dwlee

I had similar problems with a GTO where the cast manifold (4 into 2) joins to a pipe 2 into 1 section before joining the exhaust pipe proper. I tried a brace (original), no brace, flexi section, new 2 into 1 pipe section, surface planing ....etc. The joint would only last about 4 weeks Max It didn't matter what I did until I threw the cast manifold away and made some 4-2-1 headers. I have not had a problem since (3 years) .

Did your old manifold blow in the same place as the replacement you are now using?

Classic Colt was started by SpeedStar from Christchurch, but members are from all over the world.

As kyteler said there is the GTO club, but their activities are mainly offline.

Offtopic: Did anyone see the sweet yellow GTO on onenews last night with a guy going for his driving test?

The part number is MD701577. This should fit all km132 gearboxs with a standard gearshift lever from Galant GTO to Starion/L200.

I have seen 4g92 mivec engines fitted rwd drive in an LA Lancer (major firewall mods) and in an Escort (do a google search under mivec escort) so since the 4g93 block is basically the same it is possible. I know it will be more complex than fitting a 4g63, but I don't by how much.

A 4g61 block is basically the same as the 6-bolt 4g63 accept they don't have balance shafts fitted and deck height is 6mm lower (hence the 4g63 rwd water pump will not fit). The difficulty level in fitting a 4g61t is the same as fitting a 4g63t.

centre to centre is 87mm

Take it to someone who knows what they are doing such as Arrow Wheels in Kelston.

The handling isn't too bad in the dry, but in the wet they are dicey - especially with eager tires, hence into drains, ditches and onto the hoof. Performance was pretty good for their day and very reliable. There are quite a few good GTOs still around, but hidden away. I know of 2 in the last year or so that have been shipped to Oz and the US. In the mid eighties there was a white MR with a black stripe in Hamilton.

Sorry, don't know if the loom are the same. I used a 4g61 oil pump assembly as I had one available and being factory you can be confident that it will be reliable. The parts numbers that are used in the 4g61 are given in http://www.vfaq.com/mods/balance-shafts.html.

I have a factory 4g63 AMG computer MD150413 if you are interested. The extra power is mainly from the cams and the computer as Fuel said. I would have bought that engine on trademe if it had come up 6 months ago. I ended up using a vr4 block, 4g61 head (small ports) and oil pump assembly (no balance shafts), Kelford 264 cams, high compression pistons and evo4 inlet manifold with adapter.

They will be made out of high tensile steel.

But what type 4140, 4340, en25 or en30? Also, is any heat treatment applied? I think you will find that the $340NZ is not too bad for the light weight design. You could redesign so that they could be machined from mild steel and they would be cheaper, but weigh more.

The caliper mounting bracket looks like it was designed for very low mass and as such the material properties are likely to be very important! Find out what material the original designer specified or perform stress analysis yourself if you have the skills or get a qualified engineer who knows what they are doing (not she'll be right mate type) to specify a material with enough "strength".

Nice looking 16L! The Starion struts will bolt in (ball joint has the same taper), but you will end up with positive camber. This due to the different king pin angles between the 16L and Starion that are needed due to the longer lower arm in the Starion. The advantage of the Starion struts is much better brakes!

For information about getting old colts to handle you should try http://classiccolt.forumcircle.com/ as there are guys on there who still race.

I would suggest that you don't use the closedcell foam that boat builders use is the cores of hulls as it is very expensive. As you are making a mould you can use normal white expanded polystyrene or blue/pink extruded polystyrene. The extruded is higher density and hence easier to shape well. You can get the foam from almost any insulation manufacture.

Once you have shaped the foam block you have to coat it in epoxy and fibre-glass so you have a good base for the fairing (making it smooth). Do NOT use polyester resin or bog on the polystyrene directly as it will melt, but you can use polyester bog once the foam is sealed in epoxy. Once its nice an smooth coat it in primer, then sand it with very fine sandpaper (600 to 1200 grit) until you can see your reflection. Next your apply mould release wax to your mould.

Now you can make your actual airbox, but the big question is how do you get the airbox off the mould? In most cases you will have to cut it into at least two pieces and then rejoin it off the mould or you can melt the foam mould using solvent (petrol). The other option is to make a split female mould using the male plug. This will produce a two part airbox with a much better finish, but is a lot more work.

I am in the process of finding parts for similar 4g63 NA motor. I'll be using a 4g61 head for the smaller ports. The standard valves of the 4g61 are the same size as the 4g63. The chamber volume of the 4g61 is smaller than the 63, but I'll be increase the volume to reduce valve shrouding. The balance shafts will be removed using 4g61 parts. I will replace the rear cam angle sensor with custom hall-effect based system off the inlet cam gear. I am undecided if I will move the water outlet to the front of the head as it will take a bit of experimentation with head gasket water hole sizes to achieve even cylinder temperatures.

Anyway, the inlet port size difference between the 4g63 and 4g61 can be seen in the photos below.

4g63 inlet port

4g61 inlet port

Looks great. What offset are the wheels? Also are you sure its a 4g63 as the top photos show a 4g52.

Great work. I know a couple of guys thinking of doing the same conversion on their GTOs. Any chance of more photos showing the pain in the butt stuff at the back of the head? Also, is the paint standard mitsubishi, if so do you know the colour name and code?

Does anyone know of any cam angle sensor for the 4g63 that is located at the front of the head? I have read that a version of the RVR has one at the front, but I have not been able to confirm this. Can anyone confirm this and if so what year and model. Thanks.

I once had a similar problem. It turned out to be a clogged fuel filter.