1987 Mitsubishi Colt that takes on Mongol Rally 2020

[MongolColt]

Hi/Moikka!

Long story short: We are 2 guys from Tallinn/Estonia and are planning to take our Mitsbishi 2/3 around the globe(or flat earth if you like) and bring It back to Estonia, totaling 26 000 km!

Guys from Estonias only MC told that I should make a thread here also, so why not. Where should we start. Back in july I stumbeld on a list made by carthrottel about crazy car rallies. Next to the gumball 3000 there was mongol rally. And now, we own a '87 1.2 Colt with astonishing 44kw and it will be on the starting line 18. july 2020 in Czech. Any Finnish teams here?

Mongol Rally will take us from EU to Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, Russia and back to EU.
We will test our car on D915(turkey), Pamir highway(thru stans), Gobi desert etc. We will see, how the car handels 60+ degree weather, over 4300m altitude, crazy start and stop traffic in Iran. And will do it in our small 44kw fwd 4spd Mitsubishi Colt!

How the car looked like when we got it: http://eng.auto24.lv/lietoti/mitsubishi/colt/3162324

It was a 400€ turd, smelled like old people and the gearbox was s*it. We wanted to get a 5spd, but there wasn't any, so we replaced all the bearings in our 4spd and it cost as much as the car, but was worth it! Then we found out that the mastercylinder leaks oil, soon after that one rear wheel locket up and the problems just kept piling. But we are happy with our choice. Thats my first Mitsubishi!

To do list:

1. breaks+lines+master cylinder. (DONE)
2. Wheel bearings(DONE)
3. Engine oil leaks+belts(DONE)
4. Oil pan leaks(DONE)
5. 3mm steel sump-/gas tank guard.
6. New honda civic 1.6 radiator(ALU. from ebay)+new hoses
7. Rear upper shockmounts need to be welded(DONE)
8. New springs+shocks(rear only)(DONE)
9. New Exhaust(DONE)
10. New sparkplugs etc.
11. FEDIMA F/OR 155/80R13 tires. The body need some work to make them fit!
12. Rear seat delete
13. Oil temp. and water temp. gauges on A pillar
14. 3 extra 12v outlets: 2x 15amp, 1x 30amp.
THERE WILL BE MORE THINGS TO COME IM SURE!

There is alot to do,It's just the start!

I'm new to this forum and I'm sorry if my english isn't the best.
PS! WILL ADD PICTURES SOON. Till then follow us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/2stupid2stop/ and IG: https://www.instagram.com/2_stupid_2_stop/

 

[MongolColt]

First month after ownership:

Installed LED headlights:

Same ISO and shutter speed:

After that, the car went to ''rehab'' and this is the sitsiuation now:

So for now, car breaks and drives, but there is still much more to do! Next weekend the rear shocks will be replaced and mounts welded(I hope). Next month hopefully parts from aliexpress will arrive(silicone hoses, sensors, 12v sockets, fusebox etc.) Before you ask: ''Dude, why ali?'' Well...I'm addicted to aliexpress(some people may know what it means ) AND its the same crap that you''ll buy from ebay + we are making a budget build to show that you don't need to be rich to be a car-travel enthusiast. We are not making any boost, we only have 44kw...We will be good Thats it for now, will keep you updated!

follow us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/2stupid2stop/ and IG: https://www.instagram.com/2_stupid_2_stop/

 

[Basbarduu]

Pattern looks awful with those leds.

 

[MongolColt]

Pattern looks awful with those leds.

That is true, but its much brighter in close range, thats why we kept them. Car will have 4x55w halogen Hellas from toyot hilux's roof for ''high beams'' so we are not that worried. And they don't blind others. We tested that.

 

[Basbarduu]

And they don't blind others. We tested that.

Hopefully you are right.

Personally I would choose warm white colored lights for 80's car if its not some futuristic build.
I also have quite strong antipathy for Aliparts or any other store that sells cheap chinese shit. Otherwise I like your project very much and it's always nice to see when old cars are brought back to life.

 

[MongolColt]

Well, we will bring her back to life to some extent, but we won't be replacing floorpanels, sills etc. what means, that the main problem(rust) will be there still. We will make the car run and be mechanically fit for the 26 000 km it needs to last. After that, the car will go to MOMU(motospordi muuseum/motorsport museum) in Haapsalu. It is not a restoration project and it will never be. But it will be a frikin good looking overlander Colt from year 87 with all the new parts, thats for sure!

 

[MongolColt]

Update:

This weekend the rear end got some work:

Mounts need welding still:

Next weekend all the engine leaks will be removed, timing belt+waterpump changed, OEM fuelpump will be replaced with low pressure electric one and the generetor will be refurbished if needed(new brushes and bearings). The last part is really important, becuse our car will have 255w halogen ''rally'' lights in front, 3x 12v outlets(2x 15A=180w and 1x30A=360w) and 2 sensors+gauges on A pillar. All of the extra electronics will be powerd through new fusebox. All of the fusebox wiring will be 8-12 gauge(fusebox + and - will be 2 gauge). The OEM system will get the ''big 3'' upgrade with 2 gauge wire to prevent any fire hazard.

 

[MongolColt]

The end is almost here.. New weekend, new things. All the engine leaks are gone, timing belt+waterpump changed, OEM fuelpump will be replaced with low pressure electric one and the generetor will be refurbished.

1. Oil pan should be tight again

2. OEM fulepump is now ''blind''

3. Generator refurbished

4. New waterpump and timing belt

5. Crankcase seal replaced

6. What should have been an easy fix ended up being one of the biggest jobs

Don't know, when will the rust repair be finished, but if all that's done, then there will be 2 major jobs left: Mating honda civic 1.6 aluminium radiator with that engine and adding 3mm skidplates.

 

[MongolColt]

Another weekend has ended and the rear end is ready. I'm not happy at all with the job they have done(the welds) but its 2mm steel, welded from both sides, so it should hold. It was a total rustbucket, it still is, but we are getting there

 

[MongolColt]

I belive we are officially members of the club now! Took 6 months

+ got the first things from aliexpress, reducer hose 35-32(for the civic radiator) and low pressure pump for backup(as fuelpump). 9 more things to come

 

[MongolColt]

Another update!

The rear end is now 3cm higher than the front. But I think that with the extra weight our car needs to move around it will level!

But lets talk BIG! We got a 2 inch(54mm) exhaust now. Sounds mad There is a rumor that Ott Tänak will drive our car next season

It sounds mad, but it sounded even worse before and atleast now it doesn't try to kill us in start-stop traffic
Click here for the video

My co-driver kinda hates that sound, but its not like a civic so...I like it

 

[MongolColt]

Hi!

Happy new year all! In the last days of 2019 our colt lost all of her engine oil becuse of a gearbox side crankseal went *boom*. We are lucky again, its one lucky car I must say Second thing is that we got the right headunit for it! It had seen better days, but we fixed it.

It looks period correct, it even has ''CD in'', so you could hook up your walkman and pump some nice 90's hits!
Oh and if somebody knows about that head unit. Like how many ohm, 2 or 4 channel etc. We thought about updating speakrs in the dash and maybe adding 2 elsewhere in the car.

 

[MongolColt]

So few updates.

I have recived all things from China+ the 1.6 civic radiator from ebay, but its also from China

Welds look decent, but could be better, becuse they are made by a robot...

The only welds with fractures in them are the ones that hold the upper tank to the body.

And here is everything from China. #NFSU2

1. 32mm 1M
2. 35mm-32mm reducer
3. 30mm 1M
4. Fuelfilter(120mm)
5. Water temp sensor adapter.
6. 21W LED backup light
7. Backup 12v 0.3bar fuelpump
8. 1.6 civic aluminium radiator (internal measurements- 358H * 350W * 36T MM)
9. Water temp dial
10. Oil temp dial
11. A pilar pods for dials

Now we just need to put all of that inside our Colt and wait for the rally. There are few things, like sumpguard and interior upgrades. We also got 2 new sponsors www.Motonet.ee and www.rvs.fi , both Finnish companies. Next update will come in a month or so I belive, so stay tuned!

 

[MongolColt]

So few updates. First big problem is COV-19(coronavirus), right now almost every country in central Asia is closed...We are still keepib our hopes up! About the car. Well, the car is ready. New radiator is in. There is small things still to do, but they are 10 minute jobs, so yeah.

Biggest ''upgrades'' are the sumpguard and fuel tank guard(5mm aluminium) and 1.6 civic(92-00) RACING radiator. Core thickness is 36mm(twice the OEM), but it is 70mm narrower. It has bigger flow channels(32mm in/out) and the cooling tubes inside are 16mm and its all aluminum.

Some pictures-

There was plenty of room inside, but honda was the only one I found, that had inlet and outlet on the same side...

New supporters

The heatshield needs some work or my new fan will melt

And its in. I like the blue and red. #NFSU2

And now, we are safe from the rocks

Our journey that started back in 2019 august is getting to its end. It is kinda sad how fast time flies. Next update should come in the next 2 months as we start to build the interiour. But we made it, we really polished that turd

 

[MongolColt]

So last week I ordered some sparkplugs, wires and ignition coil. The spark plugs are DENSO® W20EPR-U, checked them from DENSO's website and they are OEM replacement. The Coil is NGK® 48236, I belive/hope there is no difference between this style of coils??

But the spark plug wires was where I fu**ed up I wanted NGK BLUE wires. They told that they will fit, but I did not check the lenght of them. Now after reciving them... The last fift wire is only 18cm(OEM 30+cm). The others should fit, if i re-route them. And also we can change the location of the coil and move it closer to the distributor and hopefully make the fift wire fit. But yeah, on the package it says they are for 87-90 4G15 and 4G15 turbo. Our car has 4G16

Atleast they look pretty-