Crazy rare JDM VIP Mitsu

[fisch]

Dudes, be the only one on your block with this VIP bit of Jap steel. A freakin 1965 Mitsubishi Debonair Executive. Right hand drive! In WA of course.

 

Admittedly not the sexiest design on the planet but check out those side marker lamps on the rear. Bag it, shoe it, slam it and roll it.

 

A crazy engine would be swell too! Has a straight 6 so you know there is room! L28? V8? Who knows.

 

Early Datsun says "Mitsubishi's answer to the Nissan Cedric and Toyota Crown was the Debonair. This car entered production in 1964 and the last one was built in 1987. (not a typo error, this thing was still in production in 1987) During that time it had only 3 updates, which were little more than a change to the tail light design. It was powered by a 2000cc 6cyl. engine and later by the 2600cc 4cyl. Saturn engine."

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965-Mitsubishi-Debonair-Executive-Car-Right-hand-Drive-/230521787979?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item35ac2b564b#v4-42

 

 

 

 

[City Hunter]

Hmm I think I found my next project. Hopefully bidding doesn't get out of control

[izzo]

holy shit i didnt know mitsu made cars back then :D

[fisch]

Imagine rolling up to this at JCCS! If all the trim is there it would be rad. Paint it black, get it low, but not too slow!

[izzo]

just a quick chop for the lulz

 

[fastdadd]

make it look like the car from the movie...the car

 

[izzo]

make it look like the car from the movie...the car

 

 

 

Funny you mention that, i had that movie for years, finally watched it not to long ago. pretty weird flick :D

[motavated]

NO ONE BIDDED ON IT!!! WTH!!!

[City Hunter]

wtf I swore there was 2 days left. Contacted seller, waiting for a reply, will go get it tomorrow. if he gets back to me. FUUUUCK!~@#$&)*(#&)*$(#^&)*(# stupid i phone smal;l text crap

[fisch]

NO ONE BIDDED ON IT!!! WTH!!!

 

No doubt! I was hoping to wake up to a new Ratsun family member CityHunter! Dude it happens, I missed out on a $250 1959 Datsun that got 0 bids and had no reserve a few years ago because I missed the end of the auction. (Still kicking myself!)

 

Hope it works out over private channels! Seems pretty cool. Appears he has all the pieces, and has a freakin title too, so that is swell! I know you have some love for the Mitsu, so you would be a great home for it. The guy seems to want it to go to a good home, so if you are talking to him I'd play up that angle- mention classic-colt.com, that sort of thing.

 

Good luck! Keep us updated!

[fisch]

Dude this is looking cooler by the minute! I am crossing my fingers and toes for you City!

 

EDIT- I just noticed none of these have that crazy side marker light or grill (thought some grills have been fabbed I'd guess.) The ebay one must be much earlier than these. (Or they shaved the light, but it is one of the neatest features, so why do that!)

 

 

 

 

 

Neat with the fender skirts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you say 1JZ in a Debonair!!!

[City Hunter]

I'm picking the car up tomorrow. FUCK YEAH!

 

no engine swaps or anythign speed stuff on this bad boy. She is going to get a full up restore and probably black paint. It will get lowered a bit but thats it.

 

A old japanese top buisness eecutive owned it while he was in japan and when he moved over to america he brought it with him. He died then the guy I bought it from's friend picked it up then couldnt source parts. No internet back then. Donated to a museum. Sat for 10 or so years before the current guy bought it, then sat in storage for 10 years. Has a rebuilt engine with almost no miles on it in japanese receipts. Cant believe it's basically one of the originals. Second year they were made. He is saying it has a kb55

 

My first priority will be getting it running, then getting the brakes working. Then I will start stripping it down, send it out for sand blasting and body work and paint. Hopefully by spring I will have a clean body.

 

 

Now I have something I can mob around gangster like slodats f85 :cool:

[fisch]

F YEAH!!!! SO glad this worked out man. And a rebuilt engine? You gotta roll it as is fo sure. I figured the engine was thrashed and parts were impossible to find, so you'd have to do a swap. But sounds like you will be just fine.

 

The other thing I was thinking is that they made this car for 24 years! There has to be parts out there. I am sure you are already connected in the Mitsu parts vein from your other rides.

 

I think black is totally the way to go. And you get to say you own a museum car!

 

I really want to watch this develop City, please document it and take pics of you picking it up and everything and start a journal thread. We don't get to see one of these very often.

 

Congrats man. I am all smiles for you!

 

EDIT- I wonder how hard it is to track down some of those fender skirts from Japan?

[City Hunter]

god I hate getting up early, but it's worth it today. I spent most of the night trying to get the girlfirneds cordia put back togther, but it still needs a bit of work*(&*$(#&_%*(#$(

[Pumpkn210]

Mits-So-Bitchin!

[DISLEXICDIME]

well now we will know what it will be like to drive 1 of the 2 in line 6's mitsubishi made. Lol

[City Hunter]

Mikey this is what it's like, against a mazda road pacer!! lmao Anyhow its 105hp and 120ftlbs of torque. Nothing amazing but this is 1965 and it's 10:1 compression. Has 4.88 gears. 3 speed colum shift iwth overdrive.

 

 

Well, robert and me got back pretty late. long day with little sleep. Picked up the car. I'm very happy with it. Definately tons of work ahead of me, but I think it will be worth it.

 

It's a little over 15ft long, and apparently was the biggest car built in the year.

 

There are a few spots so far I have found that are nasty and some bondo here and there.

 

The car was originall black, so I believe thats a lv-43. So far all the parts seem to be there except for the radio and debonair badges. I'm sure there are a few misc pieces missing, but it's pretty complete. I do have the deluxe badging for the back pillar though :).

 

One cool feature I found out this car had. There are radio controls built into the back of the front bench for the vip's to change the radio station.

 

This car originally had a/c It seems to be missing the compressor and a/c lines that go from the condensor to the compressor and etc.. but there are lines inside the car. I have no idea if it is factory or not, but I think it may be.

 

The engine so far looks very good, very simple and easy to work on. The headers look nice.

 

I have changed my plans for how to attack this car. I decided I will be getting the body done first. It needs it, and I want to know what I am dealing with. This will work better for me as it will take some time for all the body work and what not to be done, and I have 3 cars that i need to finish in the garage. In the meantime I will take all the small trinkets and what not off and recondition them by sand blasting re-chroming, or painting etc... I will also go through the engine, and install new trans seals etc...

 

Some cool things I got witht he car. Many old parts lists and diagrams from japan with exploded views and part numbers for the carbs rear end, starter, dizzy, and I believe some other misc stuff. I also have a original I elieve euro debonair pamphlet. I will scan all of this stuff in. I think I wil start a site dedicated to collecting and sharing debonair information and pictures, as there just isnt enough information.

 

The car weighs in at 1330kg so it actually isnt a real heavy car. The starion actually weighs about 40kg more. I suppose it's quite heavy for the day,

 

Tons of the trim is made out of metal, quite a beutiful thing :)

 

From what I read from the pamhlet there are 2 versions of the debonair. The st And then the Deluxe. I have the deluxe, which weighs more, but I havent found out what the difference is.

 

 

I have to say, this is quite a project ahead of me,. I will try and document it as best I can. I'm taking this car very seriously as it is such a rare piece of mitsubishi history.

 

I will try to restore the car as stock as possible except for possibly 2 things. I may lower it a few inches and I may run a true twin exhaust with h pipe off the stock headers like I had in my old 240z as I loved the sound of it. I am going to aim for getting the interior as original as possible.

 

I will need help trying to find some engine parts from japan like gaskets so if anyone has connections I would appreciate the ALL the help I can get, as this will be a very tough car to restore.

 

One thing I am worried about and maybe someone can chime in. I need to get the front and rear windows removed, without breaking the, I think I should try and hire some glass person who has done it before to remove them, as there is no freaken way I will find replacement glass for it. Luckily the glass is in amazing condition.

[City Hunter]

cross posting this but eh,

 

Ironically I just foubnd a in depth back story on my car, and also found a old picture.

 

It did havve a f'n jaf emblem on it like I suspected.

 

This picture is from 1979

 

 

Hey Dave, Yeah I did own that car. Here's the story. Back in 1979 I was in ninth grade but was lucky enough to already own my first car a 1963 Austin Mini, I had it for while but eventually put it up for sale. The person I sold it to was Penny N______ and her father Chet owned the Debonair. That photo was taken the day they came over to pick up the Mini and that was in front of my mother's house.

 

I ended up becoming good friends with Penny and that's how eventually I got the Debonair. The story on the car is, The N_____ family lived in Japan in the 60s and early 70s and just before moving back to the states Chet bought the Debonair. It was originally black and I was told this was a really rare car even in Japan and that only company CEOs and high up government people had a Debonair. When they moved back to the states it was the family car. Over the years I would see it being driven on occasion.

 

In the the late 80s I stopped by for a visit and the Debonair was sitting up on blocks and was told the carburetor needed to be rebuilt but they were quoted around $900 to rebuild them! It's a dual carb setup. It also needed a clutch master cylinder and while one of the daughters was still living in Japan, she wasn't having much luck finding any parts for it. I just happen to mention that if he ever wanted to sell it, I was interested. A couple of years later he was in his early 90s and decided it was time to let it go. I was more or less given the car for free. I towed it home behind my Peugeot Station wagon on the freeway with the brakes just barely working.

 

It sat around my house for a year or so, I went as far as even buying a Toyota Corona mk2 with a straight six engine that I was going to put in the Debonair, but decided I kind of like driving the Toyota and even with a good running engine, the Debonair just needed way more work than I was willing to do. I'm the one that donated the car to Harold LeMay a local businessman who had a collection of over 2,000 cars. When Harold died, they started auctioning off the low end parts cars and cars they knew that would never get restored and that's where Paul who now has the car got it, from one of the LeMay auctions. Paul and I have been friends for several years. I gave him a 1985 Skoda 130 Rapid that I got out of Canada and was my daily driver for almost 10 years

[Guest DatsuNoob]

The guys here at work say it's butt ugly, but I dig it! :thumbup: Saved as background on work computer :D

[fisch]

Lovin the history man! Thanks for taking us on the journey with you! Does it still have the fog lights? I don't see holes in the bumper so they must've been a clamp on kind?

[lil89ram50]

bad ass car man!

[City Hunter]

I'll start a build thread pretty soon. I figure I will try and bust out my other cars first before I get wrapped up into this too much.

[littlejason]

Hey guys, there's a 2JZ-GE powered Debonair in the latest issue of Nostalgic Hero...

[merlin]

ugly? Nawh Its effing cool!... When I do my 1965 Nissan Cedric .. up next year we'll have to race...:hyper: :thumbup:

[CharlieBucket]

I can't wait to follow this one! If Merlin has the Cedric, i have the Crown to complete the full VIP lineup!