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A True Survivor: 1991 Micro Cab Dodge Power Ram 50 LE V6 4X4 Fully Loaded!
Hello everybody,
I figured today marking the one year anniversary of the day I purchased this Pickup, I would stop holding out on you guys and introduce myself and a build thread for what I consider to be the holy grail of option loaded 2nd gen Ram 50 & Mighty Max that I have ever seen.
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I have been a member of the forum for about a year, but I have been a long time creeper for closer to a decade. I have owned about 6 or 7 Mighty Max and Ram 50’s throughout the years and I am no stranger to the platform. I am also an avid 1997 VR4 3000GT owner and platform enthusiast. I love late 80s and 1990s production Mitsubishi's. My first car was a 1988 Dodge Ram 50 2wd Micro Cab. I bought it for $400, put a new head gasket on it and then drove the wheels of that thing all of High School. I Loved that Pickup. But it met its end when my brother crashed it while I was over seas in 2009, and it was soon after sent to the scrap yard.
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My first car 88' Ram 50
Now introducing my 1991 Ram 50!
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Interior:
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The story on the survivor 1991 Power Ram 50 started as many other car purchases do… Craigslist. A gentleman who owns a scrap metal business in Douglas, Wyoming posted the truck online parting it out. It looked very sad in the add, because it sat on all 4 disk/drum brakes on the ground with no wheels. I immediately recognized the body color painted grill and bumper, and then knew it was an option loaded Ram 50. So I called the guy and was on my way with a tow dolly and 4 wheels to buy the pickup.
When I arrived after the 200 mile trip, the yard owner told me that I was lucky I had called as he was about to crush the truck the day I called because no one had called or had interested in any parts. Yikes! The Ram50 was saved by the bell, literally!
Upon further inspection I was immediately excited! Besides the remarkable good condition of the V6 truck and no rust, I noticed the orange sticker with the factory Limited Slip Differential, bucket seats, cruise control, ABS brakes and factory Power windows & Locks! (I did not even know that power windows/Locks were an option for USA import trucks). All other usual options were also present: AC, rear slider window, locked glove box, four speaker system, bed cargo lamp, center console, full cab plastic paneling, V6, 5 speed, and of coarse the Micro Cab.
I loaded the truck on the trailer and headed home from Wyoming to South Dakota. About 45 miles into the trip back, the tow dolly trailer blew out a tire at 75mph, and almost rolled the Ram 50 and my 2004 Toyota Tundra with it. With some skill, luck and thanks to the new tires on the Tundra, I managed to keep the rig under control and save the trucks. I then hacked the scrap fender off on the side of the road, changed the tire on the trailer and kept on trucking home. The RAM 50 once again escaped its demise.
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After getting ahold of the original owner who sold the truck to the scrap yard, he gave me the title and then the story: He bought the truck new and babied it. Drove the truck for years only putting 110k on it, then gave it to his soon and shortly after it stopped running. They towed it all over Wyoming trying to get someone to fix it but no one could figure out what the crank but no start problem was. So they parked it on cinder-blocks next to a barn in 2007, and it sat for almost a decade until he sold it for scrap metal money.
When I got the truck home I suspected a bad ECU with Leaking capacitors and was correct. So I sent the ECU out for a rebuild, popped it back in and it started right up! I set the idle and timing, did a full tune up, changed all fluids, and it turned out to be the best running/driving truck in my Mitsubishi fleet ever since! This truck is very lucky to still be alive…
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(This damage was caused by a faulty AIC motor. The Idle Air Control servo)
I am not sure of my plans for the build at this time, and could use your suggestions, but a chassis up restoration is definitely in the future for this one. I sure enjoy driving this Ram 50, takes me back!
Thanks for reading!
