Mitsubishi 360 screaming "Save me!"

attack vector · **Posted:** Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:31 am

This is such an amazing restoration and photographic journey. Thanks for sharing this with the community! I've been feeling bummed out due to my project taking so long and my second engine rebuild... but looking through this thread was a real pick me up! Especially the pics at the end with the cherry blossoms and you and your spouse! Truly a story with a happy ending.. or perhaps a happy new beginning (for the little 360) :tu:

Nakazoto · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:05 am

First and foremost, thank you guys for the comments!

I had a lot of fun building this car, and even though it'll never be officially done, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. We took the car out again for a few summer shots in a Yukata. Unfortunately, the camera had a water spot on the lens that we didn't notice until it was too late. Still, we got some pretty good shots!

We headed out to some rice fields near where I live to get these. My goal was to try and find a place that looks like it could be straight out of the 1970s.

My lovely girlfriend put on a very nice Yukata this time around!

It was awfully bright out though, haha.

If you look really close you can see me getting a little fat around the midsection...

Our friend from last time came with us again for some fun!

A nice shot of what it looks like to drive this thing!

And finally, a pretty nice parting shot.

Hope you guys enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them!

Thanks again for everything guys!
Cheers
David

drive-by · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:47 pm

Thank you David, it has been a journey that we have all enjoyed immensley. I don't think there are many build threads on the internet that to compare both in care and attention to detail, not to mention the passion that fills every reader with new found confidence to make their nostalgic dreams a reality.

A very well done.

I must add I absolutly love these 2 pictures;

I don't think the symbolism could have been captured any more perfectly.

Thank you for having us all along on your journey

ToyGuy · **Posted:** Sun Sep 09, 2012 4:34 pm

drive-by wrote:

Thank you David, it has been a journey that we have all enjoyed immensley. I don't think there are many build threads on the internet that to compare both in care and attention to detail, not to mention the passion that fills every reader with new found confidence to make their nostalgic dreams a reality.

A very well done.

I must add I absolutely love these 2 pictures;

I don't think the symbolism could have been captured any more perfectly.

Thank you for having us all along on your journey

Dave,

I know a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into the 360.
Blossom aside, the very edge of that hood is quite the symbol.

Thanks from me as well.

Aaron Venable · **Posted:** Thu Oct 11, 2012 6:00 am

[following link from today's JNC entry ]

Looking at the first post, I was very disappointed as to how you could have passed up two of my favorite cars sitting in that field in favor for an old roller skate.

Having skipped over the entire build (or whatever lies between pages 2-16) I can now see where you were going with your selection. I believe it was the shot looking past the dash that got my attention. Very well done, sir! I'll go back and see how it got to this point, now.

Sideglide · **Joined:** Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:11 pm **Posts:** 19

As a guy who has know David longer than knowing him in person (online car club first), I can say his work and work ethic is top notch. I can also say that after riding in the 360 and briefly driving it, this car gives nothing but smiles. Although his March EK10 is quick and fun, hearing that unique rasp of the 360 engine coming down the street to pick me up at the train station always made me feel excited.

Nice work man. I'll be giving you a hand when I get down to Nag again. :mrgreen:

Nakazoto · **Posted:** Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:39 pm

Thanks for the comments guys!

I still take her out and roll her around on the occasion! The next time you make it down Sideglide, we'll run out to a remote road and teach ya how to drive a column shift!

Nakazoto · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:10 am

I was at Classic Car Nagoya this morning doing my usual work when one of the 5 cars the Shacho has recently purchased showed up. Lucky me in that it was the little truck you see below! I absolutely had to pull my 360 up alongside it for some photos.

It's an older model than mine which is why the body lines are a bit different and the front grille is less... shiny.

This particular truck is also missing the rings that go around the headlights, which help complete the grille.

From the back, well, it's just awesome!

As it's an older molder, the interior is very different. Firstly, it's got a floor shift, something I wish I had (being 6' 3" means that 2nd, 4th and reverse on my column shift ram straight into my knee). It's also got just one gauge, a speedometer. Not sure how you're supposed to know when you're low on gas other than counting the kilometers traveled. It's all worth it for the turn signal lever and the high/low beam lever though.

It's a little tighter inside than mine, but not by much. Leg room is about the same and head room is only slightly less. I could totally drive this with ease though, which is saying something considering how big I am. The seat adjusts by loosening up a wing nut and sliding it back and forth!

I'm fairly certain it has the ME21 engine as it is lacking an oil tank for the oil injection system on the ME24 (which means you gotta pre-mix it), so it only makes 17 hp as opposed to my 21. The engine bay was a bit gross and needed some serious love but I was told that if you hooked a battery up to it and said a few sweet words it would fire right up and run fine.

The carb is most definitely a different model, although still a Mikuni.

It does have quiet possibly the coolest emblem I've seen on a classic Mitsubishi though!

There was also this epic emblem stuck to the back as well!

It needs a little love (a complete restore would probably be best to nip the cancer growing on the fenders) but it's a very solid base and seeing the two cars together just automatically makes me smile!

I don't know what it is, but something about these little Mitsubishi is just so awesome! I would love to pick up this truck and give it the love it needs, but I don't think my wallet could handle it (especially considering I've got another project coming in very soon).

What an excellent set of cars!

Hope you guys enjoyed the pics!

Cheers
David

Camshaft · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:34 am

It's cool seeing the two of them together. My first thought was "I wonder what the differences are between the two models?" and then you went right into explaining them. :tu:

B1600 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 21, 2013 10:03 am

I need to get out of the Mazda Section more.
Awsome. Absolutly Awsome.

tj75gc · **Posted:** Tue Jan 29, 2013 12:51 am

That is so damn cool!

I love the "diamond gasoline" badge, I wonder what the story is behind it?

Nakazoto · **Posted:** Thu Mar 07, 2013 4:16 pm

Thanks for the comments guys!

One of the things that has been bothering me the absolute most about this car is the mirrors. I cobbled them together from the original mirror stalks and some random Mazda glass. They're nonadjustable and generally useless. Plus, one was cracked. So, when I bought my Honda Life, the guy I bought it from delivered it in person. When he got here, he looked over the Bellett and Mitsubishi with enthusiasm. I told him about my mirror woes and he said "I might have a pair of original mirrors in my shop." Since I've been searching for a pair of original mirrors for about 2 years now, I jumped all over his offer.

Just last night I receive this box in the mail.

Crack it open and excellent!

Installed on the car.

It was night time when I got them yesterday, so as soon as I get some time at home in the daylight, I roll her out for some better, proper pictures.

One more item I can check off the to do list!

Cheers,
David

LoRollinLS · **Posted:** Thu May 16, 2013 8:23 am

Got any updates on this little beast?

Nakazoto · **Posted:** Sun May 19, 2013 5:36 pm

Hey Lo, thanks for reminding me to update this thread!

The shaken (Japanese version of vehicle inspection) on the Mitsu expires on the 23rd of this month (ie. Thursday). Normally I would just renew the inspection and go on my merry way of enjoying the old girl. However, I'm planning on having the car shipped to the states (along with a Mazda Carol for a friend). So that means that this last weekend was the last weekend I'd get to drive the car in Japan! It didn't dawn on me until we already had the car out for our usual weekend sprint around town. So, my fiancée smartly whipped out her phone and grabbed a few pictures of us driving about.

Unfortunately, it's tight inside the cabin so it was hard to grab a picture worthy of posting.

And yes, the little omamori hanging from the mirror will be going with the car on it's long journey to the states!

I'm going to miss driving the old girl on the weekends, but we'll meet again in the states! I'll keep this thread updated as I go through the motions of shipping both cars.

Cheers,
David

LoRollinLS · **Posted:** Mon May 20, 2013 6:55 am

Hey buddy, thanks for the update!

How come you are shipping back to the states? Are you guys planning on moving back over here soon? Either way, at least you will still own it and still be able to enjoy it over here. Hope the shipping goes well for you.

Nakazoto · **Posted:** Thu May 23, 2013 5:00 pm

Howdy Lo!

There are two main reasons we're shipping the Mitsubishi back. The first of which is that I'm in desperate need of clearing out some space to make room for the Mazda Cosmo (Link here). The second is that we are intending to move back sometime next year, assuming we can manage to scrounge enough money together to ship everything back. Moving is tough, moving 6,000 miles is tough and expensive, haha.

Cheers,
David

Nakazoto · **Posted:** Thu May 23, 2013 5:26 pm

So, this last weekend I realized that it was the last weekend that I'd be driving the Mitsubishi in Japan, so I snapped a few pictures with my cellphone and posted them up. Well, upon reflection that was about the worst send off I could have given this car. It deserved far better. So, yesterday, we grabbed the camera after I got home from work and set out to get some real pictures!

This is the main reason we'll not be driving it in Japan again. My inspection expires today and there's no sense reinspecting it when we're planning on shipping it so soon.

She's always a little smokey on first start. After a few minutes she clears right up though.

One quick look under the hood to make sure everything is still in tip top shape.

And then we set off! I have a few destinations in mind so we hit our first stop, some rice fields a few streets over.

Then we set off again. We both took turns driving making sure to enjoy the old girl to the fullest.

Then we came upon the most important destination for the old girl there is.

This is the field where I originally found the Mitsubishi. I was pretty surprised to see that it's been cleaned up, covered in gravel and filled with sad old nostalgics. It's probably a good thing it wasn't like this years ago.

I'm not generally a fan of wagons, but I particularly like this one.

Interestingly, in the same spot that the Mitsubishi had been sitting for all those years before I found it, was this little car.

A Honda Life Touring GR. I say its interesting because I now daily drive a Honda Life Touring SL.

I do believe that this is the Mitsubishi's old roommate.

The old girl looking on.

I jumped back behind the wheel and we set off for more pictures before the sun set.

Our next stop was this tiny lake that's hiding out in the middle of a massive city.

One of my favorite pictures of the car!

Off to the next stop!

Our final stop was on the other side of the lake just as the sun was setting.

Miki, enjoying the sunset in the most superhero way possible!

The sky gets a little pink as the sun finally dips behind the trees.

This has been one of the most entertaining cars I've ever owned and I've truly loved every minute with her. She's always run like a champ and never given me any trouble. I'm going to miss cruising around the back roads of Japan in her, but I think she'll love the back roads of Texas just as much!

Thank you guys fall the comments and inspiration throughout the whole build! The next time I drop behind the wheel, it'll be in sunny Texas!

Cheers,
David

LoRollinLS · **Posted:** Fri May 24, 2013 5:20 am

Nakazoto wrote:

Howdy Lo!

There are two main reasons we're shipping the Mitsubishi back. The first of which is that I'm in desperate need of clearing out some space to make room for the Mazda Cosmo (Link here). The second is that we are intending to move back sometime next year, assuming we can manage to scrounge enough money together to ship everything back. Moving is tough, moving 6,000 miles is tough and expensive, haha.

Cheers,
David

I definitely understand where your coming from. You always have new projects popping up too lol.

Oh and yes, THAT was a proper send off! Thank you for the great pictures.

Mitsubishi 360 screaming "Save me!"

Who is online