Going Japanese - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV

Well I bought myself a new toy to play with whilst I build the R19 Maxi.

That toy being a 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV (4)

I had been toying around with the idea of getting an 'Evo' for a while now so finally decided to just go get one.

I did some research on Evo related forums and found that I could happily afford and Evo IV or at a push an EVO V

I also found out that the Evos I II III and IV suffer from a problem in the bottom end of the engine known as Crank Walk, which is a problem with the thrust bearing and when it occurs basicly means a full costly bottom end rebuild!

So after some searching the usual places like ebay, pistonheads and autotrader I came across a private sale Evo IV on a Evo forum.

This one grabbed my attention because not only did it look nice and clean but it also has an EVO VII engine in it, no dreaded crank walk to worry about!

So I contacted the owner and arranged to go view it.
The owner, a guy called Kyle, was so enthusiastic about his Evo, He had put a lot of money into the car and just from the way he touched it and talked about it, you could tell He really did not want to sell it but with the financial climate at the mo, it was a case of him having to sell it to get a more economical car.

So after giving the car and engine bay a good look over and before taking it out for a drive, Kyle told me the car did have a problem, the rear shock top mounts were worn, he explained exactly what that meant and showed me the worn components which are basicly two rings of rubber that sit between two metal rings, they had about 1mm of play in them which when driving the car results in a slight knocking at the rear end.

The underneath of the car looked very clean, no signs of oil or any other fluids on his garage floor, 4 brand new 17" tyres on the car and a fresh service only 2 weeks before where every fluid had been changed in the car.
Oil, oil filter, clutch pack, diff oil, transfer box oil, AYC fluid etc.

There was also a service sticker in the engine bay showing the cam belt had been changed 3000 miles ago which corresponded to the service records in the handbook.

I was impressed so far, Kyle started the engine and we went for a cuppa whilst the engine warmed up.
Kyle took the car down to a local ind estate and pointed out the noise from the worn rear shock mounts but they appeared to have no effect on the ride or handling of the car.
Then went for a quick spin down a dual carriageway where he let the car get up speed to about 50mph then buried his foot to the floor and OMG, when it came on boost the car just took off and was very quickly the illegal side of 70 mph.
He turned round and we headed back to the ind estate where he let me take over the wheel, I took it round the estate to get used to the car and controls then also headed for the dual carriageway and let rip, that sold me lol.

So we agreed the price of £4500 and I became the owner of the evo

Some more specs on the car.

Imported from Japan November 2007, converted for UK roads and MOTed Nov 2007. Fully undersealed at time of import (they dont underseal cars in Japan)
Ohlins front and rear coilovers
Work 5 spoke 17" rims
Forge actuator
Blitz Boost Gauge
Blitz Air Filter with HKS hard piping and samco hoses for the air flow and turbo
HKS Stainless Steel Exhaust with removable baffle
Uprated Grooved Brakes all round with stainless steel braided hoses
Full earthing kit
Running 1 bar boost
uprated oil cooler
uprated oil catch tank
uprated intercooler
uprated injectors
Tommi Makinen ECU
Full Recaro interior
Rolling roaded at 360 BHP (Standard for the EVO IV is 280 BHP)

I have ordered a pair of new rear shock top mounts (£115 incl delivery)

Some pics













So just need to change the rear top mounts and get a new set of dials for the speedo as they currently read in KPH and i want MPH but well pleased with the car