History
I bought this Gemini van, built 05/1978, because my previous van (built 04/1978) was a rusty, rattly piece of garbage which was uneconomical to fix, despite my love for it.
This particular car looks the goods; once I got the signwriting off, (which is how I found the car; I chased the dude, spoke to him then took down the number for the automatic refurbishing company), it was slick with black late-model Gemini handles (I think....maybe they were off something else).
It was already lowered on King springs and Monroe shocks. I upgraded the motor to a G180, added extractors and I think put the five speed in it, but I don't remember. I'm pretty sure all that stuff was yanked out of my red Gemini van with the ex-Lil Malibu side panels.
Anyway, I did not love this car. I was driving it to my girlfiend's one night (now late wife), when the lower control arm gave way, causing me to slide across Military Road. I slide in front of this Asian guy in a Sigma, who stopped bewildered in the middle of the road. I asked him to help move the car, but he said, "I have to go. Daughter very sick!" which is fine....because the next car to come along was a Commodore with five dudes in it and it took ALL OF THEM to get the front suspension up enough to move off the road.
I waited for about 90 minutes for a tow truck and as he arrived, the cops arrived too. He asked me if I crashed or if something just broke. I said it was the latter. He took one look at the car, told me, "Looks like your lower control arm's f*cked!" and then took off. Whew, at least he didn't give me any grief, even if he was unsympathetic.
I got it towed to my old mechanics and he ended up replacing the lower control arm, but he suspected accident damage as it wasn't quite true and possibly the reason the metal fatigued the way it did.
Later, I drove it to Sydney, Coffs Harbour and the Gold Coast, where it overheated and misbehaved the whole way there. I took it to like, four places who all bulls8tted me about the problems; it's the gauge, it's the bottom hose, blah blah blah. Eventually the water pump gave way (which it wasn't that anyway; that was unrelated) and we ended up stranded in Beuladelah for a night on the RAA, which was fine.
One the way home, we were out near Gawler having crossed back over the Hay Plain. We were hot, bothered, bored and tired. So naturally, I had a blowout. The blowout was a massive pain, as the new bottle jack I'd bought for the holiday DIDN'T FIT UNDER THE CAR IF THE TYRE WAS FLAT.
Eventually someone else helped to stop us and when I jacked it up on the jacking point, the sill crushed like paper mache. The paint was thin anyway, it wanted to kill me multiple times and was a bit boy racer, so I sold it and I never saw it again. I can only assume it killed the next guy good and proper.
Modifications
180Z 1817cc Isuzu four cylinder
5 speed manual
lowered on Kings springs and Monroe shocks
adjustable panhard rod
variously - 14in Nissan Exa alloys, 14in Camira stockies
