Mitsubishi Mirage VIE : The so-called ASTi to some people

Unknowingly since many years ago, i myself thought this was an ASTi bumper since i have seen them in real life marked at the wreckers fresh from the shipping containers. At first i did some simple research online and i noticed at the online buy/sell forums especially in Malaysia, these bumpers were catagorised as ASTi bumpers. So i stored them in my head.

Well somehow or rather i wasnt satisfied with all the infos i have heard, seen and read. I spent more time asking around and email few people around the world and looks like this misleading information is definitely fetching alot of money for some people. Believe it or not the price for this used bumpers, half or full-lights can actually cost you between RM400 to a sick RM850.

What so cool about these bumpers?

• its a bolt-on to any Proton Wira, Satria and Putra
• use back your original Proton fenders, signals and headlights
• it has a similar lifted hood like the Proton hoods unlike the sinking Cyborg hoods
• looks good on 4-door sedan like the original VIE
• dont have to worry about tow-hook covers going missing and broken

What are the differences compared to Proton Wira?

• Proton changed the hood to a buldgy front
• Proton designed a new bumper with emblem
• Proton changed the whole back so it doesnt look like a VIE or ASTi
• No optional duckbill spoiler and rear wiper from Proton

More infos on VIE specs :
http://www.cars-directory.net/specs/mitsubishi/mirage/1994_1/

So what about the real ASTi?
http://specs.amayama.com/mitsubishi/mirage_asti/1993_5/

Izrin's Kelisa Soundproof Installation

Mivek4doddle Quick Updates

• Hizam has unlocked his old blog. If you are still interested to know and learn about his ex-Mitsubishi Evoultion 6.5 Tommi Makkinen check out his blog. He has a new blog after getting the Mini Cooper-S. At the moment, his is busy with work and also not having a camera near him. He has promised to get things going once he has the time and the camera.
• To all the Honda Integra DA6 fans, i will be installing the new SKUNK2 adjustable coilovers and the new SKUNK2 camber kit on my brothers car. Hopefully i'll get some pix up towards end of next week. Cross your fingers and we'll see how low we can drop this car.

Meor's Sandy Adventure

I got Meor's email yesterday. I can see him doing some foolish stunts in the pix. I think i would do the same Superman jump. Haha.

"as promised here are some pics for you to choose. i am in Nouakchott, Mauritania (western of arica) and for this trip i went to the other city called Nouadhibou for some site visit and driving for 5 hours with sands in your throat aint a funny thing. so you can imagine. then again i visited the sahara and did some dives into the sand dunes. and yes. i miss my car. haha."

Getting To Know Your Roots : 1991-1994 Mitsubishi Mirage Hatchback

Here i want to share with you guys about the 1991-1994 Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback. Living in Malaysia and having Proton as the national car, its always good to know your car's origin.

Proton Wira, Satria, GTi and Putra are common sight almost everywhere you go in Malaysia. They may not be the latest model by they seem to be over populated since the beginning.

The thing that i wanted to share is the knowledge when it comes to identifying body parts. I have noticed the online buy/sell forums and also the wreckers there seem to be a lot of misleading information when it comes to this Mitsubishi Mirage body parts especially.

Still to this day, there are alot of confusion when it comes to Cyborg-R and Cyborg-RS. I dont blame the wreckers to mark them wrongly on the body part itself since their work are just to chop and ship the parts around the world.

Tech Notes : B-Series Blocks Identification

Managed to find some of my old tech files. I reckoned by now there should be 10 or more ways to find our about b-series physical blocks comparisons. These are just some of them if you can put your head near the engine with a bright torchlight. B20B in comparison with other b-series blocks.

Peter Is Bored

Izrin's D1-Spec Coilovers

Pix was taken before the installation. Slammmmmmmmmmmm it......

Izrin's Perodua Kelisa Paintwork Evolution

This is my 2nd time blogging the same story. I wasnt happy about last week's progress story as i noticed the words between the pix didnt aligned very well. Also i was rushing and prolly feeling tired that time. So i deleted it.

So now i decided to blog the same story again with some extra fresh pix from Izrin. The "Panther Black" colour was taken from DuPont paint catalog under BMW.

I have a strong feeling this car would look damn good after a good polish and wax.

Blog Changes & Updates (11th April 2008)

• I have changed my blog header from Backyard Special to Mivek4doddle for good due to the fact it makes life easier for Honda enthusiats to find their Backyard Special parts directly at http://www.backyard.co.jp/ . I should have named mine Frontyard Special ay?
• I have added some mini profile and service supplement for myself. At the end of the day, i have devoted myself to using Motul after using so many engine oils. Sounds like im the lab rat!
• There are no Satria Neo DIY tips and modications in my blog.
• I have added Izrin's Perodua Kelisa in Friends label since he has been a very good friend for many-many years and he has started modifying his car as we speak. More updates on his mods in the next few week.
• I have added many new links in Malaysian Car Forums and Mivec Related Links. Check it out.
• I have added a special link bar for quad throttles fanatics.
• Those seeking more infos on Honda wire-tucks, go to http://www.honda-tech.com/ .
• Those seeking low budget DIY battery relocation methods, go to http://homemadeturbo.com/tech_projects/battery_relocation/index.html .
• SKUNK2 products are quite new in Malaysia. If i have the chance i would do some photo comparison between the Tuner series and Pro series camshafts for b-series.

Mivek4doddle Radiator Thirst Quencher - Motul Inugel

I started to use the Motul Inugel since late last year. Wanted to try them earlier but couldnt get them from anywhere near my workshop area. So i had to go to another shop that sells them which wasnt near in my case.

I actually wanted to change my current stock factory radiator to a Koyo radiator before using this coolant but i found out my radiator was still good. No point changing when its not dying. Prevention is good but i dont see any near problematic signs at all. No cracks and no leaks. I have also checked out the China branded radiators at the same and hell they looked and worked as good as Koyo to be honest.

After many years of using tap water, ive decided to use the Motul Inugel. No doubt there are many other types of coolants and water wetters around, maybe it was due to the fact i want to use the same brand of products to make my life easier during every car service. You can choose whatever brand you want that u feel like using and fits your budget.

I chose this coolant for its anti-corrosion protection to maintain my stock factory radiator as long as possible. The thing is, when you service your car its good to flush the radiator once in a while. The sludge that has been hiding and collecting inside the radiator can be bad for your engine cooling system. No point of blaming tap water when you dont service your radiator for many years.

Im not worried about my radiator getting frozen, the heat in Malaysia boils a lot of things under the hood.

More information on the product :

• 1 Liter Bottle
• Ready to use cooling liquid Anti-corrosion and anti freeze, Protection -30°C/-22°F Nitrite free / Amine free / Phosphate free
• Packaging (12-1 Liter Bottles/Case)
• MOTUL INUGEL EXPERT is a ready to use cooling liquid, based on monoethyleneglycol, using an organic / non organic mix technology, named hybrid additives. This product can be mixed with all monoethyleneglycol based coolants.
• Recommended for all cooling systems : passenger cars, heavy duty, construction and agriculture vehicles, gardening, ships, stationary engines …

PERFORMANCES
Contains a bitterness agent to prevent from drinking : coolants and antifreezes have a sweet taste but are harmful. Protects the cooling system from freezing and metallic parts from corrosion. Provides an excellent thermal exchange and then engine cooling efficiency.
Both silicates and organic acids provide anti-corrosion properties that remain while ageing.
Seals, durits and plastic parts friendly.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Ready to use, do not add any water
Drain intervals : Refer to the manufacturers' recommendation.
This product should not be used to protect dinking water systems against freezing.

Mivek4doddle Headlights Restoration - Project Build-Up I

I just did a cheap full restoration on my used CA4A Mitsubishi Cyborg-R headlights which I picked up last week from the wreckers.

The detailing that I did was getting rid of the oxidation(yellowish stain) on the headlights. This is very typical with the plastic headlights on some JDM models, especially as they start to get really fucken old.

• Brand new car polish towels.
• 2 small pails (do not mix clean and dirty water).
• Autosol plastic cleaner.
• 1 piece of 400 grit and 1 piece of 1000 grit sandpaper.
• Soft99 Polish.
• Used clean kitchen towels.
• Turtle carwash shampoo.
• Used shopping plastic bags.
  

Step By Step

1) Cover the back portion of the headlights with some used shopping plastic bag and tape it with a masking tape.


2) Wash the headlights with the carwash shampoo. Should take you 10 minutes to wash and clean.

3) Use the kitchen towels to dry the headlights.

4) Use the Autosol plastic cleaner and polish towels to scrub and remove any residue that might still be around. You do not have to you force to do this. Just be gentle and use some technique. Should take another 10 minutes to do this.

5) Tear both 400 and 1000 grit sandpaper for each headlights. Then tear again into set of 4 or 6 small pieces. First of all you should soak your sandpaper for at least a 10 minutes before using it in the clean water pail. Always put the used sandpaper in the dirty water pail. Always sand in the same direction vertically or horizontally. This will help to prevent overlapping scratches and give you better results when you polish out the scratches.

6) Start with the 400 grit. You will notice all the yellow stain starts to come off. Keep doing it until no more yellow stain. If you have a nice uniform cloudiness with no hint of the yellowing from earlier proceed to the next step. If not keep sanding. Next use the 1000 grit and sand them evenly. Wipe away residue with a damp towel and check your progress. Should
take you 30mins to 1hour for this process depending on the oxidation.

7) Dry the surface completely. Since i did not use any machine to sand my headlight, i also did not use any machine to buff my headlights. The Soft99 polish is cheap and amazing. It took me 6-8 rounds of polish for each headlight to shine like new. You will feel slightly sore on your arms. Polish until the lens is clear from cloudiness. This will take another 45mins to 1 hour.

8) Wrap it up with plastic and wait until the car is done with the repaint job.

Notes

• I did not use any branded materials and MeGuiar's products since this is a cheap DIY project which costed me less than RM30.00 plus some things i can find at home.
• I did not use any machine like Black & Decker, Makita or etc to sand or buff my headlights. I would love to have one for XMas present tho :)
• I did not soak my sandpaper for 1 hour according to some DIY tips as i have done this before on the DA6 headlights many moons ago.
• This DIY will take you 2-3 hours depending on your personal time. It will take more time if the headlight is big or the oxidation is bad after 20 years sleeping in the wrecker's yard.
• You do not have to be strong as Bruce Lee to use brute force during sanding and polishing. It takes time and technique for God sake.
• If you are lazy, just send to the shop and they will do it for you for RM1XX.
• If you have lotsa money or mommy decides to buy for you, just get brand new.