TDSAutoMag

Today I’ll be bringing you guys something a bit different from the norm, instead of another Honda project we’ll be taking a first look at Cuzz’s CB4 build. I’ll start by giving you a background to Cuzz’s motivation for this build. A long time lover of the Evolution III, he always wanted to own one but due to our strict import laws regarding the age of vehicles, it would rule out that option. And the few that are here, the owners have a tight grip on them, so basically the only real option was to build his own from the ground up. With this plan in motion, and already an owner of a FWD Lancer, Cuzz set out on a mission to source the necessary parts needed to convert it to 4WD.  Luckily for him, while he was on the hunt for 4WD parts, he got a tip there was a 4WD shell that was up for sale, wasting no time he got rid of his FWD shell and collected the CD4 shell you see before you.

Sadly I don’t have any photos of when Cuzz first acquired the car but I have some history on it. This CD4 Lancer started out life with a carbureted 1500cc engine, Cuzz wasted no time in converting it fuel injected and swapping out the motor for the 4G61 engine out of his previous shell. With the conversion complete he quickly hit the streets and shortly after the 4G61 saw the likes of some boost. Through some spirited driving he had an unfortunate incident when the viscous coupling broke. Unable to find one at the time, he temporarily welded it and sent the power to the rear wheels to have some fun.

After messing around and having some fun, Cuzz decided it was time to do what he initially set out to do, a full tear down and build his dream version of an Evolution III from the ground up. That brings us to where we are today….

Now that you’ve had the background story to this build let’s get on with the photos…

Test fitting the flares that will be used…

Shot of the rear as it comes together…

Here is a rough idea of what the rear will look like, with the back bumper and trunk lip test fitted…

As with the back, here is a shot of the front bumper test fitted…

A vacant engine bay that will soon be home to a 4G63 power plant…

Close up of the custom front bumper which takes styling cues from the Evolution III…

Better view of the flares as they are now incorporated with the fenders…

Here you can get a better idea of how the front bumper flows into the fenders…

Roof in need of some serious attention… Cuzz plans on replacing this roof with another one that he has lying around instead of repairing it…

Gutted interior… The next step in the rebuild process is for the cage to be fabricated and installed, then the shell will be sent to the body shop, where it will be prepped for paint.

Another shot of the gutted interior…

It was important for the rear fenders to be widened in order for the kit to flow properly. The reason they aren’t as aggressive as the front, is because Cuzz wants to retain the use of the rear doors as the car will still be a fully functional street car.

Varying angles of the widened rear fenders…

bumperless rear end…

Cuzz has already acquired some of the pipe that will be used for the roll cage…

Even with the car miles away from being completed you can already get an idea of how menacing the front will be once completed. Well that’s it for today and a first look at Cuzz’s CD4 Lancer Build, stay tuned for more to come…