1976 Autotune Gemini - ELVA MKI replica

I am trying to keep the latest Gemini as a running rolling complete car for as long as I can but there are aspects that need addressing to satisfy certain aspects of my OCD.

First under scrutiny was the boot.



Now, 5mm ply I could have accepted but 20mm particle board - Nope.



So the car is significantly lighter already.




The interior is nicely done but the carpet looks to be wrapped around boards that are a little thicker than I would like so there will be a systematic swapping out to something a bit thinner and lighter whilst keeping the "Tidy" appearance.
Likewise the engine and chassis will get a few "Tweeks" as we progress.

service provider ! we know who to ask if we want a jowett or a ginetta !

A dry evening and I managed to take it for a quick run. 5 miles down the road told me that the toe out needed sorting straight away - so back to base - front tyres far warmer than they should be.

Take,

1. Straight edge
2. Adjustable spanner
3. Side cutters
4. Wire brush
5. Penetrating oil
6. Zip tie

After application of the by-eye view along the body with the straight edge a good couple of turns on the track rod had it where the toe looked far more reasonable.

Off for another test drive and it's far better to drive, smooth and stable but now the brakes are starting to pull the car to the left getting gradually worse. Stop and check and looks like we have a refurbished caliper on the left and an old one on the right, and the right one is a little warm to the touch so that indicates to me like we have a sticking/stuck piston(s) in there.

As the upright still has the dust shields fitted we will strip both assemblies down, investigate the caliper and bin the plates so we can get a good view of both side of the disc.

So, first impressions - It's great fun but it's pretty loud, no baffles in the silencer loud so we need to have a peak at that. The suspension is firm, no more than expected but we will have a look at where the dampers are set. Oh how we get used to driving 6 speed diesels. A petrol 4 speed roaring along at 3K at 60mph is a shock to the system - LOL. And no matter how many times I tried there was not a 5th to be found....

I will need to take a run with a GPS set up so I can check the speedo accuracy as 60 seemed really slow. Into a few bends at a reasonable speed did not upset anything and did not trouble the 165's grip wise.
Temp gauge only just registers and I know that the engine runs at 75-80C so that needs a look at as I do like to have an accurate temp gauge.

Flooring the throttle does not have the expected result usually found from a progressive twin choke of that extra surge when the second butterfly is flipped open so I need to have a look and see if we are getting full travel.

So far so good.

Quite small and narrow like most cars of the type, probably a little more than a narrow body Westfield but not as much as a Wide. Comfortable if you are no more than 6 foot and 15 stone. Perfect if you are around the 11 stone 5 10 range I am at the upper range trying to get the weight down a bit.

After Dinner I had a look at the brakes - the caliper is knackered but I got it moving so I will have a look at the other side to confirm it's a refurbed item and decide if I am going one or two refurbed units. Took it for a run and at least its not trying to turf me into a ditch anymore. The throttle not doing what I thought it should bugged me even more after this run as it felt like something was stuck or hitting a stop when pressing to the floor. When I got back the bonnet was off and the torches out to see if I could make out what was going on.

After a bit of looking about pulling pushing and tapping the throttle it became clear that the secondary throttle was not moving at all and after a fair bit of searching for what it could be I found that the secondary butterfly shaft was well and truly stuck solid. It took a fair bit of penetrating fluid and gently wiggling back and forth before it gave in and went to its full nice smooth rotation .

So the initial runs only had 2/3rds throttle opening of the 26/32 primary choke max! We now have full primary and the full 27/36 secondary to play with the next time we go out - better get those brakes sorted this could turn out to be quite a nippy little beggar.

It is also possible that the progression issue could be caused by the secondary being stuck open a little so it will be interesting to see of the lower speed part throttle response has also improved - otherwise it's progression path clearance stage two.

Much the same as the Ginetta G27 - made the body wider to suit the wider Escort axle and made the cockpit longer to suit taller drivers but left the actual chassis width much the same - Narrow.

It's worth adding that the ownership of a Gemini has not disappointed. It's always a concern when you have wanted something for some time whether the actual ownership will really live up to the expectation and deliver the kind of driving experience and pleasure that you hoped that it would. I can safely say that with the Gemini it has not failed to deliver so far and it put's a smile on my face as soon I sit behind the wheel.

No need to open the doors at all or move the side screens from the secured position as you just step into it as it's not exactly a stretch being about 2 foot high at the back of the door. Once settled in the view out through the screen over the curves of the bonnet is just superb and how short the car is is brought home to you when you look over your shoulder to see the back of the car just drop away out of sight from the bulbous rear arches.

This car like the first is let down by the Escort dash and switch gear that spoil the vintage theme but that's a small detail that can soon be resolved - the gearstick is also a little too far out of reach for the taller driver but I will try a canted lever to see if bring it back a couple of inches will improve matters.

Driving it is very similar to your typical Seven that uses the familiar Escort underpinings - Westfied SE - Dutton B type Early Caterham etc. same dynamic different part frock. Being a new purchase the confidence that it's all screwed together properly is not quite there yet to really throw it about and there are aspects of the suspension ans steering that need to be looked at properly but for the moment it's living up to the expectations.

As it was dry this evening I stuck some batteries in an old Garmin GPS, set it for speed and went for a drive - The drop in ambient temperature took me by surprise so had to stop and stick a hat on to keep the grey matter functioning and allow me to take mental notes of the speeds in top at 2, 3, and 4K and what the RPM was at 40mph. Upshot is that I was quite correct to think that the 60mph indicated on the speedo felt rather slow and the calculations show that the axle is not the 1600 3.54 axle, and its not a 1300 3.89, it is actually an 1100/1300 Sport 4.125.



Which explains why when you stomp on the loud pedal it does take off rather quickly - However as the exhaust is louder than it should be it does make buzzing along at 60/65 (4000RPM) a bit buzzy. The 165/80/13 tyres are also doing a job of raising the ratio a bit - If I go to 185/60's it drops to 15.77/k in top making 70mph a very fizzy 4.5K.

It is rather addictive opening the twin chokes up and getting it up on the cam - it does howl and fly

165-80-13

Finally my astra has something in common with a "sports car" :-D

A few more fast miles on the car in these nice evenings - good and bad to report this time round - After a nice run out I felt that the damping was not all it should be so after heading back to base the boot lid was up to get access to the rear shocks and a sheet on the ground to get a look at the fronts. After some liberal application of AC 90 and a gentle twist on the damper adjuster and there was no counterclockwise movement available on any of the screws confirming the fact that we are at absolute zero - no damping wound on at all! - I very much doubt that these dampers had ever been set on anything other than nothing! - This is the third car that I have bought with adjustable dampers that had never been set. It is hard to believe that the original owner builder who had the car for 14 years had ever had this car set up so that it could be fully enjoyed. A quick setting of two turns at the back and 3 at the front and the difference is immediately apparent. The car is now settled into and around bends and not disturbed at all by uneven road surfaces - I may be, but the car not. With some further tests and more time on the setting up and we can really start to explore things.

The bad was that the brake pedal went long a couple of times and there was a vibration that could be felt on the wheel and through the brake pedal so I pulled over to see what was going on and a quick shake of the O/S/F confirmed that the wheel bearing had cried enough on that side - probably the first time the car has ever experience lateral G loading and axial forces on the bearings - Kapput - by the time I had graunched and ground my way home it was well and truly goosed and an inspection at the weekend will determine if it has spun on the stub and done any damage.

Two step forwards one step back is still heading in the right direction and it is such a hoot.

It has also started to actively lighten itself as it tried to throw the fog light off as when I got back it had undone itself and was just hanging by the wiring. Well date of manufacture 1976 - it's in the spares bucket as not mandatory until after 1/4/80. Getting faster and faster all the time.




My son just laughs at those skinny tyres - but has a new appreciation for just how much grip such a thin strip of rubber can provide, and that was before the work on the car set-up.