TX gemini racecar.

[F|sh]

This is my race car build thread. My other thread should get better soon regarding the motor conversion as i almost have everything to restart it!

(looks at 2Ofdem whereis my bellhousing?)

Back in 2002 i was giving a racecar. I rang my friend up as it was sitting in his hsed doing nothing and had been sitting under a tree for 7 years. He said he wasn't using it anymore and i could have it. Sweet.

So i strated on it. It was pretty rough. Had no front end and was covered in dust. had leaves through it and an alloy half cage. And rust. Most of the supports on the side were going and so were the bottom were the guards join the sills.

This is what the car looked liked before it sat for so long.
http://www.fester.jazi.net/EVLGEM/racegem1.jpg

then this is what i got. The rust repairs have been finished and the new cage done this was done after advice was to ditch the alloy cage and go steel and stiffen the whole car up.
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SQBYDmkVE*2aIGHwKRv1vDHHOemDCsa3gXol0nnpC2H0ggUki 9pJE0yXUOoclJa4KvBWgyqeNzxQ7brxQGMONM58Ah4rCMOu2b7 V5pBLt*Pi3XRVBc10dQ/IM000423.JPG
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SQA4D24VU*6aIGHwKRv1vBv0WG9!j8jQsKX7fNMxj40tWX9!H ZaiBQRZHd4ktqCpHamn1neSQWprSZUMSzlQoPqbF!MuR7CvG6V 7Kr7CjVbomrPGBpIz3Q/IM000428.JPG

You can see part of the cage in this photo.

[F|sh]

SO you can kind of see how bad the car was when we got it.

While the car was away getting the cage built and the seams stitched welded at Maitland performance Fabrications. I sent an engine away to get built to these specs. Actually turned out to be two...

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RgDMGvQUoNkQp2E3twUa09jBRE1plVkB4*g2um075fvmBrT2z 2ymEs*eKxiPuX8yloozHUNBq8*tatGpcVkvcCBA2WBSsA1qOHu HM6r97Sk/P?dc=4675401220993612423

The previous two Engine specs as best I can remember -
1800 bored to 2ltr
Fully balanced of course
ASK billet flywheel - got lightened when cage was modified for clearance.
flat top pistons with valve reliefs
Mega super duper head work including p+p, valves, springs.
Stage 5 crow cam
Twin 44 downdraught webers
Extractors leading into a 6 foot system

Both of these motors went bang. So this and my pursuit to catch the pack has lead to teh 3sge being purchased.

Now we also ordered many many parts. Koni sports (yellow shocks) and gemini series springs. We ended up just using the fronts becuase i fucked up and chopped the rears instead of putting them in the right way (upside down ms jane). Aeroquip 3/8th line and many many speedflow fittings.
66
Standard slotted rotors recond master cylinder. 14 inch rims. Harness and window netting.

So when the car did come back about 6 weeks later we did start to assemble and prime and clean as paint. We cleaned the cage and primed it to stop it rusting and the engien bay too. Then i took the bootlid in to get the paint matched. Came back with all nissan colours........ The engine bay and cage and interior were all painted in basic white.

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/1227/interiordu9.jpg

Once this was done the dash was modified to fit around the cage and the top section reskinned. That was done at first class motor trimmers in Maddington. Nice bloke les and he is redoing the road car too.

[F|sh]

The dash once installed.

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/669/dashqh2.jpg

so the car is getting there. Its been around 4 months by now. IIRC. Dash is in Kill switch is in the new 3 core from melville cooling supply's in and we can roll the car around.

Its about this time the proper koni's rocked up just for the fronts. As it was around 10 months into the build the rears came. (after dealing with one bloke saying the shocks are no longer made and that you should use these. Only to find out whiteline took a month to get another blokes in. So fuck the WA STATE distrubitor of Koni's back in 2003)

Most of the time was spent just getting parts in and fitted like suspension bushes and brake lines.

about two months the motor mk1 arrived and we assembled all the other bits on it. The webers, electric dizzy and flywheel. Now this motor threw a rod. could of been becuase the clutch and flywheel werent balanced with this motor? or did just fuck up and over tighten a main bearing.

so we installed the motor too with our special cable tie bracket for holding the battery down.

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/6803/engine2zi1.jpg

And yes it runs after that pic was taken all the wiring was cleaned up a proper battery clamp was fitted and she ran. Only didn't like being sat around for too long. No engine fan meant 250 degree's f fucking quickly!!!!!!

After that it was just small things like glass and a wash and a polish.

We finished it july 2003 becuase i was made redundant and i used about $2000 of my redundancy to finish the car and get it to the track to race. We qualified last and had no corner speed at all (never ever got to have pratice and we bent all the valves a weekend before). After that race we dropped a tensioner and car and i went to maitlands performance fabrication to make it quicker and better in appearance. We removed one of the rollcage bars and changed seats and added bigger brakes and alloy fuel tank. Cut and repaired more rust and lightened even further!

i think thats enough for tonight. there are large gaps but i will fix them with photo's of the car complete at the 2003 Truck meeting at Barbagallo. This is why the trucks has an appeal to me. It was the very very first race i participated in and i always try to make it to these rounds.

[Teamgemini]

Looks the goods mate, must get ours out of the garage soon, karts too expensive....

Something about the TX coupe shape that I love.

BTW you wouldn't know of anyone with a 1800 or 2000 block that they want to get rid of for cheap??

Tim

[F|sh]

Tim,

i would ask Dale if his mate pete has one laying around. if not jump on ozgemini.com for a gander.

[F|sh]

When i had finally got the car all finsihed this is what she looked like

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/9310/2003rw6.jpg

It hadn't changed much from the first photo really.

The car was at maitland performance fabrication for 8 months while i had no income so i traded it for work. IE you work on my car and store it and i'll do all the jobs you hate and still work on my car.

The first thing we did was clean up the sound deadener and remove the box and fit a decent clutch to the car.

http://img480.imageshack.us/img480/3994/clutchsc5.jpg

Then we fitted the new seat and modified the rollcage and new fuel tank and new brakes.
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6992/tank1ev1.jpg
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4132/tank2yo0.jpg
http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/4623/newseatde3.jpg
http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/1084/brakesyi9.jpg

and then it got dyno'd

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/2148/dynoqn0.jpg

[F|sh]

Sorry last photo wasn't much chopped.

http://www.highoctanephotos.com/modules/circuit/albums/userpics/Wanneroo/20070812_SuperTrucks/20070812_IMG_8381.jpg

this is what i worked on while at steve's workshop and a host other cars ranging from a Group C escort to a MK1 for targa and falcon.

[F|sh]

After i got the car back from Steve's workshop and out on to the circut we threw a rod badly. :(

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/2613/bang1mw3.jpg
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/3846/bang2uq8.jpg

i had to repair the sump and do some mods to it so it wouldn't happen again.

To the sump we added a 100mm bowl about 100mm high. With slots around it to allow oil to flow into it. There was also a bit of angle in the sump that was stopping oil flowing into the sump. we removed it and the engine suddenly stop starving for oil.

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/450/dsc003671am.th.jpg (http://img370.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc003671am.jpg)
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/4572/sump25tq.jpg
http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/8903/dsc003688bq.th.jpg (http://img354.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc003688bq.jpg)

You can see my dodgy welding there too. The new pick up was made becuase the old one got damaged beyound repair.

[F|sh]

We also added this. Made by a mate of mine back in perth.

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/9888/guagesly5.jpg

And it gave the car a more racey feel to it. While doing this all on a budget.

then the next motor.

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/2539/200hpii6.jpg

which then came with this :)

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/7555/dsc00256bw0.jpg
http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/3858/dsc00257ak8.jpg
http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/5900/dsc00258ul9.jpg

i then reassembled it in one weekend becuase the V8's were shit! and boring.

so when on the track it finally got to this.

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/574/dsc003811yl.jpg

[F|sh]

And then motor number 2 goes bang in a bad way. Not a rod but a valve head. $1000 worth of head down the drain. I think the valve length was incorrect and was stretching. So this is when we decided the 3sge was the goer.

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/1579/dsc004037pl.jpg
http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/5387/dsc003964ur.jpg
http://img430.imageshack.us/img430/1306/dsc004051ez.jpg

[F|sh]

then i got some more cash and bought these too

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/1613/dsc004175wt.jpg
Piazza rear disc brakes for $300.
and shaved 0.5 from my lap time with my best now being a 1:13.9

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/696/dsc004188zy.jpg
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7131/dsc004192ww.jpg


Then this is where it stalls. I have spent so much money on it for the 3sge that i am taking a small break from it. Having spent now $7000 for parts and not having the car together is a pain. I was hoping to do it on a budget but its not happening anytime soon.

[Grumpy Rooster]

I don't understand how you make so many Isuzu engines go bang. My mate has been flogging the absolute crap out of his for years and its still going. It made about the same power as that shown on your graph and gets driven every day about 50km to and from his workshop.

I'm not having a go at you, just genuinely intrigued why they are going bang. It must be the circuit work rather than drag and street use???

[rowdytoot]

I'm intrigued too, I've only lost 1 rally engine, and that was just due to shear blow by- it couldn't keep oil in it. otherwise the things get changed up at valve bounce RPM on every shift. The previous engine had something like 2000 km of flat out abuse on it.

The new one is only up to about 500 km at the moment but is sweet as a nut

[Chad]

Yours and Trave KE 55's datsuns look the same!

[F|sh]

the first one we either over torqued the big end bearing on number 4 or it was due to oil starvation.

Number 2 was becuase of either incorrect valve length or not enough piston to valve clearance.

thats rwhp too btw.

[Grumpy Rooster]

Yep. I know thats rwhp. My mates made just over 120hp at the rears. Similar setup. G200, dual 44IDF's, big cam, extensive headwork etc. It drives really nice. I'm surprised how well it drives actually. Has heaps of usable power throughout the rev range.

Which rockers did you use? The standard Gemini ones or the lighter Rodeo ones?

[Ze]

Why did you choose a 3SGE over building another engine? and being extra careful with the clearances and torques this time?

[F|sh]

Grumpy,

We used the standard gemini rockers. If you search for a previous post of mine. we had engine dramas from the start.

Oh yes the engine was so bloody drivable!!! i couldn't beleive the pick-up and acceleration of out corners!!

Ze the 2nd motor was better as in the engine lasted more than a full race but the engine having a miss noise at 5000rpm or greater meant coasting down the rear straight and not using the full potentional of the motor. I changed the bent valve instead of getting the engine rebuilder too. So my mistake. I got the correct valve as i was told what it was and i slapped it in. Now the head was rebuilt after the rod let go in engine no1. they repaired the chamber and refaced it.

Also the 3sge - newer more potent engine and makes more power for the same mods.

With the E.O.I. i have put in depending on outcome we will build one last G200Z. With everything shotpeened.

[F|sh]

well bit of an update.

The car is now at tony flood mechanical in welshpool. I go down and work on it every tuesday night. I got a tailshaft and a starter motor for it so its going slowly. I finally got to see the manifold with the throttle bodies on it and its the ducks nuts! hopefully guido doesn't cry when he see's what we did to the fiat manifold......

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5015/pic0115110bk8.jpg
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/9775/pic0115111je8.jpg

not bad for a total of $300

[F|sh]

finally got a bit more done to the racecar. Repairing the rust.

this is what i did first. Cut the rusty section out. then made a template. then fitted it to it.
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6871/pic0205117ab9.jpg

then we welded that section in.

then i cut a bit of RHS up and fit that to get the profile of the bootlip. it was to intricent to bend up.

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/4562/pic0219121ln3.jpg

then this is the finished product.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3149/pic0220122ky0.jpg

[AlexinPerth]

I remember reconstructing a number of areas like this in my first rustbucket.. err.. car.
It's kind of rewarding, but annoyingly time consuming too.

Engine's looking good. Tony's a good bloke hey.

Alex.

[F|sh]

Yes And Very Helpful. I Don't Mind Going There On A Tuesday Just To Watch Him Work And Build Motors. I Hope He Doesn't Mind All The Questions I Ask.

[F|sh]

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/7816/pic0325125cp5.jpg

Fuel lines are in and done

[Lurch]

Keep at it Fish - you'll be on the track in no time ;)

[TJ]

Have you ended up going 3S?

Please tell me your not wasting your time with the shitter motors.

[F|sh]

yes going 3s and yes its going to go hard. Specially who i have begged to build the motor for me.

Btw Tj that V6 motor is still there and so is a V4?

[TJ]

Out of my price range atm.

Right now my price range is 0.

HTH :(

[10sec_rx7]

nice work mate

if you need a ecu or a logger let me know and ill cut you a good deal for a sticker on the car :)

[F|sh]

Dale i have the ECU but a logger sounds nice :) - wish my fuel setup was as nicely set as yours but when your using pre existing stuff not much you can do.

I know pete looked at a price for me and was supposed to build me another surge tank like the one in the pic. Can you give him a kick in the pants for me?

Also anyone got an easyway to put those pushlock fittings on? they are cunts of a thing.

[10sec_rx7]

shoot me a pm of what you need for the logger,

pete just started a new job so ill see if he has time to do anything for ya

[Guido]

Put the lines in boiling hot water and then push harder than Muz on a Friday night at the beat.

[F|sh]

Did That Using Vaseline And Rost Off.

[Guido]

Did That Using Vaseline And Rost Off.

At the beat or with the 400 series?

[F|sh]

with the 400 series.

[F|sh]

removed the gearbox mounts
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/8913/pic0401129zr5.jpg

gearbox in

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/9326/pic0401134sr2.jpg
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3156/pic0401135fx7.jpg

Next tuesday the motor and box get fitted up. I then will fit it in the engine bay and see how it looks and if tony is happy with it then i guess cutting and shaping happens. Must remember to take a notepad with me so i can remember everything he says and where everything has to go

[F|sh]

fitted the gearbox and engine last . the shifter sits about 4 inches back now.
just got to see if the motor is back more than the orginal motor but we can use the orginal distrubitor.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2133/pic0408139pw0.jpg

[F|sh]

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/942/pic0415141wi3.jpg
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/8169/pic0415142np1.jpg

[F|sh]

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v284/81/24/524699683/n524699683_469140_7492.jpg

[TJ]

Edo been west taking pics?

[F|sh]

na just my dodgy ZTE phone.

[SLO78U]

why so much work for the powah ?? the stock SR in the corona made 96.7RWKW/129.6769RWHP at 6500rpm. no mods. just a stock import motor.

is something like than an option or are you running to a set of specific class rules ??

good to see it's all coming together again.

more pics required !!!

[F|sh]

its all to a set of rules called improved production.

and i have to run an engine that was in a car availble in a holden guise.

[SLO78U]

Ah i see. so it's to fit into the IP rules.

the rally rules are pretty good like that. just engine size and wheelbase and drive line.

surely there has to be a better option engine wise.

[F|sh]

a 4age stroked out is a good option too...

[out_in_front]

What holden did the 4AG come in??

[Taylz]

Early 90s Holden Novas came out with a 4AFC - close enough.

[F|sh]

yeap and she would have another 30kg's off the front axle.

[F|sh]

got the tunnel cut cleaned up and the gearbox and motor in the location i want. Measured how far the counterweights on the crank sit past the block last night too.

Started on a design for the sump and bought this too.

http://www.techmasters.com.au/forum/download/file.php?id=363

[VE Safari]

Here's a couple of shots that might inspire you a bit. I didn't actually see the car out on the track on the day, but it looked the part and was well presented.

http://i32.tinypic.com/2mnkewy.jpg

http://i31.tinypic.com/1z2g19h.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/2en9s09.jpg

[F|sh]

haven't seen that one before but i fitted a sump flange to the motor and dummied up the new brake caliper. Then i helped put a ebay exhuast system on a MR2.

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/8118/pic0624148mx7.jpg

[F|sh]

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7677/pic0808158ia9.jpg

suspension hotness :)

[Guido]

Fark... there's a project that moves more slowly than mine on here!

[F|sh]

yeah i got a reason though. i got a kid on the way and moving into my new place

[F|sh]

excuse the really fucking bad photo's

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7546/pic0816159ki2.jpg
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/1432/pic0816160gs0.jpg
(http://imageshack.us)
By txcoupe (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/txcoupe)
[IMG]http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8448/pic0816161yu3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
By txcoupe (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/txcoupe)
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6125/pic0816164am3.jpg

[UZZ31]

ah wondered if this was yours, spotted it while i was at Tonys today :)

Nice bloke

[F|sh]

yeah he is and very very helpful. Trying to organise a set of 3sge rods for it at the moment. Set of eagle rods will cost $503 delivered to my door.

[F|sh]

okay got the car back last week.

now the manifold needs some work. its bent like fondles on a thai lady boi. the second throttle body wont go on and i think clearance will be tighter then a nuns nasty.

So pics.....

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1602382_1924258.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1602383_893535.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1602384_4631724.jpg
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1602385_4822373.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1602386_8046151.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1602390_4366508.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1602391_2078109.jpg

[F|sh]

It will also need a new front swaybar and i need to fit the pick up and do the exhuast manifold. new exhuast will be 2.5" with it also acting as the tailshaft loops :) which meets the general requirements of the rules but i have a big unit i can cut in half and use for it but i'd rather use it on my other project.... now that ahs the right engine bearings for it:)

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1604625_2785654.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1604626_643370.jpg

with this i think the regulator might need to be moved so it is vertical and not on an angle
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1604627_1420221.jpg
clearance show aint it a bitch :S
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2682/81/24/524699683/n524699683_1604628_6107044.jpg

[PHULL]

Looking good there

is this going to be a road driven car or a pure IPRA car, don't want to cause head aches for you, but are you considering lowering the engine and bringing the whole gearbox and engine further back for better balance?

you may want to consider modifying the shifter location

[charged]

Looking good fish, if yours goes anywhere as well as Ashley Birks 3s gemini goes it will be a rocket. His thing was fucking quck at Bathurst.

You should have a chat with him mate his car is the same model, engine etc

[F|sh]

na pure ipra car. got the motor back a fair distance and it is a comprimise.


Ash has been helping me too john or is it tony?

[PHULL]

I see, don't want to go dry sump, and that shifter position doesen't look like it can be moved forward on the gearbox. Can use a gearbox from another model E.G Toyota gearbox on a 13b Mazda in a RX7 seen it done, before. What kind of gearbox you running?

looking at that other gemini is that a SR20 it's running? also seems you have had some serious cutting and shutting of the firewall to get the engine that far back.

[charged]

Ashley Birks is from NSW and a great guy, he was more than quick at Bathurst, he handed me my doors back to me after he blew them off when he passed me down conrod:owned:

his times from Bathurst

qualifying with a 2.39
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?12/04/2009.BATH.Q1

race 1 with a 2.38
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?12/04/2009.BATH.C1

[F|sh]

phull i can use a different quadrant to move the shifter position forward, i am using a toyota box too. no cutting and shutting of firewall either. i could of gone further back too :)

dry sumping is too expensive for me so made a comprimise.

ordered the master cylinders today too. charged i need som toyo bits :)

[F|sh]

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs113.snc1/4675_89609469683_524699683_1776568_8045990_n.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs093.snc1/4675_89609464683_524699683_1776567_3494434_n.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs093.snc1/4675_89609444683_524699683_1776566_5417912_n.jpg
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs113.snc1/4675_89609429683_524699683_1776565_8162742_n.jpg


just somethings i have done lately

[AlexinPerth]

Getting there, looks good.

I would have modified the dizzy and used coilpacks to get the motor back a bit more, but you're well past that now.

[F|sh]

the slowest build is not moving at all but got this from my mate suprasauras


http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs146.snc1/5414_122553454683_524699683_2234335_7121290_n.jpg

[GTS_215KW]

nice knob :D

I see what you mean by that plate rusting...I haven't checked mine since installation it may be the same :/

[F|sh]

I DID SOME WORK ON It yesterday. Got the pick up on the engine and it looks like it will need a brace welded to it. Gace the sump a coat of paint and engine mounts aswell.

Clutch fork is in and so is the slave cylinder too. Have to modify the drivers side mount to allow the starter motor to slide in easier. So i need to move one side in about 20mm. Manifold needs helicoils and studs. Next item to do is the throttle bodies. I suck at reading the instructions and i think i am missing a part for it.

The water pipe is mounted and i am drawing up the rear spring platforms to be laser cut for me :)

[F|sh]

now for sale