Yet another GJ Scorp.

webby · Post by **webby** » Sat Jan 25, 2014 12:53 pm

Bought this off my sister's boyfriend recently. '81 GJ Scorpion, 2.6 Astron II, 5spd, 2" stainless exhaust, the MOMO tiller and HKB bosskit from the blue one, pretty stock otherwise. Has new shocks, new brakes, new bushes all the way through. April rego.
Needs a service, runs pretty well for 255,000km though.

Pics. Excuse the Imperial Japanese Navy battleflag, the PO's a good bloke but a bit of a car hipster.

bruggz351 · Post by **bruggz351** » Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:04 pm

Approved.

webby · Post by **webby** » Sun Feb 02, 2014 2:11 am

Cheers... I think?

I kid, I kid.

Anyway.
Things needing doing:
-Timing chain, the thing rattles like an Isuzu diesel.
-Re-hang/re-seal exhaust
-New front tyres; stick current fronts on my Centrelines and put them on the rear
-Springs from the blue car

After that it'll be done for the moment. Next'll be saving for a very basic EFI turbo setup, think rebuilt stock motor with ARP studs, a T25/TD05-12A/7M-GTE CT26, a small front mount and about 8-10lb, aiming for about 140kw at the rears. Maybe a respray, dunno yet.

webby · Post by **webby** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:52 pm

So... erhmm... My sister had an altercation with a sheep on her way home from work last night...

Bumper, grille, passenger guard and apron were rooted, and the bonnet has a slight bend in it. Replaced everything bar the bonnet with the guards and apron off my old GE, and the grill and bumper from the blue Scorp.

Definitely needs paint now, lol

webby · Post by **webby** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:50 am

Headlights are typically horribad, so I half-did this:

Still wiring and final alignment to go, and round spots/square headlights is a bit how's-yer-father visually, but eh. It's what was lying around, were on mum's Zafira when she bought it. Pretty much a case of pull the spots/mounting bar out of Dad's "Better not throw that out, might need it one day" pile, quick wipe with a rag to remove the dirt and spiders, pry the caps off, touch the power/earth wires to the appropriate battery terminal to make sure the lights work and bolt the whole shebang on.

webby · Post by **webby** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 3:13 am

Headlights are typically average, so... yeah... This happened.

Not wired in yet, need to dig up a relay, a toggle switch and some wire from somewhere. Should shed a bit of extra light on the situation once done, though

Alex3200 · Post by **Alex3200** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 5:44 am

cool. in Australia side markers and fenders - trifle
for me side markers - trouble of 1 year and nowadays. ebay - zero. other sources - zero.

webby · Post by **webby** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 6:12 am

I wouldn't say it's easy, only reason this wasn't sitting there with a stove-in front end for a month is because I have three parts cars

From the sounds of it it's a shitload easier than in Europe though. Good luck with your search

webby · Post by **webby** » Mon Feb 24, 2014 10:38 pm

Some better pictures of this piece of shit. 'Scuse the mess, I'm wiring shit. Yes, it's a tad... brown.

POWERHOUSE

S-G windscreen sticker, just 'coz

"Aww mah ghawdd, beast stereo ay cuz"

Toggle switch will eventually control the spots. They'll come on with the high beams as per normal, the switch is so I have the option of just high beams. Handy for in town etc.

webby · Post by **webby** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 1:00 am

Finally got the spots wired. Still needs some tidying up, but I should be able to see Skip well before he decides to barrel out in front of me now

Kinda want to put a Buick 3.8 V6/T5 5spd in this, not really a fan, but, you know, reliable, cheap, simple conversion, decent economy and 50% more power/torque. Sound OK with a proper set of extractors and a decent exhaust, too.
Thoughts?

Afterthought, Fuelly tells me this thing averages 16.3MPG, or 14.4L/100km for those whose brains explode at the first sign of imperial measurements. Seems about right in my experience, but before the 32/36 was removed it was getting 10.7L/100km. Or so I'm told, anyway.

Post by **A112H** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:06 am

Commondoor motor will ALWAYS sound like a Commondoor coming up the road, but I see how they are a cheap upgrade and cheap for future parts and stuff.
I would still be looking for a RWD Triton at the wreckers or auction if I was going that way.

webby · Post by **webby** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 6:12 am

I'd love to do a 6G72, but 2WD V6 manual Tritons are rocking horse poo

Wouldn't be an issue if Dad hadn't sold his mill, could have whipped up a 6G7x-W5x adaptor or something but noooo....

In other news, look what I found!

That looks to be the extent of it in the rear window region, at least as far as I can see. Nothing a bit of bog won't cover up.

Had a look over the rest of the car too, it's a damn sight better than the blue shell. That, a little bit in the boot seal lip, pretty sure that's it.

Woke up at 4am, couldn't sleep so I went and found the source of the rattle in the front end. LHS inner brake pad is missing it's rattle clip

Also discovered that one of my very, very worn out rear tyres has started chunking down to the belts in places. Might be time to raid the tyre pile

Merv · Post by **Merv** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 6:33 am

I'm looking to do a 6g72 swap on my gh :p triton block with vr4\3000gt running gear:p

webby · Post by **webby** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:48 am

Said tyre

This happened

Gonna be cool with low, that'll have to wait til the pinkslip's done though. I have doubts that my rego guy would appreciate me rocking up with choppies in the front.

Merv wrote:I'm looking to do a 6g72 swap on my gh :p triton block with vr4\3000gt running gear:p

That'll require maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaajor surgery if you want the 4WD, lol

Merv · Post by **Merv** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:33 am

Lol I wish 4wd lol I'm gonna use the triton block with vr4 twin turbo :p there the same engine code so I'm assuming everything will be compatable

webby · Post by **webby** » Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:49 pm

So my Navara's fucked and won't pass rego without spending more than it's worth to fix it, so I'm currently in two minds about this thing. Sell and get another ute that isn't stuffed, or keep it?
On one hand, it's a reliable, kinda cool no-fuss daily, gets me around no worries. On the other, it's really crap on fuel and not terribly practical. Something tells me carting bikes around in a 2-door hardtop is likely to be pretty difficult, lol
I suppose, I could pull the forks, wheels, bars and guards off my bike and cart it around in the back seat/boot.

The third option is to pull the towbar off the blue one, find a tongue for it and throw it in this, but I don't know if I can be bothered. Besides, then I'd have to buy/register a trailer, and go spend $200 on a licence upgrade that I don't really need.

Dunno.

bruggz351 · Post by **bruggz351** » Wed Jun 04, 2014 11:56 am

Settin ya self up with a trailer would be cheaper than 2 regoes wouldn't it Josh???

cheers

webby · Post by **webby** » Wed Jun 04, 2014 2:17 pm

True.
Been thinking on it, decided that the Scorp should tow a little box trailer with a 120kg bike and whatever else on it with no problems, so I'm going to go that way for now.
Just have to do something about the clunk in the front end, the growly right front wheel bearing and the sewing machine that seems to have taken up residence under the bonnet, lol

webby · Post by **webby** » Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:15 am

Updates!!!
-Still going, which is surprising given my track record with these things, lol. Especially considering I'm not the most mechanically sympathetic guy out there, it gets driven moderately hard most of the time so it doesn't have the easiest life.
-Done 9,549km in the 7 months since I bought it, works out to just over 1,350km/month. Not a huge amount, but I don't really go anywhere, so...
-I've hit (well, clipped) 5 kangaroos and had a mate put the towball on his Statesman through the bumper since my sister clouted that sheep... lol. Only damage is the bumper, the fully sick bonnet, a bar indicator and the nudgebar the spotlights are mounted on, surprisingly. The bonnet is now the silver one off my GH parts shell, I'll fix the rest eventually.

Problems:
-It's still powered by a 2.6L petrol sewing machine. Still goes though, runs like a clock and has no problems sitting on 140km/h/3500rpm for extended periods. Uh, make that 110/2750ish... ;)
-Needs a clutch. Doesn't slip under normal useage though, so it can wait.
-Gearbox is notchy. As in, truck 'box spec. Reverse occasionally requires truck gearbox technique to engage, too. 30-odd year old Jap box, no surprises there.
-Choke cable sheath won't stay in the back of the dash, so I don't use it. Makes it a bitch to start when it's cold, lol
-The diff and clutch throwout/flywheel centre bearings whine like my ex.
-Rear suspension bushes are suspect, LH rear clunks a bit and it feels weird in bumpy corners.
-Runs on every now and then, can't be fucked pulling the carby apart so I'll live with it until I go EFI.
-Still haven't replaced the missing rattle clips in the brakes, it's annoying but doesn't affect the braking so I've left it.
-Whoever put the exhaust together needs a kick in the nuts. Seriously. Who thought a one-piece system (Yep. From the engine flange right through to the back of the car is all one piece

) that's hard up against the body just after the collector was a good idea?
-Vibrates pretty badly at 60-80km/h. Tyres were flat for ages on the blue car and can't be balanced overly well, which is very likely the problem.
-Pretty sure either the gearbox rubber mount or one of the engine mounts is shagged. Blue car to the rescue in either case.
-Needs a wheel alignment.

Despite all that it's still a remarkably reliable car, and drives really well. In addition to running into Parkes/over to Forbes/up to Bogan Gate to the pub etc it's been to Dubbo and back three times, and to Bathurst via Cowra once, with no issues whatsoever. Stops remarkably well for stock brakes, steers well (much better now that I've adjusted the steering box properly), rides comfortably etc.

Rear end in the blue car is good, newish (<10,000km old) poly bushes and wheel bearings, so I'll just swap the whole shebang over when I can be fucked.
Tyres, I can get Kelly PA868's in OEM 195/70R14 size for $108ea, so I'm going to clean up a set of standard rims and go that route. I like the Kellys because they wear like iron and handle the gravel almost as well as an A/T.
Exhaust will be fixed before I go to Sydney for a TAFE practical in October. Hopefully I'll get the tyres/alignment done before then as well.
Gonna swap the control arms and tie rods from the blue car into this one too, that way it'll have newish LCA bushes and new balljoints/tie rods. Probably end up sticking a new idler arm in it as well.

Plan:
-EFI 2.6
-Lowered
-Standard wheels, 195/70's, 20mm hubcentric bolt-on spacers on the rear
-GK GSR boot spoiler
-Towbar
-Better stereo. Better head deck (preferably with Ipod connectivity), 6" coax front, 6x9's rear run off a little 2ch amp. Basic shit, but it'll do for my needs.

Gonna leave it pretty much as-is apart from that and fixing shit. Might paint it eventually, dunno yet.

webby · Post by **webby** » Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:20 pm

Exhaust finally broke, I had a 2.6L petrol tractor there for a while... lol. I've cobbled together a stock exhaust, I had to use the front half of a GH exhaust, the modified GJ mid-pipe I made up for the blue car and a standard muffler. Still needs a bit of work to match everything up right but it's nearly there.

A truck broke my windscreen, luckily I have a spare.

I hit a small goat at roughly 40km/h going out to Cobar a few weeks ago, yes, I said goat. Bent the bumper some more (down+back in towards the body) and broke yet another indicator lense. I'm down to my last spare, should probably get around to straightening the bumper eventually too.

Who washes cars anyway. Seriously though, I'll be giving it a tub and a vaccuum soon, it's pretty grotty. The carpet in the driver's footwell looks like my shed floor, dirt. Tyres aren't actually bald, there's sheep in the house paddock at the moment so the driveway's covered in shit. #farmlyf

Gotta go to Sydney in October, hoping to have at least two new tyres and the springs, diff and control arms/tie rods swapped over by then.

webby · Post by **webby** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:12 pm

Alrighty then.
Nothing got done, I went to Sydney anyway and nothing happened, other than the diff whine degenerating into a sort of moderately loud whirr when it's warm... lol
Jacked the rear up and spun the wheels on Friday afternoon, worked out that it's most likely the centre. The bearings aren't great either though, so I'm going to take the Centrelines off the back and borrow a pair of Corona steelies off my sister's boyfriend so as to reduce the load on said bearings a bit. That said, it's been driven up to Richmond TAFE, between there and a mate's place at Cattai, out to the Colo Heights servo and back, out to Wiseman's Ferry via Sackville and back down to Wollongong since then and hasn't gotten any worse, but it's still not good.
Still in the big smoke, staying with my sister in Wollongong for a few days, so I'm going to go to the pick-a-part in Dapto tomorrow and see what they have centre-wise, otherwise I'll just change the oil and drive it home (via Ballard's Offroad in Penrith and the Australian National Field Days in Borenore) on Friday.

Vibration can be put down to shithouse tyres with flat-induced flatspots.
Exhaust flange leaks like a sieve and the guts have fallen out of the centre muffler.
Engine is still a sewing machine, despite the bottle of lifter-free I stuck in it last service. It's at 268,470km now though, so no surprises there.
I've decided it's getting every cheap-arse bogan's solution to a lack of horsepower in a 3.8L Buick V6+5spd out of a VN-VP Commonwhore (with a few improvements, extractors if they fit, 10mm manifold spacer etc) when this engine dies, so as long as it makes it to rego next April I'm not worried. If it doesn't I'll fix it.

Anyway. Catch y'all in another couple months, haha

webby · Post by **webby** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 2:02 pm

-Picked up a very good pair of 14x7 Hurricanes really cheap (cheers Matt/Rally_2.6LC), they'll be getting 195/60's and going on the rear. The 14x6 Fortrans will stay on the front, with new 185/60's. Centrelines are going in the shed until I can get them fixed, one of them has a gutter-induced ding in it from the previous owner and they're both pretty dirty/rashed up.

-Bought a little 1400kg trolley jack on sale at Supershit, ended up costing me $5 after I returned the wrong dizzy cap I bought. So it's full steam ahead on the diff centre/axles swap when my sister's boyfriend gets here with the stands. I'll also put the trailing arms out of the blue car in it, they have newish Nolathane bushes in good condition, whereas the ones in this one have not-so-good original rubber ones. Hence why the rear end knocks and wobbles like a jelly.

-While the sister's bloke's here I'll swap the lowered springs out of the blue car into this one as well. It's already a pain to get in and out of, but she'll be right.

-It's just about due for an oil change, so I'll give it a full birthday next service. Engine/gearbox/diff oils, replace all the filters, new dizzy rotor/cap/plug leads etc.

-It needs a clutch, along with new thrust and flywheel centre bearings.

-The engine's not healthy. I know I said I'd decided on the Commonwhore motor/box, but it's not like sticking rings, gaskets, seals and bearings in the current lump is going to be expensive, as far as these things go. So, when it dies I'll pull it down and see what I'm working with before I make any decisions.

-Still need to straighten the front bar, replace the windscreen, rub it back, fix any rust and get it painted.

Not doing anything that's going to cost money until after the YamahaIT.com.au forum ride later this month, my bike still needs a new top end and the suspension rebuilt, it's not going to be too expensive as far as these things go, $400 or so, but when you're working on the family farm in return for a room, food, electricity and internet access and relying on Centrelink for spending money, $400 is a lot of money.

webby · Post by **webby** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 3:07 am

Axles with good bearings have been swapped from the blue Scorp into this one, I just need to reattach the tailshaft and put oil in it and it'll be drivable again. Still needs a pinion bearing, but with the limited resources/facilities at my disposal, I really can't be forked.
Maybe when I can pirate a mate's shed so I'm not rolling around in the dirt under a car supported by a piece of sleeper and a concrete-filled cinderblock with a piece of 2x4 on top of each.

webby · Post by **webby** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 3:13 am

*wrestling with centres while the car's maybe 12" off the ground.

Curse you, Missing Edit Button! lol

webby · Post by **webby** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 7:39 pm

Much has happened, not a whole lot of it involving this thing. I bought a pair of 14x7 Hurricanes for it, put them in the shed and drove it a lot.
I embraced my inner hillbilly and bought a 5spd XH Falcon ute with a 5-poster and 14x8s on it, so seeing as I no longer have to drive it every day this has officially been granted project status. Updates forthcoming.

mstrrab1992 · Post by **mstrrab1992** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 7:48 pm

Wait....you hit a goat?

webby · Post by **webby** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:25 pm

Among other things. You usually see more than a few mobs of feral goats on the side of the road once you get out past Condobolin, sometimes you don't have time to stop or slow down enough to avoid them.

webby · Post by **webby** » Fri Dec 09, 2016 1:41 am

Long time no post...
Mate bet me a carton that I can't make this thing run 11s on the 1/8th mile for under $500, I have no idea what a stocker Scorp runs so I have no idea if it's doable, I guess I'll find out when I make it to Wello.
Thinking 34ADM, doesn't need to be registered so a side pipe is happening, 4.6 gears with a CIG locker etc. If nothing else the gearing should make for some epic burnouts, lol
Next post should hopefully have some progress on this little project.

webby · Post by **webby** » Wed Jan 18, 2017 12:26 pm

Bet's run and won... Ran an 11.53 completely stock over the 1/8th according to the app on my mate's phone, lol

Planning on giving this thing a quick rattlecan paintjob now (with the intention of getting it redone properly later on), the whole red/matte black two-tone with white guards and a silver bonnet just looks shabby. I'm liking Case-IH "Power Red" at the moment, was used on Case and International tractors from 1974-'85, it's a sort of bright reddish-orange colour, plus I can get it in spray cans from the local Case dealer, lol.
My question is, for the guys who have painted these things before, how much do I buy? How much primer will I need? etc etc.
I've never painted a car before, should be a fun learning experience

Post by **Scorpma82** » Wed Jan 18, 2017 1:24 pm

I bought 15L of paint accessories

5L primer
5L colour (Daintree Green off the TJ Magna/KJ Verada)
5L clear

This was applied on a GJ wagon (with the GJ Scorpion nose-cone on it)

I kept the rest as colour match/touch up paint but there wasn't much left (can't remember how much left over but it did give me 3 coats of each application)

Sigma-galant.com

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