WARNING this is really long.
I have had a long and epic journey to get my C53A.
Back in the day, as we all start somewhere with cars, I bought my first car.
It was a 89 Dodge Colt 1.5 the base model with the vinyl seats and manual 4 speed.
I had other cars before, including a 84 chevette and a 73 impala but this is the
first I bought for myself with my own hard earned monthly payments.
How I ended up choosing this car was pure luck, I asked the car salesman to show
me the cheapest car on the lot. He showed me 2 colt hatches one had aftermarket wheels and a
chopped up console, looked like someone stole his stereo, so I took the other one
that looked stock. $2600 It was 1992 the Island of Oahu HI.
At the time there were turbo hatches on sale but those were new and out of my price
range, being a student still. I didn't know what they were, with their wings and
factory body kit, but I knew they looked better than mine they looked fast.
They looked great so I wanted one with AC too. AC was still an option back then
and mine was sorely missing one. I always wondered why they weren't
selling as I drove buy the dealer from time to time.
I once read in, I believe Autoweek
these were one of the best kept secrets in economy rides at the time. I also remember
reading an article called something like the most fun you can have for under 100HP
pertaining to a base model car the writer had bought for his daughter. I remember the quote
because I could relate, "This car is screaming for a fifth gear". Ok that may have
been both in the same article, it's been like 13+ years since I read it.
Though I didn't have the turbo version I didn't know what I was missing. Besides not
accelerating up the H2 past 79 and not reaching more than 110 down hill on the
same highway. I didn't care. It was fun, took all the beatings, stuffed furniture in the back
even managed to take 5 heavy set adults safely home from the airport with small luggage
of course. Though it was scary for a moment as the rear broke loose, someone started screaming
while I got the car straightened and had to apologize for not being ready for the change in
the cars behavior when overloaded. I only drove myself to work and back so
over steer freaked me out but just for a second. I wasn't the one screaming, really.
Years after I bought the car I went with a friend back to the dealers just to check
what was available, not to buy just test drive. The one I will never forget was a
turbo 2G automatic eclipse, this time I knew what a turbo was but never drove one.
I looked at the salesperson and she winked "let's do it!" so I jumped on the throttle and ,,,
well nothing, the car seemed slow just like my 1.5 NA, then around 3000rpm the car gets all
angry and claws at the asphalt, we all get thrown back in our seats and we were ecstatic. You
know that feeling the first time you experience boost, awesome. Thats when my friend and
I made a vow to have a turbocharged car in the future.
Drove the car daily for 4 years 120,000 miles without any problems.
Except for a leaky oil pressure sender. Gave it to my room mate for $0.00. Right before
leaving the Islands. He later told me the engine seized, never checked the oil level,
since the sender was leaky it didn't blink on the warning light. I did warn him, Oh well..
Upon my return to the much smaller, 1/4 the size of Oahu, Island of Guam I needed a ride.
I had shipped a motorcycle with me to the Island so I had transportation but this Island only
has two seasons dry and rainy so I needed a car like now! It was raining every day.
Relocating is expensive and I had only just started working so I wanted something cheap.
I went searching the ads and local used dealers and was really disappointed there weren't
any interesting cars or so I thought till I was riding around on errands and I saw a
mechanics shop with a dozen or so cars in front, selling repaired cars for cheap. Stuffed
in the back of the line in between cars parked so close you couldn't read the plates or
open the doors. I spotted a black 89 Mitsubishi hatch. I thought, yay at least I can have the
same kinda ride I had all those years. You know you like a car if you would buy another
one just like it. So I took a closer look. Whoa there's a wing on the back it has color
keyed trim, side skirts, funky seats too? Wait! Is this thing Turbo charged!?
Peering around the back the tag is still there, "DOHC Turbo"! Inside I was jumping for joy.
I had to have it. It felt like destiny. For $2000 it's mine. That was 1997.
67000 miles when I bought it.
Within a year or so the CPU was fried, I noticed that the engine looked like an eclipse engine
so I started looking for one. Confirmation came when I saw an article in Sport Compact Car
of a swapped 4G63T Mitsu hatch with a eclipse bumper. The car sat while a typhoon came
by and wreaked havoc on my place and finances, so the car sat longer. 4 years pass. Not fixed.
Finally found a donor 91 eclipse FWD. Slowly swapped the engine and who would have though it
Two more typhoons hit. broke the mirrors clean off and left many scratches. My place didn't
fare as well had the roof and one wall collapse, soaking all my stuff. Generally reducing
my material wealth to nothing. Not good, but the swap was almost done. Just a cooling fan
and exhaust left to finish.
4G63 fit
4G61 ready to trash
its in there with side mount
fan mod
Some friendly Government agency was kind enough to help me recover with a "hand up".
I was recovering on my own at the same time so I gladly accepted the help and held onto
it just in case. 180mph typhoons tend to make a person nervous that another may be around
the corner so, no I wasn't taking advantage of the Man. Just in case funds came in handy.
When the case turned out to be a SR20DET and a S13 shell advertised in the paper just before
I had a blown head gasket in the daily driver, 93 cougar. Damn I had three cars and two
bikes that all needed attention and only the one bike was ridable. That was around 2002.
The old place getting trucked away.
I fell into the RWD drifter crowd, then the autocross clubs. I didn't have time for the
C53A so I gave it to someone that might be able to finish what I started. I was happy
he was an enthusiast and I thought I did a good deed. The S13 had progressed quickly
simply because the parts are so readily available after I discovered ebay. So the $19.000
money pit took all my time, sold everything else. Was down to two cars only the cougar
and the S13.
Got a little crazy for engine swaps after helping a AE86 driver swap in a 20 valve.
Not many to me, only three cars at the time. Then came the SR20 craze and I found
myself swapping SRs for many folks. Then Turbo kits. Then everything else including
solving others swap complications. Should have opened a shop.
So what happened to the C53A? Well as the years flew by I didn't hear much about it.
Actually nothing, so I inquired through a mutual friend what happened because he
never registered the car under his name. To my HORROR!! I heard the car had been
painted gold, the roof had half and inch of bondo on it from trying to fix those
roof rust holes we almost always get, and the top window trim was blended into the
roof with the bondo! What!? The horror tales got worse. He cut the springs and slammed
the car, had a wire hanging out the bottom to open the hood, stripped the interior,
and put all those parts in the back of an old truck. Slapped in a crap seat that hit the roof.
When I say stripped, I mean everything, dash, every plastic trim, AC even the shifter
boot. you name it it was out. A huge tach was zip tied to the dash bar along with
the gauge cluster that no longer worked. The worst part?
That truck he put all the parts in was towed away with ALL the interior parts!
I was pissed!! But what could I do? I tried to just get it back but the guy had
a chemical dependency problem by then so I threw $200 his way and I towed it home.
again. Now a true basket case I didn't know how I could restore the car with so
much missing. Luck struck, got a 1.5 hatch for free. but it's far from good.
Beggars can't be choosers so I took it with its rust and red interior. At least
I could paint the dash and use some body panels including the roof.
the current state, sad...
I thought since its so far gone that the only thing to do now is the AWD swap. Having
heard it was possible through the exploits of lilevo back when he had just finished
the first one.
Chased a couple eclipse sellers that didn't know what they had. How could they not
know that their non turbo FWD cars were never turbo AWD I will never know. But after
the second false alarm that I arrived with a paid for car carrier, getting burned
from their scam, I started to give up hope that I will ever find one on Island.
You can imagine my lack of enthusiasm when a friend called me to say he knew
of someone selling two AWDs one 1st gen manual and another 2nd gen auto. Skeptical
to say the least. I had serious doubts but since this guy telling me knew the
difference between FWD and AWD I took the chance and brought the cash.
It was a good thing too, because the owner had a 1st gen AWD TSi
for reals and it needed a new home after the head gasket went kabloowee.
As a bonus it had a 20G turbo, VPC with GCC. and 550cc injectors ACT Clutch, FMI,
upgraded springs and retainers all for $1200. just needed a quick once over and a
new head gasket. I even drove it home with the milk chocolate mix in the pan,
a very short distance.
AWD parts car
Nearing the end of my story I am now ready to reassemble the engine and start
on the AWD conversion.
Goals,
having saved it from being shipped to China for scrap a full restoration.
To have a mitsubishi AWD hatch with useable daily maners that is trackable
on the week ends. I autocross regularly, so handling matters. Drags are not
out of the question. I do want to have the AC back in and a full interior.
Most of all I plan to spend as little money as possible using as much of the
stuff I already have to save on costs so I think I will be welding the talons
rear mounts in instead of the square pipe method and modify the stock front
subframe for the rear engine mount. Can't wait to get started.
Not for show, but I do want it strait and shiny in its original black color.
So yes I will be looking for restoration parts.
Any black interior pieces out there?
Nice to finally join you all here, since lurking for years.
yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
I'm slpNgrp and that is just part of my continuing story.
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. I guarantee they would not end up gold.
Technically all my cars are illegal. 
