Worst kept secret ever! I bought a Mitsubishi Pajero Junior  

See, this is when leaky hydropneumatic citroens make sense. They rust proof themselves 😂

This should be an interesting project as it's quite different from the rest and it'll be a fun and useful little 4WD when finished.

Please sort this one out, like you did / will with the Daihatsu. It'd be a great little car.

Think poor old Lewis will regret the day he decided to help 😱

Bought a Mazda Bongo several years ago as an import from Japan. It was 10 years old but zero rust underneath with no protection. I waxoyled it straight away. Apparently vehicles from South Japan suffer much less than those from the north due to climate differences.

Just looked at spare parts prices online.....they are eyewateringly expensive. £115 for rear brake shoes, £100 for a tie rod, £60 for a timing belt. 😂😂

I really like these dinky off roaders … proper 4 x 4 unlike these faux monstrosities we get now , glad you’ve taken her on to the fleet … lots of work but should be good to follow 🌟😊👍

Amazing! I honestly thought you were going to walk away from this one. Well done! I have a theory about why the drivers side of cars corrodes worse than the passenger. Probably a load of old rubbish but... The passenger side tends to get washed of salt and mud better as more rainwater accumulates more towards the gutter than the middle of the road.

I look forwards to the day you buy a 'good' car. By good, I mean, not falling apart and not needing the sort of work that is beyond your skill set. It's fun to mess around with cars, but everyone needs at least one vehicle they can rely on.

Just a small donation, might buy a wire brush. Can't wait to see progress!

well that's the hublets christmas present budget reduced for a few years, nice bit of rust you have there , cant wait to watch this one

Having done a couple of Land Rovers in a similar state having also being stood, a needle scaler would be your new best friend. They are a lot quicker and less dusty than wire wheels.

Instead of wire-brushing, wouldn't it be quicker and easier to use one of those sand-blasting techniques to clean off the rust?

Another job for Whiteland Restorations then - or Cambrian Classics.

Hi Ian. First time posting on one of your videos. I'm glad you took this on as I fell in love with it in the last video and was trying to work out how I would get it home (Australia). I have a pretty new version of the full-sized Pajero but it doesn't look anywhere near as happy as this one. Good luck.

Nice project, don't be surprised if there is more work to come than you can see now.

Haven't Whiteland suffered enough with dealing with HubNut rust?

Currently dealing with the dreaded diesel injection pump on my S1 Delica...but seeing another mid 90's Mitsibushi getting saved is always a nice thing to see. Im sure it will be quite the mountain goat when it gets sorted out with perhaps some bigger all terrain tyres to stance it up.

Brilliant little cars these are. We bought a couple around 2003 when they were coming in from Japan by the ship. Can't remember the last time I saw one now but the rust might be a clue to their demise. I'd like to see how one welds a piece of steel to rust.

Local market Japanese cars often had no underseal on them whatsoever. This is going to be an interesting project.

What a great looking practical little car. Just ideal for nipping around the Welsh countryside.

You are both true car enthusiasts, buying another project car before fixing your current ones! I endorse this reckless behaviour because I'm guilty of it too, so long as it isn't at the expense of your sanity!

It has less rust than a 2 year old Shetland car lol. The only place I've needed to replace my sump due to rust and the new one was undercoated.

I am comforted that you can always deploy the distress flare if the rust gets too much

I was surprised after last years announcement of wedding plans to see a junior hub nut appear so quickly...lol.. I have added the mini mitz to the list of cars to look out for on my way to work as I did actually see you guys on the A39 at Bideford roundabout and never twigged that 2 people from Wales in a black Citroen in Devon may have been hub nuts. Best wishes on the new project xx

Enjoying your and Miss Hubnut videos from Indianapolis, Indiana. USA .If ever to visit the Indianapolis 500, please do contact. Thank you both for your time and effort. (I'm glad you bought it, she likes the space and front smile).

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you change your mind I will buy it of you! I phoned the scrap yard and they said I’d missed it, I’ve got 2 already and would love another one, please keep me in mind

That's no surprise at all, everyone see the look in yre both eyes...when talking about the Mini Pajero😂. It was written in the sky,she's one for the Hubnut fleet😂

The "are you having fun dear?" at 17:38 is pure comic genius...

Proper Hubnutting, full of information and explanations, Mr Whiteland is a master of his trade, adds great content and detail, good luck with the Pajero and Chemmy

Perhaps its worth looking into getting the underside dry ice blasted since it will save you a lot of time wirewheeling, flinging bits about, and will help expose areas that are subject to welding, it'll be a lot better on the eyes and once its welded, will be easy as to just coat the lot in rock chip paint, red oxide paint. It'll depend on cost of course but would significantly speed up the project while keeping it in good nick for a long time. Love these Pajero Jrs.

Why did you get the Pajero when you could have had the Herald, it was already disassembled for you?

Id Recommend geting the Underside Blasted. that will be very gruelling doing all that rust removal by hand using drill attachments.

Great call taking it to bits like that, much better to find issues now than once Jr is in service!

Secret?, we knew you couldn't resist, the Japanese do make the most interesting vehicles.

"Mildly chaotic". Well.... We wouldn't want it any other way. 😊

Well hello there mr and mrs hubnut , the reason the most rust on the drivers side indicates road salt when driving on motorways and when it was parked up the road salt festered with a combination of mud is a recipe for extreme surface rust underneath . but its a great little jeep and in very good condition best of luck mate !! great video.

My wifes freelander 1 passed many tests with advisories for surface rust, looked rough but was solid.

"Nothing more exciting than the next project" 🤣 Yes, that's the story of my tinkering life. 🤣🤣

I’m so happy you bought this!!! I hope it’s a part of your fleet for a long time

Only seeing this now. And this is the first time I'm saying: Ian... what did you DO!?

Big job ahead of you...!

So glad you bought it, definitely worth a series of its own for the restoration and repairs.

I'm so pleased you saved this little beauty. Its got Hubnut written all over it. Hopefully it wont reveal any serious horrors and will treat you kindly. I look forward to seeing your progress as it unfolds.

Looks smart on top do not let it beat you but I think more surprises to uncover but will be cracking content let Mrs hubnut loose with the welder more fun to come I imagine excellent

Bloody ridiculous idea... That is a money pit and a half...

I really love this little thing, mega cute yet a beefy little 4x4! Can’t wait to see the progress videos!

according to Reddit: 'The name of Mitsubishi Pajero in South America and Spain is Mitsubishi Montero. This is because the term “pajero” is considered derogatory in Spanish, meaning “wanker”.'

All the parts underneath, suspension etc, need to be removed and sand blasted. That will leave all of the structure accessible for the welding. Combined effort from all of you and by the end Ian should be able to tackle all of the basic stuff. Wire brushes are fine but if in doubt cut it out. That's quicker and neater. Little patches take longer. There will be tears and you won't know if its saved until it's driven and MOT'd. Find a contact in Japan to resource those unobtanium parts. Good luck!

In Australia they were called a Pajero IO, I had a 4 door one for about 10 years. Use to tow a camper van around Australia with it and took it on the beach numerous times, very light so just about unstoppable. Rust wasn’t a real issue as I maintained it religiously. Great car.

In my work, we had an old shogun up till recently... It was a 56 plate, so not too old really... We still have other cars in our fleet with the same age... A week ago I decided to give the noble 56 plate shogun a jet wash... That was the wrong idea! The jetwash revealed several holes in the bodywork that had been hiding, it also managed to get the rust off of the underside... The decision was made to have her scrapped

The old Ian is back, any chance George could come out of retirement and join the team , 😂

With TLC and rust treatment, that will be a nice little car again. Good luck and see you at another show.

There is a reason it was in the scrapyard. Like all modern cars with loads of plastic covers and trim, it hides its true condition. By the time the welding, brakes, suspension bushes, axle and engine / gearbox oil leaks etc are done it will have taken a lot of time and cash. The engine and gearbox are assumed good? That may be the case but may also be the reason it was stood up. It is a great project for someone but n0t really a fixer upper, as I imagine parts could be scarce too. Hoping to be proved wrong.......

HI Ian and Carly, this is a great addition to the fleet, I love a 4x4, as a matter of interest is Carly able to reach the pedals in this car, if so when she has passed her test at least she has a choice of car to drive. I hope Chemmy is repairable.

Soak it in rust converter and watch it go blue! Best of luck you two!!

just a little tip remove the roof trims and check the seam sealer along the roof ,it dries up and cracks and then water leaks down into the car . i had to do both sides on my Pinin . Dont know if they are the same but worth a check

My mazda rotted on the drivers side aswell 😂 could never work out why

This is a fantastic addition to the fleet. Perfect winter run-around and well done for saving it.

The trick is to have so many projects that by the time you come back to the first one it feels like a new car / project!

I can see the Pajero Junior towing Bob quite alot and you won't get stuck as many drivers this winter

With so much rust, this might be a candidate for POR15 paint and gallons of their "metal ready" to dissolve all that surface rust.

Absaloutly brilliant video ian miss hubnut ❤👌👍it doesn't look so bad saved just in time what a lovely 4x4 brilliant

Hi Ian & Carly, I think Junior would be a good name for the new baby on the fleet. She's better than she looks underneath Lewis is right you got her in time, a lot of work but it will be worth it and there is a lot of JDM stuff you could put on.

Well done Ian and Carly for saving the Pajero and such a interesting little car and must be rare over here looking forward to seeing the renovation of it yes there are areas of rust but a good base with lots of hard work

I own a Shogun Pinin, also known as an IO, it sits between the Junior and the Full Fat Shogun. There's a possible source of spare parts, I use Amayama. They're based in Japan and have a warehouse in the UEA. Genuine Mitsubishi parts, sensibly priced. The delivery charges are very reasonable, turnaround time is usually a couple of weeks from point of order. Worth a try.

Only a bit of plating over here and there mig wires only cheap and sheets of metal can come from anywhere, cookers nd washers don't really need sides and backs 😂

Has the makings of something very useful, Mrs OCC really misses her old Grand Vitara V6 with its 4wd and lofty driving position, perhaps I should have kept it

You're going to need all the help you can get with the Mitsubishi. Joined the channel. Good luck from Andrew (Panda Cross 4x4.) *I no longer own the Panda, but I still own the hat.

Let’s see if this Pajero can be rescued! Got to waxoyl my Hiace and fix some blisters on the bodywork too… the undercarriage is factory metal and I’ve risked it for three winters trying to keep it washed lol

Always liked the look of these, might even have seen this one for sale previously. Turned down a jimny automatic a while back with no engine as I had nowhere to put it. Would have been worth a fair wedge now.

A really cool edition to the fleet. Hopefully wont cause to.many headaches and whilst it is now 12 months away, would be cool to see at next years NEC classic car show. ;D

The benefit for us in the new project is seeing it from the start. Based on carpentry experience the rear door stiffness could be caused by the hinge pins not being in line. My imagination wonders if there wasn't a slight bimp to the door, bending it a bit and binding the hinges and latch...

Ian! Love this video I'm greedy for more on this one. FYI best on trend colours are Lambo orange and slime green, you heard it here first. Hope you enjoyed the Rancho brochure I'll get you a pinin one next year 😂 Take care Tony

The flare... Use the flare. 🎉

I broke a plastic fitting bracket on the sill cover of our Punto Cabrio (the blue one at FOTU), but managed to attach it using a combination of superglue and bicarbinate of soda. I honestly didn't expect it to work, but it did. Good luck and have fun with this project, it looks like you are both smitten.

I absolutely adore this car. I was very wary of its crustiness. Happy you bought it. Be glad you have a mate like Lewis.

Look forward to seeing your many ups and downs tinkering with this new project

Best rute is to get all trim off, and make it correct the first time, only a little extra work to make it a long term car, and try and save it, also kinda good to have a somewhat modern car that are economic and reliable, and should be plenty big for towing a small camper around

Fantastic content, so looking forward to your journey with the Pajero.

SO glad you guys ended up adopting that amazing little Pajero!!! Congrats!

I would be tempted to hire a soda-blasting kit to get through that quickly. Derust and prime and then you have a good idea of where to go from there.

Interesting little car 😊 Personally I prefer the more orange hub nut logo on the beanie hats 👍😀

Is it really a 1.1 litre? These came to Australia with 1.6 litre motors. In fact there were 4 door versions with 2 litre motors😊

Wahay. I feel like you need another Mitsy 4x4 after the Delica left the fleet. Looks like you have indeed saved it in the nick of time. Was that a pchoounior at the end?

Have you checked that you enough leg room with the Hublets in the back, also price/availability/leadtime of spares? Need more checking of the mechanicals and electrics before starting on the rust?

Welcome to the Pajero! It looks quite promising. Yes, there's rust, but it looks to be not too extensive. Looking forward to the fixes!

Did the Whiteland team know the car was coming in advance or was it just a lovely surprise for them? You are lucky to have such good and capable friends. Cool little rig though. I’m sure the mini HubNuts will love it. How could anyone not love such an adorable little trucklet? I think it’s a great addition to the fleet

Ask your friend Steph over for a few days. She'll have that as good as new in no time. Absolute expert she is now. (You might end up with a black bonnet though!)

At least its getting saved. It deserves another chance at life as opposed to sat rusting away.

Was just thinking of a faster way to knock the rust off... pneumatic needle guns are very effective.

Good stuff Ian, i did wonder if you bought it. There are products that you can buy that convert rust, some people spray chainsaw bar oil over the underside. I would be there giving you a hand if i could 😊.

Crusty is a great name!

Miss Hubnut's already forgotten chemmy? 😅

We have lots of these, plus the Mini over here in Cyprus all ex Japanese imports most are virtually rust free, they also did a turbo version on some of them, the Auto is the best one to have especially on the Mini otherwise you are changing gear all the time.

Yes!!! So looking forward to seeing you fixing this beauty up! 👍👍

I guess Whitelands rescue of Chemmy have backfired. Now the Hubnuts might have become a little over-confident regarding rusty cars. But hey it's just a couple of small holes and some surface rust. Sounds like Chemmy ... just a lot worse.

Thought about buying a blaster and blasting it rather than wire brush? Or even hiring one.

All that surface rust is the perfect excuse for getting on with this first, before it becomes terminal. And to make the wire brushing easier, I'd be tempted to get a couple of old mattresses, remove the wing mirrors and those plastic bits over the windows, and roll it onto its side. Looks to be the perfect shape to do that without damage.

That interior cloth is gorgeous 😁 why can't car makers do interiors in proper cloth again 🤔