ok, what car do i have??

[Galantman]

NFC what ive got myself actually. now after a bit of research.
VIN = JMFHG2P41LJ003860
Body stamp = FSRE33AKZ00609
Build = may '90

now from what i have been able to find is that a E33A is a FWD?

but this thing to me is 100% VR4. appears to have a jap spec motor in it, with the 8 runner cyclone inlet manifold, and the engine number doesnt match the rego papers ( not surprising for here in tassie). but the VIN matches the paperwork
i have no idea what is what with regards to the Aus/ Jap spec differences body wise. so im a bit stuffed as to what i have.

dont stress about the shit look of the engine bay, thats a previous owner job. It will be getting all tidied up and the original VR4 Head back on it ( needs a reco due to cam/ cam bearing damage) once i work out what cams to use to suit the gt30/40 i have "spare" from the old astron days.


any help would be great, and any other info i can provide to help work out what i have, im only happy to give.

 

[E39A4G63]

E33A is fwd, just chek if its AWD, maybe the prev owner swapped a VR4 engine and body kit to a Galant SE

 

[Galantman]

E33A is fwd, just chek if its AWD, maybe the prev owner swapped a VR4 engine and body kit to a Galant SE

there is no doubt about it being 4wd and 4ws.

 

[E39A4G63]

something definitely weird then :blink:

 

[Galantman]

something definitely weird then :blink:

yes, ive looked abuot 10 times to make sure it is E33A. and im not mistaken. and i'm not pissed either

 

[brisvr4]

Do you have decent close up shots of the Vin etc?

 

[E39A4G63]

yes, ive looked abuot 10 times to make sure it is E33A. and im not mistaken. and i'm not pissed either

maybe someone dropped a VR4 engine plus the whole driveline in an Aus-spec Galant SE and made it AWD?

the front fenders are not aus spec. but the bumpers are jspec..

if you remove a lower door cladding, maybe you might be able to find out if the doors were drilled later to accept the VR4 Cladding.. the SE never had the polyurethane cladding like the VR4 or GSR.

 

[brisvr4]

maybe someone dropped a VR4 engine plus the whole driveline in an Aus-spec Galant SE and made it AWD?

the front fenders are not aus spec

The front guards are Aspec, as are the doors (or the handles at the very least!) Also has the Aspec antenna in the rear guard.
Perhaps it was a smash repair piece?

 

[Galantman]

sorry for the delay, took a while to work out the damn phone settings to get a some decent pics.

 

[Galantman]

The front guards are Aspec, as are the doors (or the handles at the very least!) Also has the Aspec antenna in the rear guard.
Perhaps it was a smash repair piece?

I have had a brief look under it, there isnt any glaring signs of something dodgy going on, like 2 half cars welded together. may have to have a closer look tomorrow. seems liek a HUGE amount of work to transfer VR4 gear into a FWD shell, and would the FWD floorpan have the tranny tunnel to suit anyway?

 

[brisvr4]

Hmmm, I wonder if it was a Friday afternoon car?!
Some Jap worker having a bad day perhaps lol
What does the interior look like? Grey cloth?

 

[Galantman]

Hmmm, I wonder if it was a Friday afternoon car?!
Some Jap worker having a bad day perhaps lol
What does the interior look like? Grey cloth?

yep, grey cloth.

 

[E39A4G63]

The front guards are Aspec, as are the doors (or the handles at the very least!) Also has the Aspec antenna in the rear guard.
Perhaps it was a smash repair piece?

yes the front guards are aus spec.... that's what i meant to write B)

the new pic says its an HG Galant... i thought all aussie VR4's were HH Galants........ is that correct?

 

[brisvr4]

Where did you get the car from and do you know if it was ever in Vic? There was a guy on here that had one that had been slammed into a bank in the from end and repaired. It was a HG import though.

 

[Galantman]

Where did you get the car from and do you know if it was ever in Vic? There was a guy on here that had one that had been slammed into a bank in the from end and repaired. It was a HG import though.

no idea, i got it from a mate in Hobart who got it cheap due to it not running cause of the head issue. He got it of some "young bogan" who only had it a few weeks when the cam shit itself and put it in the "too hard basket" to get it fixed . so im the 4th owner of it since october last year. might have to try and chase down the guy who was selling it in October.

 

[to4garret]

so a VR4 with a FWD galant VIN, hrmmmm....

 

[bazeng]

Check behind the VIN #. See if it has been welded on. Maybe a local E33A galant VIN # was used on an imported VR4? or stolen VR4?

 

[JayRome]

something doesn't seem right about the stamping... its like there is bog in the letters and different paint... and the rust patch on top of the "F" makes it look like it was cut and re welded....

 

[Galantman]

it does appear to have been resprayed in its life. as the drivers front guard is 99% aftermarket , its showing black undercoat. the passanger side appears to be genuine and the "bodykit" has flaked paint that appears to have been from a respray.

will check the doors for non factory looking cladding mount holes hopefully during the week, or next weekend. as ive got a stereo setup on order that i had hoped to have had already. no point ripping the doors apart twice

I climbed under the car this morning, and didnt find anything that didn't look normal, mind you not seeing a factory example of either car to compare against makes it more looking for blatant dodgy stuff.
the ABS system doesnt have the FWD delay valve at the back.

is there anything interior or mechanical wise that was E33A only that might be a hint for what to look for. or anything that was VR4 only that could also be a pointer?

if the E33A do not have the Tranny tunnel like the VR4. it has me stumped as to why somebody would weld in the E33A mdoel code plate. i cant find any evidence of a cut n shut between the firewall and main body.

all i can think of is that somebody has reshelled the car for some reason after possbily rolling a genuine vr4 and not damaging any major mechanicals.and for some reason, decided it was better to transfer it all over, rather than just find another vr4. or sell the parts off and go something newer.

thanks for the help so far guys.

Even Mistu dealership here in Launceston, couldnt get the VIN up to check out what is "should" be. but the rego and police check of the car comes up clean for the VIN.

 

[CLuTZ]

Has it got suede or plastic A-pillar trims?? Lid on the pocket on top the dash??