Greetings from the FNG!

[illipino_]

Hello!

I originally setup this account because I was going to purchase a 79' D50, but too many issues I didn't want to deal with. So after a year of searching I finally found the right one. Last night I picked up an 89' Mighty Max for a steal price. No major issues to it, I drove it about 19 miles home and didn't stall, or break down (knock on wood).

Major issues I seen during my inspection before I paid the guy was that the radiator is completely brown. I am hoping flushing it a few times, and cycling in between will get majority of the rust out. interior dash lighting, parking lights, and tail lamps don't work. And missing one lug nut on each real wheel lol.

These are my plans for this weekend:
Pressure wash the whole thing
Radiator flush & thermostat inspection
Oil Change
Front Brakes and Rotors replacement
Possibly alignment.

I am excited to build this thing in the later future, but for now I am only going for reliability. The seller said there were emission issue, but im not too familiar with carb engines and OBD1 systems and know what to look for. I need it to be registered here in Vegas ASAP so any pointers are definitely appreciated.

Ronne

[geezer101]

Hi and welcome to mightyram! As long as the wiring hasn't been messed with you should only be facing either a few blown fuses or bad ground lead connections which are an easy fix. Head for the general maintenance threads to know where to start with getting your truck right. I'd recommend an engine oil flush during your oil change too (I did a write up on how I've been doing them and the method yields good results). Once you've cut your teeth on the site post, up some pics of your truck! :)

[illipino_]

Pics are coming when I get off work. It has a dented front bumper, and bed has paint stains and such. But the cosmetics of it will definitely be my last fix.

[royster]

Hey Ronne, please accept my welcome, too. I'll assume your engine is a 2.0 (carborated).

I highly recommend taking the time to remove the radiator, so you can flush it upside-down...back-wash, if you will. This will help dislodge particles that gravity has brought down the cooling tubes. It's only 4 bolts and 2 hoses...well worth the time.

A simple thing to check for the dash lights is the dimmer switch, which is independent of the light switch. You probably already know that, but it doen't hurt to remind. Also, check fuses for lights, but check the bulbs, themselves.

Lug nuts are easy enough to come by. If need be, I can...

Geezer, no comments!...

send you a couple of mine. Yes: I have extras :D

Last but not least, the thread for new owners - http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/3278-To-the-New-owner-here-you-can-find-what-people-recommend-you-do-first-and-do-it-ASAP
...a comprehencive list of stuff it's good to do...and Geezer's Engine Oil Douche Tip http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/2954-Why-didn-t-I-Think-Of-That?p=49688&viewfull=1#post49688

[illipino_]

Thanks for the inputs.

As as for the radiator, that was on my mind as I was typing my response to geezer. And as for the lighting, basics is always a place to begin.

But the points are definitely helpful and thanks for bringing them up. I'm not sure the engine displacement, all I know that it's carbureted. I'll inform you guys as I go about the project. I'll post pics tonjght

[BradMph]

Returning to the seen of the crime Ronnie? :) been a while since you been here to post work in progress, Glad to see your moving along on the truck.
Keep the photos coming...gives Royster and Geezer something to look at besides the beer can rising too refresh, lol. jk!

[illipino_]

174391744017441

Here's a couple photos, i picked up the photos from the seller on craigslist, i was so thankful he was patient with me on meeting him since my work schedule has been weird. I didn't get home early enough to snap pics, and i know pics are relevant to see what were dealing with. Im off this weekend, so the high resolution images will come.

From doing a quick walk around, heres more little knicks and knacks that will bother me through my OCD of car building aside from what i have already mentioned from the previous posts.
- passenger door doesn't open from outside
- passenger door panel has broken arm rest
- license plate light does not work.
- seats are torn
- low oil level, still kind of clean, but i do want to attempt the oil cleanser with the geezer method.
that should be it for now as far as main issues that bother me. A 26 year old pick up will not be perfect, but i can for sure get it to my liking within due time.


Returning to the seen of the crime Ronnie? :) been a while since you been here to post work in progress, Glad to see your moving along on the truck.
Keep the photos coming...gives Royster and Geezer something to look at besides the beer can rising too refresh, lol. jk!

Lol, the one thing people mess up on in my life.. is spelling my name. Its all good tho, how many Ronnes do you know that have no "i" lol.. Anyways, yes the hunt has been really crazy, although i wasn't searching on a daily basis, this one kind of just fell into my arms. I will look into getting higher resolution images to start a build up collection of my progress. For the time being, like i previously mentioned, i need to get emissions to pass and for it to be reliable.

[illipino_]

i do want to mention, what is that black trim that is right behind the windows? they're both faded, so i wanted to do some kind of restore on it and repaint it with trim paint, BUT with it off the truck.

[geezer101]

Royster's advice on the rad clean is solid. If you want to dissolve rust and calcification in the radiator try mixing up citric acid powder in hot water and filling the radiator while it's out of the truck and let it sit for half an hour. It's safe to handle and does a decent job of dissolving the aforementioned. Give it a big flush out afterwards to make sure there's none of the solution left before installing it. You can use the citric acid in the truck but it can be aggressive on alloy if left in there for too long - it will need a very thorough flush out but it will clean out the heater core in the process.

[royster]

i do want to mention, what is that black trim that is right behind the windows? they're both faded, so i wanted to do some kind of restore on it and repaint it with trim paint, BUT with it off the truck.

I call those plastic plates "side burns"...they are the conspicuous trademark of the 2nd generation trucks. I highly suspect they were intended to make these trucks identifyable from a distance (it certainly works) from any other little pick-up. But they aren't just cosmetic: they do facilitate a degree of ventilation. They're a bitch to get off without breaking, and you might do well to paint them in place. Thanks to members from this forum, I can pass along the tip of washing the plastic with TSP before painting: this removes an oily film that tends to be on plastic.

I will testify from personal experience that bucket seats in these trucks are a great improvement, and also makes behind-the-seat space accessable, so for now, you might want to do a seat cover...or put that $35 towards a pair of nice bucket seats (I got mine for $70 for the pair). The original bench seats are real uncomfortable for any length of time.

The passenger-side door likely just has a disconnected (fallen) coupling. The mechinisms are very simple, so if you take the door panel off, you'll be able to see what's going on in there.

If you want to take the time, I have photos of some of my interior improvements http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/album.php?albumid=339

and http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/album.php?albumid=265

It's a great-looking little truck, Ronne, and plenty of potential to be a BLT. (Bitchen' Little Truck). It seems chrome front bumpers on these guys are fairly rare: hopefully you can straighten it out a bit.

And last, but not least...What's "FNG" stand for?

Happy motoring, as Esso used to say~

[illipino_]

Geezer and royster, I appreciate all the inputs. As the progress moves along, I'll be sure to start a build thread in the other sections. But for now, watching 3 kids and still slowly moving into our new house has definitely got me busy. I do want to prioritize the fixing of the dash lights to see if there's any check engine lights for emissions. Smog is imperative in Las Vegas prior to registering the vehicle.

Althought i I like the chrome, I plan to color match it. I'm not too much into chrome. But that's later down the road. Bucket seats for sure, I was looking to retrofit a center console from my RSX. I had a spare since I put a Japanese center console in. Cup holders kind of needed when I commute lol. Man's gotta have his coffee.

I made a checklist based on things that I need to do to being a newly owner, I followed that link for new owners and I must say it's very informative. I have a copy of the repair manual but locating a few things is kind of rough. So that's all for now.

FNG - fuckin new guy lol

[illipino_]

EDIT: I don't have the repair manual, just the owners manual that talks about seat belts, fluid levels etc.

[royster]

You can get a repair manual from Advanced, around $20.00. Rock Auto also sells service manuals.

Good to have you aboard, FNG :)

[pennyman1]

or go to the manual section and see them all for free...

[illipino_]

I ended up downloading the manual from the manual section, it's definitely VAGUE compared to the service manual for my RSX.