VanLife Delica L300 Build Tour
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- I bought a Delica, built it to be an expedition vehicle over the course of 1.5 years, and took it on a 5 month, 56,000km road-trip around North America.
#VanLife #Delica #Travel
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My son just bought a 1992 with 105,000 miles. Will def be using a lot of your build ideas.
OMG! I *knew* that Delica’s were trans girl culture! 🤣🤣
Aussie girl here, early days for both my transition and my van build, but I just wanted to say thanks for blazing the trail!
RIP Hermione, your legacy lives on.
I know at least one other trans person who drives one! Love that it’s a thing!
Awesome! Thank you for sharing your journey great build and RIP.
Very lovely..your l300 delica
That was great! Nice setup, great narration, and cool journey! That must've been heartbreaking to see your L300 get totaled after all that work, and all those experiences in it. But it looks like your Hiace project will be a blast, as well. Thanks for bringing us along! I've got a 97 L400, and am still in the process of deciding whether I want to build it out in some configuration, or just leave it stock.
Thank you! I hope the L400 is treating you well!
I love these vans. 4x4 with great mileage and build quality. I meant to ask you about your van. Bad ass build! I'm sorry it was wrecked. Thank you for sharing.
Generous sharing and super informative!!
Great video, sad ending to the van. I don't own a van, but I will be getting and building one soon. Will be travelling around Australia when I finally have it.
Thank you! Late check-in, but did the trip happen? How did it go?
This is an awesome build. And doing as much of it yourself just gives it that more personal touch! Love it
Thank you!
AMAZING video.
Thank you!
Amazing, absolutely amazing
Nice video.Its so sad the Delica is no more. good luck with the next project.
Thank you! I have much less time these days, so my Hiace Project is taking a little longer than I would have hoped.
@@NicESpurling I cant wait to see the videos of this new project.
I love this van!
I too have a camper that i built but not the mechanical knowledge you have unfortunately. Been following your transition and love it. Christopher
That was really cool. I want to hear more about your cross-country trip, any pictures?
Thank you! I'll work on a video about the trip as a whole, and maybe some of the more memorable stories. The only pictures I have online are on Facebook:
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151678257815034&set=a.10151056352225034&type=3&theater
Wow great story... amazing work done in building the van... sad to know what happend but it was still worth it... the memories would be there.. hope to see a new update for your new build up project of the hi ace van... 👏👏👏
Thank you! I’ve posted a couple videos about the Hiace now. I’ll try to compile a full build video if/when it’s finally done.
Very Awesome build review!
Thank you!
window tint goes an long way
awesome van , sorry for your loss . hope that idiot was dealt with prospectively !!
sorry but the hiace lacks soul IMHO . hope fully you can install some in to it . i have driven a lot of both .
i've had my 83 delica 4WD since 97. similar build to yours . god knows what i will do to anyone who brings its demise . nice build thanks .
Thank you! I don't like the Hiace as much when it comes to soul, 4x4 and comfort, but I love the reliability and extra space. Hopefully I can build the things it lacks into it and create my new dream vehicle.
Very cool
I've really gotta do this.
From the references to waste veg oil and glow plugs I assume yours was a diesel. Good job on the van. Sad you had to lose it the wsy you did. I'm sure you'll do an equally grest job on your new one
Yes, most of the Delica's are diesel and they are indirect injection, so much easier to run on WVO. This one was a 2.5L turbo diesel. Thank you!
update on the van now? Thanks.
Thanks for the vid! This (really cool) project added a lot of weight to the van. It's my understanding the L300 Delicas are modestly powered although you did pick up a little power from blanking off the EGR valve. I'm curious to hear your actual real-world impressions of driving this van on the interstates and long inclines. What speeds could you safely maintain without pushing into overheating (cracking!) territory? Any other memorable experiences related to living with limited engine power?
The camperization didn’t actually add a ton of weight, so that didn’t really affect performance. The roof box created drag at freeway speeds and reduced fuel economy, and the larger tires slowed the acceleration and reduced fuel economy but allowed me to maintain higher freeway speeds.
It could maintain 110kph pretty easily on flats and on downhills it could go to about 150kph. The uphills were the struggle - on steep hills I could be reduced to 30kph, and in order to prevent overheating I had to drop it into 2nd so I could keep the rpm’s around 3000.
The temperature gauge would fluctuate pretty easily, but it was also easy to prevent it from overheating with the help of a pyrometer. The only time I was really concerned was driving through Death Valley in 40C heat. I had to blast the heaters and drive at 30kph and the pyrometer was just below the danger zone.
After about 170,000km of driving (280,000 on the odo) the head did crack while casually driving at about 50kph with no warning signs. Other than that one repair, the other repairs were pretty basic and most of my money was spent on modifications.
I think will be fantastic to have intercooler in delica !! Because same engine in Pajero has 100 hp versus 84 hp delica !
Also light forget technology rims will be great 👍
Hi
I have a Mitsubishi L300 1992 petrol 4×4 looking for some pieces and I did not find them in my country, I have to change the engine. My engine 4G63, 8 Valves, With a better engine, what do you recommend in a car like this?
Hi Nicole, I loved your video! I own a Delica and have been building it too. Would you be able to share with me the autocad of the skid plate? that would help me a lot. keep up the good work on your vehicles!
Thank you! I can try to find the file, but I created it 10 years ago, so no promises. Good luck on your build!
@@NicESpurling Nicola, thanks for answering! Yeah I understand, well let me know if you find it. Thank you so much I’m advance!
Nice video. I am also interested in the van. I wonder how did you find it? I am from the State. Thanks!
I like the style of your centre console. I'm really sorry you lost your van, that's so disappointing...
Clive Webb thanks!
Ohh my god the EGR VALVE…..
That was awesome
... is this the first trans man van Life channel?
Did these oil bypass filtration work well as did the additional transmission coolant on the Delica?
The oil bypass was great for travel because the oil lasts 20k and the filters last 40-60k between changes. I don't know if the additional cooling helped, but the transmission never had issues and I drove in some very hot conditions that were hard on the head and damaged the exhaust manifold gasket.
Just wooowww
hate the back mirror that looks at the bumper
It’s an oldschool back-up camera. You look in your rear view mirror and you can back-up perfectly (if you have good eyes). It’s kind of handy, but not as helpful as the front downward facing mirror, and it’s now cheap/easy to install a backup camera.
Hey there! Great job. I’m wondering if you could help me with resources for part sourcing?
Bushings, lights, other suspension work, roof racks...anything is helpful! Thank you 😁
Where do you live? I order parts from Rocky Mountain Imports typically, but some can be cross-referenced or can be picked up at a local jdm mechanic.
Extremely interested in doing this... 12:25.. Dual Bypass Oil Filter.
So the Delicas 4D56 oil filter thread size is 26mm x 1.5.... Which Amsoil adaptor fits the Delica?
Thank you.
I wish I could remember the details but I bought the kit from someone who already had it installed on a Delica.
what lift kit and shocks did use?
A 2” lift (shackles and ball joint spacers) with Pro Comp 9000 shocks.
What’s the length of the van I’m trying to do a size comparison to the Toyota hiace Super custom limited
I'm not sure what the length was, but I'm sure you could find dimensions online somewhere. I know my lwb Toyota Hiace is about 3' longer than my Delica was though.
Nicola E Spurling ol thanks so from your experience of having both do you think I would like the hiace or delica more? Cause I want to do some weekend trips while in Okinawa but also will be a daily driver for a family of 3
@@manfree6543 I think it depends on what you're looking for. The Hiace is more reliable and has more room, but the Delica is cheaper, has more bells and whistles (depending on trim level) and it's better for offroading. The Delica was better for what I wanted to do in 2012 and the Hiace is better for what I'm doing now.
Nicola E Spurling they both hold their value pretty good though right? But I do like how it’s easier to find a delica with the brush guard and spotlights! But the Toyota’s are a nicer look lol thank you for helping me out! I’ll just search for both when I’m there and pick which ever has the best bang for the buck!
@@manfree6543 Yes, they both hold value well, especially if you live in Canada. If you buy a 15 year old one, they tend to go down in value over the following 10 years and they spike in value when they reach 25 years of age because then they can be imported to the US. I like the look of the L300 more stock, but with some modifications, I think the Hiace will look really good too. One thing to consider is that with a Delica you have to figure out where to get parts from whereas with the Hiace you can order almost everything from a Toyota dealer. Another thing to consider is that the Delica's are about half the price of the Hiace's if you buy from an importer or on Craigslist, but if you import yourself, the Hiace is still more expensive, but it has a little more margin for profit.
Not gonna lie.
I was confused AF in the first 60sec
I’m surprised more people haven’t commented that 😆
What a job, Amazing! Sorry to hear about the end of the Delica.
I have so many questions.
Do you have a link to the Oil filter system?
A link to the mud flaps?
2'' lift kit?
How many amps each battery has?
Where did you get the trailer hitch from?
Do you have the file for the front rad protector?
You are welcome to contact me and see my @delicaproject instagram.com/delicaproject/
So sorry for not seeing your reply way back when. I don’t have links to anything because I just kind of stumbled across everything, generally with the help of the Delica Canada forum.
Im selling my L300 people,
What’s your Instagram?
@NicESpurling across all social media
Lift kit won't raise your diff. Tires, diff save or portals
The lift was put on in order to fit larger wheels/tires, which raises the diff.