Just Getting Started - 1992 Mitsubishi Mighty Max!

So i picked up a 1992 Mitsubishi Mighty Max as a backup car (Daily Driver) and now it turned into a project / hobby.

I saw the potential in the truck and had to buy it, I looked past the hideous exterior and so now it begins.

I jumped online and started ordering parts, so feel free to join me on this Little Mighty Max journey...

So far i have purchased, LED Headlights, New Tail Lights, Staggered wheels, Shift knob, Speakers, New Bumper and more to come.

Here is my progress so far...


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Gen 2's are hideous? Ouch. You should see Gen 3's - they look like an underweight rhinoceros. All it needs is a big-ass scrub and clean (get non caustic oven cleaner - it'll be your new best bud, trust me...), some nice shoes (seems like you've got that covered - can't wait to see what wheels you've picked) and a bit of bodywork. You're limited to how far you take your truck due to the Cali oxygen Nazis but you can still do plenty to customise it.

It was a productive day for the MIGHTY MAX today on my day off, did lots of work on the truck

Finally cut the cage OFF (Thank Goodness) Slapped the Wheels on..

The guy I bought them from was advertising them as "Boyd Billet Wheels" 15x8 Front and 15x10 Rear and they already had tires on them. (Personally I want thinner tires with a stretch and of course LOWER!)

The little truck is coming along - See pics below:

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They needed MAJOR CLEAN UP and POLISH!!! I need to spend more time shinning them up but i cleaned them up so i can put them on.

FINALLY CUT THE CAGE OFF - See pics below:

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The truck is coming along!!!

I want to lower it ASAP

Please let me know what you guys think

Thanks

JP

Geezer approves :thumbup: An idea - the 4x4 Power Ram 50's/Mighty Max came with fender flares which would actually tie in with your new wheels nicely. CoolhandLuke has got an aftermarket set on his truck and it looks tough. You're going to have to be conservative with how much you lower your truck with that huge offset though. You might also need a steering stabiliser/damper to help tame bump steer. It'll handle like it's on rails but a bad road will throw it around like it's possessed. My non caustic oven cleaner trick is pretty good at stripping off brake pad dust and road grime, should make it a bearable job. Some hand buffing pads and a tube of Autosol paste will bring the bling. Your hands are going to turn black from working them by hand but again the oven cleaner will get your hands clean in no time (not recommended for use as eye drops or breath freshener, but plenty safe enough to get on your hands without doing much more than make any small cuts sting a bit) Needs a front air dam :)

I really want fender flares!! Where can I get my hands on some? I’ve been seeing them online but I’m concerned about fitment since the Fenders have more a box/square shape to them. I’ve gone to several junk yards around my area but these trucks are super rare and never end up in the JY. I would totally be open to pay shipping if anybody has some for SALE! Also is there a retailer that sells that oven cleaner or would Home Depot/Lowe’s sell it? Truck needs a deep cleaning inside and out! Appreciate all the help and feedback.

One that has been recommended is 'Style Selections' foaming oven/BBQ grille cleaner*. Off the shelf item @ Lowes. I would buy a can and do a test with it in the engine bay first. Have the garden hose or even better a pressure cleaner handy. And you'll need a regular paint brush. Test it on one of the easier places like the head/rocker cover/intake manifold first to see if it'll bite into the gunk, then a spot on the underside of the hood to check that it won't eat through paint. If it does it's thing, then try it on the inside of one of your wheels (hit the worst one first). Once you know it's safe you can get busy with the stage 1 weight reduction (grease and dirt removal lol) Do a write up on how this pans out for you. I found that this method is a cleaner, faster and more economical way of doing an engine degrease compared to cans of solvent based cans.

*Check that this is NOT a caustic based product. If it is, check the shelves and ask the store monkeys for info on one that is non caustic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by geezer101

One that has been recommended is 'Style Selections' foaming oven/BBQ grille cleaner*. Off the shelf item @ Lowes. I would buy a can and do a test with it in the engine bay first. Have the garden hose or even better a pressure cleaner handy. And you'll need a regular paint brush. Test it on one of the easier places like the head/rocker cover/intake manifold first to see if it'll bite into the gunk, then a spot on the underside of the hood to check that it won't eat through paint. If it does it's thing, then try it on the inside of one of your wheels (hit the worst one first). Once you know it's safe you can get busy with the stage 1 weight reduction (grease and dirt removal lol) Do a write up on how this pans out for you. I found that this method is a cleaner, faster and more economical way of doing an engine degrease compared to cans of solvent based cans.

*Check that this is NOT a caustic based product. If it is, check the shelves and ask the store monkeys for info on one that is non caustic.

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I will check Home Depot on the way home from work tonight! Thanks so much

My new Tail Lights came in since my old ones have seen better days, I went ahead and slapped them on...

Truck is looking a lot better now with new Headlights and Tail Lights.

Pics below:

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Here are the specs on the wheels / tires - New Tires coming soon, most likely when i lower it so it has a better fitment.

Front setup 15x8 with 215/60/15

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Rear setup 15x10 with 235/60/15

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They need some major cleaning / polishing i want them with a MIRROR LIKE FINISH!

JP

Man there's several 2nd gens in the youpull over here with the factory 4wd flares. They want 100 nzd a set, postage will be about the same but it will likely be about 200usd landed.
If you really want some pm me

PM'd Sir thank you!

I read that some guys are swapping the Gen 2 MMM Front Bumper for Toyota 4runner (94-96) front bumper and since my front bumper is trash i went to the local pick your part and found the perfect candidate, along with some other goodies i was able to get my hands on for cheap! I love the JY since you never know what your going to find...

Here are some pics of me test fitting it, but it looks like it will def need some fabrication to get this thing mounted up..

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Really like that front bumper. Everyone I've seen at my local j yard has been dented or completely ruined. Nice find.

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Originally Posted by maxdsm

Really like that front bumper. Everyone I've seen at my local j yard has been dented or completely ruined. Nice find.

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I will be happy if my bumper lines up 60% as good as that picture, my truck appears to have been in a front end collision so getting the stock bumper off was hard enough, some way or some how i will get it mounted up to the best of my abilities. A new grille should be my next purchase as well, love the chrome/chrome theme going on with that truck. looks simple and clean!!!

These took forever to come in since they came from Thailand but well worth the wait.

Will install these along as attempt to mount the 4Runner front bumper on my next day off, hopefully early next week:))..

Time to order the clear bumper lights for the 4runner bumper as well.

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From that view, that fit of the 92-95 toyota bumper on the turquoise truck looks 'tight' & hella good.
On the white truck the bumper seems a good bit wider... to 'tuck' like it sits on the turq.
I'm wondering if the turq truck is like a: trim / section / bend / re-chrome job

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dash

From that view, that fit of the 92-95 toyota bumper on the turquoise truck looks 'tight' & hella good.
On the white truck the bumper seems a good bit wider... to 'tuck' like it sits on the turq.
I'm wondering if the turq truck is like a: trim / section / bend / re-chrome job

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Maybe the fenders are pumped? It looks hell low too. The bumper brackets might be out of shape - sometimes how they have been beat on isn't obvious. Should be able to spot what's wrong with a tape measure.

or "photoshop'd" - lol.... but for n e 1 serious enough to body drop or bag a mini, a bumper tuck is ez work

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AllMightyMax92

...my truck appears to have been in a front end collision so getting the stock bumper off was hard enough, some way or some how i will get it mounted up to the best of my abilities. A new grille should be my next purchase as well, love the chrome/chrome theme going on with that truck. looks simple and clean!!!

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My front end had been beat on too. The damage was subtle - little things like the headlights not being centred in the grill recesses and the bumper mounts being kicked up out of alignment. I'm still tweaking all the spot welded brackets so the grille sits correctly. I was thinking about how to make a completely custom front clip for my Gen 1 truck and noticed El Camino headlight bezels and grilles on ebay. Buzz a bit out of the grille to get it to fit between the El Camino headlight bezels, install LED lights in the cut outs for the indicators and parking lights... bit pricey due to freight. Anyone got thoughts/opinion on this?

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Originally Posted by geezer101

My front end had been beat on too. The damage was subtle - little things like the headlights not being centred in the grill recesses and the bumper mounts being kicked up out of alignment. I'm still tweaking all the spot welded brackets so the grille sits correctly. I was thinking about how to make a completely custom front clip for my Gen 1 truck and noticed El Camino headlight bezels and grilles on ebay. Buzz a bit out of the grille to get it to fit between the El Camino headlight bezels, install LED lights in the cut outs for the indicators and parking lights... bit pricey due to freight. Anyone got thoughts/opinion on this?

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I would say go for it, anything to make your truck stand out from the rest or be able to say your the first one to come up with a new/custom setup pushing the bar to the next level. I like to see all different types of styles and different taste, it may not suit everybody but as long as you like it that’s all that matters.

Here is one of my Junkyard finds - Got this visor, a pocket insert for under my stereo and a plastic cup holder tray for $25 bucks!

Found this hood visor / bug deflector on a Mercury SUV and thought It would look cool on my 92' MMM to keep it "Oldschool" looking.

Its about an inch short on both ends but i dont think it looks bad I LIKE IT.

Check out the pics below and let me know what you think - I havent seen a MMM with one of these on it and couldnt find a new one

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Can get new ones here in NZ bout 100nzd

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Originally Posted by tortron

Can get new ones here in NZ bout 100nzd

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I feel like Mitsubishi Mighty Max trucks are more common everywhere around the world except here in SoCal :thumbdown:

If there was an abundance of MMM here i would have mine back in shape in no time - But im slowly making progress..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AllMightyMax92

I feel like Mitsubishi Mighty Max trucks are more common everywhere around the world except here in SoCal :thumbdown:

If there was an abundance of MMM here i would have mine back in shape in no time - But im slowly making progress..

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A theory on that. Take a look at the number of posts in relation to trucks failing smog inspections - all Cali reg'd trucks. Now think of how many times a truck would've failed smog and consequently been scrapped (excluding the horrid 'cash for clunkers' program that really phuc' dup the classic car/resto market) You are kind of lucky you have a Gen 2 truck though, the odds are slightly more in your favour for finding used parts and there are still new parts available...

Only 1 2wd at the wreckers this week. I think they are waiting on a new batch next week as everything is marked to get crushed soon

However the mitsi wreckers just down the road from me got this in from south Africa last week. It was originally white
https://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoser.../784188809.jpg
Centre console
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I notice these ones match up to the body trim tho, so maybe no good to you with a single cab

...the hell? A lot of Australian wrecks and parts are being sent to South Africa - why are they being sent back to NZ? The practice has caused supply issues with some vehicles here (Mitsubishi is definitely on the hit list) and I was at logger heads with a wrecker that plain refused to let me buy anything from their scrap lot. Stuff like decent 5 speed gearboxes which are worth a bomb of cash if you're forced to buy through a dedicated specialist JY.

oh yeah I bit strange, but must be cheap enough to bring a boat load over. Stuff like hilux engines and gearboxes usually go straight to Saudi arabia from here. no chance to get one from a wreckers

I was gone but now I’m back! I was on vacation I went to the Punta Cana - Dominican Republic, it was neat I even saw a couple MMM trucks I wish I had time to go snooping around and looking for parts.

Anyways I can’t wait to start working on my truck again and continuing the journey of this little MMM.

UPDATES COMING SOON!

Ive been away BUT IM BACK!

I got my new front bumper on and it lines up fairly well and i used the stock mounts which made it easier.

Also i was on ebay and they have new "Lowering Shocks"

https://www.ebay.com/itm/86-97-Mitsu...5.c10#viTabs_0

How would these work? Is this an alternative to lowering springs/spindles??

I have been looking for an affordable way to lower my truck.

I dont get how they work if there is only shocks in the back of the truck and springs on the front of the truck?

Or am i totally confused? Please help!

I want to lower my truck

Thank you


JP

An affordable way to lower your truck is chopping the stock springs and using the short shocks. I'm not an advocate for using cut springs as the end result can be unpredictable, but there are aftermarket springs that are equally unpredictable (too soft, too low, too hard, not tempered enough etc) Trial and error - cut 1/2 a coil off, test fit, try again. Cut both springs as close to equal as possible. The stock springs will be firm but not back breaking. If you can get the magic number of 2.5" drop, it will dial in the front camber and improve handling (should be 1.5 degrees camber)

AllMightyMax92
bla,bla,bla, That thing is a pos, --- do the right thing , sell it to me !!!!
ohhh-- errr---damn!, all that money for "inner voice" lessons :)

The lowering shocks are to be used with lowering springs. They are shorter so they won't bottom out like a half compressed standsrd shock would.

You have coil springs and shocks up front and leaf springs and shocks in the rear.

Sorry, forgot about the rears. You will need lowering block kits. They're a spacer block that goes between the axle tubes and the leaf springs and require longer U shackle bolts which will be in the kit. You will also need to cut down the bump stops to prevent the springs from bottoming out. You can pick up the kits for under $50 USD - look up import trucks/mini trucks/Mazda B2000-B2600 kits on ebay.