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[Ratboy]

Hello,
Last august i treated myself with a new old daily driver in the form of an unrestored 1964 opel rekord A 1700.   
This model was the last that rolled of the line before GM bought opel BUT the body styling was done by them after
their famous Chevy Nova and Chevelle models. Because of economical reasons they have used the rolling chassis
from the previous models dating back to 1937 and was also the last model using a 6 volt system.
the 1700cc engine has a jawdropping 60HP and a dazzeling topspeed of 85mls/h and 8" drumbrakes all arround with no
booster. it does run great for its age but for daily driving it just comes short for safe highway commuting.
My first idea was to do an engine swap with one of the newer CIH engines used in the sucessor....Untill i got this offered to me
I was able to get hold of a 96 omega MV6 full option with absolutely no rust and entire service history for 400€. it has 240.000 km on de dash
and even a recent MOT. Only the leather driver seat has been replaced by a normal one but still has the full electric base, and the electric shade
in the back is broken but fixable.
First of all i do realise that i will step on some omega fans hearts by saying that i'm going to use this as a donor car for my rekord.
I don't want to do an engine swap and go, my goal is to go as far as possible in using as much as possible, call it recycling an omega into a rekord body
so engine tranny driveline suspension right down to the usable electronics and just disable unused with the "My Naff Code Reader" software.
i think that all of the omegas nom noms put into a rwd car that weighs 600kg less will make a pretty fun rubber burning little monster that not
only goes like hell in a straight line but just as fun going arround a corner and stop on a daim so all safety aspects are met to make a responsible road/track car
and not just some "frankenstein hotrod unsafe tiewrap and ductape hold together thing that barely passes MOT.
the rekords bodyshell will also be strenghtened with aditional sheetmetal on vital places to handle the HP's and torque.
only the front suspension will stay. reason for this is because the bodyshells design is not calculated to impacts from struts but as the rekord was available
also in a (badly cooled) straight six. stiffer springs are available to take the heavier engine without problems.
steering i dont see alot of issues as the basic layout is identical, but i do fancy the omegas independent rear suspension and limited slip so i will try to get it adapted
to get rid of whats now leafsprings and axle
if you have any toughts or ideas i will be happy to hear them
best regards,
ratboy

[BazaJT]

This sounds fascinating.I myself cannot "see" a project like this,nor do I have the skills to carry such a thing through,but I have much admiration for those that can.Looking forward to further posts regarding progress on this.Good luck with it.

[Mr Gav]

Sounds fascinating, looking forward to seeing it happen 

[pauls]

Dont forget lots of pictures

[Ever Ready]

Will follow your build with interest, always like the idea of putting a larger engine in a smaller car


If you're looking for inspiration then search for E.J.Potter aka The Michigan Madman who put a V8 Chevy in to a motorcycle and jet engines into estate cars 

[Ratboy]

thx for all the interest
what bigger engines is concerned others also suggested to use a v8. lol i even have a spare chevy small block from my Gmc vandura but NO.
the original idea was to use an old straight six chevyblock but it will not fit unless i cut and move the firewall back.
my choice to use an omega is first of all its alot easier if you use a donor from the same manufacturer. you basicly use a more evolved model
then the project car so you will still come across alot of similar basic items AND just as important the way they are mounted onto the car itself.
i also look to weight distribution. if i would fit a v8 it would get noseheavy and for cornering not good.
the shorter 3.0 V6 i have enough room and gives me the advantage of putting the engine more back over the front axle to improve weight distribution
and handling. and if i can add the entire rear suspension from the omega and move back the batterie to the trunk i will get pretty close to a 60/40
or even 55/45 front to back weight making it a really nice road/track car EVEN with the automatic transmission witch i'm keeping btw
and last but not less important the electronics department. as the omega is a pre canbus car i can splice cut and add all wiring needed or not needed
without having to worry about canbus protocols. and also i can use my kenwood radio with usb and built in parrot from my estate that also has the ability
to communicate with the dashboard TID screen and steering wheel buttons to keep the factory look.
the most difficult will be trying to fit the omega interior into the rekord and adapting the climate control system and pipes for the ventilation and airco
metal you can weld wires can be cut but you will always see a wrong cut in a dashboard.
oh speaking of the omega dash, for those who done it i will make it easier to replace the heater core.
i done it on my estate the official way by taking out the dash. even drove arround for a week with all wires hanging out
and even police calling me they tought someone stole my radio airbags and all. then telling them it was ok as i was waiting for an extra part

[anV6]

Sounds like a great project. Looking forward to follow it here.