Stinky Rooster

I dunno, I still think whoever designed that dash layout should have his arms ripped off and beaten about the head and shoulders with the soggy end....

OK, now we are getting somewhere, did you ask him if it is gonna get any cheaper with volume? I am definately interested no the price is slightly more realistic

You have got to be kidding me? You would have thought that Holden learnt their lesson after the Starfire that commodes and 2lt engines do not mix...... Such a pity you didn't get the rb30 turbo - it made the commode a desirable car for the first time ever IMO

I am almost ready to say that this may be a weakness with the S1 stagea. Your yoke looks exactly the same as mine did (kicks self for not taking photos) except mine had broken a large piece off and the uni bearing was half hanging out. I didn't actually consider how much extra clearance would be needed for the GTR shaft, but the collapsed uni in mine was enogh to cause my shaft to knock about against a few things under there. so it makes sense. Everyone should at least do a visual check of this the next time you have the chance - my car is sooooo much smoother and nicer to drive now

as fine as those examples are, I couldn't help but notice they all had ROUND wheel arches.... BTW, I SO want that big rattle gun

As discussed elsewhere, you will find this is a rough guide only. F'r instance, I have a 97 S1 that is badged as a 25X, but it has the RB25-DET and a few other trinkets that the guide says were only available in the RSFourV so you obviously have to take into account the original purchasers preferences, what options boxes he ticked and what the original dealer might have thrown in to sweeten the deal. To me, the biggest appeal of owning something as unique as an import is the journey to figure out exactly what you have.

Yep, me too, but I dont think they could have moved the rear seating back any further without extending the wheel base - have a look underneath and you will see what I mean. The position of the subframe for the rear diff etc kind of precludes it because of the lack of forward floor space

Brad, I didn't measure it so I can't tell you exactly, but I would say at a gues it steps up maybe 1.5 times the original diameter. They looked pretty similar in length, again I didn't measure the one I saw but the splines etc at the gearbox looked exactly the same. I would really recommend getting the swap to replaceable unis done before you put it in tho, it will save a lot of time and hassle later on

Yudy, you are right about that, but there is always a way around it, you just have to be creative. The ball joints on the old falcons are a prime example. Ford riveted the originals to the control arm and only listed part numbers for replacement of the entire assembly including mounting bushes etc, but the aftermarket industry ended up selling replacement ball joints that , after you used a cold chisel to knock out the original rivets, bolted straight in to the holes left by knocking out said original rivets. I used to have a BMW 75/7 bike with carbies that used a diaphram that cost $75 each (in 1990) but you could pop down to Marlows at the time and grab a pair for a Torana for about $4 each and they worked fine. Off topic a bit, and I know I mentioned this before, but anyone else considering importing a Stagea that wants to use an agent rather than do it themselves, give www.dcimports.com.au a go. Reagan Whitby is a really nice guy to deal with, his is the most upfront car salesman I have ever come across The whole episode with my car has been the best warranty experience I have ever had with any product. I really can't speak highly enough of this comapny and when you compare the alternatives here in Perth....well, as far as I am concerned there isn't any.

Sigh.. I dunno if I can wait that long. My stagea is all fixed and ready to NOW!!!!!

Ahh the joys of being a contractor... Only time I get off are the pubic (!) holidays, and only then because the office isn't open. So, no road trip this year, although the way the road toll is going this year this is probably a good thing. I would rather wait until march or so and then take a couple of weeks off when the crowds have died down anyway.

Yep, I would look att the CV joints in the front drive shafts too, If it was the front drive shaft, like mine was, it wouldn't go away after backing off, or in any higher gear.

Unfortunately, the unis are NOT replaceable. You can, however get a driveshaft company (such as VEEM here in WA) to machine the yokes out and have them adapted to accept the circlip (replaceable) type, but it is not a quick job, still, the next time I have this problem it is exactly what I will do. This time araound I didn't have that option because the carrier bearing had actaully collapsed and another 500m or so and the whole uni would have failed As a side note, the GTR shafts are actually different. I can't say for sure wether they can be used or not (didn't try) but the GTR shaft has a large step before the diff end and gets a fair bit bigger in diameter. On a happy note, this has helped me to find out that there is already a half cut series 1 Stagea here in Perth.

Mine was the transfer case end - it would be even worse if it was the diff end! I know a guy who lost the front uni in an old falcon at 100 kph and he ended up on his roof so don't underestimate the dangers of a flogged out unijoint

Firstly, Thank you to everyone who replyed to this thread. Your combined experience really helped me out with sorting this problem, Especially Brad (Cruiseliner) who trusted me with some bits n' pieces from his own car and really made life a lot easier for me when it came to figuring out the cause of the failure. Now, everyone who mentioned they share the "shuddering" at constant speeds, PLEASE rush out and inspect your uni joints in your front drive shafts ASAP. There should be almost NO movement in the shaft at all when fitted to the vehicle. Mine had failed fairly recently, but for some reason the failure had been pretty catastrophic and the result was a very bent and abused front drive shaft. This is something that you DO NOT want to break because a loose driveshaft flailing around under your car is not going to be pretty. Mine hadn't even broken all the way through, but it still managed to put a nasty dent in the floor quite close to the drivers feet, and this is something to make me sweat - it would be like being a drag racer who has had a clutch explode without a scatter sheild fitted. The possible leg injuries are damn frightening so do not put this off! Other than that, got mah baby back !

front windows were a bit of a giveaway, but it still looks HAWT and it is also a good way for me to sell the missus on a bodykit

My 2 cents.. I looked long and hard for the stockest one I could find in Aus and I will mod it at my own pace... I would be interested in seeing what you will be selling in the way of parts, if that is the way you decide to go.

PM sent (twice actually - sorry about that )

It all sounds good from here... Just hoping like buggery that I will be able to get the transfer case issues sorted by then. I really dont think the zig zag will be a problem with the stags.

aFter taking out the console the other day, I was giving this some thought myself. I can't take the console out while it is in park.. I can't put it in any other gear without the key in the ignition... Once the key is in the ignition, all the alarms start going "ding" (door open, seatbelt, etc etc) Can't take the key out of the ignition until gear selector is in park.... Working in the car at a frustrating finiky job with my ignition stuck on and all these little electronic dings and beeps firing at me is NOT my idea of a good time.

Well, now I am really confused. My car has 25X on the tailgate, but this can't be true because it is definately a RB25-DET It also has the same RSFour badge on the grill as all the others I have seen on the site. But it doesn't have any body kit at all, not even the lower front lip, and it doesn't have the privacy glass on the back windows or cargo area. It also has all woodgrain console and door trim highlights....... Any one has any ideas as to why it would have the 25X on the tailgate?

Update - for anyone interested, we seem to have narrowed the field down to the front driveshaft and /or transfer case. I can't get the bloody thing on a hoist until Thursday, but those in the know are all pointing stright to the uni joints or bearing carrier in the transfer. Maybe yay , maybe boo hoo . More as it comes to hand, but either way I am so glad I wnt with the warranty right now. Still can't think of a worse time of year for the wife to be without wheels.

I gotta say that my S1 is without a doubt the nicest handling wagon I have ever owned / driven - mind you, i am comparing it to a 92 EB, a 79 HZ and a 78 TD Cortina . I am running 17x8 / 225 on all 4 corners and it sticks to the road like poop on a babies blanket. All stock too. I can't comment on tyre wear as they are all new and I have only owned it for 2 weeks. I was gonna ask about the castor kit, but I think I will wait until it looks like it will need it

sorry - mybad, I should have realised you wouldn't be that dumb. I have had a mate that put 14 litres of engine oil in to his Mazda 626 - when asked why, he said it was because he looked down the filler hole and couldn't see the oil level so he just kept adding. And yes, the engine did "hydraulic" and stick a con rod thru the block (chortle)

For the love of all that is good and holy DO NOT PUT ATF FLUID IN A MANUAL GEARBOX!!!!!! You need to put gear oil in it. There are some excellent synthetic gear oils about but if you put auto tranny fluid in a manual, you will destroy your gearbox in very short order