Mitsubishi Delica Owners Club UK™

[beautyandthebeast2]

Hi All

I am looking at buying a L400 after parting with mine over eight years ago and regretting it ever since...I have located one which I think is generally in good condition but on asking if the vehicle has had any welding the guy has got back advising that in the past MOT history (2013) it had a failure because of excessive corrosion on the rear suspension spring mounting area.  Could anyone tell me what the suspension set up on an M reg Delica is and if the suspension mounting area is attached to the chassis or bodywork only

The vehicle has passed this year with no advisories

Looking for advice before parting with cash

Many thanks

Sharron

[Google]

[Deker]

Chassis/body, for ease of explanation are one piece.

HTH

Mr. D

[beautyandthebeast2]

Thanks Mr D

So is it a wishbone set up?

[andyman]

I am an L300 owner, but read everything on this site. There are lots of posts on here about the increasing incidence of severe chassis rot on older L400s around the reinforced suspension mounting points on the so-called chassis box sections. This appears to be because these areas are double skinned, which traps moisture and encourages rust, so ironically, the parts which need to be strongest become the weakest. And because they are mounting points,  you have to remove the suspension in order to replace them, and then reproduce holes, brackets, etc. very accurately to refit the parts and ensure your vehicle drives straight and safely. If you are paying someone to do this, it's virtually an open chequebook, if you are doing it yourself, it is a long, skilled labour of love. Sometimes the rot is not evident until a bang on the bump-stop cracks the chassis. Then your dream becomes a nightmare.
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Andy C L300 Super Exceed - over 100 smiles per gallon!

[Deker]

[beautyandthebeast2]

Reading your comments then I am guessing that there has been weld on the main chassis of the vehicle which I would rather not have

Back to the drawing board and quest for a decent Delica on a paupers savings

[Deker]

I would expect to find many Delica's welded on the Front and Rear chassis components.
Even my one, which is relatively lean with the red disease has some small parts welded, it is to be expected for 20 - ish years old cars.

Know what you mean by "paupers savings"

Mr. D

[andyman]

Sorry if my post above gives the impression that all old L400s are rot boxes, that is not the case, and I have seen plenty of very sound old ones. But it is my perception from many threads on here, that once you get rust in those double skinned areas, it is quicker to become serious, and more difficult to deal with. And the tendency for the bodywork on an L400 to stay shiny and rust free fools many a prospective buyer into not looking carefully underneath.
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Andy C L300 Super Exceed - over 100 smiles per gallon!

[Lewis]

[beautyandthebeast2]

Thanks for the encouragement guys...I am into classic cars big time and own 6 which means I am all over a car when I view it with potential to buy, so straight away look underneath for rust on the sills and Chassis...a habit that I have got into for all car purchases.....and I always have a magnet with me to view a vehicle to check for filler so I guess I need to take off my classic car goggles and accept that areas may have welds and this may not always be a bad thing in a modern (ish) car if the rest of the body/chassis looks good

[beautyandthebeast2]

Thanks Lewis...thats a really useful thread...I will be checking these area's for any visible cracks and giving it a good prod about  

[CSMonkey]

If it's any use, my L400 failed on a few things including excessive rust around the rear suspension mounts.
I paid the testing station to do the repair as I didn't have anywhere to do the work myself. Was in the region of £350 for them to strip and remove rear suspension, weld and replace stuff like drop links when putting back together again.
Didn't mind too much as they were the ones responsible for passing it through the MOT, so no risk of cheap work getting failed a second time.

Rich
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No more Delica