1986 Dodge Ram 50 Custom

New guy here with a 1986 Dodge Ram 50 Custom, g63b with 5 manual transmission. Got it early this week as my daily driver, only has 84K on the clock. Real clean truck, previous owners took real good care of it. I've already swapped out the steering wheels for a sport steering wheel and put in 1st Gen Montero seats, Ill be hitting the salvage yard to get another set of rails for the passenger seat. Idmediate plans are to install sound deadening material on the floor, new flooring and center console. Future plans are 5 lug swap with some nice school wheels, paint and g32bt engine swap.

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I've have the idea to rebadge my truck as Mitsubishi since I bought it. So this weekend I removed the Dodge lettering and painted my grill black. The old silver painted had been faded away and I was left that dull plastic look. Once I saw how good the paint looked, I decided to add amber film over my bight headlights. I wanted that old school look. Instead of using Mitsubishi 3 diamond emblem, I googled and found the Mitsubishi Debonair emblem. It looks way cooler that the standard 3 diamond imo. I wanted customize that emblem into something that would reflect the Mitsubishi Mighty Max and came up with this idea. I designed this using Google's Sketch Up program and used my 3D printer to print it out. It came out great minus the little vines that didnt come out so good. Plan to replace those with the word "Mitsubishi", but I think this is going to look good once it's painted and placed in the grill. The 3 M's stand for Mitsubishi Mighty Max

I'm going for that old Japanese look with fender flares and wide wheels. I have more to come.

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:clap1: very cool. What kind of plastic do 3D printers use? I was wondering how it will hold up against weather exposure. Could you use clear and fill recesses with a solid colour resin, then backlight it? MM's came out under a lot of different names - L200, Animal, Triton. There are still a lot of new, repro and NOS emblems around just in case you want some more inspiration

I used PVC for the build but I also have PLA but its clear. I've been looking for some more old emblems but some of the smaller details are harder to reproduce with the 3D printer. I would like to cast it in aluminum, then use resins to fill it in. I've also made some grill clips and other small parts.

Very cool...you're on your way....I don't know if this is your first MM/Dodge...but from personal experience I will tell you they are great little trucks....with regular maintenance they are good for 200,000+ miles...I recently read an article from a guy who went well over 300,000 mi before he opened the motor.

This actually my forth. I just received my wink mirror and I'm currently designing some brackets that use the existing sun visor holes to mount it. Should have the first set prints tomorrow.

Awesome...keep us posted

Can someone post the dimensions of 1st generation speaker grills? and pictures?

Update. After moving into my house and finally getting settled in, I started back wrenching. I started upgrading the exhaust on my 2007 Mitsubishi Galant Ralliart. I love this car, I can barely tap the gas and it will put your head back. I gutted the entire exhaust system; it took me almost 2 weeks to remove all the old exhaust. I had to use my sawsall more than the socket wrenches. But I have 2.5” OBX headers, 3” Injen catback exhaust and Injen CAI. With these mods and a tune, I should be able to get 300hp to the wheels.
I finally figured out what I want to do with my D50. It’s going to be a boosted daily driver that builds for MPG. I bought 4G32T for $200, which is 1.6 liter turbo. I’m in the process of converting from TBI to MPI, I got the intake manifold, throttle body, fuel rail and thermostat housing from 4G37 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Everything bolts on the 4G32T, the throttle body needs to be flipped around, the 4G32T head needs to be port to accommodate the larger intake ports of the 4G37 manifold and I may need to construct another thermostat housing because I’m not sure how much clearance I’m going to have at the firewall. I will be using Megasquirt for engine management.

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The head on this has the coolant outlets configured in a way I haven't seen before. On the non turbo head there is a coolant barb facing outward for the heater return which threads straight into the head by #4 inlet port, and the thermostat housing is in the void between the distributor and #1 inlet port. I'm thinking if you can find the external coolant pipe for a RWD 4G32 like on a Mitsubishi Celeste you'll get the heater inlet sorted out and maybe the coolant port for the heater return is lurking under that big thermostat manifold bolted to the side of the head. Take off the pressure regulator from the fuel rail and swap ends as the fuel hose is going to be right up against the firewall (the pressure reg is going to be real close so this will be another issue you might have to work around) Not sure of how to get an outlet to the radiator connected to this...but if you can delete the thermostat manifold this sucker will bolt in no problemo :thumbup:

Can you post a picture of that thermostat manifold?

I can but it will be for a carbed non-turbo 4G32 which might not be of much use to you - I'll go hunting for one :)

o.k. had a couple of pics in my photobucket account. Unfortunately these aren't good close up and are a little over exposed (due to my OCD and all things alloy) but they show how the coolant is routed. These engines are designed to be retrofitted either FWD or RWD by changing the external coolant routes. The thermostat housing on this engine faces towards the back with a gallery directing it to the top inlet of the radiator but all it would take to make it RWD is changing the thermostat housing to an angled neck and swapping the coolant pipe from the water pump.

forward view
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view from rear
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Hope these are of some use to you bwannabeast

New wheels, well old repainted wheels. I pick these up at the pull a part about two months ago, they came from a 1996 Isuzu Amigo 2 door ragtop. I saw them but was undecided whether or not should buy them, so I pick them up the next but one of the chrome rings was missing. They are 16X8 with what I believe is a 0 offset and they are heavy but not bad for $80. The tires are to small in my opinion but I got a good deal on them as well. They are 215/45, I will get a bigger set later.

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They look good. Chrome trimmed wheels suit the era of the truck. The low profile tyres look kinda small but I bet they grab the road really well. :thumbup:

They do look nice.

Did the wheels fit right on, or did you have to do any modifications on them or your hubs?

They fit with no modifications.

Update: I've changed my mind on the 4G32T engine and purchased a 7 bolt 4G63 NA for $300. The 4G32T needed to many mods to fit ie. mount brackets, fuel rail, head porting, wiring, engine management and coolant system. I done this swap before with a 4G67 from a Elantra so I'm familiar with what I need to do. These are the things I've gotten so far

4G63 NT 7 bolt with 140K ($300)
Complete wiring harness with ECU ($45 PnP)
Flywheel and Bolts in the mail ($80)
MAF ($40 Ebay)
Still looking a CAS
Kia Optima Intake Manifold ($35 PnP)
Montero Sport 2.4 Exhaust Manifold ($35 JY)

These are the main thing I need to get it running, I'm trying to see if I can keep this swap under $1000 lol Testing out the Kia Optima Intake not sure if its going to work in the 1st Gen truck because I had problems with the brake booster during my first swap. Yanking the truck engine out this Saturday, can't wait :))

Awesome! Good luck with the swap :thumbup:

Exciting swap. How did the Galant turn out?

I decided not to take the engine out of the truck because I'll need it to haul a few thing around but I got the engine on a stand and started breaking in down. Pictured below is a 2001 Kia Optima intake manifold beside the 4G63 intake manifold. As you can see the all the bolt holes line up, that is the 4G63 intake gasket laying on top. The Optima's ports are smaller but the runners are longer. I had to cut the EGR portion on the Optima intake because it interfered with the rear timing cover. The TB fits no problems. I will have to cut and fill weld the Optima's fuel injector holes to get a clean fit. Another benefit of the intake is that it sits further ahead and will clear the 1st Gen brake booster. When I did this swap in my other truck, a modified stock 4G63 intake needed more trimming to clear the booster.

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Originally Posted by geezer101

Awesome! Good luck with the swap :thumbup:

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The Galant turned out good but remove the Injen 3" exhaust because it was just too loud for my liking. I put the stock catback exhaust on.

does this 7 bolt have the front crank & cam trigger(dont c plate on cam gear) ?
so u won't b moving motor ahead to clear rear CAS ? Intake may clear brake booster then
So using the kia intake u don't have to swap throttle body ends ?

wierd how kia compatible with mitsu, like hyundai
kia sportage 2.0 perhaps a better rwd swap candidate. Some miata folks use & boost em

It doesn't have a front crank or cam trigger, this 7 bolt came out of a 1993 Eagle Talon. In the 1st Gen truck the CAS clears the firewall, its a tight fit but it does clear using a green top CAS. Yes using the 1999 -2004 Hyundai Sonata or 2000- 2005 Kia Optima Intake you won't have to swap TB ends. The Kia Sportage 2.0 engine is a Mazda engine.

Very cool swap. I'm excited to see how it turns out. :)

Well she's in there, I forgot to mention that one of the mounting holes for the transmission was broken. I didn't notice it when I bought it but I'm just going to weld the block to fix it. I removed the thermostat housing and cas studs to clear the firewall. The intake manifold fits with no interference and alot more room in the rear compared to stock intake.

I hit the engine bay with some degreaser, and removed the vacuum canister mount by drilling out the welds. I'm relocating the battery to the passenger side. Since have to relocate the horn and remove the mounts.

It rained today, so next weekend I'll be removing and cleaning the transmission. Installing the flywheel, clutch and attaching it to the engine. Then I'll get to the wiring.

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What are you going to do for an exhaust manifold? I've seen shorty headers on ebay but have wondered if they would foul an engine mount etc. Looks good so far and the Optima intake is a solid win.
Spray the lot with non caustic oven cleaner - it makes short work of grime and doesn't leave a greasy oil slick running down your driveway :thumbup:
...hey, I've got one of those pry bars!

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Originally Posted by geezer101

What are you going to do for an exhaust manifold? I've seen shorty headers on ebay but have wondered if they would foul an engine mount etc. Looks good so far and the Optima intake is a solid win.
Spray the lot with non caustic oven cleaner - it makes short work of grime and doesn't leave a greasy oil slick running down your driveway :thumbup:
...hey, I've got one of those pry bars!

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I plan using the 97-99 2.4L Montero Sport exhaust manifold, I've never seen and aftermarket RWD headers. I've got a 10X16 concrete slab in my backyard that I plan on turning into a garage, it was the reason I bought the house lol I may start building it this week

Ran into a problem that I did not see coming. I have a 7 bolt non turbo 4G63 and the only flywheel I can use is the one that came with that engine and its diameter is smaller than the flywheel that came out my truck by at most half an inch. The clutch assembly bolts to it with no problem but the ring gear is just smaller. Could a different starter from another DSM work? Are the starter gear larger on some car? I'm kinda stuck now, I went to a salvage yard to see if a 7 bolt from a Mighty Max would work but it was way to big. I can't use any of the turbo flywheels because they are stepped. Can someone help me out?

I had to use a turbo flywheel, truck clutch and turbo pressure plate. Got everything installed, just need to install the transmission mount, clutch cable and e-brake cable. Going to install the fuel pump while the truck is still off the ground and replace my leaky filler neck.

That's the exact clutch/pp/flywheel setup I run on my turbo 4g63

Where are you located in NC? I have a 81 Arrow Pickup and looking to do a swap as well.

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Originally Posted by ILLA NOIZ

Where are you located in NC? I have a 81 Arrow Pickup and looking to do a swap as well.

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Greensboro

Nice. Would love to see the final product. I don't have the time or ability to do a full swap myself and might need to pick your brain once completed.
Want to know everything needed, etc to start sourcing parts.
I may swap in a G54B Turbo from a Starion. I like the idea of a period correct swap and it should be pretty straight forward