RennKadett

And also


A tuff-boostin' TD Gemini coupe in the 10-second bracket!

In the first scene, John and a mate Richard (who's basically responsible for the whole mechanical makeover) grabbed an imported G180 Isuzu donk. As well as boasting a 200cc capacity increase over the standard motor, this beastie also possesses some pretty tough looking internals. It was the perfect cost-effective base for an absolute mega-grunter. Richard grabbed his spanners, stripped the motor, slipped in SPS forged pistons (delivering a compression ratio of near 8.0:1), shotpeened rods with new bolts, and a Crow timing chain. It was also treated to a full bottom-end balance. Upstairs, the stock 8-valve head's been cleaned up, fitted with bigger stainless exhaust valves, heavy duty springs, a copper gasket (together with O-rings) and a pretty wild Crow cam.

After the basic engine assembly, the guys looked long and hard at a custom turbocharging system. Richard then produced this work-of-art mandrel bent tubular exhaust manifold to mount a dirty big mutha of a T04 turbo. Teamed with a 42mm Garrett external wastegate (instead of a previously too-small 32mm 'gate), this thing spools to 15 psi on the street - and a full 30 psi on the drag strip. John likes to keep things safe and conservative on public roads...