A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Yokohama
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by Yokohama »

As for the bushing mount torque level; I would follow the factory specs. As you will note, it may pivot in the mount, and it would be possible to cause excess wear by over-tightening.
If you feel that the inner bushing sleeve is to big for the bolt and causing undesirable moments, then you may want to find a sleeve to fit inside
the original bushing inner sleeve to have a smaller gap. I would then coat all the pivot bolts and other sliding
contact surfaces with anti-seize before assembly.

But, you may also want to see if you can match up polyurethane graphite bushing to limit suspension member moments.

As mentioned before, not only is your ride height low, but also loose because you need to either
adjust the front torsion bars to the correct 45mm as in the above procedure, or replace them according the the FSM.

As for the stereo install, I have the pinouts to the stock unit, and figured out the correct wiring, so that the
radio turns on the stock sub-woofer amp only when the radio is on (to amp output line on radio, to 12+ on amp). I will see about posting them.
My rule is "thou shalt not cut into the wiring harness, unless absolutely necessary", so I also took the stock plug out of the original radio (desoldered) and used it with the new deck's plugs to make an adaptor (because I did not want to order one, because the stores here did not carry the adapter plugs I needed).

I am considering have the rear leaf springs upgraded as well now. There is a place here that will rebuild them, so I will compare that to ordering new ones (at this time).
Whenever On-Road and off-road; on duty and off duty, it is DELICA Moment. -CMC

"Practical vehicle fitting wide occasion from personal use to commercial use.
Many can ride / many can be loaded." -Official Mitsubishi L300 product website
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teamtestbot
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Vehicle: 1989 Mitsubishi Van/Wagon
Location: MA, USA

Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by teamtestbot »

Some time a few weeks ago, this vehicle passed 10,000 miles under my command. Combined with a recent trip to Pennsylvania, and it's actually over 11Kmi now.

I did some more bodywork, this time to relieve spreading rust on the front left wheelwell where it meets the driver's door:

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(This was taken after I sanded, chipped, and cut off most of the exterior rust, but the wheelwell side saw a lot more metal removed afterwards)

The green coating on the interior was sprayed a few months ago *through* a hole in the bottom rocker panel (which is still an issue) - it's a rust conversion/encapsulation compound I got from Eastwood which I was told can help hold off worse corrosion for a while. After this job was done, I reached through the same hole to give another few blasts.

This succession of images shows the progression of the area from multi-layered fiberglass to filler sculpting to priming and painting.
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Because this was a highly visible portion of the vehicle, I decided to practice more 'body man' skills and took much longer and spent more time in the finer details. There are still imperfections, but you wouldn't be able to tell unless you were running your hand over it. Fairly proud of this job; I hope to hold the same levels of quality elsewhere from now on instead of only prioritizing preservation. I used "glass filled" Bondo filler at the recommendations of a friend because of its high strength.

Early in January, I also got fed up with the increased rate it was leaking oil during the winter, took off the oil pan and redid the previously poorly-done or damaged gasket. I think this was actually the source of my high oil loss rate - it was entirely wet with oil around the edges, and whoever did the previous job did it poorly; there was a paper gasket bonded to silicone and traces of yet another previous silicone job that was not cleaned properly.

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I cleaned and refinished both mating surfaces first:

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Then remade the gasket with one application of high temperature RTV:

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The rate of loss is virtually none now - there is still clearly a small leak from the rear crank seal, but it at least is from a consistent place.

I've been fighting a bad alternator issue most recently. The possibly-original one gave out two weeks ago; I purchased a replacement reman unit, but it failed after a week after the belt came off at a high engine speed (I think I damaged the belt during installation or improperly tensioned it, or it was just on the way out), and after replacing said belt, no longer charged the battery. I have since purchased *yet another* and it seems to be fine again.
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teamtestbot
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Vehicle: 1989 Mitsubishi Van/Wagon
Location: MA, USA

Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by teamtestbot »

Random offhand question: The inside of my van clearly has rails for window blinds. Are these available somewhere / a standard size? Does anyone here have some they can show some pics of?
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nxski
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by nxski »

teamtestbot wrote:Random offhand question: The inside of my van clearly has rails for window blinds. Are these available somewhere / a standard size? Does anyone here have some they can show some pics of?
There are little sliders that fit into the rails and hold the curtains in place. Do you have those? They can be a bit tricky to find, but there are hardware stores that carry them. You're probably better off making your own curtains than trying to find originals, because most of the original ones I've seen are in pretty rough shape.
Live the life you love, love the life you live...

Had: 1991 Mitsubishi Delica L300 SuperExceed, heavily modified (totalled by a drunk driver)
Have: 2011 Acura CSX manual, lightly modified
Want: Mitsubishi Pajero Evo

http://nes-design-construction.com
http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/nicolas-spurling/46/b48/924

Nicola Spurling
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teamtestbot
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Vehicle: 1989 Mitsubishi Van/Wagon
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by teamtestbot »

Good to know. I can make them pretty easily but just wondered if someone had an example picture.

Now for my next random curious question: Anyone have the specifications for the U.S. version 4G64 engine? I only see it as "105HP", but I was curious as to the maximum torque also, and the RPMs these occur at. Or, heaven forbid, someone has a dyno sheet for a stock van...

Edit: I found some numbers on one of those sketchy car database sites:
http://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/ ... /1989.html

107 HP @ 5000, 132 ft-lb @ 3500.
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teamtestbot
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Vehicle: 1989 Mitsubishi Van/Wagon
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by teamtestbot »

It's been a while! I'm actually sad (glad?) to report that I've practically run out of things to fix or replace. Fairly recently, it passed 20,000! miles under my command, made almost entirely of road trips up and down the East Coast and out to the Midwest. There was only that one time when I was stranded for a day due to a bad tank of gas clogging up the fuel filter. The left front brake caliper started to stick, and so they were replaced (Contrary to my usual style, I had pictures but my hard drive they were stored on decided to become sad.)

The only other work i've been putting into it incrementally, when I have time and access to the shop space, is continuing to do bodywork and paint/rust repair.

For instance, I'm slowly healing all the left side damage since for some reason it had alot.

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I recently started migrating the interior lights and side marker lights to LEDs in order to lower the power consumption, get better brightness and color, and spare the meek 80s wiring a little more. That meant buying a load of 31mm Festoon LED lamps for the inside and some 1156 and miniature T10 bulbs for the marker lamps. I'm investigating LED headlights, but currently I am not convinced any of the market options are effective replacements.
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Mazdax605
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by Mazdax605 »

I was wondering if you were on Cape Cod yesterday with your van? I ask because I was near the Sagamore bridge, and saw what looked like an L300 in my rear view turning away from where I was headed. It had a bike rack on the rear, and was sending a pretty good cloud of smoke out of the rear when it pulled away from the light. I wanted so badly to track down the van, but it was too late as I got onto Rt 3 North. If you ever get down to the South Shore look me up as I have my JDM Delica now, and would love to hang out with another owner.

Chris
Chris

89 P25W L300 Aero GLX
74 Mazda REPU
78 Mazda RX-7 GS
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teamtestbot
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by teamtestbot »

I have been told by my Cape Cod network that there is another Van in that area. Was it light blue? I do not have bike racks.
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Mazdax605
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by Mazdax605 »

It was hard to tell as it was far away, and I was looking through my rear view mirror, but it looked either white/silver/maybe light blue. My Delica is light blue, and white on the lower portion. I wonder if you Cape Cod people have seen me about? we really should get together sometime.
Chris

89 P25W L300 Aero GLX
74 Mazda REPU
78 Mazda RX-7 GS
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teamtestbot
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by teamtestbot »

So I've been wondering about a few little things.

First, it seems like at least on the U.S. edition Delica, the rear track is 2 or 3" narrower than the front. Anyone know why this might be the case? It makes the rear look a little strange. Have people modified this dimension with wider tires or wheel spacers, etc.?

Second, is there a popular modification to the 4G64 setup in the U.S. vans that will net me a few more horsepower for getting onto the highway? Perhaps not 'new heads and a turbo kit' level, but for instance I do notice that the intake path is very long and convoluted. Or is there no such almost-free lunch for this engine setup?
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Mazdax605
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by Mazdax605 »

I can talk to a friend of mine who is a Mitsubishi head, and has a few of these vans. I bet you could do something to help the power.

On the subject of the front and rear track being different. I pretty much think most vehicles are this way to a point. Aids in handling I believe. My Japanese spec Delica has the same sort of wide front narrow rear track as well. I noticed the look went away on my US spec L300 when I installed the Starion wheels as the offset from front to rear on the wheels was different. The wheels looked bad ass by the way.
Chris

89 P25W L300 Aero GLX
74 Mazda REPU
78 Mazda RX-7 GS
IdahoDoug
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by IdahoDoug »

Nice thread. I'm new to the forum tonight. Just bought a 1987/1988 Van Wagon and am looking forward to getting my hands on it to start poking around and see what needs attention. This thread was a great way to see in advance a few things I may be attending to.

Rgds
Yokohama
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by Yokohama »

teamtestbot wrote: Second, is there a popular modification to the 4G64 setup in the U.S. vans that will net me a few more horsepower for getting onto the highway? Perhaps not 'new heads and a turbo kit' level, but for instance I do notice that the intake path is very long and convoluted. Or is there no such almost-free lunch for this engine setup?
The 4G64 is the same as later Mitsubishi Mighty Max/Dodge Ram D50, so any modifications they use can be applied to the van. The intake runners that you mentioned are there for a reason. Long intake runners are there to help the engine make power in the lower RPM range where a van needs it (most of the time). The length maintains intake air velocity, so that when the piston reaches the bottom of the intake stroke, the air will use inertia to cram a little more into the cylinder. It also is so that when the valve starts to open again, that there is a bunch of air sitting right there ready to go in. So, of course, if you wanted to use some kind of alternative intake manifold, then you could affect where the power band of the engine would be.

THE ONLY MODIFICATION THAT CAN INCREASE POWER AND FUEL ECONOMY IS EXHAUST! A carefully designed exhaust system can improve power and MPG. Of course, like intake, the design can affect the power band location, etc. Popular modifications for most cars include a using a tubular exhaust header (in place of the stock exhaust manifold), and a custom exhaust pipe. They do make headers for the van in Australia, and you can obtain them. They have also made headers for the Mighty Max in the USA, but availability is not for certain, if you can find them. They should be able to fit the van without much modification. However, I have not done this modification.
keeping the stock manifold an combining with a new pipe system can be a good and affordable alternative to headers. They have done tests on cars and found that many cars were very good with just a "cat back" type system.

I will also say this to the other USA van owners; YOU EXHAUST MANIFOLD IS CRACKED! REPLACE IT OR HAVE IT WELDED! I had my exhaust manifold welded by a shop that will do cast iron. Most shops will tell you that they can't weld cast iron, so shop around and find one that knows how to do it. If there is enough carbon left in the iron, then they can weld it.
My manifold was cracked in numerous places, but was able to be welded any put into service.

The exhaust manifold cracking is very common on most 80's Mitsubishi. The Van, Mighty Max, Starion/Conquest, etc. All suffered from it. But, as stated, many times they can be welded.

When doing an your exhaust, be sure to use Copper Coat or similar copper based spray gasket on the gaskets.

Of course, you can also change the camshaft to a more aggressive type (along with new rockers arms, etc.).

Remember, POWER IS MADE IN THE CYLINDER HEAD! If you are going to do anything to the internals of the engine, the head is the place to start! You can do many things to the head, like port matching, extrude honing, larger valves, etc. etc.
There are many books and guides on cylinder head modifications, so I advise doing lots of research with your engine goals in mind before talking to a machine shop (of course, you need one that is passionate/knowledgeable about Mitsubishi).

Of course, you can also go the route that some Mighty Max owners have, and swap in the turbo engine from the Starion. G54B and the 4G64 used in the van are both wide-block (look up wide-block versus narrow-block to understand the differences). The best version of the Starion would be the late model ESI-R/TSI with the better injection system and intercooler. The only issue with the G54B in the Starion, is that it is throttle body fuel injection and NOT multiport! You would have thought that at a time when the van was multiport the Mitsubishi would have also made the Starion mulitport.
IdahoDoug wrote:Nice thread. I'm new to the forum tonight. Just bought a 1987/1988 Van Wagon and am looking forward to getting my hands on it to start poking around and see what needs attention. This thread was a great way to see in advance a few things I may be attending to.

Rgds
You have the early version of the van (87/88) that uses the low impedance injectors and also has some differences such as, idle controller, etc. However, many things are the same.

At this time, there is a 1988 Mitsubishi van (cargo version without windows) in the local salvage yard that I am getting parts off of, so if you are stuck for parts for the early one, let me know.
Whenever On-Road and off-road; on duty and off duty, it is DELICA Moment. -CMC

"Practical vehicle fitting wide occasion from personal use to commercial use.
Many can ride / many can be loaded." -Official Mitsubishi L300 product website
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teamtestbot
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Vehicle: 1989 Mitsubishi Van/Wagon
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by teamtestbot »

Hah, my exhaust manifold is indeed cracked. At the root, where the two halves (cylinders 3/4, and cylinders 1/2) join. In fact, someone's had it welded, a professional job judging by the quality, but even that has a tiny hairline crack around it...

Damn, it sounds like it's easier for me to get my power fix by going through with the electrification! The part about the intake path makes total sense. I was just noticing the constricted diameter of the inlet at the front of the radiator.
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teamtestbot
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Re: A 1989 Vanwagon for your amusement

Post by teamtestbot »

Oops.

Had a quick fling with a white column in a white-walled parking garage.

I think I'll try un-bulging the side with some of the body hammer/dolly equipment I bought ages ago, but otherwise will just strip and repaint the area.

Image

Got a good look at the interior of the bumper with the corner plastic cover off. I think it might be time to cut up an I-beam.
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