The Ralli Tractor, our 1992 Mitsubishi Pajero XR-II, has left the building. Our first JDM SUV, which we purchased in Texas in 2018, has gone to another owner. He said it’ll be put to great use and may even be shipped to Hawaii where it’ll enjoy a healthy diet of poi, coconuts, and biodiesel.
Our 1992 Mitsubishi Pajero took us on amazing adventures during our six years ownership. Those journeys started from day one when we flew to Houston, TX, bought it, and drove it back to Portland, OR. Over its tenure with us, we’d visit 18 states and British Columbia with it.
It appeared at a host of events, was in marketing material for Warn Industries, and was on the Four-Wheeler Overland Adventure in 2022. It was also used to teach a host of vehicle recovery classes across the Pacific Northwest, from 4×4 clubs to Clackams County Fire and Rescue. It was seen in a multitude of publications from TREAD magazine to Off Road Xtreme and many in between.
In summer of 2019, the 4D56 engine’s block cracked due to a failed thermostat. Rather than put the rig out to pasture, we gave it a heart transplant. A brand-new Hyundai D4BF engine went into the engine bay giving the Ralli Tractor new life. The new custom exhaust also sounded wicked, even it it wasn’t terribly fast.
A World of Wheels and Tires
I’m a bit of a wheel and tire nerd, and the Ralli Tractor had a variety of shoes.
When we got it, it came with some 15×8 ION wheels on 31″ BFGoodrick KOs.
We upgraded the rubber with BFGoodrich KM2s on 15″ JDM five-spokes which came with the rig. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a matching spare for them.
After a small lift, next was a set of American Racing AR23 in 15×8 with a -19 offset and the 33″ BFGs. This was one of my favorite looks. We also installed an ARB Bumper, WARN M8000 winch, and Lightforce Genesis lights along with J.W. Speaker headlights.
After this, I went to a 16×8 +0 offset fifteen52 Turbomac HD Classic wheel shod with BFGoodrich KM3 tires in a “tall-skinny” 255/85/16. I rocked this look for a long time. It eventually got a custom WARN bumper, WARN ZEON 8-S winch, and custom-fabbed rock sliders.
The last modification was a set of 16×7 +10 Mitsubishi Montero Sport three-spoke wheels with the KM3s. Before selling, we swapped the KM3s for Nitto Ridge Grapplers which were on our 1991 Pajero, as we’re big fans of BFGoodrich rubber.
The Next Chapter
We are definitely not Pajeroless. We still have our 1991 Pajero XP, which we took to the Arctic on the 2020 Alcan 5000 winter rally. We have no plans of letting that one go any time soon. With its Long Range Automotive tank, Webasto Thermotop Evo diesel heater, scheel-mann seats, and lot of other goodies, it’s staying put.
We hope the Ralli Tractor’s new owner will enjoy the rig as much as we did, and I think he will. He’s not a stranger to JDM 4x4s and, from what we understand, it’ll become a great asset to him.
We swapped out the Ralli Tractor for something much different, our 2005 Subaru Forester XT. We already have three off-road-centric adventure vehicles, so the boosted Forester (with a five-speed manual and plenty of go-fast parts) is a return to something speedy. We’re looking forward to this next chapter. So while the Ralli Tractor has exited our driveway, it’ll forever be a part of the Crankshaft Culture story.