1973 OPEL GT-R ESP

2F-281973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
guides to height adjustment rings, loosen second
screw (see Figure 2F-6), and swing guides away from
guide rail.
NOTE: When swinging front guides inboard, be
careful not to change position of height adjustment
rings. It is suggested that the position of the height
adjustment rings be marked with a pencil prior to
loosening of front guide attaching screws.
5. Retighten remaining screw holding front guide in
position to prevent height adjustment rings from
turning.
6. Turn lifter guide tension springs 90 degrees in-
board and pull lifters out of sun roof panel brackets
(see Figure
2F-7).Figure
ZF-7 Pulling Rear Lifter Guide out of Sun RoofPanel BracketNOTE: Do not loosen lifter pin nut as this will
change height adjustment on rear of sun roof.
7. Lift out sun roof panel.
Installation of Sun Roof Panel1. Install sun roof panel onto guide rails and locate
panel evenly in stin roof opening.
2. Reposition front guides in original position on
guide rails. Be sure that they squarely contact guide
rails and are not cocked.
NOTE: To achieve proper clearance of front guides
to guide rail, the guides should lightly touch edge ofdshould have a clearance of no
3. Reconnect
riar lifter guides onto sun roof panel
brackets and reposition tension spring as shown in
Figure
2F-3.4. Crank sun roof fully closed and check that the rear
lifters are at approximately 90 degrees with respect
to guide rails and contact guide stops (see Figure
2F-3). If adjustment is required remove crank handle
and cable crank (see Figure 2F-4) and physically
reposition lifters to position described above. Rotate
cable crank to its fully clockwise limit and reinstall.
5. Pull sun roof frame forward and reattach to sun
roof panel.
6. Open and close sun roof several times and recheck
for smoothness of operation.
Removal of Sunlpoof Frame1. Remove sun roof panel.
2. Crank rear lifter guides to furthermost rear posi-
tion.
3. Remove screws securing upper corner plates in
position and lift out upper corner plates (see Figure
2F-8).Figure 2F-&Removing Upper Corner Plates
4. Remove scretii securing left und
r@t guide rai1%lift up front ends
of- guide rails and msert wedge
under forward g&de rail ends. Slide out sun roof
frame.

2F-301973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
3. Unscrew and remove upper and lower corner
plates (see Figure 2F-8).4. Unscrew and remove left and right upper cable
shields ans pull cable ends out of cable box.
5. Pull cable and rear lifter guides out of leftand
right guide rails.
Installation of Rear Guides and Cable1. Check both cables for wear or damage. If eigher
cable is defective, replace both cables.
2. Check pinion on cable crank (see Figure
2F-IO) for
wear or damage. If replacement of pinion is required,
also replace both cables.
Figure ZF-10 Cable Crank3. Install cables and rear lifter guides into guide rails
and work cables inward until they hit stops.
4. Unscrew and lift off cable box cover (see Figure
2F- 1 I).5. Insert cable ends into cable box and locate cable
ends in respective lower cable shields.
6. Install cable box cover, right and left upper cable
shields and right and left upper corner plates.
7. Temporarily install cable crank and crank handle.
Crank rear lifter guides to closed position. Remove
cable crank and crank handle.
8. Install sun roof panel and reposition frontguides
to original position on guide rails. Be sure frontFigure
ZF-1 1 Cable Box
guides squarely touch guide rails and are not cocked:
Also be sure sun roof panel is not cocked and is
evenly located in opening.
NOTE: To achieve proper clearance of front guides
to guide rail, the guides should lightly touch the edge
of guide rails and should have a clearance of no more
than 0.02 inch.
9. Reconnect rear lifter guides onto sun roof panel
brackets and reposition tension spring as shown in
Figure
2F-3.10. Push sun roof panel forward so that it contacts
roof panel velvet strip and manually raise rear lifters
to their 90 degree position. Sun roof panel will now
be fully closed.
11. Rotate cable crank to its limit in a clockwise
direction and reinstall.
NOTE: Be sure that drive pinion of cable crank
meshes with spirals of cable.
12. Reinstall cable crank and crank handle.
13. Pull sun roof frame forward and reattach to sun
roof panel.
14. Open and close sun roof several times to recheck
forsmoothness of operation.
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION OF DRIVE PINION
Removal1. Position sun roof in fully closed position and take
off crank handle and cable crank.

3C-22 1973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL.
FRONT END ALIGNMENT
CONTENTS
SubjectPage No.
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION:
FrontWheelAlignment
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..“...........................DIAGNOSIS: (Not Applicable)
MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS:
Inspection Before Checking Front Wheel Alignment
AdjustingCaster
. . . . . . . . ...’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adjusting Camber
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adjusting Toe-In
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .King Pin Inclination
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MAJOR REPAIR: (Not Applicable)
SPECIFICATIONS:3C-223C-223C-233C-253C-253C-26
Wheel Alignment Specifications
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3C-26
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATIONFRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Wheel alignment is the mechanics of adjusting the
position of the front wheels in order to attain the
least steering effort with a minimal amount of tire
wear.handling, but require only reasonable accuracy to
provide normal tire life. With the type of front sus-
pension used, the toe-in adjustment is much more
important than caster and camber are as far as tire
wear is concerned.
Correct alignment of the chassis is essential to proper
alignment of front and rear wheels. Briefly, the es-
sentials are that the frame must be square in plain
view within specified limits, that the top and bottom
surfaces of the front cross member must be parallel
fore and aft, and that the upper and lower control
arm must be at correct location in respect to shafts
and the front cross member. All bushings, ball joints
and bolts must be of proper torque and in usable
condition.Caster and camber adjustments need not be consid-
ered unless visual inspection shows these settings to
be out, or unless the car gives poor handling on the
road. In the majority of cases, services consisting of
inflating tires to specified pressure and interchanging
tires at recommended intervals, balancing all wheels
and tires, adjusting steering gear and setting toe-in
correctly will provide more improvement in car han-
dling and tire wear than will other front end align-
ment adjustments.
Wheel and tire balance has an important effect on
steering and tire wear. If wheels and tires are out of
balance, “shimmy” or “tramp” may develop or tires
may wear unevenly and give the erroneous impres-
sion that the wheels are not in proper alignment. For
this reason, the wheel and tire assemblies should be
known to be in proper balance before assuming that
wheels are out of alignment.The correct use of accurate front end alignment
equipment is essential to determine whether front
suspension parts have been damaged by shock or
accident, and to obtain correct alignment settings
after new parts have been installed.
MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS
Inspection Before Checking Front Wheel AlignmentClose limits on caster, front wheel camber, andBefore making any adjustment affecting caster, cam-
theoretical king pin inclination are beneficial to carber, toe-in, theoretical king pin inclination, or
steer-

3C-26 1973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
1. Loosen lock nut of left and right tie rod and
slacken back nut.
2. Remove hose clamp for rubber bellows attach-
ment from respective axial joint and adjust toe-in by
turning axial joint. When doing this, observe that the
rubber bellows, having a tight seat on thejoint, is not
twisted. If necessary, lubricate seat of bellows and
hold back bellows when turning. See Figure 3C-7.Figure
3C-7 Adjusting Toe-In Opel 1900 Manta
3. Toe-in should be l/S”
- 3/16”.
4. Torque lock nut of left and right tie rod to 47
ft.lbs.5. Attach respective rubber bellows with hose clamp,
making sure that clamp bolt points towards the
front. The rubber bellows must not be twisted, i.e.,
SpecificationsFRONT END ALIGNMENTthe individual grooves of bellows must be in vertical
position.
6. After adjustment, turn steering several times to the
left and right to determine if a proper attachment of
both rubber bellows to the steering gear housing is
warranted.
CHECKING THEORETICAL KING PIN
INCLINATION
When checking theoretical king pin inclination, car
must be on a level surface, both transversely and fore
and aft, must have trim heights within limits, and
must be at curb load.
With camber known to be within specitied limits,
theoretical king pin inclination should check to 8.5
degrees for Opel 1900
- Manta, and 6 degrees for GT.
If camber is incorrect beyond limits of adjustment
and theoretical king pin inclination is correct, or
nearly so, a bent steering knuckle is indicated.
There is no adjustment for theoretical king pin incli-
nation as this factor depends on the accuracy of the
fronts suspension parts. Distorted parts should be re-
placed with new parts.
The practice of heating and bending front suspension
parts to correct errors must be avoided as this may
produce soft spots in the metal in which fatigue and
breakage may develop in service.
MODELCASTER
’CAMBER ’TOE-INOUTER WHEEL
MIN.. MAX.WHEN INNER
WHEEL AT 20
’1900‘3
l/2-61/2-1?1/2I/% - 3/1619 l/4GT3+1
1+1/2l/32 - l/818 l/2* Permissable deviation from left to right wheel
- maximum 1”.

STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY3D- 31
Figure 3D-9 Removing Tie Rods
5. Remove pinion shaft from gear assembly, and then
withdraw rack from gear assembly.
6. From steering gear housing remove “0” rings
from retainer and pinion bushing. Also take out
thrust washer. See Figure
3D-17.
Disassembly (Opel
1900. Manta)1. Carefully clamp steering gear assembly in soft jaw
vise.2. Disconnect left and right tie rod end from respec-
tive axial joint (locknut). See Figure
3D-10. The ball
joint of the tie rod end is maintenance-free, must not
be disassembled and has to be replaced as an assem-
bly only.
Figure 3D-10 Removing Tie Rod Ends from Axial
Joint3. Remove clamping wire and hose clamp from rub-
ber bellows. Remove bellows from steering gear
housing and axial joint. See Figure
3D-10.4. Disconnect ball stud of axial joint from rack (lock
plate, stop plate). To do this, counterhold rack with
open-end wrench to avoid damage to the teeth. See
Figure
3D-11. The axial joint is maintenance-free,
must not be disassembled and has to be replaced as
an assembly only.
Figure
3D-1 1 - Removing Axial Joint
5. Loosen adjusting screw locknut, screw out adjust-
ing screw and remove thrust spring as well as bearing
shell out of adjusting screw opening.
6. Remove sheet metal cap from steering gear hous-
ing and remove hex nut from pinion. Do not turn
pinion in end position.
7. Pull pinion and rack out of steering gear housing.
Reassembly. GT1. Clamp steering gear housing in a soft jaw vise as
shown (see Figure 3D-17) and reassemble new “0”
rings onto retainer and pinion shaft bushing. Also
install thrust washer onto pinion bushing.
Coat all moving parts during reassembly with suita-
ble steering gear lubricant. Fill long end of housing
with approximately
l-3/4 oz. steering gear lubricant.
2.. Insert long toothless end of rack into short end of
housing until rack protrudes equally (approximately
Z- 7/S inch) out of both ends of housing. See Figure3D- 13.

3E- 361973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
and ignition switch in RUN position, the fog lights
are automatically switched off. Direction signals
work in the normal manner; pushing the lever up for
right turn signal and pulling the lever down for left
turn signal.
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION OF HORN
The horn button is located in the center part of the
steering wheel. The horn is actuated by pushing on
the ends of the spokes for the Opel 1900 - Manta and
by pushing on the center horn button on 57R, 57L,
and GT. The button is provided with a plug connec-
tion for each springloaded plunger. See Figure
3E-3.Figure
3E-3 Horn Button Connections (Opel 1900Manta)DESCRIPTION OF STEERING COLUMN
ASSEMBLYThe steering column mast jacket is provided with a
tube-frame section
.(See B of Figure 3E-4) with
bulges which compresses or folds itself, if a suffi-
ciently large energy is exerted to one or other end of
the steering mast jacket assembly. This tube-frame
section absorbs most of the energy. The steering col-
umn consists of two parts, the upper and lower mast
jacket assembly and’the steering shaft. The
upp,ersteering mast is firmly connected to the tube while
the lower steering mast is clearance-free attached to
the tube by means of injected plastic (See Figure
3E-4). Consequently, the steering mast withstands
all torsional stresses.
As soon as the primary energy becomes effective, the
plastic pins (c) shear off and the steering shaft com-
presses. Thereafter the steering mast jacket is partly
compressed.
A slide-off base is welded to the steering mast jacket.
It is provided with two (2) slots for the respective
attaching bolts. A metal piece (See Figure 3E-4) is
located in each slot which is attached to the slide-off
base with injected plastic. The open sides of the slots
face the driver so that the primary energy cannotpush the steering mast jacket assembly into the pas-
senger compartment. The secondary energy caused
by the driver can on the other hand effect a shearing
of the plastic pins and loosening of the slide-off base
so that it moves downwards. Thereby the steering
mast jacket assembly is compressed further and ab-
sorbs the impact energy to a large extent.
The energy absorbing steering is not more suscepti-
ble to damage than a standard steering. However, the
steering mast jacket assembly, especially if removed,
has in contrast with the standard steering to be given
a difierent treatment.
Figure
3E-4 Energy Absorbing Steering Column
The energy absorbing steering column must by no
means be subject to impacts or blows. A sharp blow
onto the exposed steering shaft ends, leaning onto
steering column or dropping may loosen or even
shear off the plastic attachments which bring about
rigidity of assembly. In spite of a steering column
damaged in this way the operating function of the
steering is retained due to the lateral flattenings on
steering shaft tube and lower steering shaft. How-
ever, after a short period of operation rattling noises
will be noticeable so that the steering column has to
be replaced. For pulling steering wheel off steering
column use appropriate special tool. Therefore, it is
of importance that the instructions for removal and
installation as well as disassembly and assembly are
Strictly adhered to.
MAJOR REPAIRREMOVAL AND INSTALLATION OF
STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY
The removal of this assembly is only necessary for

3E. 441973 OPEL SERVICE’MANUAL
Figure 3E-17 Steering Column Bracket
installed in a car it is no more susceptible to damage
through usage than an ordinary column; however,
when the column is removed, special care must be
taken in handling this assembly.Only the speufied
wheel puller should be used.When the column is removed from the car, such
actions as a sharp blow on the end of the steering
shaft laying things across or on top of the column
assembly, leaning on the column assembly, or drop-
ping of the assembly could shear or loosen the plastic
fasteners that maintain column rigidity or possibly
bend the assembly causing a binding condition.
It is
therefore important that the removal and installation
and the disassembly and reassembly procedures be
strictly followed when servicing this assembly.The steering column assembly is attached with a
bracket (A) at four points to the connecting brace
below the instrument panel. See Figure
3E-17. The
two upper bolts are designed as tear-lock-bolts. A
bolt (B) is welded to the bracket which engages in an
narrowing elongated hole. The same applies to the
upper bolt (C) of the steering column lower bearing
attachment which engages in a hole of the connect-
ing brace.
As soon as a sufficiently large secondary energy
becomes effective, the steering mast jacket slides to-
wards the front whereby the bolt (B) as well as the
bolt head (C) is additionally pushed into the respec-
tive narrowing elongated holes. Both elongated holes
are arranged so that the primary energy cannot push
the steering mast assembly into the passenger com-
partment.
The GT steering column incorporates two universaljoints to allow
~for the offset between the steering
column and the gear assembly.
The upper steering column assembly is connected to
the center steering shaft with one universal joint,
while the lower universal joint connects the center
steering shaft to the steering gear pinion shaft.
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION OF STEERING
WHEELThis procedure may be performed with the steering
column assembly either removed or installed in the
car.Removal
1. Disconnect battery.
2. Remove horn cap.
3. Bend lockplate tabs down and remove steering
wheel nut, lockplate and washer.
4. Mark shaft and wheel hub for reassembly align-
ment.
5. Remove steering wheel using steering wheel puller
J-21686. Do not rap on end of puller in order to free
wheel from shaft as this would very likely loosen
plastic injections that maintain steering shaft rigid-
ity. Striking of underside of steering wheel to jar it

3F. 521973 OPEL SERVICE MANUAL
3. Install rubber grommet, retainer and self-locking
nut at top of shock absorber. Torque to 10 lb. ft.
Always use new self-locking nuts.
REAR SPRING REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION
Rear Spring Removal1. Raise rear of car with floor jack under differential
carrier and support with jack stands positioned un-
der side jack brackets. See Figure
3F-2.Figure 3F-3 Removing Coil
SpringFigure 3F-2 Raising Rear of Car
2. Remove rear wheels.3. Disconnect shock absorbers from rear axle.
4. Disconnect stabilizer and shackles, if equipped,
from frame.
5. Lower rear axle assembly as far as possible withoutputting the brake hose under stress.
6. If necessary, tilt the rear axle assembly to remove
springs. See Figure
3F-3. Note the upper and lower
rubber damper rings.
Rear Spring Installation
1. Make certain the lower damper rings are properly
positioned in the spring seats and position the springsin their respective position in the damper rings. See
Figure
3F-4.2. Properly install upper damper rings on springs.
CAUTION: Fasteners are important attaching parts in
that they could affect the performance of vital corn-
ponents and systems, and/or could result in major
repair expense. They must be replaced with one of
the same part number or with an equivalent part if
replacement becomes necessary. Do not use a
re-
placement part of lesser
qua/ity or substitute designFigure 3F-4 Installing Coil Spring
Torque values must be used as specitied during reas-
sembly to assure proper retention of these parts.3. Raise rear axle assembly to compress springs in
their seats.
4. Attach shock absorbers and tighten retaining nuts
to 15 Ib.ft. For the GT and 47 lb.ft. for the Opel 1900
- Manta.
5. Attach stabilizer shackles, if equipped, to axle
brackets and tighten bolts to 25 lb. ft. with vehicle at
curb weight.
6. Install rear wheels torquing lug nuts to 65 lb.ft.