Project Tenacity

[Dobishi]

Hello everyone!

Earlier this year I picked up this truck (Tenacity), and I fell victim to its charm. I wanted one of these back in high school, but never could find one in my price range at that time (early 2000's). I bought it with the intent of driving it to the end of its life while just putting in the minimum maintenance required to keep it running, but it has been an amazing work horse, and has given me minimal issues, especially considering the condition it's in, so I wanted to give it a second chance instead of driving it into the junkyard.

I bought it used and abused with about 180,000 miles on the clock, rust, worn tires, poorly spray painted wheels, cracked dash, wobbly hood, leaking oil, peeled and damaged paint on the body, and an unknown amount of other potential issues under the hood. The history was unknown, but it has been to at least a couple states based on the tags/registration stickers in various places, and the kinds/areas of rust I found.

- 1993 Mitsubishi Mighty Max
- V6 6G72
- 4x4
- 5 Speed manual transmission
- Currently has around 193k miles on it
- Bought it for $1,600 with around 180k miles on it
- Planned project to restore and upgrade. No turbos (most likely) or engine swaps unless necessary.

I haven't done much to it other than oil changes, flushed the coolant, greased it up anywhere I could find a zerk fitting, and scrapped off the cracked and peeling stickers.

The plan going forward is to rebuild, or replace everything I can on it to try and bring it back to life, and maybe squeeze another 200,000 miles out of it. It's currently my daily driver, but once spring/summer hits I'll be really starting on the project. I'm not going with any swaps unless I have to, and will keep modifications to a minimum. Some performance modifications to strengthen some components and increase power/fuel efficiency is about the extent of the changes I'd like to make. Some sound system upgrades perhaps. I don't plan on any turbo or supercharging.

I will of course update this thread with pics, and updates as I go along. For now I'll slink back into the shadows of noobville, and start gathering info on replacement parts, upgrades, tools, and all that jazz. I'll probably start ordering some of the things I know for sure that I'll need/want to replace in the coming weeks and months so that way I'll be able to get right to the project when the time comes.

[royster]

Welcome, Dobishi, and a big "THANKS!" for being so generous with the photos. The truck has a nice stance, and although cracked and sun-beaten, you can see this truck has a tough spirit.

Looking forward to seeing all the resurrection!

[Dobishi]

Thank royster! It's going to be a lot of work, but I look forward to sharing as I go!

[geezer101]

Hi and welcome to mightyram. This diamond is rough, but that's how you get 'em when they've been unearthed. There are options available without needing to do anything too crazy. New generation Mivec 3.8's will bolt up to the transmission and an ECU swap will get it operational. It'll give your truck some serious punch. The interiors are pretty simple and if it's not mint, you don't feel so bad by swapping in bucket seats and adding a new steering wheel, audio and gauges etc to make it more liveable. Keep us posted

[tortron]

i keep wanting a 4wd single cab more and more (quite rare here they are all double cabs and the odd macro cab)
Heres your lift kit, but double check the model number
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2-Body-...cAAOSwcAFfPKKf

A good waterblasting, and detail of the interior and engine bay and it should scrub up pretty good (i have seen new dashboards pop up from time to time. Bosskits for an aftermarket steering wheel are easy to get, almost any other mitsubishi steering wheel will fit)


Id knock out a garage paint job on it if it was mine, nothing too fancy dont be too worried about scratches on a 4wd haha.

[xboxrox]

Dobishi huh..? I had to look that up in Google..! Thanks a bunch for joining MightyRam50 most folks here are swell people & know a lot about these trucks... I think it's Chargerx3 a member with two V6 trucks like yours but fixed up, you should check out his posts...

So, can I bash your truck a little bit, ok..? Actually, I am just gonna voice my opinion about tires & wheels after seeing your truck's stance... Now I see you are in Arizona so you might be an off road kinda hobbiest, maybe not, I dunno...

I very much dislike wheels & tires that STICK OUT past the body panel; not only is it illegal in all 50 states (an assumption, it is illegal in Hawaii but no one gets a ticket for it, grrrrr...)

I think my bias comes from getting so many cracked windshields in Washington State & Oregon from rocks being slung off tires; then my Allstate agent changed 'n the new agent would not cover cracked windows even tho I had full glass coverage... grrrr again..!

I like your plans, no big mods, keep the truck going another 200,000 miles ~ sounds good, I like geezer's input about gauges... back to tires...

Please read my post #19 at this thread, concerning the tire part:
http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin...6841#post76841

After everything else is done to a vehicle it seems the final touch to performance is the wheels and tires (whether it be for maximum gas mileage, maximum speed, maximum smoothness, maximum cornering, maximum off road ability, whatever...) With the exception of an off road sport like rock climbing trails or race tracks or autocross tracks etc etc PUBLIC ROADS have no need for tires sticking out whatsoever past the vehicles body work..! That is not just my own opinion, it is the law all over the place..! Gee, I wonder why..?

IMHO, for getting another 200,000 miles stick with wheel & tire fitments that closely match the original OEM Mitsubishi specifications...

Thanks Dobishi~san for not getting upset at my rant, I feel much better now and I do realize the truck most likely came with those tires when you bought it...

Aloha & itadasai (me)
George

[claych]

It's going to be a lot of work, but I look forward to sharing as I go!

a bit of help

[Chargerx3]

Nice truck. Not too many V6 4x4’s around or even produced. They are very stout trucks! More so than their Toyota counterparts. If you want even more power then you can always add any other 6g7* motor and tune it.

I went the route of the 6g75 3.8L MIVEC with around 300hp.

[Dobishi]

Thank you for all the tips and advice! I will keep everyone posted on the progress.

Currently I'm in the process of hunting down the right engine rebuild kits, and finding part numbers/sources for the "little" things like the rear cab mounted tail light, weather seals, etc. The main focus being on getting as much info as I can on overhauling the stock engine though. That will be the first thing I tackle, along with transmission, transfer case, clutch, etc. If it turns out to be more of a pain than it's worth then I may consider either getting a rebuilt engine, or doing a swap at that point.

For sappy sentimental reasons though I'd like her to have her original heart if possible.

I have to admit that the 3.8 MIVEC looks really nice in that truck though!

Hopefully ya'll have had a good holiday season so far!

[geezer101]

The factory 3.0 was a sore point with buyers. It barely made more power than the 2.4 and in comparison is more expensive to rebuild and maintain. Never know, if you're in the right place at the right time, a donor engine might come up and 'sway your mind'. Keep us posted with your progress

[claych]

Dobishi,
The cooling system parts are the most difficult to source, IMHO, start there...
Hoses, tubes, fittings, clamps, HEATER CORE !!
Although the" Great Oz " has spoken,
I say Carry on with Your 'sappy sentimental build'.

[tortron]

you can make all of that tho, its not that bad