New Guy Looking for a bit of information before buying

[Alemenara]

Hey guys, i've been looking at getting an FTO now for quite some time but never found the right one when i was looking. It just so happens a friend of mine and i were digging through his shed the other day and we found an FTO parked in the back corner. It runs but it has a Headgasket issue. It was being driven, it overheated on the highway, he pulled over and had it towed and it has sat ever since.

Turns out it is a DE3A-HNGH with a 6a12 in manual. He and i have discussed a fair price, however he lives in townsville and i live in brisbane. Before i commit money to the car and to having it transported i have a few questions regarding what the best move would be.

The engine is in an unknown condition, he is mechanically minded and understands that its not wise to drive an overheating car, he pulled over immediately. Whats the likeliness of there being extensive damage (warped heads, valve seat issues)? Would it be worth attempting to repair the engine and if so, what kind of costs should i be expecting? I can do the work myself, however all machine work will need to be done at a shop. would it be worth attempting to repair it?

The second idea that i had is potentially using a 6g74 as a substitute for the 6a12. However i'm not sure what would be involved in doing that swap as im not too familiar with mitsubishi's. Does the 6g line up with the factory engine mounts or do custom mounts need to be made? would it be possible to use the factory gearbox with the flywheel from the 6a (if it even fits) or would i be better off buying a manual magna as a donor? If anyone can shed some light on the basics of what needs to be fabbed or done that'd be great, i've done some reading and all i can find is people arguing about why a 6a or 4g turbo would be better and to be frank i could care less about any of that.

Thanks guys!

[dstocks]

Head gasket is a pain to fix. As the gasket kit is quite expensive, ins some ways you are just better off doing an engine swap. If you decide to try and fix though, there is no way of knowing if heads are warped, so get them machined anyway. Do timing belt and seals while you are at it. If you are doing an engine swap, another FTO engine would be bay far the cheapest option and easiest. The only reason you wouldnt go for this is if you want more power.

Oh and welcome to the club

[Daniel2019]

Comp test it, if its no good then buy new motor for ~$600 and away you go.

[Vectose]

If you can do all the work yourself and are confident enough you'll do it right you can replace the head gaskets, all seals, belts, water pump etc. for about $600 and then you know it's a good engine.

When I had my heads machined it was $55 each.

[Alemenara]

Hey guys thanks for the replies! IF i buy this car, i do plan to properly assess the damage before deciding what i wish to do with it and i am definitely capable and confident of doing the work myself (I am a qualified mechanic). The purpose of this post was to do some digging as im not too familiar with FTO's. I just need more information.

If the original engine can be repaired with just a gasket kit & timing kit, belts, sending the heads to the machine shop to be leak down tested and dipped etc then thats what the plan will be, however as a backup option the plan would be to replace the engine with a 6g74 due to my familiarity with them and the availability and cost of parts etc. My main concern is that being an engine for a different platform (magna) it would not fit easily without making engine mounts. As far as im aware finding a GOOD 6a12 is quite expensive and parts are far more expensive than that of the 6g.

So in saying that does anyone know if the engine mounts are shared between the 6a and the 6g and if so, will the gearbox fit or will the flywheel from the 6a bolt up to the 6g? I'm trying to cover all bases as im not really too keen to sink money into a car only to find out that neither options are efficient or affordable for me, in that case i would rather just buy a working one.

[bjk]

As far as I'm aware the 6g is not drop in. However, one of the guys on the Modified Mitsubishi Facebook page put a 6g75 in a Mirage which is the same chassis basically as the FTO.

[Daniel2019]

As far as im aware finding a GOOD 6a12 is quite expensive and parts are far more expensive than that of the 6g.

600 dollarydoos gets you a decent one.