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
![nerd 8-)](./images/smilies/msn_nerd.gif)
![tongue :P](./images/smilies/msn_tongue.gif)
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) (H)](./images/smilies/msn_cool.gif)
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
![tongue :P](./images/smilies/msn_tongue.gif)