who wants to build a race truck?

[Chyrio]

Been wanting to build something cool and unusual and have always had a fancy for mini trucks built for racing like the Datsun Sunny they had on Jay Leno's Garage. So i went up to Fairbanks and picked this up for 200 bucks. Debating about putting a Weber on the factory G63b or swapping something in like a turbo v6 or replacing the head with a DOHC, I'd like to hit around 200hp. But thought I would start a build thread for conversation's sake so here she is! 1986 Dodge Ram 50, Last receipt i found in the glove box was from 1996 so I'm assuming she has been sitting for around 20 years or so.

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Has some rust but i think ill be able to fix it before it gets any worse
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Engine turns over (manually) belts look good which is surprising its missing some things like plug wires, igniter, oil cap, simple stuff. The oil looks like its reverting back into dinosaur poop though ha ha.
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After I pressure washed some of the crap off of it. Unfortunately some of the pin striping came off with the dirt :/ but aw well I'm gonna have to wash and wax and I already found a paint scheme i want anyway...
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[Darklord]

I'm excited for this thread. I think keeping the stock motor, putting a DOHC and a turbo on it would be really cool but that's just my 2 cents

[Chyrio]

I'm excited for this thread. I think keeping the stock motor, putting a DOHC and a turbo on it would be really cool but that's just my 2 cents

I'm not that familiar with carborated engines to be honest. when you swap the DOHC whats the engine code im pulling it from? is it still carborated or will it be converted over to FI? how do you set up a turbo on a carbed engine? same way it works with a FI?

[Darklord]

I'm a novice so those are questions I can't answer at this moment but I'm sure someone else on here can answer them

[geezer101]

If you're planning on using the 4G63/G63B engine and going turbo look up LSRMike's truck build (this is one industrial strength truck). These engines can be swapped to injection without too much head scratching. The 4G63T twin cam engines are injected standard and the heads/manifolds are different to the single cam engine. There are a heap of sources for a 2 litre twin cam engine - they can be found in Mitsubishis and Hyundais. Do a search here and you'll find plenty of info on which engine types and how to do it, and check out the build threads as well. There are some really outstanding projects that have unique modifications to fire your imagination :grin:

[Chyrio]

Will any 4g63 block bolt up to the transmission in the truck? Say a evo iv engine?

[Chyrio]

also besides the oil squirter's in the block is there anything different strength wise with the turbo 4g63t's in the block? like would it be more beneficial to buy the whole 4g63t engine from a talon or a evo and swap it in, or would the block be able to handle the added power if i just swapped head and manifolds and stuff.

[geezer101]

You're limited to Evo I - III but don't forget early VR4 engines are much the same deal. Make your life easy and do a whole swap. It can get tricky with heads. Talon would be a good donor vehicle and should be easy enough to source. You will need to modify inlet manifolds and external coolant galleries/manifolds but these mods are regularly performed so there is a ton of info on them. Now is the time to start using the site search function! :cool1:

[Chyrio]

You're limited to Evo I - III

But from what i have read the evo iv had a 4g63t? isnt that the same block as the g63b in my truck?

Anyways...

Honestly i expected there to be more rust under the carpet! pleasant surprise!
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Nasty
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Skittles bag from 96! ha ha
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[DroppedMitsu]

no thr Evo IV and up have a different block. Even the 92.5(I think) and up(7 bolt) blocks are different than the 92.5 and older(6 bolt) but still have the same bellhousing and motor mount setup. The Evo IV+ is missing motor mount provision(1 I think) and has a diff bellhousing pattern as far as I know.

[geezer101]

Here is another member who really knows his stuff and has built an awesome truck (riposa in pace :(). His build thread is an invaluable guide -

http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/4543-DSM-vs-Evo-for-RWD-Swaps-All-the-info-you-need-to-know?p=39877&viewfull=1#post39877

[pennyman1]

Geezer - you meant the truck rest in peace, right?

[geezer101]

Oh hell yes pennyman! Merrill is alive and kicking but his beautiful truck...:green: It was an amazing piece of engineering.

[Chyrio]

I cant seem to find anything about power figures for the different ways to get some more power. from what i can find a whole dsm setup on ebay is around 1200 bucks but looking into it it seems like there are alot of factors to consider. and im looking around 200hp with bolt ons (1g dsm) obviously it would not be hard to make more power with this setup. But how does it compare to running a weber carb and aftermarket cams. from what i can find it would cost me less and be less of a headache if i could still make around 200hp. so how much theoretical power can you make with say a weber carb, electric fuel pump, rebuilt motor with high compression pistons, full exhaust, higher cam timing, the works. I do love the idea of some good old N/A power

[geezer101]

If you're prepared to spend that kind of coin to build an NA tuned engine, IMO you'd be better off hunting down a wreck with all the turbo stuff and making power straight out of the box. This is just based on an economics point of view.
You can make 200 hp with a single cam engine but it will be a pig to drive on a day-to-day basis. I would try something a little different and use a set of 39mm bike carbs on a custom fabbed manifold. The paired port 4G63 head is ideal for this kind of induction. Add a Shneider cam, hunt down a cheap eBay adjustable cam sprocket, give the head a serious rework with the ports and buy a set of these bad boys - http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/3088-DGheaders-Performance-header-New-design-tri-y-2-0-2-4-2-6-g63b-4g64-g54b?p=27148&viewfull=1#post27148

[LSR Mike]

Porting the head and getting the cam re-ground are the first steps, the main problem is there is absolutely NO AFTERMARKET for the SOHC 8 Valve head 4G64. anything you do will be one off. I went doen the road of N/A in the beginning, switched to Turbo simply because there was a much better bang for the buck.

[geezer101]

I did it again - didn't realise it's a 4G64 (user tag says 6G72 but meh...)

[BradMph]

Turbo, like Mike said and be sure to strengthen the motor with Turbo tested parts. Then your going to want to beef up trany, then rear end, then brakes, and then, and then, and then, lol.

Are we having fun yet? :P

Nice truck, looks to have potential. :thumbup:

As for Skittles bag of '96, there are still Skittles on the shelf dated '92, lmao

[crvtec90]

That's a cool truck for 200$ I passed up a first gen because it had no title. After it was scrapped they found the title.

[Chyrio]

I did it again - didn't realise it's a 4G64 (user tag says 6G72 but meh...)

6g72 is in my second gen MM

[dash]

who u gonna race with 200hp ?
there is a ton of detailed rwd DSM swap info on the net.... way too much for spoon-feeding
dohc is a little above entry level imo
starion 2.6 swap probably the easiest path to a "200hp" fun street truck. Close to 300 ft-lbs tq is where the magic is
U can still find running donors or drivetrains on starion forums, from folks swapping to bigger badder setups
pretty much bolt-in, basic wiring. Will have to rig up a clutch master cyl if keeping starion 5speed

[Chyrio]

who u gonna race with 200hp ?
there is a ton of detailed rwd DSM swap info on the net.... way too much for spoon-feeding
dohc is a little above entry level imo
starion 2.6 swap probably the easiest path to a "200hp" fun street truck. Close to 300 ft-lbs tq is where the magic is
U can still find running donors or drivetrains on starion forums, from folks swapping to bigger badder setups
pretty much bolt-in, basic wiring. Will have to rig up a clutch master cyl if keeping starion 5speed

So that would be the 2.6 g54b swap?

[pennyman1]

yes - look for one from the intercooled models, they are 188 HP stock. 89 starquest (starion / conquest) ECMs are the best as they don't have a fuel cutoff when the boost is increased. Will be helping a friend do this very swap soon - pics and details to follow.

[Chyrio]

yes - look for one from the intercooled models, they are 188 HP stock. 89 starquest (starion / conquest) ECMs are the best as they don't have a fuel cutoff when the boost is increased. Will be helping a friend do this very swap soon - pics and details to follow.

Sweet, I'll be looking forward to that info.

So I have done some fine tuning to my plan of what i want to do here.

1st I would like the truck to have around 200 to 250 hp
2nd I still want decent MPG as i would like to take road trips with the truck
3rd i would prefer to keep the tranny (KM132) I already have in it.
4th aside from minor body modifications I don't really want to do a hack em up and weld kinda job here looking for more of a drop in with tweaking kind of solution.
5th I'm kinda limited to what I find on EBay and online stores with shipping to alaska (stuck up here for a while unfortunately) this kinda limits my ability to buy things from forums and such as most people parting stuff out are not willing (nor am i willing) to pay 500 bucks in shipping for a 500 dollar part.

So knowing this from what i have read on the forums here I'm looking at a few options correct me if I'm wrong on any of these

1. Find a DOHC DSM head, accompanying turbo, exhaust manifold (could make something if need be), intake manifold, throttle body, ecm, wiring harness, pistons, etc. and use the block i currently have (6 bolt g63b with 91k on it). from what i can tell this might be a viable option as most of these parts i can find around the Internet and get them shipped to Alaska.

2. Find a whole dsm 6 bolt engine with harness and ecu, which would be the ideal option however, I cannot seem to find one, there is one on ebay, and it seems like all of the JDM engine depots are fresh out. Would buy the one on ebay but i dont have the 1300 bucks at this very moment so it will probably be gone by the time i do. my point is finding the whole engine for the swap seems to be kind of a rare thing.

3. Find a g54b 6 bolt from a conquest or starion, now this seems like a good option but i am also unable to find any used engines with most of the stuff with them I can only find blocks and such that are built for performance but its gonna be a while until i have 2500 to 5k to drop on just the block ha ha.

4. I have read about putting a DOHC 4g64 head on the 4g63 block which the 4g64 seems to be a little more common of a engine and i could find those heads easier but then we go back to option 1 with buying all the parts.

So if any of you guys have opinions on these plans or have a better place to acquire parts please let me know even if its just to tell me i'm a idiot and just typed a bunch of gibberish for 10 minutes.

[geezer101]

#1. simplest option - Conquest/Starion 2.6 + hardware. Already configured for RWD and will bolt in.

#2. DSM 6 bolt turbo complete with harness and hardware. Needs to be modified for RWD but a ton of resource info and parts available.
*remember these twin cam engines are also found in Hyundais and Kias minus turbo stuff but it opens up options.

I might have this wrong but there aren't any 4G64 twin cam heads, only 16 valve optioned heads VS 8 valve.

#3. 4G63 single cam turbo. Will be hard to find but a no brainer to build.

Your weak point will be the transmission, But if you keep the power figures at a more conservative level (under 300 hp) it will last depending on how you drive it. Make a stonking thick steel plate for a transmission sump to reduce case flex.

[Chyrio]

#1. simplest option - Conquest/Starion 2.6 + hardware. Already configured for RWD and will bolt in.

#2. DSM 6 bolt turbo complete with harness and hardware. Needs to be modified for RWD but a ton of resource info and parts available.
*remember these twin cam engines are also found in Hyundais and Kias minus turbo stuff but it opens up options.

I might have this wrong but there aren't any 4G64 twin cam heads, only 16 valve optioned heads VS 8 valve.

#3. 4G63 single cam turbo. Will be hard to find but a no brainer to build.

Your weak point will be the transmission, But if you keep the power figures at a more conservative level (under 300 hp) it will last depending on how you drive it. Make a stonking thick steel plate for a transmission sump to reduce case flex.

Hmm so the challenge is really just finding a 2.6 at that point which would not be easy up here unfortunately, since i have been up here i have seen one starion on CL but it was in immaculate shape. I couldn't live with myself knowing i ruined a perfect starion for my truck ha ha.

Here is what I have leads on at the moment up here.

1st gen Eagle Talon but its FWD, guy says he has everything I need to turbo it but he just never got around to it, 500 bucks. weren't all 1G talons DOHC? here is the ad for reference http://anchorage.craigslist.org/cto/5769417393.html

I also have leads on two 88 Mighty Max's both with the 2.4 4g64 carbed engines and 2wd tranny for one. were the KM132 trannys in the 2nd gen Mighty Max stronger than the first gen?

[pennyman1]

88 mighty maxes are either 2.0 or 2.6. - g63b or g54b. The 2nd gen trannies may be stronger, but not as strong as the KM132 tranny in a starquest. Get a Tuffpan for the tranny though and it will survive much abuse - LSR mike can attest to that.

[Chyrio]

88 mighty maxes are either 2.0 or 2.6. - g63b or g54b.

Well that's really good info! In that case is there any significant difference between the starion g54 and the truck ones? Other than carbed vs FI obviously.

[dash]

well u gotta work with what u got.....
i lost track of all the narrow/wide block application crap.... these sharp dudes can probably tell u what u have
narrow bolts right up to DSM motor
ALL details of the dohc transplant found on these forums or here; http://projectzerog.com/
some trucks got low 12s/hi 11s on stock gbox. Perhaps the limit. Don't boost in 5th gear on -any- stock mitsu rwd 5spd, truck or starion

[Chyrio]

Your weak point will be the transmission, But if you keep the power figures at a more conservative level (under 300 hp) it will last depending on how you drive it. Make a stonking thick steel plate for a transmission sump to reduce case flex.

Is there more info on this? I thought transmission sumps where only on autos?

[pennyman1]

the Tuffpan is a billet pan that is 1/2 " thick and installs with studs - not really a deep sump pan.

[geezer101]

Is there more info on this? I thought transmission sumps where only on autos?

Sorry, it's probably better described as a cover plate. A chunk of 1/4" sleet plate should be up to the task of reducing case flex.

[geezer101]

...just noticed pennymans' previous post - 1/2" thick? Holy shee-it, that is crazy thick. It would weigh a ton under there :shock:

[dash]

http://www.tuffpans.com/
says 3/4" or 19mm aluminum not steel

[LSR Mike]

Tuff Pan. served me well. I was grabbing 5th under boost well over 450HP.

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[Chyrio]

Sweet! great info! ill be sure to make/buy one when i get the guts out of the truck. i do plan on a full rebuild with brand new race bearings for the tranny (heard the bearings usually are the fail point with km132's).

What would you say the weight balance is for a 1st get D50? i wanna say something like 70/30

[Chyrio]

Engine has been acquired...

And he wasn't lying, it came with everything I need to convert it over to a turbo accept pistons. Debating about running the factory compression and less boost. hmmm decisions. But i do have, both the manifolds, engine harness, ecu, turbo, throttle body, maf, boost controller, etc. should be fun.

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[geezer101]

You're not going to find any chassis balancing in a small truck. They're weighted like a throwing hammer - everything up front. Best you can do is try to tune the suspension - rear stabiliser bar, urethane bushes and anything that is tired or worn out. Decent shoes will go a long way to keeping it on the road too. With the extra horses, you're gonna need anything that will help keep it from trying to kill you.

[Chyrio]

With the extra horses, you're gonna need anything that will help keep it from trying to kill you.

Thats the whole point in building this thing though ha ha. i thought about getting a soft top bed cover and moving anything i could to the rear like the radiator, battery, wiper fluid reservoir, try to move the fuel tank from the midish area to the rear of the bed (with rear reinforcement of course. i still know it wont be perfect but might help balance it out more.

[Chyrio]

Orrrrrrr.... I know im just dreaming here... ha ha but what if i made a hard top for the bed. but the last foot or so of the hard top was a spoiler that popped up when you hit 60mph or so like porsche's and lexus's have... could put much needed downforce on that rear axle while keeping the factory look.

[geezer101]

The most do-able part of this would be looking for a hard bed cover that fits as closely to the truck, reinforcing it and trying out a JDM style drift wing. Vent your hood to cut turbulence from under the front of the truck and redirect it over the windscreen and get the truck low to the ground and add a front air dam to pull the nose down as well. Moving the radiator will have little impact on weight but shifting the battery to behind the cab will improve distribution.
There isn't much weight you can shed from these trucks as they're practically a canoe already :lmao:

[Chyrio]

hmm I'm just trying not to go for the riced out race look. this truck will be driven a lot. it will be more of a street truck than a track truck. any body mods i want to be modest and hidden if possible. like i was thinking something like this
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But of course not the ratty trashy body ha ha. but i was thinking how that spoiler is sitting i could mimic that in a much more subtle way.

[camoit]

I think under the general section> check this out thread we have 2 videos of the days when we had a class just for the mini truck.

[geezer101]

I think the biggest issue with these trucks is the hovercraft factor. Getting it to stick to the road at speed is the trick. Waaay back in the 70's we had a very limited production 'race' ute (terminology for pick-up Oz style aka light utility) that sported a humongous fibreglass rear spoiler. Don't know if it performed the intended function but it make the bed nearly useless. They are hyper rare now and there wasn't any real interest in a sports ute until the last decade or so. You guys stateside love these crazy things - they are more than marketable but nobody wants to pick up the ball and run with it...

[pennyman1]

they used to make a Texas tail that bolted onto the top rails of the bed like the late 2000s dodge ram daytona pickup. you may still be able to find one

[Chyrio]

Hmm I'll just have to play around with that works. my goal is to have a simple little pickup though. like when you see it all you would think is huh thats a cool old ram 50 but would never think it was a subaru munching, honda killing street machine.

[Chyrio]

Progress update:

Pulling engine #1...
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Pulling engine #2...
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Ready for dismantling...
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But i have a question about brakes. I know on the second gen MM, you can take the 2 piston calipers from a late 90's montero for a easy upgrade. but whats compatible with the first gen MM. Also, can I use the master cylinder from the talon on the first gen MM?

[pennyman1]

If you swap to 2nd gen spindles or drop spindles, you can use the 2nd gen caliper, BUT you have to use the 2nd gen rotors also, as there is a different offset between the rotors, and the 2nd gen rotors are vented, 1st gen are not. If you try to use 2nd gen calipers on 1st gen spindles, you cannot get to the bolts to attach the calipers to the spindle, as the mounting position is clocked in the wrong direction to give bolt access. The 1st gen brakes are also the same as 81 - 86 Toyota Celica front brakes, and performance pads for them work on the truck.

[Chyrio]

The 1st gen brakes are also the same as 81 - 86 Toyota Celica front brakes, and performance pads for them work on the truck.

So your strictly talking about the pads though right? Because the rotors are a 5 lug on the celicas.

[pennyman1]

yes just the pads

[Chyrio]

Are there performance bearing kits for the km132 in our trucks? I was reading about the starion km132 kits but i read something about some of the bearings beings a different inner diameter.

[Chyrio]

Also, I'm trying to understand DroppedMitsu's build guide but his pictures are kinda fuzzy from what i can see its done something like this diagram i made but where does the oil feed to the turbo from? I see the oil return going into the pan but does the turbo get its oil from the pan as well?17794

[camoit]

You can grab oil from the port where the oil pressure gauge goes. The drain should never be less the 45 deg if you can help it. Any oil sitting in the return will cook in the turbo.

[DroppedMitsu]

The turbo gets its oil from the back of the cylinder head on the passenger side. You'll have too much oil pressure and need to run a restrictor if you use a port on the oil filter housing.

[Chyrio]

The turbo gets its oil from the back of the cylinder head on the passenger side. You'll have too much oil pressure and need to run a restrictor if you use a port on the oil filter housing.

So this is where you got the feed for the turbo DroppedMitsu?
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[DroppedMitsu]

Yes, that is the OEM turbo feed location.

[Chyrio]

Yes, that is the OEM turbo feed location.

as far as the coolant locations i know the feed comes from a modified coolant pipe off the water pump. and returns to the back of the head where the coolant return is, i saw that there is a nipple looking thing with the hole blocked off. was this where you drilled out the hole you where talking about?

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[DroppedMitsu]

Yeah thats where my return goes. I ended up drilling that spout out and tapping it for an AN-pipe thread fitting and im running all braided hose and an fittings for all my oil and coolant lines.

[Chyrio]

Sorry for the delay with the project! Money dried up for a little bit. Engine is awaiting going to the machine shop which is waiting on the money for their hard work ha ha. Gonna go with factory 2g pistons on the 1g rods and run the 14b turbo to start, might switch over to a 16g if i have the cash down the line. Wifes cooper is in the garage awaiting a tie rod and a ball joint to come in so the truck is sitting out in the cold. good thing i taped the window up that is broken and falls down ha ha. Today i finally started tearing apart the beat up door cards. planning on buying new particle board and possibly doing a new design or just redoing the factory design with new material.

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[Chyrio]

More updates! finally got the truck in the garage after getting all my other mini projects completed. and got the block and head in so i can start figuring out how much i need to mod the firewall. turns out its going to be about 2.5 to 3" just like stated in other threads. the heater sits right behind the spot i need to move out so i might look into relocating it to the passenger foot well if i cant space it out enough to fit in the factory location. but progress.... Got the interior ripped apart and ragedy old dash pulled out. i imagine finding another one thats not all torn up is going to be close to impossible so i might just make some kind of custom dash that is built off the non removable dash frame.
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[4doorciv]

Coming along nicely. Had a coworker recently ask if I knew anyone interested in an 83 ram 50 turbo diesel 4x4. I woulda bought it if I knew about it a lot sooner. Would have had my own first gen.

[Chyrio]

body lift be looking good ha ha. im thinking about hanging the cab from the ceiling with some rope to mod the firewall and weld in new floorboards. would be alot easier having it like 3-4' off the ground. plus i could mount the engine and tranny on the chassis a hell of alot easier.
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[geezer101]

How bad was the original dash pad? If it had a couple of big splits in it but was still complete you could try filling the cracks with expanda-foam, sanding it back and wrapping it with vinyl. Don't try wrapping it with furniture foam, it will look like crap...

[BradMph]

Geezer, you have any pictures of your dash wrapped in furniture foam? lol Just got a funny feeling you tried it once with that info you gave. :)

[geezer101]

Well, what actually happened was my lecturer did this in shop during a course I did way back (motor and marine trimming). A thin layer of furniture foam was spray glued to the dash - end result was the foam dented and remained deformed due to the glue. I ripped it out and started again. I also showed him how to factory stitch leather sports wheels with the same technique companies like MOMO use (he had a contract with Holdens' HSV division and was stitching them completely by hand - not fun) I wish I had a picture of the retrimmed dash but I only got photos of the door cards and seats. I really miss my Lancer fastback...:green:

[Chyrio]

So i looked into the dash and i suppose its not to bad. what do you think?
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Also... body lift got a little higher ha ha.
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[geezer101]

Are you going to recolor the dash? The worst crack is obviously the one on the corner of the instrument surround. I'd trim off the edges where it has split and curled up, fill it with expandafoam, then glue in an offcut of vinyl to fill the void. Hit it with vinyl color spray and fingers crossed the repair will be discrete. If you're going to recolor it make sure it is super clean. Scrub it with sugar soap and hit it with a pressure cleaner (sounds sketchy but as long as you use a wide fan setting on the nozzle and don't try to blow holes through it, the new color will bite into the dash padding permanently and not flake off like paint - I did this myself and you'd be amazed at what oil and gunk is embedded in a dash...) The smaller cracks you might be able to get away with filling it with RTV and wiping it smooth with a finger.

[Chyrio]

Going to look into the dash another day. for now its all about grinding and cutting. Started grinding at the floorboards and most of the floor seems to be pretty salvageable.
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Also cut the hole for the firewall extension. debating about, how exactly I'm going to do it but for now I'm planning on taking the piece i cut out and making little extensions and welding it back in place. or just get some sheet metal and making a rounded cover to weld into place. unfortunately it seems there was no way to keep the factory mounts for the heater. looks like I'm going to have to find a alternative I'm sure summit or moroco make something for like old hot rods that's a "universal heater" kind of thing.
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also cool shot my friend made while i was cutting.
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[Chyrio]

well started cutting stuff out and the passenger side looked better than i thought but the drivers side is rough. looks like im going to have to cut and fill a lot of holes. the rust has eaten through into the cab where the front body mount is and has started to eat through to under the body where the pinch weld is. I hope I can find a way to cut it all out and weld in new pieces without loosing the factory shape. I'm sure trying to find replacement weld in parts for the cab is impossible ha ha. but on the bright side, the drivers side floor looks to be in ok shape and the passenger side is going to be east to fix. I managed to cut out a square that seemed to eliminate all the major damage.
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[Chyrio]

good things have come in the mail.
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[pennyman1]

Vintage air has a small heat or heat and air unit that is for street rods that should fit nicely.

[Chyrio]

So some updates:

Finally rolled the chassis out to pressure wash the chassis to get ready to paint it. Gonna do the front, then when i have the cab back on I'm gonna take the bed off and do the same thing.
18510
Then something came in the mail!!!
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Dropped those off at the machine shop and thanks to Uncle Spence here on the forums i got my missing grill! Thanks dude!
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Also dropped the pistons off and got the block back from the machine shop! Looks fancy.
1851418515
Unfortunately the money dried up again and the project is going to be on hold financially for a few months again.
Next steps include:
Finish cleaning a painting the chassis
Remove all the mounts for the factory air-box and brake lines and such in the engine bay
Drop cab back on chassis with the block, head, and tranny in to see how I'm going to weld my new firewall to clear the coolant thing on the head.
Weld new floorboard and new firewall in
Prep engine bay for paint
Paint engine bay
Clean the under-body of the cab and paint with truck bed liner
Put engine and tranny back in
Begin wiring harness dissection and modification

That's all i can think off of the top of my head but any advice or opinions on any of that stuff I'd love to hear it!

[Uncle Spence]

You going to paint that block?

[Chyrio]

You going to paint that block?

I'm thinking about it. does the rustoleum engine block paint do pretty well?

[BradMph]

Chyrio, those pistons got delivered to your place by mistake...can you forward them this way for me? thanks lol.:lmao:
Ya want that high heat 2000 degree ceramic paint. I use it on my headers and it is still all very purdy.
Oreilly's has it on shelf.

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[Uncle Spence]

I think it's worth painting. It looks real nice once it's all together. Just tape up any holes and the top and bottom. I had my kids running around before dinner when I painted my block. Took less than an hour and maybe 5 dollars worth of high temperature paint. I went for black though. Paint the oil pan too! It also protects it from oil and such and makes it easier to keep clean.

[Chyrio]

Ha umm looking at the box i guess the address was wrong BradMPH!! I keed i keed but i can get you the link for them if you want! they are only 112 bucks on Amazon shipped. And Uncle Spence how many coats did you do?

[Uncle Spence]

I primed it with a high heat rust preventative primer (red I think) and then just lightly covered the block one layer at a time. I think probably the equivalent of 3 coats.

[Chyrio]

Did you paint the freeze plugs? the machine shop installed new ones after they pressure tested the block and i really dont wanna redo them when they are brand new.

[t97]

If your trying to paint the block without painting the plugs just put grease on them then paint the block and wipe it off when your done.

[pennyman1]

Vaseline works too

[Uncle Spence]

I painted mine. Ya they look pretty all shiny but they will rust eventually so I just painted them. I've never heard that you weren't supposed to.

[LSR Mike]

Paint them.

18627

[Chyrio]

So question for the folks running a setup like this. I have heard a lot of praise from the same folks about ACT clutches and also about South bend clutches. And those two mixed together (pp and clutch disc). What do you guys run? Also I was reading that I need to use the flywheel with the bearing in it but it was mentioned to use the talon flywheel? I have checked both and the truck and the talon flywheel seem to be identical except the truck one has the bearing in it of course. Is there a significant reason to use the talon flywheel and have it bored for the bearing?

[Chyrio]

DSM folks not same folks*

[Chyrio]

I guess it all depends on if i wanna switch to a hydrolic clutch.

[camoit]

When you get headers be sure to check out what we have put together just for the MM people. Don't blow all the power on the cheep set you find on eBay. Get the good ones or even drop the big one for stainless. See link below.

http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/5168-DG-Headers-Paired-port-shorty-header/page2

[Chyrio]

Started painting the block today finally. Just gonna go with a matte black. its cheap and still looks nice. But my next big hurdle that I have been thinking about is brakes. It seems like I can't even find vented OEM rotors?? they are all solid? I have heard of the Celica brake pads but I really dont wanna change my rotors every time i do a oil change ha ha. Is there any other options to get something better that doesn't involve serious machine work? Does anything from a toyota fit with minor massaging or modification?

[geezer101]

You can swap the brake and steering hub assemblies from a Gen 2 and use twin piston calipers from a Montero. Vented discs and twin piston brakes will haul your truck up nicely. Don't know if there are slotted/drilled discs available but seeming you can get them for just about anything there has got to be an option. Add ceramic pads and braided stainless steel teflon sleeved hoses and you'll be able to stop faster than hitting a tree. A brake upgrade is on my 'to do' list as those solid rotors are not great at dissipating heat...

[Chyrio]

You can swap the brake and steering hub assemblies from a Gen 2 and use twin piston calipers from a Montero.

I thought you could only use the Montero setup on a 4x4?

[geezer101]

I think the info on the site says the brake calipers will swap from the Monty to Gen 2 steering hubs but the rotors on the Monty are bigger + some difference with the bearings. Someone will know where the actual post is and hopefully add a link here :pray:

[Chyrio]

I think the info on the site says the brake calipers will swap from the Monty to Gen 2 steering hubs but the rotors on the Monty are bigger + some difference with the bearings.

That's cool I mean as long as I could get vented rotors and dual piston calipers that would be a massive improvement. Do you have to make any modifications to the gen 1 upper and lower arm to install the gen 2 steering hub?

[pennyman1]

use the 2nd gen truck rotors and the 2 piston calipers from the Montero - they will work on the truck.

[geezer101]

... Do you have to make any modifications to the gen 1 upper and lower arm to install the gen 2 steering hub?

The control arms are interchangeable between Gen1 - Gen2 (and Monty Sport...?) Nut and bolt swap, no alteration to suspension geometry or travel :thumbup:

[Chyrio]

use the 2nd gen truck rotors and the 2 piston calipers from the Montero - they will work on the truck.

when you say the 2nd gen rotors and montero caliper work on the truck Pennyman1, do you mean they will work on gen 1 front steering hubs? or i gotta swap over the gen 2 hubs for them to work?

[Chyrio]

Well it may not be the prettiest thing but its functional should look good in the red truck.
Before:
18804
After:
18805

[geezer101]

'Tactical' ain't meant to be pretty. Just tough and straight to business. :thumbup:

[Chyrio]

An update for the project finally. still not to much going on. got two weeks off coming up though and I'm going to finish the chassis and (hopefully) get it painted. cant afford the suspension parts yet but they will come. cleaned them all up though so they are ready to install when the time comes.
18903
got the rotors taken off so i can go to napa and compare them to 2nd gen rotors, I also heard that 2wd 98 tacoma hubs will fit right on to MM spindles? :scratchheadyellow:
18904
Also started modifying the intake manifold. I have 3 and just cut up 2 so I really only have two shots at this. might take it to a shop for this part. especially since i only have a Mig welder. :(
18905
Ran into a issue with the motor though idk if it was the machine shop or if my balance shaft is messed up but the balance shaft that isnt driven by the oil pump is really difficult to push in there and turn once its in there. I really dont wanna deal with it so i decided to go with a balance shaft delete. saves me getting the belt for it too. on the bright side if i decide the "vibrations" are too much it would be much easier to put them back in on the truck than in a eclipse or talon ;)
18906

[Chyrio]

Gots most of the parts for the front suspension. All Moog performance stuff. except the KYB struts of course. Interesting thing is there are two different types of lower ball joints? they look almost the same but the clips holding the boot on are different and one came pre-installed with the little screw in the bottom and the other didn't? ah well not gonna matter when its on the truck. I'm assuming the upper ball joints I'm going to have to press out and press the new ones in? I also got a set of front calipers from a 94 Montero sport coming in tomorrow from we shall see if they fit.
18970

[geezer101]

I've seen slotted and cross drilled rotors for MM's on ebay with ceramic pads for pretty reasonable prices. You going for the 'stage 1' brake upgrade?

[Chyrio]

right now I'm looking at the factory hubs, 2nd gen MM rotors, 94 Montero Sport calipers, and probably ceramic pads for those calipers. Going to try to get stainless brake lines too. in my experience unless you really spend the money and get the good properly made slotted or drilled rotors its not worth the money or the risk.

[Chyrio]

And so it begins....
19007
19008

[geezer101]

Have you seen those freaky pictures of Russian scientists standing over autopsy benches with some weird creature sprawled out over them? Wiring can be daunting and that looks like a whole lot of work. You should be able to simplify most of this down into a single loom for the EMS and the rest for the ancillaries.
Getting this right is one of the more rewarding tasks :thumbup:

[LSR Mike]

I had my own experience....

eliminated the distributor, wired in an eclipse dual coil, and turbo eclipse throttlebody/isc/etc.. to go with a AEM ECU, for an eclipse...they don't make one for our truck but guess what, the ecu pinouts are the same I just had to add the wires for the dual coil and move the others to the throttle body connectors... put in a ton of research before raiding the parts yard.


19009

[Chyrio]

Hmm well that's pretty cool LSR Mike gotta tuck them wires though bruh ha ha. I think i only need the ecm harness and the middle one. I'm pretty sure that the harness towards the wall goes to the taillights and fuel pump, but I'm gonna wire my fuel pump the old fashion way with a relay straight to the battery. the middle one has a fuse box looking thing wired into it but all the other wires appear to be for the headlights, turn signals, and horns. I'm thinking the relays might be the turn signal relays and stuff i need to label everything. I know I'm just gonna use the factory harness for the headlights, taillights and everything else so I'm gonna have to cut that one up too.

[Uncle Spence]

And yet another useful purpose of a billiard table.
With a good diagram of what you have and then a decent vision of what you want to achieve wiring is a doable task.

[Chyrio]

Anybody got a lead on stainless brake lines? also should I run the montero brake booster with these calipers?

[Chyrio]

Also a few updates, started painting the chassis. going with two coats of Rustoleum Primer and three coats of Rustoleum Professional Enamel. still gotta clean some parts of the chassis with a toothbrush to ensure a good adhesion though.
19037
Also de-wrapped the engine management harness from the talon. its a harness from a 90 talon I found out, hopefully that doesn't cause to many problems cause my engine is from a 91 talon.
19038
Also built one of the hubs sorta (haven't packed the bearings yet) so i could see how the 94 Montero hubs would line up and looks like the modifications are going to be minimal.
19039
19040
19041

[Chyrio]

With a good diagram of what you have and then a decent vision of what you want to achieve wiring is a doable task.

And yeah Uncle Spence I am using the diagram from Projectzrog which made a lot more sense when i realized i was looking at the ecu connectors the wrong way ha ha.

[geezer101]

Nice work Chyrio. Damn, now I have to fork out for bigger wheels if I want to ditch the garbage brakes on my first gen. And my brakes are trash too...they need replacing :shakehead:

[Chyrio]

Yet again its been slow progress cause the money dried up but some progress has finally been made.
First of all I finally got the front of the chassis sanded down and began painting, got the second coat on tonight before it started raining.
19129
Going with two coats of primer and three coats of rustoleum professional enamel. hopefully it will hold up for a while.

Also got the clutch and the pressure plate in but they didn't do what I asked them too!
19131
I told them specifically what kind of spline the disc needs to be converted to and they didn't convert it!
19130
But after a quick chat on the phone they are gonna send me the right one and return the one they sent me. Nice customer service ill give them that.

Also got the bearings to block off the oil holes for the balance shaft delete installed. My friend broke my torque wrench otherwise I would already have the front cover back together. Ordered a new wrench today.
19132

Picked these up for 40 bucks after I realized that the injectors that I have are for a N/A not a turbo.
19133

Also got the tranny moved out of the corner and took the inspection plate off. I am no tranny expert but I think the synchros look pretty good. I am still going to have the tranny inspected before I install it. would suck to have that be the first thing wrong ha ha.
19134
also am going to snag one of these: http://www.tuffpans.com/

[pennyman1]

The tuffpans are currently unavailable - he may have them sometime in the future, as there has been people, me included, asking about them to buy.

[Chyrio]

The tuffpans are currently unavailable - he may have them sometime in the future, as there has been people, me included, asking about them to buy.

darn. I'll ask him but looks like I might need to have one made then

[geezer101]

Does it really need to be made from 1/2" thick billet alloy? Surely a sheet of 1/4" steel plate will be more than rigid enough to to hold the trans case together and prevent flexing. Just do away with the drain plug to make fabrication easier and use HT steel bolts for sump bolts. The tuff pan is nice and everything but it is an expensive bit of metal. Anything would be an improvement over the factory pressed steel sump plate.

[LSR Mike]

If you want to use 5th gear, you need to keep the case from flexing. I know, I lost my tranny at Bonneville on my second pass of the Week and had to put it on the trailer, nothing but 4 gear was left(straight Thru). i put on the Tuff Pan( after a complete Gear Replacement/Rebuild). never a problem thereafter.
Here are the pix of the unit and installation. something that can be done if you are handy enough.

19138

19139

19141

19142

19143


19145

[Chyrio]

Got some goodies today:

Finally got a new torque wrench so I can put the bottom end of the engine back together. Also bonus it was a set with a breaker bar! Now I can stop breaking ratcheting wrenches with conduit ha ha.
19154
Also they got it right!! Southbend was very helpful with fixing their mistake and getting me the clutch I needed and I didn't have to ship the old one back or anything, they had UPS come pick it up! 10/10 would recommend them!
19155

[Chyrio]

Is there a reason you can't use a turbo flywheel and pressure plate with us setup? Is the tranny to narrow?

[think1000]

i have a 1979 d50 2.0 with a 4 speed. i currently have it out to replace it with a 5 speed from a newer first gen (1983 i think) but the shaft is bigger so i need to change the flywheel also. any idea on that part number? tried ordering one already and would not even fit in the tranny bellhousing. so now im kinda forced to try the junk yard again but time is a factor since its in the shop. thanks

[geezer101]

You need to find a 5 speed from a 2.0 truck and it will go straight together. It will save you headaches. The 4G52 engines were all 'narrow block' engines.

[Chyrio]

So question, while I was putting the suspension back together I realized that I forgot to buy the upper control arm bushings and mine are cracked but something doesn't looks right with the parts on rock auto. So mine look like these:
19286
But the rock auto parts look like this:
19287
Obviously the bushing design is different. Is the new one just a improved design that will still fit in the factory control arm or do I need to buy the whole control arm with the bushings pre installed? (would prefer not to do this because I already pressed the new ball joints into the upper control arm)

[geezer101]

It might be a stock photo? Doesn't look like a D-50/MM bush set up. Every listing on ebay uses the same/similar image.

[Chyrio]

It might be a stock photo? Doesn't look like a D-50/MM bush set up. Every listing on ebay uses the same/similar image.
But every single manufacturer looks exactly the same with the caps instead of the bolts on the end of them? However if you look at the brand new control arm from any manufacturer, they all have the older style like mine? but even if you go to Moog's site directly, the "cap style" for my model year. if you go to the second gens though, it shows the whole control arm with the same style bushing as the ones I have but obviously its much more expensive to buy the whole assemble and it comes with another new ball joint.

[pennyman1]

the caps screw into the arms - they are all like that for the replacements - that is the same ones I used on Geronimo and he is an 1980. The old bushings unscrew out of the arms so you can remove the shafts.

[Chyrio]

the caps screw into the arms - they are all like that for the replacements - that is the same ones I used on Geronimo and he is an 1980. The old bushings unscrew out of the arms so you can remove the shafts.

So what youre saying pennyman1 is that these old bushings are supposed to unthread out of the control arm? that's really funky?
19290

[pennyman1]

I have to look at Geronimo now - you have me thinking...

[Chyrio]

I have to look at Geronimo now - you have me thinking...

Thank you kind sir! just don't wanna order the wrong part especially when they are like 30 a piece.

[Chyrio]

They are definitely different. So I found these on ebay, notice they have the right style:
19291
19292
19293
Vs mine:
19294
19295
You can clearly see that the inner part of where the shaft goes through is longer and the outer part appears to be bigger and has a lip on it. Well that was a waste of new upper ball joints...

guess ill just have to bite the bullet and go with these puppies http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=7023224&cc=1206997&jsn=915

[Chyrio]

Wait!!!! My dumbass never even bothered to look! there is a model number printed right on the bushing! and viola! http://www.ebay.com/itm/MITSUBISHI-L200-2-SILENTBLOC-BRAS-DE-SUSPENSION-SUPERIEURE-MB-430462-/110750314787?hash=item19c93bb123:g:39gAAOSwrnNXPts n granted these are the only ones on ebay, amazon, or any parts store website but its still way cheaper than new control arms especially considering the waste of the new ball joints.

[geezer101]

I had a feeling they were pressed in. No mean feat getting them out but it shouldn't be that hard finding urethane bushes to do the job. Does the Monty sport us the same control arms the mighty max? Might take some lateral thinking to get a match. I'll be in the market for a full front end rebuild so I'll need to do research...

[Chyrio]

I had a feeling they were pressed in. No mean feat getting them out but it shouldn't be that hard finding urethane bushes to do the job. Does the Monty sport us the same control arms the mighty max? Might take some lateral thinking to get a match. I'll be in the market for a full front end rebuild so I'll need to do research...

Well according to my research the bushings I found are for a l200 but man they are hard to find. And I can't find any from a reputable source anywhere on the internet. Honestly I would just buy the whole control arm assembly with new ball joints. Which I would have done if i didn't already buy the new ball joints and pressed them in. Be sure to upgrade to those dual caliper pistons geezer101!

[geezer101]

Well according to my research the bushings I found are for a l200 but man they are hard to find. And I can't find any from a reputable source anywhere on the internet. Honestly I would just buy the whole control arm assembly with new ball joints. Which I would have done if i didn't already buy the new ball joints and pressed them in. Be sure to upgrade to those dual caliper pistons geezer101!

I can get pressed in urethane bushes here but it'll cost me $$$. We have 2 companies that make them - Whiteline and Nolathane. But they ain't cheap so I'm doing the cross reference thing, There are rubber bushes sourced from Thailand for the L200, Strada and Animal but I'd still prefer the upgrade. And as for brakes, well I'd LOVE to get the twin pistons but I'm not looking forward to buying new wheels to clear them unless I come across a bargain set. I have a new pair of hell lowered springs and a cut set from my donor wreck so at least I have that covered.

[Chyrio]

yeah I'm already having to take into consideration the fact that I still wont have wheels on it when the front is together. I'm going to have to buy some cheap steelies or something to roll it around.

[DroppedMitsu]

I found just the bushings online, I believe rock auto maybe. But I think I had to look at an earlier year or maybe it was 4x4 to find the right bushings. Mine look just like your stock arms.

The shafts/bushings are a pain to press out/in.

[Chyrio]

I looked all over the place droppedmitsu but I already ordered the ones from spain so we shall see... have any of you guys relocated the thermostat to the front? I was looking into it and it seems like there is a couple ways to do it but none of them really give the best guide. I was also reading about how you need to drill another hole in the head but most of the forums I have found related, all the pictures are broken. But another note I was working on my Miata the other day and the coolant neck for the miata is very similar to what you would need I would think, has anyone tried this?
19311

[Chyrio]

Got some parts of the chassis done today and hooked the e-brake back up.
19314
I'm not sure how you're supposed to align the crossmember for the tranny but I just measured from one piece of the chassis to the other and divided that in half to find the center and aligned the crossmember as close as I could get it. Also couldn't find the torque specs for the crossmember so I just went with 50 ft-lbs on the 12 bolts.

Does anyone know what this piece supports? I know it came off the chassis somewhere but I honestly cannot remember where it goes.
19315
Also by the end of this I think my whole fridge is gonna be Rock-Auto magnets
19316

[Chyrio]

Got the old bushings out cause the new ones finally arrived from Portugal!
19378
19379
And right in the freezer they went...
19380
Once the bushings are installed the front suspension can go back together finally...

Had the toughest time finding a FWD Turbo 6 bolt flywheel but finally found one in Denver so I had my buddy pick it up and ship it my way.
19381
Also got a bunch of a bunch of parts on order and they should be trickling in here soon. Progress is being made hopefully the project will start picking up pace as I keep putting stuff back together!

[geezer101]

Does anyone know what this piece supports? I know it came off the chassis somewhere but I honestly cannot remember where it goes.
19315

http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/6598-Funky-chassis-piece?p=56808#post56808

btw, nice work on the frame! :grin:

[Chyrio]

I didn't mean to double post Geezer but I wasn't getting an answer on my thread here and I know the general maintenance area gets more love ;) But man these bushings are a pain next time I will definitely just buy the control arm preassembled. the bushings are kinda crooked that I initially pressed in I hope they will settle :(
19383
but I think my idea for pressing the other bushing in turned out pretty good :))
19384
There was some hiccups though :bang:
19385
19386
this bastard was rusted on there... was not fun getting it off, I guess ill keep a eye on this control arm for a while and replace it if SHTF again.
On the bright side! more parts!
19387

[geezer101]

O.k. with double posting. I saw the other post first but I wasn't able to find it on the second lap of the site lol. I figured if I added a link you would get an answer one way or another. Did my description make sense/help you? Is all that matters. p.s. if that bush doesn't go in properly it will wear out prematurely and fail = WOTAM. It's in these circumstances I would take it into a shop and get them to press it all together (which I have done in the past)

[Chyrio]

O.k. with double posting. Did my description make sense/help you? Is all that matters. p.s. if that bush doesn't go in properly it will wear out prematurely and fail = WOTAM. It's in these circumstances I would take it into a shop and get them to press it all together (which I have done in the past)

kinda. I still cant figure out exactly where its supposed to go. I went and tried placing it in a couple different locations but ill figure it out. I'm not sure what you mean by "trailing edge of the frame" and which wheel well? left or right? But thank you for trying to give me a explanation!

As far as those bushings go they will just have to do for now. gonna have to learn my lesson the hard way and just buy the whole control arm assembly down the road when they do. I'm not about to take everything apart again and spend all night trying to get them to seat in there. Worst case it should still be quite a bit of road time before they completely fail. But on the bright side, the chassis has 80% of a front suspension and fuel lines again!
19389
(sorry for the dark pic)
19390

[geezer101]

Sorry about the ill communication. The deflector/channel/thingy goes on the underside of the frame in the front wheel well (where it slopes away from the control arms. You should be able to see a threaded hole in the frame directly under the bolts for the steering idler arm mount. The other end bolts to the inside of the frame further down.

I wish I had the opportunity to get my frame and suspension assemblies looking as good as yours Chyrio. Maybe it'll inspire me to keep my truck off the road for even longer :rolleyes:

[DroppedMitsu]

That piece goes on the under side of the frame(drivers side) right where it slopes down behind the control arm there where the fuel/brake lines are, you can see the spot in the last pi that's really dark.

[Chyrio]

What does everyone think of the Jay racing thermostat relocation kit for the 4g63? I heard there are some clearance issues, but whats it interfering with? I don't have AC or Power Steering nor do I want them so will it clear? or is it a issue with the timing components?

[Chyrio]

Made some more progress today on the truck.
First of all my buddy and I decided to replace the rocker panels if we can and just patch the floor where it needs it. Figure that's the easiest way to repair most of the rust. I'm gonna grab them from here https://www.parts.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=store.sectionDiagram&siteid=2&vehicleid=97295&diagram=624205&section=BODY%20HARDWARE&Title=Mitsubishi-Mighty Max-Base-L4-2.0- Liter-GAS
We removed those pieces that support the cab from the passenger and driver side footwell and boy am I glad I did :P see for your self
19394
19395
Probably going to make some kind of sturdier mount and either add some drain holes of some kind or get rid of the bowl design completely.

Next up I started piecing together the steering and realized I forgot to order a ball joint :bang: so that's going to have to wait a little while longer unfortunately
19393

The other day I went to my buddies shop and replaced the carrier bearing on the driveshaft. So happy I had the driveshaft out of the truck and already taken apart for that.;)
19396
I am assuming there is not a specific way the fork on the bearing side needs to go back on? I forgot to mark It before I took it off :shakehead:
Glad I decided to replace it though this thing was shot
19397
Still gotta paint the driveshaft then I'll be installing my brand new u-joints :thumbup:

Next up I started working out the tranny mount bushing using the common one for the 75 Colt I think it was? its this one https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3461652&cc=1080223&jsn=4
19398
19399
19400
They are very similar but as you can see in the picture there are some minor differences notably the factory MM one is a 1/16 of a inch longer and the Colt one is about a half a inch taller. Also obviously the Colt one is no simple bolt on for the km132. So here is my solution. Its just tacked together for the moment but I think its as good as I'm going to get short of designing a whole new mount.
19401
All I did was measure the distance from the table to the top of the MM mount and then cut the Colt mount so the MM flange would sit at the same height and I tried to get the angle of the mount close to factory. Worst case, I bought two of those Colt mounts so if the first design fails I have a spare. :stan:

Also got the flywheel I had to scour the freaking internet to find! FWD Turbo 6-bolt DSM flywheel is a tough one. But it works!

19402
Once I get the pilot bearing and the clutch surface done it will be on the truck with these over engineered bolts ARP has :dance1:
19403

And to finish off the night, Finally moved the skateboard I have supporting the truck to the engine support beam so I can paint the part I missed and finally finish the suspension and sway bar :partydance:
19404


But to finish off the night an few more questions:
1. I believe this is the neutral safety switch right?
19405
and
2. Last call on opinions about the Jay racing thermostat relocation kit in my previous post before I just add it to my list of to do's

Thanks for keeping up with me those who are actually reading this! :wavingyellow:

[Chyrio]

O and I forgot! Thank you Geezer and DroppedMitsu, I figured out where that piece goes!

[geezer101]

1. I believe this is the neutral safety switch right?
19405


You have been reading about this thing all over the site - it's THAT reversing light switch. You know, with the ball bearing has got everyone clawing their eyeballs out in frustration. Please say you haven't 'dropped the ball' so to speak?

*oh, and you're welcome. If it wasn't for the fact that my truck is still up on stands I wouldn't have known where this deflector channel thingy was. :thumbup:

[Chyrio]

You have been reading about this thing all over the site - it's THAT reversing light switch. You know, with the ball bearing has got everyone clawing their eyeballs out in frustration. Please say you haven't 'dropped the ball' so to speak?

*oh, and you're welcome. If it wasn't for the fact that my truck is still up on stands I wouldn't have known where this deflector channel thingy was. :thumbup:

I know I have the ball thing somewhere I remember putting it in one of my little bolt box things. But j want to replace the switch because the wires are messed up.

[Chyrio]

Little bit more progress...
Found the little ball you where talking about geezer! I still want to try to find a new switch if I can though.
19413
Also put the first two coats of primer on the front of the chassis.
19414
And started mocking up the new firewall. Might recut this piece to make it more flush, or might just fill in the gaps. I also beat the outside of the hole I made back into the cabin as smoothly as I could. The results are about a inch or so deeper than normal. since I am going to do the Jay racing kit all I really need to clear is the little sensor thing on the back of the head. Hopefully that should do the trick. I cant go to deep as I am going to try to reuse the factory heater core and stuff. I am also thinking of making a little removable panel so I can access everything on the back of the head if needed without removing the head or engine.
19415

[geezer101]

Little bit more progress...
Found the little ball you where talking about geezer! I still want to try to find a new switch if I can though.
19413
Also put the first two coats of primer on the front of the chassis.
19414

If you have a pair of vernier calipers, measure the %@#$ing ball!!?! They all use the same ball bearing and it would be of great help to everyone who is trying to replace theirs after losing one. In bold letters, in it's own thread - maybe with a big picture of it and everything (I'm being sarcastic now). Your frame is looking really nice btw. Don't know if you actually need an access panel to the CAS at the back of the head, it may be more trouble than it's worth. You'll need fasteners welded to the firewall and then you have to able to get to them which will be no mean feat from inside or out. Is it easier to move the engine forward on custom mounts or something? The CAS recess is going into the area where the heater box resides.

[Chyrio]

More progress, first of all I got the rest of the chassis painted finally :rolleyes:
19423

Also got the rest of the new firewall in place, its a little rough here and there but I don't think its to bad for my minimal metal working skills. It will look better when I grind it down.
19424

I picked up a turbo oil pan cause I only had a N/A but I had to bang some dents out of it and I decided to strip the paint, it was pretty rough.
19425

And for the finale, as requested by Geezer. I started a thread about that Reverse switch metal ball.
http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/6611-Reverse-Switch-Ball-Specs?p=56967#post56967

[Chyrio]

O and Geezer to answer your question. The heater box has a gap about a inch and a half from the firewall to allow that sound deadening blanket to fit properly so I made my new piece about a inch deeper than the original firewall. I might need to make some mounts for the heater core but it shouldn't be to much of a issue. And I could have moved everything forward but I didn't want to make custom engine mounts, tranny, and extend the driveshaft. Last time I had the block on the chassis I put the head on to test and I'm not going to lie there was like a quarter of a inch of room so hopefully what I just did will give it enough room to fit even if its a little tight.

[geezer101]

Good luck with it - no sarcasm intended at all. I was a little concerned that you'd go through this (awesome) build and get to part where you drop the engine in, and...clunk. It would be an insta-rage moment if it fouled somewhere. I thought I'd throw this somewhere -

https://blog.1aauto.com/tag/ram-50/

This is a very relevant blog to building a truck and although this guy hasn't followed more linear methods in his build, his tale relates to a lot of members here and their own builds, A good read indeed...:thumbup:

[Chyrio]

So its been a while since I updated the thread but I have been busy with other things unfortunately. But I ordered new rocker panels from parts.com today hopefully they will be here soon. I also got leads on 2g steering knuckles so I can run the Montero calipers and while I was out looking at the donor truck I found the wheels I want!!! I couldn't believe it I couldn't find these anywhere and there was a set sitting in the back of this 87 mighty max! ok so they aren't the exact ones I want like in this picture (not sure whos truck this is but I know they are on here.)
19492
But they are as close as I can get in the USA without spending a fortune. They still look good on the truck though. the center hole is a little to small to clear the little knubs on the hub. Would it be better to modify the hub or the wheel?
19493

[geezer101]

If you knew a machine shop with a big enough lathe, they could mill it out to size in no time. I have seen some nasty backyard wheel butchery to make the centric shoulders fit and I wouldn't advise it. Taking a grinder to the wheel hubs has been done and it may be 'dubious' to grind off the tabs, it works. Not sure about the axle ends on the rear though. These wheels will look awesome refinished. A big clean, hit them with paint stripper, polish them up, spray them black and then take the paint of the raised faces on the wheels. Lot of work but anything worthwhile is never easy.

[Chyrio]

But would wouldn't just grind the little "centric shoulders" off the hub to make it all flat? I was thinking I could just take a note of where they meet the wheel and just sand down little grooves in the wheel so it seats really nice too.

[geezer101]

But would wouldn't just grind the little "centric shoulders" off the hub to make it all flat? I was thinking I could just take a note of where they meet the wheel and just sand down little grooves in the wheel so it seats really nice too.

Most guys will take an angle grinder to the hub as it's fast. Not exactly an ideal method as the centric hub bears the lateral load on the wheel as opposed to the wheel studs doing that (I know that if anyone made a modification to a rim like that and got busted here in Aust the vehicle would be defected and sent off the road but the cop would have to really know what to look for) You could grind recesses into the wheel. It would be a better way than trying to grind the shoulder out of the centre of the rim to clear the hub and be less likely to affect the rims' structural integrity.

[pennyman1]

I saw on a Facebook post where someone used a router with a square bit and cut the wheel to clear the tabs - not something I would do, but it sounds interesting...

[geezer101]

You still have to figure out what to do for the rear axle - the rims will need clearance all round for the centre hub shoulder on the axle ends.

[Chyrio]

Sorry for the absence gentleman I had to finish up some other projects before winter hit just havent had the time to post up whats been going on.

So first I got the turbo oil pan cleaned up and painted (dont have a pic of it painted yet)
19695
I started messing with the steering and painting stuff
19696
19697

I dont remember if i already mentioned this but I started mocking up how I am going to extend the throw-out bearing 1/4 of a inch
19698

Next i started on the body work which has so far been a long process...
First my friend Travis and i started by making a support beam for the cab so when i took the rocker panel out it wouldnt warp the body.
19699
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19701
I bought some corroseal which seemed to work pretty well cleaning up the rust.
19702
19703

We started working on the rocker panel and well... we did what we could its not going to come out perfect but It will not be holy or rusty. more to come on this...
19706

I came up with a idea of how I want to remake the rusted out front cab body mount things. Idk who's idea at Mitsubishi it was to slap three pieces of sheet metal in literally a small dish shape together and call that good. So i am having some 3/4" steel pieces made to create a "no cup or sandwiched sheet metal" design. They should be here on Monday but I still needed to cut out the floor to get rid of a lot of the rust and then we made a piece to fill it in which is made of pretty strong sheet metal.
19704
19705

To be honest I am running out of time, I need to get this cab back together and on the truck. I'm just going to do what I need to to make it "acceptable." when I get back to the states I am just going to find a good clean truck and swap cabs.

[geezer101]

You are putting in a lot of work for a cab that you ultimately want to ditch. I'm not being critical but most guys would bang a heap of fibreglass on it and call it done. It looks like the tin worm has made a 3 course meal out of your truck. It will be super solid when you're done. Good work Chyrio :thumbup:

[Chyrio]

It looks like the tin worm has made a 3 course meal out of your truck.

Ha you should see the other one I just bought for some interior parts i needed in it. the door frame where it meets the front of the rocker panel on the drivers side is literally falling into the rocker panel, and the front and rear body mounts are not even supporting the body anymore its just laying on the frame. but... I drive it around anyways cause its a fun little truck to beat on ha ha. I cant figure out what this damn thing is called though.
19715

The truck starts better with a manual choke going to that flapper thing in the beginning of the intake, but then runs like shit cause the manual choke in the truck is busted and wont close all the way. and with this vacuum solenoid in there the truck runs great when its warmed up but has trouble starting every cold start.

[geezer101]

That link isn't working. The choke cable probably needs adjusting. You could try to disconnect the cable end to the choke, pull the choke lever in and then reconnect the choke. It should give you more (if not all) of the choke control again. Manual choke is pretty uncommon. I would check the throttle stops on the carb to make sure they are set correctly and then check the ignition timing. Some guys make the mistake of trying to adjust base idle with the distributor and then it either starts rough or doesn't run right. Also might be a clogged up jet. You can try purging the carb by cupping your hand over the carb throats while it's running and near-stalling it. Sometimes that is enough to pull debris out of the jets.

[Chyrio]

sorry here is the picture i posted
19716

And i mean the truck runs great (accept a bad head gasket) if you hold your foot down on the gas a little when you start it for the first 30 seconds or so then let off and it runs amazing the entire time until you cold start it again. engine fires right up after being off for up to a hour or so. I'll have to find a guide on adjusting these carbs. never had a carbed vehicle before to be honest well not as my daily.

[Chyrio]

the other option is i know a guy who has a 4g61 he is selling for like 50 bucks but i would have to find a harness (I only have a N/A harness to spare) a valve cover, exhaust manifold, injectors, turbo, and some sensors. O and a dsm flywheel. If i could piece it together for cheap I would just throw it in there. and call it good. but this truck really isnt worth the effort (talking about the white one)

[geezer101]

Is the white truck running...a Solex carb? Can't say I have ever seen that before. It is a vac actuator but what was it hooked up to? The primary or secondary throttle butterfly?

[pennyman1]

I found an 86 ram 50 in a jy with a 79-80 2.6 in it with a solex on it - carb was junk

[Chyrio]

decided to say screw it to the white truck and parked it until i pull the parts I need and focus on my other project, the alcan miata. But progress on the red truck! So we started welding stuff back in and making pieces to fill the holes while trying to maintain the shape of the rocker panels. Its never going to look 100% again without some serious work but I am going to do what I can to make it look decent again. I honestly lost track of the welding and what we did when so here is a bunch of random pictures:
19782
19783
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1978719788

And i had a buddy make me this plate. I asked for 1/2" aluminum stock but he only had 1/4". Figure its still much stronger than the factory plate. What do you guys think?
19789

[LSR Mike]

Use Two 1/4 inch plates....or don't use 5th gear...

[pennyman1]

Or weld strips of 1/4 inch aluminum across the plate - not enough meat there with the flat plate.

[geezer101]

The 1/4" alu sheet plate won't be rigid enough to prevent the gearbox case from warping (this is what causes blown gears - especially 5th as Mike pointed out). It really needs to made from a chunk of billet alloy not less than 1/2" thick to brace the gearbox. I doubt welding strips to the 1/4" will prevent torsional warping though. On my to-do list...

[pennyman1]

I saw on a Facebook page that the tuffpans will be made again soon - not sure when soon will be though - LSR Mike, you know the maker of the pans - any timeline?

[Chyrio]

If i can get the guy to make another one of those tuff pan kits it would be amazing. and yeah I was a little disappointed when he dropped the 1/4" plate off but it was free out of the kindness of his heart so I couldn't down the guy.

[Chyrio]

I just sent a comment to tuff pans using their contact us option inquiring about continued production of the tuff-pan kit. I will let you guys know what they say

[pennyman1]

Maybe the forum needs to put together a group buy to convince him to make them again. Guaranteed sales helps change people's minds

[geezer101]

If I'm looking at this right, the plate is 0.75" (19.05mm) thick. If you need a chunk of 6061-T651 alu at approx 8.5" x 8.5" you could get a piece under $50 USD and then either DIY it or get a machine shop to mill the holes. I probably wouldn't even bother with a drain plug hole (if I need to drain the oil I'd just drop the plate). I would tend to use hex key bolts and recess them into the plate to eliminate the risk of the bolt heads being mashed if you have a moment where ground clearance isn't your friend (unsure if this would undermine the plates ability to remain rigid) or use button head bolts. Yeah, it won't be as pretty as the tuff pan but nothing a hit of paint won't hide. You could theoretically pull off a DIY pan for under $70 with all the hardware depending if you can drill and finish it in house.

[Chyrio]

If I'm looking at this right, the plate is 0.75" (19.05mm) thick. If you need a chunk of 6061-T651 alu at approx 8.5" x 8.5" you could get a piece under $50 USD and then either DIY it or get a machine shop to mill the holes. I probably wouldn't even bother with a drain plug hole (if I need to drain the oil I'd just drop the plate). I would tend to use hex key bolts and recess them into the plate to eliminate the risk of the bolt heads being mashed if you have a moment where ground clearance isn't your friend (unsure if this would undermine the plates ability to remain rigid) or use button head bolts. Yeah, it won't be as pretty as the tuff pan but nothing a hit of paint won't hide. You could theoretically pull off a DIY pan for under $70 with all the hardware depending if you can drill and finish it in house.

I think its just the peace of mind and a warranty thing. i mean tuff-pans sells the pans by themselves for 100 bucks. so really your paying 30 bucks for labor

[Chyrio]

but pennyman1 I am totally down for a group buy

[geezer101]

I think its just the peace of mind and a warranty thing. i mean tuff-pans sells the pans by themselves for 100 bucks. so really your paying 30 bucks for labor

I checked the site and if I read it correctly, it was $149.95 USD with hardware. I looked up stainless steel and fancy shmancy titanium bolts on ebay and it still comes in way under budget if you DIY. Ultimately, there shouldn't be any risk of a fat slab of T651 alloy failing so the warranty won't get tested in a hurry. The tuff pan is outstanding value for money though when you factor in CNC milling and the anodising .

[Chyrio]

Sorry I have been not keeping up with this those that are interested. Other projects and well winter is depressing ha ha. But anyways Some progress has been made!

Got everything welded back together except the firewall which i broke grinding and decided to make a removable panel (I think keep going back and forth on this) also got my spacers made which worked perfect.
19880
19881
19882
19883
19884
19885

Also finally put the rest of the suspension and steering together. I still need to find some 2g hubs or buy drop spindles (still debating) to get the calipers to bolt up correctly. Nothing is torqued yet I need to put a sticky on there to torque everything before i drive it falling apart down the road ;]
19888
19890

Also finished my design for the throwout bearing dilemma. It seems to fit fine and pushes the bearing out 1/4 of a inch. I tried to mimic the stock design as much as possible without modifying the center where the shaft slides. Testing phase begins when I get the flywheel back from the machine shop this week hopefully, gotta have that pilot bearing.
19891

I have had the driveshafts painted for a while but I am finally going to take them to my buddies house to install the new joints this weekend.
19892

So plans for the next few weeks is:
-Get some kind of stripper and clean the old coating off the bottom of the cab since a lot of it got burnt from the welding. And repaint then seal all the holes and crevices with some sealant.
-Make up mind about firewall.
-Paint throw-out bearing
-Install joints in driveshaft
-Once flywheel gets back, install block, tranny, and driveshaft on chassis.

I have a question though:
-What kind of lube if any should I use on the input shaft for the tranny?

Also opinions? things I am missing? reminding me I have no idea what I am doing and telling me the right way??

[geezer101]

Sounds like you are keeping busy regardless of winter kicking in. None of your images are working (I am getting an invalid attachment error on all of the above links). The good thing about winter is being able to work on individual parts on the truck. I spent a fat chunk of winter bunkered down in the garage doing the port work and manifold mods while it poured outside.

[Chyrio]

Idk what happened. the webpage kept crashing on me. but here they are in order:
19880
19881
19882
19883
19884
19885
19888
19890

Idk why but it wont upload some of my pictures???

[Chyrio]

idk wtf just happened. anyways you see my point ha ha and Geezer believe me. under 10 degrees for the last 2 weeks and 4 hours of daylight. I am just looking for a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

[geezer101]

Yeah, I hear ya. It was freaking cold that winter when I started porting out my head. My advice is get the 2G hubs, they will make life a lot easier for you. And something else I found out - 1G and 2G front stabiliser/sway bars are interchangeable but the 2G is a few mm thicker. Good upgrade on the cheap. I so far haven't tackled my rust issues but they are nowhere near as bad as yours were, but you are pretty much doing everything I have to bring the truck back into service. I'm going to use the twin piston calipers off a 2000 model Mitsubishi Challenger with stainless steel braided brake hoses. The calipers had near new pads on them and bolted up to my 2G hubs without any issues at all but they are designed for a slightly wider diameter brake rotor. I'm looking into a newer/better brake booster and master cylinder as I have little faith in the ancient booster and dual reservoir master set up.

[Chyrio]

Finally got the flywheel back from the machine shop!
19931
And finished cleaning some stuff up and painted the throw-out bearing.
19932
19933
Mounted the engine!
19934
And mounted the transmission!! Used some lucas red n tacky to put a thin film of lube on the TOB shaft and the input shaft.
19935
Cant help but feel like i forgot something... But I guess we will find out. Next stage is assembling and installing the driveshaft and clean the bottom of the cab and weld in the firewall and torque everything i forgot and and and... ha ha someday

[LSR Mike]

Painted the Throwout Bearing? Amateur.....:-)

19936

[Chyrio]

Painted the Throwout Bearing? Amateur.....:-)

I only painted it because we had to make some modifications with some metal stock that wasn't coated with anything like this...
19937

But anyways, It now has a means of movement again! I finished the driveshaft and installed a new rear main seal.
19938
19939

I have a question though. how do you center the carrier bearing?

[LSR Mike]

Had to rag you a bit, I cleaned & painted all my parts (except internals, they got numbered) while waiting for other parts to arrive.
19940

I don't know about the carrier bearing, I had a single driveshaft. May I suggest a chalk string between the Tranny and Diff. Snap a line....

[Chyrio]

I don't know about the carrier bearing, I had a single driveshaft. May I suggest a chalk string between the Tranny and Diff. Snap a line....

Them some pretty parts dude. I wish i had time. I hate to cut corners but I only have like 5 months to get this truck together. I am starting to need to compromise :/.

But idk about that slap a line thing. I mean should the bearing be centered to the chassis or the transmission/axle. I would think the later. Gonna do some more research.

[geezer101]

I would say the driveshaft should be in parallel between the forward and rear driveshaft yokes. And don't worry about Mike lol. Hell, I have an engine block that I ground all the buttresses and shelves smooth and all the internal faces were literally polished. That block is going to have to wait for when I can do a full bomb-proof build. Even DIY porting requires a huge amount of time to get it to a point where you'd be happy to bolt it up to an engine (I spent about 40 hours in total on the port work, and I re-worked it because I wasn't happy with the first pass) You are making leaps and bounds with progress and will be able to enjoy your truck soon enough. :thumbup:

[Chyrio]

So been trying to do some stuff in the background because I really don't want to work in the cold with the garage open. (0 to 9F for the last two weeks.) I started messing with the wiring harness and while i have some questions that I'll address when I am installing it but for now.
What you don't need:
19958
Vs what you need:
19959

I also pulled the fuel tank to start working on the electric fuel pump install. But I have a question:
What are these empty plastic tanks on top of the tank? Do i need them for my electric fuel pump install? I mean the two hoses at the bottom of the tank are the supply and return right?
19960

Also got bored and mounted some clocks that dont tell time ;)
19961

[geezer101]

o.k. those 2 empty tanks are air chambers for the breather system in the tank. You can see that there is a transfer pipe between them where the vapour canister line is bridged into it - this allows fuel vapour to travel from either end of the fuel tank regardless of what angle the truck is being driven on. Don't mess with it. I would bet that you may end up with raw fuel getting pushed through the vapour line (another bet that this would be bad)

[pennyman1]

those have to be there as Geezer stated. Also be sure the hoses are good and connected properly.

[Chyrio]

I found in the manual how it describes what they do and where they go:
19964

But in this scenario, should i used the emissions system from the talon the engine came from or the truck one?

[geezer101]

I would say simplify it and use the truck emissions - unless there are emissions control sensors that will affect how the engine runs. Most of the emissions stuff just strangles the engine and affects how it idles.