Pajero Mk2 SWB MIVEC Build

[CharlieNorth]

I have a project where I am swapping a 6G75 Mivec backed by a paddle shifted 5 speed into what was originally a 4D56 3 Dr Pajero.
This post is to judge interest in this project.

 

[B-Line Performance]

This should get interesting! Where are you located?

 

[PacS14]

Definitely interested! Take plenty of pictures! We love those!

 

[spacecowboy7777]

Yes super interested!

 

[CharlieNorth]

I figure it might be right to do a little introduction, For those that were active on the Wire during it's days I am Old Colt. That name kind of refers to the fact That I still drive a 1972 Dodge Colt, AKA a Mitsubishi Galant.
Back in the late '80s I was the first person to swap a turbo engine into a Montero, the subject was a one year old '87 Montero that got an '86 Starion engine into it when it was just a year old. This swap preceded the late Fast Eddy's turbo pickup swap by about a year, I miss him. A few pictures of that Montero taken when first done and a more recent shot with a plow on it. To answer a question, I am in Vermont now. Used to be in Conn.
14 Years ago I built a '95 Montero SR with a new Galant 3.8 lower engine with the DOHC heads on that. This has a rather high compression and is impressively powerful beast. Pulls trailers great and can have you pressed back in the seat firmly pulling through 120. I drive this today.

I make my living modifying and custom building most anything.
This brings me here for my current project.
I like SWB and having looked about for awhile I found this Pajero on the far coast, kind of just what I needed. The diesel had been pulled to go into a Gen1 which provided me with a clean sheet so to speak.
I have a rusted Gen3 bitser here and with some researching the Eclipse 3.8 Mivec ECU will shift the 5 speed automatic. This paves the way for me to build a 6G75 Mivec paddle shifted little Pajero.
There have been a few Mivec swaps before this but best I can tell they utilized the vehicles original harness and ECU and added some little do dad to switch the cams to high profile. Hate to say they are giving up allot of what is available from this engine.
A few picks of the first truly modified Montero in the states,

 

[CharlieNorth]

I should touch on a few of the features that were built into my old red Monti, a few that no one else has such as an aluminum 35 gal gas tank, this was built with an 8mm thick lower surface allowing it to hit or drag over rocks. It has 4w disc with opposing piston calipers and 12" discs all around. John Baker leafs and later on airbags were added. ARB locker rear. At first the automatic was frustrating since the stall speed of the TC was way to high for the torque available. Working with a performance shop provided a low speed stall TC winch I very quickly tore all the vanes out of. He replaced this with a properly fully brazed TC that was wonderful. I think it was a Toyota V6 unit. Once this was in I started tuning the transmission since it still did not work well with the low end power. Started turning my own throttle valve and boring the passage in the valve body. This helped allot. So I went further, swapping springs, making spacers for the accumulators all sorts of stuff. The VB was out and back in many times. I was rewarded with a transmission that allowed me to lug the engine at 1800 and it shifted crisp and hard when needed. Great little rig, wish the rust did not get to the frame.

 

[plh]

Welcome back to the Forums Old Colt!

 

[Toasty]

Glad you're back Charlie! Super cool you picked up that truck too it deserves a second chance, i had thought about it but just wasn't great timing for me with being a Sierra Challenge year.

 

[CharlieNorth]

Yes, Thank you Paul and Adam, It is good to find a forum that is still alive and has interest in projects. I will be digging into my current project next.

 

[plh]

Yes, It is good to find one that is still alive and has interest in projects. I will be digging into my current project next.

The Montero Facebook groups get a lot of traffic now - I absolutely hate them.

 

[B-Line Performance]

Great to see another MIVEC 3.8L swap happening. Are you sticking with the OEM harness vs making an adapter harness?

 

[CharlieNorth]

I did a test post on Farcebook. I was quite surprised that so many did not ever read my initial post and went on dictating how to do what I already had described. More than likely they have yet to learn to read.
The only reason I was even on FB is that is my best communication route with the seller of this rig.

Wiring,
I am melding the original 2008 Eclipse harness to the 3rd gen Montero transmission control system, and both of these are blending into the RHD '93 Pajero chassis / body. My original estimate to build the harness was in the 450 - 500 hr range. I am just over 200 hrs now and feel I have about 100 more to go.
As such the original Eclipse powertrain control unit will both run the engine and shift the transmission. The original cable throttle is now throttle by wire. I am adding paddle shifters to the Pajero column so both the floor shifter and paddles can be utilized in Sport / Manual mode.
The transfer case is the electrically shifted Gen 3 unit so this utilizes a processor and wires. Not my favorite idea but all my SR T cases are mated to something be it the SR I currently drive or the custom 6 speed manual I built for a Montero, that will be my next swap which is an all independent suspended twin turbo driveline. I can post pics of some of this later. Not sure if that one will be under my old red 87 or a shortened SR body.
A few images, I apologize
for the clutter in my shop but it is no different than what is inside my head since this is not my only project I am working on at this time.
Part way through transmission wire prep before the engine had arrived.

The hour the engine arrived, with it's harness.


Shifter came up from Fla.

 

[CharlieNorth]

These shots are when converting the engine from a sidewinder to RWD.

A bit of work needed to reshape the Mivec oil tube to fit around the Montero water manifold. This shot is with a Gen3 backplate and flexplate in place.
My wife likes it when I really get into my work,

And the engine set in place, just shims under the SR brackets since this Pajero has the early mount brackets that had already been reworked from the original 4D56 to a 4M40. The frame brackets now will get reworked for the wider Gen 2 mounting. Hence the wood spacers where the mount cushions need to be.

Humm, all the pics for now, computer will no longer read off the SD card, More later.

 

[B-Line Performance]

Very good. Sounds like you are reusing all of the Eclipse wiring for engine management, adapting parts to connect to the trans, and then tying it back into original harness. Respectable project in rerouting the wiring while keeping it clean. Excited to see further progress!

 

[CharlieNorth]

Thank you, right now the harness at the back of the engine is a rats nest. I also discovered that on a previous RWD conversion of a DOHC Mitsu V6 I used up many sizes of the sleeving I use when building a harness, as such I am delayed in continuing deeper with this one until I restock.
I can get a few more images up now, here are a few shots of the front of the Eclipse engine with the changes being made.
This is with the back half of a later Montero waterpump installed still utilizing the original FWD pump and belts, this engine although being a bit saltier than desired has 75K on the clock and just had come out of a dealer service. Other than signs the oil sump had been off twice previously I think I have something good to work with.

As I started trimming the belt covers I went and collected the thermostat assembly for one of my SR's and soon discovered the DOHC engine has a larger Tstat housing than the SOHC engines of which I do not have. As such till I chase down some parts I can not proceed on building out the front of the engine. So that made it time to mate the engine up to the transmission, I do have a few shots of the rats nest of the partially done harness. As you guys can see form these pictures most everything we have in the Northeast is pretty crusty looking if it has ever been driven in the winter.