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New member, car collector, with Mighty Mits Mitsubishi mini truck

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by lump, Mar 22, 2012.

  1. lump

    lump New Member

    Hello, new guy here. I have been involved in car collecting all my life, both as a hobbyist and as a professional...one way or another.

    One business activity which I participate in is the promotion and production of a huge swap meet and car show in Springfield, Ohio. With literally thousands of vendors and tens of thousands of spectators, it is a big job to manage everything. One really effective tool which we use for this event is an older Mitsubishi "Mighty Mits" mini truck. It has a 3 cylinder engine, a 3-speed manual trans, and fold-down bed sides. It is LHD (left hand drive) and RWD (rear wheel drive).

    I really like this little workhorse, and we have hauled many parts in it for customers who bought them at our show, and needed help getting engines, transmissions, differentials, body parts, tires, wheels, etc, to their transportation vehicles in the parking lots. The cab was damaged when we got it, and the front windshield broken. The right-side door panel is missing, and there are no window "guts" in that right side. I wish I could find a parts source, or even a parts-truck to buy. But no luck.

    Right now the starter has been acting up, so I removed it today so that I can take it to an electric motor shop for rebuilding. I hope they will have parts! :confused:

    Does anyone else have any experience with these cute little hard-working Mighty Mits trucks?
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2012
  2. lump

    lump New Member

    Here is a photo of my little Mits at work, with a young staff member helping a shopper load up some large auto parts he had purchased. Next the parts will be hauled directly to the customers' vehicle in our parking lot. SO much better than trying to carry everything yourself for a few hundred yards in the hot sun!
    [​IMG]

    So you can see why I want to keep this little workhorse running well, and why I would like to find a source for used body parts, etc.

    Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can offer!
     
  3. Acerguy

    Acerguy Moderator Staff Member

    Welcome! Well, you're probably in the right place as I think we're the only game in town on any of these trucks.

    Have you tried Daihatsu Help ?
     
  4. lump

    lump New Member

    Not yet...would they be able to help with a Mitsubishi?
     
  5. Acerguy

    Acerguy Moderator Staff Member

    DOH! That that should teach me to actually think before I type! :frustration: Sorry. Yeah that contact is for folks that have the older Daihatsu LHD trucks that were brought in to the US in the 80's -90's. Sorry. I'm not at the computer where I have my zillions of minitruck bookmarks but it seems to me that there are some contacts out there.

    C'mon MTT'ers...let's help lump out! :)
     
  6. lump

    lump New Member

    Reviving an OLD post & thread. I need help, please.
    I've been told that the motor in my older Mitsubishi "Mity Mits" mini truck is actually a Kawasaki 3 cylinder motor which was also used in zero-radius mowers. I am told that engine parts will interchange. If that is true...I wonder if it is possible to buy replacement engines...either used or new? My old Mity Mits has an engine which is getting tired. But the old truck still gets the job done when it's "show time". Any advice will be appreciated.
     
  7. Jigs-n-fixtures

    Jigs-n-fixtures Well-Known Member

    I think the engine you have is the 3g8#, depending on what the displacement is. You can find some parts for them on eBay, and occasionally complete engines.

    As to the engine being a Kawasaki: Maybe, all sorts of things have happened. And alliances between American and Japanese manufacturers do occur. I know that Briggs and Stratton marketed variations of the Daihatsu EF series of engine used in the Kei cars, as the Vanguard series in the late 80s through the 90s, and they were put in all kinds of things, and a 993cc diesel version was sold and used in all sorts of small tractors and lawn equipment. But, it is probably harder to track those engines down than it is to find them as Kei class car and truck parts.
     
  8. lump

    lump New Member

    Hey, thanks so much for the reply, Jigs! Now, please help me understand a little better. When searching eBay, would I search for "Mitsubishi 3g8# engine" etc? I'm working feverishly right now to get my few golf carts and Japanese mini trucks ready to work at our swap meet event, coming up later this month. Thanks in advance for any help!
     
  9. Jigs-n-fixtures

    Jigs-n-fixtures Well-Known Member

    3G8 is the engine series, kind of like saying Chevy small block, there are several displacements. All of the 3g8 engines are three cylinder engines.

    3G81 was 550cc, used in JDM Kei class vehicles, until the law changed and the maximum displacement went up to 660-cc in 1990. It had several levels of performance from a SOHC 1-barrel carb, to a DOHC with three exhaust and two intake valves per cylinder, fuel injection, and a turbocharger. It was the first three exhaust valve engine. And the first Kei class engine to have a turbocharger.

    3G82 was 796-cc as an export engine to Taiwan, in the late 80s.

    3G83 is the 660-cc version, installed in various trim starting 1990. It too was offered in various performance levels for a SOHC 2-bbl carbureted version, to a DOHC 5-valve per cylinder, fuel injected turbocharged version.

    And there was a 4g8 version which just added a fourth cylinder to get the displacement up to 1080-cc for the Taiwan and other export markets.

    That is why I said in my first post it depends on what your displacement is, as to which 3g8# engine you have. The 3g83 has quite a bit of parts available on eBay. Just search with the string “Mitsubishi 3g83”.
     
  10. lump

    lump New Member

    I need to re-revive this old thread if I may, please. I see now from my ID tag that my engine is a 3G81. So that part is solved. I hope to find parts for the engine soon. But before I can order parts, I must be able to tell a supplier what YEAR my Mighty Mits is. Will the VIN tell me that? (U14T0HFDL2M). I'm actually not sure if that fifth character is an "Oh," or a "Zero," or a capital "Q." Any help will be deeply appreciated.
     

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