Okay, another new guy...

[Cree]

Hello all, my names Chris but my best friend stuck me with the nickname Cree years ago, so there’s that. I recently bought a running and driving (although not very well) 86 D50 for less than $500 and have been playing with it - thanks to the forum, I’ve figured out it’s not the original engine - somebody swapped in a 4g52 2.0 and installed a Weber. Right now, I’m cleaning up wiring and rust and honestly, I don’t know what I’ll do with the truck. It’s fun to drive but a BIG change from the old 4wd Diesel Dually crew cab I’ve driven for years.
I DO appreciate all the information you guys have consolidated here, so thank you to those who have come before the rest of us.

[geezer101]

Hi and welcome to mightyram. The retrofitted 4G52 is an oddball choice for an engine swap. Not a bad decision but it'll potentially make it tricky to find some of the engine specific parts as it was obsoleted from vehicle line ups in the early 80's. The 4G52 is happy to rev and is more responsive than it's 4G54 big brother. The Weber may not be jetted for the 2.0 and it can really affect how it performs. It is necessary to run an electric fuel pump with the Weber as the Mitsubishi mechanical pumps struggle with fuel flow demand and have too higher PSI off throttle. Ask questions, post pics!

[Cree]

Thanks Geezer. Your message is echoing a lot of what I’ve read on here already, and I’m in the process of sorting out all the stuff someone “fixed”. I’ve got an upgraded 75A alternator on it’s way, along with the Carbole 42S that seems to make the grade here on MR.
My guess is that, whatever caused the original engine to fail, the nearly complete lack of these little trucks in south Georgia meant they had to get what they could find, and “close enough” was “good enough.” On the upside, I don’t have to worry about timing belts and, honestly, I’m old enough to like simple rather than complicated. It’s been nice to not be cussing vacuum hoses and wires as much as in some of the trucks I’ve redone into daily drivers. Even better? When you pop the hood, you can figure out what is doing what - not the case with The Better Half’s Optima or even my 97 Trans Am.
If nobody has told you today, I appreciate your contribution to the knowledge base here!

[geezer101]

Thanks. My go-to response is "I try to be not less than average..." I would find it weird that the 4G52 engine was easier to get than another G63B especially in an area where Ram50/D50/MM's are scarce (the 4G52 'should' be a narrow block engine). In all honesty, the timing belt G63B is a breeze to work on compared to a 4G52/54 and cheaper to maintain. An old school 4 cylinder RWD engine is almost luxurious to work on sans sensors and electronics etc. The main grief you'll have with something like a D-50 is ghetto fixes and lack of maintenance. These trucks are hard to kill lol.

[xboxrox]

Welcome, geezer is not average, heezah above that

geezer, the 4x4 version L200 in Australia had a hydraulic steering stabilizer: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126855499

[geezer101]

Welcome, geezer is not average, heezah above that

geezer, the 4x4 version L200 in Australia had a hydraulic steering stabilizer: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126855499

Thanks for the vote of confidence Hmm, I wonder how many 4x4's had the damper removed when they got tired... and on that note I have to find a steering damper mounting kit as the local parts store is selling Gabriel damper shocks - FOR $10 new!

[xboxrox]

I had a steering stabilizer (hydraulic shock looking thing) on a 1994 Chevrolet Caprice (same steering as Chev 1/2 pickup) I did not like it -- it made the steering feel dead, not lively or connected to my input...

[geezer101]

I'll finish thread hijacking after this - I promise Sooo, after taking a look online for a steering damper mounting kit I discovered something. I could buy a whole kit for $3 more than just buying the mounting hardware. The $10 Gabriel shock doesn't look so cheap now... And I never gave the feedback a thought with installing a damper. Might be better off without one.