I finally made the trip to go pick up the Gemi. This will be the car I will slowly build as a track car. A mate and I left for Mooloolah QLD, just west of Caloundra Wednesday night and got back with the Gemi the following evening. Only took 23hrs
We used the mate's 05 F250 as the tow vehicle. 7.3L V8 turbo diesel made light work of towing the car float and at times we literally forgot we were towing the car at all. We averaged 14.5L/100km sitting on 110 - 120 most of the time which I thought was pretty good, and I estimated it only cost about $8 - $9 extra in fuel with the car on as compared to the trip up with an empty trailer.
The Gemi is a 82 model SLX. Built originally as a drift car but never used to drift. Still looks like a nanna's car at the moment, but goes pretty hard...
She has a couple of spots of rust in the usual places Geminis get tim worm. Bottom of the driver door and a couple of small spots at the bottom corners of the rear window. Other than that she is in pretty good shape for a 28yr old car.
The V6 conversion looks ok. Needs new exhaust from the heads backwards. Radiator is still only a Gemini unit so it will also be replaced with a larger one even though it is fitted with a thermo fan and has never got hot so the previous owner told me. The engine is series 1 VN Buick that appears stock along with the T700 auto. The B&M Pro Ratchet shifter is sloppy, but is brand new so should be just a matter of adjustment. Diff is a CIG locker that makes the car more than interesting to drive. I will be hunting a limited slip center for it in the future.
Suspension needs looking at. It's had a Makita lowering kit put through it that helps handling nought.
Planned mods:
Stripped interior, carpet, hood lining, sound proofing (if any).
Race seats, harnesses, roll cage.
Limited slip diff center.
Commodore hubs and brakes.
Lowered springs, shocks, maybe suspension rubbers.
Sports steering wheel to replace the fugly stocker.
Tacho.
Suitable rims and tyres.
Wish List:
Series 2 or later engine.
5 speed if I can get it to fit.
I have other projects waiting at home that need to be finished (and started) before I can commit any time or money into the car. So it will be a slow build. Any parts I can get cheap or second hand will be the focus as this will be a low budget build. Just thought I would share my little project with you guys now before anything gets started...
