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Dmulally's 1985 Mitsi L200


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Going back to work monday means i had to reassemble the front end properly today, refit dizzy, power steer pump and crank pulleys. Not happy as the parts from oz still havent turned up so i will have to do it all again when they do.

Need to get my other wagon infront of the shed to load up all my work tools and toolboxes so have to move the ute. Started straight away and promptly smoked out 3 properties and the wifes freshly hung washing. #DatMitsiLife

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Found a sport dash with tacho at a good price so fitted that tonight, mitsi in their wisdom must run different looms between models as the pin on the main plug was missing. When i put the gs dash in my xc i just had to untuck the wire from the loom tape and presto, done. Not so here.

Quick enough job to run a wire from coil - to the back of the dash and hook it up though. Works mint and speedo has lower kms as an added bonus.20200515_172749.thumb.jpg.a8a45e4d828c05da9db6489e82b8f54d.jpg

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Bought another ute today, 85-86 not sure have not seen it yet. Was talking to a supplier about a diff and he mentioned he had bought an old l200 just before lockdown. Made him an offer and i pick it up next week sometime. Will swap the diff and speedo drive over and see what the rest is like as to whether i strip it and hoard the parts and just swap the driveline and sell it off as a rolling project.

Hardcase that the dereg parts wagon cost more than the project one.

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Well, what a roundabout day this has been. Load motor and crane onto ute to take to work. Try load ute onto trailer and the ramps slip in the ice, great, get ute off trailer eventually and slam door in a huff, window shatters due to slamming when iced up. F$%k it all.

Got there eventually.

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Slow trip to work with a bit of sway going on as i forgot to grab the variable height coupling the boss has for his wagon. Unloaded easy, swapped the hitch and hit the road to pick up the parts ute. With co-pilot of course.20200528_133716-1238x1651.thumb.jpg.41dd88d4d45c011221f36e7d62139654.jpg

After an uneventful trip through the countryside, i rounded the corner and saw the donor, initial thoughts were it looks in the same state as the white one. Second look says nope.

But it has bucket seats and some classic 14 inch rims, both a bonus as i was mainly buying it for the diff and speedo gear. Doors and quarter panels all look relatively rustfree for a mitsi too.

20200528_122746-1651x1238.thumb.jpg.1c7aceee67acee4ff25f9224151599db.jpg20200528_122756-1651x1238.thumb.jpg.6c56616e6cd6c1d2da6070e4409b18f9.jpg 

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Because my boss is a GC i have both utes at the workshop this weekend to swap everything i need over.

Grand plans that i had yesterday to swap the motor for the one i have done the headgasket on backfired miserably. The crank snout on the later engines is longer, as is the cambelt crank pulley. Which in turn means the alternator and power steer brackets need modifying to suit.

So i went home and got drunk with the stepfatherinlaw instead. Too damn drunk.

Motor is spares ute only runs on 2 at the moment. Will try get it running on 4 today and if it doesn't smoke will swap it into the white ute. Maybe.

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Late start today, was still feeling a bit seedy at lunchtime when i headed in. Measured up all the brackets and pulleys across the three motors and decided on another plan for the belts.

Mixed up and spaced out the pulleys instead. Straightedge says mission successful.

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Fired up straight away. Nearly as smokey as the old one once it warmed up. Bloody wreckers said it didn't smoke, just needed a headgasket.

Decided to swap the diffs over rather that care too much, dropped complete diff out of white one, lifted bluey onto the hoist and spun the wheels, needs axle bearings at a minimum, going from the muddy water i drained out it may need the diff head bearings done too. Put the white diff back in and came home.

Plans for tomorrow are to replace the rest of the front end bushes and put the brakes back on the diff. Then tidy up the shop ready for real work on tuesday.

If tomorrow goes as turd as the last 2 days i am considering selling the lot, still not sure.

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Brakes reassembled. Bushes all fitted to the swaybar and radius rods.

Compression tested the blue motor, 3 at 175 and 1 at just 75.

Swapped drivers door glass and swapped steering wheels over too. Has a nice retro vibe going on.

Added a full bottle of wynns smoke stop to the white one, will see if it clears up with a few trips around the block.

Have a lead on another motor down country, but will need certs if i go that far...

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Blue ute sitting on lawn minus motor, gearbox and driveshaft.

Have ordered rings and gaskets for a slap together smoke stop build. Rockauto for the win again.

Want to say a big thank you to @Sambo for selling me a 32/36 weber. Will be great once i have a non smoker under the bonnet.

Waiting on the mail again now. Rings etc meant to be arriving on the 9th.

Also just bought some gen 2 hubs and brakes. Will clean them up and get them on there eventually.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not gonna lie. Have been neglecting the ute after the other weekend, got onto it again this week though.

Stayed after work one night to strip the blue ones motor down. A bit sludgy and next to no resistance pushing the pistons out.

Had to do an axle seal and exhaust leak on the cruiser yesterday so didn't spend much time on the motor, degreased the sump and rocker cover. Got new rings on the pistons.

Might get into the shed today and sandblast the hubs and calipers ready for painting. 20200613_150044-1651x1238.thumb.jpg.53ac5cfbb31391e5850840d8a1dee97c.jpg20200613_150018-1651x1238.thumb.jpg.8c25e9833a63ed18a8b4caf0a35331dc.jpg

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Ended up needing to go into town so dropped pistons into block and started cleaning gasket paper off the sump etc.

Wound motor over by hand 16 times with plenty of oil on the cylinder walls. Have always done this, was told by an ancient engine reco guy when i was doing my apprenticeship that after 16 turns the rings will be scrubbed in enough to just jump in and drive it without pussyfooting around. I thought he was taking the piss at first but i have never had a set of rings not scrub in since then.

Front and rear crank seals next then glue the sump on and get onto the valve stem seals.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Few teething issues appeared before going to wheel alignment, electric fuel pump died as i was driving it to the place.

New mech pump on there now and running sweet. Waiting on call this week to say alignment is done and then will take it for a drive to run it in a bit. Then all going well off to vtnz this weekend for wof.

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Made it home sweet as mechanically.

 Definitely need to do something about the diff. Followed a truck most of the way, speedo said 120+, tacho was aiming high, people were passing us...

Should be at vtnz this weekend, pending on any school holiday mishaps or if sun stays out might have to take the boat for a speed run up the river. No rush.20200709_141953-1238x1651.thumb.jpg.5a20e4cecd9c060dc1297be00b026b84.jpg

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Fuckin murphy is a prick.

Threw my spare boat fuel can on the back of the ute this morning before i headed to VTNZ.  Passed the wof with flying colours and no notes i didn't know about already r.e. tires getting a bit perished and surface rust staining under the cab

Full of smiles thought i would be able to take the boat out since i had no repairs to do, bloody ute died on the way to the servo. Milked it to work 200m at a time and pushed it the last stretch. Went through everything,coil was weak but working so put a new one on (can't hurt to have spares, new fuel filter to replace the one i put on put on last week with the pump, blew through the lines, started it up and it sat there running for 5 minutes or so.

Sweet sorted lets hit the road n get some fuel. Yeah nah did not even reach the end of the street. Feeling pretty annoyed by now i undid fuel line from the carby and aimed it at the bonnet so i could see from the drivers door, mother f$%ker no fuel coming from the pump.

And ripco have not restocked yet so once again the ute is stranded at work.

Had to get the mrs to come pick me up, had to ride shotgun on the way home, not cool.

Should have left fuel tank at home.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well have not had the chance to drive it anywhere since the wof, did get a chance to take the boat out though. Daughter outfished me yet again, but a good day had.

Unloaded all the spares off the tray from its last trip home from work. Don't want to daily it until i have sorted the diff ratio out. Gotta pull the diff head out of old blue and see how bad it really is, hopefully get away with steelwooling the gears and a throw in a set of bearings.

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