Well, in the time I’ve been gone I have acquired and built some things (Even a building!). Not all are projects or will get their own build thread. But this one is nearest and dearest to the theme of most of us here.
I have wanted to buy a 4x4 to replaced my not so trusty and oh so rusty Raider since I moved to Phoenix. Somehow I have bought countless non 4x4s and never pulled the trigger on a Montero or Raider.
Enter the Ram.
A 4x4 first gen Mighty Max / Ram50 has been on my search list for the better part of 15-20 years. Two wheel drive first gens and four wheel drive second gens are plentiful. I wanted that slim early body but with an off road capable chassis. I could have bought a 2wd and swapped in all the 4x4 components, but lets be honest here, I would never finish it.
Well luck would have it as I was describing my "dream spec’ Mighty Max to a fellow gearhead. He mentioned his dad had bought an '86 4x4, 2.6, 5-speed truck one year old in 1987. It was driven until 1999 and just parked when he acquired a new truck and just forgotten about. Color me interested, so I asked If he still has it, and if so would he sell it?
Fast forward about a month and I get a text with three grainy photos of a truck sitting in the brush in Showlow AZ, about 200 miles and 3.5 hours north of my home in North Phoenix. The magic $800 price was thrown out there and an over the phone agreement was made. I borrowed the brother-in-laws truck, rented a U-haul trailer and loaded up for an adventure with the WAY to understanding Naomi.
Arriving in Showlow, the first thing I notice after driving down 5 or 6 miles of VERY rough dirt driveway is that my friends dad has a habit of buying cars and leaving the old one out to pasture. Stay tuned, I may be grabbing more in the future! Vegas, Opel Mantas, first gen Civics, a Suzuki LJ20 and a sweet Studebaker Wagon. I want them all!
First impressions, it was straight, rust free and 97% complete. Seemed I may have actually scored a good one here.
Loaded up and ready to head home. Ram 2500 tows Ram 50. Or is it Ram50x50 tows Ram50. Either way, this thing certainly feels like it has the power of 50 Ram50s! 20240914_185441 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
Step One - Clean the truck.
I bought this in September of 2024 and nearest we can all figure it has been parked since mid 1999. That means this truck has not move since I graduated high school! That feels like a lifetime ago, and honestly it is. Thankfully high desert life is fairly easy on cars that sit. That said, you cannot outrun nature. A parked vehicle becomes a haven for rodents and this one was no exception. With what can only be described as dumb luck, they managed to not destroy the interior and were confined mostly to the engine compartment. But what a mess they made. 20240915_174734 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
A full weekend of cleaning with a respirator and gloves (no Hantavirus here please!!) yielded some pretty good results. Further proving to me that I may have scored a good one! 20240916_204158 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
After spending an afternoon repairing chewed harnesses. I want to recommend the shrink connectors with the built in solder. What a time saver. Coupled with heat shrink tubing, they make a tight and water proof connection without much effort and the finished repair is small and discrete. If you have not tried them, please do. 20241102_141005 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
Next up, carb fun. The OEM Carb on this thing was SO rusted up. I could not even get the butterfly’s to turn. 20241109_132159 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
Thankfully I had a Weber on the shelf that I bought from a junkyard Mitsu months ago for a bargain (I thought) price. Got the truck to run on fuel direct from an auxiliary tank. 20241110_191806 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
As with any vehicle parked for an extended period of time. Any fuel system stuff is going to be filled with varnish. Thankfully local Mitsu-head and friend Josh had a known good tank in his garage he was willing to part with, so, I grabbed it. It was empty and most importantly, clean. I disconnected all the fuel lines, ran carb clean through the hard lines and blew them out with compressed air. Replaced every rubber line on the truck and installed the new tank. 20241124_175913 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
The only hiccup with the old filler neck was so hard and brittle. There was no getting it back on. Enter Speedway Motors. They had this 2-foot long section of filler hose on the shelf for $40 bucks. If only I had know that before spending $100 on vehicle specific ones at Auto Zone and trying to cobble them together! 20241208_113926 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
So, we know have air, fuel, spark and an engine that we know will run. The last part to replace and see how this thing drives is the 25 year old plus tires. I knew I wanted something slightly larger than the stocks, but also not something that was way oversized and looked funny or would have been to much for the 2.6 to push along. After some calculations it seemed like a 235/75R15 would give a two 1.75 inch overall increase over the stock tire and one with a good A/T tread would help give the truck a proper 80’s 4x4 stance. Discount tire had a killer deal on some Goodyear Wrangler Trailrunner AT’s at right around $100 a tire. They look killer if I do say so myself. 20241214_142902 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
On a positive note…there are no more mosquitos in the neighborhood!
Why is it smoking so bad though? After much diag and work it seems to be a vacuum issue. The Weber car does not require many vacuum lines though and anything open from the OEM carb has been plugged.
Turns out, it was the junkyard carb itself. It was a knock off Chinese made Weber and they are known to wear over time and cause an air leak where the throttle shaft goes into the body of the carb. Thankfully I have a good friend that is a Weber dealer and he was able to set me up with a brand new genuine Spain made Weber 32/36. 20241221_132352 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr 20241221_145607 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
Four till Four, our local Porsche themed coffee spot (3:56, get it?) does themed Saturday meets and the last Saturday of each month is “Adventure Machines ; Vintage 4X4s” So here we are on Dec 28th, a couple months after dragging this thing home after more than two decades parked dormant and I am ready to take it for its first event. Albeit not a grand 4x4 adventure, but what urban 4x4 owner isn’t used to making trips for coffee with all their adventure gear tacked on! Of course I also brought my DSLR, hey, I am just trying to fit the stereotype here!
Photos from the event and a guest appearance from Josh Mead with his lifted, big tire, turbo diesel Mighty Max.
The obvious quick solution for a mechanical fuel pump issue…electronic one from the local parts store. They are always in stock and an easy road side fix should one fail in the future. 20241229_131426 by Brad DeSantis, on Flickr
Tucked up above the frame so it wont hit things off road. The red power wire looks close to the self tapper in the photo but it is not. No chance of contact.
There were a few things I glossed over in this synopsis. Fluid changes, plugs, wires and other maintenance stuff. But overall very pleased with how far this truck has come in a few short weeks after being abandoned for 25 years.
Still lots of little things to sort. A/C , stereo and exhaust as the main things. Some cosmetics to clean up of course, but as for know, I’ve put about 300 road miles on it and its been trouble free since the fuel pump change. Bring on the dirt!
I am so stoked to see you (and this truck) here! What a tremendous success story. I mean, we’re what–six months in, all-in? You’ve got a running, driving, survivor and it’s only going to get better from here. Now, I’ll spare everyone the multi-quote and just bullet comment on all of the above.
Outstanding find. That AZ patina, amirite?
Is it just me, or was that engine in exceptionally clean condition? I’ve pressure-washed a couple 4G54–in-situ and out. They’ve never looked so good. (Then again, I’ve got 40-Something Eyes these days, so…)
That NIB Weber looks like a gem. Is this truck going to be a showcase for Brad’s mint vintage parts?
Tamiya is your favorite RC car company?Me too!
(Now I have to start a resto-build thread for my King Cab.)
You’ve come a long way in relatively little time. Acceptable Levels of Disrepair and such aside, I’m curious if and how your long term vision for this machine might have changed in light of such a well-behaved candidate.
3.5 months from tow home to driving to 4till4. (not that I am counting!)
Engine is super clean, this is like my 7th or 8th G54 vehicle, none have been this clean. Its wild.
Weber is not vintage, they still make them today in Spain and knockoffs from China.
Long term vision is just minor bolt on mods, continuing to clean the interior, a stereo and some light off road goodies for recovery and comfort.