Chrysler D50 Sport 1979

Hi from Australia! I bought this 1979 Chrysler D50 Sport at the beginning of the year. Also known over here as the Mitsubishi L200 Ute. This little ute was originally the Promo vehicle for Chrysler Australia and was then re-badged for Mitsubishi Motors Australia and kept as the promo vehicle for the model run from 1979-1986. It was subsequently sold to one of the Chrysler/Mitsubishi mechanics and largely owned by that family all these years until recently. It hasn't done a lot of work over the years (140000kms) and has been garaged and kept original. It has a factory fitted 2.6 and 5 speed as well as factory fitted air con, so it's specked the same as an American Dodge D50- we only ever had 2lt 4G52 or 4G63 motors in them from factory over here. I believe the 2.6 & 5 speed came from the Scorpion/ Sigma production lines. Anyhow, it's very rare for an Aussie car and a great little survivor. I plan to restore it fairly faithfully- it has quite a few engine gremlins at present, the main one being a head problem, burning off a lot of coolant. So i'm weighing up rebuilding the 2.6 vs swapping in a DOHC 4G63 I previously converted into another L200 some years ago that I recently bought back as a wreck. I'll post something about that car separately.
Hope it's of some interest to you good people!

Great looking truck - it looks just like the 1979 - 1980 Dodge D-50 sport models here in the USA. They came with the 2.6 and either a 5 speed or "baby" 904 Aisin-Warner 3 speed automatic. I also see the bucket seats that were in the sport model only. Any chance of some interior pictures? Welcome to the forum!

Thanks! I've only seen 1 or 2 other genuine 79'-80' sport models over here. Yep, interior looks to be the same as your Dodge D-50 Sport, same stripes also, which I need to replace. Don't suppose anyone has re-created them over there?

As a matter of fact, they have been recreated for your yellow truck by someone on this forum - pm 2nup350 for details. I wish the US version came with the center armrest. The center of the seats are the same as the bench seat material, and the dash is totally different than the regular truck one.

Awesome!, I'll send a message re the stickers. The centre arm rest is actually a really cool folding middle seat! it is slightly different vinyl, so I think someone has added it somewhere along the way. It is a perfect fit in there, and it's made like a proper seat with spring mesh. It is super handy when i have both kids in the car with me, and a handy arm rest otherwise. The vinyl is a bit cracked so I'm going to have it re-trimmed to match the seats better, and actually mount it to the floor- it currently 'floats' in the middle there. The seats & door trims are still in great condition. To be honest, between the seats, armrest, spring rates, diff ratio and air con, by today's standards it is still a really comfortable car to drive. Not bad for pushing 40 years old eh!

welcome to the forum MrL200 good looking little truck the only bad thing i see wrong is the steering wheel is on the wrong side :lmao:but other wise nice :thumbup:

:woo: Another member from Oz! Your truck has S.A. plates on it - what's the story? I would advise you not to butcher an all original truck with an engine swap. There are literally no L200's left that haven't been driven into the dirt. If it was a beater, the crime has already been committed and turning it into a project build would be less blasphemous. I looked for a year before I found one that had everything I wanted, and even then it was a mess. Got pics of your previous project?

I agree with Geezer don't butcher it with an engine swap. I have a 1981 Dodge Ram 50 Big Horn truck that is very rare as well, and I am planning to restore it as close to factory as I can - afaik, there are only 5 left in existence, and one was 4g63t swapped. the interior is trashed, and the motor has a rod knock, but it is mostly all there and no rust holes anywhere, just surface rust in a few places.

Very clean. A great starting point to chop up!

Looks nearly factory fresh, would definitely stand out at a car show

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Originally Posted by jamesw

welcome to the forum MrL200 good looking little truck the only bad thing i see wrong is the steering wheel is on the wrong side :lmao:but other wise nice :thumbup:

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Ha! I've been thinking the same about your trucks! It's bizarre how similar mine is to the Dodge D 50 sport and then all our L200's have quarter side windows and all American ones have a full side window.

Geezer & Pennyman, i think you blokes are on the money. I originally went looking for a good one to do a hemi V8 swap. Turns out i got one that is too good! It's unique in the fact that the 2.6 and 5 peed were factory fitted by Chrysler, so i do really want to hang on to that originality but i also want to lift performance- the 4G63 N/A DOHC has more possibility of tuning and ultimate performance- and i have one already (and a good 5 speed narrow trans). I would do a lot more on engine conversion this time tho rather than changing the car to fit the motor- so that it could be reverted back to the 2.6 later on. I'm very big on not modifying the actual car. But it would also be good to (and simpler) to rebuild the 2.6 with some go-fast mods.

Hey Geezer, I bought the ute in Adelaide- It was Retained by Chrysler originally and not actually registered until 1986 when it was bought by one of the retiring mechanics who later passed it on to his brother who i believe was an ex Chrysler pattern maker, at the time living in Melbourne. It was used by a race team carting tyres etc around Calder park and later running the occasional pattern to the foundry, and a lot of sitting around in a garage so it seems. It's showing 46000k's on the clock, doesn't have a number in front but i don't think it's been around the clock more than once, there is very little rust around it- none in the doors, sills or floor, just bits and pieces of surface stuff. I bought it from a guy in Adelaide- cut a deal over the phone and flew to Adelaide, drove it back. I think there was only one other owner between the 'son' and the guy i bought it from. There's a photo online of it with plates "sly 079" and white walls. Its a good thing it didn't end up in the hands of a mini trucker like to only other Chrysler D50 sport i've seen- a red one that has been air bagged. At any rate, i think it looks just great in my garage!
I'm struggling to find photos of my blue ute in it's glory- there is one on my website tho.

This is what's left of my old blue 83' L200. This has a 4G63 N/A conversion in it. I sold it a few years ago and then found it for sale at a wrecker when i was looking for parts for my yellow one. It had a full custom fibreglass front end on it that i made. I bought it back earlier this year, still not sure what i'm doing with it yet...
There is a photo of it on the Gallery page of my website when i put it on the road in 2007. I'll dig up some other photos soon.

Ready to drive in 2007. Came off the road after the engine died in 2001.

Your blue project build was a nice truck. Looks like it took a big hit :shakehead: Was that a Skyline front bar on it? If you want to go US style you can use Sigma doors. I remember seeing one on sigma-galant.com when I was an active member. You can get the 2.6 hauling well enough without messing with the truck too much. A decent duration cam and a Weber carb will be a good start (you've already got extractors with some thermal wrap so I wouldn't be surprised if it's had some port work). I've seen bike carbs on the 2.6 and it sounds mean and goes hard.

I have been talking recently to an engine builder re the 4g54 & looking at deleting balance shafts, balancing crank, looking at heads, valves/springs and compression ratios, cam and carby options. The idea with the 4g63 dohc is that i can leapfrog all that development work and tune up a better power/torque curve with an aftermarket computer. cost wise, it will probably be much the same either way, but more expensive in the exhaust dept with the swap and potentially in the wiring and conversion mods i have in mind. I do like the idea of keeping the yellow one original and rebuilding the 4g54 will be more straightforward so will probably go that way. Which leaves the door open for a better go at the 4g63 in the blue one when i do something with it.
Blue ute was a lot of work over several years starting in 2002 when i was a bit inspired by the Rodeo's at the time. I was trying to modernize and produce something that might have been a 'factory GSR' model. It was always intended to have a tub tray but couldn't find one. The front bar is a modified version of the mid 90's triton bar and the indicator/park lights to suit. The grille is custom made from a foam pattern to suit. I have a mould for each of those. Guards and bonnet were fibreglass also- i still have those moulds but I'm going to remake them- guards will be a straight copy, bonnet will be something along the lines of Pennyman's Geronimo but i will most likely copy a standard bonnet to start that process off.

It wasn't until you said the front end was all fibreglass that I noticed the bonnet didn't have the centre ridge, then the added small side indicators. Wow. I mean that is some really nice body work. You have ticked all the right boxes on the 4G54 rebuild. I'd remodel the bonnet with a reverse air intake over the exhaust manifold side to vent instead of scoop. Heat is the enemy in these trucks, especially the G63B engine. The Gen 1's don't look right with a drop side tray on them, it ruins the lines of the truck. I'm in 2 minds of a custom grille. I'd like to do a full flush front end but I still like my chrome bumper (I picked up a wreck with a Volvo air dam grafted to the underside of it's bumper which is quirky, but works due to the Swedish brick being about the same width and similar body styling) A factory GSR would have twin headlights and a box section or honeycomb grille in black, a front air splitter lip with GSR on the lower right side and no chrome trim strips on the cab (they'd probably be black) The badges would be the same as Sigma GSR's - 2.6 GSR in red. GSR's come with bonnet vents or flutes. If you wanted to really up the ante on the 2.6 - hunt down Sigma GH turbo gear. It's neanderthal tech but is a completely different flavour of mental. My friends' GH in near stock form was silly fast...

Cheers, i originally made the front grille to suit the standard bonnet and modified the plastic corners of the triton bar, painted the whole cab in acrylic, then decided i didn't like it. So i took a mould off the bar, bonnet and guards, made new guards, filled in the ridge and pointy front in the bonnet mould & made the bonnet and remodelled the grille to suit, took a mould off it and made a new one of them, this time with a flat return back to the top of the radiator support. Then painted the hole cab again in 2-pack. I've gone full circle now tho, i'm more into original with some added extras rather than full custom. I like your ideas on a GSR concept- I may end up doing something along those lines with the blue one. I do have loose plans to take moulds off the tub on the yellow one when i do the resto so i can make a new all fibreglass tub for the blue one. One day, when i have time...
I'm definitely leaning more towards rebuilding my 2.6, not turbo tho. I'd actually like to see if a single 45mm down draught weber might work under the original air cleaner.

A 45 downdraft will be too big but a 38 DGES will be up for the task. It seems the 38 is becoming more popular for carbie swaps. Has more top end potential than the 32/36 and is a more modern design. You'll be able to hide it under a modified air cleaner without too much grief and will work with an off the shelf adapter plate.

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Originally Posted by geezer101

A 45 downdraft will be too big but a 38 DGES will be up for the task. It seems the 38 is becoming more popular for carbie swaps. Has more top end potential than the 32/36 and is a more modern design. You'll be able to hide it under a modified air cleaner without too much grief and will work with an off the shelf adapter plate.

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Great! Thanks for the tip, sounds like a plan.

cool body mods on the blue truck

that yellow is clean


Too bad u ruled out turbo 2.6, and u don't have a supply of starion TBI bits for the taking
They make excellent project material. Performance rips with simple mods, stock ecu/simple wiring. Look nice to
http://oi63.tinypic.com/huhtl0.jpg
http://oi64.tinypic.com/317a9hg.jpg

Hello MrL200, welcome & thanks for showing your amazing find; what a gem you have down there... I'm HOPING you keep that truck forever and buy the kids ice cream & junk food on your outings with them... Maybe you could get a chance to drive a 2019 Corvette ZR1 (anything with 755 HP) sometimes to satisfy the need for acceleration & speed..?

My brother solved a cooling system head gasket leak with one bottle of Bars Leaks on my 2.6L truck; you could see a steam & water trail out the tailpipe but the Bars fixed it...

I owned & drove a bunch of right hand drive cars when the USNavy kept me in Japan; fun :) I spotted one minor difference in your truck compared to the US export model... Hint: Red rear side marker lights...

I'm a newbe here + I have no right telling you what to do = I LOVE YOUR TRUCK MAN

Those are some crowded Starion engine bays. I am surprised that they are still running the single injector system. The similar set up in Cordia turbos was woeful. Oz never had 2.6 turbo Starions - only the G63B turbo which was a good bit of kit. This is why I recommended the GH Sigma turbo gear. It uses a draw through turbo with a CD 175 style Stromberg carb on it. No ECU or electronics on it but it requires a distributor that is set up for boost.

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Originally Posted by xboxrox

Hello MrL200, welcome & thanks for showing your amazing find; what a gem you have down there... I'm HOPING you keep that truck forever and buy the kids ice cream & junk food on your outings with them... Maybe you could get a chance to drive a 2019 Corvette ZR1 (anything with 755 HP) sometimes to satisfy the need for acceleration & speed..?

My brother solved a cooling system head gasket leak with one bottle of Bars Leaks on my 2.6L truck; you could see a steam & water trail out the tailpipe but the Bars fixed it...

I owned & drove a bunch of right hand drive cars when the USNavy kept me in Japan; fun :) I spotted one minor difference in your truck compared to the US export model... Hint: Red rear side marker lights...

I'm a newbe here + I have no right telling you what to do = I LOVE YOUR TRUCK MAN

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Cheers! I can't see myself ever selling the yellow one. They're an old-ball classic but totally rare and unique to anything else getting around. I'm planning to get my speed fix out of the blue ute- I'll most likely get all my custom 'wriggles' out with it building it into a crossover rally/ hill climb/ hoon machine and leave the yellow one as a classic Sunday cruiser. I have it on historic rego which means it needs to stay largely original. This rego is super cheap and limited to 60 drive days per year plus club events which is perfect. My plan is to restore it ground-up into the best example in the southern hemisphere.
I'll keep an eye out for those marker lights!

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Originally Posted by dash

cool body mods on the blue truck

that yellow is clean


Too bad u ruled out turbo 2.6, and u don't have a supply of starion TBI bits for the taking
They make excellent project material. Performance rips with simple mods, stock ecu/simple wiring. Look nice to
http://oi63.tinypic.com/huhtl0.jpg
http://oi64.tinypic.com/317a9hg.jpg

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I did think about a turbo 2.6- but would go MPI and aftermarket computer/ modern injection path replacing dizzy with crank/cam angle sensors etc. It will mess with my historic rego conditions too much so I'll be doing all that in the blue ute down the track with a 4g63t dohc setup and another custom FRP body- this time a full fibreglass tub tray as well as front end.

Wow, you blokes are rocket scientists compared to my Stromberg 97 brain... The most old school high tech machine I ever had was a 1955 Ford Fairlane 2dr sedan with a 272 cu in V8 & 3 deuce Offenhauser aluminum intake... A rebuilt 97 carb was $5.00 + core back in the middle 1960s at Western Auto Parts Stores in California...

Times have really changed; but you fellas are keeping history alive... I see more & more financial ads not to buy or lease autos & trucks just to help make ends meet... New vehicles cost an arm & a leg for a bit of luxury; I consider it a gift from God if you're lucky enuff to own a MM/D50/etc...

If you wanted to turbo the 2.6, get a magna intake and mod it for RWD. That gives you the MPI manifold you need. Unlike us in the US, you should have the Magna intakes there somewhere to grab...

Yep, There's plenty of them around in wreckers no doubt. We'll see, at the moment i'm liking the idea of a nice engine build, increased comp and a 38mm weber. Probably the most cost effective for now and less time off the road. Thanks for everyone's interest in my utes! I'll be sure to start a thread when i start doing something with one of them.

one would think the lawmakers would encourage later model/more advance powerplant swaps into antiques
Instead, over-regulate and strangle you with red tape

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Those are some crowded Starion engine bays. I am surprised that they are still running the single injector system. The similar set up
in Cordia turbos was woeful. Oz never had 2.6 turbo Starions - only the G63B turbo which was a good bit of kit. This is why I recommended the
GH Sigma turbo gear. It uses a draw through turbo with a CD 175 style Stromberg carb on it. No ECU or electronics on it but it requires a
distributor that is set up for boost.

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Starion electronics is as basic and crude as injection gets. Underhood is uncluttered when swapped
On the right side is the cruise-control servo and emission cannister under the strut bar. Both omitted in swap
Left side next to coil, that relay bank is not engine related. The ignitor/knock control underneath, is later version.
Much smaller plastic earlier ones, fail @ solder joints. Some substitute the 'tiny' $20 GM 4pin module, tuck it away anywhere

TBI proven relable 30+ years later. Bolt-on mods take street starquests into 13 sec 1/4 mile. More aggressive hit high 12s
Hot performance from stock ecu + plug-in mitsu turbos: 16g/17c/18g & 20g.... satisfies most goals, and does so on a budget
Hence TBI poularity, in starions and numerous swaps(non-mitsu included). The truck/Raider/Montero crew love em too.
Guestimate MPI conversions ~10%. Benefits only manifested if you gonna swing for the fences imo.
....i.e. say like a 60mm turbo @30psi plus a proven camshaft/valvetrain setup that actually "works"

Dash, for your interest, I'm not fighting a red tape battle. We have fairly new options for rego over here now- full rego, in which case I can more or less do what I like as long as the car can be passed with an engineer's report on the basis that it is classed as a commercial vehicle/ full chassis. Annual rego cost around $1600, drive every day of the week.
Or: Historic rego: Car needs to be 'unmodified' and over 30 years old. Only needs a very basic annual roadworthy check and a certificate from a car club indicating current membership and that the car is in 'original' trim. Annual rego cost is $43 plus car club fees. 60 drive days per calendar year plus club events. Perfect for a weekend driver and the odd car show.
Or: Conditional rego: A category made to suit things like tractors, forklifts, ATV's, Golf carts etc, which also seems to cover Hot Rods and other modified vehicles. Same deal re car club membership, drive days per year and annual cost as historic rego.
Or: Rally rego: don't know all the ins and outs but seems to be a thing so rally cars can be driven to and from events, or from stage to stage on national roads, or to and from repairs etc. Also relatively cheap, but can't be used for a Sunday drive.
So we have a few good options here really but we have to play by the rules. For example, on Historic I have to keep a very simple logbook of my 60 days. We have police cars here with number plate detection cameras which pick out unregistered vehicles etc out of the traffic, they also log Historic and conditional plates. One day, if i get pulled over for any reason, police will ask to see my logbook and go and check it against the log in their system. Each missing entry in my logbook is a $2000 fine, they notify my car club who in turn give me the finger and it's all over red rover!
Given my yellow ute is so clean and original and has a bit of interesting history, I think it's best kept fairly fairly original and historic rego is good for the car's purpose and cheap. The blue ute, with the engine and bodywork mods i have in mind will end up suiting the conditional rego or rally rego categories. I figure the time and money is better spent on the blue ute with a 4g63t with more scope to tune some real power and torque, and it will mainly be used around a rally circuit and track days/ hill climbs etc.
Sounds like you know your stuff with the Starion turbo/ TBI scene.

One of the good things of living in South Oz is no annual inspections. If you are running a historic rego, the insurer checks it over to ensure it's in near original configuration before a motor vehicle inspection so you have fair warning if it's going to be knocked back. I only see 2 or 3 L200's that are daily driven here, the are so rare now. Too many idiots have cut them up and then got bored with them, or just simply wrote them off (like my yellow donor wreck that the PO rolled on a gravel road) Never even see them in U-Pull-It yards on on Gumtree for sale.

I had to Google it: rego is perhaps Australian slang for automobile registration (that's a question...) ?

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Originally Posted by xboxrox

I had to Google it: rego is perhaps Australian slang for automobile registration (that's a question...) ?

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Haha, correct! So we have to register our cars to the state we live in, our authority is Roads and Maritime Services, RMS. Some states require roadworthy inspections annually on renewal, some only when a vehicle is bought then not again until it is sold again, which ultimately produces some pretty shitty cars on the road.

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Originally Posted by MrL200

Haha, correct! So we have to register our cars to the state we live in, our authority is Roads and Maritime Services, RMS. Some states require roadworthy inspections annually on renewal, some only when a vehicle is bought then not again until it is sold again, which ultimately produces some pretty shitty cars on the road.

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There are some cars that are crap magnets - normally 20 years old. They get to a point where they are considered worthless and end up getting beaten to death. The cars that survive that then start to gain value and even get treated better than newer cars when they fall into a niche like mini trucks. The statistics show that in S.A. is that 1% of vehicles that are involved in serious crashes are deemed defective at the time of the accident. It costs a fortune to inspect every car and stretches resources to do so (this is when small shops get kick backs for inspecting vehicles and some of them are guaranteed to be dealing under the table to pass cars) so for the time being, no inspections.

Pros and cons... I think that the enthusiast sector of cars has increased in recent years tho, and our historic registration schemes are helping overall.

MrL200,
It looks likes regulation allows enough use to barely keep the vehicle functioning. Accomodating I suppose
Reminds me of hotrod insurance or rental car agreements - pay them, but leave it parked

So cool to see old school rides motor down the street, among all todays modern garbage
Can't resist the thought of a clean innocent appearing truck, on the outside.... stuffed with turbo 2.6 starion jewelery underhood.
The look on peoples face, when u pop the hood at a car show
....or press the throttle and get pinned back in the seat, while leaving two black lines. No swap or cutting required
I understand the yellow truck ain't that type of party tho.


Interesting plans for blue
when u say build a "tray", are you referring to the bed on the back ?
This type of bed might go well with your moded look. We call em 'stepside'
https://cdn04.carsforsale.com/3/3633...1124482212.jpg
https://cdn04.carsforsale.com/3/3633...1124482277.jpg

That's exactly what I have in mind. I have a later model diff I'd like to put under it which is 4" wider so plan to pump out the sides like this to accommodate it. This era of GMC truck was also my inspiration for the custom grille I made for the blue ute. It would also be cool to build a sleeper out of the yellow one. The good thing about playing with these cars- they're never 'finished', so changes can always be made!

I was toying with the idea of modding something from a similar era and shape front end like this -
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1982-83-Mal...GQl7:rk:1:pf:0
And then I noticed there are billet grilles for these models as well. The profile looks similar to the L200 front end. A bit of trimming, some hand formed brackets, a H4 headlight swap and some LED DRL/driving lights + indicators - and there's a complete custom front.

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Originally Posted by geezer101

I was toying with the idea of modding something from a similar era and shape front end like this -
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1982-83-Mal...GQl7:rk:1:pf:0
And then I noticed there are billet grilles for these models as well. The profile looks similar to the L200 front end. A bit of trimming, some hand formed brackets, a H4 headlight swap and some LED DRL/driving lights + indicators - and there's a complete custom front.

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If the angle is right, it looks like it would be fairly easy to fit, but you would need head light surrounds. The grille i made for the blue ute has a full flat return to the top of the radiator support. I will track down photos soon. I think I'm going to go back to twin headlights and standard shape bonnet with it now but I will most likely make another pattern and mould for a fibreglass 'GSR' grille with the same return back to the radiator support- makes it a lot simpler to mount. Something like that billet grille could be mounted at the top to a fiberglass grille that also has headlight surrounds. Probably worth the punt to get one of those billet grilles to see how close the angle is. Would also not be that difficult to make one the same way getting someone to bend the 1/4"bars & drilling off rivet holes.

Blue should be nice


the rear diff in those GMC trucks and the 1st gen are reasonably strong
I got one of each for my corollas. They are actually like 1.5 inches narrower than stock rolla diff.
~4-5 inches less than Mmax/D50..... so good if u wanna go deep dish and stay tucked under


That 2nd gen GMC Sonoma is actually my favorite pickup. A wee bit bigger than our mitsus.
Alot more comfortable and even the 2.2L 4cyl drive alot different, with decent torque/lower rpms
Huge aftermarket. Killer looks once setup right

I know someone who bought one brand new, then shipped it off for a corvette LT1 V8/manual gearbox install
Had it slammed, on custom Boyds staggered/deep out back(but all fit under wheelwells). Show quality stuff

Awesome! That LTI converted pickup sounds tough. I guess those diffs are narrow because they commonly have dual wheels right? One option I have considered over here is one of our ford 9" diffs shortened up. Could go disc brakes and 5 stud then- opens up heaps more wheel options and puts a bit more weight in the back. Would def look at that if I was considering V8 conversion.

No duallys, those GM mini trucks axles are just a nice short length.
Lightest rear end that withstands the torque is always best.
Good grab if u have them around. Plentiful, cheap with ideal ratios high/mid/low 3s : 1 . Both mine free
Ditto DSM rear disc/caliper/cable. Make a bracket

full size chevy truck diffs from that era ALWAYS fail tho. Weird

That's a beauty, MrL200! I've been looking for a yellow Dodge D-50 Sport or yellow Plymouth Arrow Sport to keep my 1980 Dodge D-50 Sport company.