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Crazytims Chevini MK 1 (TX Gemini/Vauxhall Chevette Hybrid)


crazytim

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I can't beleive I havn't started a project thread for this car... have just spent past hour or so typing up one and adding tons of pictures... hit 'submit' and fuckin lost it! It was about then my wife got dejavu... same fuckn thing happened last time!

O well, will just do it a bit at a time instead koz I wanna get ready to jump in bed and watch entourage...

I purchased this car off Trade me site unseen from a chap in Porirua in September of 2006. From memory it was $1300-1500 or so incl the $400 odd the car transporter set me back. It wasn't a runner, I mainly wanted it for the Isuzu G161 engine and 5speed along with complete gasket set, New Redline Twin inlet mani, pair of preloved Webers with rebuild kits, New electronic ignition jobby, New Lukey Extractors, Freshly powder coated Rostyle rims with new rubber... and other stuff I can't think of. Anyhow added up to $2500 worth of new and used stuff which was intended for my main project, Mk2 Chevini (will start a thread for that later...)

The shell was surplus to requirements, in fact I tried to give it away to more than one person as the shell was too good to wreck...

This is what i found at the top of my driveway when I arrived home from work one sunny septembers day...

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And thats enough for one night... more tomorrow!!

P.S: If you havn't seen this car its pretty different to most Chevettes in this country... well worth a look!

Will note that it's currently sitting in barn awiting repower hopefully in next month or 3... given up taking the spare time to do it myself so hopefully its going out to someone more qualified as a homer type cashy arrangement... havn't finalised the negotiations but I'm hoping 5hundy will mostly cover it, and I already have all the parts to repower with Isuzu Gemmi drivetrain right to diff.... should make it haul way quicker than the 1256cc monster 4 banger it was sporting!

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OK.... 10 views in 4minutes, will post some pics real quick to make it worthwhile...

After a year or so of slowly doin bits and pieces, scoring a pale green vaux hatch, wrecked it for engine, tidied engine up and shoved it in the hole (after painting hole Matty B!!) Painted with top quality spray bombs! Loved the Chevy Orange engine enamel I had used in the engine bay so much that I thort fukk it and started going to town on the interior, as pictured gauge surround etc plus tops of inside of doors and B & C pillars. Sounds strage but looks pretty mean IMO.

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My lil helper... that pic dates this project... she may be about 3yrs old there... she just started school this term!

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Defending my driving...

I was driving along within the speed limit along a usually quiet country road, I came to a corner and saw a late model hilux indicating to cross... long story short the dude shudv waitd and he went ahead turning across the road, I locked up and slid into a 4x4 sign post hitting the centre tween the home made split bumpers (which most of the GM-T boys hated...) if the bumper wasn't split damage wouldve been way worse.

Car was still drivable but popped a lot of welds under nose cone, even bent the front x member.

The GC resonsible for me crashing couldve just kept driving, not only did he stop, he offered to cover costs for the damage!

Finding a decent vette nosecone was gana be a mish, and I just so happened to have sexyvettes parts gemini's face stashed in my barn...

So I went to Bute Rd Panel n Paint for a quote and a week or so later she looked like this...

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Pic I took on camera phone of progress at panelbeaters... nose cone removed, they still need to carefully drill out all the spot welds taking whole front out. The excess steel on the gemini nose cut was removed in the same way... next time I saw it the car looked a little like this...

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I ran the car bumperless for a while, quite liked the look... then a cop told me off and let me off with a warning (no licence plate) didnt wanna drill any new holes in front of car so later added the OG Gem bumper which happened to bolt into same mounting holes as the Chevette bumper...yippy!

You may notice the rims arent as wide or the tyres as fat, the Rostyle rims that came with the car turned out to be Ford items with stud adaptors, rear rims slitely widened + 215s + stud adaptors = major scrapage, so a stock set of Vauxhall Rostyles were fitted until I could afford something more tasty...

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Despite no longer speaking with him I have to credit borgweiser with a lot of help with the mechanical early stages especially on this car. He was renting space in my barn, some of the pics in my project threads might have some of his toys in the background. I also have to credit him with giving me this grill off of a series 2 XJ6 Jag (i think...) It was a lower valance grill, I chopped the ends down and made a couple of brackets to space the OG mounting points from grill to car and voila! Only held on by 2 screws... its on the list of things to do....(finish mounting up... lol)

Anyway reckon it looks way tougher than plastic fantastic gemmi grills... always good to have extra accessories anyhow, different looks to suit mood....

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As per above pics, we took the Chevini away on holiday to Bay of Islands, starter died on last day lol... that was Feb 08... also got a set of Cheviot Turbos off tard me, whacked the rubber off my rims on, eventually sold rims to an oldschool member to go on a hunter (via tard me) and also sold stud adaptors on tard me.

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This is pretty much where its at... pulled tired engine out around last xmas, have sice had a 2nd daughter and been busy with business... its about time to carry on!!

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Plans are to install gem wagon diff (should fit straight in) along with std gem engine/5 speed. Alteration will need to be made on gear stick position and gearbox cross member to fit.

I also want to re-spray bomb her satin black. The badly rusted drivers side guard has had half a chevette guard welded onto replace the rotted lower wing, also shaving the side indicators, (hoping Mr WOF man doesnt make me put them back...) and welding up radio antenae holes. Also wanting to fit a chevette bumper instead of the wider gem bumper to match rear bumper. Hoping to pay a mate to do most of this... we'll see, hoping about 5hundy cash plus materials should do it... mite be dreaming!

Hopefully more progress pics won't be too far on the horizon!

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Been thinking of changing the front of the car quite dramatically, mainly because I will most likely end up with a couple of variations (hatch/wag/coupe...) so it means that the car is different, more than the shape of head lites. This is what I'm conceptualising, levelling off cut out for headlites on bonnet and guards and running twin projector lamps, most likely from a motorbike.

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Feedback or opinions on this welcomed... the other reason is I wanna steal bonnet off the hatch for wagon convo I'm doing on a vette wagon, I have another bonnet with a rotten front edge that could be easily modded like the concept picture... just thought it'd look phat and different...

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  • 8 months later...

This dirty little girl is about to get a birthday... getting picked up tomorrow by a Tow truck and being taken to a shop in Glenfield to recieve a G200z Piazza 2L, 5 spd box, Twin IDF40s (recoed, just picked up today) Lukey Extractors, and a Gemini diff.

Also will have all rust dealt to and will be refinished in satin black.

Have been preparing her for collection past few weeks, had to degrease and re spray-bomb the engine bay, clean/degrease/paint front x-member and put back into car and generally just scratch around for the zillions of parts I need from my hoarders stash.

Heres pics... (forgot to get some of carbs but will do, another top notch job from CSL)

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Bloody steering union doesn't reach column shaft... will have to measure other spares...

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had to chuck this up before bed... first time on 4 wheels since december 08... :lol:

front x member has been out and she has been a right bastard to move about, usually lift it onto the green office chair pictured above and push around that way :rolleyes:

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Took engine/box into the mechanics and degreased/scrubbed the fuk out of them today... had a decent prod around the rust in the back mudguards... waaay worse than I thought...

If anyone knows of a wreck around Ak somewhere with decent rear 1/4's giz me PM please!!

Didn't take camera but will get some shots of rust and repairs as they happen.

Need to make mind up on what is happening with engine... cam grind is on the cards to unleash the full potential of the IDF's... all in all the engine/box should be in there this time next week with new g/box x-member (hopefully) fabricated up... been a fukn patient little boy and I want to play with my toy NOW!

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Also shaving indicators off guards (I fukn hope Mr WOF killjoy mofool doesn't make me put them back on...) and adding a chevette bumper to the front to replace Gemini item in the pictures above giving it more of an Opel Kadett C City look...

Also theres a dude on www.ozgemini.com that sells fibreglass lower lips for the Gemini... searching pics, need opinions I think it looks pretty badass but freighting such a long and fragile item from ozzie may be pretty pricey... need to sort seats, rims and suspension as well as everything the fabricator is doing...

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Front lips off ozgemini... pretty sweet huh?!

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Oodles of progress. Rust repairs about 1/4 the way there (if rust in the rear was what I thought it was repairs would be 2/3 finished!) Engine has been knocked down, head overhauled, sump off bearings checked all A.O.K, block/sump/tappet cover all painted up looking the part, when I was in the shop today he was mocking up the mani's and it was looking very cool...

Impressed with workmanship, rust repaired so far includes hole under top of guard at bottom of A pillar, sill on bottom of guard passenger side, same on drivers side is chopped out as he's waiting to see if there is a decent junker we can chop some patches out of... not looking hopeful...

Rust holes along top of sill under rubber seal repaired and hatch badge holes are gone!

Rust in rear corners. It is also quite extensive underneath... CBF uploading a zillion pics tho...

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This pic shows where the Gemini mounting position needs to be (scraped patches) compared to Chevette G/box... at this stage it is looking like he will be welding something to the car to take the stock gemini gearbox mount.

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Head of yuckiness, Troy reckons likely 1st time it's been off the block so it's done well. All been overhauled now, no pics as I was sick yesterday and by the time I went into the shop today it was already in place on top of the block!

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Tappet cover, contemplated leaving it bare steel and letting it go rust red but due to oily nature of an engine bay with a breather filter thought the desired effect may never happen... rustytcargrrrrrrrrr021.jpg

so I painted it!

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