Mitsubishi's Cordia is a car of many guises. Here in Australia we got the FWD turbo GSR with 110 and 90kW from their leaded and unleaded motors respectively. But in Japan, the locals got spoilt with the availability of 149kW Dash engine Cordias - some even with four-wheel-drive! And all this was built up from the original Colt/Mirage floor-plan!
Matt McGinty carries the keys to this Australian 1984 AA model Cordia that he originally bought with its neat burgundy paint job, 15-inch wheels and a "motor that was a boomer". Then it was the decision of whether or not to put in a twin-cam VR-4 motor, or the Dash engine. Being a little more suitable for installation and a little more sedate, the Dash motor got a ticket. Don of Whippet Performance is credited with the conversion and all the mechanical work that went on under the bonnet. He seems pretty keen on the car too, and is equally keen to see it perform on the dyno and on the quarter mile strip.
The imported-from-Japan 2 litre Dash motor with the factory-rated 149kW went in as nearly a direct replacement, which brought with it various performance advantages. The bigger 2-litre capacity (up from 1.8) gives a noticeable torque gain while the 3-valve per cylinder head (it's normally only 2) gives significantly improved head flows. The extra valves are located on the inlet side.
This engine was pulled apart and graced with a mild head porting along with a hi-temp graphite head gasket, a 40-thou over-bore and chrome rings on the otherwise stock turbo-spec pistons. Both the exhaust and intake manifolds were matchported to the head to take advantage of its flow, while the exhaust manifold also progressively flares out to the turbo housing. Built by Dynamic Turbo, the whistler is built up from the standard unit but uses a Subaru WRX compressor wheel with a machined housing to suit. It is reputed this turbo set-up is good for around 30psi without too much hassle. Although 15psi will probably be the max in real life, as there is some measure of sympathy towards the engine.
Drawing its induction air through a K&N filter, air from the turbo rushes through Turbo Tech's 2-inch mandrel plumbing into a Mazda 13B turbo intercooler mounted in front of the radiator. This core works very well and is generally regarded as very efficient and high flowing. A "Sheepdog" (?!) blow-off valve is also plumbed into the induction system - and being a sheepdog, maybe it barks on gear changes?
Well, maybe not...
That big shiny muffler has many rude sexual innuendoes that could be linked to it - but we'll spare you the grizzlies. The exhaust does sound pretty sweet through, with a deep growl that carries that traditional turbo-clipped tone. The "Donny flow" system uses a 2¾ inch pipe off the turbo, a 2½ inch flex joint and a 2½ inch mandrel pipe reaching to the rear bumper. Of course, there is that "bad ass looking" Japanese import muffler to keep things relatively hushed.
Since the motor is putting out a heap more power than standard, the engine management has gone the fully programmable route. The EMS QM4 computer uses inputs for air temp, water temp, vac/boost and throttle position. Using the Dash motor's two standard (huge) injectors, the EMS unit gives the right fuel dosage and also controls boost pressure via a solenoid on the wastegate line. The rev limit is in two stages - a partial spark cut at 6500 and a full cutout at 7000rpm. Don says the engine is really a grunter anyway, relying mainly on its torque rather than high revs.
For now, the ignition side of things is taken care of by the standard electronic system, upgraded with a high-energy MSD coil, Splitfire plugs and aftermarket leads. All the wiring under the hood has been cleaned up and re-routed so not to be obtrusive, plus the battery now lives in the hatch area. And while we're under there, the engine bay is also fully chromed and polished to really gleam in the scrutineer's eyes when in comes time to hit the quarter mile strip. In fact, the under- bonnet development and presentation has earned the car the "Best Turbo/Supercharged Car" at the recent Adelaide Auto Salon.
Getting the substantial amount of kWs to the road is not real easy in the front-wheel drive Cordia. Using the standard 5-speed gearbox with a full-faced clutch, torque passes through the driveshafts and to the wheels - but that's about all we can guarantee! Despite having 215-width Kelly GT tyres, torque steerin' tyre frying is there for the taking - and for the fun factor! We were jokingly told "if you leave your thumbs in the wrong place they're gonna come off!"
For the photo shoot and for car shows, the car sits on massive 3½ inch lowered K-Mac springs, which are a little too extreme for everyday road driving. For these more mundane duties, 2 inch lower King springs are fitted and combine more effectively with the adjustable Koni dampers. Bendix brake pads are used on both the stock front discs and rear drums. The mega-low stance sets off the aggressive 17-inch Speedy Cluster rims which surprisingly were pulled from a Calibra (yes, with the owner's permission!).
The body is dead-straight and retains the previous owner's 2-pak pearl burgundy layers over the panels. However, because the car was reversed into twice within three weeks, some of the panels might be very slightly different in colour due to the repair work - not that we could pick it. Cosworth Sierra bonnet vents let some of the under bonnet heat escape, while also giving a more race-oriented appeal to the aesthetics. The tinting is on the windows for the benefit of looks and interior protection.
Indoors, a pair of comfy Recaro recliners keeps you in position, while the rest of the interior has received a re-trim wherever it was needed. Italvolanti and Momo supply mandatory aftermarket steering wheel and gear knob fixtures respectively. A Kenwood CD changer lets Matt listen to all his favourite tracks through a separate Kenwood 250W amp and a couple of Clarion 6x9s in the rear. The EMS handset usually sits in the centre console for ease of viewing and adjustment, but at this stage the Autometer boost gauge only winds up to 10psi. But Matt kids to reach his goal of sub-14 second quarters at the drags (on street tyres), he'll just keep on winding up the boost until it happens.
A truly dedicated man with a mission!
Contacts:
Turbo Tech
+61 8 8382 0399
Whippet
+61 8 8382 6065
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