Firebug's Gemini track car…

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

Booster rebuilt and reinstalled. Brakes bled, beers consumed, shit discussed, by then it was late so called it a night. Next morning found a puddle of brake fluid under the car! Ugh! Master cylinder rear seal now leaking. It’s the only Ford bit on the car and it has let me down in <20 laps. :( Could have been new old stock so back to brake joint for a new-new one…

Back in and bled, Pedal feels pretty good pre bedding. Tick!

So took the gem out to the track for another test session. The previous issues seemed to be solved and I managed to complete more than one lap. Other smaller issues popped up though but nothing this time that I could describe as a near death experience. 

Firstly the transmission was pressurizing due to the breather only working in one direction. After I backed the car off the trailer my mate Sam noticed a small drop of oil on the trans dipstick. Dismissing it I went out for a few laps then back to the pits. The drop of oil had returned so as I wiped it off, the dipstick blew out of the tube spraying about a litre of ATF all over Sam and the engine bay! Luckily it wasn’t too hot and left him with no permanent scarring.

I did have an intermittent misfire that was stopping Sam from doing any tuning so with a few further laps under my belt I felt that was enough and we packed up and went home.

With some spare bits borrowed from another mate I started trying to find the misfire. Long story short the engine got an ignition service with new plugs, leads, coils and DFI module. I bought a new crank and cam angle sensor while I was there just in case but have not installed them yet…

So back together it fired up smooth as. A couple of short squirts up and down the driveway at running temp suggests problem solved.  :D

Thanx to my mates Dave for providing the tow vehicle and to Sam for shielding others from airborne transmission fluid…

• This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by  firebug.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by  firebug. Reason: Up yours Photobucket

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

^mate that is such a super neat install, looks factory, nice work.

[HDN05LParticipant Canberra ACTVS Olympic Edt 383 stroker Ute View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 289]

Good to see your still at it. Sounds like it wont be long till its on song. Keep the updates coming.

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

Thanks guys.

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

Well she finally made it to round one of the Tar Speed Series at Ringwood. Ignition issues sorted but it doesn’t steer very well. 1 deg positive camber will do that. That is the next thing to get sorted. Chasing TRW slotted upper ball joints but no one is getting back to me with answers.

Short phone vid of the runs…

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

That looks like so much fun.  Be great to see some in car vids, maybe a go pro is on your birthday wish list

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Looks awesome, how often do you guys run? Might have to bring the fat car down to play 

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

VRSenator065 wrote:

That looks like so much fun. Be great to see some in car vids, maybe a go pro is on your birthday wish list

Yeah I have a couple here but they got forgotten when I was throwing everything into the ute… 

Anonymous wrote:

Looks awesome, how often do you guys run? Might have to bring the fat car down to play

I got shotgun!

The next round is April 9th. There is a calendar on their website https://www.mgcarclub.com.au/events/category/motorsport/  Ringwood Park  is the name of the complex. They have a dirt track as well, but the better track is Awaba…

 

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by  firebug.

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

Dropped in to fix up this thread because ‘up yours Photobucket’…  While I’m here I’ll do a bit of an update.

Managed to get some Moog slotted upper ball joints from the US that also suit Chevette. Lousy pics sort of show before and after results…

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

What better way to test my new front wheel tilt than to enter into a state round at Ringwood. The Gem steers now without trying to kill me. Was an awesome day! There were a few offs to be had resulting in big damage to a convertible MG and slightly less a Gemini coupe. There is plenty of time to be made up mid corner. Some gearbox shifts and operator practice is in order.

A couple of pics and vids:

New tow rig with Gem attached…

• This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by  firebug.

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Looks fantastic mate, love it, thanks for posting.

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

Ive been slack and need to update this thread:

A mate and I entered a Ringwood event in March last year. No indications of any mechanical problems in my shed in the week prior, or loading on/off the trailer. Scrutineering saw no issues and away we went. However there was clearly something amiss on first lap of the day. No 2nd gear what soever, just a free spinning engine after 1st ran out of legs. On some areas of the track I managed to get 3rd gear, but only due to some distance between corners. Back to the pits to check oil level. Oil looked low so gave it a splash back to full. Checked for leaks, no leaks, still no 2nd. Checked some logging with Sam around lunchtime over the phone to see if the selectors were the culprit, but the logs were shitty and offered him no solution. So fuck it, I raced the rest of the day with no 2nd gear and picked up Third Place In Class… lol

A couple of weeks later I chucked it up onto some stands and spent most of the day with a mate swapping out said transmission with one he kindly loaned me. Thanx again Dave!

We dropped the fluid out of the box. OMG the smell was awful, as was the colour. Brown, burnt, and full of metal shavings and pieces of band. “There’s ya problem right there…”  :x

Ewww…

Biggest piece of band

And stay out!

Replacement box went back in, bolted up, dinner was ready, shed door down…

Convinced I was cooking the oil to such a state, I picked up a second cooler and mounted it up front on the passenger side just the same as the first one.

Original setup:

Trans oil cooling 2.0…

A week later I finally got around to tidying up the Gem and refilling the transmission with some new oil. The flexible oil filler/dipstick tube I made was giving me a false reading on the dipstick. Long story short there was a a join at the bottom of the tube that held a seam of oil when you poured oil over it when topping up. This seam slowly dissipated down into the sump over a few minutes. However if you check the level before this happens, as you remove the dipstick the seam of oil deposits a little onto the face of the dipstick a couple of millimeters above the full mark to the bottom, giving the impression it is full.
Knowing it was nowhere near full I checked the level anyway, and there it was on the full mark… WTF? Scratching my head for a few minutes then checking again saw no oil on the stick. So back and forth I went adding a bit more, checking, waiting, checking, adding, etc, eventually getting a reading on the stick that made sense as I added. I took a few pics of the results with my phone but it was too hard to see the oil on the stick.

So it seems I’ve been racing with minimal fluid in the trans.  :oops:  It’s a wonder it lasted as long as it did. Looks like I’ll have to order a new flexible dipstick tube from Summit to eliminate any future oil level related issues…

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

I raced again June last year. New transmission felt strong with snappy shifts, so that was a win. I little mishap saw my day end early though. When I put the radiator together a couple of years back I mounted the thermo fan directly to the core with the included plastic zip style mounts, with the intention of making a shroud to suit the combination I was running. There was not a great deal of space between the back of the fan and the front of the engine pulleys so I knew it was a pretty involved job to get a shroud to fit right. The core mount was working ok so it soon got put to the bottom of the priority list, and eventually forgotten about…

From the marks on the core it seems during the day the top fan mounts possibly broke, but not obvious enough to notice between runs. By run 4 I was reeling in some of the other cars in my class, so I was having a bit of a go when I had an off across the finish line. I hit the timing beam (actually hit it) that is mounted on a concrete block just off the side of the track. The hit didn’t seem to damage any of the wheels or suspension, but it did break the remainder of the fan mounts off and jammed the fan between the crank balancer and the radiator drain tap. (see attached vid…) –>

The fan copped a little bit of damage so I ordered a new one that evening. Nothing overly bad in regards to the core, only some bent and polished fins. I little hunt around the shed produced some left over aluminium sheet so I went about measuring up a shroud.

Took the radiator over to a mate’s place to let him practice his new TIG skills by welding on some mounting tabs to the outside of the core.

And with the shroud and new fan in place fitted with a rubber edge to allow for any gaps against the sides of the tanks. Looks purposeful, and reduces idle temps by about 6 degrees.

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

Mid last year I was chomping at the bit to have the cage underway as soon as the racing season finished. A little digging around and I found a guy that does automotive stuff on the side of his mobile industrial fabrication business. Robert (360 Custom Fabrication) had built many cages for CAMS, FIA, and ANDRA spec cars, so we put a plan together for early December last year and to be finished before Christmas.

However due to an injury at work, I was unable to work on the car for a little while so I had to put it off for a few months.

Main hoop is mounted just behind the rear footwell on its own custom footing. It has one harness bar and one diagonal. Rear stays are mounted exactly on top of the rear spring mounts for those wondering why they are not on top of the wheel arches, They originally had a single diagonal and are tied back to the main hoop at the base with further tubing. Front members are basic with a taco gusset at the bottom bend, single transversal tube above the windscreen and diagonal door bars each side with secondary door bars that were recommended by CAMS Tech.

Robert showed me how to dimple die gusset panels so I went mad making up the gussets on one of the days he was away doing some real work. I may have gone a little overboard but they have certainly firmed up the frame of the car once he welded them all in.

Also gave me the chance to rehash the rear firewall that separates the fuel system from the cabin. I was never happy with my old design that was built around the original Gemini support braces with rivets and sealer. I haven’t made the upper section yet. I’m concentrating on trying to get the dash to fit back in now with a lump of scaffolding in the way.

A few pics here of the build and fit-up along the way in no particular order…

< space >

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

CAMS required and extra diagonal as the ones we welded in were not exactly to Schedule J. Second diagonal went into the back stays along with gussets at the X. It’s way over spec now and has added quite a bit of weight, but the safety and rigidity that comes with it is worth it.

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Great write up mate, good to see you getting a lot of fun/use out of it.  So given you now have it caged up do you think you might chase a little more power to compensate for the extra weight?

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

Thanks Gary. Plans for the engine are down the list a little. Next thing that really needs doing is a new diff. The welded Gemini diff just doesn’t cut it when it comes to trying to apply power (and maintain grip) through tight turns. It’s very much a handful. So I’m looking at a limited slip setup that will just make it nicer to drive overall. A cut down Commodore diff will give me a choice of centers, disc brakes and easier availability of parts.

 

I’m not complaining about the Gem diff though, it has really held up to the abuse I’ve given it over the years.

I’ll reduce some of the weight by replacing the side windows and winding mechanisms with fixed Lexan. Not sure if this is a great weight saver but it seems like a good start in my mind…

 

The engine will eventually see E85 and a smaller pulley. The current setup has plenty of power for the car, I just need to find a way of applying it to the road better.

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

firebug wrote:

I just need to find a way of applying it to the road better.

Lol, said just about every race car driver ever…  Very cool build mate, every time I see a post on this or IJ’s makes me want to build a dedicated little fun track car.  Hopefully one day I might get to ride shotgun with one of you guys, love to experience what it’s like on these small tight twisty tracks.  Looks like tons of fun.

[firebugParticipant Newcastle NSWL67 Gemini & Pathfinder Ti 550 View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 89]

VRSenator065 wrote:

Very cool build mate, every time I see a post on this or IJ’s makes me want to build a dedicated little fun track car.

Yes because you could do with another project… :-D 

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by  firebug.

Nothing ruins your Friday more than realising it's only Tuesday...

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

firebug wrote:

Yes because you could do with another project…

Lol, yea well there is that I guess too…..

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