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View Full Version : A True Survivor: 1991 Micro Cab Dodge Power Ram 50 LE V6 4X4 Fully Loaded!



GoodApollo
08-20-2015, 11:48 PM
Hello everybody,

I figured today marking the one year anniversary of the day I purchased this Pickup, I would stop holding out on you guys and introduce myself and a build thread for what I consider to be the holy grail of option loaded 2nd gen Ram 50 & Mighty Max that I have ever seen.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/brown_fire420/Awesom%20Front%20Right.jpg (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/brown_fire420/media/Awesom%20Front%20Right.jpg.html)

I have been a member of the forum for about a year, but I have been a long time creeper for closer to a decade. I have owned about 6 or 7 Mighty Max and Ram 50’s throughout the years and I am no stranger to the platform. I am also an avid 1997 VR4 3000GT owner and platform enthusiast. I love late 80s and 1990s production Mitsubishi's. My first car was a 1988 Dodge Ram 50 2wd Micro Cab. I bought it for $400, put a new head gasket on it and then drove the wheels of that thing all of High School. I Loved that Pickup. But it met its end when my brother crashed it while I was over seas in 2009, and it was soon after sent to the scrap yard.

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My first car 88' Ram 50

Now introducing my 1991 Ram 50!

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/brown_fire420/Impressive%20drivers%20side%20Shot.jpg (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/brown_fire420/media/Impressive%20drivers%20side%20Shot.jpg.html)

Interior:

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/brown_fire420/20150819_191821.jpg (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/brown_fire420/media/20150819_191821.jpg.html)

The story on the survivor 1991 Power Ram 50 started as many other car purchases do… Craigslist. A gentleman who owns a scrap metal business in Douglas, Wyoming posted the truck online parting it out. It looked very sad in the add, because it sat on all 4 disk/drum brakes on the ground with no wheels. I immediately recognized the body color painted grill and bumper, and then knew it was an option loaded Ram 50. So I called the guy and was on my way with a tow dolly and 4 wheels to buy the pickup.

When I arrived after the 200 mile trip, the yard owner told me that I was lucky I had called as he was about to crush the truck the day I called because no one had called or had interested in any parts. Yikes! The Ram50 was saved by the bell, literally!

Upon further inspection I was immediately excited! Besides the remarkable good condition of the V6 truck and no rust, I noticed the orange sticker with the factory Limited Slip Differential, bucket seats, cruise control, ABS brakes and factory Power windows & Locks! (I did not even know that power windows/Locks were an option for USA import trucks). All other usual options were also present: AC, rear slider window, locked glove box, four speaker system, bed cargo lamp, center console, full cab plastic paneling, V6, 5 speed, and of coarse the Micro Cab.

I loaded the truck on the trailer and headed home from Wyoming to South Dakota. About 45 miles into the trip back, the tow dolly trailer blew out a tire at 75mph, and almost rolled the Ram 50 and my 2004 Toyota Tundra with it. With some skill, luck and thanks to the new tires on the Tundra, I managed to keep the rig under control and save the trucks. I then hacked the scrap fender off on the side of the road, changed the tire on the trailer and kept on trucking home. The RAM 50 once again escaped its demise.

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After getting ahold of the original owner who sold the truck to the scrap yard, he gave me the title and then the story: He bought the truck new and babied it. Drove the truck for years only putting 110k on it, then gave it to his soon and shortly after it stopped running. They towed it all over Wyoming trying to get someone to fix it but no one could figure out what the crank but no start problem was. So they parked it on cinder-blocks next to a barn in 2007, and it sat for almost a decade until he sold it for scrap metal money.

When I got the truck home I suspected a bad ECU with Leaking capacitors and was correct. So I sent the ECU out for a rebuild, popped it back in and it started right up! I set the idle and timing, did a full tune up, changed all fluids, and it turned out to be the best running/driving truck in my Mitsubishi fleet ever since! This truck is very lucky to still be alive…

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(This damage was caused by a faulty AIC motor. The Idle Air Control servo)

I am not sure of my plans for the build at this time, and could use your suggestions, but a chassis up restoration is definitely in the future for this one. I sure enjoy driving this Ram 50, takes me back!

Thanks for reading!

Chargerx3
10-23-2015, 01:25 PM
Good looking ram and love the story. That thing looks to be in great condition. Like the little mods you did too including the steering wheel and are those power windows? Any plans for the 3.0L?

PS I own a 97 VR4 too.

noahwins
10-23-2015, 02:22 PM
ABS brakes and factory Power windows & Locks!

Whoa, ABS? I am jealous.

dna59
10-24-2015, 07:55 AM
Damn that truck looks amazing. It's nice to see these trucks in such good condition.

crvtec90
10-25-2015, 09:14 PM
Nice save man :thumbup:

Lon Moer
10-26-2015, 09:59 PM
<>
......for what I consider to be the holy grail of option loaded 2nd gen Ram 50 & Mighty Max that I have ever seen.


Damn. I've been dreaming of that truck since before it was made.
Nice snag.

GoodApollo
11-08-2015, 02:25 AM
Whoa, ABS? I am jealous.

Apparently ABS was an option after 1990 on all sport models. Ive tested it.... and it still works well!

GoodApollo
11-08-2015, 03:24 AM
So my first order of business was to CLEAN up the truck interior. She had sat for almost 10 years with one of the windows stuck half way down. I am thankful that the original owner threw a tarp over the cab, but still lots of garbage/dust made its way in:
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I am also glad that the original seat covers where still on the bucket seats. probably the only reason the seats are still in existence!

Check out the Original OEM floor mats still in good shape after all these years.. Dirty but in good shape:
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I had never seen embossed factory floor mats before the ones in this pickup.

geezer101
11-08-2015, 04:07 AM
Oh man, there's not a lot of love going on in there. If you're game take the mats out and give them a hit with some spray on sugar soap and then...use a high pressure cleaner on them :shock:. Obviously don't have it on a single jet or it'll cut those mats into shreds - just on a wide fan and use a sweeping action to lift all the goodness out of them. Couple of rinses and leave them somewhere flat to dry and they'll come up nice and fresh. After giving all the interior trim a good wipe over break out a can of cheap@ss tyre shine and give everything a light spray and then rub the stuff into it with your bare hands (it will take a couple of goes before it comes back to life). It will go a long way into rejuvenating the plastic and vinyl back to its former glory (however don't use anything to restore the trim if you're planning on going all Mad Max and recolouring it with a vinyl/fabric spray - it will make it hell to remove the silicon spray and the new colour won't take to it very well) It's a shame the radio wiring loom got butchered - it is sooo unnecessary to cut them up :shakehead: Post up pics once your interior is clean!

Chargerx3
07-15-2018, 10:19 AM
Thread needs an update. ;)

dash
07-17-2018, 02:56 AM
cool truck, in very good condition
Too bad mitsu didn't offer a V6 2WD Automatic tranmission Macro cab