Merrill's 4G64 DOHC.

[Merrill]

So many years ago, I owned a '88 Mighty Max and absolutely loved it. It was my first truck and definitely miss it. The person I originally bought it from really ran it down to its last limb and one day the engine locked up and I had to get rid of it. I always wanted another one but for some reason I never bought one.

I have a long history of racing and back in the day before I started building performance parts and race cars, I was a Mini Trucker. Bag, drag, hop, and body drop - all me, all day. I decided I needed a new race car (or truck in this case), and need a new shop truck, so I chose to build the Mighty Max I wanted to build waaaay back when I had my first one (except a little more modern). I have no plans to bag and drag since most track officials frown upon throwing sparks down the straight away.

The original plans have always been a 4G64 DOHC build, high boosted, and well built to our standards. We were tossing the idea around of using the existing 4G64 that comes in the Mighty Max since the deck casting is exactly like the 4G63 DSM. You can bolt the head straight on and call it a day.

The only problem (more like "what annoys me" most) is the lack of tuning and support. It's old, and so is the technology behind it. After a bit of research, and a stroke of luck, I located a 4G64 out of a Montero Sport which has the "newer" style block with the deck casting like the 4G63 Evo heads. It also uses the same sensors which means I can easily plug in an Evo ECU and tune it easily as well as adding a ton of tuning mods. The engine support for the Evo, in my opinion and experience, is far greater than the DSM.

Modern 4G64 modders are turning to Hyundai cylinder heads because they are almost exactly the same as the Evo. The CC's are slightly larger, but this is a 2.4, so it matches better. I have built a couple 4G64/Hyundai DOHC engines already and absolutely love the minimum cost for the high potential. I have a couple extra heads laying around the shop, and they are a Dime a dozen anyway so I made a call to a buddy of mine at the yard and snagged up the engine and transmission from a '99 Montero Sport 2WD 2.4.

Here is was after pulling it:
80188019

After getting them back to the shop, I tossed them in the washer for tear down and inspection
8020

Now, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why an extremely clean looking (internally) engine ended up in the yard. I didn't see a any holes in the block, no signs of a collision, and everything was straight and normal. I figured I just scored. After tearing down the transmission, I found out that the first gear synchro grenaded the shaft collar in addition to cracking off about half of first gear. That's why it was in the yard. Oh well.... I'll rebuild it eventually. The interesting thing is the Model number has the same coding as some of the DSM transaxles =, so maybe I can put together a custom gear set for it. I'll mess with it later.

So the engine was stripped and disassembled followed by a quick shot of paint. Once the block and a couple other parts came out of the oven, it was time to mock-up.

80218022

Just like the DSM's take mods to fit, so does this one. Obviously the first issues are going to be the intake and exhaust being on the opposite sides. To my knowledge, there is no manifold that will bolt on easily. Only 2 intake manifolds I know that fit this engine are the Evo, and the Hyundai/Kia versions (Sonata, Optima, Santa Fe). Both manifolds will face the firewall just like the DSM swaps, but they are easy fixes just like the DSM swaps. I'll just build a SMIM for it once I get it in the truck. The exhaust is the same issue. No manifolds will just bolt right up and let you roll. I'm boosting this engine, so again, once I get it in the truck, I'll build the turbo manifold for it and all the other stuff.

If you look at the mock-up pic on the left, you'll notice the 2 tubes leading around the back for the heater. Notice the top tube runs right up to the outlet of the head. This will have to be modified to fit better (for me). The tube wrapping around the back pops out on the other side and has a port for the throttle body thermal valve. I don't need a functioning thermal valve for cold idle, so it will be deleted.

This is how I did it:

Here is what they look like for fitting to the Montero Sport
80238024
All I did was rotate the right side 90 degrees, and cut out the left side
80258026
Here it is complete and ready for a fit check
8027

That's one problem solved.

Next up is the issue of this being a FWD engine, and I am mounting it to a RWD block. The Montero Sport has its thermostat located on the lower radiator hose/inlet tube, and the Hyundai's thermostat is located on the back side of the head. I don't need 2 thermostats, and I really don't want to run a water pipe to the back of the engine, so I decided to delete the rear housing.

This engine still needs an outlet for coolant and a place to install an upper radiator hose. The fine folks at Mitsubishi conveniently located a freeze plug right at the front of the head so there will be my exit. Very simple - pop the freeze plug out, and add a 1.5" aluminum tube.

802880298030

Once I get it in the truck, I will trim it down and build some stainless hard hoses for the cooling system.

Next up is the valve cover. I personally love the look of exposed gears and belt. The timing covers are not the same, so I won't be using it. I also need to modify the ventilation system to accept one of our catch cans. Seeing "DOHC 16 Valve" on the valve cover is cool, but pointless. If you pop the hood and see 2 bright gold cam gears, it's obviously a DOHC lol. First I had to weld the factory PCV and Vent holes shut. I also got rid of a screw hole I don't need while I was at it.

After a soak in the hot tank to remove the factory coating, I took a grinder to the lettering

80318033

Next is the mounting tabs for the upper timing cover
80328034

Then a couple welds followed by smoothing
80358036

Then a quick sand blast to clean it all up
8037
I shot it with a coat of primer after that. Once I get the engine assembled I will add the new fittings for the ventilation system and give it the final coating. That pretty much wraps up the head Mock-up.

I'll have more later...

[Fordubishi]

Very nice work. looking good so far.

[Redneckmoparman]

this might convince me to keep the 4g64 in my d50.... almost we will see but i love it so far this is shapin up to be an epic build though

[Merrill]

Thanks for the comments! I guess we'll see how it goes. Of course I (like any other builder) think it is epic, but everyone has their own opinions.

So with the head mock-up complete, I started on the block mods. This is going to be a little tricky, but I'm sure I can find a solution. I wan to try and run a 6 rib style belt like the Evo so I can use a SFI certified harmonic balancer. The problem so far is the water pump. The Evo uses a reversed rotation pump with a smooth pulley turned by the back side of the belt. It doesn't match the position of the 4G64 pump and the 4G64 pump spins opposite the Evo. The snouts are also different lengths. Worse comes to worse, I can just machine a pulley.

In the mean time, the Monty 4G64 setup is actually 3 separate belts. I also don't require power steering. AC is one of those things you either have to have, or don't care about. I want my AC living in the desert. It only takes power while in operation, so I wont be racing with it on obviously. The Monty tension system will not work with my intended setup, so here are the quick and easy mods to the brackets.

8046

After a little cleanup, they were coated to match the block and tossed in the oven to cure.

Now on to the balance shafts. Same story - I don't want them. Most DD's I suggest keeping the balance shafts installed and using a strong Kevlar belt for the right side shaft. This is a race/promotional/shop truck and I can rebuild or replace easily so I can afford to run without balance shafts. There is no need to spend $50-$80 for a balance shaft delete kit if you know how to do it yourself. I don't have all the pics because it literally takes 2 minutes to do.

First - cut the oil pump driven shaft off just after the location of the seal.
Second - weld the hole shut
Third - smooth

You get a nice OEM stub shaft as a result.
80478048

On the other side, you can spend 4 bucks on a seal or a dollar on a freeze plug that fits the bore to seal it off. The engine rebuilt kit includes new balance shaft bearings so I will swap them out to plug off the right side shaft oil ports. If you have the means, and really want to save money, you can pop the shaft bearings out and rotate them. As long as you don't damage them, you can toss them back in. All they will do is plug a hole.

After all that was done, I did a quick mock-up assembly to see how I like it all.

8049

I only found one issue I want to remedy. The heater tubes I modified earlier fit just fine, but I don't like the way they look. They just don't match up looking like they were meant to be there. Here is what I mean:

80508051

The right side tube sticks out about an inch past the Hyundai head tube. The left side tube just sticks way out even after being shortened. They just don't look right. I shortened them more and sent them off to coating along with the lower inlet tube to get coated. I'll have follow up pics later this weekend most likely.

So there is one huge piece of this build currently missing.... I don't have the truck yet. I've been striking out on finding a clean Mighty Max that meets my wants. They are either too expensive (more like over inflated), too messed up, not the right engine, or require so much work to straighten it out that no matter how much polish goes on, it still looks like shit. So the search continues for a Mighty Max...

This engine will not be swapped until the chassis or other mods are complete. As soon as all the mock-up is complete, I will finish the build (cams, pistons, rods, etc.). There is one more mod I can tackle real quick while I have a spare minute - A short shifter. I can't find one, I don't want to pay for one if I did find one, so I'll take a few "anti-lazy hours" and build one.

Its very simple to do...

Cut the shift rod off and add 1 inch to it
80538054

Weld it back together
8055

Then cut a 1 inch spacer
80568057

Reassemble
8058

A little trimming needs to be done at the base for range selection movement, but that's how you make a short shifter.

I'll get more done this weekend and have a few more pics to share.

Questions and comments are welcome!

[4doorciv]

Nice build. Magnus makes a bolt on intake manifold on special request. I believe jmf dose to. One day, I will have the Magnus dsm smim race intake manifold modified to fit my rwd as it only costed me 500 used vs 1k new.

[DroppedMitsu]

Badass build, been waiting for someone to do a proper 4g64t dohc build. Keep up the great work

[BradMph]

Very nice indeed and coming along very good. Give us all the information you can because as you see there are many interested.

Welcome to the forum! :)

[Merrill]

Thank you for the welcomes and comments!

I'm waiting on the post I put up last night to be approved with a few more mods.

If anyone has questions in the mean time, just ask. I'll be happy to fill in the blanks.

[Merrill]

My post from last night is posted up a few posts back.

Today I was able to finish the mock-up of all the parts minus accessories. Here are the corrected heater pipes. I think they look much better, like they actually fit, shortened.

80788079

Here is the whole engine coated and assembled.

8080

Next will be the valve cover vents and coating. With any luck, I will be able to solve the fitment of the accessories after converting to a single 6 rib serpentine belt.

I have to take care of a few clients' cars next week but I will post more as I get it done.

[Merrill]

With the engine mock-up at a stand still while I gather more parts, I can move on to other parts. We did a ton of searching and crossing of parts for a big brake system that will work pretty much as a bolt-on to the Mighty Max, and this is what I’m going to work on next.

I plan to narrow a Ford 8.8 4:10 axle with rear disc. This gives me a lot more workability, strength, and options for future performance. There really is nothing wrong with the Mighty Max or Mitsu diff’s in general, but Ford diffs are hard to beat, extremely easy to source, and simple to modify if needed. The Explorer 8.8 gives me rear disc and with narrowing and 5 lug which offers up a much better wheel selection for fitment. It’s really hard to beat, and I can do it in one day.

Obviously being a 5 lug is going to make it look a little funky seeing 6 up front and 5 in the rear, so I will do a full 5 lug swap. Thanks to the good folks at Mini Truckin for showing everyone the ease of a 5 lug swap as that made my research much less of a hassle. I made a call to my buddy at the yards and picked up a set of Tacoma front hubs.

The Mighty Max brakes are tiny at 258mm. The Tacoma discs are even smaller at 254mm. The first thing that comes to mind is the Montero (obviously) because it is pretty much the same platform - just bigger. The problem you run into is the offset. Mighty Max offset is a measly 33mm while the Montero Sports sit at 45mm. If you tried to bolt those on to the hub, you won’t be able to tighten the hub to the spindle. They just don’t work.

Montero Sports have 2 disc sizes:
Small rotor = 276mm
8102

Big rotor = 314mm
8103

Whether small rotor or big, you get dual piston calipers. The brackets are sized accordingly. The brackets have the same bolt spacing and fit as the Mighty Max brackets so they will bolt right up all day long. The only challenge is finding a rotor to match.

Small rotor caliper on the left, big rotor caliper on the right
8104

The Tacoma rotor has a hub offset of 41mm. According to the Mini Truckin article, they had to machine a spacer 0.465” (11.8mm) to correctly space the Mitsu caliper to the Tacoma hub/rotor offset. That means we have some wiggle room to find a large rotor with the correct offset.

In the fast world of Mitsubishi, there were only a few cars that used a rotor offset that is close to the Tacoma offset. There were even a bunch that used a 276mm rotor (same as small Montero Sport). The common vehicle using the 276mm rotor are the Diamante. There was only one rotor I could find that provided the correct offset AND is 314mm diameter. That rotor belongs on the 2G 3000GT VR4.

The rotor offsets for the Diamante and 3KGT VR4 are both 45mm. The Tacoma offset is 41mm. Since a spacer needs to be utilized to adapt the Mitsu caliper to the Tacoma rotor, simple math tells us that we have about 11mm of space to play with. Since the offset difference between the Tacoma and Diamante/3KGT VR4 is only 4mm, they will fit. While at the yard picking up the Tacoma hubs I snapped a quick pic of the Tacoma rotor next to the 276mm Diamante rotor.

81058106

The first thing you notice right off the get go is the hub bore. The Diamante and 3KGT VR4 both have a bore of 69mm while the Tacoma bore is 86mm. This will require machine work. A few bucks and a smile at a Mom and Pop machine shop will get the job done in a couple hours.

It’s not really a huge issue, but one thing I should mention is the Tacoma rotor is built to be bolted to the hub. There are 5 threaded holes in the rotor hat. The Diamante and 3KGT VR4 do NOT have these holes. The solution is simple - use a nut and thread locker or safety wire (or all 3). There is plenty of room in the hat to fit it. What you ABSOLUTELY should pay attention to is the hub bore when taking it to the machine shop. When you drop off the rotors, drop off the hubs with them. Why is this necessary? Measuring the exact hub diameter needed will allow the machinist to better fit the rotor. You need a completely centric rotor to keep the balance of the system proper. A tight fit of each rotor to hub will keep it centered and balanced, so drop off a clean set of hubs with the rotors and explain it to the machinist. They will understand.

Now on to the Brake Master Cylinder. This is very important. The Mighty Max BMC is tiny just like the brakes. You really don’t need a very large bore master cylinder to fill up 2 single pot calipers and 2 wheel cylinders. The Mighty Max uses a BMC bore sized at 15/16”. Thats bigger than most of the cars, but not big enough for dual piston calipers. The Montero Sport uses a 1” bore BMC which is good enough for stock brakes. There is one bigger and that belongs to the 3KGT VR4 at 1-1/16” bore. The larger bore will accommodate the dual piston calipers up front, my rear disc, and still give a very strong brake response.

If you flip the Brake Master Cylinder over, you will see the bore size cast into it. If you are at a salvage yard, and don’t have the tools, don’t want to remove the BMC, too lazy, quick search… whatever - take your smart phone with a front facing camera and stick it under the BMC to reveal the size.

810781088109

Just about all BMC’s in the Mitsu world are the same bolt spacing and hose location. They literally used the same design for over 10 years. The only difference between the chassis models, other than the bore, is the reservoir. If you feel so inclined, you can swap your stock reservoir over to the big bore BMC. In some instances, you may have to in order to clear brake lines and other obstructions in your vehicle.

In the event that you are a scroll reader and missed all those specs, or are just searching for a fast combo, here is a quick parts list. If I start getting a ton of messages asking for which combo goes where, along with all the info, I will refer you back here.

Parts needed for 5 Lug Big Brakes on a Mighty Max:

- Small Rotor (276mm)
-- 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma 2WD front hubs, wheel bearings, wheel seal.
-- Mighty Max spindle (standard or drop)
-- Mighty Max castle nut
-- Tacoma bearing dust cap
-- 1996-2008 (depending on region of the world) Mitsubishi Montero Sport small rotor Caliper assembly including bracket (you can buy a “loaded” set with everything)
-- 1995-2002 Mitsubishi Diamante front brake rotor (276mm)*. You can used drilled and slotted as an upgrade.
-- 1996-2008 (depending on region of the world) Mitsubishi Montero Sport front brake pads
-- Brake master cylinder either 1” or 1-1/16” bore (may need to swap reservoirs).
* A custom measured spacer will need to be cut to correctly space the Mitsubishi caliper to the offset for the hub and rotor.
** Hub bore needs to be machined to approximately 86mm to fit Tacoma hub. Bring the hubs and rotors to the machine shop with you at the same time.

- Big Rotor (314mm)
-- 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma 2WD front hubs, wheel bearings, wheel seal.
-- Mighty Max spindle (standard or drop)
-- Mighty Max castle nut
-- Tacoma Bearing dust cap
-- 1996-2008 (depending on region of the world) Mitsubishi Montero Sport big rotor Caliper assembly including bracket (you can buy a “loaded” set with everything)
-- 1994-1999 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 AWD front brake rotor (314mm)*. You can used drilled and slotted as an upgrade.
-- 1996-2008 (depending on region of the world) Mitsubishi Montero Sport front brake pads
-- Brake master cylinder of 1-1/16” bore (may need to swap reservoirs).
* A custom measured spacer will need to be cut to correctly space the Mitsubishi caliper to the offset for the hub and rotor.
** Hub bore needs to be machined to approximately 86mm to fit the Tacoma hub. Bring the hubs and rotors to the machine shop with you at the same time.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT 314mm VR4 ROTOR AND MONTERO CALIPERS

You will need to shave the rotor about 3mm (1/8th inch) and the caliper brackets can be done the same. Just remember to take off equal amounts from each side.

See post #27 HERE (http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/3055-Merrill-s-Build?p=27228&viewfull=1#post27228) for a reference pic (bottom of the post)


Example: 1/8" needs to come off the rotor. Remove 1/16" (1.5mm) from the front and the back. Total removed = 1/8" or 3mm and the balance remains the same.


You can also try to find a different 314mm rotor with the correct offset.

You will also need larger wheels of at least 16” diameter to clear Big Rotor swaps. Make sure you measure your offset correctly. Every wheel is different so if you do not know how to measure offset, there are eleventy billion articles and videos on Google showing you how. They range in tech level from purple dinosaur style (very easy), to full tech with expensive machines. All you have to do is search the articles until you understand.

So far swapping to 5 lug is the only solution I have found for getting big brakes that fit well. I did try searching for 6 lug combos but there is nothing I can find that will set up like this. First I tried using the setups from a 2WD Montero Sport but the 2WD hub is actually matched in style to a 4WD hub which does not bolt to the Mighty Max spindle. You can not swap the spindles from one to the other easily because the tie rods are located up front while the Mighty Max locates them to the rear. The Tacoma Pre-Runner 2WD is pretty much the same deal. It uses a pressed beading and a different style hub that will not match the Mighty Max. I’m set on the 5 lug swap for my build, so I am done researching. All it really takes is a few hours comparing spec sheets and you can probably find a 6 lug version that will bolt up with little mods needed.

Another possible upgrade is using the 2G 3KGT VR4 4 pot Calipers with your swap. This is for extreme stopping, but you gotta stop how you gotta stop. The only hurdle someone has to conquer is building a bracket since they are not floating, they are fixed. To someone with the ability to fabricate a bracket, its a piece of cake. Right now, I will run the 2 pots since I already have them. Later I might upgrade to 4 pots.

I have my drop spindles and rotors ordered. Sometime this week they will show up. Once I put it all together and dig up all the little details, I will put together a How-to for the board.

81108111

~Merrill

[DroppedMitsu]

Nice build up, I'm already doing a 3000gt vr4 quad piston brake swap. Its in my build thread

[Merrill]

Nice build up, I'm already doing a 3000gt vr4 quad piston brake swap. Its in my build thread

Right on. Looks pretty simple. I'll probably make the jump to 4 pots eventually, I'll just build the brackets later on down the road... it's an easy swap.

[DroppedMitsu]

Yea very simple, just find a rotor that fits your needs and then build a very simple adapter bracket. I like your basically bolt on setup though, will make it nice for all the owners who aren't that good with fabbing.

[Merrill]

Yeah we figured it was too simple to ignore lol. We had a neat design for large 6 lugs in the beginning but all the shimming and adapters were just stupid in the end. It was pointless. All in all, it would take about 4 hours drafting it all up, and 10 minutes for the water jet to spit it out, but it just wasn't worth the time when I can bolt on factory brackets and spend 30 minutes machining everything.

It does also make it easier for others (like you mentioned) and I don't mind sharing the info. I'm a professional fabricator and not everyone can do what I do all day, so a simple contribution makes others have what works well and is simple.

[Merrill]

Well after tracking everything, parts will be arriving between Friday and sometime next week. I guess I'll be at a stand still for now since there isn't much I can do without the truck. I would build the intake manifold, but we haven't nailed down the final engine plans yet (cams, pistons, etc.) so it's pointless to build an intake manifold that potentially doesn't match the engine specs. I was going to machine my fuel rail for it today, but it would just be sitting around until I finish the intake manifold so it's near pointless.... i guess I'll just have to sir here and wait :waiting:

[Redneckmoparman]

then go find a truck for all this beautiful work to be installed on!

[Merrill]

It's definitely on the list lol. I'm just not finding what I want right now.

[Merrill]

Cool news - I think I may have found the water pump I need. I mentioned earlier that I want to use single 6 rib belt so I can run a Fluidampr for an Evo. The problem I have is the water pump. The Evo pump is clocked different than the G64 Monty, and it spins the opposite direction. Clocking is an issue I cant resolve in a way I feel is a well engineered solution, so I started searching for a different pump. There are 2 near identical pumps for the 4G64. The 7G Galant has the same pump as the Monty, but it is a short snout. It spins the same direction, fits the same way, uses the same inlet. All I need to find out now is if the shout is the same length as the Evo. Then I can find a pulley and I'm good to go!

[meandmit]

great info thanks

[Merrill]

great info thanks

Not a problem.


EVEN COOPER NEWS for today, my drop spindles showed up an hour ago. They arrived in one day. Already being coated with a protective epoxy coating and I'll have pics a bit later.

I did a fit check and the caliper fits without any obstructions so that's great news thus far.

[Merrill]

These pics don't do the size of these calipers much justice, so I found something to compare it to

8119

And here we have some assembly and coating action. Nothing fancy.
812081218122


One thing I will do is change the wheel studs from metric to standard. The Explorer studs are 1/2"-20, and both Mitsu and Toyota use 12mm. I want extended studs for my race wheels (when I use them), and its easier to find an extended stud with the correct knurl diameter needed for the Tacoma hubs, so I will swap it all over to 1/2"-20. I'm still waiting on the extended studs, brake rotors, pads, and a couple other pieces to show up from my vendors. Hopefully sooner than later....

[Rahtid]

Those calipers grab a lot hard than the stock ones, I have been using for while now,nice to see somebody else trying them out

[Merrill]

Extended wheel studs showed up today. Rotors will be here tomorrow, but I am out of town dealing with a client, so I wwon't be able to do anything until Wednesdaynext week when I get back. Business is business.

[Merrill]

So here are the extended studs. Nothing fancy....

81628163

I do have to modify the hubs to fit these though. Its easier to find the right knurl diameter for 1/2"-20 studs than it is to find 12mm. The price is better too when you do find them. Since the Ford 8.8 is equipped with 1/2"-20 studs, I want them all to match, and these were easier to source, I chose 1/2"-20. I couldn't find a close enough size to the Tacoma hubs, so I will drill them bigger.


It's pretty cool how you end up scoring when you least expect it. I currently live in San Diego, and my home town is Vegas. I travel back all the time and many of my clients are in Vegas. I took a quick gander on Vegas CL and spotted a '91 that has been listed for almost a month. I went over to check it out and the owner and I struck a deal. I did want 93+ but this isn't so bad. It fit all my other requirements.

8164

Pretty straight, not in need of a billion repairs, has an 8V 4G64.... I can't complain for the price. At some point I will get it back to my shop in San Diego so I can start working on it. Right now it's sitting in Vegas.

[Redneckmoparman]

right on looks pretty clean cant wait to see it get torn down!

[meandmit]

sweet truck, and those are the same brand spindles I scored on CL

[Merrill]

Here are a couple quick pics I snapped before heading back down to San Diego this week (I travel back and forth all the time).

Interior - extremely dirty and blue... Gotta color change it eventually.
8212


And the current 8 Valve lifter ticking engine that could
8213

I was excited to get back and pick up my rotors that made it in. I was a little bummed that I was out of town when they showed up. Either way - here they are next to the Tacoma rotors
8214

This is the part that totally sucks!
8215

I figured the thickness difference may be able to be squeezed, but no, not on these rotors. They don't squeeze between the caliper brackets. I'll just get rid of these and grab some 4 pot VR-4 calipers when I get a chance. That will solve it and upgrade me even more.

The 276mm Brake upgrade (small rotor) will work just fine since the Montero Sport rotors are the same thickness as the 276mm Diamante rotor. This "big rotor" was a gamble but it absolutely can be modded further to fit the 2 pots as a bolt-on. You will need to shave the rotor about 3mm (1/8th inch) and the caliper brackets can be done the same. Just remember to take off equal amounts from each side.

Example: 1/8" needs to come off the rotor. Remove 1/16" (1.5mm) from the front and the back. Total removed = 1/8" or 3mm and the balance remains the same.

You can also try to find a different 314mm rotor with the correct offset.

[Redneckmoparman]

so uh what are you doing with the stock engine?

[Merrill]

Getting rid of it once I finish building the new one.

[Merrill]

Speaking of engine..... I was able to get the valve cover done today. We modify valve covers for high performance engines all the time, but if you ever wanted to know how it is done - here is a quick picture how to.

8221822282238224

Simply measure, mark, cut/drill, and glue (epoxy). You need a very strong, high strength, high heat, 2 part epoxy to make aluminum stick for ever. We use an industrial formula bought in bulk, but there are probably some over the counter brands that will do the job.


It's very easy to mod, only takes about 10 minutes. After the epoxy cured, I wrinkle coated it and stuffed it in the curing oven for a heavy wrinkle. I did end up with a couple blemishes, but they are very easy fixes.
82258226

I have to run back to Vegas again tomorrow to take care of a couple clients, but I will be back Monday and will get a couple shots of this on the engine. I'm anxious to see how well it blends with the gold.

[Redneckmoparman]

well i need a computer and a head for mine

[Merrill]

well i need a computer and a head for mine

It could be a couple months before I get mine swapped. There are a bunch at the yards though. I'm sure I can make a call or send one of my guys down to grab one.

[Redneckmoparman]

if you could get me a cali ecu that would be awesome cause idk if the federal i had in the truck was causing any issues with the truck being a cali model but ill take care of the head locally since shipping would kill any benifits of it and idk if im going to keep it 8v or go dohc 16v

[Merrill]

if you could get me a cali ecu that would be awesome cause idk if the federal i had in the truck was causing any issues with the truck being a cali model but ill take care of the head locally since shipping would kill any benifits of it and idk if im going to keep it 8v or go dohc 16v

Just slap a G64 head on and call it a day. It's a bolt-on for the most part.


On another note, I serviced a set of lifters, gave it a full tune-up, drove it around for a bit, smogged and tagged it, and now I'm good to go. Not bad for a days worth of work and the truck runs better than ever. I'm kinda liking this little 8 valve.

[Merrill]

I mean G63 head.

[Redneckmoparman]

yeah thats the debate but i kinda wanna see what i can get out of the 8v head i mean i know ill get more out of the dohc but so does everybody

[meandmit]

Anyone ever turbocharge the 8v just cause you have it, any weak links, I know if you limit boost it will live but any other things to note?

[Merrill]

In my opinion, if you are going to build something, build it. Basically pick a build and stick with it. If you plan to do a DOHC swap, make that your build instead of building 2 different engines. Of course if you have the money to blow on whatever, go for it, but it sure takes a lot longer to accomplish Build A when you are doing B, C, D and so forth.

The 8 valve has been boosted many times. It can squeeze out some ponies, all dependant on your set-up, but there is no denying a dual cam will squeeze a bit more on the same setup. One example would be my last racecar. I built a '93 Dodge Colt 4G15. Nobody builds that engine seriously lol. But i was able to squeeze out 396 HP with a supercharger, turbo, alcohol and N2O. Any bigger swap would have put my little 1.5 to shame with the same mods. You can turbo virtually any engine out there. Just about every engine can handle 6-10 PSI on stock guts. Many NA Mitsu's can be pushed up to 15 PSI reliably, but it's all dependant on your setup, tuning, use, etc.

[Rahtid]

I agree the 8 valves have been boosted since the early 80's by mitsubishi and others
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W80tZZN7wA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OtuH0UMtg04

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brk0BzQpsc4

[BradMph]

Here are a couple quick pics I snapped before heading back down to San Diego this week (I travel back and forth all the time).

Interior - extremely dirty and blue... Gotta color change it eventually.
8212.


I couldn't help but notice the flowers on the seat covers. Don't tell me...your wife picked them out or it came with them? :)


Those brakes look real nice that your doing. As well, the valve cover is looking good too. Will the wrinkle paint hold up to petroleum products possibly getting on it and not softening the paint? I know the epoxy should be fine, atleast with my experience of using a 50/50 epoxy paint on RC Nitro boats.
I want to paint my valve covers on my MR2 and the wrinkle paint looks pretty decent.

[Merrill]

I couldn't help but notice the flowers on the seat covers. Don't tell me...your wife picked them out or it came with them? :)


Those brakes look real nice that your doing. As well, the valve cover is looking good too. Will the wrinkle paint hold up to petroleum products possibly getting on it and not softening the paint? I know the epoxy should be fine, atleast with my experience of using a 50/50 epoxy paint on RC Nitro boats.
I want to paint my valve covers on my MR2 and the wrinkle paint looks pretty decent.

Thank you. Wrinkle paint is rated to 350*F and resistant to the usual paint killers like oil, grease, and de-greasers. I have seen them fail, but I am about 99% sure the reason was incorrect application of it to the piece coated. I have never had a failure with wrinkle coatings personally and I have definitely abused many of them.

The key is following the "principal instructions" like cleaning, coating according to instructions, baking the coating one, etc. They are rather flexible though. I sand blasted this, cleaned it, heated it, primed it, cleaned & scuffed the primer, heated everything up before coating, laid 4 very heavily misted coats (about 3 misted passes per coat) 5 minutes apart, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then baked it for 12 minutes at 325* on our coating oven (you can use a household oven too). This process was modified from the VHT instructions, but the principal instructions and prep are the same.

I use epoxy paints on chassis components because it resists impact and corrosion extremely well. Nothing bugs me worse than seeing a ton of paint work with chips and scratches in it after only being driven for a week. It's a lot of work to put into something that doesn't last. Industrial equipment enamel works great for chassis parts, but it takes about a week to fully cure, and the prep work is more involved. Epoxy coatings are just quick and easy. I've never really used them on anything but chassis and suspension bits.

Those pretty seats are no longer in the truck :lol:
The last owner could tolerate them more than I can. The way they mounted the buckets pushed them forward about 3-4 inches. I am 6'2" and hugging the steering wheel isn't my style. I was lucky on this one because the owner still had the bench seat. There is no way in hell I could drive that thing back to San Diego with my knees on the dash, so I tossed the flowers and put the bench back in.

8256

I also cleaned up the interior a little bit. It is really messy and a bunch of stuff is ghetto fixed/modded/rigged. I really hate seing half-assed work. There is absolutely NO REASON at all to not take an extra 30 seconds to run a wire under the sill panel instead of stretching it across the floor.

Most of the beginning stages of this build will be "clean-up work" - or better yet - fixing shit right that should have been done right the first time. I spent about an hour crawling everything over making my fix it list. Some things I can skip since we will be doing a bunch of swapping and re-arranging, but one thing I can't skip on is the steering. This steering is shot! When I bought the truck, I noticed the outer tie rods were trashed. I figured that the reason for all the play in the steering (though excessive doesn't really describe it - it's more like ridiculous). Turns out the pitman arm is trashed, idler arm bushing is trashed, and the outer tie rods are trashed.

The inners and the idler itself all check out fine -BUT, lets really look at this.... why only do half of the work? It's senseless. So, I ordered everything for the steering. New Pitman arm, new idler arm assembly, new inner and outer tie rods. They should be in sometime this week. What I did do for the safety of things is buy a bushing kit for the idler arm locally before I drive back to San Diego. That tightened it up a little bit under braking and cornering.

[DroppedMitsu]

Hey Merril, I was thinking about the master cylinders and had a question. I was wanting to jump up to the 1" or 1 1/16" master cylinder from the 3000gt or Montero, but I see an issue with the brake lines that come out of the front port on the master cylinder. On a mighty max the lines come out of the side of the m/c and have a distribution block. Well by looking at the Montero/3000gt m/c the front line comes out on the top of the m/c in front of the reservoir. how were you going to run the front brake lines with one of those m/c's?

[Merrill]

I can't imagine yours is much different than mine, but the front port goes immediately into a distribution block which mounts via a banjo bolt to the top of the MC. The ports are in the exact same spot, just different attachments.

If anything, just re-route your lines to mate up. It's very easy.

Out of curiosity, why do you want a bigger MC? Without bigger brake components, all you really gain is a very touchy pedal.

[DroppedMitsu]

Remember I am doing the 3000gt 4pot + huge rotor swap, It is pretty much done on the pass side, just need to make a bracket for the drivers side.

[Merrill]

Oh.... gotcha. Well, it should be exactly the same. Just swap it over. If it is different, just reroute the lines accordingly. Very easy stuff.

[DroppedMitsu]

I'm not planning on swapping to rear disc for a little while(6mo-year) do you think the 1 1/16 would still be fine.

[Merrill]

Should be ok. You may end up locking the rear brakes easily, but it should be fine.

[Merrill]

It's been a little bit of time since my last update. MP gets really busy this time of year (tax season), so my progress is not extreme like I usually do. However, it's not terrible :lol:

I have spent a bunch of time cleaning this thing up. There was an awful lot of short cuts to repairs and maintenance done on this truck, and I am not happy about it. These are the little things you don't find when you initially check it out to buy it. The further I get into it, the more I find missing screws, household wiring (solid wires for AC voltage), a bunch of 10 mil and electrical tape, wire nuts.... the list goes on. The new joke here is placing bets around the shop as to exactly how many drywall screws I will find holding parts in place. So far, I have been the only one right. I usually spend about 10 minutes on each job in the hardware bins finding correct fasteners.

So the first thing I absolutely had to correct was the steering wheel. The top center of the OEM wheel was worn out/missing. Of course I intended to replace it with a different wheel at some point, but this was just annoying me. One of my warehouses distributes NRG products, so I grabbed a wheel (that doesn't match anything - yet), a hub, and quick release. This will do for the time being.

8388

The last owners installed the "winker" golf cart mirror, and I've gotten used to it. They left out the OEM rear view and since I can't find a replacement in the yards, and the empty space was bugging me, I made a steering wheel hook for the hell of it.
8389

This truck (like many) does not include many "luxuries". It is a truck after all, but I like the little things. First I changed all the crappy lighting in the dash, HVAC panel, ashtray, and dome out with LED's. The pic sucks, but it is very bright and I can actually see when the door is opened.
83908391

My extra amenities are a cigarette lighter that has an illuminated face ring, and an illuminated key ring.

83938392

The lighting in the truck is now better described as "brilliant". Everything is so crisp and clear while avoiding the "overkill" limit. It's the little things that make a ride more comfortable. At the moment, I am working on a delay timer for it so the lights stay on for about 10 seconds after the door closes unless the ignition is turned on. I just have no time at the moment to play with it. Customers come first.

For the front, I will swap to the 93+ front end because it looks a thousand times better. The headlamps are the same, so I snagged up a set of clear projector lamps from the warehouse while I was there. It was cheap so whatever...

8394

Now on to some good stuff. I rarely ever cut springs. However, I am drafting up the coilover setup for the new chassis right now and I see no reason to spend money on something I do not intend to use. Cut coils will do fine until the coilovers and the rest of the suspension gets built. I took off 1.25 turns (about 2 inches off the spring from the bottom). In the ass end is a 3 inch block. It looks 110% better.
83958396

We did make a slight change to the build schedule. The plan is to do the 5 lug swap with the narrowed Ford 8.8. It is not scheduled for a while but I want super lows on my truck. All out slammed is the way I am headed, but I need a bigger set of wheels for the drop spindles to clear so for now, I will try to find some 16" steelies until I get to the 5 lug swap. I'll just have to eat the price of tires twice.

The chassis and suspension was first on the list but everything had to be changed around when I measured the chassis based on the 5 lug swap. I need a ridiculous set of wheels (which don't exist in the offsets I need). I've built custom wheels before by ordering barrels and centers and welding them together. It's not that hard but it does take time to get all this worked out and coordinated with the rest of the chassis build. So the build schedule was slightly modified and I will be working on the engine first with a few "look good" mods.

Speaking of engine.....

8397

I really wasn't sure how well the gold/red combo was going to work out so I took a chance at the risk of losing time if I didn't like it. I love it! Once that valve cover slid on, it put all the pieces together and I think it looks awesome. 5 out of 6 original naysayers agreed it looks awesome after the valve cover went on, so I think that is enough for me to keep it this way. Opinions are welcome (good or bad - I'm not offended either way).

Questions, comments... whatever - post up.

More coming as it happens!

[DroppedMitsu]

Looking good, can't wait to see more progress on this.

[Merrill]

I pulled my bump stops today. I didn't bother searching to see if the bolt size is listed somewhere, but it is 12mm x 1.25 x 40mm. Make sure you get a washer for the bolt to hold the strut rod down as well. You can reuse the nuts and split washers that hold the bump stops in.

[Merrill]

Not a ton of progress lately. We have been swamped with new orders and builds. I have been collecting more parts and have repaired a few small fixes - nothing big.

The last owner sure didn't know what he was doing with it. The base timing was set at over 20* Adv. You could hear it detonating on a hard pull in every gear. It's insane though that it kept on running so well. I am averaging 30-32 MPG now which is awesome.


Here is a quick shot of the bump stops removed for reference. Like I posted above, you can reuse the split washer and nut from the bump stops as long as you get the same size hardware (12mm x 1.25 x 40mm). Make sure you add a flat washer at the top like so.

8437

I cut off a bit more than one coil when I dropped it, and I rarely smack the control arm into the coil bucket. I think I was making a hard right out of a gas station over a dip at the entrance and that was enough to smack it. It takes a bit of effort to do it.

I found some scrap left over from an intercooler piping job we did for a customer and made an intake. It's not one of our production intakes, but it will do for this engine until I get it swapped. The truck has a much stronger pull to it now and the little extra bit of growl under the hood is cool. It's a nice touch at least.

8438

Will post more as it happens.

[Merrill]

Here is what I am playing with now. I need to swap to 5 lug for better wheel selection and a few other reasons. The Tacoma hubs work great, except when placed on the Might Max spindle, the offset increases by almost a half inch. THat translates into a +48mm offset wheel needed to sit flush. That's not likely to find in the "large selection" category.


My solution - change the hubs. Here is a rough sketch with the corrected geometry.

84408441

This will likely change again so I can correct it for rotor placement. The Tacoma hub requires you to space the caliper some 0.4XX inches to mate with the Tacoma rotor. I will not use the Tacoma rotor (I'm using a 3KGT rotor), so I need to correct the hub offset to fit rotor offset without spacing the caliper. These will eventually be machined from a billet of 6061 aluminum.

[Merrill]

snatched up 30 Pounds of 6061 billet rounds for hubs. Here are a few pics...

8452845384548455


I will get the final drafting 3D printed before I machine these. Hopefully I can get all this fitted and setup in the next few weeks.

[meandmit]

snatched up 30 Pounds of 6061 billet rounds for hubs. Here are a few pics...

8452845384548455


I will get the final drafting 3D printed before I machine these. Hopefully I can get all this fitted and setup in the next few weeks.

And make a few extra pairs for your friends WINK WINK

[Merrill]

Well I do this for a living so of you want a set, its not far out of reach.

[DroppedMitsu]

Very nice work, those hubs should be a work of art. Wish I had the machinery to make stuff like that

[Merrill]

Very nice work, those hubs should be a work of art. Wish I had the machinery to make stuff like that

Well the best thing about engineering and machining is being able to find someone to do it. If you can think of it, just about any competent machinist should be able to make it. Even if you can design it, just drop it off at a machine shop and tell them to cut it.

If you want something done, just let me know and I can point you in the right direction.

Right now I am sparking my curiosity to see if I can machine a hub that will allow a Montero Sport 314mm rotor to bolt on to a machined hub that fits the MM. This will make a 6 lug 2wd big brake bolt-on using the MP Machined hub and Montero Sport brake components.

[meandmit]

Right now I am sparking my curiosity to see if I can machine a hub that will allow a Montero Sport 314mm rotor to bolt on to a machined hub that fits the MM. This will make a 6 lug 2wd big brake bolt-on using the MP Machined hub and Montero Sport brake components.

Love it

[pennyman1]

when you get them done let us on the forum know that it would cost for the machined hubs - I am very interested in at least 1 set of those hubs, and I bet there are others that would want them also

[Merrill]

I dont mind organizing a group buy for hubs. I have a bunch of other business I must take care of first, but I will work on it in my spare time.

[Merrill]

Snagged some Evo Cams for this head from a buddy of mine. I'd post a pic, but they look just like the cams that are in there :lol: Who would know anyway?

50% off sale at Ecology is tomorrow and Sunday so I am geared up and will be out there pulling some goods.

[Merrill]

One of my favorite days of the year... 50% off day.

Here is what I bought

26mm Rear sway bar from a Montero Sport
33mm Front sway bar from a S10 Blazer 4x4
4x 16" wheels from a Rodeo
Solid rear window (to ditch the slider)
Clutch maser cylinder and pedal assembly (so I can switch to Hydraulic clutch from cable)
And a spare transmission


Here are a few pics of the goods

850885108509

Obviously the tires from the Rodeo are just a touch too big for a slammed truck, so I did some wheel n' deal action at my local used tire shop for 4 205/50's in very good condition. Walked out the door with them for $210 (haggled down from $260) And after a quick mount and balance at the shop, here they are.

85118512

That is a terrible pic, but it dropped the truck an additional inch. I need to wash those wheels and paint them eventually. Definitely an improvement over stock. These will do just fine until I get the 5 lug conversion finished.

About the S10 sway bar - I noticed a few posts about upgraded sway bars and where to source them, but aside from the ones being sold online, I never found anything else. Truth be told, I didn't do a ton of searching either.... just a quick browse and that was it. I have no idea if the S10 bar has been brought up before or not, but as it turns out, the dimensions of the 2WD S10 and Blazer are very close to the MM, and the S10 and Blazer 4x4 is almost identical (except thickness). They are readily available in many different sizes to suit your needs.

It will take a bit of modification to squeeze in a 33mm bar where a 22mm bar currently sits, but no biggie. It's not rocket science or brain surgery.

To fit the rear Montero Sport sway bar on, brackets need to be fabricated for the axle and frame. That's a day job as well.

I ordered a bunch of other suspension bits recently and as soon as they show up, I will install the sway bars and such.

[Merrill]

So after a short trip up to San Marcos for my buddy to look at a mini truck for himself, I decided real quickly that this Mighty Max diff simply will not do. With the smaller tires, my engine was screaming, the speedometer read 87 MPH while the GPs pegged me at 79 MPH. As if that wasnt bad enough, it sucked my fuel tank near dry from all that continuois high rev. To hell with that....


I sold my factory 14's already, so the quickest fix I could think of without spending too much money is going back to the yard and grabbing an Explorer 8.8 with 3.73's and a locker. It is also equipped with rear disc, so it's definitely a good buy. The only money I have technically lost is 30 bucks for 2 of my 4 Rodeo wheels I just bought.

8518

The entire rear assembly, plus wheels and tires was $170 bucks. I will narrow this down and prep it for the Montero Sport rear sway bar as well. I will also provide a write-up on how to narrow the 8.8. Its very easy if you have the means, or access to the tools.

Every Mini-Trucker has their own right of passage during their build process. For some it is when they get their first set of ball valves and air shocks, for others it is the first peak they cleared after a torsion bar lift. All are moment in time where you know you crossed that point of having the "normal" truck, or the average mods. Before I started manufacturing aftermarket performance products, or built a single race car, I was a bag 'n dragger. Lowriders and Mini trucks were my scene, and chassis were all I built. My right of passage for every truck I built (for myself or clients) was the first time it rashed a speed bump.

Even after all these years, I still get a kick out of the little things :lol:
8520


Here is a decent shot of the truck. I really need the new '93+ front end already.... I keep buying everything else instead.

8519

[Merrill]

Got some work done at home today, I'm feeling rather accomplished. I don't normally take our shop days off, but today I wanted to catch up on the 'ol project. I had parts piling up as well, so I had to get to work on it before I started taking up all this space I don't have.


First I took care of the slider. I love having a sliding rear window but I cant stand the way it looks. Sliders usually have a larger frame so it makes the back window look much smaller than it is. It also allows me the opportunity to delete the cargo light that I don't need or use.


Here goes... First - pop the window out. It literally comes out with a screw driver, hook, or even a strong putty knife. All you have to do is get one corner out and the the whole window will slide right out with the weather stripping and all.
8529

Next I removed the paint and prepped for welding, followed by backing the large hole and plug welding the smaller ones
853085318532

A quick weld and smooth followed by a shot of primer was next. While the window was out, I shot the frame with some flat white so there wont be an ugly tape line when I go to paint it later. Then I slid the new solid window in.
85338534

I think the solid window looks a lot better than the slider but I will definitely miss my slider. Cruising with the windows down and the slider open was like rolling in a convertible without being burned by the sun 8) but oh well.


I made another appearance gamble on this truck..... I always liked the clean look of F1 Mirrors, and I can't stand the Mighty Max ones. To me, they just look out of place on the Mighty Max. I tool a stab and spent a few bucks on some F1 style mirrors.

8535

The only problem is there is no adapter for a Mighty Max. My vendor sends the mirrors with or without adapters for the same price, so I looked at the Evo 1-3 versions. They looked close, but if they didnt fit I have back up. These trucks were often equipped with the giant towing mirrors that bolted to the door. Since the small mirror isn't used, the factory installed a blank cap in place of the mirror. I snagged a pair of those just in case.

8536

Turns out I needed them. The Evo ones are really close, but I wasn't going to bother with it since I have the factory blanks.


Here's how it looks
85378538853985408541

I've never seen these on a Mighty Max before, but I think the gamble paid off again. I love them!


The rest of the steering and suspension parts arrived today as well. It will be good as new by the end of the week.

8542


I should be getting started on the 8.8 Diff on Wednesday as well. More updates as they come!

[meandmit]

looking good

[BradMph]

They use to make a rear window that would look like a non-slider, but it had handles on inside on the drivers side and passenger side that would bow the window open on these sides to ad venting. They were great back windows for trucks. Pennyman has one on his truck.

8546

If anyone knows of these or availability, let me know.

[BradMph]

Even after all these years, I still get a kick out of the little things :lol:


lol Merrill, these kicks you mention are what make us older guys feel young again. Playing with our toys and feeling like a kid again. That's what its all about...feeling young and having fun. :)

[Merrill]

Old is a point of view.... You can't let the pleasures of your youth slip only to be resurrected by the younger crowds. I love catching memories reminiscent of my former years, but I much prefer not losing them to begin with :lol: "Old" should refer to wisdom and experience. A couple School kids walking by must have thought I was a total weirdo for laying in the middle of the road to take a picture of a speed bump, but hopefully one day they'll get it.

[Merrill]

I wasted little to no time getting this Explorer 8.8 started.

First up was getting it on the table and stripped. After draining it, I started the hard work of cutting off the old sway bar and leaf spring perches.

857385748575

Next measure, cut and set it up to be welded back together

8576857785788579

I did order new perches for this axle. They do have a larger standoff than the MM perches, but there is a reason I ordered this particular size.

8580

The perch closest to the camera has a 3/8 (ish) standoff (height to mounting surface from the axle tube). The ones I ordered have a 3/4" standoff. The reason why I ordered them is because the 8.8 diff has a 3 1/4 inch axle tube while the Mighty Max uses a 3 inch tube. That 1/4 inch difference plus the 3/4 inch perch standoff will net me almost an extra inch of drop. If I was crazy enough to slap in a 4 inch block, I would net about 5 inches of drop without having to stack blocks. With the 3 inch blocks installed now, I will get almost an extra inch of drop (which I want) without having to buy new blocks and U bolts.

85828581

I should have it all welded up tomorrow.

[meandmit]

did you narrow it for a certain type of wheel offset or just to the stock Mit width...can't wait for the updates

[Merrill]

I narrowed 2 7/8" which is the difference between the driver side and passenger side axles. It will be similar in width to the MM plus or minus a few fractions.

[amcervantes]

if you are in SD I would like to check out your build sometime

[Merrill]

Im in SD. Just PM me. It would be cool to meet some other members.

[Merrill]

Now I am at the point where I am almost ready to throw this under the truck. Here is the rest of the narrowing job.

First things first - clean up the metal. Some sand paper and acetone will do the job nicely. The inside of the axle tubes were all gummed up with cooked on oil. They were thoroughly cleaned as well before mating and welding.

859685978598

Next I welded the axle tubes to the housing. It has been reported that the 8.8 has a weak spot at the plug welds, so this is a solution. This really isn't necessary, but why not? Whats a couple extra minutes to lay down a couple more welds?
8599

I don't own an axle Jig (the through bar type) because I don't narrow axles often. However, there is an easy EASY solution to that. Simply take 2 pieces of channel and clamp them on top and bottom of the tube. This will allow you to rotate, move, slide, and place the end easily for tacking together.

86008602

After lining up the reference lines, measure. After confirming the axle tube length was exactly the same on both sides, tack the front and back, then rotate the clamps 90 degrees to tack the top and bottom.

860186038604

Then weld.

86058606

I also did a little "scar patching" from all the cutting work done during the strip down. Later on down the road I plan on adding a diff cooler. The ABS sensor port is excellent for a return port for cool oil since it will aim right at the back of the gear. I added a stainless -10 bung to it that can be capped off until I build the cooling system fro it.

86078608

There was so much gunk, dirt and grime built up in the tubes. Since it is too big for the parts washer, and way too big for the hot tank, I made a nice concoction of solvent and degreaser to fill the diff with while I went to work on measuring the truck.

I took a measure of the pinion angle, driveshaft angle, leaf spring width, and perch width. With all that in hand, I can translate it over to the 8.8 and weld the perches on in the correct place and angle.

86098610861186128613

All that was left to do was give it a final cleaning and strip down for coating.

861486158616

I still have to finish the paint and coating work on the rest of the components, but it's pretty much done. I will rebuild it before I throw it under the truck, but that was a given anyway.... kinda stupid to do all this work and leave it "used" inside.

The only hold up I have at the moment is finding a solution for mating the driveshaft to it. I'll probably just buy a yoke and modify the MM driveshaft.

Questions & comments - post up!

[meandmit]

I narrowed 2 7/8" which is the difference between the driver side and passenger side axles. It will be similar in width to the MM plus or minus a few fractions.

Ahh, so you'll just use 2 passenger side axles...nice

[Fordubishi]

Just go pull a used drive shaft off any 80-90's car/truck with either the 8.8 or 7.5, cut the yoke/U-joint/ Flange off then replace the one on the back of the MM axle tube. I did the front Drive shaft when I dropped the 302/AOD in mine.

[Merrill]

I was just going to order the correct driveshaft yoke for it. I may look into that tomorrow. I have to go pull a bunch of parts, so might as well bring the sawzall with me.

[Merrill]

Rebuild and paint work are finished. I'm waiting on some parts to show up this week. I ordered new pads and rotors, extended studs, lug nuts (since I switched to 1/2"-20), and a few other little things to finish this off.

Here is how it looks now
86448645

Picked up some 4G69 accessories today. I got lucky.... the yard didnt want to sell them to me at first because the car was on the "front line" meaning only complete engines can be bought, not accessories. I explained to the manager that the engine was bad because it threw the timing belt, so it would end up coming back for warranty no matter what. She said I could remove only the harmonic balancer, Compressor and belt tensioner - nothing else.


I grabbed those parts and picked an alternator from a 3KGT (for the 6 rib pulley) and rolled out of there feeling lucky. I wish I could have grabbed the water pump pulley from the G69, but oh well I guess. Maybe I will luck out somewhere else.

8646

To better explain why I am after all this is simple - I want the 6 rib belt instead of a couple different belts. Normally you would just take all the accessories off the G63 Evo or G69 since they are pretty much the exact same. The only thing is I will not be running power steering and my alternator needs to be positioned out of the way of my turbo (actually, not anywhere near it because of the heat). I found a way to make the reverse water pump function on my setup, so I will have to make a couple idler pulley brackets and do a custom routing on the belt - no biggy.

[Merrill]

Here goes the latest....

I'm still waiting on my proportioning valve to show up, but I did decide I don't want to hassle with converting the parking drums on the 8.8 to work with the MM. It is pretty easy to do with some cable stops, but it would just doesn't fit with future build plans. The solution is to grab a hydraulic hand brake (drift brake) and throw it in.

Here is pretty much where it will sit. Once I get the buckets in I will move it to a more usable position.

8674

A new 2014 MP product will be released in the next couple weeks, so time is now very limited to work on the truck. Today I had to finish this phase. If you recall earlier in the thread, I added a -10 return fitting to the 8.8 where the ABS sensor went. Well, you can't have a return without first having a supply port. I picked a low spot on the diff cover and added a -10 pickup port.

867886798680

After a fast cleaning, I painted it to match the accent colors.
The rest was straight up assembly

86838685868686878688

I'm not exactly sure when I will get this installed, but hopefully sooner than later.

Questions or comments - post up! :thumbup:

[ram50bam]

a beautiful axel and your truck photo bombs the pic for a cool relation considering the axles going in there. idk seemed like an awesome picture cause the truck is in the pic.

[Redneckmoparman]

if you didnt already have the 8.8 and got it all assembled id say just grab a 3.45 third member and toss it in the stock axle until you do the swap but you already are lol looks awesome though my only point of experience is the axle being 100% center throws off the geometry of the driveshaft the manufacturer designs it always at least a little off center on purpose, i just dont remember what it is lol

[obsidian]

Wow..

[pennyman1]

the offset is to allow the needle bearings in the ujoints to rotate properly and not bind. Some axles do an offset side to side, others top to bottom - either gives the same result.

[Merrill]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

I have been extremely busy with the move and the new product line kicking off, so I haven't had a ton of time to work on the truck or update this.

In response to the diff offset, there is still an offset no matter which way you install it since the pinion angle will never really be dead on. Even as the axle sits right no, the pinion is offset slightly and not straight on in relation to the drive shaft - so all will be fine.

Some of you may have seen my last race car. It was a '93 Dodge Colt equipped with an Eaton M90 su[ercharger, TD04 turbo, Alcohol, and nitrous. It was pretty beast. I had to part it out years ago, but I did keep some things off of it. The M90 is one of those things I could not let go of.... not sure why. Either way I have been tossing around the idea of bringing it back to the build. I really like the whine of a SC, and it isn't hard to install one at all (easy as a turbo set-up), so I will probably slap it on there at some point.

Here is a half ass mock-up shot with it sitting on top of the valve cover. I think I like it there...
8806

Over the past week or so, I have managed to rip out the glass to tint it with some 20% which is good enough to keep the sun out, but not dark enough to where you can't see at night. I like a nice clean edge on the tint, so I rip all the glass out to do it. I don't have any pics right now, but later I'm sure it will be seen.

I did have an awesome score at the yard today. Found some Lexus 5 spoke 17x8's and couldn't resist buying them. Snagged all four for $120 out the door.
8807
(yes I grabbed 4 - only 3 are shown here)

Here is a shot on the Ford 8.8.
8808
I can't wait to see the 314mm rotor stuffed in there when I get the front brakes all set up.

Here is pretty much what it will look like on the truck (it will be lower once the other diff goes in)

8809



And just when it all seemed on the up and up, things went south..... My POS replacement oil cap from the parts store decided it wanted to disassemble itself leaving a tab and some screws floating around somewhere in the crank case. I'm not sure if they are stuck up top still, or if they made it down to the pan. Either way - I'm not playing with it. It's basically a problem that could be solved only to find out the next problem. As a result, I am rearranging the schedule and am getting the engine done and ready to drop in.

This is the first time in 15 years I have encountered this problem, but it could happen to anyone I guess. For those of you that have cheap-o replacement caps, turn them over and have a look at them once in a while. If it has a screw (not a rivet), maybe toss on some thread locker, or replace the cap with one that has a rivet on it. This one little inexpensive fix could save you from having to dismantle your engine to dig out pieces of oil cap.

More updates as they happen.

[DroppedMitsu]

Looking good, I would love to see that s/c on there too, I've seen a few DSM guys do it to their 4g63t's before it's pretty cool. I like the Lexus rims, I was thinking about running some back on the day but they cost too much for what they were.

[Redneckmoparman]

score on those wheels! cant wait to see it all together with the new engine and 5 lug big brake setup!!

[BradMph]

Look at all the pretty colors. The supercharger has my interest, can't wait to see that sticking out the hood. Keep those pictures coming.

[Merrill]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I have been super busy with the move back to Vegas, so my updates are very limited. However, I do have a few to give...

I decided to grab my seats the other day since my buddy was headed to the warehouse, so I had him grab mine. I haven't actually seen them, or tried fitting them into the truck, but I'll get to it when I head back to SD. I chose a touch of class mixed with a touch of go fast - red leather

9064

I can't wait to get these in and finish my interior plans.

I've been scoring at the yards lately.... Kinda impressed. As it sits right now, my dash completely sucks. It's all cracked up and the last owner tried to stuff some giant speakers into the dash that don't fit. I've been on the hunt for a replacement since I bought the thing. Yesterday I scouted some yards here in Vegas. Amazingly I found 4 Mighty Maxes! I was able to grab a good dash, all the missing interior bits and even more importantly - I bought the AC Condenser and Evaporator assembly from a AC equipped truck. I have to custom build the lines, but that's easy. The hard part hunting it all down is now OVER!! I even found an OEM dash clock and the missing lens for my dome light.

Here is the dash as I bought it.
9065

After a thorough cleaning and complete strip down, I dyed it black
9066

One key thing to living in the desert is understanding you will never be rid of dirt.
9067

BUT - I will try to manage for now...
9068

Everything is all nice and clean now. I will probably add a few more coats of dye, but either way - I'm happy with it.

That's all I have for now. Soon I will make a trip back to SD and start putting all this stuff together shortly thereafter.

[Merrill]

It's been a minute or so since I have updated here. Not a whole lot of big stuff has been changed, but sometimes the little things make the biggest impressions.

Starting off with the seats, two important factors had to be considered when installing. First thing is the height of the seat. I need to be able to fit myself in there with a roll cage and helmet. I'm almost 6'3" and there isn't a ton of space, even though I make my roll cages tight to the body, there is still limited amounts of space in the cab of a mini truck. The seats must sit lower than the factory height.

The second consideration is the side of the seats by the doors. The roll cage needs room to pass. I really can't stand offsetting my seats. I'm such a stickler to being centered to the wheel that almost any change in position will drive me nuts. I am also very big in racing, so having a cocked up seat while on the track distracts me from the race itself. Luckily for me, the seats I chose are narrow enough to allow side gap AND will center to the wheel.

After measuring the factory height to the bucket height (vs my height/driver height), I determined that the seats rails must sit no higher than 2 inches from the floor. It's almost perfect how the MM floor board sits. The only problem I encountered was the hardware of the seat bracket to the slider. Since the rear seat bolt will interfere with the slider (not allowing it to sit flat), I had to find a way to clear the bolt without changing the seat height. This is where the offset comes into play. Since the seats need to move inward to clear the roll cage, I just extended the brackets inward to clear the rear bolts.
95919592

Once fabbed and painted, I installed them and took it for a spin.

95939594

What a difference! It's amazing how much a small change can make. Driver position and comfort is a hidden part of the handling battle. The ability to "feel" your vehicle, and what it is doing, or the ability to hold a corner better can all be affected by driver comfort. These seats stick me right where I want to be (position wise) and keep me nice and planted. I haven't changed or added any more to the chassis or suspension, but it now handles a ton better than before the seats went in - because driver comfort.

I don't let many people drive my truck at all, but either way, both seats have full range of motion. They both recline and slide forward/backward within their limits. Personally, there is no reason to allow them to do that, but at the same time, it is a half ass job if they don't. If you buy the whole seat, use the whole seat, and sit in the whole seat, you might as well use the whole seat :lol:

I jokingly say "I'm gonna be a midnight Drift-O King" in my Mighty Max, but maybe I actually will. Years ago I was into drifting before it became as huge as it is today. I build many drift cars and support a couple racers as well. This truck is a "shop truck" at the end of the day, but it will have race abilities. Normally I build according to the race type. This truck is going to be built for just about all types. If one day I feel like cone dodging, I'll make a quick change and hit the AutoX scene. If I want to hit the Drag Strip, another quick change will allow it. If I want to take up drifting again, a quick change will make it happen. This whole chassis must be master engineered to run in any event with only a few adjustments, or :"quick changes" made, to allow it.

As such, I need a hand brake. This will solve 2 problems. First it will allow my to connect and convert the Ford 8.8 I have built without having to adapt the MM/Ford cables to one another (I'll just stick with hydraulic). Second, I can now approach a drift easier with a dedicated rear brake.

As such with any race vehicle, you need to control rear braking bias, and you still need to not roll away when you park it. I added a brake proportioning valve and a line lock (parking brake) to the circuit, all contained to one unit - the hand brake assembly.

959595969597

In order to place it where I wanted, I built a pedestal to mount it to. Here is how it all looks assembled.
9598960096019599

You may be wondering if it is still possible to move the seats - the answer is Yes. Both seats slide forward and backward without hitting the hand brake assembly. That is why is is sitting at an angle.

Finally, the dash needs to go in. The last owner performed a real class act hack job on the dash. It was almost a deal breaker when I bought it, but the price was right, and I knew I was going to replace it no matter what. After many heavy coats of dye, the dash was ready to go in.

While I had the dash out, I added the AC evaporator and wiring.
960296039604

And here it is....

96059606

The weather hasn't been ideal here lately, so I do have a few more pieces to finish up, but you get the idea....


Here is something that totally sucks.... I just replaced every front steering component on this truck right before I moved back to Vegas. This ball joint had less than 500 miles on it before it failed. Right after I replaced it, I noticed my steering was exceptionally tight to the point where you could point the wheel in any direction and it would stay there. The alignment helped, but it did not solve it. This was the culprit. This was a manufacturing defect that destroyed my control arm in the process.

9607

It was so tight that the splines ripped apart the cup that the ball joint is pressed in to. Instead of it being tightly pressed into the cup, it was free to turn, grind, and eat away at the arm until all of the weight of the truck was resting on the snap ring. It only takes a few bumps to cause a snap ring to fail... After a run to the yard, and a new ball joint, I was back on the road. The only part of this that steams me is the fact that these were not the standard cheap-o components used in basic "DD" replacement parts. These are of better quality. I do buy at wholesale, but at the same time, I'm kinda pissed that I had a good part fail so quickly. It wasn't expensive, but I still had to do the job twice. I would have expected to do that with a cheap-o brand. Oh well I guess. Such is life.

Here is a random shot of the truck just chillin' out in the sun after the dash and everything was finished. Basically - how it looks right now after everything.

9608

It's the little changes that make the biggest difference!

[Merrill]

I had to move this down one post since the attachments disappeared from the post above. This update is a little out of order....


Here is one example of a small exterior mod that makes a big difference.... the paint work around the door matches the rest of the truck. Only problem with that is no matter which way you look at it, there is always a black outline around it. To me, it looks a little off.... It just doesn't match right. So, a small change to the door frame and now it fits in a bit better.


Before
9610
After
9611


Then I must advertise that this is a project, or "under construction" (as it is overly used). I think the "under construction" sticker is just too played out. I also see it everywhere with little to no change to the vehicle it's stuck to. I thought to myself there must be a better way to declare you are in the process of building, but aren't slacking, or hiding laziness behind a decal.

9612



Since the rear gets awesome sauce stickers, why not tag up the front too. This was a random idea I had one day, so I tossed up the layout on Facebook and let my friends decide what would look best; 2 rows of staggered white MP decals was the decision.

9613



I think it looks pretty good.

[Merrill]

Finished the dye work today on the plastics..... Not too shabby


9634963596369637

All I really have left on this interior is carpet, aluminum door cards (have to build them), black edge trim, audio, and a roll cage. Other than that - interior is pretty much done.


Other than my hand prints being all over the dash in these pics, I'm kinda diggin' it.

[Redneckmoparman]

looks awesome! kinda makes me wanna dye my interior black to pop against the blue exterior, the factory grey is just so blah... The angle of the hand brake i would think is also nice for being pointed towards you a bit

[Merrill]

Personally, I think black fits just about everything better. The only color I dont think it will work with is the tan/brown combo they used. Color changes on the MM are so easy compared to most vehicles. The dash comes out in 5 minutes, the plastics are few, and generally speaking - not complicared pieces to dye/paint.

Angle of the hand brake makes little difference to me, but I onow a lot of racers who prefer it angled in.

[Merrill]

Took a measure of my suspension travel/height/motion, I have to modify the driveshaft tunnel since it will smack the shaft when the axle goes in (since the axle sits higher).

I was going to swap the rear diff this week, but it has been postponed until I mod the tunnel.

[Merrill]

Took my rotors to the machine shop today to have the hub bore enlarged. Should be done tomorrow.

Big brakes are almost done!

pics to follow...

[asmyser]

Looking darn good merrill. I can see a dash removal and cleaning in my future. Yours looks great now. Awesome work!!!

[BradMph]

Merrill, how about some pictures of your bank account book. :lmao: I enjoy your build and your doing a great job with photos and what your creating, but darn man...show me duh money!!!!

Keep the updates coming!

[77amc]

DANG-IT..
Can't believe that I missed your thread!
I also wish that I read the parts list for 'big brakes' before I just spent 213.00 on a GM style 11" booster and 1 1/8 master..

I'll call tomorrow and see if I can return them.
(I'm dropping a 5.2/NV3500/Yota 3.73 rear into my 89 1-ton long bed.
I think I can still do the front rotor stuff..
Where did you score the lowering spindles? I missed a pair on Ebay and haven't found any since.
Here in Memphis area, the youngins are more interested in FULL size trucks. And don't like the mini's all that much.

Great build by the way..
Errol

[Merrill]

Looking darn good merrill. I can see a dash removal and cleaning in my future. Yours looks great now. Awesome work!!!

Thanks! The dash is extremely easy to remove. It literally takes as little as 10 minutes. If you ever find yourself with nothing to do, cleaning up behind there is a day job and you will end up with a better smelling truck. It seems strange that my truck smells clean and feels clean just knowing all that dust and junk is out of there.


Merrill, how about some pictures of your bank account book. :lmao: I enjoy your build and your doing a great job with photos and what your creating, but darn man...show me duh money!!!!

Keep the updates coming!

:lol: Let's just say it's cheaper to do when you do it for a living (or do it yourself). I'm glad you are enjoying the build.



DANG-IT..
Can't believe that I missed your thread!
I also wish that I read the parts list for 'big brakes' before I just spent 213.00 on a GM style 11" booster and 1 1/8 master..

I'll call tomorrow and see if I can return them.
(I'm dropping a 5.2/NV3500/Yota 3.73 rear into my 89 1-ton long bed.
I think I can still do the front rotor stuff..
Where did you score the lowering spindles? I missed a pair on Ebay and haven't found any since.
Here in Memphis area, the youngins are more interested in FULL size trucks. And don't like the mini's all that much.

Great build by the way..
Errol

Thanks, Errol.

I think a lot of people have missed this one :lol: Either that, or it's not that exciting :think: It's whatever.... I'll just keep updating anyway. I know people are reading it, and that's all that matters. Free info is always good for those looking ideas. I just like car talkin'

Make sure you read the info about the 314mm rotors and the Montero Sport calipers. The rotor thickness of the VR-4 rotors is thicker than the MS caliper will accept. Modification needs to be made to clear them. I did go back and correct the info post (with the parts list) and post #27 has a pic with the same info. Once I pick up my rotors and assemble the front end, I will make a final update with all the verified info (in a few weeks).

I have also converted to a Toyota front hub. The offset will be different than that of the Mighty Max hub. The VR4 rotor will likely not clear when installed to a MM hub. If you are using the 5 lug Toyota hub, all should be fine.

There are the drop spindles http://www.airbagit.com/Mitsubishi-Lowering-Spindles-s/1775.htm

Some members here posted about finding them on eBay and Amazon a little bit cheaper. If you are patient, you may find the same deal and save a few bucks.

[Merrill]

I cant find the words or the right picture angle to describe or show just how big these rotors are. They are so much larger in person....

So, either way, I picked them up from the machine shop today and did a quickie fit check. Here is the result

96599660

I only have a few more mods to make in order to get these installed.
More to follow soon!

[Merrill]

Snagged the last couple pieces needed for the 8.8 to bolt in. Phase 1 of the chassis is almost complete! Just a little bit longer and this truck will be rollin with a Ford 8.8 with 4 disc big brakes all the way around and a fresh set of wheels.

I'm actually getting excited.

[sleeps]

Sick McNasty. Lots of work on this her' truck.

[Merrill]

And here goes my update......




The custom world can be a huge pain in the dick. There really is no way to get around it. You must always take a fresh look at what you are doing and approach it one piece at a time. Any other way, you will just end up overwhelmed and with a pile of parts.


Some things you end up finding out are not the way you anticipated them to be, some others are dead on. I have been getting very frustrated with 2 portions of this build recently, but I remained patiend and steadfast to making it happen. The first issue I am running into is this particular 4G64 block. As I mentioned before, it is one of a kind. It is a wideblock, it was only available in one vehicle here in the states, and it full of surprises. I have been patiently collecting Evo bits to run a single 6 rib belt up front that will allow me to stack a supercharger on top of this engine. After buying the first round of parts, it only made me realize what a huge headache I am now in for.


Virtually every other 4G6X engine will allow use of 4G6X parts. They have many of the same holes, castings, and components - but this one remains the odd ball. Aside from missing some castings, I must also figure out how to make Evo bits mingle with Momtero Sport bits.


He is one example - the water pump. Since this is a RWD block, the thermostat is on the side of the block with its own housing. It works with the Montero Sport water pump, but the Evo pump is clocked differently. Here is what I have to solve.

9795

The inlet of the Evo pump is now right where the thermostat housing bracket is


and.....
9796
They are now offset.


It is an easy fix for any custom fabricator - simply modify the pump to work. In my opinion, that is crossing the line. There is a difference between fabrication (to build, fix, or solve anything), and engineering (devising a solution rather than a fix).


I need to cut a section of the bracket off and build a new water pipe so I can replace the water pump with any other if it ever goes bad. There is no point in custom building something that I will have to do repeatedly in the event of a failure.


Here is problem two - the idler.

9797

This is the back side of the Evo idler assembly. It also mounts the power steering pump. If you look closely at the pic, you will see that 2 bolt holes were never casted into this block as they are on every other G63/64/69. Instead, they casted holes for the AC bracket that fit on the Montero Sport. I'm about 90% sure I have the solution for it. I has to be there, otherwise I cant use the Evo setup without reconfiguring everything (which is not what I want to do).


Finally, I had a problem with the IS300 wheels I scored. They do not fit over the Toyota hubs, and they definitely do not fit over the Ford hubs. I went out of my way to come up with solutions since I already have money invested into the wheels and lug nuts that fit Lexus mags to 1/2" studs (not cheap). At the end of the day, I can't put my name on any half assed solution I could think of or find. I had to scratch the wheels off the list. No matter how temporary the wheels might be intended for, I will not let even my own vehicle out the door with anything less than a well engineered design.


So I went hunting for more wheels. This is more difficult than it seems. I have 2 very different offsets to deal with, and 2 dufferent hub sizes. I was at the yard again today pulling little bits and pieces when I saw a set of Enkei wheels for sale. I test fit them to both hubs - and they cleared! I wasted no time buying them.

97989799

They are in very decent shape. I do have to put a little work into them, but not as much as most yard wheels.

Then I took a break from the rest of the junk to do some fab work. I need a break every now and again...

9800

This is our exclusive Merrill Performance SFT design, and it is a total bitch to do in the space I have vs. the requirements I need it to be for this particular build. Yes, technically I have lots of space. However, I can't just send header tubes flying all over the engine bay :lol:
The angle it needs to be at, and the position it needs to exit, it really making this tough.


Aside from that - another score! I've been on the hunt for a rack & pinion unit for this truck. Mitsu never offered one for it :( but I think I have found a suitable part. Funny enough its from the same model Tacoma I am using the 5 lug hubs from. The trickiest part has been finding a rack that sits behind the axle (as opposed to in front), and fits the dimensions of my truck. Some rack designs will make the wheels turn the opposite direction when installed behind an axle if they were meant for the front.This should be a pretty straight forward install - 2 bolts and done.

9801

That's pretty much all I have for now. I have been flip flopping around on this build recently. I think it has to do with availability of parts and when I find them. This build schedule has pretty much followed the delivery schedule of parts I find and buy.

[Merrill]

Kickin' ass today, but ended up shelling out more money :(


Started off with the idler bracket on the engine. As I stated before, this engine is a 4G64, but it doesn't have the same castings as the other 4G6X engines. It's an odd ball. So here is the solution


First off I measured the bracket to find out how much needs to come off and marked it, followed by cutting it down, and cutting a new bolt plate to fasten it to

98039804

Next up was a quick weld and a trim to clean it up
98059806

Since this piece was added, the back plate needed to be modified as well. A simple slit did the job.
98089807

While the coating was drying, I shaved down the existing bolt hole on the block and the serial number casting to clear the plate I welded to the bracket. Once it was all dried, I fitted it and marked the holes for the hardware.
9809

Now on to the cool stuff..... stopping power! This is the mounting solution for the rotor to hub mounting. Basically nothing more than some square nuts welded to the rotor. I used larger grade 8 hardware for fasteners. Here is the final assembly of rotors to hubs

98109811

And finally - a wheel shot
9813

Sadly, without the caliper, a 17" wheel makes a 12.5" rotor look not as big :lol:

The total badassery of this next pic is: the front rotors (right) are 20% larger than my stock ones (middle). The rears (left) are even bigger than my stock rotors. There is nothing cooler than saying you have gigantotasticcrazy big brakes so big that the rears are bigger than your old fronts.

9812

Speaking of calipers.... I was making the 2 pot Montero Sport calipers work with the 314mm rotors. The only problem with it is I don't like it. In order to get the clearance I needed, I had to remove about 1/4" of metal from the bracket. That really isn't much, but it did make the bracket look pretty wimpy. Instead of rolling with it, I shelled out a lot of money for a new front set of VR-4 4 pots for the front. They should be in next week sometime...


It was only when buying the VR-4 calipers that I thought I should have run the smaller brakes :lol: the big calipers are almost twice as much, and harder to find unused.

[asmyser]

them rotors man... Awesome

[DroppedMitsu]

Looking good, got to love the art of fabrication and engineering.

[camoit]

IDK why the name change did not take. But you did everything right as far as I could tell. All i did was add a . to the end of it.

[Merrill]

IDK why the name change did not take. But you did everything right as far as I could tell. All i did was add a . to the end of it.

No clue. But thank you! I appreciate it.

[BradMph]

Wish I could weld like that...never did much welding in my life. My welds would look like the torch took a series of dumps along the trail, lol. I Need to get me a wire feed maybe and just practice with the entire roll of wire until I get the feel of it. Or continuing using Super Glue.

[Merrill]

Wish I could weld like that...never did much welding in my life. My welds would look like the torch took a series of dumps along the trail, lol. I Need to get me a wire feed maybe and just practice with the entire roll of wire until I get the feel of it. Or continuing using Super Glue.

Practice makes perfect... Everyone has to start somewhere. I don't even own a MIG (wire feed) anymore, only TIG. I think I've been welding consistently (more than hobby/occasionally) since 2001. I'm still learning and perfecting it every time I pick up the torch. I usually tell people to grab a decent "hobby welder" like a Lincoln MIG from Home Depot or a good Miller to practice with. Crappy welders work, but they end up teaching you how to correct the inferior product result rather than how to weld properly. Proper instruction and understanding of Metallurgy helps as well. Above all, practice makes perfect.



On that note, I did some more welding to my headers. I had to correct one of the primary tubes, then another.... then I ran out of tubes :lol:
More are on the way now along with lug nuts, front pads for the VR-4 calipers, and new lug nuts (for the third time) to fit my third set of wheels.

Here is a shot of the header as it stands now
98269827
Since the engine build and swap is still a little ways away, I just work on parts in my spare time. It's not really part of the immediate build schedule.

On the plus side - the Ford 8.8 is now completely ready to drop in. I had to remake the brake line since I narrowed the axle. Just waiting on the calipers to show so I can swap the whole chassis at once. At the moment I have no shop, so its a mess trying to work in here, but whatever... this is how it looks (sadly - this isn't all my stuff - some is still in SoCal). Either way, here is a crappy pic ..

9828

I had a mild scare last night as well. Some friends and I were gearing up to start racing again, so I decided to join. We were out in the middle of nowhere playing on some new roads (part of a new development) where there is no traffic at all. I can to a traffic circle, dropped to 2nd, got loose, pulled it around into a drift, made it about 3/4 of the way through until I ran out of usable power. Once I pulled out of it, I slid into third to roll out and suddenly - there was nothing there..... where second used to be is now 4th, where first was is now 3rd and I didn't have any other gear :lol:

I know these transmissions are kinda built like glass, but here was the problem

9829

Not entirely sure how it happened, but it's going to happen again at some point, so I need to be more careful until I get the new trans in.

These last bits of parts should be in mid next week, and I will have to find the time to make this swap happen. Until then - questions or comments are accepted, and appreciated!

[4doorciv]

What happened with the shifter? 5 years of abuse of my km132 holding a few 4g63 turbo motors without issues. Few grinds and mised gears kinds of abuse. Lol

[asmyser]

i had the same problem in my truck regarding the shifter coming almost off the transmission, sucks...

[Merrill]

Somehow the shifter bolts came unscrewed. Could be vibration - could be stripped enough to not tighten enough.... who knows. I put it all back together and it seems to be good enough to last until the other trans goes in. I dont really care about it at the moment lol.

Looks like I have an opening Sunday. There is a high probability I will have the 8.8 installed.

The rest of the parts for the front will arrive throughout next week between Monday and Friday. I am in a rush to get the brakes and everything installed so I can focus on this engine swap.

[Merrill]

THE 8.8 IS IN!!

Here are some pics of the install. It's pretty straight forward as far as the job goes...

I will make a 2 "How To" on narrowing and swapping since it is all done now, but here are some quick pics and notes for now.


First - get the old one out. The size difference between these two is very VERY clear :lol: The 8.8 just barely fits..
987098719872

Then roll the 8.8 in and mount it all up in place
988898739874

There are a few yoke options, but these are the new pars I used. I don't see a need for rebuilding an entire rear end, but using used parts for the drive shaft.

Spicer U1670 weld yoke for a 3" drive shaft tube.
This a Ford 9" yoke, so you need a hybrid Ujoint to fit to the Ford 8.8 Spicer yoke.
The Ujoint part number is 348. I used Precision for the brand, but there are many brands to use.
9875

Drive shaft mods are very simple. You can either send it out to a drive line specialist, or use a series of specialty tools to correctly measure the yoke for welding in straight. Cut the old yoke off, weld the new one on, paint it. If you need to send it out to get balanced (recommended), do it.

98769877987898799880

Even though it will pretty much never be seen, my friends decided a "Merrill Performance Custom Drive Shaft" needed to be announced. Personally, I think it looks awesome! I'm glad they talked me into it.
98819882

This is the final - all fitted and adapted to the Mighty Max

9883988598869887


For lack of a better word - this truck just got stupid. I can't even begin to describe how insane it is. Equal power, breaks loose with the tap of this little 8 valve (no bullshit), solid pulls.... The list goes on.


I went from 3:9 gears to 3:73's and it takes so little to get these wheels cooking. I was in such a toss up about the gears I have or going with 4:10's, but I think I wouldn't be able to accelerate :lol:

In all honesty, I would seriously recommend this swap for the Mighty Max. The fact that it is ridiculously simple to do, parts are cheap and plentiful, both new and used. It is so easy to do, it would be foolish to pass it up.

With any luck, I'll have the big brakes on next Sunday.

This last pic shillin at the bottom is one I want to be seen. This is the one piece that allows the 8.8 3/16 flare brake line bolt up to the 10mm Mighty Max line. Just cut one end off and re-flare the line with a 3/16 male fitting. One side fits the Mitsu, the other side fits the Ford.

Questions or comments welcome.

[RWD4G63]

Nice Job. The 8.8 Ford rear is without a doubt the bast strength vs. cost option out there. I have an 8.8 out of an 1987 Turbo Coupe in my 4G63T Mitsubishi Sapporo (Challenger). I installed it in 2004 and have had zero issues with it since, and that's countless launches on Mickey Thompson Drag Radials with 60' in the 1.5-1.6 range. I used 31 spline strange axles, Eaton Posi, and 355 gears.
Good luck with it! you wont be disappointed...

[Fordubishi]

I use a Ford 7.5 out of an 83 Ranger. Payed $19.95 for it one weekend and ended up being a 3.45 Auburn posi. Upgraded to the 88 Aerostar 10x 2.5 rear drums and found a stud cover. Wheels are a 17x7, 5 of 4.5" bolt circle with a 42mm offset and they fit great.

Love the work on the 8.8" I had one with the 3.73 posi sitting around out of a 92 Ranger (4.0L Sport) but as you found out it was a few inch's to wide and I didn't feel like cutting all my air bag mounts and 4 link off my 7.5 so I sold it for a couple hundred bucks.

[Merrill]

Thanks everyone!

I'm enjoying it so far. I do have a brake issue, but I will solve that once I swap the 314mm fronts. I don't want to keep bleeding the system out. I'm going to ditch that rear proportioning valve and hook up the hand brake. I swapped to the 1 1/16" master cylinder already, but I have a brake line that has a tiny leak, so I can't maintain pressure.

One of my calipers arrived today. The other will be in tomorrow, and the brakes Thursday. That leaves me Friday and Saturday to buy tires for my wheels and get the front brackets fabricated. Should be a breeze.

I also have to notch the rear cross member above the axle. Since the 8.8 has a ABS sensor in it, they casted a guard to surround it. I tossed the sensor and added a -10 return for the diff cooler. The casting smacks the cross member on a big bump. It's a quick fix at least...

I'll have more updates as they happen! I dig car talk in the mean time....

[Merrill]

Today I made the notch in my rear crossmember to clear the housing. I'll get pics up soon...

I also finally hooked up the hand brake and tossed the rear proportioning valve as well as made some additional plumbing changes. Only problem I have now is my pedal takes 2 pumps to stop me. Even with the biggest Mitsubishi BMC I can find, it still doesn't push enough volume to keep this system up. I ordered a residual check valve today, so that should fix it. With these big ass rear calipers, and additional plumbing (hand brake and such), there just isn't enough volume to fill it all up in one pump :lol:

[Merrill]

Not a lot of talk over here..... The views are close to the same as the other board I post to, but the chat is less... Oh well.

Here we go!

This is the quick fix notch I made to the rear crossmember until I build the rest of the chassis (this crossmember wont even be there). If you are dropped in the rear with this same rear end, you'll need to do this too.

1003810039

Not my best work by any means - just a quick and easy... My G.A.F. factor is low on it since it wont stay this way for ever. All it has to do is hold (which it will).

Since I added an adjustable proportioning valve, I tossed the Mitsu one that was on the back. Now its all clean and simple with a single line

10040

Speaking of brakes - they are SO CLOSE to being installed. Today I managed to find time enough to fab brackets for the calipers.
Here are some shots...

10041100421004310044

As most of us that have ever done our own brakes, or had our wheels off, the factory Mighty Max calipers are rear mounted. There is no room what so ever to make a bracket for these calipers to fit in the same place, so they had to be relocated to the front (just like the VR-4). Only trouble is the suspension and steering is very different between the two vehicles lol. This truck has twice the control arms, 4 times the steering components, and even a few additional parts that don't exist on the VR-4. That being said - there is little room for error. Truth be told, I had to make a bracket twice because I "missed" on the first measurement.


The first bracket would allow the caliper to contact the sway bar before lock. There is no way in hell I will tolerate that, so I had to remake the brackets but clocked them to rotate the caliper clock-wise. Now the calipers are free and clear of everything and sit perfectly above the sway bar.


1004510046

I did have to recess the center bore for hub clearance, but I decided to make them nice with a fillet edge.

100471004810049

I'll do the finish work on these tomorrow. This was just "mowing it down" to get it shaped. It was a long day.


Amazingly, those junk yard wheels I recently purchased, cleaned up very nicely! I was truly surprised after I gave them a wash down. Also wrapped them up in some cheap new rubbers (for the summer).

10050100511005210053

Pretty good fitment.... I was going to paint them (still will at some point) - but a buddy of mine talked me into rolling like this for a minute before painting them.


That's all I have for today. In theory, I will finish the machine work on the brackets, coat them, get my brake hoses made, and ready everything to install on Sunday. I am PUMPED about getting these on. That means Phase 1 of the chassis is crossed off the list and I can move on to the engine!

[meandmit]

The wheels look GREAT oh and the real size of that rotor upgrade is finally seen through the wheel..."IT"S HUGE" :)

[noahwins]

Those rims look so unusual on a MM, love it. Got a diagram of your brake plumbing set up with the MC, check valve and prop valve? Is the parking brake hydraulic but on a separate circuit or is it a drift brake? I want to try a Montero rear axle but I'm not sure how to set up the parking brake so it's safe. Also don't know if the dinky stock MC can move enough to clamp down on Montero rear discs.

You're a skilled fabricator, if I ever get around to doing a full-on 4 link and bag suspension, I hope you're available for hire...your shop is in San Diego?

10054

[DroppedMitsu]

Looks badass Merrill!! What rotors are you using, looks really good and looks to be rear mounted like stock? I love the tuner wheels on there also, look great!
I just finished up my passenger side mounting of my vr4s and 12.5 rotors, now I need to make my brackets for the drivers side.

[Merrill]

I don't have a diagram of it, but all I did was plumb 2 lines into a single, splice in the prop valve, hand brake, and line lock, then send it out to the back. I tossed the cable brakes since everything is hydraulic now. The line lock is what holds it still. It's basically a plunger that holds pressure in the line. Look at the pics of the hand brake - the little black know is the parking brake.

If you swap the MC with a larger one, it will have all the stopping power in the world. All that info is on page 1. I used a 1 1/16th bore MC which is a bolt-on to the MM.

The shop has been relocated to Vegas. We are always for hire, and chassis are definitely one of our favorite areas to mod. Whenever you are ready, we can definitely get you set up.

The front rotors are from a VR-4. The center has been bored to 86.1mm to slide over the Tacoma hub. They are now front mounted just like the VR-4 is. Brackets take about 20 minutes to make if you have the tools. I used my band saw and drill press to do these. The machine work took a few extra minutes, but not every design needs machining.

[noahwins]

Is line lock safe? I read the valve can burst or otherwise fail if you park on a hill because it's only meant to clamp the brakes for a moment while staging.

[Merrill]

That's a staging line lock. This line lock is a mechanical valve made for parking. Staging locks are usually electro mechanical and aren't meant to hold the vehicle. They are meant as a "roll stop"

[Merrill]

Phase 1 of the chassis is DONE!

Just about everything went in as planned. I did find out my vendor screwed up the order, and I missed it. My drivers side caliper is the 91-93 caliper, while my passenger side is the 94+. Thankfully, the only difference is the legs that come off the caliper. Everything else is the exact same from pads, piston bores, and dimensions. I had to mod my bracket, and now it's all on there and stopping like a dream!


Above all, I'm mostly excited for my wheels to match :lol:
Calipers need their paint and special touch up front, but that can be done whenever.... I'm liking it all now, except the ride height. In these pics, the air shocks are full (to get it on and off the rack), and forgot to dump them. However, the ride height is slightly higher than it was with the other wheels. If I can hold out long enough (and not get impatient), Phase 2 of the chassis build will drop it lower.

100661006710068100691007010071

Just as I was ready to test drive, this happened....

1007210073

I was on the phone trying to operate the lift, so all I saw was one side of the truck go down, but when I turned around.... something didn't look right :lol:


For whatever reason, one side of the lift decided to drop while the other side stayed up. No harm done, but it sure did look funny... I guess next time I will pay attention.

While Phase 1 is technically finished, I still have 2 items originally not on the list to install (rack and pinion & rear sway bar). These are little things, so they can be installed as "floaters" for when I am waiting on parts, or have down time. It is now time to start Phase 1 of the engine and start banging out the body. More to come as it happens!

[BradMph]

Sure glad you were not under it when it happened. Any body parts would of been dismembered.

[Merrill]

Yeah lol... probably could have been bad
It didn't really drop suddenly, just one side lowered like any other time. I just didn't see the left side because I was talking on the phone :lol: I turned around and was like "huh.... well that could a been worse."

I'm just glad it didn't mess anything up on the truck, property, or anyone.

[Rahtid]

the truck looks good with the wheels and drop

[bobbyk]

Your truck looks good. I've been following your tread and really like what your doing.

[DroppedMitsu]

Truck looks really good. Loving the stance and wheels.

[Merrill]

Thanks all!

I'm mildly annoyed at the moment.... took the truck in for a hand wash/detail and they did a real shit job. After enough bickering, I ended up paying to clean my truck myself. Looks great now, but it sure wasn't from these detail dudes....

[bobbyk]

That's why I always wash my trucks myself. If you want it done right do it yourself...right?

[Merrill]

Yup. They were nice enough to give me a free wash next time I come back. It's really going to be more like a free window cleaning and armorall again.... but if the truck isn't really dirty like it was, it should be a decent wash at least.

Today's update - just ordered my 93+ front end. Time to get the body mods knocked out!

[Rahtid]

Do you have the bumper brackets for the 93+ front bumper, I have a bumper to put on but no brackets, any help would be appreciated

[Merrill]

I dont. I can't find the bar for it anywhere. Chances are I'm just going to build it and not bother with the headache of trying to find D it.

[Merrill]

Wowsers.... haven't updated here in a bit. Mods have never stopped since the last update. It's been getting pretty fun actually.

pretty sure this is a 2 post update... Here is what I have to show.

I guess I can start with the front end. I did order up the 93+ bits for it. The grille arrived quickly (as expected), but I ordered the bumper at the same time from the same warehouse, but it took 2 weeks to get here. They kept messing around with shipping while providing about a dozen excuses why it didn't show. While it did delay my build schedule a bit, I did still manage to get it installed.

I had a few scouts looking all over the country for factory 93+ MM brackets, but no luck. I ended up fabricating all the brackets anyway because I could not wait any longer to get the front end on. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to snap any pics of the brackets, but they were really simple. I had them done in a day with some flat stock and rivnuts.... really simple. The truck is now off at the body shop getting banged out and painted, so I will try to remember to get pics of the brackets once the truck comes back.

10329103301033110332

There are a couple things I simply cant stand about the front end on this chassis. I really don't like seeing the suspension in the center cut out at the bottom. It looks kinda tacky. I was searching for something to use for a lip, or maybe a cover up solution, but I didn't find anything I liked. I still have some time to figure it out. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears, but please spare the Home Depot mods.... edge trim and foam garage door seals are NOT my style.


I have had tons of followers between the two forums, and all the locals between LV and SoCal. Since I really dig all the cheers and thumbs-up compliments from people driving by, I decided to give them a little something to keep up with the progress.

1033310334

Aside from keeping the locals informed, it also serves as more motivation for me. I really REALLY want to hurry up and slap all the "DONE" stickers on :lol:

In addition to the front end, I managed to toss my "top 3" gauges in. Top 3 (in the racing world) usually refers to the gauges you want to see the most in your peripheral view. They are typically important gauges that set off all kinds of alarms and tell you, the driver, something is up. My typical top 3 are Boost, Wideband, and EGT.

103351033610337

All 3 gauges are Prosport Digital series which show both the digital number, as well as a LED sweep. The LED sweep is great for a peripheral reference. I fell in love with this Wideband.... It starts reading in about 20-30 seconds after start-up, it uses a 5 wire 02, has analog output (as most good models do), and matches my other two. It is also programmable which makes fitting to the truck system easy.

So I upgraded my phone recently and it included a free tablet. I grabbed the LG GPad 8.3. It's pretty nice (surprisingly) since I'm a Samsung user.


Either way, I didn't grab it for professional reasons. I already have a tablet I never use because my phone pretty much takes care of all the in between stuff. So instead of carrying around a tablet all day for no reason, I have a better use for it - my digital dash.

10338

The 4G64 DOHC I am building is an Evo variant - not a DSM. Trying to convert a mostly mechanical cluster (with nothing on it), to a digital cluster (that never existed in a MM), is going to be a pain. On the same token, all the new retro fitted stuff (engine, ECU, etc.) just doesn't match a 23 year old dash and cluster..... This will blend it all together nicely once the swap is complete.

To finish this update, I finally changed out the crappy blue edge trim in the door opening. It's a small mod that will probably never be noticed, but I'm fine with that.

1033910340

You sure noticed that crap when it was blue, I'll tell you that much :lol:

[Merrill]

You might be wondering why my mu Build Schedule decal has a "DONE" sticker over the Interior section.... Here is why it is on there.

I finished my door cards which classifies the interior as done. I also dyed the carpet black (no pics) for now because I don't want to buy new carpet at the moment. The driveshaft tunnel will have to be modded once phase 2 of the chassis gets done, so depending on how much I have to cut, will determine what I do with the carpet. I may have to have it custom made.

These door cards are 6061-T6 aluminum, 0.063" thick. The process is pretty frigging simple. I'll let the pics demonstrate, but if you have a question - just ask :thumbsup:

10341103421034310344103461034710348

Instead of buying the fancy eBay decorator washers, I made mine. There are 2 reasons why I went this route - 1: I don't like the squared edge of the eBay ones, 2: I don't want anyones name/brand on them. I know they are available blank, but I like my style better.

1034910345

In case you were wondering how to perfectly place screws into a door that has plastic push rivets in it, here is the answer

Riv-nuts.
10350103511035210353

All I did was place them in the exact same location as the factory holes for the plastic rivets. Very simple.

There are a ton of uses for these, and I always suggest (if you are going to use these) buying a good rivet gun. These rivet guns are very specific to the Riv-Nut install. If you are spending 50 bucks or more on a gun, you have most likely bought a good one. The cheap ass ones usually bend, install the rivnut crooked, break on the first use, snap the mandrel clean off, and all kinds of other fails since it takes a lot of strength and force to squeeze one in place (unless it is aluminum). Save yourself the time and money and buy a good one first. You can either buy a few $30 ones, or buy a good one only once for $50.

The armrests were the other part of this door card. It looks pretty silly with nothing there :lol:
Again, really simple - if you have any questions - please ask.

1035410355103561035710358


The upholstery was really simple as well. I just used the old door card to make the upholstered pad base.

10359103601036110362

Voila!

1036310364

I used vinyl instead of leather on the arm rests.... I just couldn't justify the price to wrap in leather... It is a much higher quality vinyl (it's the $20/yard roll instead of the $5/yard roll), so it still blends nicely with the seats.

You may notice there is an insert behind the door handle trim. I had to add this since the new aluminum door card is half the thickness of the factory wood one. This left a gap behind the handle trim that looked terrible. The two inserts are done, and painted, but not installed yet since the truck is at the body shop getting banged out and painted. I'll update later on these.

FINALLY - the truck is at the body shop! It is getting banged out, blocked, and shot with flat white paint. I officially dropped it off yesterday, paid my deposit, and eagerly await the finished result..... I told the guys there that I need the truck back no later than July 1st. so I can finish the last minute pieces before MOD.

Here is all the before shots at the body shop when I dropped it off.

10365103661036710368103691037010371

They have a lot of work to get done on it. This is the first time in many MANY years I have had someone else paint my ride. I am nervous, but comfortable since this shop has been in Vegas longer than I have (and I'm a native :lol: ).

This should help explain why I chose flat paint instead of some typical shiny shit....
Take a look at the door card with the logos on it...
10372

There are ZERO effects applied to this pic. Notice the difference between the shadow and the light. The decals are gloss vinyl, while the door card is flat white. The logos literally pop off the door card like 3D. Since this is a shop truck bguilt to race and promote (as well as work for us), it will be slapped with our shop decals. I want the decals to pop against the paint exactly as they do in the pic above.

The other reason for using a flat paint is simple - I don't want any other ride to be seen when you look at mine. I want zero distractions, reflected landscape, sun blinding bling, or any other reflection visible in my paint. I want my truck to be seen completely in a stack of other cars. Flat/matte paint will do exactly that - show nothing but my truck.

That's all I got for now. As soon as the truck comes back, I'll update the rest and the missing stuff. I welcome all questions or comments, but please - make sure you aren't asking a question I already answered :lol: I know some of you read these like PlayBoy (only looking at pics), but I try to give all the info I can here if you would just read it hahaha.

[Merrill]

Only been a couple days and I'm having truck withdrawals. I think I'll have to sneak over there for some progress pics or something...

[Rahtid]

let me know about the bumper brackets

[Merrill]

Let you know what about them?

[asmyser]

Awesome text graphics.

[BradMph]

I know some of you read these like PlayBoy (only looking at pics)

Where are the Boobies?:lmao:
10414


Now with the Merrill Performance stickers all over the truck it turns the build into a tax write off for the company and advertises as a mobile billboard. Nice little loop hole to save yourself a bit of cash. :thumbup:

[Merrill]

That GIF kinda looks like Jessica Rabbit.....

Once my truck hits the presentable stages, I'll see if my photographer can find me a topless model to show off a bit.

[BradMph]

That GIF kinda looks like Jessica Rabbit.....

Once my truck hits the presentable stages, I'll see if my photographer can find me a topless model to show off a bit.

That's Jessica alright....The rest of her is here http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/2209-Got-any-Good-JOKES-or-Funny-Stories-that-involved-Your-Truck-quot-Post-it-quot-!!/page4

Click on her and she will walk for you

[Merrill]

That's awesome..... lol

[Redneckmoparman]

truck is goin awesome! love the chassis mods but im ready to see some motor work goin! i need to start messing with my swap one of these days.... lol

[Merrill]

Engine work will come in due time. I follow my own rules... all the power in the world is useless if the chassis can't harness and handle it. I'm aiming pretty high on the engine build, so the chassis has to take it.

All the rest of the stuff like body and paint just take up some time. I'd like the engine to match the rest of the truck (looks) once I get it in there.

[Redneckmoparman]

Oh i agree completely i come from a old hot rod background that tought me all the power in the world is useless if you cant handle it thats why my neon that im building is slowly getting better with brakes and chassis and everything else just no body work lol the engine has had little super cheap stuff done and at almost 50hp over stock the chassis can handle almost twice what it has at the moment and thats how every build i will ever do will go otherwise its pointless unless you like just doing burnouts lol but engine stuff is always super exciting and i cant wait to see how you do the entire setup because like you im going full serpentine only on a dodge engine so ill have all factory parts to bolt on and all accesories to just modify to the truck ps and ac lines but thats not hard

[Merrill]

Little update...

Still waiting in the truck to be finished. The painter says there are a few spots he wanted to go back over, and I'm totally fine with that even though we are over the deadline.

I did see some pics, and being in the industry, I know it is a ton of work. It's all the little things that you have to run back over that take up the most time. With all the little dings and dents previously on the truck, it might as well have been considered to be swiss cheese :lol:

What I saw was damn near perfection and I eagerly await the call saying it is time to pick it up. I can't wait to see it complete. .. it's going to be perfect!

[Redneckmoparman]

Cant wait to see it redone!

[Merrill]

Well here it is as of today. 10 days past the deadline - still not painted. It is very good work, it is smooth, it will look great.... it's just late.

I am missing MOD this year, and I have cancelled the photo shoot because of the delay....

106491065010651

[Redneckmoparman]

yeah my neon was supposed to be done almost 3 months ago but i cant half ass putting it back together and if im going to do it ill do it right so ill deal with being delayed its worth it in the end to enjoy it more and longer without having to go back and do it all again looks like its coming along though!

[Merrill]

I hired someone to do the.paint and body because I didn't have enough time to do it myself. I know this stuff can't be rushed, but then again, I hired someone so that it would be done on time (which it is late). It may be worth it in the end (a nice paint job), but right now I'm having a big problem with missing my scheduled events.

[camoit]

Welcome to hurry up and wate line. Mine was 3 months behind schedual. But what can you do

[MaxinOut]

Please don't take offense to this Merrill, but you are anal. That's what makes your build above some of the others in my opinion. It's what is going to bring out the perfection in your truck. It why your build is my favorite. Like you taking the windows out to tint them because you don't want the lines, or the why you are painting the truck matte. It all makes sense and its those little details that really take it to the next level. Your build seriously inspires me

[Merrill]

^^^Not offended at all. I'm actually very complimented, thank you. It's good to know people enjoy this build and one day I hope someone takes what I have and does it better.


So here is the truck...
106611066210663
It isn't terrible..... it is totally mission accomplished as you try to look at it during the day. It is so bright that it really is a void in reality. It is just straight up - there. The body work was decent, and it is pretty straight. You can only see the little stuff if you knew what you were looking for, or knew it where it was before.

The paint finish is pretty disappointing. I have a lot of work ahead of me. At night and with sunglasses on during the day, it is very dusty in some spots, some areas are heavily sprayed, there is an orange peel in a couple spots, and there is a bunch of over spray I'm not happy about.

10664

^^That really pissed me off. I have a lot of work ahead of me to get this where I want it.

[BradMph]

I like white a lot...but darn when I get up in the morning and it's a bright day, I go blind trying to put the key in the door. My eyes will even start to water from the reflection. Your truck looks snow white compared to My MR2 which has a sorta off white color and it still kills my eyes.

Sorry to hear about the paint, I'm sure you'll get it figured out in time. Still looks real good!

[geezer101]

The painter oversprayed your engine? It was bad enough to wait this long to get your truck back, but to get it back looking like this... It does look awesome in stark white though.

[DroppedMitsu]

Man he made you wait and wait and it still didnt come back perfect or near perfect, and all that over spray. I would be PISSED to say the least and he would have got a lot of words said to him lol. Sorry to hear about the crappy work. Truck looks good though.

[bobbyk]

It looks good just sucks that some people are lazy. It's not that hard to paint a engine compartment and not make a mess. Tin foil, plastic and tape help a lot.

[Merrill]

It looks good from far away. Up close it has spots that look like drywall.... a lot of the over spray has been covered up with rattle can to try and hide it from me (pissed me off even more), and I have a ton of work ahead of me to fix it all. I actually told him not to paint the engine bay at all since I will do that once I swap.

[geezer101]

Newspaper and 3M tape must be expensive... Well, if you know anyone that needs a respray at least you know who not to recommend.

[Merrill]

^^^exactly!

[noahwins]

10664


Looks like he hosed down your truck with a Wagner. Dogshit. Take it back.

[Merrill]

I'm not taking it back for it to take more time and still look like shit. I'll just fix it myself. It's the only way I'll really like it anyway.

[geezer101]

...if he couldn't get it right the first time, I wouldn't be giving the moron a second chance to completely ruin your ride :roulette:

[Merrill]

That's why I'll just fix it myself and roll on. I don't need any more down time on this truck.

[Redneckmoparman]

that sucks i hate spending money like that to get crap in return hence why my vehicles all have shitty paint jobs cause i wolnt pay for one lol

[noahwins]

Doesn't do justice to the fabrication and attention to detail on the rear axle. Overspray on a battery and wire harness is just sloppy.

[royster]

Hey, Merrill! Are you ready for an update or has life been too busy to work on your truck?

[Merrill]

It's SEMA season and my clients are definitely keeping me busy. Sadly, I haven't even washed the truck in a couple months haha. I just drive it.

I have been toying with a few different plans. I'll get back to work on it pretty soon.

[royster]

Great that you're driving it, getting some use out of it. I'm sure the ideas wouldn't be popping up if it were just sitting.

[Merrill]

Yeah it serves it's purpose as a shop truck for sure. It just isn't a fast one yet :lol:

[77amc]

I'd make an "anonymous" call to the EPA and say that they're sprayin outside, dumping 'stuff' down the drain, yadda yadda....

Nice build man.

I picked up a mint 86 ram50 for my son and after I got it running, I took it 'around the block', and my battery didn't fit EXACTLY in the tray and it slid
over and the air pulley ground in and sprayed acid A L L O V E R under the whole bay.... SO, my nice shiny clean engine bay is now dull and crappy and some hood spots are corroding even after a baking soda bath..


Errol

[pennyman1]

use a pressure washer with some strong detergent to spray off the rest of that acid. It probably got between the hood frame and the metal above when it slung off the pulley. Or take the hood off, flip it over and pour a baking soda mix on it and let it sit for an hour or so, then hose it off.

[77amc]

It's been a couple years now (I think.. forgot) but didn't want to 'fix' much since I was going to respray after
pulling the engine and trans for the newer 2.6 and 5spd. Son wants to 'get used to' the truck and drive it.

Don't want to take anything from the thread..
So, waddya do in a situation where you've paid a deposit and have horrible work done, but DON'T want to leave it
again for them to "FIX" their mistake and really screw with it..
I remember hearing that if you've taken your vehicle, that you've accepted the work done..

Just call the police or Lawyer and take pics??


Errol

[pennyman1]

take pics of the work, get them to document their mistakes ( good luck on that one) then threaten to expose them to the media for the poor work they did if you don't get the deposit back. Bad media exposure is worse than a lawsuit, and its free!

[BradMph]

GooGone the heck out of it and use a mild scrubber green dish sponge. After removing the overspray and you want it to look awesome, spray armor\all over it and let it sit. Come back, wipe the entire thing down to get any excess armor/all and that engine will look like it just rolled out the factory sliding doors for your customers.
A little plug to the BBB couldn't hurt. Help save the next customer from getting screwed. Then send Vinney and the boys over to that shop with their violin cases.

11560

[Merrill]

I was very pissed about the work... I missed my debut show, cancelled a photo shoot I had scheduled, and ended up losing out on a couple of other things. I will deal with it by redoing it myself when I have the time. When I hired the other guy to do it, I was strapped for time and decided to have someone else take care of it. That turned out to be a bad decision and I accept that. I should have just sucked it up and pulled a few all nighters.

Shortly after I received my truck from the painter, the painter went to jail. At the end of the day, he got what he deserved either way. I already dramatically reduced the amount I was paying because it was 10 days late and looks like shit. Paying for small claims, losing out (time wise) for my existing clients to go to small claims, and every other related expense would have been greater than me just redoing the paint job. Based on his past and the jail time, he wouldn't even have the small amount I did pay him as a refund.

Putting people and businesses on blast is silly in my opinion. If you were completely done wrong, sure, tell your story. The only problem is the majority of people don't just tell their story. Instead they turn themselves into *****rs over some meaningless moment like some store not honoring an expired coupon for a couple cents off a can of tomatoes... Many businesses don't even get a chance to explain their side of things. To me, it's like purposely showing off your dance skills to a person in a wheel chair.... you're just jumping face first into the idiot pool.

I will move forward and get my truck done the way it needed to be done in the beginning.

[MIHIFISI]

Merrill, GREAT ATTITUDE!!!! Dont even get me started on Yelp!!!

[BradMph]

LOL he's in jail. Sounds like Karma to me.

I think we all here were pretty much just jumping on your side with advice since it sounded like you were angry and got hosed for the work performed.
Anyway, you definitely have things handled and settled up inside and that is what counts. Keep us posted on your truck build, as always there are many following your work. :)

[Merrill]

Two things happened today.

The first thing is my truck finally got a good wash since the crack head painted it. I've been to a few washes since, but since the paint job is terrible, the dirt never came off until today. The secret is a Scotch Brite with some soap and water. The great news is the dirt comes right off, my paint is flat and doesn't show Scotch Brite scratches, and the truck looks good as new (maybe better/smoother). The bad news is it takes damn near 3 friggin hours to scrub the exterior down to clean it. It's whatever anyway.... It looks decent again.
11685

The second thing to happen today is:

11686

Look carefully at the pic.... This build just got serious :secret:

[pennyman1]

and the best part of this conversion - it is all factory parts from Asia...

[royster]

Either you've flipped the dash photograph...which is a cruel thing to do to a dyslexic...or you're preparing to put the steering wheel on the right-hand side, thus tempting geezer101 to steal your truck. That's 'entrapment', you know.

Truck looks terrific regardless :)

[pennyman1]

but if he takes the truck back with him, won't it revert to LHD? LOL

[Merrill]

That is a real RHD dash from a postal truck. Everything I need to swap is there (just not in the pic). I've been contemplating RHD swapping since I started this build. I was talking to a few people over seas about gathering what I need and shipping here. I just didn't want to spend all that much. All this was less than 200 bucks, so I couldn't resist. A very good friend of mine found it and snatched it up for me. All I need to do is go pick it up and swap it.

I'm swamped with clients projects and vehicles right now, but eventually I'll find the time to get this done. Shouldn't be too difficult to get done once I start on it (average time is a week for me on RHD swaps for me).

[royster]

Well...I guess we could say Merrill is going postal.

Right?


Or left?

Anyways, you sure do appreciate a challenge! This will be an interesting conversion to witness

[pennyman1]

that's a great deal - I can see why you wanted to do it. There was one rhd pickup on ebay a while back that was a highway maintainance truck, so a few are stateside. Pics of the conversion would be great so those of us less fortunate can drool...

[Merrill]

I saw an eBay RHD earlier this year. Almost bought it.

Royster - you're right. I will be soon too lol

[geezer101]

Finally a member who is prepared to drive from the correct side of his truck! :wrench:Will this be easy enough to get approved? The only issue with RHD manufactured Mitsu trucks is the exhaust/steering rack living close to each other. Plus if you want to go turbo the exhaust manifold gets nice and close to the BMC and booster.

[Merrill]

I'm not at all worried about it. I'm a professional fabricator by trade, so anything can be modded or built if needed. The new engine is also an Evo variant, so the exhaust will eventually be on the left either way.

There is nothing for me to get approved with it. The RHD topic here is full of mixed rules. Most of them are some bogus nonsense I don't have to worry about where I live. Most laws are concerned more with importing a RHD and less about converting a US titled/registered truck. There are a few cautions in just about every law book regarding conversions due to safety. Passing vehicles and left turns are the biggest warnings which are no big deal.

[DroppedMitsu]

Awesome, can't wait to see it done. I was wanting to to rhd swap but its a pain to find the dash.

[Merrill]

I consider myself EXTREMELY lucky to have a friend that was at the yard that day, let me know about it AND was willing to take the time out of his day to pull, buy, and hang on to it for me until I can take a drive to pick it up. I owe that man big time. I'll even let him drive my truck once the conversion is complete lol.

[steen3rddensity]

so much hard work and inspiration in this thread brother. if i ever-ever find myself with a real good chunk of money to spend on my truck, i'm calling you first. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

[Malaking_TT]

Very nice build. I like all of the attention to detail. I'm in the process of acquiring parts to do a 92 4g64 block with a 92 4g63 head. I have most of the parts but I wanted to find out if the thermostat housing on the intake will also fit on my 92 block. I have also heard some people say removing the freeze plug in the front for the outlet reduces flow in the rear of the head, what are your thoughts on that and did you make any modifications to address it? I really don't want a hose going around to the back either.

[Merrill]

Thank you.

My block and head are Evo variant (not DSM), so it is a little different. I used the thermostat housing off of the Montero Sport 2.4 which bolts to the side of the block behind the alternator so that I don't have to have a tube to the back of the head. The back of my cylinder head has an outlet port for recirculation/flow. I also added another port to my block off plate for the heater line.

Since the thermostat is on the side of the block and attached to the lower radiator hose (instead of the upper), coolant inside the block only flows through the two ports in the back of the head until the thermostat opens.

The DSM variant is not equipped with the rear ports. If you chose to attach an upper outlet tube like I did, you will have to create a rear block off plate where the DSM thermostat is that has 2 circulation ports and use the Montero Sport thermostat housing like I have. This will allow proper cooling flow through the block and head, and will eliminate the thermostat pipe to the rear of the block. It may also save you from having to hammer mod the firewall or move the block forward (I don't know for sure - just a possibility).

The first page of this thread shows all the parts and mods done to my engine which will be similar to what you need.

[RWD4G63]

I have used both a front, and rear coolant outlet in my RWD 4G63. (91 Eclipse 6-bolt 4G63) If you want to run a rear block off plate and the coolant outlet in the front of the head you have to modify the head, and head gasket to promote better coolant flow to the rear of the cylinder head. Here is a good write up with pics from the Project ZeroG forum..
http://projectzerog.com/plumbing.shtml

[Merrill]

If you make 2 ports in the coolant block off plate for recirculation and heater, you don't need to put any holes in the head or gasket.

[Merrill]

Here is a little more RHD love....

11852

Just to make this easier for those planning to swap (or just following for info), all you need is the dash with all components (frame work, ducts, brackets, etc.), RHD blower motor, RHD cooling unit (for AC if you have it) or AC cooling unit bypass (shown in pic), RHD heater unit, RHD steering gear unit (steering box), and the RHD harness.

The HVAC cluster is also mirrored. However, I have crawled it over and even verified there is nothing stopping you from using the LHD HVAC cluster and cables. The LHD bezel (piece with the vents and radio) fits in the RHD dash as well as the HVAC cluster and vice versa. You don't need the RHD HVAC cluster per se, but it is cool to have. Most people would probably never notice the difference.

One other thing you will need is a RHD shifter for all you 5 speed people. Yes - the shifter. If you notice on your LHD truck, the shifter angles toward you, the driver on the left. Take a moment and jump over to the passenger (right) side and reach for the shifter.... Notice how far away it seems? You can either buy a RHD shifter for your swap, or modify yours to angle the other way.

If you look at your factory firewall you will see a "mirrored impression" which has all the same features and stamping as the other side. That basically means if you draw a vertical line down the center of the firewall, you will notice that the right side has stamping and impressions for all the components the same as the left side. RHD and LHD are a little different when it comes to the clutch cable, but the impression in the sheet metal is still there. It is to the left of the brake booster. This will require a RHD clutch pedal if you want to keep it factory. Virtually every component can be swapped over to the other side using the existing firewall.

Simply speaking, all you need to do is cut one section from the left, and transplant it to the right. If you do not have a welder, you will have a harder time. However, don't let that discourage you. You can simply cut new holes and use new hardware while cutting patch panels for the other side. Some clever brackets will have to be made if you do not have a welder, but if you are creative and ambitious, you can do it. This is an easy RHD swap compared to other vehicles. I will get more info and confirmation later when I perform this swap, but right now, that is what I have concluded. There will be some other snags, but its little stuff.

What I am Doing

Since I am swapping to a hydraulic trans/clutch from a Montero Sport, my clutch master cylinder will be added to the left of the brake booster. I am using the clutch pedal assembly from the Montero Sport as well. This is most likely NOT the only solution to swapping to a hydraulic clutch, but it is one I know I can make happen easily. The factory MM's with hydraulic clutches probably have a clutch pedal assembly and clutch master that can be used as well.

Since my shifter is from the Montero Sport, and I have modified it to my liking, I will simply swing my spacer over to the right instead of the left. This will allow me to shift much easier than reaching to the other side of the truck lol.

All of this will be shown once I get to swapping.

[Merrill]

Today was spent knocking out the part I hate.... scrubbing, prepping, repairing, and cleaning everything to make it ready for dye. Just like I did on Page 4, post #88, the whole thing was stripped down and scrubbed clean.

11895

Since these parts are NOT the easiest to score as a replacement easily, I had to make repairs. Unfortunately I completely neglected to take before pics, so I dont have anything cool to show off. The biggest fix was the warped dash pad. It is the soft part of the dash (feels padded) and it is completely removable from the rest of the dash (see the top of the pic above). This is just one of those things that happens to these dashes. The heat beats it up and it warps and separates from the rest of the dash where it is not secured. Since heat distorted it, heat will fix it. This takes a lot of patience and practice to not over heat it, and not to indent it while trying to form it back to the shape of the dash. The only down side is 9 times out of 10, it will crack where it is bowed (as mine did).

Fixing cracks is very simple. If you cut the crack out, you can re-foam or fill it up with certain epoxies or even other fillers. Fillers harder than the foam will ensure the dash will be less likely to bow again in the same place. If I remember to get some pics, I will post them when I repair the cracks. It's really easy.

I also have holes in the dash which need to be plugged up and a few spots than need new texture to blend it all in. Again, its all very easy to do. I have not yet decided if I will upholster parts of the dash or just dye them. I'll make that decision sooner or later. Hopefully I will have it dyed in a week or two.

[BradMph]

Should of had wifey put everything in the dishwasher, lol.. I definitely do not have the patience you have to do what you did here. Many of them pieces are stressed into their positions, like the vent directionals. Good luck getting all the right screws back into their right spots and hopefully you'll have no extra parts.
You ever have problems with any cracking between a repair on the dash and the dash itself. Sitting in the sun I would think the edges of a repaired area would want to start flaring out around the repair. I seen bondo used to patch dash cracks, but don't know how long it would last under a hot windshield.

[Merrill]

It all went back together this afternoon just fine. Since I am not dying it for a while, and I don't want to lose anything in the mean time, I put it all back together. The best advice i can give when taking these things apart is to take your time. Heat also helps to loosen up plastic parts.

I've never had a repair break before (or have another crack near it), but it's the same procedure to repair it again. I don't use bondo or body filler on plastic repairs to repair them. It's not meant to stick parts back together and hold them. Adhesives make the repair and body filler will smooth it all out if needed. Sticking body filler to a dash is nothing new. People have been doing it for years, but there is a lot more that goes into it than just throwing it on the dash and smoothing it. In order to make it last, you have to prep it and add other composite materials to hold the shape. The body filler just makes a smooth surface.

[Merrill]

I didnt think I had the time today, but hey, looks like I did after all.


First up - repairing the cracks on the dash pad.
119421194311944119451194611947

And here is the end result after filling and shaping. Good as new.
1194811949

I did decide on a combination of dye and upholstery, so this piece will not be dyed (as well as a few others).

I also fixed 4 holes and a large gash on the dash itself. Nothing major....
11950119511195211953119541195511956

After a bunch of cleaning and prep - I dyed it black just like the current dash in my truck.
1195711958

Not every portion of the dash is dyed. Pretty much every part that is not covered in upholstery, or is not seen, was left alone. Once it is all put back together again, it will look like a brand new RHD dash. Right now it is hanging up and curing. I'll probably reassemble everything in a week or so. Upholstery will happen whenever I feel like I have the time.

Questions or comments - Post up!

[BradMph]

Looks like it all came out really good from here. Nice!

[Malaking_TT]

What kind of dye is that?

[Merrill]

VHT Vinyl Dye. Normally I order a plastic dye used by detailers, but my guy didn't have any this time around. I decided to give the VHT a shot. I gave a spot a scratch test today and it holds quite nicely.

[geezer101]

I've used that VHT vinyl spray and it is really good stuff to work with. If the trim part you're re-colouring is cleaned properly and you lay the stuff down in light coats, you'll get get good colour penetration into the trim and it won't flake off. Looks good so far Merill, nice job :thumbup:

[Merrill]

I'm pretty impressed thus far. I usually use industrial stuff, but this seems to be no different as far as I can tell. If it doesn't work as well, I'll update later lol.

[Merrill]

Not a lot to report lately... I was planning on RHD soon, but clients are keeping me too busy for that. I'm back to fabbing on Sundays again.

Today was actually an off day. We had a small glitch in the schedule, so I ran to the yard for some goods. I decided that the final design of this particular phase would bring a clearance issue to the Montero Sport rear sway bar once I change my wheels. As such, I pulled a Ford rear sway bar which will be going on soon. I'm not completely satisfied with the switch, but I gotta do what I gotta do I guess.

I managed to get it stripped and coated this afternoon and will soon have it installed. I'm not going to bolt it on like it was. It will be better fitted and perches welded to the axle. I'm also building adjustable end links so I can dial it in better.

Aside from that, I made the decision on my pistons. I'm going to end up with a compression ratio of about 10.8:1 and will push 15 PSI. That should net some good power to start with.

I'll get some pics up when I get some actual work done. If anyone is interested in the 26 mm Montero Sport rear sway bar I have, let me know. It's a near perfect fit to the MM.

[Malaking_TT]

Isnt that CR kind of high for a turbo engine?

[Malaking_TT]

Are you using a KM132 transmission? Is that one stronger than a km145?

[Merrill]

Not really. It's all in the tuning and guts. You can't cheap out on that stuff to make it happen right. One of my clients is on 30 PSI @ 11.5 or 12:1 (can't remember which one - many people do it)

My trans is from a Montero Sport. I'm not sure on the model #. I never bothered to look.

[Redneckmoparman]

Thank god someone thats not afraid of compression and boost but you seem to play with evos and theyre the king of it lol only way to build boost and make serious power with big turbo 4cyl one thing my fellow neon/srt crowd fails to accept

[LSR Mike]

Compression and boost are not mutually exclusive...I'm running 10:1 with 25 -30lbs of boost.

[pennyman1]

compression does not have to be low for high boost with todays modern efi engine systems - with proper tuning you can get massive power - besides what are you doing with a turbo but compressing the charge to pack more fuel into the motor? High compression is to get the more power from the charge - you just need to keep it all below the flash point of the fuel aka detonation.

[LSR Mike]

Knock sensor....

[pennyman1]

exactly...

[Merrill]

I'm not worried at all about the high compression. This is nothing new, and I'll have it under control.


On to today (or the last couple days)....

I originally wanted to use the Montero Sport rear sway bar for the rear of this truck, but I ran into a small snag - its going to be too wide and will interfere with my new wheels (when I get them). The montero sport is a far superior bar because it mounts to the outside of the frame, and it is larger in diameter (1 inch). As badly as I really wanted to run it, I had to compromise.

I ended up with the F150 rear sway bar. This, as many of you have seen and posted about, sounts to the inside of the frame, and it is an 1/8" smaller in diameter than the MS bar. Most people will never notice the difference, but I know it lol. After the bar came back from coating, I ordered up a new set of Energy Suspension bushings and slapped it all together.

12108121101210912107

The truck handles quite nicely. The front feels like it rides like a mushy old Buick compared to the rear now, so I must finalize my front design soon. I do recommend this bar for its ease of install and gain, but I noticed a lot of people having one big issue - welding.

I did mention in a previous post that I was going to weld all this up and what not, but I figured I could take a few extra moments to design a 100% bolt-on solution for the rear sway bar. Here it is.....

121111211212113

I built 3 of these kits for my team to test out to see if we can break them, or if we need improvements, but there it is. Once we get some R&D time, this kit will be available. All one has to do is drill 4 holes to mount the end links to get a complete bolt-on rear sway bar.

I'll update more as it happens!

[pennyman1]

Which sway bar setup is this for - montero, f-150, or both?

[Merrill]

F150. I can build one for the Montero bar as well. Easily done.

[pennyman1]

any idea as to price?

[thehive]

That's what I want to know too

[crvtec90]

Im interested in upgrading the FRONT sway bar as I have already installed the f-150 rear bar. Looking forward to seeing what you've got planned for it

[Merrill]

As of right now, the rear link kit is looking at about $100 shipped. One other kit I sent out will be installed tomorrow, and the other will be later this week. I went out for a long ride the other night and put this bar to the test. It performs quite well. As soon as I can confirm pricing, I'll make a post.

I have posted before about the front bar. You can fit an S10 bar to the front. They have 5 different sizes to chose from, and they are very very similar to the MM. The larger bars will not fit without serious mods to the front end. I intend to rip my front components out and build new with the 33mm S10 bar. I can make that into a bolt-on kit, but that will cost somewhere between 400-600 (off the top of my head).

S10 bar sizes are 23, 25, 28, 29, and 33mm (there may be a couple more). The MM is 22mm. The S10 25mm should fit without serious modification, the 28 and 29mm bars might fit with little modification, and the 33mm will NOT fit unless the whole front end is significantly modified.

[Merrill]

Great news! The rear link kit for the Ford sway bar has cleared installation R&D on 3 trucks and is now ready for individual sale. I will wait until after Christmas to post them, but if anyone is interested in a kit shown above, PM me and we will get one to you.

Im trying to out this front sway bar fitment to bed already, but I keep running into stupid little fitment issues every which way I look. The S10 bars are really close, and they would fit on the MM, but the moment the suspension travel was not "ideal" (as in perfectly symmetrical), the bar would shift and hit the frame in one way or another. Rather than "pocketing" the frame up front to clear it, I am trying to find a different bar that fits with less issues, or with the least amount of modification for gain. Obviously anyone can hack the shit out of their truck and slap a 33mm bar on and hit the races.... That's not what I am after for the purpose of research here.

I am getting very annoyed with this as it is, so I may end up taking a break. I'm about 6 seconds away from bending a sway bar from scratch to fit on this truck. Option B is I finish my front suspension mods and get this rolling.

I am taking advantage of the holidays right now and have scheduled 2 weeks off (since business gets slow right around this time) to do the RHD swap. Looks like I'll be on the other side of the truck sooner than I thought!

More updates as I get them....

[Merrill]

RHD swap starts on Sunday!

I'm in a crunch to get everything finished and prepped before hand... I've rebuilt the new trans that I am swapping to, ordered a new clutch master and slave for the new trans, reassembled the dash, and bought new brake lines. Hopefully this will only take a week or less to swap over.

I will have my current LHD black dyed dash with gauge pods (that I did 6 months ago), all of the LHD HVAC components (blower, evaporator, ducting, etc), wiring harness, and 2wd wide block trans for sale. If anyone wants any of it, stake your claim now.

[noahwins]

Do you drink a lot of coffee?

[MIHIFISI]

PM'd you about your dash

[Merrill]

I limit my coffee intake... used to live on it lol. Why?

[BradMph]

Merrill is a Truck Building Machine, he don't need no coffee, well maybe a little. :hammerdrill:

These kits...are they universal with the 1st gen also, including the sway bar swaps using S10's & F150's?
I maybe interest on a rear kit if I can somehow swap the front bar to a thicker one using an S10 bar from our wrecking yard.

The rear kit look good Merrill, nice work..

[Merrill]

It should bolt up 100%. All you need to do is drill holes to mount the kit, and source the sway bar (both very easy to do). I need to confirm minimum and maximum dimensions for fitment confirmation, but the frames are similar between 1G and 2G, so it should be exactly the same.

The S 10 bars are still in R&D. I can build a full kit to adapt one to the front, but it will take many months of work to design and build the system. The problem on the 2G MM is the S 10 bar will hit the frame when distorted under a hard corner. The blazer bars are a little wider as well as the Astro Van models. The only problem with them is they are very thick. There will be a lot of modding to fit one to a stock MM, and it still isn't guaranteed to fit and work well enough (to my satisfaction).

[Merrill]

Let's kick off the Right Hand Drive Swap shall we?

I tossed a couple small pics up on the Facebook group with some great results, and a few people requested more info on the swap. Well, here it is in the best way I know how to deliver it.

It has been 2.5 days and I am 80% finished. I am limited on time and have missed a few pics but do have a bunch to show the bulk of what is needed to do the swap. Any questions? Post up! I'll be happy to answer them.

To make works very easy, I stripped the whole truck. This literally took 3.5 hours from start to finish. Engine, transmission, complete interior, and harnesses came out. Here's the thing.... The engine does NOT have to come out, but think of it this way - 30 minutes to pull it vs. 3 hours of lost time trying to work around it.

1227912280

My transmission is being swapped as well. I am using a 5 speed wideblock HYDRAULIC clutch trans from a Montero Sport. Aside from the hydraulic clutch, the tail housing places the shifter 2 inches further back. When I swap my engine, I will mount it more forward. With the Montero Sport tail housing, the shifter will be in the same place even though the engine and transmission have moved forward (just a little info for you readers). Since I am not doing the engine swap right now, but do need the hydraulic clutch right now, I will swap the tail housing out for the MM trans.

I guess the first place to start (at least the place I started) is the interior. Since the dash frame work is bolt-on to either LHD or RHD, I started on the steering column mount. One side bolts to the frame while the other side bolts to the body of the truck. This bracket had to be pulled from the left and transplanted to the right. Simply drill the spot welds out, and weld it to the other side.

12281122821228312284

Next is the clutch master and brake master cylinders. This takes nothing more than a few precise measurements and a drill. The big holes are cut with a hole saw, the small holes with a drill bit. Very simple. After making the holes, mount it up.

1228512286122871228812289

This is what you end up with when you do not have RHD pedal assemblies.... I'll fix these later.

12290

Now we get to the fun stuff. The steering hole needs to be transplanted to the right. This isn't terribly difficult to do, but is easy to screw up if you don't take your time. You dont need any special kind of shape to cut it out, but the simpler the shape (like a rectangle), the easier it is to cut and fit to the opposite side. Remember to measure the placement of the steering gear box in relation to the opening. I used the same parts of the firewall that are mirrored on both sides as reference points for placement of the steering hole.

122911229212293

If you have looked closely at your truck you may have noticed the firewall is reinforced around the brake booster and steering hole. Since this truck was originally LHD, the right side must have reinforcements added to it. If this step is ever omitted, every component will likely tear itself out of the firewall like the cable clutches often do. This is nothing more than adding some sheet metal plating like so...

12294122951229612297122981229912300

That's all I can toss up for now. I'll update when I have more time later....

Here is a test fit from night #1

12301

[pennyman1]

fantastic work and great attention to detail - you make it look so easy...

[Merrill]

It's easy enough that the truck is finished today lol. 5 day RHD swap (personal best). I still need an alignment, but no biggie.

I'll finish updating the last few days later on.

[BradMph]

Whoa Merrill slow down bud, lol.

Very interesting to see this being done and thanks for the collection of great photos. I'm sure that has got to be a strange thing to drive a vehicle from the other side, especially re-training your legs to do the right thing . If it don't work out you can always go into the mail delivery service with a right hand drive truck, lol. The Jeep Cherokee has conversion kits for the same thing your doing. Though they are really strange with a rope tide like a fan belt to the other side of the vehicles steering column.

http://www.postalthings.com/Right-hand-Drive-Conversion-Kits-RHD/rhd-kits.html

[Merrill]

I promise I'll get more pics and stuff up later. My intentions were to update every night, but it was intense work and I became exhausted. I have only a 5 day window to do this so I had to focus and get it done.

Total work time is 36 hours. This is the easiest RHD swap I've ever done over the years mostly because I didn't have to swap the firewall out completely. Since the firewall is mirrored, all I had to do was cut and paste. It was so easy to do. Welding and fabrication is my profession, so it comes out looking really easy to do. Truth be told, anyone with basic skills can duplicate the work I have done. This swap is really that simple.

[Merrill]

Ok so I will have to bring this back up to speed real quick.... probably a 2 post update or so...

After driving around for just one night and this morning, I have been stopped by other drivers all over to ask about the truck and what it's like to drive a RHD. The funniest part is I was at a light being asked about the "first time" I drove my truck like this only 2 minutes after I got in it the first time :lol: I told the guy "Thisis my first time. I just finished the swap 15 minutes ago..."

Driving a RHD isnt strange to me at all. I've built and driven many over the years and I am kind of used to it in a way. Sitting on the other side, shifting with my left, and getting in on what would normally be the passenger door is not awkward to me. What is awkward is that it is my truck that is the RHD lol. I've never owned or driven for a lengthy period of time a RHD that I had previously been used to as a LHD. The very basics like feel and position as you take a corner, or knowing what "fast" feels like all completely washes away with a new feel as you control the truck from the other side.

I still do habitual things like grab for the seat belt over my left shoulder and automatically let my right hand off the wheel during accelerating to shift, but I think that will stick around for a bit lol.

Enough chatter.... update!

After the reinforcements were added, it was time to patch up the holes on the left side. Absolutely NOTHING about this is rocket science, or extremely complicated. Simply cut out the sheet metal to the same dimensions as the hole - weld it.

I was multitasking while patching all this stuff up, so this whole "process" of patching up the firewall is basically left out. However, as I stated before, its not rocket science. If i were to actually step by step this procedure, all you would see is the same piece of metal with more welds on it in each pic :lol: The subsequent pics will show the completed patch work.

Here are the holes (before)
12314

As many owners and members have experienced the dreaded firewall failure around the clutch cable, mine was no different. The only thing about mine is that I didn't experience the issue when it happened, but I must deal with the result. The previous owners obviously experienced the issue and gave the repair a good 'ol college try. This was basically a piece of 1/8" HR plate steel welded and silicone'd to the firewall.

Here is what I started with
1231512316

There really is no "fixing it" to make it less visible, nor was there a way to blend it in with the rest of the firewall. You simply cant leave it there and try to "play it off" as some other functional piece. If you look at the inside pic posted just above, you will see just how torn up the firewall is. This kind of presents a huge challenge to fix. All of the torn sections around the patch are on the raised/stamped section of the firewall.

Its not as simple to just cut the shape out and patch it up. Maybe I'm just too picky about my work, but I know I could just patch it how ever it will work and slap some body filler in to hide it. I don't like that. I want to limit the amount of body filler on this bay as much as possible. I firmly believe that body filler is there to help finely smooth over pieces that can not be made smooth with skill and craftsmanship - OR - to fix minor details like hammer marks or waves from warping. Body filler, to me, is NOT for hiding work. This may sound silly to some, but i am proud to say that I have this metal close enough to factory spec without body filler beneath the primer.

Here is how the patch work went

123171231812319

And here is the finished product.
1232012321

Obviously any one can look at the inside and know that this was a swap seeing the weld marks, but I'm not really hiding that fact :lol:

Now for the pedal reinforcements. Reinforcing the pedals is important. The pedal reinforcements work in conjunction with the firewall reinforcements to reduce flex in the sheet metal which can cause a failure over time. I did go just a wee bit overboard with my metal of choice, but the firmness in the pedals is something I could not have achieved if I used a lesser metal.

In theory, I could easily just weld the reinforcements to the truck. I do believe that is a little tacky/cheap/quickie mod that can easily be avoided. The reason why is dis-assembly.... "What if you ever had to take the pedal brackets out for ANY reason?" They would be stuck there if you welded them. The other side of this is metal fatigue resulting from welding. The factory sheet metal is paper thin. MIG welding this would require one to build a puddle on the reinforcement piece and let it fall on to the sheet metal. That creates a lot of heat. TIG welding would be the better choice because you can finely control the amount of heat.

Simply put, once you heat up the metal, it will become more brittle and prone to failure at some point in time. All the flexing and pulling of the metal every time you step on the clutch or brake will fatigue that heat affected zone even further. I don't ever want to go back and fix it at any point.

So what is a mechanical mounting solution that allows easy removal AND involves not heat? THe answer is my favorite piece of hardware - RivNuts.

12322123231232412325

Notice the position of the clutch pedal? That's what I have to fix next along with the brake and accelerator since I don't have RHD pedal assemblies.

[Redneckmoparman]

looks awesome! so for clutch to hydro you need to fill in the clutch cable hole and then drill and reinforce the firewall to the left of the booster? and what gauge did you use?

[Merrill]

looks awesome! so for clutch to hydro you need to fill in the clutch cable hole and then drill and reinforce the firewall to the left of the booster? and what gauge did you use?

I will have the whole list up shortly with all the info on it about swapping to hydro trans. Yes it installs to the left of the BMC/Booster on either LHD or RHD setups. If you look at either one you will see the recess in the firewall for the location.

[Redneckmoparman]

awesome! so how about a teaser completed shot?

[Merrill]

SCROLL UP IF YOU CLICKED STRAIGHT TO HERE FOR THE OTHER UPDATES




Fixing the pedals was actually a bit tough for me. On one hand, this is great because I get to put them wherever the hell I want which is awesome for ultimate comfort and convenience. On the other hand, I kind of want them to look as OEM as possible and be really clean.


I don't have many pics of the job because it required a lot of undivided attention to do, but here is what I can show.


Modifying the brake and clutch was a breeze. It was nothing more than heating up and bending. A few sections were cut and TIG welded back together followed by a coat of paint.

1237712378

Now for the accelerator. I did get caught up on this one... Not sure if it was a brain fart, creative block, or what. I tried to find a pic of a factory RHD setup with no success. At the end, I just said screw it and made my own. The biggest problem was finding a way to mount the pedal on the flat spot of the wheel well (presumably where it is supposed to be) while maintaining full range of motion. This was tricky, but here it is.

123791238012381

I didn't get a finished shot of it all bolted down, but it is bolted down using the RivNuts lol.

With the pedals out of the way - the interior is nearly finished! All I really had to do was fit all of the HVAC components. Starting with the blower motor, there needs to be a hole cut out for outside air. If you look closely at your truck, you will notice it is stamped into the sheet metal - just not cut out. Cutting it out will allow you to have outside air.

123821238312384

To fasten the blower assembly to the firewall, just drill out the spot welds on the factory hangers and transplant them to the left just as they were on the right.

1238512386

Once all that was done, I welded up the unused holes from all the spot welds, primed the firewall, and slapped the dash back in.

1238712388

Steering is pretty simple to solve. You do need the RHD steering gear, but not the idler arm. The RHD steering gear bolts right up as if it was meant to be there and the angles measure exactly the same as the LHD box when measured. Simply install it.

12390

The idler arm is tricky. There is only one hole to line it up and the angle must be exact. This means you must measure the LHD setup BEFORE you remove it. Your angle measurement may be different because you may have your truck jacked up differently. The main point is - WHATEVER ANGLE YOU MEASURED FIRST = THE ANGLE YOU MUST HAVE ON THE OTHER SIDE. My measured angle was 53 degrees on the LHD assembly. The idler arm bracket is simply flipped around and installed to the one hole it lines up with at the correct angle. Once the angle is achieved, drill the hole for the second bolt. The end result should look something like this

12389

To help you gain an idea of which hole was added, and which hole was already there - the bolt on the left was the hole I had to drill for. Simple.

Next is the brake lines. Of course you can just stretch some lines over and stick them together some way or another. I chose to keep them low and kind of hidden. To minimize the amount of hard lines stretching from one side to the other, I did some clever bending and rearranging. Only two lines stretch to the other side.

12391

Now it's just a matter of getting the engine and trans back in. That will be on the next update (ran out of time again).

[Redneckmoparman]

awesome!!!!!!!

[noahwins]

Rivnuts are most definitely The Shit.

[Merrill]

Let's cap this swap off!!

So I left off with the brake lines. Well you may have looked at the pics and discovered that everything was done under the hood. Since the interior was done, that means only the engine and trans need to go back in for me to roll!

Amazingly, this build suffered only ONE bolt casualty during dis-assembly that required my attention - the exhaust manifold stud.

Final assembly was on Christmas eve. There was no place to find a new or used exhaust manifold, and there was no way in hell the rest of the broken stud was coming out. Solution - weld a new stud on...

124101241112412

Problem solved...

Next is the engine.... simple enough to do...

1241312414

Finally - the trans. This one seemed to be a pretty big hit on Facebook, so here is the list

How to Build a Hydraulic Hybrid Transmission


If you noticed before, I have swapped to a hydraulic setup. This is what you need to make it happen.


97+ Montero Sport 2.4 2WD 5 speed transmission
97+ Montero Sport clutch pedal assembly with bracket
97+ Montero Sport Slave cylinbder, hard line, and rubber line (or you could bend your own)
Mighty Max 4x4 Clutch master cylinder


This is not rocket science at all. Simply remove the tail housing from the MM, and mate it to the MS transmission.


12415


Here is one issue you will have to fix. There is an accessory casting for a bracket, or some option for the MS. It will hit the tunnel of the MM when installed. Just trim it off.


1242012418
I am sorry about the darkness of the first pic - my flash wasnt working... Look closely and you will see the trans parts making contact with the trans tunnel.

The tab for the hard line to rubber line is already on the truck. Just use it as it is meant to be used.


12416


And there you have it. I highly recommend getting a damn good alignment after you are finished with the swap. You'll be doing yourself a huge favor with that...

I must make one thing very clear about all of this. Everything I have written and updated here is NOT by any means intended to be a write-up so you can go do it yourself. This job is for the professionals. I don't want to sound rude, but if you "need" a picture perfect write up on how to do a right hand drive swap - you have no business doing it.

Please do not attempt this swap if you have no professional experience in this field.

If you have any questions or comments - Post up of PM me!

[noahwins]

I must make one thing very clear about all of this. Everything I have written and updated here is NOT by any means intended to be a write-up so you can go do it yourself. This job is for the professionals. I don't want to sound rude, but if you "need" a picture perfect write up on how to do a right hand drive swap - you have no business doing it.

Please do not attempt this swap if you have no professional experience in this field.

Coming correct with warnings about attempting a Stage 3 RHD swap here on MightyRam50.net. Someone could get hurt going through the toll booth the wrong way.

[Redneckmoparman]

you shouldve posted asking for a mani i have mine just sitting in the garage and it wouldve only been 2 days to ship it to vegas but the swap looks great! and the engine bay looks cleaner now that youve purged half of the overspray!

[Merrill]

I made the post about the swap because this day and age, people suddenly become master mechanics and fabricators after watching a 2 minute instructional video made by some random so-and-so who claims to have a name. I firmly believe that if you don't know what you are doing, you need to learn. Learning takes years - not minutes. I know it's the common thing to search a "how-to" make/fix/mod something, but I don't want to be that somebody that made an unqualified individual take out a family of five out for a Sunday stroll because they read how I did a job thinking I posted everything I've been trained to do. I hope that makes sense....


The manifold fix took 2 minutes. I only had the 5 day window to do this swap and while I appreciate it, I couldn't wait. If it ever fails on me, or I get annoyed at a stud being welded (rather than OEM), I will absolutely ask you first.

[pennyman1]

Your warning about this or any other major work of this type is not only refreshing, but absolutely necessary in this day and age of unthinking people doing things way over their ability because they read about it online. No amount of reading can replace training and experience of a professional. I am not saying it's impossible for someone to attempt this kind of work, but you also need the experience to recognize if it is right and safe. I have seen far too many hacked up unsafe vehicles at cruises and shows that have scared me to the point of seeing which way they leave so I am not going the same way. I can fabricate small pieces, but nothing to this scale - I have friends I trust to do that. Keep up the great work!!!

[noahwins]

I was taking the piss, guys. Relax. Everyone can see it's professional workmanship, like everything else on this truck.