell Yes !!!

 

I remember that car and Jack Ditmars "Mini Brute" NICE!

 

wait till american opel sees this hes gonna be your new best friend

 

Now go and buy a lottery ticket, you lucky man Keep us informed on any progress.

Happy Days

 

Nice find. Looks like the car has been very well maintained over the years.

Have fun with it.

 

I know........LOL! Maybe the only two Opel Kadett race cars and both here in Ohio. Actually there is or was a third here in Ohio down around Cincy, here is a pic of it.

 

Now that I think about it I remember another one recently here in Ohio, a Kadett Wagon. Dont know what happend to this one.

 

The Kadett LOOKS GREAT...... awesome stainless steel sheet metal work in the interior. Looking forward to hearing & seeing MORE about your "mini-gasser".

The HAMB-er that owns this blue Opel SW is still around & still owns it.

Here's mine.... former drag-only car being converted to street/strip with an even MORE "nasty" SBC

 

Since the Rainbow was said the be green and black my first thought it was this car, also a local car that disappeared. I found out the guy who built it lives less than a mile from me "Chris Buttler" he also built several of the Rod Shop cars. He said mine is not this car, I saw a picture of the chassis and for sure its not the same car.

 

just a few days ago this one appeared on the photoshop thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7848545#post7848545

also, i've been thinking, but never came up with any better idea than making a gasser out of one of the pre-war kadetts (although, of course, finding the soviet copy - the Moskvich 400 - would be way cheaper and less people would be complaining)

*edit* John himself beat me to it im slow with my english

 

Only other vintage photo I have.

 

Dave:

You must be one happy guy. Very nice and congrats.

Close friends father had a Kadett back in the days. Bone stock was his daily. He took unbelievable care of the car. Going so far to order touch up paint from Opel,in Germany. This was still of the time of East and West Germany.
So anyway now you have an excuse to come to The Empire Gold Cups.
PLEASE....
Best to ya
Luke

 

Perhaps My rodding education is a lil shorted. What makes a car a gasser? what makes that opel a gasser?

 

I think there was a Mullins & Buddo chopped Opel A Kil-Kare in the late 60's & early 70's.Looked alot like this one.

 

That is double throw-down bad ass!
That interior looks like it was a real high-end car when it was built, too.
Especially the edge of the dash at the door opening--not just bent, but formed.

So what are your plans for it?
Sounds like it'd be a riot of a car to get back into racing condition.

-Brad

 

Gassers were a gas burning self starting classes that were rated by cubic inch to weight ratios, A/G B/G C/G D/G and so on. The bodys had to be stock appearing but fiberglass was allowed. Rules changed over the years but this is the basics.

 

My fathers, 68 Kadett built in 72, this picture was around 74, 427 chevy 4 speed it was sold about 7-10 times, i got it back I lowered it put in a 396, tube chassis and then sold it (just the body). Some of those import guys got it,, put a rotary in it last I heard it hit a wall at Englishtown a couple of years ago.He also built a 67 wagon with a 400 small block I had pictures on my computer and when it crashed I lost all of them, we were not picture takers so pictures are few and far between. A friend of my sons father had actually owned the wagon and let me scan pictures, that car was sold about 20 times but ironically it ended up with a friend of a friend, and he is undoing all the years of being a race car,it had received lexan windows, snorkel scoop,etc, but otherwise remains pretty much the same. It's only one town over, after going all over the place including Florida.I will try and get pictures of the wagon up again.

 

Great find. I always felt that the Opels were the rightful heirs to the Anglia's after they became scarce in the gasser classes. Blown or normally aspirated, they were all cool.

 

Dave that is a COOOOOL car You were correct the alum work is NICE !!!! very nice find .

Trouble

 

Great Looking Car.

 

I remember year ago like 68 possibly 70 I was at Mn Custom Fab it was next door to a frame shop I was workin in one week Austin A40,built Opel Kadett, and I want to say a dodge colt all full out drag cars ,the Opel always stuck with me as did all three, love those little guys all-though I know they were a hand full on the big end!!!

 

some pics i found on the net.

 

Haaaa.... LoL!!!! Yep I did.

I first started liking Opels when I was station in Germany '67-69. Always liked the Opel Rallye Kadetts.

So much so when I came home I ended buying one. A GOLD '69 Rallye, Kept it until I got out of college and then bought a bad a** SS '67 Camaro.

The Opel Kadetts & GT's made awesome gassers. A little surprised you don't see more of them around today.

I have always wanted a "gasser". Especially a Willys coupe (too pricey).... thought it would be a something like a '50's Chevy .... never thought it would be another Opel..... especially a station wagon.

Really like owning something so unique ...... always liked being different. (One of the reasons I ride an Indian motorcycle).

Currently converting the Opel from Drag Car to "street/strip" with an even "nastier" engine than the one that came with the car. Lots more things to do to make it "streetable" than I thought and even more to make it street legal.

The Opel will probably not see much action this Summer. Way too many things to do.

It'll be worth the wait to be able to drive a "small piece" of drag racing history.

 

OK, so there I am in Germany in uncle Sam's army in 1967-69. I just made E-5 which gave me the priviledge of having my own car but damn! I was making very little money and American cars were scarce and expensive. The gasser wars were winding down in the US but still strong in Europe. I bought a 57 Opel Kadette for a hunert bucks...needed a valve job. I was able to score a head from an earlier Opel with a smaller displacement...smaller combustion chambers!
Yanked the front bumper, made my own spring spacers and for the cost of a head gasket I had my "gasser"...4 speed and all. Made my own "flowmaster" muffler from an old 105 round.
Yeah, it was a slug.

 

That old body style would really be cool to have here in the U.S. and made into a "gasser".

Opel's did not start being imported to the U.S. until 1964 (by Buick). So many Kadetts were sold in 1969, that the Opel was the #2 import vehicle sold in the USA (second only to VW). Buick stopped importing Opels to the U.S. in 1972.

 

I know there was alot of them back in the early 70's but where did they all go? Since I bought this one I have been searching for body trim parts and there is NOTHING for sale. It made me look for complete cars and the only cars out there are the GT's. I cant get over how rare these things are when there was so many 40 years ago!

 

The Buddo and Mullins Opel from Hamilton. Ohio...I watched it race often when I was a kid.When I was about 21 yrs old I jumped on my motorcycle one day and rode to Hamilton determined to find that car. After inquiring around the local speed shops I actually found Bud Mullins house. I knocked on the door and asked if .he still had it and would sell it. Yes and yes! $1800, no motor and trans, I couldn't scrape up the money...Hey , a guy can dream! That was in 1976.