Meandmit build thread

[meandmit]

Well not really building anything yet, but just trying to keep all my updates in one place. I bought the truck last year (1995 M/M) with 89,000 miles on it, body/paint looked great, new tires, all smiles until the first rain storm. Well I though the windshield was leaking only to find the upper trough was rusted through letting water into the interior. The front end had a few squeaks and pops, so on a closer look found the idler arm was crap and was in need of lower control arm bushings.

[meandmit]

The left side was a different story, a bit harder to get to but not too bad, after new metal was welded in place, POR 15 was then added and topped off with seam sealer.

[meandmit]

The truck never came with a bumper, I looked and looked for a style I wanted. I didn't want a step bumper but just a regular bumper. I found one in a LKQ for cheap but it had a little rust/dent issues. I figured it was all cosmetics since I'll be installing a trailer hitch to pull with not the bumper, so out came the grinder/cut off wheel/hammer,dolly/welder to fix her up....

[meandmit]

Here's the finished product with hitch. To make sure just how well it works, took the VW to the Jacksonville port to it's new home. Next on the agenda.....new front suspension parts, oh and some lowered spindles, and 3" blocks for the rear. Oh did I mention, new wheels and tires :)) can't forget those.

[92bluemax]

That is a nice mitsubishi

[ikeepzitclean]

good to see the progress u made on this truck man. keep up the great work. I love the color on that truck and that u painted the rear bumper black. I was wondering how u installed that tow hitch. when I got my truck many years ago it came w/ a tow ball but it was attached to the stock rear chrome bumper right by the lic. plate. I like ur tow hitch better, what is it attached to?

[meandmit]

good to see the progress u made on this truck man. keep up the great work. I love the color on that truck and that u painted the rear bumper black. I was wondering how u installed that tow hitch. when I got my truck many years ago it came w/ a tow ball but it was attached to the stock rear chrome bumper right by the lic. plate. I like ur tow hitch better, what is it attached to?

It's mounted to the frame, you can mount it with a bumper or without. I looked for a while when looking for one. Here's the best deal and now looks like it's on clearance. http://www.hitchweb.com/product/88/75019/Class-3-Hitch-Dodge-Pickup-Mitsubishi-Mighty-Max-SPX

[pennyman1]

my dads 88 spacecab had that hitch on it for years - it ended up being the rear crossmember of sorts when the spare tire carrier rotted so bad you could have pulled it off the truck without much effort.

[ikeepzitclean]

It's mounted to the frame, you can mount it with a bumper or without. I looked for a while when looking for one. Here's the best deal and now looks like it's on clearance. http://www.hitchweb.com/product/88/75019/Class-3-Hitch-Dodge-Pickup-Mitsubishi-Mighty-Max-SPX

oh i see.. i figured it wouldn't be cheap. lol however, is it bad to keep the "trailer ball" the way it is mounted on the OEM bumper now? its been on there like that for as long as I can remember :rolleyes: and the bumper had a pre-drilled hole in there for it.


my dads 88 spacecab had that hitch on it for years - it ended up being the rear crossmember of sorts when the spare tire carrier rotted so bad you could have pulled it off the truck without much effort.

mother nature is responsible for that truck mod. :lmao: lol

hopefully I get lucky at the JY one of these weeks and come across one. are these hitches pretty universal?

[meandmit]

oh i see.. i figured it wouldn't be cheap. lol however, is it bad to keep the "trailer ball" the way it is mounted on the OEM bumper now? its been on there like that for as long as I can remember :rolleyes: and the bumper had a pre-drilled hole in there for it.



mother nature is responsible for that truck mod. :lmao: lol

hopefully I get lucky at the JY one of these weeks and come across one. are these hitches pretty universal?

a bumper hitch has it's limits, it won't pull much, and at the jy as long as it's a Mighty Max/D 50 and 2nd generation you should be good

[ikeepzitclean]

a bumper hitch has it's limits, it won't pull much, and at the jy as long as it's a Mighty Max/D 50 and 2nd generation you should be good

true.. but the bumper itself is pretty thick steel and is mounted to the back of the frame via brackets same way the trailer hitch is. however, for the hitch u got on ur truck, are the brackets (via which the hitch is mounted to the frame) significantly thicker or about the same as the brackets from the stock steel bumper?

[meandmit]

true.. but the bumper itself is pretty thick steel and is mounted to the back of the frame via brackets same way the trailer hitch is. however, for the hitch u got on ur truck, are the brackets (via which the hitch is mounted to the frame) significantly thicker or about the same as the brackets from the stock steel bumper?

There thicker, it also bolts to the side of the bumper brackets, all kind of hooked together

[ikeepzitclean]

ah ok.. sounds like the aftermarket tow hitch is more heavy duty than stock bumper. me and camoit were discussing this last night and we kinda guessed it by lookin at the pic on their site, but u confirmed it :thumbup: did u get yours off that same website u showed me yesterday? and approx. how much did it run u?

[meandmit]

ah ok.. sounds like the aftermarket tow hitch is more heavy duty than stock bumper. me and camoit were discussing this last night and we kinda guessed it by lookin at the pic on their site, but u confirmed it :thumbup: did u get yours off that same website u showed me yesterday? and approx. how much did it run u?

Yes I got it off that site, only 2 web sites carry it, this one has free shipping (see upper right hand corner of web site) so the $135.55 is to your front door. You can look at the installation instructions on the same page, shows how it bolts up with or without bumper :)

[ikeepzitclean]

fasho.. sounds good. yeah the install is pretty straight forward from what I read and seen on they site. btw, i like da way the rear bumper looks in black..what grit did u use to sand down the chrome bumper to paint it. i assume it was originally chrome finish.

[pennyman1]

those bumpers came black or chrome and are a universal facebar with different mounting brackets. They were also used om the toyotas and nissans around the same age. There are a set of 2nd gen brackets on ebay right now for that bumper - just need the face bar.

[meandmit]

fasho.. sounds good. yeah the install is pretty straight forward from what I read and seen on they site. btw, i like da way the rear bumper looks in black..what grit did u use to sand down the chrome bumper to paint it. i assume it was originally chrome finish.

Nope...it was black, it came off like a 88' or 89' model 1 ton Mighty Max

[ikeepzitclean]

those bumpers came black or chrome and are a universal facebar with different mounting brackets. They were also used om the toyotas and nissans around the same age. There are a set of 2nd gen brackets on ebay right now for that bumper - just need the face bar.

really? thats news to me.. I have a chrome one on there now. but mine looks a bit thicker. weird... :shrug:


Nope...it was black, it came off like a 88' or 89' model 1 ton Mighty Max

I dont think I've ever seen a black on in person. 99% of the ones I did notice were chrome.

[92bluemax]

Im just gonna add a tube bumper to the rear

[pennyman1]

use self etching primer on the chrome after you scuff the chrome with a red scotchbrite pad, then paint it.

[ikeepzitclean]

use self etching primer on the chrome after you scuff the chrome with a red scotchbrite pad, then paint it.

thanks man. i appreciate the tip. wet or dry? so no sand paper required then huh.. is there a specific brand of self etching primer that u've used or would something like dupli-color work ? I just want the paint to stick and not chip or react and bubble up.

[pennyman1]

Dry for the scotchbrite - duplicolor self etch should work. Trucks and Musclecar on Spike have used it on chrome with good results.

[ikeepzitclean]

thanks for the help pennyman :)

meandmit, my fault didnt mean to hijack ur thread..just trying to see how I can make my bumper like yours, looks better in black as opposed to chrome. lol

[meandmit]

thanks for the help pennyman :)

meandmit, my fault didnt mean to hijack ur thread..just trying to see how I can make my bumper like yours, looks better in black as opposed to chrome. lol

No problem....all activity is good

[ikeepzitclean]

fasho.. u got any plans for this truck besides what u did so far?

[meandmit]

fasho.. u got any plans for this truck besides what u did so far?

wheels,tires,lowering. stay tuned

[iceman]

Im just gonna add a tube bumper to the rear

I have a tube bumper on my 4x4 supposedly it came stock, and after welding the mounts to the frame towed 8500 pounds with it to Glamis.

[meandmit]

Been collecting parts and working on getting the wheels ready for installation on the MM. I don't have a lathe so I had to come up with something that would work to drill out the center holes on the wheels. I first made a cardboard template 3" for the center hole to 3 11/16" hole size made with a compass, bolted together through center hole, and scribed on to both sides of wheel. The first wheel I used a die grinder....man that took forever. So I came up with using a 3 5/8" hole saw, with a homemade guide bolted through lug holes to hold the drill bit on center to remove the bulk and finish with the die grinder. Worked great :) All 4 wheels now fit and are mounted to tires. I just need a weekend to finish the front end rebuild/drop and install wheel/tire combo. Stay tuned.

[meandmit]

Today I installed the rear wheels/tires. I wanted to retain the rear center caps, Dorman doesn't make a adapter nut yet (double nut) that would have made it easier. What I did was install the larger studs (14/1.5) to retain the stock Silverado lug nuts. I made a press tool out of an old C clamp to push out the old studs and drew them in with 2 washer/nut/impact tool method. No axles were pulled. Enjoy....

*The studs fit 1997-99 Cadillac Deville (rear 6 lug) Dorman #610-432, or Napa NOE 6414123
* drill bit to drill for studs 39/64"
* drill bit to drill drum 9/16"
* 2 grade 8 1/2" washers and Napa # NOE 641-3244 wheel nut

[rwenzek94]

painted my block :) 4714

[ikeepzitclean]

I try to follow as much as I can whenever I get a chance to log on here.. lol great job so far btw! :D and the Silverado rims look dope on there. what size rubber u running?



rwenzek94, block color is so sick! u thinkin of doing a truck color combo to match it or what?

[meandmit]

great job so far btw! :D and the Silverado rims look dope on there. what size rubber u running?



Thanks, the insperation came from crvtec90, I liked the look of his truck. The rubber is 235/45-17, same height as the oem tire on the truck.

[Fordubishi]

It's the Purple engine club

http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee370/Fordubishi/PaintedEngine.jpg

[ikeepzitclean]

im diggin it fordubishi.. too bad my truck is dark blue..purple doesn't really "fashion" w/ it IMO. lol


Thanks, the insperation came from crvtec90, I liked the look of his truck. The rubber is 235/45-17, same height as the oem tire on the truck.

damn thats pretty wide.. no rub? and based on the rubber size, the rim is 17x8 (or 7.5) im guessing?

[meandmit]

the rim is 7.5" wide can't remember the offset, 31mm I think, the weight of the wheel and tire combo
stock wheel and tire = 39.5 lbs.
Silverado wheel and tire= 43.5 lbs.

No rub

[meandmit]

Well I got the suspension done yesterday.....man this 52 year old is tired, well that and I hit my hand with a hammer...damn ball joint fork :shakehead:. Anyway, it looks and handles great. I replaced almost everything, bushings, ball joints, tie rods, re greased bearings, shocks, redrilled hubs for 14x1.5 studs etc. etc. etc. oh and lowered rear too. Here's some pictures of the carnage. The front studs fit 1980's Toyotas, part # on box, drill bit 5/8". Enjoy.

[EL.95MAX]

LOOK good pretty soon i'll be start my front to

[ikeepzitclean]

the rim is 7.5" wide can't remember the offset, 31mm I think, the weight of the wheel and tire combo
stock wheel and tire = 39.5 lbs.
Silverado wheel and tire= 43.5 lbs.

No rub

wow.. and i was worried bout doing 215/45 cuz i thought it might rub. 235/45 it is then. lol and weight is not too big of a diff. considering rim is 3" bigger.

btw, cool pix updates.. the rims def. change da whole look of da truck. looks dope! did u lower da rear by takin out a leaf?

[meandmit]

wow.. and i was worried bout doing 215/45 cuz i thought it might rub. 235/45 it is then. lol and weight is not too big of a diff. considering rim is 3" bigger.

btw, cool pix updates.. looks dope! did u lower da rear by takin out a leaf?

Thanks, the rear has 3" blocks

[ikeepzitclean]

Thanks, the rear has 3" blocks

outta curiosity.. how big are da stock blocks? I've nvr lowered trucks b4 so idk.

[meandmit]

outta curiosity.. how big are da stock blocks? I've nvr lowered trucks b4 so idk.

It's basically just that, a piece of aluminum 3" thick, you can get them in 1", 2", 3" or 4" and you put them in between the axle and the spring hence lowering the car that amount. Normally the rear axle sits flat against the spring. There like this http://thesuspensionsource.mybigcommerce.com/products/3-inch-LOWERING-BLOCKS-W%7B47%7DU%252dBOLTS-%26-HARDWARE.html

[ikeepzitclean]

^ oh yeah i know what they are..i've just nvr messed w/ suspension on a truck b4. and i've seen some ppl lowering theirs by messing w/ the leafs. lol idk about that :grinno:
i nvr checked mine, but do these trucks come w/ any blocks stock? and what size?

[DroppedMitsu]

No they dont come with blocks. Block are used to lift or lower a truck depending on if tge leads are above or below the axle

[meandmit]

Still going strong....oh my arms are bigger too, those 235/45-17's and manual steering = tough

[sleeps]

Looks good I'm digging the rake! I always like trucks lower in front than back.