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Just picked up a 1980 Dodge D50 base model in North Texas. This is my first Japanese truck. Its got the G52B motor which I think is the 2.0L and a 4 speed manual transmission. The "Super Goat" is a one owner farm truck from Colorado but the rust isnt too bad. When I picked it up it was sitting under a tree so it was covered in sap, a few hours of scrubbing later it's looking alright. The second thing I noticed was the drivers side window and interior door handle are out of commission so i'll be searching on how to fix those but my main reason for joining the site was to figure out the workings of this carb I've heard so many war stories about. When I picked it up the previous owner sprayed some ether down the throat and it fired right up but after further inspection its not all hunky dory under the filter. After I backed it off the trailer the throttle hung open and I was thankful the blanket stuffed in the large hole in the seat was brown. I found a bar coming off the throttle cable that wasn't connected to what I guess is the throttle plate or a choke of some kind and the bar was lodging under another linkage and holding the throttle open so I put it back where I think it goes and now I just need a C clip to hold it on. After i got it parked and washed I found the motor has very little oil and the overflow reservoir is empty so all new fluids is coming shortly and I figure spark plugs a bit later. Is there anything not on the sticky at the top I should look for off the bat for my specific engine or does the starting out sticky cover everything? Thank you all for having this forum available for people like me looking for knowledge that most of you have gained the hard way and thank you for any responses and hints. Ill add some pictures a bit later.

Welcome to the forum ironhorseprop3 - you'll find things as you go through the truck, making it yours. Since you're keen on the to-do list (sticky) you'll be plenty busy. Perhaps a 1st generation guy will add more - I'm just here with the welcome mat :)

Hi and welcome to mightyram. The G52B is the 2.0 version of the Astron I engine. If you're not planning on restoring it you have plenty of options to improve it. IMO the G52B is an unsung hero and is quite happy to rev it's head off compared to the 2.6. Give the engine a huge flush, it's gonna need it. If you do highway miles you can swap it up to a 5 speed. Check the centre carrier bearing in the tail shaft, it will probably be shot (this thing will make it rumble like a tank...) Clean out all the drain holes in the front fenders as this is always a place where rot is a concern. No such thing as a 'dumb' question - you don't ask, you won't know. :thumbup:

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First picture after I picked it up.

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Got at the tree sap with simple green and a big scrub brush.

If that don't remove it, try Naphtha - it is a type of paint thinner that is used to thin enamel paint, and is also used in bug and tar remover and charcoal lighter. It is also great at removing grease and undercoating. It will not attack the paint like lacquer thinner does.

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Cleaned up pretty well. Waiting for some polishing pads to come in and I'll see if I can get it to shine again.

Looks terrific !!

Looks like a different truck. Love the retro windows on that canopy

Oh man, it looks like a completely different truck! Hard to believe this was under all that black gunk. I know a picture tells a thousand lies but this D50 looks like it's in pretty good shape. The canopy is kinda unique but it looks good without it. Any progress on getting it to run without the throttle jamming open? The good thing about the paint on the Gen 1's is how they bounce back to life after a decent polish and wax. You won't need to go hard on it, you'll probably find the paint is getting thin along the body lines so don't be surprised if you go through the top coat (they had a good coat of paint on them from factory but this is a 35+ year old truck...)

The paint is not basecoat / clearcoat, so any color coming off is the paint. The carb is a major issue on these trucks, and the carb you have has a choke that is not rebuildable / replaceable, so if it doesn't work, you will have to convert it to a manual choke. A weber is a great upgrade, but if you have 4g63s laying around, you may not want to go to that expense. The 4spd tranny will work with the 4g63, but the flywheel may not depending if it is a 6 or 7 bolt motor. Welcome to the forum!