A few ideas and where they came from. GC build

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Gramps
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:32 pm
Location: Adelaide Hills

A few ideas and where they came from. GC build

Post by Gramps »

So, ive been working in canberra for the last 2 weeks and been spending a bit of thought on where i want to go with the GC. Alot of thought actually. Ive never 'done up' a car before so i definitely dont know what im doing, but ive been researching (and saving $$$) so i can make my car into something i will enjoy for years to come (and hopefully learn a few things along the way). Sorry this is long winded but ive got to tell someone about how i came to be where i am right now.

I bought my galant a couple of months back, previous to that i had an '84 laser (first car, got it from grandma) which was an automatic front wheel drive and although i loved that car (especially the handbrake) it gave me no desire to learn about cars or what could be done with them. A family friend owns 100+ acres on the murray river cliff front, so Ive been bush rallying since age 8, and knew there was alot of fun to be had with automobiles. Dad bought me and my brother a datsun 1200 ute ex rally car (when i was 10, thanks dad! we still have it too, just needs a radiator) which i 'helped' get going again and had alot of fun in. My eldest brother had a GH sigma up there which i learnt to drive in, and drift in, and not too long ago i bought an AE71 for another bash car.

My mum and dad met working at city mazda, dad was head of spare parts. And my brother was always into cars too, so basically i come from a bit of a mechanical background but am only just finding my feet as far as knowledge is concerned. Im definitely not a dumbass, but i am very inexperienced so please bear with me, and give advice (detailed advice!) wherever you think i need it because its why im here. I want to learn, i want to understand how and why, and i want to contribute to the community in years to come.

After landing an shopfitting apprenticeship, i was ready for a new set of wheels so i bought a minty fresh '95 XG panelvan. Absolute minimal rust, XR6 exhaust, head, and LSD. I was in love 8-) or so i thought. I had a few plans for it so i took it off the road and went out to buy a 4cyl to get me to work while i made the panelvan what i wanted it to be. Unfortunately (for the panelvan) i bought the GC, and my priorities changed real quick. (still got the XG in the shed, il get around to it someday. Ive had some damn good times in the back of that car :P )

see GC pics here - http://www.sigma-galant.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=10649

It runs like a dream already, so this is my plan of attack -

FIRST OF ALL
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/modbury/ ... 1017409016
would these rims work? would they even fit? (im not home to measure my car and whatnot)
they are the style i want, the whole old school lowrider thing. i kinda wanted a bigger size, do you guys think 13''s would be chill?
if not, can someone recommend somewhere in adelaide to look or order in a similar style

I want to get my wheels sorted asap so i know how much space i need, and can begin working on drivetrain and suspension.
I would like to keep the saturn for a while, i have a donor astron (actually 6 of them now, 2 sigma bashcars, a magna bashcar, and 3 sigma wrecks) which i will fully re-build and put in eventually. I want to have all the braking and suspension ready for it.

So i was thinking - r31 rear diff, LSD centre with mid 3's ratio. R31 panhard rod and rear discs. Reset leaf springs, or springs from one of the many wrecks i have access too (could i put sigma/sigma wagons leafs in?) sigma front struts, disc brakes and coil over sleeves. maybe a bigger sway bar? nolathane bushes all round. and probably a sigma master cylinder. Im looking to drop it probably 2? inches all around but il see what the situation is when i find wheels.

Any ideas of what else would be good, or what is unnecessary, would be very much appreciated.

Im not looking for a massive performance vehicle here, i dont drive too hard (on the road, i have a block to vent on) and i hate big standstills and shit coz i reckon the ratio of fun-component wear is fucked. Id rather be sideways on the dirt than creeping up the bitumen slowly listening to my car die. However i do want to get a bit of wheelspin going and maybe take her to the track once or twice to have some fun, and id rather have overkill than have shit break.

For my astron im just looking at cam, extractors, and twin webs. (And turboed maybe hopefully one day in a dream perhaps)
Nothing overly extreme but i reckon, appreciating power comes down to prior experiences. And i havnt driven many 'fast' cars, just a couple of my mates jap turbos that were honestly, pretty underwhelming. But still a whole lotta fun. I cant stop smiling whenever i drive it with the saturn, it makes me feel like it goes like a shower of shit despite the fact it would be blown away by pretty much anything. So i cant imagine what it would be like even with a stock astron.

For aesthetics i was thinking -

Chrome lowrider rims. Tinted windows. Rear venetian. Maybe a GD grille? Or customise my GC one. Colt foglights or possibly foggies implanted into a GD front bumper. Maybe chrome sun visor but havnt decided. Re-detail my rear lights. Remove chrome side trims and full respray. 3 externally mounted chrome cup gauges. Either move my stock mirrors down the fender, or maybe get chrome bonnet pins for a bit more bling and toughness.

For the interior i want pretty stock looking, maybe cover the woodgrain dash and a 2 spoke sigma wheel. Or find woodgrain wheel and knob that will match dash. Hidden audio system with 2 4''s under the dash and 6x9s on the rear parcel shelf covered in stock looking cream vinyl. New carpet. Drivers seat has a minor rip so i will replace that, or im thinking about trying to find some cream buckets that will match stock interior. Il need to recon the dash pad, il attempt to do it myself and hopefully i will be able to make it look nice enough for me to be happy with.

I have a friend who is a panel beater, and a friend who is a painter, so im going to get the rust all sorted out asap (Theres fuck all anyway. Just behind the back wheel arches. And literally no dents), and give it a full windows out respray. There is rust under the vinyl roof so im going to shop around in Adelaide when i get home and get some quotes on how much it will cost for a re-wrap. Hopefully not too much but im kinda thinking its gonna sting me a bit. Lucky i earn 1000+ a week, which i dont think is too bad, for a 1st year apprentice (H) and i dont mind living with mum and dad a few more years while i pour all my hard earned cash straight into this! Haha! Who the fuck needs a house anyway. Il make the banks wait as long as possible before i get into debt with those bastards.

I realise theres alot of crap here, and a fair few questions and requested advice, but il say it again - Any knowledge or opinion given is appreciated. Whether mechanical, or in regards to visual taste.
There will DEFINITELY! be more to come. Photos, questions, and general ideas.
And thanks guys, i cant say enough how appreciative I am of the people that made this awesome resource for info and ideas... Without the contributions of the dedicated members of this site i would not have been inspired to spend every penny i earn on a $1750 car :P
75glnt
Posts: 2354
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:42 pm
Location: South Brisbane region

Re: A few ideas and where they came from. GC build

Post by 75glnt »

Hey mate :) great read! First up;

The rims on gumtree will not "bolt on" to your car with the standard stud pattern. (For future reference. Standard stud pattern, also known as pcd. Is 4x114.3.. Which is.. "4" os the amount of wheel studs.. And the 114.3 is the measurement.) so when you are looking for mags next time.. Make sure they're at least 4x114.3 :)

Now that's over :P

I really think the wire rims will look rather neat under a galant! Personally? I'd go 15s

Looking forward to seeing progress. And hearing more of the story unfold :)

Cheers,
Mick :)
N/A ALL THE WAY
Gramps
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:32 pm
Location: Adelaide Hills

Re: A few ideas and where they came from. GC build

Post by Gramps »

Thanks Mick.

Yeah i wasnt too hopeful they would, but i dont mind. Bigger is definately better in this case i think. I reckon it will look maaad nice sitting low on 15''s, with whitewalls. Just wont be able to drive dirt roads too often with em, coz i bet rocks would love getting stuck between the wire spokes!
75glnt
Posts: 2354
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:42 pm
Location: South Brisbane region

Re: A few ideas and where they came from. GC build

Post by 75glnt »

Haha nah they won't get stuck in the spokes.. But yea the white walls will set it off!
N/A ALL THE WAY
A112H
Posts: 7681
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:01 am

Re: A few ideas and where they came from. GC build

Post by A112H »

I think you have a good plan and all sounds like it will have a great outcome. If you have any questions I can help with hit me with a PM and I will do my best to answer you.
Gramps
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:32 pm
Location: Adelaide Hills

Re: A few ideas and where they came from. GC build

Post by Gramps »

Been working interstate alot lately and havnt had internet access, will fully update this thread when im back in adelaide. Stay tuned!
Gramps
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:32 pm
Location: Adelaide Hills

Re: A few ideas and where they came from. GC build

Post by Gramps »

Well it's been a long while since I posted on here, I work interstate 9 months of the year at the moment so don't have a whole lot of time to work on cars. I'm in perth working atm so can't pt pics but here's where I'm at -

I bought a lb lancer sedan which I should probably make a build thread for, bought it for a daily but with the amount of parts I had lying around it was inevitable that I made a project of it - I've rebuilt the steering, suspension and brakes and I'm currently putting the 4g32 and gbox from the GC in it with a sidedraught and mild cam

It's a full on daily driven rally car and I had alot of fun with the stock 1400cc but the carb needs rebuilding so Ive taken it off the road and I'm concentrating on the GC again

...oh, i also have a 1999 miata that I recently bought with a blown motor and put a 2003 mx5 VVT motor in it. I deleted power steering and did a few other minor mods. It's really fun to drive through the hills and in the wet :)

Okay so back to the galant. I've bought a 6 bolt 4g63t and I'm slowly collecting parts for the build
Current plan is -
Fully engineered if possible
4G63t with 300 - 350 responsive horsepower
Tial wastegate
Tial bov
Supra 5 speed with dellow adaptor
Short shifter
billet alloy flywheel
aggressive clutch
Top mount ex gate, don't know what turbo yet
1" brake master
Hopper stoppers 300mm front brakes
XF falcon diff (287mm rotors)
Panhard rod or drag link
Bilstein shocks
Adjustable strut tops
Custom wound springs or coilovers dunno yet
New leaf springs
Custom front strut brace
Kaaz LSD
V mount intercooler
custom alloy rad
fuel system and battery in boot
Mako front swaybar

Interior will be stock for now, it was already almost perfect so I'll spend money on that once it's engineered

Fresh paint in original colour and New vinyl top

lots of subtle visual mods and custom bits and pieces

Stud pattern will probably be 5x114.3 so I'm gonna try to find some old falcon 15x8 centrelines or something


... Yes, it's gonna be a long, expensive build. I predict about 3 more years and at least $20,000 before I'm anywhere near done with it. I plan on doing almost everything myself and I'm learning as I go and not rushing anything or taking shortcuts

Looking for a bit of feedback here, hopefully there's another 4g63t owner who can help me out with some input

How does the galant suspension hold up to the power? I'm thinking I might need a more elaborate rear end set up to be able to utilize all the ponies this thing will be making

How hard is it to get 4g63 engineered? I'm in SA if anyone can recommend someone or tell me about their experience getting it done i would very much appreciate it. Yes I know I should just talk to an engineer, when I get back to Adelaide next I will do that

Has anyone ever done a vmount cooler set up in an old mitsy? I hope not! I want to be the first! It's gonna be tight for room but I think I can pull it off with a custom rad and remote filler cap

Will post pics of progress when I can
Gramps
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:32 pm
Location: Adelaide Hills

Re: A few ideas and where they came from. GC build

Post by Gramps »

Image

Found a picture of the GC in my phone so I thought I may as well post it. It's 6 months old but it's all I can give you for now!

And here's one of my LB, in case anyone's interested

Image
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