My rust bucket

[Out Getting Ribs]

Hi guys,

I'm new here, just bought an 89' 2.6l 4x4 ram 50 sportcab (SE). I call it my rust bucket, it is in pretty poor condition due to the weather here (I live in Eastern Canada). I'll try to save it from the junkyard but there will be a lot to do (headgasket... obviously, alternator, complete brake system redo including all the lines, exhaust, carburetor and many more).

Body panels are in pretty good shape except rear bumper but it gonna go. I'll be removing the bush guard, hood deflector and the moldings (trims?) on the sides.
My goal is to get it back on the road on a decent/safe state. Then it will be the 4g63t swap, drop, airbag, etc. but it's a long shot for now.

Thanks to this forum, I already found many answers to my questions and the resource center is fantastic (CAPS-ASA ftw).



See ya.

Note: My English is not perfect, I'm French Canadian, give me a chance

[geezer101]

Hi and welcome to mightyram. Your english is is more than acceptable - you even use punctuation! Nothing like reading an entire paragraph in one sentence Anyway, you are on a noble path saving another Mitsubishi truck. It will be easier for you to use a 2.6 Conquest/Starion turbo engine with your transmission as the 4G63 is a narrow block and the 4G54 (2.6) and 4G64 (2.4) are both wide block engines. Other option is to build a 4G64 hybrid engine using a 4G63 twin cam head, but it is a lot more involved. Good luck with your restoration! Post pics and ask questions

[dash]

4g63? swap? air bag? drop? ...a 4x4? Sounds like you started with the wrong truck

[Out Getting Ribs]

Thanks Geezer, I'll be lookin for that Starion turbo swap.

@Dash, I know it's not the ideal base for what I would like to do but for now that's the only one I could find and the first step is to make it run and see if I can keep the g63b in it running for now. For the rest we'll see, like a said that may never come to reality. My plans may be silly for some but nothing impossible

[geezer101]

All good. Just to clarify does your truck have EFI or a carb? Carb will make it a G63B.

[xboxrox]

Hello Frenchman Welcome Here,
Reading your progress posts will entertain your brothers here ~ hope my wiggly hyphenated punctuation works for folks ~ my truck wants new seat upolstery cleaned & sealed transmission new MBC and brake booster and underside desalting rust chasing undercoat etc ~ removing floorboard rust and repaint ~ cosmetically would like to have a headache rack with a couple LED off road lights
ALOHA Ribber
George

[Out Getting Ribs]

@ geezer it's a g54b 2.6l carbed, I'll update my description
@ Xboxrox what the hell? Hahaha

[geezer101]

All good. The right info lets us source solutions for you. The 2.6 is a robust hunk of metal. The bottom end is over engineered for what it has to contend with (it'll hold 600 HP in stock form when it's in good condition) but it's weak links are the cylinder head (prone to cracking - mostly related to the jet valve type head), balance shaft bearings (they are subjected to far more punishment than the rod or main journals, and can cause engine failures from loss of oil pressure when they wear out), the factory Mikuni carburettor (it's a big restriction to making decent HP and torque, and a complicated carb to overhaul and repair) and overall heat soak in the engine bay (anything you can do to improve engine cooling efficiency will prolong the life of your engine) The 4x4 trucks are tough and can handle most off road conditions better than they are given credit for...

[Out Getting Ribs]

Thanks for the tips, I'm planning to remove the head during September to look at the gasket and at the same time the state of the head. Anything I should look for except warpage ? I'll probably have to change the gasket and do a leak down test to be sure it's not cracked ? I've seen aftermarket head on internet, still debating if I should give this engine a second life if I find something bad. If I can determine that the engine is still worth it I'll be changing for a Weber carb for sure, just for the satisfaction of removing this spaghettios of vacuum lines...

[geezer101]

This kind of a hot topic. My experience - milling a head that is warped is asking for trouble. The 4G52/4G54 and G63B heads are forgiving to some extent. You can mill them if they are not too much out of specification but I wouldn't do it as it can affect combustion chamber volumes and mess with tuning (you want all of your compression ratios as close to each other as practical) A good reconditioning shop will check the head, put it through an oven to preheat it, put it through a press to straighten it if it's outside of specification and then give it a light skim to reface it. The 4G64 head is temperamental. They are known to warp so badly that the cams seize up in the cam journals and actually snap in half. It looks like it's the only SOHC Mitsubishi engine that is known to suffer from this failure. But it does illustrate that it's not just the face of the head that twists out of shape if they suffer from a failure - the cam bed also is pulled out of alignment which will cause weird, uneven wear patterns on the cam journals. If your head looks like it can't be repaired, replace it with a non-jet valve head as they are more reliable than the jet valve type. If you're not in a big rush to get your truck back on the road and you are going to use a Weber, tidy up the ports on the head. The Weber likes good flow and is more sensitive to tuning than the Mikuni factory carb. Port matching the intake manifold is worth doing as well. But don't mess with the exhaust ports too much (keep them as close to the original port diameters as possible as opening up the exhaust ports will have a negative effect on performance) The internet is your friend if you are prepared to DIY your own port work. Only basic tools are required (power drill, a flexi-drive and sanding drums plus some small grinding stones - carbide cutting tips and an air die grinder aren't necessary for mild port work)

[Out Getting Ribs]

Thanks a lot for your tips and advice it's really appreciated.