Every car person needs one project that makes no sense on paper. Ours is a Mitsubishi Delica L400, the Space Gear: a four-wheel-drive Japanese van with a turbo-diesel, built for camping, mud and long roads, and parked in our care for a few years too long. Part 1 of the rebuild is in the video above. Here's the short version.
The van
The L400 Delica was sold in Japan from 1994 into the mid-2000s. Ours has the 2.8-litre 4M40 intercooled turbo-diesel, the same engine family Mitsubishi used in the Pajero and the light-duty Canter truck, rated at roughly 125 to 140 PS depending on the year. The four-wheel-drive Space Gear uses Mitsubishi's Super Select system, with high and low range.
It also has the option that makes Delica owners smile: the Crystal Lite Roof, a run of glass panels across the roof. Fold the rear seats flat and you sleep under the stars. It came on a set of Volk Racing wheels, too, though the tyres on them are about fifteen years old.
Sources: Wikipedia: Mitsubishi 4M4 engine and JDM Buy Sell: Delica Space Gear.
What's wrong with it
Plenty. A stone has broken the rear glass (the replacement is already on the shelf). Two of the six letters on the tailgate have fallen off. The front bumper, push bar and frame rails are rusty, and the beautiful IPF "Super Off Roader" fog lights have rusted around their glass. Most worrying: under load the engine knocks, and in gear it barely pulls past 20 to 30 km/h. The suspects so far are the injection pump and the turbo's actuator. If you know these engines, the comments are open.
Part 1, day by day
- Front end off. Bumper, radiator support, headlights, fog lights and the push bar all come off, bolt by rusty bolt. The push bar needed a saw in the end.
- Fender off. A dent behind the front wing gets straightened, and every rusty bolt is replaced with new hardware.
- Engine bay clean. A cheap mix of diesel, soap and water, then a rinse, takes years of oil off, with the electrics wrapped in foil for the next round.
- Door latch. The automatic closing mechanism on the sliding door gets a new latch, with a wiring puzzle still to solve.
- Turbo. Coolant and oil lines are off; two seized bolts mean the turbo will come out in the next episode, possibly by cutting the exhaust pipe.
The plan
Top-end gaskets and fresh fluids everywhere, a refurbished alternator, a rear drum-to-disc brake conversion, a rebuilt turbo (maybe with slightly bigger internals), a stronger front bar with a winch, an oil catch can, parking sensors and a dual-battery kit. For the rear calipers, there's a right-hand-drive Pajero sitting in a local scrapyard, which is almost unheard of in Canada.
Why Delicas are turning up in Canada
Canada lets cars into the country once they are 15 years old, which is why right-hand-drive Japanese vans keep arriving. Quebec is stricter: a right-hand-drive vehicle there must be at least 25 years old to drive on public roads.
Sources: Transport Canada and SAAQ: right-hand-drive vehicles.
Next time: the turbo comes out. For another JDM project with a long story, see our tour of Fat Five Racing, and if you need parts in Japan, our guide to A PIT Autobacs Shinonome.
Video: One Breath Pictures.
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