Daihatsu Mira Turbo L200 Conversion

To most people, converting to Daihatsu Mira is merely changing the exterior and interior look from the stock Perodua Kancil to the panels from Daihatsu Mira turbo. To be considered a converted L200 turbo means physically pulling out the factory carburetor 6 valve 3 cylinders engine and replacing it with the 64bhp J-spec 660cc turbocharged powerplant.

Yeah yeah we know the factory does produce 850cc engine, but we chose the 660cc turbocharged model. In any case it's still better than the factory engine.

Before you get your hands and feet wet on the setup, be prepared for a lump of cash and also the time to find for a low mileage and good condition halfcut from the local wreck yard. At the time of the conversion you only expected the main key components which include the whole engine, brakes, transmission, wiring harness, fuel tank and fuel pump, dashboard including meter panels and ECU.

When it comes to turbocharged powerplant's basic engine layout, it looks exactly like the factory model except that it has a fuel injection system as compared to the stock carburetor system. Also notice the powerplant releases it gases through a turbo header which is connected to a turbo and there is a top mounted intercooler to cool the forced air from turbo to the throttle body. Besides that, the radiator from this turbocharged powerplant is dual layer cooling effect as compared to the factory produced for more better cooling effect. Water reservoir tank is placed at different location as compared to the default.

The chassis do not required to undergo alteration to fit the turbocharged powerplant. It has a similarity as the stock engine mounting therefore once the engine has been pulled out, the turbocharged engine would be able to make its way in easily. Please put into consideration that before the engine goes in, you might consider to lighten the flywheel or changing the clutch if it is almost wearing out because once the engine goes in, you cannot dismantle the transmission before taking out the engine. Lastly, the factory fuel tank will be replaced with the turbocharged unit as it comes with the fuel pump for the fuel injection system.

Back under the engine bay the stock factory wiring harness would to be removed. The dash is taken out to swap the wiring harness to the one came with the powerplant(this part is too electrical for me to explain further..) to be connected to the ECU. It is a very time consuming process where most mechanics took the most time troubleshooting the wiring more than the engine bay.

Finally the factory disc brake is replaced by the turbocharged ventilated disc and caliper for a better stopping power. I've heard cases happen to one of my friend that he did a conversion but neglected the braking system ended up hitting a car due to the car unable to stop in time.

After all it is a very time consuming process. It may take up to four days for a mechanic to be able to complete the whole process. You might want to put into the consideration of changing the timing belt or spark plug if necessary.

Happy converting.