Hey everyone, I wanted to start a thread to document my journey with my new (to me) 1997 JB470. This thread will document the build, repairs, and adventures with this van.
Background:
I have been riding adventure bikes for about 10 years now. I have owned a BMW R1200GS, KTM 1290SAR, KTM 1090 AdvR, KTM 790AdvR. I have traveled pretty extensively through the western states, I have done a number of Back Country Discovery Routes, and even did a solo trip from Portland, OR to Managua, Nicaragua. Pros of Motorcycle ADV Riding: Bikes are lighter than cars, they can go more places, they are easier to put on boats when needed, cheaper/ easier to fix, simple
Cons of Motorcycle ADV Riding: You are always dirty, you have a lot of gear to wear, you can take far less supplies, harder to travel with someone, sleeping always means camping, or staying with people/ hotels, having a sit down is pretty rough when you have to wear boots into the stall.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN ADV MOTORCYCLE TRAVEL: WORK
It is nearly impossible to do longer trips on a bike without quitting your job. In theory you could set up camp, but tent camping and work are a pretty bad combo especially if you care about the quality of your work. Because of this, I have only been able to do longer trips by quitting my job and living on savings until coming back to work.
WHY A JB470?
When I finally took a job that allowed me to be truly remote, I knew it was time to set up a mobile office/ living space. The criteria for this vehicle were:
- Compact for tighter roads/ driving in town
- Off-Road Capable
- Global Platform with Available Parts
- Lower cost vehicle with lower perceived value/ stand-out less
- Bed, Area for a laptop, Toilet, and Shower
- You can't stand up
- They aren't really off-road vehicles
- I have had really bad luck with Ford reliability
The cons:
- Very expensive
- Great target to be broken into especially in other countries
- Still pretty small
- 4x4 reviews are mixed, but most say its not as capable as you might hope
I had started the search for the right Sprinter, when a friend of mine from Africa turned me onto the JB platform. My friend also does a lot of ADV motorcycle riding, but he takes his wife around the world on the back of an F800GSA. They eventually decided to build a General Dynamics Duro 6x6, and while that thing is amazing and can go anywhere, its way too big for me. I can't even imagine the fuel economy. We talked for a while about a number of Japanese Camper Vans that are pretty off-road capable, and finally landed on the JB470 to look into.
Since we all know I ended up with the JB470, let me explain the pros and cons of the decision:
Pros:
- Compact (3 feet shorter than the 144)
- Essentially the same interior space as a 144 BUT you have a bed in place over the cab
- Shower, Bathroom, sink, dinette
- No wasted space. I love the purpose built interior. Every space has been engineered to optimize the space the way a boat is built.
- Global platform being based on the L300
- Diesel with a Webasto heater, so as long as the car has fuel, I will never be cold
- Good ground clearance with the ability to increase height
- Pretty universal 6 bolt lug pattern
- Light weight
- Decent fuel economy
- Engine should run forever
- Super unique vehicle that gets looks everywhere you go
- Parts are harder to find than I originally had anticipated. Some are even out of production.
- It's used, so it has a number of strange wires the original owner ran
- Japanese systems, so radio, electric, etc are not the same as US spec, so adaptors will be required
- Slow. The vehicle is ok around town, but the worst is climbing hills and watching your engine temp rise as you do.
- It's 25 years old, so plastic is brittle, fiberglass and seals are all getting old
- Short wheel base is pretty smooth on the road, but it can get pretty bouncy on a trail
- Super unique vehicle that gets looks everywhere you go
Once I decided on the JB470, I found a broker in Japan and started looking for a vehicle. At the time, there were only 2 JB470's for sale in all of Japan that were over 25 years old (if you are unfamiliar with the 25 year rule in the USA, just google it). I didn't have a lot of options, but luckily one of the two was VERY clean with low miles. I paid the broker to do a PPI and negotiate the deal. Once the vehicle was secured, I had the broker take the vehicle to a shop in Japan for some maintenance items (See REPAIRS below).
After the vehicle maintenance was done, it was a matter of WAITING for a vessel. Because the JB is much taller than a normal vehicle, and will not fit in a container, you have to ship them via RORO. You also have to wait on a special type of space for the vehicle to ship on because it cannot fit on the lower decks. In total, I waited 7 months for my vehicle to arrive in the United States. It would have been longer, but rather than waiting for a West Coast Port (Tacoma/ Long Beach) I told them to just ship the vehicle to the next available US port and I would drive home from wherever that was. The port ended up being the Port of Galveston.
Note: If you are planning to import a vehicle, be aware you will need a broker in the country you ship from, as well as a broker in the United States. My brokers were Midori Works in Japan, and Great World in America. There were a few crazy unexpected costs here, but overall both parties were fairly easy to work with.
Here is a shot of the vehicle when it was for sale. You might notice they photoshopped the paint damage on the front right of the vehicle:
Something else that is sort of fun, was I randomly checked the vessel tracking and my vessel was going through the Panama Canal right when I looked, So I got a shot of the vessel as it went by their live camera in the canal:
Once the vehicle arrived and cleared customs, I decided to fly down and drive the Van to Salt Lake and then on to Portland, Oregon, and back home again.
Condition
The overall condition of the van was probably about what I had expected. The DIY wiring for multimedia etc was a little messier than I hoped for including having stapled wires into the the walls/ cabinets/ ceiling. The toilet looked clean enough, but I through it away before ever opening it. Some of the electronics didn't work either as the house battery was completely dead. Overall I was really happy with the appearance and smell of the vehicle. The drivetrain, as I would find out over the next 3,400 miles, was pretty much flawless as well.
Here are some photos of the vehicle as I received it:
JB470 Reference/ Help Items:
Parts: www.amayama.com/en/catalogs/mitsubishi
General Maintenance Part Numbers:
- Oil Filter: Napa 1067/ WIX 51067
- Fuel Filter: WIX 33128
- Air Filter: WIX 42222
- Oil: Liqui Moly - 2044 or Rotella 15W-40
- Radiator Cap: Murray 7513
REPAIRS
Jan 13, 2023
Service done at 66,000km prior to shipping Total Cost of services: $1,450 USD
- Timing Belt
- New Water Pump
- Bearings for Belt Tensioner
- Cam Oil Seal
- Crank Oil Seal
- Fan Belt
- A/C Belt
- Power Steering Belt
- Fresh Coolant
- Fresh Brake Fluid
July 21, 2023
Replaced main battery at 66,000km upon receiving the vehicle at Port of Galveston: $245
- Optima Red Top
Basic Alignment at Les Schwab Herriman, UT: $117.96
August 15, 2023
New Radiator Cap from O'Reilly Murray PN: 7513 $12.50
The Journey Begins
As expected, right off the boat the battery was more than dead. I had to have it jump started at the port and once again at my hotel, so I went straight to Autozone for a fresh battery before my LONG road trip (That map shows 3,022 miles, but I came in closer to 3,400 total).
One thing I realized quickly, was that averaging around 60mph meant I would lose around 15minutes per hour driven (4 hour drive becomes 5 hours). I also lost a lot of time stopping for fuel. The tank is pretty small in these vans, I was lucky to get to 180/190 miles on 12 gallons. So around 16mpg, but I logged miles and fuel the whole trip, so later I can update this with a better number. I was also driving on some fresh 9 year old snow tires.
The first day I drove from Galveston to Tucumcari, NM and had my first experience sleeping at a rest stop.
The next day I made it from Tucumcari to Salt Lake. I took the path through Albuquerque so that. I could get a shot of the van at Walter White's residence. It took me about 32 hours of driving total to get from Galveston to Salt Lake City.
I am out of space for photos, so the journey will be TBC in a response below.
Initial Impressions
- She is slow. I knew she would be slow, but she is slow.
- She is clean and overall like a 9/10 condition
- Heat and power could be an issue, but can be addressed. You wont make it faster, but the cooling system could be improved.
- People LOVE seeing this thing on the road. Every time I held up traffic, I fully expected to get the finger from the cars passing me, but they all gave me the thumb's up with a big smile.
- Bull Bar/ Spare Tire Relocation to front (I love how @Nulla did theirs)
- Lift
- Wheels/ Tires
- Front and rear receivers
- Replace Flooring
- Clean interior
- Remove Japanese Electronics
- Add an AC
- Add a Fridge
- Redo the electric system
- Plumb the shower
- Fix the sink pump
- Starlink
- Repad the dinette seats
- Some suspension work/ connecting rods/ tie rods
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