My dai;ly beater '90 V6 5sp 4X4

[HandySmurf]

This is the tale of my daily driven '90 Mighty Max, affectionately known as "5150" (van Halen reference)
When I first got my truck I had wanted to do a complete restoration of it, but realized when I first saw the truck it is just too far rusted to accomplish that, but I knew it would be a good parts donor atleast, and I got a pretty good deal on the truck, so I brought it home...almost. About 2 blocks away from the previous owners house I tried putting a full tank of gas in it to drive it home, and it soon spilled most of that out on the ground of the gas station through the rusted seams of the tank...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/various004.jpg
so it was towed to a local shop for repairs instead of police impound...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/various005.jpg
I had to find a new tank, which we know is like pulling teeth on these trucks, but I found a super clean one in a junk yard near my friends house in North Carolina that he was nice enough to bring up to me in NJ because he was coming up anyway. I had the tank boiled and sealed, and delivered it to the shop to get the truck running again safely...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/gastank001.jpg
The truck finally made it home and was put on the road, but still needed things like brakes, and shocks, and a tune up so it was a reasonably sound truck...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/truck001.jpg
I started using it as a useful vehicle, but the stock interior was terrible as a daily ride, so I gutted it and redid it using Isuzu Rodeo seats and new carpetting, and some vinyl dye. It turned out decent...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/floor.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010002_01.jpg
and I've done a bunch of other stuff to it, such as a full exhaust using a flowmaster that was given to me, and I really wasn't worrying about it's looks until it ran perfectly. The truck was brutally ugly, but I didn't care. It could climb Everest if I wanted it to. I was doing small things to it all the while until spring of this year, and I started hagning a new nose on it little bits at a time. I figured I could hang the parts on the new truck later as well (more on that later)...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/truckfacebook.jpg
then I got hit by a 873 gnome driving a LeBaron, and he basically sheered the nose off the truck. It was wounded, but still driveable and fixable...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010001_27.jpg
since I had to drive it every day, I decided to fix it and make it presentable, so I got to work...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010003_24.jpg
since this truck was never going to be a full out restoration, I decided to have a little fun with spray paint. I got the body work decent...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010009_09.jpg
and decided to be different than just flat black...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010014_04.jpg
then came the black...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010015_03.jpg
my dog is always with me, so I had more fun...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010016_03.jpg
it turned out decent overall. I has imperfections, but I don't care. This truck won't be around much longer...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010002_28.jpg
the tires on the truck sucked, so I spent money on new 31" Firestones and Daytona steel rims...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010016_04.jpg
and that's how I'm cruising it around now. It's not fancy, but it's a reliable workhorse that I take off roading occasionally with my friends. It has gotten out of places others couldn't with their mega dollar rigs. This thing is a fun toy...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010028_03.jpg

As far as a restoration/project truck, my friend got me the truck he had grabbed the gas tank out of, and brought it up to me on his flatbed rig, so I have it in the back yard now...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010012_01-1.jpg
and I pick at it occasionally...
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/mikemcmlxix/P1010011_11.jpg
it really is a clean, rust free truck, and it will be getting fully redone eventually, but it will take time. I have 5150 to roll for now

[joey_crandall]

is the red truck a v6. if so i might need a few aprts if your willing to sell some?

[HandySmurf]

is the red truck a v6. if so i might need a few aprts if your willing to sell some?
The red truck is a V6 truck, but the motor was swiped out of it while in the yard. That wasn't a problem to me as long as it still had the trans in it because I'm putting a twin turbo version 6G72 out of a 3000GTVR4 in it with a stand alone engine management system. The stock trans will be rebuilt with all internals heat/cryo treated for strenght before reassembly. The stock axles will more than handle the power I'll be putting through them. It will be a fun project, just not a speedy one.
Depending on what you need I might be able to help you. The truck will be totally rewired with aftermarket harnesses, and a stainless steel gas tank will be located at the back of the boxed frame, so aside from the body, not much will be stock. Let me know what you need, and we'll see if we can make a deal. I have a plan for the red one already, so I know what I will need from it, and not need

[joey_crandall]

i might need the ecu/engine harness. do you have the radio brackets. watch out with 3000gt swap, the drivers side turbo will hit the steering shaft

[HandySmurf]

i might need the ecu/engine harness. do you have the radio brackets. watch out with 3000gt swap, the drivers side turbo will hit the steering shaft
I went out and checked the red truck for those parts, and to see if it sunk or washed away yet. Any way you look at it, the news is not good. The ECU was swiped out of the truck, and instead of doing it cleanly they cut the harness instead of just unplugging it, so that's wasted too. The passenger footwell was full of parts when the truck arrived, and I've basically been ignoring it until I have time to deal with the new project, so I didn't find all this out until I went and looked. Sorry

[joey_crandall]

thats ok. im gonna try and work with what i got. and i found out cali differs from everywhere else with the ecus. so im not sure if it would have worked.

[onelozu]

man if you were closer i would be trying to get those wheels off the red one! lol

[MightyMaxNick]

Hey i was looking at your truck, did you need a lift for thoes 31 inch tires? I got me some new rims and im wondering how big i can go. Thanks!