1995 Mitsubishi Chariot Resort Runner GT - #RALLIVAN

[highmileage_on_insta]

This is the Build Thread for 1995 Mitsubishi Chariot Resort Runner GT - #RALLIVAN. Reply below.

 

[highmileage_on_insta]

Lots to update, but here's the exhaust setup: 2.5" car back to Flowmaster 842580 to four-inch Amazon double-wall tip.



Wild Automotive Performance out of Dickson, TN installed my Kiggly HLA pressure regulator. They worked on my suspension, too. Chariot GT requires Evo III struts up front — I fitted KYB AGX adjustables for the GVR4, which necessitates relocating the sway bar end link mount to the control arm. I used Whiteline KLC141 end links to get the job done. The sway bar is different from other Expo sway bars.

I haven't touched the springs because I don't know if DSM pieces will fit the stock perches. I went with basic rear shocks because I can't find another solution. 1992 Eclipse GSX wheels fitted to Douglas Performance tires.

The rest has been maintenance and a little underhood bling:

Splurges: 3000GT digital EQ head unit, 3000GT shift knob, LanEvo VI TME shift knob (I actually prefer the 3000GT knob), Ralliart floor mats, i-MiEV cargo mat, all bulbs converted to LED, Zaklee clear timing belt cover, rear door pull cups overnight from Japan

Powdercoated: hood prop, intercooler bracket, windshield wiper arms

To come:
Special wheel plans!
Powdercoated stock valve cover
Install shifter cage bushings
DCP billet caps from @Gsx-Dude
3D-printed HVAC vent carriers from the DSM Community - details coming soon

Still need solutions for:
Searching for rear bumper
Rear shock absorber options
Spring options
Radiator hoses

Open concerns:
Thermostat stuck open?
Reverse light doesn't always trigger with shifter

Special thanks to:
Wild Automotive Performance
JNZ Tuning
Switzer Performance
Titan Performance of Dover
Chris and Rocky, the other two RRGT owners in the US

 

[twicks69]

I will be adding a 96 RRGT to my stable shortly!

 

[highmileage_on_insta]

That makes the fourth owner we know of in the USA. Congratulations! I'll add you to our Facebook and Instagram group chats - @highmileage. Parts are tougher to come by than you'd think, but the guys in Atlanta and Massachusetts will help when they can.

Where'd you get your car? Let us know how the dealer experience was!

 

[twicks69]

In the process of that currently, looking at it tomorrow, already have a transport plan in process and will be bringing it back to Milwaukee after that. This one is a silver 96 RRGT 5 speed.

Add me in, Tim Zimmer - https://www.facebook.com/tim.zimmer.35

I am not worried about parts, I know it will be a treat, I have numerous contacts from my business dealings internationally.

Are any of the other ones in this country a 96? Or 95's only?

 

[highmileage_on_insta]

There was a '96 AT for sale in Washington, but super overpriced and no report of a sale. The two other dudes in the USA, and the one gent in Guam, have '95s.

The '95s are a hodgepodge of 1G and 2G parts. I learned the hard way that my car, same production week as Chris's, has an entirely different timing belt and water pump.

Epc-Data.RU is very useful. Amayama, Megazip and Partsouq have come through.

Hope to hear good news soon!

 

[twicks69]

I build DSM transmissions for a living (TMZ Performance), and I regularly use Amayama, and have many friends in Australia and contacts in Japan. I also have all dealer software for all models worldwide.

The rear subframe and control arms, shocks and spring mounting are definitely unique, I will take a look at it in a few weeks when I get the car back home.

The front is a mixture of 1g and Evo 1-3 subframe, control arms and suspension, then a 13T TD04HL turbo, 7 bolt non-split thrust block, with a 97-99 ratio final drive trans and tcase, with essentially a 2g DSM trans for gear ratios and components, then it uses an evo 1-3/RVR shift selector assembly with RVR/chariot specific shift cables.

RVR style front suspension, with unique to the Chariot rear suspension, with a 1g DSM / RVR rear diff carrier and 3 bolt 1g DSM style rear axles and viscous rear lsd diff. Its definitely a hodge podge of parts.

I am going to get it through emissions, register for collector plates, and then do maintenance then some modifications. Only current mods on this vehicle are wheels, lowering springs and a steering wheel.

It will need some minor cosmetic repairs along with an upholstery repair to the driver seat, door panel vinyl seam repairs, a little PDR and a good detailing. I will also need some heat vent flaps as this one has a couple broken ones.

I'm going to do just a light 300-350whp build on it and use my spare AEM EMS V1 , number #0001 in it. Being that it is 1 of 155, it deserves 1 off parts in it.

 

[highmileage_on_insta]

You are spot-on with all of that.

Which would have been nice to know when I was desperately trying to source shifter cables.

You'll definitely have fun with this car! Just be patient. Like I said, Chris and I have cars built in the same week. His uses a 1G water pump and 2G tensioner. Mine uses a 2G water pump and Early 2G tensioner. The parts catalog calls for a 2G water pump and a regular 2G tensioner. I bucked the catalog and ordered the parts that worked on Chris's car — which was correct for the tensioner, but not the WP.

As a group, we have done a lot of trial and error testing of what parts directly interchange. If you'd like our help, reach out!

Many happy miles and congratulations again.

 

[twicks69]

Definitely, we will be in touch!!

 

[highmileage_on_insta]

For a limited time, get a free Chariot holo sticker for following my build! Just send me a PM with your mailing address.

Maintenance
@DSSA came through yet again, going out of his way to help find parts for my car. Though my car was built the same week as Chris's, we have different water pumps.
Josh in Denver hooked me up with his installation expertise to do the install.
Timing belt: Evo 9 Reinforced; JNZ's recommendation.
Timing belt idler pulley: white-box for OEM quality at a lower price.
Balance shaft belt: Mine was WORN. ALWAYS replace your balance shaft belt, guys! Think I narrowly avoided disaster by installing the new HKS belt just in time. @DSSA says that old balance shaft belts can snap, get strung up in your timing belt, and then cause the engine to jump time. I saw some fraying on one of the teeth on my old belt.
Water pump: Aisin 2G DSM Turbo, as specified by the Mitsubishi catalog. (However, Chris's car, built the same week, needed a 1G water pump!)
Tensioner: Early 2G DSM model.
Zero-Tick Lifters: JoshW soaked them overnight to prime them. Lifter tick eliminated after three days of regular driving.


Exterior
Wheels: Talon spirals powdercoated glow in the dark white, with Cricut vinyl center cap covers
Mudflaps: Sparco universal flaps. I got super screwed by a well-known rally shop in Portland that did the install on these. Once the labor hit the $300 mark, I had them stop work. They got as far as the two rear flaps. To their credit, they gave me a slight discount for not completing the work. $250 in labor for a half-finished job -- not happy.

Interior
Door light switch: Fixed!
Instrument cluster lights: Converted to ice blue. Amazon "Antline" 194s burned out in weeks. "Combriller" LEDs fitted with no problems to report.
Rear power outlet: The car came with a CD changer that never worked quite right. I don't listen to CDs and didn't need that weighty space hog, so I left it in a hotel in Oregon. I repurposed the switched/constant/ground wiring to fit a 12V USB socket hidden in the right undertray panel. Which gave me the idea for...
Front power outlets: I now have a total of six switched USB outlets up front. This panel fits in the slot once occupied by the rusty ashtray, which I went ahead and removed since literally nothing fits in it anyway. I fit another 12V USB socket in the stock cigarette lighter port, which required boring out the stock hole slightly to fit. Drill from the backside so that if your drill skips, you won't mar the front side of the bezel. I left off the metal trim piece, but I kept it in case I ever want to go back to a stock cigarette lighter. It'll cover up the widened hole.
Second-row power outlets: Using Metra stereo wiring harnesses (both chassis and radio), I tapped into the constant power feed and ran a line to the back of the center console. I now have two constant-hot USB sockets and a constant-hot 12V outlet for my second-row passengers to enjoy. No smoking, please.

Mechanical
Cam gears: I bought a set of Fidanza cam gears from my friend Billy, but found out they don't work with my engine due to a different CAS system. I need the AEM gears instead. If anyone's interested in a trade, please PM me.
Shifter cables: Part number MD770835 wound up working for me. Mitsubishi's specified part number is MD749614, but it's out of production. Regular Expo cables, DSM cables and GVR4 cables are different part numbers. I rented a lift in Portland at DIY Garage and did this myself. Two bolts at the firewall are accessible from the footwells -- but you have to be flexible, patient and have an array of shallow sockets and extensions. Still, hey, it worked.
Left front inner tie rod: replaced.
Air filter: aFe Dry Power fitted 5/15/22 at 134,500 km.
Brake rotors: R1 Concepts reached out to me with interest in The Manual Gearbox Preservation Society, my @highmileage Instagram page, and some of the freelance work I do for publications. They sent over a set of R1 Carbon Geomet rotors for me to try. I am so, so stoked at how clean the tophats look after six months of service. White wheels with big windows means I need good-looking brakes. These not only look fantastic, but after several intense heat cycles, I have no vibration in my pedal to indicate warping. The Chariot Resort Runner GT requires 1G Eclipse front brake rotors and 2G Eclipse rear brake rotors. Unfortunately, due to *my* mistake, I ordered the wrong brake pads from R1, so I'm only running their brake rotors for now.
Brake pads: After dozens of runs on the Tail of the Dragon, I finally wore down the PowerStop brake pads I fitted last year. As I mentioned above, the RRGT is a parts bin car when it comes to brakes, and PowerStop customer service was absolutely awful when I called asking their engineering team for guidance in locating the right parts. The negative PowerStop customer service experience really put a damper on my new brake setup, to the point where I was eager to switch to a new brand of brakes before I even broke them in. Luckily, R1 Concepts stepped up and made contact several months later. Unfortunately, R1's brake pads for my application are on backorder, so I went with a new Brembo pad that claims to be "virtually dustless". That's a big claim, and I'm eager to test it on my white wheels. I'm also changing out the brake fluid for Motul 5.1. I'd like new brake lines, which @DSSA said he'd help develop, but I just can't afford to have my car down for that amount of time at this point.

Open Concerns
Transmission: *sigh* A short time before the shifter cable shredded itself, and before I replaced the shifter cables, I noticed a slight grind going from 1-2. The problem started shortly after installing the popular metallic shifter base bushings. After replacing the shifter cables -- probably coincidentally -- the grind became worse. JoshW in Denver thinks my synchros are blown. Double-clutching helps. Replacing the transmission fluid didn't do anything. It's an intermittent problem -- the car shifts like butter maybe half the time. Am I hunting for a new transmission, or a transmission shop?
LR Power Door Lock: locks, but doesn't unlock
Map lights: for some reason, my left map light switch is finicky. I need to go to a junkyard and see if I can scavenge a switch. The panel is common to a Montero. It's available new from Mitsu in Japan for $40, but there's a two-month delay.
FR door seal gaskets: I have the slightest leak at high-pressure car washes on my driver door ever since taking off the rain guards, which I think may have damaged the weather seal. The seals are available from Mitsubishi in Japan for about $100 each. Not super stoked about spending that money, though I know I probably should while I can still get parts.

Long-term Concerns
Radiator hoses: no longer available from Mitsubishi.

Wishlist
Rear LSD: mine was built without it. I need one.
Powdercoated valve cover: I had this done, and it looks fantastic. Problem is, the shop used blast media. I cleaned it out as best as I could, but still didn't trust it enough to run it on the car. Now, I need to get a new valve cover powdercoated the right way.

Overall, the car has been fantastic. Since I updated you guys last, I spent six months in Oregon, then drove it to Great Falls, Montana. Up to Calgary for a car show, then down to Denver and Salina, Kansas for work and play. Back to Denver for a wedding, and then a two-day haul to Knoxville for work. This car is so awesome! Hoping that my investments in maintenance will pay off in years of reliable service.

I've been hitting the Tail of the Dragon every day I have off. It's the best car autumn I've had in years.

 

[highmileage_on_insta]

TougeFest, Tail of the Dragon, 2022.