My 95 max build

[robzombie10]

Well where should I start. First off my truck a 95 Mitsubishi mighty max 5 speed with the 2.4 4g64 motor with about 157000. When I bought this truck it was my intentions to do anything with it but that quickly changed. This truck is just a fun little truck to drive. After driving it about 2000 miles its started to smoke when you first start it up. First thing I checked was the compression. The issue I found was to be the valve seats. Compression came out at 140, 140, 114, and 120. No good. So right there I decided to just pull the motor and rebuild. My intentions are not to boost performance or anything so I think the stock 4g64 sohc will be great. I might do minor work like port match the intake and head, ram intake, emissions delete, and maybe some bigger injector if anyone has any advice on that. Well I tore down the motor and will soon be getting it to the machine shop for cleaning and having the cylinder and crank looked over. Everythings looks excellent to the eye but we shall see. I will also be having them flatten the head. I will do most of the work myself once the shop tells me if I need oversized rings or anything else. Does anyone have any experience with the DNJ kits? I was looking into that as a budget option. Of course I'm going oem for the waterpump. Anyone have any advice for a beginner to these trucks? What could I do for small performance gains with very little money while I'm in there. I really don't want to do the dohc swap. It seems like a lot of work and I'm on a pretty tight budget. Plus I really like the look of the stock sohc. All advice and comments are welcome. Thank you for taking the time to look.

[geezer101]

Another member is having issues with DNJ stuff. I don't know if that's indicative of the quality of their products in general - maybe have a McGoogle and see what the overall feedback is like. Port work won't yield any HP but it will improve 'performance'. The consensus on the 4G64 is that due to the lack of aftermarket support you won't have a lot of options without going full custom. If you have the skills and can find either a kit or a pre-owned programmable ECU, you can retune the engine but will still need to spend some on a custom cam grind and somehow reset the cam timing. An aggressive cam, up the compression, a decent exhaust system and headers, some head work, a programmable ECU and a cold air induction - it'll get the truck moving nicely.

[robzombie10]

Yes Ive googled then and the reviews are all mixed. Good and bad. I think ill just stick to oem that i can get for pretty vheap through work. Maybe I will just rebuild this motor to stock specs and plan for a 4g63t swap in the future. Lots of reading that still needs to be done before I tackle that project. Thanks for the feedback.

[robzombie10]

Does anyone recommend a specific brand of main and rod bearings?

[robzombie10]

Maybe I can just do a standard build and then later focus on a dohc swap. A little update. Spoke with the machine shop and its going to be $100 for cleaning and decking the head. $35 if the cylinders need honed. They look good to the eye, and $120 if it needs a valve grind. Im also having him check the specs in the crank and can shaft to be sure it is in spec. Again everything appears to be good to the eye. No scoring or anything. Read a bunch of reviews on the DNJ stuff. I might go with them for the bearings and gasket set. Im sure there gaskets cant be worse than fel-pro.

[robzombie10]

Finally got time to the head down. Valve guids look good. No play in the valves at all, but the carbon build up on the valves and seats is pretty extensive. Looks like a valve job will need to done. I dont think lapping alone will do enough

[geezer101]

The head probably has never been touched. If this is a 'fixer-upper' and you feel game (and have the time and some tools to do the job) maybe do your own port work before you have the shop commence work on it. Shops charge uber bucks for port work and really, unless you are heavy handed and can't google, anyone can tidy up cylinder head ports. Doesn't matter what kind of head, the basic principles are always the same.

[robzombie10]

Geezer. My plan was to do my own port work for that very reason. Machine shop charge alot because it can be time consuming. You're saying I should do it before? My thought was afterwards. Just curious does it matter really?

[pennyman1]

most of these heads do not match the intake and exhaust gaskets, restricting flow. The intake is a rough casting as well. It helps a lot to port match and work the runners.

[geezer101]

The reason why it's best to do it before the shop mills it is that if you get them to do the work first and you screw up somewhere, they'll have to rework the head. It is easy enough to accidentally buzz a valve seat or the cylinder head face during work on the valve bowls or even just damaging it from resting it on a bench top carelessly - the shop will be able to mill it once you're happy with the port work.

[robzombie10]

Okay thanks everyone for the input. I will get started on the head work soon enough and just have the shop start on cleaning and checking out the block. The cylinders look good. Maybe a honing might be needed but I really don't think that's necessary. Ill let the machine shop determine that.

[robzombie10]

While waiting on funds to put the motor back together I have decided to tackle another idea. That idea is a mild wire tuck and engine bay cleaning. By mild I'm not talking a full wire tuck and that's primarily because I'm not sure exactly how to tackle that. So my idea is to just try and tuck the wires that run along the drivers side and relocate that to the inside of the fender, and then when the motor is back in try and tuck what I can. I'd had an idea of tucking the main harness running along the firewall where the wiper arms are located but decided against that. Id like to tuck that but I really need some ideas. I cant find a lot of info on here about it mainly because I'm keeping the 4g64 sohc. I found one write up but it was for 93 carbureted. Good details and gave me the idea to tuck inside the fender. But I still have injector wires and everything else to worry about. In the mean time I removed the evap canister and the coolant overflow. Another idea was to cut out the bracket for those 2 items and relocate the coolant overflow to where the washer fluid reservoir is located. That would eliminate 1 ugly bracket. 17796

[robzombie10]

I still cant figure out why my photos rotate.

[robzombie10]

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[robzombie10]

That damage from the previous owners accident isn't to bad. Should look decent if I take a wire wheel to it and paint it. Id like to maybe cut it out and replace but I do not know if I can just get a part or not. Maybe I could go to pick and pull will a battery powered grinder and cut one from a donor truck.

[robzombie10]

Removed the fender and man does that damage look worse. Hopefully i can find a yard somewhere that will cut pieces out for me to reweld in.

[pennyman1]

can't you pull it out using clamps, chain, and a tree or telephone pole?

[robzombie10]

I don't have the capabilities of doing that. I was able to get it out a little but I still need it out about another inch. I ran some measurements and it has about an inch to go. If you look at the photos you can see that it crunched pretty bad. If it gets covered up I'm not to worried about it, but the wrinkles on the fender I'd like to get rid of to make the engine bay look good. I'm doing a wire tuck and painting it up. I'm a newb at some of this and I'm not afraid to cut that section out and replace but I have to find a place to get the replacement. I've called the salvage yards near me and nobody has a mighty max but I didn't ask about a d50 opps. I didn't think about it at the time. Thanks for the response. I just want this to be done right the first time so I do not have to do it a second time. There's no better time to do it than now. 178011780217803

[robzombie10]

Well I found a 93 d50 about 120 miles away and pick n pull. I need to call and make sure the passenger is in good shape before I make the drive. There shouldn't be a different is the 93 d50 to the 95 mighty max right??

[robzombie10]

Threre's also an 88 d50 in Kansas city about 90 miles away. I think the years I need to look for are 86-96 is that right?

[pennyman1]

86 2nd gen to 96 - there are 2 body styles in 86 - 1st gen to march 86, then 2nd gen march 86 and on

[robzombie10]

Thank you Pennyman

[robzombie10]

So here's an update on my truck. I only get very little time to work on it between work and spending time with the family. I'm still undecided on what to do about the damage fender well. What I have gotten around to doing was cleaning up some of the brackets that I wont be needing anymore. Starting with the EVAP bracket, and the intake bracket. I wont be needing that since I'm going to figure out what ram air intake to use. I also got rid of all those harness brackets.

[robzombie10]

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[robzombie10]

I also got rid of those little soft plastic/foam or whatever splash shields located between the frame and fender well. Ill need to weld in a few holes and add some body filler to smooth before painting. Can somebody help me here. What are these cylinoids or whatever for. They are under the dash next to the firewall. There's absolutely nothing hooked up to them. Here is a picture of them 17811

[robzombie10]

Never mind. It does hook into the fuse box. It was had to tell. Anyways I've been messing around with ideas for this wire tuck. I was going to run it under the dash but I think there's just to much back there to run a harness through there. So I decided running it around and under the front bumper would be a good idea as well. How do you guys go about measuring for extending parts of the harness? Any and all tips and tricks are welcome. I just laid it out along where I plan to run it out and marked what needs extended. This away I can kind of measure how far to extend each section. I'm not sure if this is the preferred method but it what I could figure out would work. This method isn't set in stone yet. I'm still trying to figure out where to run it. Maybe I could even relocate the ECU to the DS and go from there. Question is where would I put it. 178121781317814178151781617817

[robzombie10]

Okay so I found it mighty be easier to just get it behind the dash. I think it mighty require less extending of wires.

[geezer101]

I would suggest putting it behind the glove box. It will be away from heat and will make it easy enough to get to without having to squeeze hands behind the razor sharp metal of the dash frame (that's if there's space). Other option is under the drivers side seat. It won't get as much heat from under the floor compared to the passenger side and you can run the loom along the cab brace rails where the seats are mounted to.

[DroppedMitsu]

I wire tucked my truck, my harness is ran under/behind the dash. No pics of that specifically I don't think but there are a couple of wire tuck pics in my build thread I believe(they will be on the last page or two).

[robzombie10]

Thanks guys, My plan is in process. I plan to run it under the dash and out both the passenger side and drivers side to run behind both fenders. In a U pattern. With the ECU being left in the stock location. I think this will be the best option. Ive already unwrapped the whole harness and I'm about to start cutting some wires to pull them back. I think I've counted maybe 5 wires so far that I will have to extend. The rest is just unraveling the wires and pulling them back. I hope to get pictures up tomorrow sometime. Should get the block and head to the machine shop by Friday. From there I'll know how to proceed.

[DroppedMitsu]

Pretty much how I did mine. Stock ecu location.
I drilled a new hole down low on pass side for o2, maf, and few other wires(not finished still).
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d27/mxracer728/20161019_1438511_zpsqgenyzvh.jpg
Then ran the rest behind the dash and to the drivers side.
The main engine harness I drilled a new hole for to the left of the heater core and out of sight behind the engine and ran the wires that way. You can't see them but its the general area where they come out http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d27/mxracer728/20161019_1438581_zpsshvtuhth.jpg
Then the rest I ran out behind the drivers side inner fenders and to the front of the core support and throught it.

[robzombie10]

Thanks, just the kind of information I'm looking for. I was trying to minimize drilling though. Looks good too. I was going to run the wires for the distributor and injectors through the stock grommet on the passenger side and just tuck those the best I can behind the motor. I was just deal with having to see a few wires from some of the harness. Mostly whats on the passenger side which runs to the O2, MAF, Injectors, Alternator(probably run along the frame), and everything else. Pictures of the harness at work are followed.

[robzombie10]

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[DroppedMitsu]

Sounds like you have a good plan, and looks like you're going to execute it fine. Keep us updated with pics, should end up looking pretty good.

[robzombie10]

So spoke to the machine shop and they quoted about $150 to balance the whole rotating assembly since ill be getting rid of the balance shafts. It all goes to the machine shop tomorrow. Ill know more on prices after i speak with him.

[robzombie10]

So after sleeping on the idea and then mocking up my intake to figure out where everything goes I decided to steal your idea droppedmitsu and cut a small hole in my firewall somewhere around the area that you did. I appreciate the pictures and the idea. Definitely got to give you the credit. Again Thanks

[robzombie10]

Droppedmitsu do you happen to remember how big of a hole you drilled for that? I did a 2inch to run down the fender but i didnt really want one that big for behind the motor.

[DroppedMitsu]

about 2 - 2 1/4". I had to make sure I could fit every sensor connector/plug for the engine through it

[robzombie10]

Okay thank you. Ill just use the 2 inch then. Thanks

[robzombie10]

I went ahead and removed the heater core to drill a 2 inch hole right between the heater core and the cooling unit. It was very successful and appears to be a very good location (lets hope). I'm just about done with the harness as well. I did a test last night to see what still needs to have some addition and it appears to just be the headlight harness by about 6inches or so. Not a big deal I can accomplish that once on the truck. I will post pictures sometime today of my mess. The interior is just a disaster since the dash is out and small bits and pieces are in the floorboard and on the seat. I should hear back from the machine shop tomorrow sometime on a quote and what since bearings ill be needing. He seems to be very knowledgeable and he's been around for about 50 years. His professional opinion on balancing the rotating assembly seemed to be not to.

[robzombie10]

Here are some updated pictures. 17849Here you can see the hole I drilled from. I drilled a pilot hole from the inside and than I finished from the outside. Worked nicely. I hope its a good location17850Hole I drilled in under the dash on the drivers side for the rest17851Engine bay view.17852Just an idea of what how I solder my wires17853 My make shift table lol because my shop is all taken up and I have no room to work in there. Not pretty but it works

[geezer101]

The bottom ends on these engines are pretty good. My rods were only a few grams weight difference between each assembly. If you run a bead of some kind of waterproof sealant around the grommet when you pass the loom through it should be protected from water running into the fender.

[robzombie10]

Thanks for that geezer101. That's my plan is to get grommets and figure out how to seal them pretty tight. I just finished the wiring harness a few minutes ago now all I have to do is rewrap it. Should I just use basic electrical tape like 3m 33 or does anyone else have any ideas? Id like to get it in soon so I can get my dash back together. Once that's done I can continue on the engine bay. Clean up and order some paint to make it look good. Still undecided on what to do with the passenger side inside fender well. Maybe I can get an aftermarket fender well or something. I really haven't thought on it much.

[Jeff V.]

Should I just use basic electrical tape like 3m 33 or does anyone else have any ideas?

With all the work you're putting into this, you might want to look into actual harness tape. It resists heat and oil better and doesn't turn into a gummy mess like basic electrical tape.

I bought some Tesa tape for a harness I did in my Audi. It's fabric based and not as gummy. I don't know how it'd hold up in an engine bay though. Temperature wise it'd probably be ok, but I just worry it'd pick up fine dirt like a sponge.

[robzombie10]

Thanks. I plan to use split loom as well. Ill look into that tape youre talking about.

[Jeff V.]

One thing I've learned from tearing apart junkyard cars and poking around my Audi. German cars and Volvos have REALLY nice wiring harnesses.

[DroppedMitsu]

I also use Tesa? tape on my wiring harness. It is a cloth based taped and super durable. I also found it from having a german car and noticing how nice the wiring is done on them.

[pennyman1]

or you can get the rubber linerless tape like you use to seal hoses or insulating wires. It seals to itself with no glue - its self vulcanizing. The wire loom is an extra touch.

[robzombie10]

Pennyman this tape you're talking about, do you have a link or a name of something along that line. I don't think I know what you're really talking about. I get what it does just never knew there was such a thing.

[Jeff V.]

I think he means this stuff?

https://www.amazon.com/010476-Self-Vulcanizing-Super-Fire-Tape/dp/B000MY55F4

I've got a small roll of it for repairing low pressure fluid hoses. I wouldn't want to use it for harnesses though. It'd be a huge pain if you ever needed to get inside it for a repair.

[pennyman1]

that is the type of tape I was talking about. Any harness wrap properly installed will be hard to deal with if a repair is needed.

[robzombie10]

Thanks for that. Now to try and find some place locally that carries something like harness tape or that tape

[robzombie10]

So I have found what is called splicing tape or majestic tape by 3m. 3m scotch 2228. I'm pretty sure this would work with something like the 3m scotch 33 on the ends and then wire look. Whats do you guys think?

[robzombie10]

It comes in 10ft rolls. I honestly wouldn't know how much to get.

[robzombie10]

I was able to get my harness completed and ran and everything put back together. I did have pictures on how I ran the harness but not really sure what happened to them. Sorry guys. The only real problem I had was where I drilled the hole in the firewall. It only made it difficult to remount the heater core. My hopes are that it doesn't cause any issues pinching the harness between it and the carpet/padding. I personally think it will be fine, but time will tell. I'm still currently waiting on the machine shop to complete the cleaning and honing of the block and pistons. In the meantime I have been drilling out spot welds to remove the wheel tub. My plan there is to completely remove and replace with a donor or weld in some reinforcement sheet metal to either A put in tubs or B no tubs making tires exposed to the engine bay. Both to me look nice on a lower truck with bigger wheels.

[robzombie10]

UPDATE. So ive been working on removing the fender well. I have all the spot welds drilled out and now to figure out how to get rid of that seam sealer especially where the wheel well meets the fire wall. Anyone have any ideas? My initial plan after getting the newone/salvaged one in is cut and put in some wheel tubs on both sides to clean up the engine bay a little. I'm not going to bag this truck but I do plan to drop it as far as possible. possibly 3 and 5 if clearance isn't an issue. I have 3 different idea I have found which you can see in the following pictures. All opinions are welcome.1788017881I cant seem to find the 3rd photo anymore. but its was a dual trailer fender that was level to the firewall. If that makes since.

[robzombie10]

Now to determine the methods of lowering the front. drop springs and drop spindles maybe(if I can find some) any other ideas?. The rear is easy with blocks and possibly moving he spring hangers up

[DroppedMitsu]

Drop spindles and lowering springs are the way to go up front. Out back probably a 3-4" block and removed middle leaf(about 2" drop)

[robzombie10]

Thank you. Those drop spindles are kinda pricey. Anybody have a used set for sale? Ill remove that rear spring and probably do a 3inch block. I think the extra inch of clearance would be nice to have between the spring and the ground. Is there a way to get more of a drop without removing the spring. Id like to still be able to haul stuff if necessary?

[robzombie10]

Havent posted in awhile.. quick update. Got the block back from the machine shop.. I ran into a snag.. While putting on my oil pump i dropped it and split the case. Does anyone have one laying around theyd sell? Not really wanting to spend the 120 on the dnj brand. Only one I can find.

[geezer101]

Oh no, that is bad news. I'm not sure of how this suggestion is going to be received but - any chance it can be TIG welded? I know die cast alloy is a biatch to weld, and the risk of heat distortion could render the pump unusable but did the housing crack somewhere where it wasn't a critical section of the casting?

[robzombie10]

Unfortunately it can't. It split the case in half. So what was once 1 is now 2. I guess ill have to fork over some money on a new one. I guess it could be a good thing since I am doing a rebuild here, but I don't see something like this and the water going bad very often seeing as the way they are designed. I could see the seals starting to leak but those where going to be replaced anyways. I was just hoping someone might be able to come through with a used one for much cheaper. Thanks for the advice though. In other new I might have found a donor truck for a front clip if I can get the guy to part with it. He constantly has complaints of it not starting. His body is in rough shape though, but those parts are not what I'm interested in. Ill get some pictures posted soon along with one very important picture of an ooooopppps the machine shop made that either will either cause grief or not.

[robzombie10]

So I found a 1988 dodge d50 with the carb 2.4. Guys wants a huge proce of 2500. I have him down to 1500 but I still dont want to pay more than 1k. Bodys in good shape minus surface rust around the back window from the camper shell rubbing. He says that 1st gear is good but then half way through 2 and 3rd it falls on its face. Im thinking the carb. He stated he put a new pump. New filter and had the mitsubishi carb rebuilt. Anybody have any input??

[pennyman1]

split hoses going to box on the drivers inner fender - causes a vacuum leak and screws with the computer controlled carb.

[robzombie10]

Any thought of whether a carb off a toyota 22r would fit?

[geezer101]

Short answer - no. Stud spacing is different and 2 of the studs are further apart at one end of the carb base. And I doubt it would be an improvement (google images on the 22R carb, I know it seems impossible but they look even more complicated than the Mikuni)

[robzombie10]

Thanks geezer. I just have one laying here and wasnt sure. Im picking up that 88 for $1500. Do you guys think thats a fair price. Bodies in great shape. Only a rip on the bench seat for the interior.

[robzombie10]

Another question. Carborated or fuel injection?

[robzombie10]

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Heres a few pictures of the 88 dodge d50. I was thinking I could use my 95 mighty max for parts. My only concern would be this has a 2.0 and my Mighty Max is a 2.4. Is there much of a difference other than carbureted over fuel injection. My plan was to finish the 2.4 and maybe run the carbed intake on the 2.4 so I didn't have to worry about running the ecm and wiring harness from my mighty max. Would this be possible or should I just consider running the whole fuel injection setup? I really like the look of the carbureted setup and I'm already invested in the 2.4 motor so it wouldn't make much since for me to pull and rebuilt the 2.0 if the 2.4 will fit like a glove. Any and all input would really be great. This place is definitely full of a lot of information as I will be searching this site as well for answers.

[robzombie10]

So from some research I have done on my own I have come to the conclusion that this new truck will have a narrow block. The g63b block attached to a 5speed manual transmission is what's in it. My current truck which is a 95 has a 2.4 4g64 wide block. I still haven't figured all this wide block-narrow block stuff out, but I do know it all refers to the transmission. So with this being said it seems like I may just keep the 2.0 in the 88 and do some upgrades to the 2.0. My ideas are never set in stone and may change according to availability/reliability as I read more on the difference of these 2 motors. If any of what I have said here is untrue or I have misunderstood please let me know

[robzombie10]

Okay so this is the end, the wife has spoke. As we all know "happy wife happy life" We(she) has decided to not get the truck and just part out the 95 we have. Or just run it all to the scrap yard. So if anyone is interested in parts Id be happy to sell them to you. Id much rather just sell everything as a whole. Hell Id probably give it away for a hell of a deal with a clear title too. Hit me up anyone. As this project come to an end.

[robzombie10]

1831718316Just in case somebody was wondering why I've decided to scrap the Mighty Max. I've decided to pursue a different DSM. I found this unmolested 98 eclipse gst all stock and in great shape. No sun fade, 46000 miles, Interior is perfect with no rips or tears. No leaks. Its like I found a gem and for a great price too. My mighty max will be going to a friend and he will be using it as a drift truck. I cant wait to see it completed and I will keep it posted as he supplies pictures.