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87 automatic flatbody - New York


Blissland3
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This car is good for parting out. It might be possible to get it running well again but it would take a lot of work. I'd like to get $1,000. All the relevant information is available at

 

http://www.blissland.net/offer/

 

and transcribed here.

1987 Gold Mitsubishi Starion LE flatbody for sale

 

 

Fair Warning / Disclaimer :

 

This is highly modified with automatic transmission. Below are listed the problems (according to me) as well as the modifications (according to the previous owner). Evidently he had too many aftermarket parts and not enough sense to put them together, and evidently I didn't have enough sense to realize that, and once I did realize it, he did not have the decency to give my money back (despite being someone I thought was one of my best friends for 24 years). I will not be able to give your money back either, but unlike the previous owner I am being up front about the condition of this vehicle. I would prefer to keep it but cannot manage to diagnose and fix the multitude of serious malfunctions, as enumerated below. It could be running again if the cooling system is repaired, but restoration would require a lot of parts and a fully equipped shop. If it's parted out it can fetch maybe $3,000 or maybe more.

The suspension is good (apart from rear shocks and bump stops as far as I can tell). The turbocharger and BOV are good as far as I can tell. A lot of parts are fairly new and probably in good condition including most of the brake components and fuel system components. They just don't work the way they've been put together, possibly because of faulty vacuum. And it's impossible to focus on that while everything else is breaking down.

Power assist to the steering has been eliminated. Air conditioning, the ridiculous emissions controls, and the very dangerous ABS have been eliminated. Although I'm pretty sure the p.s. gear box is still mounted.

Included with the car is a newly refurbished power brake booster (yet to be installed) plus a few other spare parts, and an original Owner's Manual.

I've been using 93 octane pump gasoline (since there is every reason to and no reason not to) and Lucas F.I. cleaner. The engine has been taking Royal Purple 10w-30 oil but I guess any sythetic is ok. My preferred filter has been K&N HP-1005. Last oil and filter change was November 2013.

The OEM specified torque for the lug nuts is highly conservative and quite possibly too low considering the age of the wheels. They can easily withstand 100 ft. lbs. without distortion. Lug nut key should be in the interior center console.

Photos will be forthcoming in the event that anyone needs to see them. Suffice to say though that the car is an eyesore.

I am in Kingston, New York.

 

 

 

MODIFICATIONS:

 

The driver seat has been moved back to provide more leg room and welded in an upright position. (April 2013)

"Stainless" exhaust is a misnomer. It may be steel but it's hardly stainless.

Note: This character: ’ appears frequently. I don't know what it's supposed to be. Everything below was copied and pasted from what the previous owner sent to me.

Engine, etc.:
Shaved/lightened block inside and out, never bored, deletedbalance shafts Balanced rods with ARP rod bolts New stock Perfect Circle pistons with Hastings Chrome rings,King main and rod bearings Lightened one-piece ’83 crank pulley, entire rotating assembly balanced Clearwater NJV head,ported, 1mm O/S SS valves, 3-angle valvejob, intake rockers lightened, ARP studs for intake and exhaust, ARP headstuds, shaved and powdercoated valvecover, Schneider 274 cam, powdercoated timing cover, EGR passages welded 14G turbo, ported and Swain-Tec coated turbo housing ,stress relieved, shaved, ported and Swain-Tec coated exhaust manifold Braided oil and water turbo lines Braided oil cooler lines 2.5 Stainless MK1 turbo back exhaust, Dynamax Ultraflow ‘6in. round SS muffler Custom hardpipes all the way from turbo to TB, siliconecouplers and T-clamps, HKS racing BOV 52mm TB, ported injector housing. Ported and powdercoated intake manifold, EGRpassages deleted/welded FIP TB-Pro2R standalone fuel management (sensors, harness,injectors, fuel rail) Walbro fuel pump, braided fuel lines from firewall up,Russell fuel filter Mallory 6A ignition box, MSD tach adapter, Magnacor wires Optima battery, 2 gauge ground cables, 110 amp alternatorwith circuit breaker and 2 gauge charge cable, fuse box instead of fusiblelinks Aluminum BeCool radiator, flexfan, aux. rad. Fan, silicone heater hoses HD rebuild on auto tranny, custom valve body, Level 103200Rpm stall converter, bigger cooler with braided lines Over $300 in SS metric bolts in engine compartment andthroughout car

Suspension:
4-to-5 lug conversion, bigger Cross-drilled and slottedrotors, painted calipers F/R with Speed bleeders installed, SS brake lines F/R ’88 rear end and 6-boltaxles. 7in rims front, 8in rear. 205/50Falken tires front 225/45 rear KYB struts F/R S/T springs and swaybars F/R Cusco camber plates front, Anti-M power camber plates rear. S&M triangulated strut bars F/R All polyurethane bushings in front suspension. Manual steering conversion, welded coupler.

Interior:
Freshly upholstered front “88 seats, Corbeau driver harness,non-auto seatbelt driver trim. Custom dash lens with insert and side blockoffs, Bride 320mmsteering wheel Autometer fuel press. and boost gauge, Halmeter af30 A/F ratio meter ’88 black HVAC controls, cupholders in door panels, customrubber diamond plate floor mats, racing pedal covers, fire extinguisher intrunk , Pioneer speakers

Body:
Supra style hatch wing, deleted auto antenna/roof mountedHirschmann amplified antenna, LED bulbs throughout the car, Silverstarheadlights, clear foglights Custom hood vents and custom hood lifts Cut and re-welded front bumper support, custom bumper andfront spoiler for larger intercooler opening

 

 

Problems requiring attention (7/30/13 except where indicated):

1. (2/26/14) A heater hose or more likely the heater core exploded and spilled coolant all over the cabin floor. That has to be diagnosed and repaired before you even attempt to start the engine. It would require a full day of work opening up the interior front panel. The instrument cluster and wiring harness might have been damaged, as well as the FCU. So you'll probably want to tow it away.

2. Engine stalls frequently without throttle input especially when cold. ISC is absent because it is incompatible with the aftermarket fuel system. Turbo lag and especially slow throttle response are pronounced. The throttle cable is frayed and probably stretched out. The throttle body might need replacement. The fuel map needs judicious tuning. It requires the MegaSquirt software or something compatible. A serial cable or serial-USB adapter is required to connect your portable computer to the ECU (located under the glove box). You must know what you're doing or the car can easily be rendered non-functional.

3. The brakes have several issues yet to be diagnosed. Response is not smooth/linear making proper driving technique impossible. The rear do nothing when the pedal is depressed although the hand brake moves one of the caliper pistons. Power assist comes on suddenly but if you press the pedal to the floor the wheels spin freely. Rather dangerous. No vacuum is being reserved. The master cylinder and front discs and pads and vacuum valve were recently replaced but had no effect.

4. Passenger side frame rail has a 16" rotten section.

7. Rust holes in skirting panels on either side. Right side front end (body only) is badly banged up from a collision while parked. Also the entire body needs finishing.

8. Rear bumper is skewed and appears rotten underneath.

9. Steering wheel squeaks and has about an inch or more of play. Not sure how that translates to degrees ... maybe 10 or more.

 

 

ISSUES OF WHICH I AM AWARE (2/20/14)

Throttle cable needs replacement a.s.a.p.

Shifter linkage needs repair

Parking brake cable needs replacement

Oil pressure gauge needs repair

No heat going to heater

Coolant temperature rises too high before stabilising

Spark plugs no doubt are fouled (I cannot guarantee anti-seize was applied to the threads either)

Fuel system needs tuning badly

Fuel pressure is erratic (Fuel pressure regulator was replaced but it didn't fix anything)

Distributor vacuum advance module possibly needs replacement

Tends to stall since there is no ISC to compensate for other issues (I'm keeping the idle high until this is addressed although it could go higher still)

Apparently no hydraulic pressure to rear brake lines

Front brakes function erratically (possibly a vacuum issue and possibly related to the ABS bypass)

Exhaust system needs extensive repair or replacement (bent and twisted and the downpipe is making contact with the engine block and the muffler is skewed to the right side)

Passenger side frame rail needs repair

Ignition wires possibly need replacement (can't say for sure if intermittent misfiring is due to electrical or fuel delivery)

Filters need replacement

Fuel pump possibly needs replacement

Piston rings possibly need replacement (evidently some blow-by)

Valve seals possibly need replacement (can only get worse over time)

Balance shaft cover gasket definitely needs replacement (leaking fluids)

Cylinder head gasket possibly needs replacement

Timing chain cover gasket possibly needs replacement

Transmission is not connected properly (torque converter bangs around ... may be impossible to fix without re-mounting the motor)

Rear shock absorbers and bump stops need replacement

Rear tires need replacement soon (all-season 225/45-16 are no longer available)

Entire body needs everything

 

 

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I have two questions.

 

1) In your first paragraph you say "A lot of parts are fairly new and probably in good condition including most of the brake components and fuel system components" .

 

But later you say this "The brakes have several issues yet to be diagnosed. Response is not smooth/linear making proper driving technique impossible. The rear do nothing when the pedal is depressed although the hand brake moves one of the caliper pistons. Power assist comes on suddenly but if you press the pedal to the floor the wheels spin freely. Rather dangerous. No vacuum is being reserved. The master cylinder and front discs and pads and vacuum valve were recently replaced but had no effect. "

 

That doesn't seem to correlate very well.

 

2) Why did you see fit to attempt to throw the previous owner under the bus? You obviously know he is a member here and is going to read this. Since this is a for sale post I don't how it could be relevant. I will say though that by doing I personally feel you've opened up the topic.

 

Here is my personal view on the situation based upon my very limited knowledge. Your buddy who was obviously into these cars quite a bit sold you his car which was very modified. You had to have been aware of the extensive modifications. I am basing this off of two things, first in this post you say " we were best friends for 24 years", and secondly because you state that the specs you are listing were sent to you by him.

 

Now I do not mean this to be an insult but its clear by your post that you do not have an intimate knowledge of these cars and compound that with the fact that the car is highly modified its no surprise that you have had nothing but problems "fixing" the car. My only point here is that the fact is you bought a car from a friend of yours knowing it was extensively modified and after owning it could not keep it running / maintaining it. You are attempting blame your friend but ultimately you purchased the car with full knowledge of what you were purchasing.

 

All in all we are adults and our actions are our own. Good luck with the sale of the car, but maybe you should edit your post and remove the unneeded information and clarify the discrepancies.

 

Allen

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add this to the list of things...

 

CURRENT OWNER NEEDS REPLACED A.S.A.P...

 

somebody buy this car and save it from this mechanical hack

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3. The brakes have several issues yet to be diagnosed. Response is not smooth/linear making proper driving technique impossible. The rear do nothing when the pedal is depressed although the hand brake moves one of the caliper pistons. Power assist comes on suddenly but if you press the pedal to the floor the wheels spin freely. Rather dangerous. No vacuum is being reserved. The master cylinder and front discs and pads and vacuum valve were recently replaced but had no effect.

 

I'm betting the reaction disc has fallen out of place in the booster. Pretty easy fix if you take the booster out of the car. Has happened to me before on my Starion while I had the booster out and stored it on it's side.

 

This is for a 240Z, but it's the same in the Starion:

http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/69706-reaction-disk-pictures-and-walkthrough/

 

Sorry for cluttering up a for sale thread, It'll be easier to sell if the brakes are at least semi-working!

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Speedyquest

1. fair enough. I was trying to get across that a lot of the parts are almost brand new but the car as a whole is not put together well. No one has been able to determine why the brakes don't work properly. My best guess is a problem with vacuum. I have an unused booster, the front discs are drilled and (I think ... I'm not near the car now) slotted and practically brand new. The master cylinder is practically brand new (though it's already rusted). Those all represent failed attempts to get the brakes working right. It's not because of bad parts.

2. I would throw the previous owner under a bus literally if I could get away with it. He ripped me off for 6 grand.

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Many years ago I had a buddy named Bill who had a very nice lifted 3/4 ton 4WD Ford truck. Had a bunch of suspension goodies, a few go faster things, and a set of (I believe) 38's or 40's on it. As nice as it was, it took a fair amount of regular maintenance to keep it running right and on the road. I bet we swapped a ujoint or 2 every 3 or 4 months, valve cover gaskets, etc... .There was a girl (Angie) who ran around in similar circles who LOVED the truck. Just had to have a ride in it whenever she saw us out in it. Up in the air like it was, it was a challenge for her just to get up in the thing, and boy did it shine. Bill ended up married (not to her) and had a baby on the way and they needed a more practical vehicle for the soon-to-be family, so he put the truck up for sale. Angie, of course, was the first one in line for it. She just HAD to have the truck. I called her and told her she should probably steer clear, and did my best to explain the man-hours of labor it took to keep it functional and pretty. Bill tried to tell her too, but she was love-blind. She had that tunnel vision and nothing was going to stop her from owning that truck. She ended up buying it, and of course, having troubles with it. Not knowing what she was doing she took it to a shop that proceeded to rack up the repair bills. She was madder than h3ll, swore that Bill ripped her off, that he should've never sold her that POS truck, just blamed him all the way. Bottom line, this girl had no business buying a modified vehicle that she 1, didn't understand beyond the curb-appeal, and 2, couldn't turn the wrenches on herself.

Moral of their story (applies here too)...if you can't maintain a vehicle, and you don't have an affordable, QUALIFIED mechanic on hand, don't buy something that's going to need extended understanding, and potentially hours of service to keep it on the road. Everybody will lose.

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