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  1. #1
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    20XE Into Gemini

    Hey Guys its been a while since i've posted here so here goes.

    I'm building a Holden Gemini into an Improved Production Race car. Under this class i can run any motor, THAT, was used in a Holden, is 4 Cylinder and is under 2.0L. It doesnt leave a great deal open to me, i can stay the standard 1.6L Engine or go up to a G200 Isuzu motor which will need extensive work to be a quick motor.

    Or i could go a 3sge Toyota motor ( Used in the Holden Apollo as a 3sfe )

    Or a 20Xe Opel motor.

    I have no experience with the Opel motor, the only motor i've worked on in Opel form was a c20sel. Needless to say i wont say anything else about that. Dont have anything nice to say and what have you.

    Opinions on this conversion? Motor quirks etc and general opinion on using it?

    This car will be racing Mostly at Wakefield, Eastern Creek and Hopefully Bathurst.

    Cheers Josh
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  2. #2
    OpelAus Forum Addict chris_r's Avatar
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    Well, the earlier TX/TC/TD Gemini was also sold as a Opel Kadett C throughout most of Europe and the Vauxhall Chevette in the UK market. C20XE conversions have been done on these cars, but I'm guessing these days they are few and far between, as the cars are quite rare now.

    C20XEs are an excellent option for tuning too, with a bucketload of options available. As for making it fit a rear wheel drive, I believe you use the gearbox from a 2WD Rodeo with the 2.4 C24SE engine, as these are a slightly larger version of the C20 engines. Most of the earlier Family II engines share the same bellhousing pattern.

    Yeah, the C20SEL/C22SELs weren't a particularly fantastic engine, even if they were based on the X20XEV, which is the successor to the C20XE. The earlier C20XE however is a fairly solid engine, like most Opel engines benefits from regular servicing (particularly timing belt and water pumps are key), although these days most are probably in need of a rebuild. If that's the case, most parts can be sourced from the UK for cheaper than you would find here.
    2001 Opel Corsa C SRi: Z20LET EDS stage 3.5 173.9kW @ the wheels Build thread and here on FB: http://www.facebook.com/corsasriz20let
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  3. #3
    OpelAus Owner poita's Avatar
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    For engine conversions into a Gemini maybe have a look around on Oz Gemini, maybe someone there has done it
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    Bit surprised to see @chris_r you didn't suggest a Z20LET! Am I misinterpreting the criteria or something?

    Call me curious but I'd like to see a modern engine in a Gem just to see what it looks like when an engine usually mounted transverse style is dropped into a older car longitudinal style, assuming that's the what people generally do. Would be like seeing life from some sort of parallel universe, LOL!

  5. #5
    OpelAus Forum Addict chris_r's Avatar
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    Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by pd-xc-72464118 Click here to enlarge
    Bit surprised to see @chris_r you didn't suggest a Z20LET! Am I misinterpreting the criteria or something?

    Call me curious but I'd like to see a modern engine in a Gem just to see what it looks like when an engine usually mounted transverse style is dropped into a older car longitudinal style, assuming that's the what people generally do. Would be like seeing life from some sort of parallel universe, LOL!
    Didn't mention the Z20LET, as turbocharged engines in pretty much all forms of racing including IPRA have their capacity multiplied by a factor of 1.7, meaning that a 2.0 turbo engine is the equivalent of a 3.4 litre naturally aspirated engine. That would put the OP in a different category again as opposed to the 2000cc and under.

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    2001 Opel Corsa C SRi: Z20LET EDS stage 3.5 173.9kW @ the wheels Build thread and here on FB: http://www.facebook.com/corsasriz20let
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  6. #6
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    I'd love to turbo but that would mean going up against 500hp+ commodores etc. Would be an awesome power to weight ratio though!

  7. #7
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    Im no tuner I just do maintenance and keep my car clean so forgive me if this is a stupid question but Im just throwing this out there incase u havent thought about it but what about a z18xe or z18xer? I've heard there not the easiest car engine to modify but my astra AH seems to go ok when i put my foot down and it's an auto. I'd think it would be much heavier than a Gemini and with a decent manual gearbox as well as a bigger bore and different cam I think you'd be able to get decent results. Also I've heard u can u a larger throttle body and bigger injectors but not 100% on details. Just thought it might be another option worth considering. Good luck with the build and I'm sure whatever u put in it it will be well worth it in the end.

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  8. #8
    OpelAus Forum Addict chris_r's Avatar
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    Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by shifty Click here to enlarge
    Im no tuner I just do maintenance and keep my car clean so forgive me if this is a stupid question but Im just throwing this out there incase u havent thought about it but what about a z18xe or z18xer? I've heard there not the easiest car engine to modify but my astra AH seems to go ok when i put my foot down and it's an auto. I'd think it would be much heavier than a Gemini and with a decent manual gearbox as well as a bigger bore and different cam I think you'd be able to get decent results. Also I've heard u can u a larger throttle body and bigger injectors but not 100% on details. Just thought it might be another option worth considering. Good luck with the build and I'm sure whatever u put in it it will be well worth it in the end.

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    Problem is, when you go to mod the Z18, everything is pretty much custom made and that's when it gets costly.

    By going with a C20XE, the OP has a ton of options available to him, everything from quad throttle body setups to cams and all other kinds of bits available off the shelf.

    Don't get me wrong, I still think that the Z18XE and XER are cracking little engines, just when it comes to racing, the C20XE is a hard act to beat, as it has been a proven engine in racing circles. Hell, even Spiess have tuned and built the C20XE into a solid engine for use in Formula 3 cars. There's a mob here in Adelaide that are the Australian agent for Spiess too, but I can imagine you may need to sell some organs for one of their engines.

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    2001 Opel Corsa C SRi: Z20LET EDS stage 3.5 173.9kW @ the wheels Build thread and here on FB: http://www.facebook.com/corsasriz20let
    2018 Ford Transit 290S: Transit #2, in that order and it's also a POS
    1998 Opel Combo B: It has begun, and it's stalled - Build thread and FB page
    2009 Holden Commodore VE SS: Gen IV LS power for the inner bogan

  9. #9
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    Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by chris_r Click here to enlarge
    Problem is, when you go to mod the Z18, everything is pretty much custom made and that's when it gets costly.

    By going with a C20XE, the OP has a ton of options available to him, everything from quad throttle body setups to cams and all other kinds of bits available off the shelf.

    Don't get me wrong, I still think that the Z18XE and XER are cracking little engines, just when it comes to racing, the C20XE is a hard act to beat, as it has been a proven engine in racing circles. Hell, even Spiess have tuned and built the C20XE into a solid engine for use in Formula 3 cars. There's a mob here in Adelaide that are the Australian agent for Spiess too, but I can imagine you may need to sell some organs for one of their engines.

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    Yea I've heard there's not a lot of mods out there for them and I can only imagine the cost of getting everything custom made! It's a pity there aren't many upgrade mods for them

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  10. #10
    OpelAus Forum Addict chris_r's Avatar
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    Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by shifty Click here to enlarge
    Yea I've heard there's not a lot of mods out there for them and I can only imagine the cost of getting everything custom made! It's a pity there aren't many upgrade mods for them

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    Yeah, I would say the limiting factor with the Z18 is the ECU. There's not many people that can tune them and those that can hold their secrets close to their hearts for obvious reasons. Not to mention, the Siemens Simtec ECUs are just plain shite at the best of times in terms of reliability. Go aftermarket ECU and the world is your oyster so to say, but more often than not, you're almost talking thousands to do that on it's own. Having said that, there seems to be a DCOE throttle body style intake manifold available from the UK for the X18XE1/Z18XE engine and I have a VEMS aftermarket ECU here looking for a home, along with a Z18 going into a Combo van. Looks rather tempting.
    2001 Opel Corsa C SRi: Z20LET EDS stage 3.5 173.9kW @ the wheels Build thread and here on FB: http://www.facebook.com/corsasriz20let
    2018 Ford Transit 290S: Transit #2, in that order and it's also a POS
    1998 Opel Combo B: It has begun, and it's stalled - Build thread and FB page
    2009 Holden Commodore VE SS: Gen IV LS power for the inner bogan

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