We Bought a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek

August 9, 2022 / Andy Lilienthal / 3 Comments

There’s a new ride in the Crankshaft Culture driveway. No, not the Alcan 5000 Outback Wilderness, but close. We actually bought a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek—like, with our own money. It was time to retire our steadfast 2007 Toyota Yaris liftback and add a go-everywhere (at any time) daily driver. We’re totally going to keep it…

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Upgrading the Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear’s Rear Hatch Supports

May 31, 2022 / Andy Lilienthal / 2 Comments

Here’s a shocker: The original rear hatch supports/struts on our 1994 Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear were shot, and the hatch wouldn’t go all the way up when we’d open it. Fortunately upgrading the Delica Space Gear hatch supports / struts is easy. I’d previously looked for replacement units, but there weren’t any available, or at…

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Winter Road Trip Road Test: Toyo Celsius All-Weather Tires

January 21, 2022 / Andy Lilienthal / 2 Comments

As you know, we recently got a 1998 Honda CR-V. In fact, we drove it from Oregon to Wisconsin and back and only broke down once. (That’s a story for another time.) Before leaving for the frozen midwestern tundra, we put some all-weather Toyo Celsius tires on. No, not all-season, all-weather. If you’re not familiar,…

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We Bought a 1998 Honda CR-V.

December 22, 2021 / Andy Lilienthal / 3 Comments

Most people know us as Mitsubishi people. And yes, we’ve owned our fair share. However, between Mercedes and me, we’ve owned 9 Hondas, ranging from a 1979 Honda Civic 1200, to a 2000 Civic DX hatchback. We recently returned to our roots, and purchased another Honda, this time a 1998 Honda CR-V.

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My Latest Project: A Saab Story

October 3, 2021 / tuanies / 2 Comments

Saabs have always caught my attention, from the movie and TV appearances of the iconic ’80s 900s, the 96’s rally pedigree, to the gorgeous and weird Sonett with its V4 engine, the brand has made some beautiful and interesting cars with a very distinctive look and feel. However, despite spending countless hours scouring the Internet…

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Mitsubishi In Moab: We take our Pajero to Easter Jeep Safari

April 7, 2021 / Andy Lilienthal / 2 Comments

We typically go to Easter Jeep Safari for the annual gathering of off-road enthusiasts, primarily Jeeps—duh. I’ve been to the event for work many times. We even drove our Jeep Cherokee out there one year. We barely made it, but that’s another blog post. This year, we took our 1992 JDM Mitsubishi Pajero, aka the…

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You Know You’re on the Alcan When …

January 17, 2021 / Mercedes Lilienthal / 1 Comment

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost one year since Andy and I competed in the 2020 winter Alcan 5000 Rally. Who would have thought an old 1991 Japanese Domestic Market right-hand-drive diesel Pajero would be competing in temps that reached -40, much less finish strong in a rally that lasted 10 days and over…

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Review: Coastal Offroad Mitsubishi Delica Off-Road Bumpers

December 11, 2020 / Andy & Mercedes Lilienthal / 3 Comments

Review: Coastal Offroad Mitsubishi Delica Off-Road Bumpers

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Our Delica Gets a Long-Range Fuel Tank

November 30, 2020 / Andy Lilienthal / 4 Comments

Our 1994 Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear, aka the TBD Tractor, just got a new long-range fuel tank. This Long Range Automotive tank brought in by Long Range America ups our fuel capacity and extends our Delica’s range significantly. In fact, here’s a video all about it.

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Coastal Offroad Delica Space Gear Bumpers: Installed and In Action

November 23, 2020 / Mercedes Lilienthal / 1 Comment

We have the Coastal Offroad high-clearance front and rear bumpers (with skid plate and swing-away tire/jerry can carrier) finalized! We thought we’d do a walk-around video showing the Coastal Offroad Delica bumpers’ advantages for off-road driving, camping, and carrying extra gear.

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