- Builder Jake Plender turned his daily-driven Mitsubishi Mighty Max into an almost 500-horsepower scorching rod.
- The engine is a modified model of the 4G63T discovered in lots of Mitsubishi fashions.
- Plender’s purpose is a quarter-mile run within the ten-second vary, which might be a one hundred pc enchancment over the truck’s authentic time.
Mitsubishi wants a redemption arc right here within the US. The as soon as performance-minded automaker now principally builds 5 variations of the identical crossover. There was a time, nonetheless, when Mitsubishi made thrilling machines.
Jake Plender remembers these days. In actual fact, he has a day by day reminder of the great ol’ occasions that had been attainable at Diamond Star Motors. You see, Plender took an outdated Mighty Max pickup truck and has turned it right into a fire-breathing instance of previous Mitsubishi glory, making almost 500 horsepower.
We had been curious in regards to the venture—in spite of everything, who builds a rocket ship like this out of Mitsubishi’s compact pickup truck? So we reached out to Jake to see what it was all about.
Mitsubishi Mighty Max Evo
Photograph by: Jake Plender
The Construct Course of
Plender may not go as far as to name this a Mighty Max Evo, however we’re completely happy to take action. That is as a result of the 4G household engine below the hood is shared with a bunch of nice hits from Mitsubishi historical past. The record contains the Galant, the Starion, Eclipse, Montero, Pajero, FTO, and sure, the Lancer Evolution.
This Additional Mighty Max makes use of a constructed backside finish from a 1991 Eagle Talon, an HX35 turbocharger from a diesel-powered Dodge, and the DOHC head from a 4G63. On pump gasoline, Jake says the truck delivers round 420 hp, however can crank out nearly 500 hp on E85.
“After I acquired the Mighty Max in 2015, a scorching rod construct wasn’t the unique purpose. I merely wanted a dependable runabout whereas my day by day driver was down, so I discovered this 1989 2WD Texas truck on Craigslist with 75k miles for $1,500,” says Plender.
“The truck was temperamental and steadily left me stranded. Whereas researching the unique engine, I found it was a part of the identical “Sirius” engine household because the 4G63T discovered within the Eagle Talon and Mitsubishi Eclipse. The ‘aha’ second got here once I realized I may bolt a DOHC 4G63 head onto the unique block. Having seen what these engines may do in my mates’ Evo 8s, the thought of placing that energy into a light-weight mini truck grew to become an obsession. I finally bought my different car, and the Mighty Max grew to become my major venture.”
Photograph by: Jake Plender
There’s much more happening right here than a easy engine swap, too. The gearbox comes from a Toyota Supra, which required fairly a bit extra cabin clearance to suit. There is a Ford 8.8-inch limited-slip rear finish, Sparco seats inside, and a sleeper-style roll cage fabbed in place.
Jake makes use of an AEM ECU and digital sprint spliced into the engine harness from the Eagle Talon donor automotive.
‘This was a budget-conscious, ‘all go, no present’ construct, so most components had been sourced second-hand over time.’
What’s Subsequent For This Mighty Max?
Like all correct venture automotive, this one continues to be a piece in progress. Since getting the truck rolling, Jake says he is upgraded the consumption manifold, fitted a bigger throttle physique, and added extra under-hood warmth administration.
Subsequent up for Plender and his depraved Mighty Max Evo? Sooner passes on the drag strip. His present purpose is to run the quarter-mile in ten seconds. Contemplating the Mighty Max was initially able to doing that run in 20 seconds, that is a powerful enchancment over the inventory efficiency.
“So long as I’m banging gears and making passes with a smile on my face, that’s a very powerful metric to me.”
Mitsubishi may study loads from that final bit about placing smiles on folks’s faces. With the pending arrival of a brand new Montero, and much more within the works, hopefully that is precisely what it has deliberate.
