Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Hi guys,

I'm new to Delicas & L300s and I've been rummaging through the technical forum as I'm planning on buying one, but I've still got a few questions i was hopign someone could help me with;

1) Am I right in thinking that the L300 is the continuation of the original, square looking, Delica? Allbeit with some minor changes. They look very similar and I've seen some on the road over here with both a Delica and an L300 badge on them. Are there any major differences between the older Delicas and the 4wd L300s (other than age) which would make it preferable to buy one over the other? There's a LWB 4WD L300 for sale not far from me, but as they seem quite scarce, are parts more of an issue for the LWB? I'm assuming running gear would be the only major difference to the SWB models.

2) I understand from reading some posts that some have LSD and some don't. Is there an easy way to check? i.e. chassis number or something, or is it a case of climbing under it to check out the running gear?

3) I was thinking of getting a 4wd L300 as they're newer than the old style Delicas (not a fan of the rounded newer style), but can't seem to find any details on the internal dimensions. Can anyone enlighten me as I was planning on doing a camper conversion on it and was wondering if I'd fit ok as I'm 6' 3".

4) Are there any particular problems to look out for on these vehicles? Transmissions, diffs, typical stress fracturing, bits dropping off or anything? I'll be getting a manual as my current car is an automatic and can't wait to go back!

5) I know everything depends on how the vehicle has been treated, but are there any typical rules of thumb for the life of engine, gearbox, turbo, etc?

Thanks in advance for any help guys and sorry if the questions are a bit stupid but I'm used to classic cars, so all very agricultural and easy to check over. All these wires and bits of plastic scare me! hehe!

Dave wrote:Hi guys,

I'm new to Delicas & L300s and I've been rummaging through the technical forum as I'm planning on buying one, but I've still got a few questions i was hopign someone could help me with;

1) Am I right in thinking that the L300 is the continuation of the original, square looking, Delica? Allbeit with some minor changes. They look very similar and I've seen some on the road over here with both a Delica and an L300 badge on them. Are there any major differences between the older Delicas and the 4wd L300s (other than age) which would make it preferable to buy one over the other? There's a LWB 4WD L300 for sale not far from me, but as they seem quite scarce, are parts more of an issue for the LWB? I'm assuming running gear would be the only major difference to the SWB models.

2) I understand from reading some posts that some have LSD and some don't. Is there an easy way to check? i.e. chassis number or something, or is it a case of climbing under it to check out the running gear?

3) I was thinking of getting a 4wd L300 as they're newer than the old style Delicas (not a fan of the rounded newer style), but can't seem to find any details on the internal dimensions. Can anyone enlighten me as I was planning on doing a camper conversion on it and was wondering if I'd fit ok as I'm 6' 3".

4) Are there any particular problems to look out for on these vehicles? Transmissions, diffs, typical stress fracturing, bits dropping off or anything? I'll be getting a manual as my current car is an automatic and can't wait to go back!

5) I know everything depends on how the vehicle has been treated, but are there any typical rules of thumb for the life of engine, gearbox, turbo, etc?

Thanks in advance for any help guys and sorry if the questions are a bit stupid but I'm used to classic cars, so all very agricultural and easy to check over. All these wires and bits of plastic scare me! hehe!

1) a delica is a subset of the L300 model, all the square bricks are L300s the ones with 4x4 and bullbars are delicas.

2) some have said that the VIN # can denote if it has LSD or not but others have disputed it, there is a red sticker in the door jam of most with lsd but may have been removed.

3) all dimensions are in a post some where here my Mystery Machine

4) Timing belt needs done if your not 100% sure it was done and water pump, pulleys, rad, rad hoses, rad cap should all get done as all the rads are clogged up with calcium when they get here. look around for common issues on the site.

5) I expect at least 500K from my drivetrain.

3) I was thinking of getting a 4wd L300 as they're newer than the old style Delicas (not a fan of the rounded newer style), but can't seem to find any details on the internal dimensions. Can anyone enlighten me as I was planning on doing a camper conversion on it and was wondering if I'd fit ok as I'm 6' 3".

Many people on this site are tall, and it's no problem. I'm 6'2", but I know we have at least one member at 6'5" and several others over the 6' mark.
As for dimensions... the length inside from the back of the driver's seat (when pushed all the way back) to the tailgate is 8'4" floor length is slightly shorter due to the engine, however I'd guess it's around 7' in the middle of the van where the engine protrudes the most. interior width is enough for a queen size air mattress, so I think that's got to be almost 5' (narrower at the top and between the wheel wells)
interior height... can't really say...

Cheers for the help guys, that's great. Good to know I should be able to sqeeze into one ok, too.

Decent old style Delicas seem a bit scarce over here (and all seem to be automatic) but I've found what appears to be a bit of a gem of a 4wd L300 near me, so off to check it out soon. Not cheap though and appears pretty basic in comparison to the old Delicas, but much newer (2000). I'll have to check out both and see what 'feels' right.



Cheers for now,
Dave

Not cheap though and appears pretty basic in comparison to the old Delicas, but much newer (2000)

When mitsubishi introduced the L400 in 1994 they started phasing out the L300s, they continued to produce them (and in fact they are STILL made today in some places!) but the high end options started disappearing around 1994, the newer ones don't have the same toys.

Green1 wrote:

Not cheap though and appears pretty basic in comparison to the old Delicas, but much newer (2000)

When mitsubishi introduced the L400 in 1994 they started phasing out the L300s, they continued to produce them (and in fact they are STILL made today in some places!) but the high end options started disappearing around 1994, the newer ones don't have the same toys.

Cheers Green1,

I had a nosey over a 4wd L300 and an old style Delica yesterday and, wow, there's a heck of a difference in 'luxuries'! The L300 was extremely basic; no electric windows, no air con (really needed out here at times!), etc. and it just felt a bit 'cheap' and bare (if that makes sense). It's kinda put me off them now considering they're about twice the price of an older Delica, so I think I'll be going for a Delica. If I can find a manual one, anyway!

Cheers guys

Hi Dave, There's so much to say ... wish you were here so we could show you the differences. So instead here is a long post ...

Note that in Canada we all have the JDM Japanese Domestic Model of the L300, called the Starwagon, so they are all DELUXE, the deluxe model as sold to home market. Ours are all over 15 years old due to Canadian anti-competition laws. We do NOT have L400 yet here. But Bruce of MysteryMachine who lives in England, and is our Web God, does not recommend the L400 so that means few of us would risk buying L400.

Usually (with few exceptions) ours are the Starwagon model, except the rare Camper version is 2WD and has sliding doors on both sides, while the delica pickup truck is 2wd very basic-no carpet, no fancy seats. Some rare models come in gasoline, most of us are diesel (and can run with one-third used filtered vegetable oil poured directly into the gas tank - because there is no electronic sensor for CO2 and fuel mix, just the fuel injectors, which are easily removed and cleaned by any diesel shop.

So the L300 Starwagon is then subdivided into the Exceed, Super Exceed, Chamonix, Jasper. Is the boxy van with windows all around, seats 7 or 8 in superbly comfortable fabric chairs, has true 4WD, automatic hubs, airconditioning in front and passenger area, front Bambi bars, power windows, turbo diesel 4D56 engine, carpet, curtains, etc. When made, the new owner could pre-order from an extensive MENU of choices, hence you could have many exotic additions such as LSD Limited Slip Differential, fog lights, power curtains, crystal lite roof, TV, karaoke machines etc.

Most of ours are automatic transmission as standard hard to find, and so more costly to repair (no spare transmissions from wrecked ones, and not interchangeable from another brand). Standard has only one fuel tank, auto has two tanks. Standard gearing and tach rpm is very different from auto, and has a LOWER top cruising speed.

Most of ours come with low mileage, rarely used in REAL off-roading so are not abused, many have just sat in garages and polished as a status symbol.

The list of models to other countries is very extensive, with HUGE variations in features including different engines and components and chassis size and length.

So, you need to ensure you are comparing the same versions.

So in terms of comparing to a classic car, yes that is the best part. No computer crap, so mechanical and electrical easy to diagnose, modify, repair, replace. Only computer chip board is the glow plug, but see posts by Marsgal for repair info to give to a television repair person to solder new bits on for repair. My hunch it will still after a nuclear EM blast has destoyed the computer chips on modern cars. As also true with classic cars, lots of room to work on things.

As with any classic car, replace all rubber and gaskets, and fluids.

Starwagon NOT like a classic american car from the 50's, it is much lighter weight, lighter metal, and not deigned to pull a huge camper with stoves and bathrooms, nor is it a muscle car for the demolition derby. It is an excellent people mover, excellent weeklong expedition vehicle (not a 6 month expedition to Dakar).

Towing capacity NOT officially rated, but rear tow bar is easily welded onto the frame, some people use them for gardening companies with tow trailers, Mararmeisto tows a lightweight pop up tent camper and has posted much info on brakes and towing, we have towed our 3500 pound boston whaler boat on good city roads.

It cannot have a tow hitch or winch mounted on the front. NOPE. We have researched. There are no structural beams to extend forward past the front wheels. So that is a weak point on these vehicles. See post by kidwrecked and others on front end damage in accidents.

But, they are great for weekend camping on rough logging roads, see posts and photos by Profister and Delicat for our typical weekend jaunts. The sleeping area is 5 feet by 6.5 feet which is called queen size in north america, and you can just pop the mattress off your bed into it for the weekend. Jay is 6 foot 3, and has no problems (that was our big concern before we bought, so checked it out). WE have the high roof version, so he can easily sit up in bed while camping and dressing. The front driving area is the same height for low roof or high roof.

To sum up, they have a personality, and demand to be given their own name. They induce a real Community Feeling (see post by FalcoColumbarius titled Community) and you will get tired waiving to every stranger who waves at you, and you will be forced to join the CULT of delica.ca then you will be forced to visit Vancouver to meet up with us, and we will be forced to visit you to ensure you are treating your Deli properly, and we will all be forced to post more pictures. May the FORCE be with us all.

Cheers, Christine.

PS: Post some photos of the ones youre considering, we love to see the differences.

It cannot have a tow hitch or winch mounted on the front. NOPE. We have researched. There are no structural beams to extend forward past the front wheels. So that is a weak point on these vehicles. See post by kidwrecked and others on front end damage in accidents.

Well this is just plain wrong. My delica came with a front tow hitch, and I have seen many with front winches.
Mitsubishi recommends that you tow the vehicle by the bull-bars, and they are definitely strong enough for the task, meaning that a winch or tow hitch attached to them is as well.
As for front end damage, despite everyone's fears, everyone who has reported a front end collision has also reported that their legs survived just fine, even if the other car was completely destroyed.
The front of these vehicles is not the major weak point people make it out to be.

One small clarification: the L300 vans Mitsubishi sell now (e.g. http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/pag ... /home.aspx) are not related to our L300 Delica Star Wagons. They are a Mazda design and are sold under several names, including Mazda Bongo, Mitsubishi L300/Express and Hyundai Grace. The original L300 van, the ones we've fallen in love with in Canada, went out of production in 1998.

There were lots of commercial L300 vans made as well. This is an aspect of the Delica I've always respected: Gumdrop is not a vehicle of conspicuous consumption, but is instead a dolled-up working van.

...laura