Dream Car
I have a dream car. Most folks got dream cars with labels such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Jaguar.
Me? Way too different.
Okay... dream car... don't laugh...
It's a 1973-1979 Mitsubishi Lancer Coupe. (A coupe is 2-door; a sedan is 4-door.)
"WHAT?!? You're kidding, right? That piece of $#it ain't gonna run! It sucks $#it!!!"
Well, for one thing, it's dirt cheap. P30K for a shell, P55K for a nicer one.
Second, it's light, about 100kg lighter than the newer cars. I've test-driven one that was 20+ years old, and it's still kicks! It runs even better than a 1989 Lancer, the latter being ten years newer. Probably due to the power-to-weight ratio difference of the two cars. The '79 Lancer has 80hp on a 850kg body, which translates to a power-to-weight ratio of (in the ratio 1hp:100kg) 9.411:1. On the other hand, the '89 Lancer has 83hp on a 945kg shell; thus, a power-to-weight ratio of 8.783:1. Ergo, there's a difference of 0.627:1. Ergo, I can go faster on the lighter shell.
Third, it conquered every rally of its era. It ate across every competitor in Australia, the Safari, and every endurance race of its time. Just reflects how good the car was.
So it's cheap, light, and a former champion. How about the legroom? A/C? Paint? Looks? Sounds? Smells? It sucks, I know...
But I'm a performance junkie. Besides, there's always room for improvement.
Where to start...?
0. Strip it. Repaint and rust-proof the body.
1. Rip off the engine. I can't race 150++hp SiR's on 80 horses. A good start would be a Mitsu 4G92, same engine running the '97-'02 Lancer GSR. At stock, it'll make 127hp. Just have to figure out how to connect the new engine with the old transmission.
2. Change the tires (and wheels, if necessary). I'll need more grip on the asphalt once the engine works.
3. Tidy up the interior. Of course! Sasakay diyan hunnie ko, tapos mukhang warzone. Di pwede yon!!! Change foam, carpet, seats (there are nice, but pricey, sport seats around), etc. For fun, I'll consider a Mickey-Minnie theme (Mickey seatbelts, Minnie cellphone holder... harharhar...).
4. Swap the A/C. Since sasakay hunnie ko, dapat matino ang air-con. Gonna plug something from Mit-Air to fight the heat.
5. Modify the engine. Find a way to sneak in an intercooler in front of the radiator and a turbo. It'll take a miracle to make these come together... but it'll make 75 more horses. Also, I'd plug an replacement ECU, exhaust headers, a huge downpipe, and a nice-shiny muffler.
6. Modify the brakes. In order to go faster safely, one must be able to slow down as well. I'll get nice disc brakes... and BIG ones too!
7. Modify the suspension. This serves two purposes: first, it'll make the car handle better (especially at high speed turning), and second, it'll cushion hunnie's ride (yes... it is my emotional duty to pamper my baby...).
8. Rip off the engine again! I'll then figure out how to plug in a Mitsu 4G63... 1998 cubic centimeters of kapow! Power starts at 271 horses (it'll make a laugh out of any Honda).
9. Weight reduction and weight balancing. What's the logic of getting a light car? Physics. Newton's law of acceleration states that force is directly proportional to the product of mass and acceleration. Therefore, I'm gonna shave off more weight (off goes the rear seats...). Also, it'll be a good time to check car balance. It's scary to have too much oversteer or understeer as a result of weight imbalance.
Time to burst my happy bubble... WALA PA KONG PERA!!! As of the moment, the project car estimate would be close to a million pesos... even a lot more. Gonna study how to piece these things together first.
Right now, I need a job.
I have a dream car. Most folks got dream cars with labels such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Jaguar.
Me? Way too different.
Okay... dream car... don't laugh...
It's a 1973-1979 Mitsubishi Lancer Coupe. (A coupe is 2-door; a sedan is 4-door.)
"WHAT?!? You're kidding, right? That piece of $#it ain't gonna run! It sucks $#it!!!"
Well, for one thing, it's dirt cheap. P30K for a shell, P55K for a nicer one.
Second, it's light, about 100kg lighter than the newer cars. I've test-driven one that was 20+ years old, and it's still kicks! It runs even better than a 1989 Lancer, the latter being ten years newer. Probably due to the power-to-weight ratio difference of the two cars. The '79 Lancer has 80hp on a 850kg body, which translates to a power-to-weight ratio of (in the ratio 1hp:100kg) 9.411:1. On the other hand, the '89 Lancer has 83hp on a 945kg shell; thus, a power-to-weight ratio of 8.783:1. Ergo, there's a difference of 0.627:1. Ergo, I can go faster on the lighter shell.
Third, it conquered every rally of its era. It ate across every competitor in Australia, the Safari, and every endurance race of its time. Just reflects how good the car was.
So it's cheap, light, and a former champion. How about the legroom? A/C? Paint? Looks? Sounds? Smells? It sucks, I know...
But I'm a performance junkie. Besides, there's always room for improvement.
Where to start...?
0. Strip it. Repaint and rust-proof the body.
1. Rip off the engine. I can't race 150++hp SiR's on 80 horses. A good start would be a Mitsu 4G92, same engine running the '97-'02 Lancer GSR. At stock, it'll make 127hp. Just have to figure out how to connect the new engine with the old transmission.
2. Change the tires (and wheels, if necessary). I'll need more grip on the asphalt once the engine works.
3. Tidy up the interior. Of course! Sasakay diyan hunnie ko, tapos mukhang warzone. Di pwede yon!!! Change foam, carpet, seats (there are nice, but pricey, sport seats around), etc. For fun, I'll consider a Mickey-Minnie theme (Mickey seatbelts, Minnie cellphone holder... harharhar...).
4. Swap the A/C. Since sasakay hunnie ko, dapat matino ang air-con. Gonna plug something from Mit-Air to fight the heat.
5. Modify the engine. Find a way to sneak in an intercooler in front of the radiator and a turbo. It'll take a miracle to make these come together... but it'll make 75 more horses. Also, I'd plug an replacement ECU, exhaust headers, a huge downpipe, and a nice-shiny muffler.
6. Modify the brakes. In order to go faster safely, one must be able to slow down as well. I'll get nice disc brakes... and BIG ones too!
7. Modify the suspension. This serves two purposes: first, it'll make the car handle better (especially at high speed turning), and second, it'll cushion hunnie's ride (yes... it is my emotional duty to pamper my baby...).
8. Rip off the engine again! I'll then figure out how to plug in a Mitsu 4G63... 1998 cubic centimeters of kapow! Power starts at 271 horses (it'll make a laugh out of any Honda).
9. Weight reduction and weight balancing. What's the logic of getting a light car? Physics. Newton's law of acceleration states that force is directly proportional to the product of mass and acceleration. Therefore, I'm gonna shave off more weight (off goes the rear seats...). Also, it'll be a good time to check car balance. It's scary to have too much oversteer or understeer as a result of weight imbalance.
Time to burst my happy bubble... WALA PA KONG PERA!!! As of the moment, the project car estimate would be close to a million pesos... even a lot more. Gonna study how to piece these things together first.
Right now, I need a job.
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