New owner 1980 D50 Sport

Just bought a yellow with full stripe package 1980 D50 Sport today. I got it from a young lady going to college, who blew the head gasket/cracked the head (3 valve head) on a road trip. She could not afford to fix it, so sold it to me. It was already disassembled by her mechanic so I got it with the head removed. It appears to have had AC at some point, but there is no condenser. Looking on here, I see where the AC systems were an add on by dealers/importers which is probably why it looked less than factory. I am guessing that the condenser must have been removed by a previous owner after hitting something, as the grill is barely hanging on.

She claims that the pickup only has 41k miles, but looking at it, I am guessing that it is probably 141k. Either way, I plan to pull the engine the rest of the way out.

Once I have passed my "nube" probation period, I will post some pictures.

Thanks, Jeremy

Hi and welcome to mightyram. We are still getting members signing up with D-50 Sports - it amazes me that they keep popping up and in decent shape. You can get condensers online relatively cheap and it probably wouldn't have been a bad idea to upsize the existing condenser to improve efficiency anyway. The AC is a nice bonus. You don't see that many Gen 1's fitted with it. It would also be a good idea to get your hands on a non jet valve head for this engine as the jet valves were the weak link in the 2.6's.

Feels good having that truck & the forum support... We are happy too, welcome... The constitution says something about pics photos etc...:thumbup:

The doggy looks happy too :)

Thanks for the welcome. I am trying to track down a new cylinder head. My local machine shop told me about a block off kit that is/was available to delete the jet valve, so hopefully if I am unable to find a 2 valve head, I ca still find that kit. I'm on the fence about the AC. It would be great to have, but maybe something that I work on down the road. Attachment 24405Attachment 24406

Welcome!!
Another Nice 1'st Gen...
As to the A/C, check posts from forum Member 'hutch' . (1980 Plymouth Arrow g54b).
A start to finish install with all the needed mechanical/electrical/control/ pieces/ parts.
:).
P.s, hutch's Arrow is the same color !!
Its an Omen I tell Ya !

Really nice truck for Northern Idaho. Shame the wheels are different and not all the sport ones.
I wish that they had kept the single headlight set up as time went on with the 1st gen trucks.
All the best in looking for parts, and welcome to the forum.

It's interesting that there were 3 headlight combos for Gen 1's. The dual round headlights seem to be the rarest... You might get lucky and find the multi spoke sport wheels to make up the set. What's your interior like?

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Originally Posted by Uncle Spence

Really nice truck for Northern Idaho. Shame the wheels are different and not all the sport ones.
I wish that they had kept the single headlight set up as time went on with the 1st gen trucks.
All the best in looking for parts, and welcome to the forum.

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Thanks!

Luckily, the last owner has the stock rear wheels and I am getting those later. I plan to repaint/powder coat the stock wheels back to a better yellow. The rear wheels are Nissan/Datsun wheels that are 15" and the tires are way too big and really old. They are an accident waiting to happen. I won't be driving it on those tires.

1st Gen single headlights are my favorite as well. Couldn't pass this one up.

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Originally Posted by geezer101

It's interesting that there were 3 headlight combos for Gen 1's. The dual round headlights seem to be the rarest... You might get lucky and find the multi spoke sport wheels to make up the set. What's your interior like?

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The wheels were part of the deal, just waiting to get them.

Don't know that I have ever seen a round headlight version, very interesting...

The interior is in pretty good shape. The usual cracks in the dash pad, headliner is falling out, and the everything needs a good cleaning. The driver's seat has boards put in under the pad (old man fixing) and it feels like a bleacher when you sit on it. My plan of for the time being is to swap the bottoms of the seats so that I can stand to drive it, and find/repair the springs in the bottom half of the seat and remove the boards. The stock radio and speakers still function, and since my plan is to use this as my daily to work and back when the weather is not motorcycle friendly, the AM/FM is all that I need. I guess if I really get into longer drives, I will get one of those FM modulator things for my phone. The carpet is in really good shape as well. This truck is really in pretty decent shape. Just needs some tinkering and an engine overhaul.

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Originally Posted by xboxrox

Feels good having that truck & the forum support... We are happy too, welcome... The constitution says something about pics photos etc...:thumbup:

The doggy looks happy too :)

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Yeah, out of my whole family, I think he is the most excited for the new pickup... :))

So, ITM Engine Components has responded to my email about the cylinder head that they offer on eBay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/13293544992...84.m1436.l2648

They said that they can't see where the 2.6l was offered in the 1980 D50. I assured them that I do in fact have a 2.6l engine. From what I can see in the only picture in the listing, the rear of my valve cover will not work with the head they offer... has anyone else ran into this issue with the flat valve cover and the half circle openings for the cam install?
Attachment 24420 Attachment 24421 Attachment 24422 Attachment 24423

There doesn't seem to be any newer style valve covers available on eBay or anywhere online that I have been able to find.

Jeremy

There are different variants of the 2.6 - G54B, 4G54B, 4G54 (Astron I/II). I do know that you can't interchange rocker covers from early to later engines. Putting an early cover on a late head will cause the rockers to hit the inside of the cover (not good...)

From what I have just been told, the head that I have is a 2.0l Chain Drive head. I think someone may have put the 2.0 head on my 2.6 engine like what I have seen in a thread on here. Now I have to see how readily available those are...

Check the designation code on the engine block. The early trucks came with a 1.6 or 2.0. You can use a 2.0 head on the 2.6 as long as you use a 2.6 head gasket to avoid the gasket encroaching the combustion chamber. Someone has been playing musical parts with your truck or it is a 2.0.

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Originally Posted by geezer101

Check the designation code on the engine block. The early trucks came with a 1.6 or 2.0. You can use a 2.0 head on the 2.6 as long as you use a 2.6 head gasket to avoid the gasket encroaching the combustion chamber. Someone has been playing musical parts with your truck or it is a 2.0.

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I think someone has been playing musical parts.. all of the under hood decals show 2.6l and G54B. I need to get a better look at the engine this weekend. This is how I received it:
Attachment 24424

Yes, that is a header, which makes sense for a 2.0 head swap. The mechanic that was trouble shooting for the gal that I bought it from just removed the head and left everything else attached under the hood. I am planning on a full removal so I can evaluate what I have. I hope to find a head either 2.0 or 2.6 that I can use. At this point I can't be too picky. I just need a head and valve cover, of course so far that is proving very difficult.

The headers and intake manifolds swap between the 4G52 and early 4G54. So the headers will work either way. If that is the correct image for the head you are looking for - it's a later head design. Your intake manifold isn't going to bolt up to it as the stud pattern is different. If I'm wrong someone will step in and part with their wisdom :pray:

I may have found what I am looking for. I looked at a 79 D50 Sport that has been sitting apart for the past 13 or so years not far from me. It has the 2.6l engine and the owner has a head that is not cracked (visual inspection only). The truck is in a sorry state, being taken apart and out in the elements for a very long time. However, it has a good amount of usable parts - most importantly the head and valve cover. We are negotiating on price, so I may end up with an entire parts pickup.

This may solve my engine issues and could potentially get my D50 back on the road sooner.

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Originally Posted by geezer101

Check the designation code on the engine block. The early trucks came with a 1.6 or 2.0. You can use a 2.0 head on the 2.6 as long as you use a 2.6 head gasket to avoid the gasket encroaching the combustion chamber. Someone has been playing musical parts with your truck or it is a 2.0.

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Where are the designation codes located on the engine block? I tried to look this past weekend while removing parts under the hood, but everything has a solid coating of grime on it...

Thanks, Jeremy

as you now know, the 2.6 motor in your truck is the early head with an intake with 2 bolts to the front of the intake - 81 up have 1 bolt in front and 1 bolt under the thermostat housing. The jet valve eliminators are a swap out of the jet valve assemblies, and run 35 to 50 a set. the block code is on the exhaust side of the block near the front on a raised part of the block. If you do decide to fix the A/c, you will need a condenser with flared fittings, unless you redo the fittings to the o-ring style.

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Originally Posted by pennyman1

as you now know, the 2.6 motor in your truck is the early head with an intake with 2 bolts to the front of the intake - 81 up have 1 bolt in front and 1 bolt under the thermostat housing. The jet valve eliminators are a swap out of the jet valve assemblies, and run 35 to 50 a set. the block code is on the exhaust side of the block near the front on a raised part of the block. If you do decide to fix the A/c, you will need a condenser with flared fittings, unless you redo the fittings to the o-ring style.

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I see what you mean about the hole locations. How hard are the first gen heads to locate? Is it easier to just find a second gen intake? I didn't see that difference until you pointed it out and I took another look at the pictures. I definitely have a first gen intake. Has anyone ever tried to modify their head or intake to marry gen 1 and gen 2 parts?

Nice Sport and nice paint!

I would change the intake manifold and the matching rocker cover and call it a day. Intakes for later heads are easy to get and are slightly better designed. But if the donor truck you're eyeballing has everything you can use and it's in serviceable condition, problem solved. I do actually like the look of the Astron I rocker covers with the ribs and channels through the middle of it though...

if you want to know intake compatibility go online and look for the gaskets for each and compare the 2, or since you have a 2.6L head and intake you could answer that question for 100% sure!

The owner of the parts D50 is going to check for a date code on the head, but I also sent him pictures to compare what I need versus what the newer 2.6l head ports look like. If it's not a match to my intake, then I will locate a newer intake and rocker cover and just buy a new/reman head on line.

As much as I want some of those other parts, if the engine parts won't work, then I can't justify the expense right now. I may eventually get it, but I need to get mine running first. I didn't buy mine to be a piece of driveway art.

I will keep you all updated as I get more information.

I got some pictures that confirm that the 2.6l head that the parts truck has is the correct 79-81 head. All the holes are in the right locations.:grin:

Now I just need to negotiate with my wife to allow me to pull another D50 home...