Dave's Background of his Gemini Vans

Dave's Automotive Anomalies
My Gemini Vans
~ a background story ~

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Some of my friends think I'm crazy. Many of them started in the humble Holden Gemini, then moved on to bigger and better things. They bought VL Commodores. They bought LC Toranas. A couple bought Celicas. What did I do? I bought another Gemini van. Then I bought another one. And all this time, I've been enjoying the (usually) cheaper repair and running costs of the Gemini, I've been able to take monsterous corners at speed and been able to bag up a fat 205 on a heavy 14" rim. Sure, in a straight line, my poor Geminis have usually been slayed. But I wouldn't swap 'em for the world. That's a figure of speech. I probably would.

My first Gemini came about because of one thing - I wanted a Holden, but I needed a four-cylinder. My options included the Commodore Four (yeah, right), the LC, LJ, LH or LX Torana Four, the LX and UC Sunbird or the original HB-model Torana. You know, if I knew then what I know now, I may well have looked for an HB, but I didn't know what they were back then, so I didn't. Holden made other fours - the Camira and the Nissan Pulsar-based Astra and both were within my price range. But I wanted a REAR wheel drive, four-cylinder Holden. And all that's left is the Gemini.

I had a friend called Whiskey - his CB callsign became his nickname. He'd bought a TD coupe after he smashed his parents TE sedan delivering pizzas one night. The thing was a bit of a boonger - there were panels misaligned and dented and some rust here and there. The engine died before too long, and he got it rebuilt. It was rebuilt to stock specifications, but geez, if it didn't absolutely hammer. During his 18 months of ownership, he conservatively estimated he'd pulled around 70 burnouts, yet he had no trouble from the differential, nor from the gearbox.

above: Whiskey's TD Gemini coupe was a pretty quick car for what it was. It was basically stock, but seemed to hammer like nothing else we were driving. It was the fastest car in our group of friends until people started buying Commodores. Driveline outlasted Whiskey pulling at least 70 large burnouts.

below: Anthony's green TD sedan was a good car, although those mags could have done with some rubbish bin action.

Another friend of mine, Anthony, bought a TD sedan after rolling his Mum's Ford KB-model Laser. His Gemini went fairly well and was in very good condition. He, too had few problems with the car. I really wanted to get one - and while I was quite partial to the original TX model, I knew I'd have to get a TD, as they have the large, Torana-sourced Salisbury-type differentials, but retain the original body shape that was lost after the TD, in favour of the squarer, more 80's body adorning the TE onwards.

So the decision was narrowed down to a TD, and because I had a friend with a coupe and another with a sedan, I figured I'd have to get a van. The wagon wasn't considered, because I liked the smoothness of the van's window covers - the smooth piece of fibreglass running where the windows would be on the wagon version; they make the lines quite sleek for a commercial vehicle. I figured I'd be able to sleep in it when I was camping, or when I went to a friend's place for drinks. I knew I'd be able to fit heaps of stuff in it, and finally, I knew I'd never have to carry rear passengers that compromise the performance and handling of small, four-cylinder cars. Besides, I'd always liked Holden Sandmans when I was a kid and always wanted to get one until I discovered that they chewed a lot of juice and handled badly. Oh, and try finding a real Sandman these days. No way.

The Gemini van had other things going for it too; it had the same suspension as the sedan and coupe - coil springs all round - which is a boost for handling, and meant that the van should handle as well as a coupe. The decision was made. All I had to do was find one for under $2000. I drove a few vans before I found the one I was to own.

The Search:

The first one I found was yellow, and to my disappointment, had windows and round headlights. I was under the impression that the TD had square headlights (like my mate's sedan and coupe), but this van had round ones. I drove it and was impressed though. It had been lowered with proper springs (not chopped) and handled like a go-kart on 13" TD SL/E alloy wheels. The engine had been rebuilt recently and the compression test was perfect. The stereo worked really well and the interior was neat and tidy.

I drove to a phone booth and called Gemispares, asking how much it would cost to put some panelvan panels over the windows. "Is it yellow?" the guy asked. I confirmed that it was. He said it was probably an ex-RAA van - all were yellow and all had windows, rather than the usual covers. It was going to cost about $300 including the panels - something I didn't mind paying. Perhaps most importantly of all, it had no rust; extremely rare in a Gemini.

I drove it back to the owner's place and said that my Mum wouldn't let me buy, ironically, without an RAA inspection, but that I'd definitely buy it anyway. The next day, it had been sold to somebody with cash-in-hand. I was devestated.

The next one I drove was quite a different car. It was also yellow, and it had square headlights which impressed me. I wasn't happy to see that this car too was missing the panelvan panels. It made sense, however, as on closer inspection, it turned out to be a WAGON. Aside from the headlights, it had original TD wheelcovers (the van has hubcaps) and it had a rear seat. I took it for a spin anyway, and once out of audible range of the owners, I tried to stoke it up. I wasn't out to thrash some other person's car mind you, but if it didn't stoke up, I wasn't going to buy it. It totally didn't want to play the game. Looking back, it could have just been a shitty clutch, but I knew that it wouldn't be the right car for me. Besides, it had an immobiliser which was activated by turning a key in the fender. It was weird, and at $3000, it was both out of my price range AND massively overpriced. I took it back and said straight out that I woundn't buy it.

The third one I looked at was a beast. It had a rebuilt G180 1800cc with a hot cam, Weber carb and extractors. Again, it was yellow (what's with yellow?!?!), but this needed some body work. The grille was missing, replaced by a VN Commodore grille that was completely the wrong shape and looked gay. It had clean little 13" Bathurst Globe mags, but some were gold and silver, while one was black and silver. It had a rust hole in the floor, and the interior of the load area had been covered with carpet, which had then been removed exposing wood and glue gunk everywhere. I mulled over it for some time, then asked the guy for a drive. He wouldn't let me drive it if I wasn't going to buy it. I wasn't going to buy if it he wasn't going to let me drive it. Stalemate, so I went home empty handed once more.

I came across the van I eventually bought quite by accident. It was Easter 1997 and I drove to Victor Harbor in my Mum's 1978 Mazda 323 wagon. It was my car in everything but name and spirit. I drove it all the time - I, like Whiskey, delivered pizzas for some time, which probably did nothing for its condition. Most of what broke was due to age, however. It didn't go and it didn't handle (it was, unequivocably, the worst handling car I've ever driven - predictable, but incredibly soft and sloppy). And it did not look very good. In fact, it still sported Mum's personalised plate; JOY-034, which severely cramped my style. I never set about naming my cars, and yet they have all developed names. The Mazda was the Joywagon, for reasons which should be obvious. When I saw a little red van parked across the road from Rumbelow's Deli with a FOR SALE sign in the window, I knew I had to have a look.

above: The Joywagon was gay.

I noticed it was fitted with a 5-speed, as well as a tachometer. The carpet was OK and it had a sports seat on the drivers side, which was very comfortable. I took it for a drive, and it bagged up and did second gear squealies and everything. I paid a deposit to Mr Brian Edwards, the 50-year-old surfie who ran the Deli, and agreed to meet him half way to Adelaide the next week, at Christies Beach where he'd be competing in a Surf Lifesaving event.

We met as planned and I could feel a tingle when I saw my little van sitting right there in front of me. He suggested I take it for another test drive, just to make sure all was right. I did, and was again impressed with the power and the go-kart handling, and that familiar exhaust tone of a Gemini going the gong at full song. It started to sprinkle, and the windscreen wipers did not work. He assurred me that they did on the way up, so we fiddled with some fuses and they started working OK. An ominous happening perhaps, but I was just stoked to have my own car, and a cool one at that. Brian took his pushbike from the back and said, "If I don't get a lift home, I'll just ride back". I couldn't ride from Christies to Victor now, let alone when I'm 50-something! That's like 80 kilometres or something! When I drove off, leaving my Mum in her Corolla eating my dust, I knew I had a freedom machine. My own little piece of Australia that I can do what I like in the back of, with nobody to tell me off. I was absolutely stoked.

above left & left: My first car, as photographed on the day I bought it in April, 1997. The only modification I did to it before taking the photos was to removed the wheel covers - Daihatsu Charade on one side, K-Mart specials on the other! Roof-racks, vinyl roof and mural are powerful fashion statements. In 1985.

~ on to my first van ~
~ FeralVan '97~

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