1998 Evolution V: "The Classroom"

Believe Mark Twain said something like "Don't let the classroom get in the way of learning". This project takes a pointer from that advice...

1998 Mitsubishi Evolution V GSR, Japanese Domestic Market model. Imported into Germany in 2010, at least one engine failure and ever since 2015 has sat dormant without a powerplant/transmission at a local repair shop.

Covered in mold and tree leaves/sap, the 52,000 mile chassis looked solid and complete, but not for sale:







It appears 1998 was when the Evolutions became serious with rally inspired design. Aluminum hood/front fenders/suspension, Brembo brakes, Recaro seats, Momo steering wheel, active yaw differential (rear only), front mounted intercooler (with water sprayer) and the long-lived turbo 4G63 2 liter rated at 276 HP with a 5 speed.

It was also my first memory of seeing such a function-over-form auto...used car lot on Okinawa, Japan while stationed at Kadena AB. I didn't know what to make of it, but looking thru the actual vents/holes, one could actually see turbo manifolding, intercooler, and an oil cooler! Stuff was real especially back in those days!

Nonetheless, been bugging the owner for more than a year about selling the carcass. Thinking it would make a perfect project to educate a young whipper snapper...hopefully not turn them into a grease monkey like pop, but gain some understanding of mechanics, project management, budget, tuning, and of course the thrill ride of making it come alive and learn to 'drive'. Few weeks ago, received a text with the news...complete car minus pistons/rings/bearings is available...you assemble.

We did this for the whippersnapper brother with a 1997 BMW M3 swapped LS which turned out better than expected.

It was also a running machine...this one is not...with years of stagnation...in a foreign land with a foreign car.

Should be fun or a miserable failure.

I do enjoy the fun aspect of the car...

4 position aluminum wing:

Factory oil cooler (believe std on Evo's now a days):

Full ductwork to the wheel well - no connection to the brake though:

Momo wheel and deeply bolstered Recaros:

Though this is a bit of a problem:

But this is a positive...only corrosion on entire chassis - a bit of a rarity:

We started with the easy stuff...cleaning:

And waxing the chalked paint...a bit of a shine came thru!

And the inventory...lots of singletons!

Excellent! 
 

nice to see some proper JDM goodness 

This is good. What a great way to teach too! Good luck, and keep the updates frequent!

The project did come with an Evo 6 engine (believe fully interchangeable - 4G63).  We sought the expertise of a machinist who confirmed other than a ding on the deck surface - all is well to include a well done 85.5 mm bore.  We planned to deck both head and block no matter as they were not virgin surfaces (and the blown head gasket to be minimized).  Shot of the freshly decked Evo 6 block:



As a baseline, we will likely send in the - appears to be original - fuel injectors for cleaning and new o-rings (560 CC sizing):



Admittedly, I hope to exceed their capacity ultimately, but will be a good set for the inspection/emissions review, if required:

We also pulled a wheel to inspect and investigate what we have...she does pretty good on the impact wrench!



A bit crusty...even with a bit of clean up:



Can anyone tell us what Bilstein coil over variant this might be? Hopefully they are usable:



We are planning on new wheel bearings, rotors, pads, brake lines (SS currently installed) and possibly some new ball joints, at least in the rear. We are also considering having the calipers rebuilt and recoated...brakes are a good investment!

I cant wait for this one!

High school me is giddy with anticipation!  Good luck, looks to be a clean slate to start with, once you put the puzzle back together! 

Man o man I've always wanted an EVO. 
I once bought a 90 talon TSi in pieces, turned out to be horrible mistake. Tweaked crank and lots of missing bits.

Good luck getting her back on the road!

Well, we were assured the car was complete other than piston, rings, and bearings...but sitting for 5 years in shop so chances are we bought a real puzzle.  ;-)  Hopefully the little lady won't learn too much 'foreign' language in this journey!

Small win of getting the engine mounted on my second engine stand.  My first stand is in storage in the states...why in the world would I need an engine stand on an overseas tour...  We hope we can borrow a cherry picker...I really don't want to buy another one of those...

Unfortunately, it did not come with the original wheels, but these don't look too bad.  Nearly new condition - 17 x 8 Wedsports.  Would have preferred gun metal, but they will hold a BFG Rival in 245's nicely...we think:

And winter in Germany is a bit different than previous Florida, we ordered up a little box of warmth:

Wow, high school me is so happy that grown up me gets to watch this build!

Watching. 

We are excited too, but cleaning greasy nuts, bolts, etc is getting to the assistant - certainly the least enjoyable part of the effort.  But necessary.

The project came with a few nice parts - an Evo 9 turbo (appears relatively fresh):

Also Cosworth cams of unknown model:

Also appears to be Oliver rods...which Oliver nearly confirmed as we requested a new set of rod bolts.  $16 a piece for the Oliver/ARP 2000 specials add a bit of confidence to those 8000 rpm shifts we hope to execute:

We did locate a powdercoater north of Stuttgart...not sure how many speed camera fines I got today (speeds vary terribly in the city)...in hopes to return the spray painted valve cover to its original 'red-head' glory:

Hopefully once new/restored part arrive the enthusiasm will gain steam.  The winter hibernation doesn't help either.

Where exactly is this EVO????   Germany.....Japan.....Florida .......and whose Camaro is that?

And yes loving all this JDM frivolity .......carry on 

:initial D eurobeat intensifies:

The car is in Germany...plan is to import it when legal (2023) back to FL.  Until then it will...with any luck become another Nurburgring instructional aide...

Ordered some new front control arms (aluminum jobs) since they come with a new ball joint and two OEM bushings...tighten up the front end a bit.

We also took advantage of the above-freezing-day and attempted a cleaning of the floor mats - look OEM.  Unfortunately, didn't realize we are missing the driverside!  Oh well, assistant's first foray into power washing...not easy for the little lady - they did turn out pretty good:

Love the seats...nice tight bolsters and pretty darn good condition:

The trunk mounted AYC reservoir (there was fluid present!):

Before cleaning:

And this craziness...:

Have no idea what happened here..

Don't see this every day. Looking forward to seeing it progress.

Paint that valve cover crinkle red for extra kilowatts. 

"The car is in Germany...plan is to import it when legal (2023) back to FL.  Until then it will...with any luck become another Nurburgring instructional aide..."

Awesome......how far are you from the "Ring"?   Have you driven the "Ring" already?

Red it is...although we went with smooth gloss as OEM.  6 weeks lead time on that!  I thought Germans were efficient...but they have lots of business so the quality is likely high.

Nurburgring...3 hours distant.  A few times...it schools me every time I give it a go...best time below, please limit comments of my lack of driving skills!

8:44 Bridge to Gantry

Life getting in the way a bit...shiny parts beginning to arrive...

Decided to splurge on the front arms - new bushings/ball joint replacing the current questionables:

I'm guessing your down at Patch, fond memories of that place, and Stuttgart as a whole, seeing as I had family there once upon a time. Last time I lived in Germany was up in Wiesbaden, graduated from HH Arnold High (now WHS), so spent a lot of time back and forth, as well as taking my friend's dad's M3 up to unmentionable speeds (for science) on A5.

I ended up giving all my cars away to friends or family when we moved back to the states in 2009, haven't been back since, much to my grandmother's (and the rest of my German side) dismay.

Definitely following along, I know this isn't easy with parts availability, limited space, and so on, but it looks like you've got some good private space to keep working even during "quiet hours".

An overseas tour is a different lifestyle certainly.  With temporary car ownership in many cases (I've also got a non-importable 2008 Honda Jazz), long term projects stuck in the states, language barriers, and the German approach to car maintenance (dislike old cars)...we are fortunate to be able to attempt this exercise.  I'm waiting for the local Polizei to knock on the door asking for my papers and inspection...

We did seek out a rather popular car - as searching for parts wasn't the hope for the project.  Amazing how much is available - although not all OEM.  The E36 M3 had more available OEM than this car during our project - although this car was sold in far fewer numbers...

An M3 would be a sweet car over here - goes without saying.  What was its topspeed, for research purposes, of course?

Gainfully employed selling Christmas trees for the Boy Scouts...finally got a few minutes in the garage.  

Inspection of the Evo 6 block highlighted more missing parts - piston oil squirters.  Factory equipped in 1998...now missing on this replacement block.  Unfortunately, not easily sourced (no longer available).  Many say not required with forged pistons, but seems only logical to employ to reduce piston temps/knock resistance...or not if we can't find any:

One outfit offers high quality ball joints for the rear suspension.  Car uses 3 per side on 3 different arms!  This Evo 5 only has one rear suspension arm as aluminum with the other 2 as cast iron.  We were tempted to just buy new OEM from the Evo 6 for all alloy suspension (and will probably regret it when no longer available), but th eprice was ~$250 each!  We have access to a full press so another teaching moment in the manner of big forces...these were sure packaged nicely...

Oliver Rods came thru with a replacement set of ARP 2000/Oliver rod bolts.  They made a special trip to get these to us - thanks!

Finally, new Brembo caliper bolts - originals are unknown in condition and after planned professionally refinishing the calipers...desired no hassle install:

I recall the needle approaching and passing the 300kmh mark, I think my entire body turned pale after that.

The approach to vehicle maintenance really does depend on where you are in the country. Where I'm from, over in Bavaria, it's more rural, so they tend to favor upkeep on the old more so than splurging on the new.

I can't relate about the language barrier, unfortunately, but I know that has to be a challenge.

Really do miss the vehicle variety over there. I miss my super gutless '90-something 518i, or my buddy's mini, and all the E30 wagons a man could ever want.

Glad to see the project moving long nicely, though!

Great memories!  Amazing the autobahn is still available to us enthusiasts...

I do like the interesting vehicles that US never gets...the diesels from a few years ago were quite interesting.  Now no longer...  And you are right, station wagons are plentiful - SUV's not.  I'm ok with that!

Another new part showed up:

Another package - fresh DBA rotors:



Not sure where the rears are...;-)

We had a thorough discussion on slots, ventilation, air flow/pump, and heat capacity.  She could barely lift it...pretty substantial. 

It is, but it seems with every passing year, the unregulated sections are getting fewer and fewer, and the average enforced limit now fluctuates between 100-120kmh.

I'm wagering that by the time I do manage to get back over there, the stretches I travel from Frankfurt International down to Middle Franconia will have no unregulated sections, or will have the speed traps set up every 5km. Amazing how quickly that tech progressed, from manned vans on the side of the autobahn in the bushes to automated, unmanned camera stations that can be placed anywhere.