Jump to content
  • Welcome to AutoLanka

    :action-smiley-028: We found you speeding on AutoLanka Forums without any registration! If you want the best experience, please sign in. Safe driving! 

Modifying An 1978 Lancer


nazly

Recommended Posts

Hey Davy, I spoke to that guy & unfortunately he said I would not be able to get a 'wiper inner arm' set for my ride anywhere from Panchikawatta :( Lets see ... I've got no other option but to keep on hunting for one somehow :unsure:

thanks for the contact mate, cheers !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hi davy/ ALL,

I am interested in buying a lancer stationwagon owned by a doctor and he has maintained it in perfect condition for the last 15 years and all originals working.However i am not sure if this has got the orient engine , some one told me that since this was manufactued in 1975 it might have got the saturn or neptune engine.It has engine capacity of 1483cc. What is the main difference in these engines, will have an issue with spare parts if the engine is not orient. I also think this has got a timing chain and not the timing belt.The car is an 8Sri one.

The other part is that there is no center console in the car and just the dashboard only.Is it the normal way in every lancer car, but i seen cars with the center console. Can i get a centre console from panchikawatte if i need to fix a radio later on.

Thanks in advance

Nice to see someone with the passion for modifying an A72 Lancer. I myself have a 1979 Lancer A72 V (Station Wagon) and I've been having it for the last 15 years. I have just finished restoring the engine completely with the addition of some performance mods. :) I was able to find ALL the (new) parts for the 4G33 engine at Panchikawatte.

I also did a disk brake conversion and now it's undergoing a steering restoration because of a worn out steering box. I can gurantee that you can still find any part (engine, body, interior etc.) in Panchikawatte. In fact, I was amazed after seeing the number of Lancers bought to be scrapped. Some still having usable parts. So keep searching. :)

Good luck with your modification. Start slow, and turn her into a beast! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just went with the mechanic and he tells me that it has got a saturn engine, what is the main difference from the orient engine. It is a 4G33 engine.I also can see the label called saturn on top of the cylinder head.Is this the one with a timing chain or belt.I am not sure of that.

Any one who can give me an insight about this engine series please.Is it almost same as the orient engine , my main concern is the parts issue .

Hi davy/ ALL,

I am interested in buying a lancer stationwagon owned by a doctor and he has maintained it in perfect condition for the last 15 years and all originals working.However i am not sure if this has got the orient engine , some one told me that since this was manufactued in 1975 it might have got the saturn or neptune engine.It has engine capacity of 1483cc. What is the main difference in these engines, will have an issue with spare parts if the engine is not orient. I also think this has got a timing chain and not the timing belt.The car is an 8Sri one.

The other part is that there is no center console in the car and just the dashboard only.Is it the normal way in every lancer car, but i seen cars with the center console. Can i get a centre console from panchikawatte if i need to fix a radio later on.

Thanks in advance

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

any advice please....by the way i am not restoring but i am planning to buy it. :rolleyes:

Rameez, Sorry for not being able to reply to your post earlier. I have not been active in the forum for the past couple of months. However, I replied to your other thread about the 4G33 Saturn Engine. Provided a link to the engine workshop manual there as well :) Please let me know if you require further details.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rameez, Sorry for not being able to reply to your post earlier. I have not been active in the forum for the past couple of months. However, I replied to your other thread about the 4G33 Saturn Engine. Provided a link to the engine workshop manual there as well :) Please let me know if you require further details.

davy that is ok it happens to me as well.... a lull period and then once again back to autolanka.

Does your car have a center console i mean where the stereo and AC vents are fixed, mine does not have one, but i would like to fix one so that i dont have to drill the dash board which is in original superb condition , just to fix a stereo.also it would look nice on the car.I have seen other lance station wagons having this but my one does not have and i think since it was the earlier version maybe it was not originally included.

apart from that i would also like to know where do you generally source you spares from, i have not still gone parts hunting but will need to do in the near future.You say that it has got a timing belt, are there any disadvantages to this. My pal suggested that replacing the timging belt as soon as i get it , since you can never guarantee the previous owner did it properly.does this cost a lot.What is you version having , a chain i assume. :unsure:

Just FYI ...the car was used by a doctor for the last 17 years in puttalam area and his daughter was using it sparingly , even the original upholstery as well as body stickers still there that was one of the reasons for me to buy the vehicle as well.does pickup well though have not still tried out on open stretches.This one has got 4 gears although some say that you get 5 gears as well.There is also a very wierd reverse gear and you need to get used to that as well, machang.........i had some embarassing moments into it when i could not reverse it in a busy street :lol:

apart from that nothing wrong with the car.My only concern is to get a good guy who knows lancer station wagons inside out, rather then mess with the car. I live around colombo so would much appreciate if you know anyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

davy that is ok it happens to me as well.... a lull period and then once again back to autolanka.

Does your car have a center console i mean where the stereo and AC vents are fixed, mine does not have one, but i would like to fix one so that i dont have to drill the dash board which is in original superb condition , just to fix a stereo.also it would look nice on the car.I have seen other lance station wagons having this but my one does not have and i think since it was the earlier version maybe it was not originally included.

apart from that i would also like to know where do you generally source you spares from, i have not still gone parts hunting but will need to do in the near future.You say that it has got a timing belt, are there any disadvantages to this. My pal suggested that replacing the timging belt as soon as i get it , since you can never guarantee the previous owner did it properly.does this cost a lot.What is you version having , a chain i assume. :unsure:

Just FYI ...the car was used by a doctor for the last 17 years in puttalam area and his daughter was using it sparingly , even the original upholstery as well as body stickers still there that was one of the reasons for me to buy the vehicle as well.does pickup well though have not still tried out on open stretches.This one has got 4 gears although some say that you get 5 gears as well.There is also a very wierd reverse gear and you need to get used to that as well, machang.........i had some embarassing moments into it when i could not reverse it in a busy street :lol:

apart from that nothing wrong with the car.My only concern is to get a good guy who knows lancer station wagons inside out, rather then mess with the car. I live around colombo so would much appreciate if you know anyone.

Rameez,

My car does have a center console and the A/C cool regulator + the stereo is in it with some cubby hole space. The center console box goes all the way to the back until it meets the hand brake lever. I'm surprised to hear that yours doesnt have one because I remember seeing them in pretty much all the A72s I've seen. So does this mean your car doesn't have A/C? If it does, where does it have the A/C cool regulator slider? Importantly, I think you might be able to find a center console at Panchikawatte as there are so many scrapped out cars over there.

About spares, For the engine overhaul, I bought all the spares from Panchikawatte. I'm sure you'll be able to find almost any part for this car at Panchikawatte if you walk around a bit. If you're interested in buying a particular part, let me know. I might be able to direct you to a place. I was also able to find spares around Ja-Ela (as I was living around that area for some time). One good thing is that parts for the GALANT, COLT, L300, LANCER BOX also fit in.

About the timing belt, it should be replaced every 100000km, and since this is a 30 year old car now, I'm sure your odometer reads more than that. If it reads less, it could be because it has gone upto 99999 and started again from 00000 because the odometer for this car has only 5 digits! :D

From a maintenance perspective, having a timing chain is better I guess, but having a chain doesn't necessarily mean zero maintenance as if a chain snaps, the repair cost is relatively as the chain itself is pretty expensive. (Disregarding other damages caused to the engine). Car makers usually use timing belts for cost efficiency. And Timing belts are much quieter compared to chains. But chains do last a lifetime, and rarely fail.

Prices (as at November 2010):

Timing Belt: Rs. 2200

Timing Belt Tensioner: Rs. 1850

Oil Seals: Somewhere arund Rs. 500

- Note that these are prices for JAPANESE parts and not GENUINE MITSUBISHI parts (They're equally OK, and I doubt that the agents will have the parts)

Hope this helps. :) Keep us updated on how your car is coming along.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...
Any pictures of the pimped ride where this thread started upon ? i own a lancer wagon and i'm also thinking of pimping a bit to be a more Japanese muscle since how much we try we cannot make it beat a Mustang :).

Judging by OP's activity, it seems the project never got off the ground. What plans do you have for the car?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well i want to slightly modify it to add some muscle look into it like this http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/556/3881/26389440010_large.jpg

Well, mods on this judging by the looks

Bumper delete and shaved mounts,

Slightly embossed wheel arches, maybe almost OEM

and Some hard to see mirrors

Mostly tinker work

BBS style rims, with a low profile tyre, may / may-not be spaced based on the wheel width.

Car looks lowered, maybe with a wee-bit of negative camber

Requires parts and a good mechanic, depends on how far you want to spend ie; camber kits and coilovers or make-do with existing parts with guided fabrication.

I recall an AL member having a similar car, in white, search a bit.

This picture looks like a poor example of a GSR,

I'd suggest a more OEM look/ spec car, with subtle mods, and upgrades rather.

All the best!

Edited by tiv
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well i want to slightly modify it to add some muscle look into it like this http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/556/3881/26389440010_large.jpg

You can make the car look good while retaining the car's original components like the bumpers and stuff. Since yours is a station wagon, my opinion is that you should keep all the chrome bits, especially if your bumpers and stuff are still in good condition.

If all you are interested in doing is a cosmetic modification, then a good paint job is a must. Straighten out the body and use a good paint. If you are persistent on removing the bumpers, you can smoothen out the front fenders and the quarter panels in the areas where the bumper sides are bolted onto the body. The front air dam will also have to be smoothened out and you will have to relocate the park/turn indicators.

Some of the A72 Lancers came with two side air vents on the bonnet, these can be installed easily, so if you do a sweep in the "watte" area in Panchi, you might be able to find a pair.

I personally think that the stock "flare" on the wheel arches are quite prominent and doesn't need to be further enhanced. Even the 1600 GSR didn't have a specially flared wheel arch.

Since the stock stance of the car looks like it's a bit dipped to the front, you can lower it as tiv has suggested. The leaf springs at the back will have to be changed so that the curve is reduced. The front will be easy because parts from the Box, Galant and even the Celeste is available as a direct fit, so you can go for a disk brake conversion while you lower the car.

Wheels... some types of rims are really popular with the A72 (mostly inspired by the GSR), I used to remember all the names but I don't have them at the top of my head now. You can search them out on the web.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If try to build a Mustang out of a 4 door station wagon, I think you will end up ruining the car. But if you avoid comparing it to American Muscle cars and set out to build a nice lancer, there are plenty of ways to do that.

Google "pro touring station wagon" and you will be able to get some inspiration. Yes, most of what you will see are Chevy Novas and the like. But you will see certain elemets that you can adopt and apply to your car.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
If try to build a Mustang out of a 4 door station wagon, I think you will end up ruining the car. But if you avoid comparing it to American Muscle cars and set out to build a nice lancer, there are plenty of ways to do that.

Google "pro touring station wagon" and you will be able to get some inspiration. Yes, most of what you will see are Chevy Novas and the like. But you will see certain elemets that you can adopt and apply to your car.

Thanks for the advice, well i'm not try to make it look like a a mustang of course, cause a wagon will never look similar to one like that. What i want was to give a new look so that it look young and sporty :). I think if i want make a American muscle out of a Japanese car i better sick to a Celeste which can come more closer in looks :). Any way your suggestions are really valuable :)

Edited by GAPAUTO
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

AutoLanka Cars For Sale

Post Your Ad Free [Click Here]



×
×
  • Create New...