I seem to love cars from the 80's

[Version6]

Hey all!

I'm Rob, I own an 88 Mighty Max with the G63B and an 87 Mazda RX7. I also own an 07 Kawasaki Ninja 250, which is one of the reasons I bought a Max, since it kept breaking down.

I'm joining up here in hopes of finding info/support on common powertrain swaps for the truck.

[geezer101]

Welcome to mightyram Version6. No doubt your MM has not had much in the way of love thus the reliability issues. Keeping it maintained and regularly serviced will go a long way into ensuring it will serve you well for years. You'll find plenty of inspiration in the build threads on site and if you got a question or are seeking advice - there's a good chance someone has already been there and done that. Get some pics up and maybe a build thread so we can see what you got! :thumbup:

[Version6]

I meant the motorcycle was breaking down a lot, the MM runs like a champ, though the trans sounds like it's had better days.

[geezer101]

I got the ill communication lol. What's not to like about 80's cars? It was the era just before car manufacturers killed the character out of their products and they all ended up looking either the same, or just plain ugly...

[Version6]

Agreed, I love the simplicity of older vehicles. Much more enjoyable to actually drive a vehicle and not rely on computer to keep traction.

I had to drive my RX7 one winter and I never once got stuck or spun out, yet I saw many other vehicles stuck in the snow... Nothing like driving a RWD car in the snow and passing idiots in 4x4's that are stuck in the snow! :P

[pennyman1]

Or a rwd D-50 passing 4 x 4s stuck on hills in the snow! Welcome to the forum.

[royster]

Yup: welcome to the forum. Cut geezer some slack: we're in a planetary Mercury Retrograde and that tends to foul up communications.

Particularly in Australia. They're closer to the moon than us, you know.

[BradMph]

Or a rwd D-50 passing 4 x 4s stuck on hills in the snow! Welcome to the forum.

What do you guys run for rear wheels? spikes? I have never thrown any sand bags in my bed during the winter, but maybe I should. The one issue I have with the truck is the tail end is light and gives up traction. Now if we are talking rain...I can do 80mph in a downpour and not get a bit of hydroplane. BFG Radial T/A's have that nice big grooved style tread that give water a place to go.

[kswildcat]

Everything Ive had BFG radial t/a's on (mostly rwd cars) did super in snow.. I also like BFG land terrain. They are not to aggressive and do great in snow but kinda squirly on wet clay..lol... Ive used part of a tractor tube and filled it with sand, tied the ends off and used cherry picker to put it in the truck and take it out. Currently Ive been using tractor weights and just made a bracket to hold them solid..

[royster]

I was pleasantly surprised at the traction my D-50 had in snow with only slightly oversized rear tires.

(Lowe's sells a sand bag just for pick-up trucks in winter, similar in concept to what kswildcat describes. Last year they were on the bargain bin for $2 each. I bought 3 "tube sand" bags).
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I am SOOOooo in agreement with the other posters on this thread: the older vehicles had nice lines, simpler configurations, and car manufacturers hadn't quite bent to the supository look, yet. 1975 and '76 were the absolutes PITS for cars, and not a lot of excitement was offered for quite a while. The amount of plastic glued to newer vehicles is appalling...and largely unrecyclable. My '90 D-50 is that last stage before the on-board computer started taking over all aspects of mechanical function.

And as camoit pointed out in another thread: the MM's/D-50's have really satisfying lines that remain somewhat timeless.

[Version6]

What do you guys run for rear wheels?

When I ran my Mazda in winter I actually had a bald rear tire, which might have actually been beneficial for icy roads, but I also had like 120lbs of cat litter over the rear wheels. I also drive nothing but manual trans, so I could start off from a stop in second second gear and, could keep the car out of the power-band.

The few times I've driven a "modern" fwd car with an auto trans in winter, I either got sideways more than once or in the case of my dad's Chevy Cavalier, down a 15ft ditch and on the roof.