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"BADGirl" - Holden Gemini Page 6

The Bodywork Part 2:

The Fitting of the GT Bonnet Skin.

We Started the Bonnet off by Purchasing a 1981 TE bonnet, these have a Separate Strip across the Front that I thought gave the Gemini a Classier (Commodore Style) Appearance, especially when Colour Coded and the Black Rubber Strip Inserted Back Between the Strip and the Bonnet to Make it Stand Out . We Gutted the Bonnet of its Internal Framing and Bonnet Skin, leaving around 2 inches of Metal around the edge so as We could Weld the Skin from a 1974 GT XB Ford Falcon to it . We then made New Frames from 16 Gauge Metal, Welding these to the Underside . All Welding was Done with Oxy & Acetylene, a Hammer, Flipper and Dolly, with a 'Few' Hot Shrinks thrown in to Help Pull the Skin Straight . It was then Ground Smooth, and For Extra Rigidity, Fibreglassed over by 2 layers of 1 1/2 Ounce Chopstrand Matting, then Molded in . Also the Alloy Scoop Inserts were Fibreglassed into the Skin to give it a Smoother Appearance. At this Stage . I Also still had Twin 45mm DCOE Side Draught Webbers fitted to the Motor . The Bonnet Required some Extra Work to Clear the Air filters with Reshaping around the Drivers Side Air Intake . Due to the Legalities of the Webbers, they were later Discarded in Favor of a 32/36 Down Draught Webber Under a Modified Original Air Filter, so as to keep the Visual Effect of the Car Standard in the Eyes of the Law . I Also had 2 Gas Rams from an XF Falcon Wagon Tailgate Fitted to the Bonnet, 1 Lifted the Bonnet to its Full Height for Working Under the Bonnet and the other was for Lifting the Bonnet to Half its Full Height for when I was Showing it . This Did Away with the Unsightly Bonnet Stick that was only good for Scratching the Paint Work on the Bonnet as Well as the Radiator Support . I have Had Many People ask if I could Arrange for a Bonnet to be Converted for Them the same way, But when Told if My Boyfriend Charged $8.00 an Hour to do the Same to Their Bonnet As Was Done to Mine, the Bonnet would Cost Them over $2,500 in Labour Alone, I Suppose that's Why a lot of GT Bonnet Conversions are Limited to the GT Skin Just Being Tack Welded and Molded over the Original Bonnet Skins, which Make the Bonnets Twice as Heavy to Lift Open ! I'm glad I never bent it !

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The Bonnet Finally Welded into Place, Sure Beats an After Market Fibreglass Scoop . The Framing Welded onto the Underside of the Bonnet, and I Loved those 45mm Side Draught Webbers !

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It Took Something like 2 Weeks, at 8 to 10 Hours a Day of Solid Work Welding, Beating, shaping, Cursing and Hot Shrinking the Bonnet to Get it to this Stage .

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The Recessed Antenna in Place, This Was Actually Antenna #1, Which was later Replaced with a Slightly Smaller Diameter one, and Was Moved Further Back, Now Things Are Starting to Take Shape .

Molding in the CDT Gemini Flares - Trans Am Scoops and Roof Spoiler.

I Ditched the Original Sprint Flares for a Set of CDT (Country Dealer Team) Flares . I Think these are More Suited to the Final Design of What I Was After . Plus They Covered the Wheels and Tyres Which were 13 x 7 inch Delta Phantoms All Round with Yokohama 352's - 235 x 50 x 13 inch on the Rear and 215 x 50 x 13 inch Bridgestone Eager's on the Front . The Flares and Side Skirts were Virtually Built Around These Wheels . It was One of the First Things I had Decided on, the Wheels Had To Stay ! Before Fitting the Flares and Rear spoiler, the Panels were Ground back, 1 1/2 Ounce Fibreglass Matting was Rolled onto the Panels and the Flares and Spoiler were Fitted to the Wet Fibreglass . After the Fibreglass had Dried, it was Ground Back and 2 layers of Matting was Rolled over the Flares and Spoiler to Effectively Double Glass Each Item to the Panels for Extra Stiffness . The Flares were also Fibreglassed into the Underneath of the Guards to Mold Them in and Make Them Part of the Body . The Body was then Ground Back and Skimmed with Bog to Fill any Minor Hail and Parking Dents and Mold in the Fibreglass . The Roof Spoiler Came from a VJ Valiant Station Wagon, was Shortened, Shaped and Double Glassed to the Rear of the Roof, This was a Cosmetic Addition, just for Something Different . A Set of Trans Am Guard Scoops were Designed, (By Brian again) Moulds taken, Moulded then Fitted to the Front Guards, These were also Fibreglassed into the Guards from Both Sides for Extra Strength, again Cosmetic. This is where Brian came into His Own, if he couldn't Acquire What He Wanted, He Hand Made It! Cool !

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After Fibreglassing, a Quick Grind Back, Then Ready for the Plastic Filler .