Build thread

[Mandle]

I keep asking questions about my truck throughout the forums, figured I'd just start a build thread. I'm working on the name still. This is my 2nd D-50 but I did very little to my first one (regret getting rid of it). I'm building it to be my daily driver, and while I plan to keep performance primarily stock, I am going to rebuild nearly everything. I'm still deciding on how much body modifications to do, but I'm definitely repainting and doing new wheels. First and foremost, got to get it running. I bought it with a blown head gasket and found out it has newer head, without the jet valves!!! Not sure how much the previous owner spent on that but I'm not complaining. Vehicle came with the 2.0 but someone switched it to the 2.6. Got myself a weber carb and conversion plate. So far planning on just keeping the stock mechanical fuel pump.118201182111822118231182411825118261182711828 11829118301183111832118331183411835

[Mandle]

That last picture is the red I'm planning on painting this. Kandy red on a black base.

[BradMph]

Can we pull mine in the booth to?

[Mandle]

I absolutely despise body work. Only reason I'm painting at it all is because it's 2 different colors. I'll let you use my booth but you gotta do the work on both trucks. Haha

[crvtec90]

Great color choice. Looks like a good clean truck to start with. Those wheels look okay to me but yes some newer ones would be a nice touch. Good luck on wheel selection as the six lug leaves us quite limited with selections.

[Mandle]

Yeah I've noticed that CRV. Until I find what I'm looking for I'm going to paint mine black. I agree that they aren't bad, but the gold isn't really my favorite. It really is a pretty clean base. Only major dent is on the hood and it came with a while new hood. Thank god, like I said, not a fan of body work.

[Mandle]

Update! Motor back together and going back in the truck today. I've decided to do the elimination on the balance shafts. Figure I can always put them back in if it bothers me that much. I have a set of polyurethane body bushings I'm going to put on the cab mounts and I'm hoping that might work with the new suspension to make it tolerable. Should be driving over to the body shop tonight! Pictures to come!

[BradMph]

Wow, that was fast. Can't wait to see that paint on your truck. :thumbup: Just live a little ways away too! Are you sure you won't paint both trucks, lol.

[noahwins]

I think that candy red and polished gold wheels with low pro blackwall tires would pop. I can picture it now.

[Mandle]

I'm still thinking I want to paint the wheels black. I'm going to leave em gold until the paint on the truck is done. However, I don't like them the way they are right now. We'll see if the paint changes that.

[Mandle]

I just saw that you're in Spokane Brad. I was born in Spokane. Lots of family in that area. Closest to you is in Waverly... Right outside of town. I'm in Lewiston next weekend.

[lush90]

I was just in Lewiston last weekend, chukar hunting above the Snake. Fantastic country but my ankles hurt just thinking about how steep those ridges are! By the way, that color you selected is great, can't wait to see it on the truck!

[Mandle]

I'll make sure and get plenty of pictures posted. Any body guys know prep for this kind of job is going to be extensive so it'll be a few days. I love the Lewiston country. I grew up fishing on the snake and still enjoy camping and hunting all throughout the valley. I'm hoping to retire at a house in Clarkston that my dad and I bought years ago.

[BradMph]

Ya I was Lewiston also last summer. Came barreling down that big huge hill into town and it was hotter then hell, lol. Went to visit an old friend I have known for about 20 years. She stopped in Lewiston to see her aunt who lives on the edge of the golf course there. It is a nice place, just was really warm when I was there.

I moved to Spokane around 1994, originally I was born and lived in the Bay Area, CA. most of my life until I moved north. Not sure I agree with the snow that much here though.

[Mandle]

Haha my wife is from Santa Rosa. Lot's in common I guess. My area just got 13 inches of snow so even primer spraying is on hold. I think I got a picture to post hang on

[Mandle]

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[Mandle]

I have an extra hood I'm going to prep and spray to practice on. I'll post pictures in a few days, see what yall think.
Drove out to the body shop. Still a few things to work out but damn this thing is quick. Nearly stock and still quite a bit of get up and go. Way more than my old toyota or my last 2.0 r50

[BradMph]

This was 2008 - record year 108in...................Looking across street during whiteout
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[Mandle]

UPDATE: Adding the photos of the motor rebuild that I was going to upload 2 weeks ago, haha.

[Mandle]

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[Mandle]

Should have taken pictures before I took it apart. Couple little things I need help with. Small vacuum line coming off the distributer. No idea where that goes. And the fuel system was messed up when I got it. I'll post pictures but I'm having a hard time routing the lines. Got one line going from tank to pump. One from pump to carb. Then I have one coming from the canister labeled "to ac" going no where, and one going from canister to tank. The one that says "to carb" on the canister has no line on it. Is it possible thru had the "to ac" line run to the carb for the return to tank? Does any of that make sense or do I need to get pictures?

[camoit]

Did you look at the first gen manual for the lines?

[Mandle]

Manual isn't helping me out all that much because my truck came stock with a 2.0 (g52b) and I have a 2.6 (g54b) installed. That plus the aftermarket carb makes factory manuals sort of obsolete.

[pennyman1]

the 2 lines on the vapor canister - one went to a bowl vent on the original carb to the canister for vapor recovery. The other was a line that drew the recovered vapor from the canister to the carb after warmup - that fitting was on the firewall and went to the air cleaner. Look at my gallery pics on how I have it hooked up - since Geronimo is an 1980, his canister only has one line out of the top, but you get the idea. For the dizzy vacuum, use a port on the weber above the throttle plate - that is ported vacuum. That port should be on the valve cover side of the carb.

[Mandle]

Pennyman, as always, you're awesome. Couple of quick clarification questions though. The dizzy vac line is perfect, thank you. The carb has two full size fuel line ports. One is obviously the "In" line for fuel feed, then there's another one directly under it, I'm wondering if that's either the vapor recovery, or the fuel return that you're talking about. The "To ac" line I was talking about earlier likely went to that fitting you're talking about on the firewall (that's about how long the hose is) but there is no fitting there anymore. I'm wondering which one I should actually be sending to that open port on the carb. I'll check out your gallery and see if your pics help clarify at all.

[pennyman1]

the third line off the pump does go to a fuel return line on your truck - Geronimo had a totally different system for that - he uses a 3 port can that split the vapor off and sends it to the tank instaed of the pump doing it.

[BradMph]

If that is a Weber, they give you 2 fuel line places to attach the fuel line in, depending on the way your carb is installed and the fuel line points toward it.
My canister has also been change so that the vapor from the tank is pushed/sucked down the carb when the tank reaches high pressure build up. My return fuel line is no more (plugged). The vapor hose is connected to a plastic one way valve leading to the carb that opens when the pressure reaches it's limit in the tank.

[Mandle]

That 3 port can that you're talking about pm is the same one I'm talking about. The 3 ports are labeled "to ac, to carb, to tank".

[Mandle]

Okay I did some looking at some other Ram50's. I found one with the G54b motor and one with the G52b motor, both had the same 3 port canister that I'm talking about on my truck. On the 2.0 with an Air Conditioning pump installed, I followed the line going from the "to a/c" port and it following the firewall all the way to the driver's side of the truck. The carb was off this truck so I couldn't follow the "to carb" line, but the "to tank" obviously wrapped under the firewall as if returning to the fuel tank.
The 2.6 G54b did not have a factory A/C system and I followed the line going from the 3 port can labeled "to a/c" and it went to a small white regulator looking thing where it just plugged back into itself. This regulator looking thing was mounted on the firewall, nearly dead center. So I'm back to my original question of where do I run these 2 lines ("to a/c" and "to carb")? There's only 2 ports on my carb and they're not labeled. My carb is a weber but a much more basic model than the ones I've seen on some of your trucks. Remember that my 3 port canister currently has nothing coming out of the "to carb" port.

[Mandle]

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Help me get this finished up!
I have the dizzy vacuum line and I need to know where it goes. I have 2 ports open that it'll (kinda) fit. One on the intake right below the carb (pictured) and one right below the e-choke (also pictured). Then I have my 2 ports on the firewall side of the carb. One of them had the regulator on it because the donor truck had an electric fuel pump. Therefor I'm assuming its my "in" port. I'm assuming the other full size port is the one I'll put the "to carb" line from the vapor canistor? What about the final small port that I'm not using?

[BradMph]

http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=12217&d=1418924967

Take the screw out of the one on the left at the base of the carb in picture #3 and connect your hose to that one. Cap off the one on the right. I made the mistake of using that one closest to the firewall and didn't realize it until I had my dizzy curved.

http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=6949&d=1382595662&thumb=1
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Tighten that carb bolt too, looks like it is loose, lol.

[Mandle]

lol thank you brad! I never would have guess that I'd have to uncap that!!
Yeah I was in the process of unbolting it.
Got a new gasket kit for that conversion plate and carb, was installing it.

[Mandle]

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Okay I went and got myself confused again. Brad said to hook the "to carb" line from my vapor canister to the base of the carb on the valve cover side so pressure vapors from the tank go to the carb for burn off. But that port is already hooked up to my valve cover?

[Mandle]

Any suggestions? I just got a electric fan I'm installing with a temp sensor, relay and dial for temp control. What temperature do you all recommend I set it to turn on at? 84 ram 50 2.6

[BradMph]

Our winters can almost allow it to be turned off, we get snow
During the summer that thing is running almost full time and continues to run after I shut off motor for a few minutes.
I set mine according to the temp gauge and weather, I usually have it come on Just as the thermostat dumps water into engine so it can cool the incoming water that has just left the engine and is filling into the radiator.

[Mandle]

I was thinking the same thing. Good advice, thank you.
Bought a few other goodies. Got ball joints, tie rod ends and a full truck bushing set. While I'm painting, going to be doing all those. Looking into new shocks now... looks like the ones on my truck might very well be original haha.
Have any threads to link me to suggestions for shocks brad? 2wd of course so don't need heavy duty.

[Mandle]

Somehow in the time it took me to tear this apart and rebuilt it, my dizzy has managed to go out. I get power to the dizzy, but its not powering any of the spark plug cables. Maybe points? Maybe cap? Any similar problems happen to anyone else on here? Any pointers? Haven't been able to find a new dizzy for any less than $200 yet....

[BradMph]

YA check my thread , The link is on the bottom of all my post as a signature. I wrote up a post on KYBs with the model numbers and all.


Sounds like you burned your module up. If power is coming into dizzy and not leaving to plugs, that is a module or your rotor is missing. The gap on the modules needs to also be in a tolerance gap. Feeler gauge will check the gap and I also have a Thread floating around about the gapping. Wrecking yards, don't need a new one, just walk a yard and pocket a few of them for safety reasons. There are several cars that use the same distributor too

If it's not broke, don't fix it. :) Unless your making speed changes or upgrades.

[Mandle]

Ah I understand. Yeah I don't have a rotor. I've never worked on a dizzy that didn't have a rotor. I'll read through your thread and see what I can learn. I stopped by a yard on the way home and I found 2 very different systems in the dizzys I found. Maybe if I gap it and maybe replace the points I can get mine going.

[Mandle]

Found a killer deal on a dizzy and I've got spark back. Looking into an electrical fuel pump now. My mechanical one isn't pulling anything and I know the electric ones are recommended for the weber carbs.