Will it run and drive after 20 years off the road? 1987 Sigma 5 speed - forgotten in a paddock

I hooked onto a very low km manual 1987 Mitsubishi Sigma with the 2.6ltr Astron which hadn't run for approximately 20 years.
Needing an engine and gearbox combo for the Galant project (quite a few videos up on the channel if you want to check that out) my goal was to get it running and driving. Not everything goes smoothly.....this is no exception!
Thanks for watching...please check out the other videos if you're interested.

[@dayleedwards3521]

My 82 sigma is still used every day here in NZ. Its done nearly400000 kms, and runs well, uses no oil and returns 45 mpg. Awesome car.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

That is epic. Well done!

[@perpetualgrin5804]

Took my GH 2.6 5 speed round Oz in 2008. She made it, no a/c was 55c in the car. Lucky i survived as I'm not an English doctor😅.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

lol, that is brilliant. Super reliable old girls. That is for sure.

[@Pablo668]

I had an old 79 Sigma that had a few things done to it. It was ok. I ended up giving it away. Over here in Perth, back in the day, a lot of people had these and just used water for cooling, not glycol mix. The water here is not good on Aluminium. I worked as an offsider from time to time for a mate who was a mechanic. I had to do a LOT of cooling system repairs and head gaskets on these things. The Astron did not like getting overheated. It would always end up in a trip to the mechanics. I also had a 74 Galant. The Saturn engine in that was bulletproof.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Noted on making sure the cooling system is bulletproof. Thanks heaps!!

[@setter501]

Same colour as my 85 wagon i had way back in the early 2000s great car loved it!

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Mint

[@DrivingSander1970]

Awesome car! Those were sold as Mitsubishi Galant in Europe.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Yep!

[@nicbenn]

Great to see another sigma coming to life! I've got an 84 GK 4G52 I'm working on. Beautiful cars.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Sweet!

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

I'm a simple man. I see a Sigma, I hit "like"

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

So good!!!

[@geotechtestingtesting7772]

Great content, new sub here The old Monsterbishi Sickma holds a very special place in all our hearts 😂

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Awesome. Thanks so much for subscribing and watching. I am glad you enjoy the content. Feedback is always good and I appreciate it very much. Thanks.

[@davepax982]

I see the Benalla Bus Lines decal in the engine bay. I lived in Benalla back when this was new and an absolute bus nerd at 13 so I have no doubt that I'd have seen this driving around town!

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

You've a keen eye!! I picked it up not too far from Benalla. It always blows my mind how a car can spend its whole life in the one area..... Thanks for watching :)

[@andysaunders3708]

I like your methodical approach to getting the engine back to life. Nicely done.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Thanks Andy. It pays to be methodical when it is a complete unknown!

[@paradiselost9946]

mate found a scorpion hidden in a shed... less than 5k on it... last of the wraparound windows...

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Awesome! That are a very nice little car.

[@No_Life_Liam]

Glad I stumbled across this channel. Really enjoyed this video too. I drive a 380 currently and have a huge love for Aussie built cars with Japanese engines. Really well built I find. I’m also rebuilding an ED and I’ve never worked on a car in my life so that’s been a lot of fun.. Will stay tuned to see the build.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Wow, thanks heaps Liam. It’s awesome to hear that you like my videos….really gives a boost. Good on you for getting into cars. It’s an amazing hobby and so rewarding. I’ve never regretted working on a car. Thanks for watching and commenting 👍👍

[@railtrolley]

Nice find! Once avery common sight on the road. All but disappered now. Can't remember the last time I saw one. Peter Wherrett of Torque TV show did a special version of the Sigma.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Oh wow! Thanks for the info and for watching :)

[@davidshanahan5134]

The Wherrett Sigma was just a tad more special than the Carla Zampatti Laser!

[@nunyabizness9885]

Mate had one of these as his first car in the 90s. With slightly bald tyres and a damp road it was a very capable drift machine

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Haha, cool!!!!

[@jamest6850]

Loved watching this. I grew up in a red GL with the optional mag wheels that my dad bought new in 1985. We traded it in 1999 for an AU Falcon and that was a big mistake.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Cool. Thanks heaps for watching. Greatly appreciate it.

[@Brooksyscarrestorations]

G'day Daz, just Subbed. Used to have a Sigma smoked first 2nd and chirped 3rd all day long on those Pizza cutters!! All the best from Brooksys channel!!

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Thanks Brooksy, sounds like a blast and bags of fun!

[@AnonyDave]

Years ago I knew someone that had one of those that supposedly had a supra gearbox swapped. It was a hoot to drive, I think really just had closer ratios than stock. Wouldn't want to daily it, but definitely the most fun in a slow econobox one could have

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Cool. Modding cars is the best. So much fun to be had and so many possibilities!!

[@trenthenderson5717]

Parents had the old sigmas when i was a kid such great cars. Would love to get one now

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Yeah my old man had one at one point in the 80's also. I don't remember much about it though...

[@amerone555]

A great find ….. will be perfect for the hard top !

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Thanks Andy. Yep, sure will. When it ran cleanly it pulled really well. The Galant will come alive with the Astron 💪

[@pgilb70]

Great=had gj wagon 2.6 as family car in 80s. Reliable, durable but soft engine rings. Probably just needs rebuilt carb. Very few of these surviving. Gd spec you hv-5 speed, air, Astron 2 from Magna. Sonds buttery smooth-wow.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Cool! That is mint.

[@-sandman4605]

4G54 really good motor, they get up and go with a little bit of work, had one in my GSR.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Awesome. I am looking forward to waking this one up for sure. Thanks heaps for watching.

[@gbanger2575]

A mate back in the late 90s did exactly that to a galant coupe but he used the fuel injected head and computer from an astron 2 unit out of a magna. That way you have an uleaded head and fuel injection which is a nice little upgrade.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Don't tell anyone but that is exactly my plan....except with a turbo also. Do you have any photos or further info on the conversion? I could use some help. lol Thanks for watching :)

[@southerndiy1]

Would love one of these as a project car. Not too many left

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

They are still out there. I see them pop up on marketplace fairly often. I was particularly after a manual version.....thanks for watching!!

[@tonydoggett7627]

Used to work on them. The 2 wire rubber plug from pick up coil in the distributor can corrode or become loose always check. Blow sand out from around the sparkplugs before removing them. Otherwise good cars.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

I will definitely check this out. Thanks heaps for the advice. I really appreciate it. Thanks also for watching Tony. Appreciate it. :)

[@Michka1001]

Our old GH had a ballast on one of the fenders under the hood that always failed on it and caused it to lose spark completely, or partially. Was a nightmare of a thing, always gave symptoms of a bad dizzy or coil.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Oh wow. Definitely worth checking out. Thanks heaps for the advice. That could have been the problem and I will check into it. It was intermittent for sure. It had no spark at all, then I added the module and it had spark some of the time. It is possible the module wasn't the problem. Thanks for watching also :)

[@dayleedwards3521]

That is the problem. If you look closely, when the engine dies, the rev counter instantly returns to zero. This indicates a loss of power to the coil from that ballast resistor. If the fault was not electrical, the RPM counter would keep in synch with the engine as it slowly dies.

[@Michka1001]

@Intheshedwithdarren you're most welcome! It's amazing what we can remember, mum sold the old girl when I was I believe about 8 or 9 😅 And you're most welcome! Thanks for the great content! 😊

[@Michka1001]

@dayleedwards3521 I never knew that! You learn something new everyday!

[@stephanburgess654]

There is a bit a quandary about the year of this car. The Sigma sedan was discontinued in 1985 when the Magna was released. The wagon which at this time was only available in the high roof version continued until 1987 when he Magna wagon was built. Can see the build date plate.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

It is definitely a 1987. Sept 1987. GN Sigma. Thanks for watching :)

[@nerdy_dav]

Beast!

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

They have their place for sure. Thanks for watching :)

[@robfaith6029]

My couisen in Queensland has one that he put a Holden 3.8 V6 in it when you look under the bonnet it looks standed

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Hi Rob, your cousin did an amazing job if they made a 3.8 Holden look standard!!

[@russelblackwell6041]

Well done mate nice find bit of Aussie history being a low mileage not a chain smoker bad for oil rings

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Thanks heaps for watching!

[@markwebster613]

i use to clean these from brand new .

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Awesome memories. Thanks for watching :)

[@charliecoco2115]

For a minute I thought you were using BBQ lighter fuel to start it.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

That would be hilarious!!!

[@christophermarshall5765]

87 GN Sigma. Engine is the same as TM, TN, TP Magna, save for the differences being timing cover & water pump location. I can give you the torque specs for all the nuts & bolts in that engine, without looking on the internet, as I had a TM magna, the same colour as that Sigma. I have rebuilt/reconditioned thousands of those engines. They have TWO chains in them. One drives the cam, the other drives the oil pump, to which one balance shaft is fitted, along with the other balance shaft.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Thanks Chris. Good info. Have you retro-fitted the Magna head and EFI onto a carby engine? That is my plan for the future and any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for watching too!

[@christophermarshall5765]

@@Intheshedwithdarren I used to repair them as part of my job at the time. The early fuel injected heads will bolt on. Later ones have a different shape combustion chamber. You could try simply bolting the early efi intake to the head and see what happens. I know the later head intake side had the recesses in them for the injectors to fit into. It has been a long time since I worked on those. It would be better to get the later head to ensure you can use the efi system. The distributor on the efi engine is also different, given the ignition module is not used.

[@karenmurray3098]

of corse it runs starts and drives !!! these wer great cars . the idel jet is proberly blocked put a carb rebuld kit rhrough it . one word of advice , sheck for cracking between the welch plugs coolant pressure test will show this . this motor and trans will make the galant get up and boogie

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Thanks Karen! Will check the block for sure! The galant will love it 😊

[@SquireBoon]

i done a video of my sigma i got going after 20 years as well its a 1982 gj but i do have a 2.6 1987 wagon.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Do you have a youtube channel I can watch? Thanks for watching :)

[@SquireBoon]

@@Intheshedwithdarren yes the one I'm commenting on

[@SquireBoon]

@@Intheshedwithdarren mitsubishi sigma first start in at least 18 years

[@HDXFH]

Decent cars

[@38skippers]

I worked on these under warranty

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Wowsers. That was a few footy seasons back for sure ;)

[@MATTPRACY-fi6we]

TO GOOD TO

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Cheers!

[@derek7968]

erm what the sigma

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Thanks Derek

[@HDXFH]

Roll start it its a manual

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Yep, did that a few times....lol Thanks for watching :)

[@andysaunders3708]

Oh yeah. They all overheated. Hate them, sorry.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

No need to be sorry - we all have different experiences and opinions. All opinions welcome here!

[@andysaunders3708]

Like most Mitsubishis, they were nasty even when they were new. Trust me. I was dumb enough to own several. Seriously underpowered, rattly and generally awful. Sorry Mitsi fans, but that's been my experience. I had a lovely LOOKING Sigma, but it was a complete shitbox. Lancers, Colts and Mirages, and L300s, and an MCA Jet import thing. Balance shaft seized, and trashed the block. No way, ever again. But if you love them, good on you.

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Cheers Andy. I've had plenty of sh1tbox cars in my time too :)

[@fratboyz01]

Had a yellow one in New Zealand and fitted a 3.5 rover v8 into it with a 5 speed

[@Intheshedwithdarren]

Holy cow. That would be a cool conversion for sure! Lots of possibilities!!!