4g63t Swapped Mighty Max

[Junk_GSX]

Here’s a video of my starting it up and putting it into reverse after the tape scare (ignore the squeal from the loose alternator tensioner)

 

[trogador2005]

Any luck with the 1g seats? We're just now starting the process for this same swap!

 

[Junk_GSX]

Any luck with the 1g seats? We're just now starting the process for this same swap!

Been meaning to update this thread but haven’t gotten around to finishing the seats. Plan was to use 1”x1” square tube to bolt into the rear mm bolt holes, then weld tabs to it to use a bolt and nut for the factory 1g seats. For the front, I was gonna bend the 1g seat tabs down and weld a plate to bolt them in to the mm bolt holes. Reason I didn’t commit was because I might run evo 8 recaros instead

 

[Junk_GSX]

Alight finally time to update the thread...Feeling happy with the progress I made on the truck, I picked up a Core short shifter for the truck. I didn’t have many options as there are only a few people that sell short shifters for a starion. The reason I needed one for a starion was that I have a starion tail shaft housing on the truck to correct the shifter placement. I saw someone modify a cheap amazon mustang shifter to work with a starion so I purchased one to see if I could make it work. It didn’t seem worth taking the time to modify and hoped it’d work so I looked at other ones. My only real options were a MK1 shifter or a Core shifter which were priced around the same. I decided to go with the Core short shifter because it had provisions to use different B&M shifter handles. I wasn’t sure if the handle that came with it would work but I figured I could always swap it out if I didn’t like the placement. At around $200 with shipping, the shifter feels awesome and the placement was spot on it the one it came with (#0015). I was able to trim the shifter boot retainer on the lancer console and it cleared just enough to go into 5th gear. For the shift knob, I kinda just forced an evo x shift knob I found at pnp to thread onto the shifter because I thought it looked better. It seemed to cut its own threads and doesn’t feel loose so I’ll just run it.

 

[Junk_GSX]

After those first few starts, I needed to address a few more important things such as the wiring. Wiring was one of the most time-consuming parts of the project it wasn’t too difficult. Even though the truck ran, I needed to tuck and loom the harness. I debated switching the harness to the right side but ultimately decided to route the engine harness through the left side after finding some silicone ties (harbor freight) that allowed me to run the harness tightly under the dash. I ordered a bunch of crimpers, cimps, heat shrink, wire, and loom from amazon and got to work. Most wires needed to be shortened so I used open barrel crimp connectors to reconnect them with some adhesive-lined heat shrink I never liked soldering much and HP Academy said a good crimp is better so I stuck with it for the whole harness, except the front o2 sensor wires and the knock sensor which were left alone. They might have been fine but I didn’t want to risk it since I was already deleting a bunch of unused wires and wanted to minimize the likelihood of messing up the harness. I attached everything I deleted and kept along with my wiring notes (idk how to upload a pdf on here so I pasted everything ).

 

[Junk_GSX]

Wiring stuff 4g63 Mighty Max
Mm switches

• Kill switch
• Light badge
• Radiator fan
• Tail lights

ECM TUNING ECU PINOUT 2G DSM (highlighted important stuff/stuff I wired in)

2g ecu in 1g wiring conversion (1g pinout is very similar to mighty max): note 2g pin 86 speed sensor is pin 18 on 1g and mighty max

Deleted stuff: reverse switch, cruise control, brake fluid thing, ecu pin 20 cooling fan motor relay high, ac compressor-ecu pin 45, coolant single pin gauge connector, wiper motor, power transistor wire (white with silver dots) to white cluster plug, ecu pin 16 boost meter, random plug in engine bay

Random Notes I made:

• Dsm Ecu pin 71 (black with yellow stripe) goes to black with red stripe starter wire.
• Dsm ecu pin 82 goes to black with white stripe (ign 2)
• Deleted rear o2 sensor plug/ haness Black with blue stripe to fuel pump relay used for rewire
• Deleted from fuse box plug: ecu pin 33 (generator w), ecu pin 41 (generator fr), speed sensor wires
• Bigger black with yellow stripe goes to unkown connector in engine bay. 2 pin loops back into cab light blue with white stripe and black with yellow stripe
• Yellow is for speed so I’m gonna try connecting to ecu pin 86
• White with black is for tach. Some people said use 90 tach filter but should go to ecu pin 58 which is white and goes to ptu
• Deleted ecu pins 3,7,9 and plugs fuel pressure solenoid, exhaust solenoid, and trans reduction thing

2g notes:

Black with white stripe on intake manifold Goes to coil pack and ecm power transistor thing and also pin 82 (ignition switch and also mpi ign

1: red with black stripe (const 20amp fuse)
2: black with red stripe (ecu pin 12 and 25) alone
3: red (power? To bunch) alone
4: black with blue stripe (fuel pump) use as trigger
5: red with black stripe (const 20amp fuse) 6: black with white stripe (ign)
7: blue with green stripe (ecu pin 38) alone
8: white with red stripe (ecu pin 8) alone

• Wires that go into cab are connected to harness Off blue connector drivers by firewall (ac)
• Ecu green with red stripe and solid blue to ecu connector Blue- Pin 65 on ecu and a/c comp relay
• Green with red stripe- Ecu pin 7 and a/ c low pres sw

Stock Harness notes: (basically just note any connections that go to the ecu and ones that tie into the cab)

Green with white stripe

• Ecu connector same as green with red stripe
• Ecu pin 2 and ac plug

Yellow Broken connector (pretty sure oil pressure)

Yellow red stripe

• Single connector (coolant temp)

Yellow small

• Yellow white stripe brown spots ecu ***tach signal? Idk

• Yellow small to ecu outer

Thick black with white stripe

• Splits off into 3 wires blk w/ wht stripe
• 1 goes to mpi connector outer

• 2 goes to 2 pin connector with purple/ pink

• 3 goes to 4 pin connector *distributor

Black with yellow stripe (2 of them go to ecu

• One from inside driver’s firewall

• 2nd one next to it on ecu goes to ground junction

Teal blue goes to alternator mystery big 2 pin connector (same as one with white wire that meets at positive cable and 20amp fuse to mpi relay)

Last 3:

Black with blue stripe splits to 3 wires

• 1st one goes to single white connector *fuel pump test connector maybe

• 2nd goes to ecu connector

• 3rd goes to mpi

Black with red stripe branches to 2 wires

• 1st goes to mpi

• 2nd one goes to ecu next to black with blue stripe

Light green with red stripe - instrument cluster and pin 64 ****check engine light

• Goes next to blue solid on ecu

 

[Junk_GSX]

Stock connectors I needed help identifying (some of them were still unknown)

Fine to be plugged in but idk what it’s for

Ac plug (don’t need if no plans for ac)

Distributor is #4

Alternator plug #5

Tach #6

Fuel pump tester #7
Videos





Alternator wiring:
4 gauge positive to batter small stud

 

[Junk_GSX]

During the wiring, I wanted to get the factory mighty max tach working so I did some research and needed to find a 90 “tach interface” and tach filter. I was able to find both on a 90 gst at picknpull but only took the tach filter since I didn’t know the tach interface was a thing. I ended up finding a complete 90 coil pack assembly at M&S Auto in Rancho Cordova that had been sitting in inventory for more than a decade . I mounted the tach interface by the coil pack on the RTM bracket using a thin piece of aluminum. The wiring for it was pretty straightforward and can be found below.

 

[Junk_GSX]

Since I was wiring everything, I wanted everything where it was going to stay so I decided to redo my cooling system. I found a member of the 4g63 rwd facebook group named Luke Stuart who makes/sells billet water manifolds that go to 16an. I opted to get one that went toward the intake side as the stock radiator has the inlet on that side. I ordered 2ft of 16an hose, a 16an straight fitting, a 16an 90 degree fitting, a 16an to 16orb fitting, and a ⅝” heater hose (part #80402). The manifold comes with a 3/8npt port that the stock coolant temp sensor fits into but I tapped it so I could use 1/8npt glowshift coolant temp sensor. I did use a 1/4npt to 1/8npt adapter in case I wanted to use a barbed fitting or something else in the future in that spot. I kept the inline thermostat, hose adapter I made, and 2g upper radiator hose. The 90 degree heater hose was intended to connect to the heater from the thermostat housing using a 90 degree aluminum fitting. I got a 16mm glowshift hose adapter to connect the two hoses and to install a stock coolant temp switch for the cluster. I decided to tap the adapter so I could ground it in case the sensor required it.

 

[Junk_GSX]

Once the wiring was done, I started going after leaks on both the transmission and engine, I noticed the transmission leaking from what looked like between the tailshaft housing and the tuff pan. Being that the po had swapped the tailshaft housing with a starion one and installed the tuff pan, I figured I’d have to reseal it since I wasn't sure if he just bolted it on for mockup. To do so, I figured the easiest way was to pull the engine and transmission out together. I was able to get it apart by following this guide (https://www.starquestclub.com/forum...to-rebuild-an-8889-km132-manual-transmission/). I then realized the po didn't use any sealant or anything to seal the tailshaft housing. Being that it was all apart, I decided to reseal the tuff pan in case it was leaking and also replace the output seal. It took way longer than it should have but will likely be quicker at it if I ever have to do it again. I used permatex ultra grey for the tailshaft housing and loctite 518 for the tuff pan. One note to make is that the loctite is anaerobic meaning it only cures in the absence of air so there was excess that I just wiped off.

 

[Junk_GSX]

With the wiring for the most part done and the engine out of the truck, I decided to paint the engine bay, or at least everything but the firewall. I started by deleting a bracket that was used to support the stock air box by drilling the spot welds. I first sprayed the frame with rust reformer after getting as much surface rust off with a wire wheel and drill. I then picked up a can of paint match paint and a can of 2k clear with hardener and began spraying. I did use a bit of filler primer that I sanded mostly around the deleted bracket. I quickly ran out of the oem paint match paint but anticipating it, I also used some rustoleum universal bright white paint the closer I got to the radiator support, which I also painted. The clear coat was barely enough to get a few coats on everything, and although it isn’t perfect, it came out alright for $60 worth of materials and paint.

 

[Junk_GSX]

Before putting the engine in, I wanted to address an issue that may or may not have mattered in the first place. I initially had the turbo drain made from cut stock drain tubes that were connected by heater hose but the route seemed long and pushed the oil to what was now the back of the pan. I decided to order a spectra non turbo oil pan and a 12an no weld fitting that used crush washers to seal. The kit was from ebay for TD04-TD06 from smartturboisme. I was able to get the fitting installed on the oil pan after bending the baffle a bit out of the way to tighten the nut on the inside but overall fit alright. This required me to install a forward facing oil filter housing to give myself the most room for the drain. The only thing I added to that was a glowshift oil pressure sensor for a new electric gauge because the turbo is fed from the head. I plan on installing a greddy sandwich plate and a cheap oil cooler in the future once the bumper is on since there are no oil cooler provisions on the ff ofh and the turbo is also not being water cooled. To finish off the drain, I got some pushlock hose and hose adapters from amazon once I got it installed back in the truck.

 

[Junk_GSX]

Since I changed the half cooling system, I wanted to replace the orings on the water pipe and that’s when I found another problem. The stock mighty max water pipe had begun to rust where the oring sat and while there was still enough there to probably seal, I figured I should just replace it. The stock part (MD143573) is discontinued along with the 2L version from the earlier trucks so I was stuck needing to find a solution or wait for one to show up at picknpull. I first tried ordering one from Amayama but they were unable to sell me one which is how I found out they were discontinued. Since these trucks are getting scarce, the only one local to me that showed up was a 88 4wd truck that I had already gotten a few interior parts from a couple weeks before. The 2.6l water pipe was pretty different and didn’t have the oring provision, so I knew my only hope was to find some other Mitsubishi car or truck that used those same orings (MD030763) to maybe repair mine. I found out that early v6 diamantes used the same orings and there just happened to be one at the same yard as that mighty max. After figuring this out, I went and got the pipes off both vehicles. My friend was able to cut the barb part off the 4wd mm pipe to delete the capped off nipple and rusty heater barb on mine. I am not running coolant lines to my throttle body or turbo so I figured it was better to just delete the extra nipple. He was also able to splice in the oring part from the diamante pipe that was basically new and free of rust. After some paint I mocked up the water pipe and it seemed to fit fine although the tab that held it to the transmission needed to be modified to clear the new water manifold. I ended up using a dsm water pipe tab (1g or 2g) that was shorter and angled the pipe to clear the manifold. The heater hose needed to use a ⅝ splice connector but worked overall.

 

[Junk_GSX]

To backtrack a bit, while waiting on a non-existent water pipe from Amayama, I decided to install a set of rear trim panels I had picked up off a 4wd truck I mentioned earlier. I got super lucky as the interior in that truck was blue and matched mine. From the factory, most 2nd gen trucks didn’t have a rear interior or speakers, just the 2 4” speakers in the dash. I knew if I was going to install the panels that I might as well install the rear speakers too along with a double din. I found a $35 Kenwood double din at picknpull and figured it’d work for the time being as it has bluetooth which is all I cared about. I used a Dremel and metal cutoff wheels to cut the main speaker holes while holding a shop vac to keep the mess relatively contained. For the speaker mounting holes, I just used sheet metal screws after drilling small pilot holes. I wanted to be fancy and use rivenuts to hold the grilles down with some allen head bolts but I wasn’t centered on a couple of them so I ended up using bigger sheet metal screws that I painted black. For the wiring, I did have to run the speaker wires through the boots under the seat belt cover directly to the head unit. One thing to note is that the seat belt covers were different between the trucks so I just reused mine that had provisions for air to escape the cabin. I’m not sure if it just differs between the carbureted trucks and the fuel-injected ones or if it’s a 4wd thing but the trim panels also have grilles that I assume lead to the pressure relief extractors/vents on that junkyard truck. There are push clips that hold in the rear panel that the non-optioned trucks lack. I didn't think it was worth getting the brackets and welding them in so I'll probably be using velcro if it rattles. Although the panels aren’t perfect, I’m happy with how everything turned out. I’m considering running evo 8 recaros as I feel like it’d tie the whole interior together, especially with the lancer center console I already have. The final thing I did was install a shorty antenna from amazon after getting the antenna grommet/wire from that 4wd truck.

 

[Junk_GSX]

I still had a few buttoning up to do after doing so many changes. I got everything installed and the harness reconnected and before starting it, I turned the fuel pump on and found a few leaks. Sometime in August I installed a fuel lab fuel filter using an evil energy bracket (cut to fit in the stock location) and also a new 6an ptfe return that ran from the fuel pressure regulator to the tank and completely forgot to tighten everything up. I used a compression fitting from vibrant to adapt to the stock 5/16” fuel line (16455). After fixing that stuff, I then found out the water manifold was leaking water. I wasn’t able to tighten the bolts all the way and ended up needing to chase the threads on the head. After using gasket maker, it sealed just fine with the bolts tightened all the way. After that, everything seemed fine.

 

[Junk_GSX]

Since the only stuff I had left was mostly cosmetic, I wanted to flush the cooling system. Up to this point I only used distilled water and it would turn orange from all the rust in the block. I needed to wire up the 14” spal fan so the truck wouldn’t overheat when flushing so I found this thread and followed his wiring diagram. The fan worked great and pulled a lot of air through the intercooler radiator perfectly fine. I used 2 bottles of peak total flush and about 10 gallons of distilled water. I called it good enough although there is probably still some rust sitting inside the block. At around the same time, I found a size 26 battery at ipullupull that was only a couple of months old and it seemed to fit well. To install it, I used a bracket from a na miata after drilling and adding rivenuts to bolt it to the truck. I then bought a universal tie down from amazon and secured it with that bracket and a random hole on the oem battery tray.

 

[Junk_GSX]

Here’s a video of the fan in action

 

[Junk_GSX]

For the fan wiring, I referenced this diagram from this thread: https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/2g-dsm-custom-fan-wiring-does-this-look-right.529550/

 

[Junk_GSX]

The day came when I wanted to take the truck to a car meet about a half mile away from my house so I began prepping it for its first drive. We got the bed put back on after finding all the bushings, washers, and nuts that held it on the frame. I also had installed a tial qr blow off valve with an adapter and 90 degree reducing coupler from ebay to finish off the truck a bit more but the truck didn’t start. The starter only clicked once. Mind you the truck always seemed to have an issue as it would take a couple of tries to get it to crank but it usually started up. I figured it was the battery but I had just gotten one from ipullupull so I grabbed another one and it did the same thing. A new starter from autozone later and the truck would still click once. I added a new ground and still nothing so I ended up changing the ignition switch which seems to at least make it better. I might change the cable and wire going to the starter later since I have picked up a spare since then. The truck was basically ready so I opened the gate, turned it on, and only made it a few feet before stalling. I pushed in the clutch while I applied the brakes when the front tires went over the cement to slow myself down when it shut off. I didn’t think much of it since I figured I’d just adjust the cable. I tried making the cable both tighter and looser, but the truck wouldn’t go into gear while running. I’m still not 100% sure if the cable is just stretched, not adjusted properly, or if there was too much firewall flex. I decided I would do a hydraulic conversion to fix the firewall flex issue, although I know that in itself complicates things more.

 

[Junk_GSX]

After deciding to move forward with the hydraulic clutch conversion, I needed to find a clutch pedal and master assembly. I have seen people use a modified pedal from a 2g eclipse or a starion but I wanted something that required less work. I found out that 4wd v6 trucks have an oem hydraulic clutch from factory, however, I had only ever seen one at a junkyard about a year prior. I waited around for a bit and contemplated using a montero sport pedal because I had found one with manual transmission and a rare factory 4g64. When I first saw it, I noticed the pedals were different so I decided to hold off unless I didn’t find a mighty max one. Well, I waited too long and the montero was taken out of the yard literally the day I went to get the pedals. I did score a thermostat housing assembly off it the first time I checked it out (for a later project) so it didn’t go completely to waste. The pedals off the montero may have worked but I’m not sure. It would have been cool since the pedals had the same pads as a 2g dsm instead of the rectangular mighty max ones but oh well. Also as a side note, if someone was trying to run a NA 4g63 or 4g64 in a rwd configuration, I think the montero exhaust manifold would work great and might bolt up to the head (haven’t confirmed but it looked like it should).

 

[Junk_GSX]

After a few months of waiting, I found a 4x4 v6 truck at picknpull but the only issue was that it was in Fresno. Fresno is a couple hour drive from my house, and although I knew I needed only a bit of time to get the pedals, I wasn’t sure exactly how the pedals were mounted to the truck. Mine didn’t have any provisions as far as the clutch pedal was concerned so I took a drill, center punch, step bit, and a spot weld cutter along with my tools and left early. I managed to get the pedals out relatively easily but there was an extra bracket that the clutch pedal assembly bolted to that was spot welded under the wiper cowl. The brake pedal wasn’t too hard to get out but I did push the brake master through the firewall to give me room, rather than unbolt the pedal arm to keep it in one assembly. With both pedals out of the way, I drilled the spot welds for the clutch bracket that mine was missing. I struggled a bit to get it separated, bending it a bit but got it out. After I got home, I looked at the pictures I took of the truck and realized that the firewall was reinforced. I completely spaced and knew having that piece would make drilling the holes in my truck way easier while also making the firewall stronger. I held off for a couple of weeks before going back to get it. I used a spot weld cutter after drilling a centered ⅛’ pilot hole through the front of the piece. It was only after I found the last 2 I needed to drill that I realized I should have drilled through the inside of the cabin instead. It would have made the holes significantly smaller and been easier to weld but you live and you learn.

 

[Junk_GSX]

Now that I had the hydraulic pedals, I went about installing them on my truck. To get the pedals out, I disconnected the clutch cable and tried getting the whole assembly as one after dropping the column but was unable to get the assembly out as one piece. To get it out, I unbolted the brake pedal arm which gave me the room to get the rest out with the column unbolted. Comparing the cable pedals with the hydraulic ones, I noticed the brake pedals were the same if you cut the clutch part off. Basically, you just need the hydro clutch pedal, firewall bracing, and bracket to do the conversion. I took the bracing and mocked it up as best as I could from the pictures I took of the truck at picknpull and marked the associated holes. I used a step bit to drill the holes up to ⅜” and a 1-7/16” (37mm) hole saw for the middle hole. So far I have just mocked up the clutch pedal and it seems to be where it should be. I did bend the top bracket while trying to get it separated from the parts truck so I’m going to try flattening it to close the gap for welding. The basic plan going forward is to use a Wilwood pull-type slave cylinder and maybe a stock mighty max clutch master cylinder. The reason I said maybe is because Wilwood recommends a master with at least a ¾” bore and the mighty max one is ⅝”. Now the person who used a 2g dsm master didn’t have any issues (same bore size as the mm one) but the Wilwood clutch master cylinder (¾” bore) might fit with some minor modifications. The cheaper one is the oem replacement but the Wilwood one would be cool because it could make a future trans swap easier such as a t56. This is basically where I'm at as of 2/28 and just need to prep for welding and order the wilwood stuff to see if the hydro clutch works. I may order a new 1g fwd flywheel to have it machined for a pilot bearing, a different clutch, and an act 2600 pressure plate in case the clutch doesn't work.