Should I buy it?

[ZacSmith]

Hey all, I'm new to this forum and to these trucks. I just recently got out of a pos 2000 gmc sonoma and I was looking for something older and simpler to look at, and I found this gem. I'm going to meet the guy tomorrow(today? It's too damn late 😂) he claims he put in over $3000 in parts most of it being the head and motor. I'm just wondering what are things I should look for? Would you do it? Should I? I'm kinda skeptical of his story but he claims he bought it as a hobby truck and doesnt want to put more time into it because he has a baby on the way and other projects. Thanks in advance!
23049

23050

[ZacSmith]

Oh! It's also missing a grill. How hard are those to find? I'm kinda having difficulties online.

[geezer101]

Hi and welcome to mightyram. If he's only asking $1.2k for it and he's done, well, pretty much everything anyone would ever do to it then it's a really good deal. You won't be getting a new grille for it in a hurry (if ever...) but you shouldn't have that much trouble getting a used one from somewhere. It will more than likely need repairing as the ABS they are made from gets brittle from age but it's nothing you won't be able to DIY.

[ZacSmith]

Sweet! I'm most likely getting it. It does run rich so I offered him full price to get it fixed and smogged for me. He didnt want to deal with it so I'm thinking I'll offer him more like 800 because I'm not sure why it would be running rich and I just want to have the extra cash to be prepared. And I'm not worried about a brand new grill, just something to make it look better and protect the radiator. I'm surprised something this old even has abs lol. But I learned a lot from my sonoma and am not scared to get my hands dirty. Thanks for the quick reply!

[geezer101]

No the 'ABS' is the grade of plastic the grille is made from (man, this was way before ABS braking was a thing for high number production vehicles lol) It shouldn't take much to fix the rich mixture problem sorted. You're gonna have fun with this truck. Out of the pick of similar era of imported trucks, these were the best all round. The best thing is most of the mechanicals can be upgraded from Gen 2 trucks - in fact most Mitsubishis made during this production period have interchangability. It saves headaches trying to find Gen 1 parts which are either scarce or obsolete. Good luck with the buy and keep us posted :thumbup:

[xboxrox]

Hello ZacSmith,

IMHO IF the truck seems solid to you (drive it) and you have it checked by a smog mechanic (to ensure it will pass California smog test) then I think offering $800 is an insult, be prepared for the guy saying HELL NO WAY; be happy if you can nab it for a $1,000.00

What NEW type carburetor is on it; is it Cal smog cert..?
How loose is the shifter..?
How good are the tires; are they a matched set..?
Does he have a good title & cert of ownership..?
Find a solid concrete parking bumper/barrier and test the clutch, does it slip or does it make the tires burn rubber..?

:thumbup:

[ZacSmith]

I feel dumb about the abs thing. Duuuuh! I managed to nab it for 1000. I thought I was screwed driving it home because outta nowhere it started surging, and eventually died. We were just kinda risking it and were trying to drive it the couple hours home when we noticed that issue. I realized the temp gauge is working but it's not adjusted right. Like halfway is overheating. Turns out that was my problem. I was super careful the rest of the way and it made it home. I'm guessing the radiator is filled with straight water so I'm going to drain the system and put actual coolant into it. As far as the shifter, it is pretty loose, but not making it unshiftable.right now the biggest problem I've noticed that affects driveability is that the steering wheel is about 90° off center and has so. Much. Play! How can I fix this?

I'm no expert in manual trans by any means, but the clutch feels amazing! I haven't tried a burnout like that but it grips very well so far.

My goal with this thing is to get a good, solid runner that I can rely on daily.
On a side note the previous owner loved this thing and gave it the name bumbledee! It's pretty fitting huh? 2305623056

[ZacSmith]

I'm not too sure what kind of carb it is. Title is clean and signed off.
Tires are good, but 3 of them are 195/xxxx size and one is 185/xxxx size I haven't noticed any kind of pulling to any side or anything with this setup and seeing as how I'm on a budget, I plan to just use em.

[royster]

I'm going to drain the system and put actual coolant into it

It may be worth your while to remove the radiator and flush it out up-side-down, and inspect the cooling fins. Years of bugs and road crap can clog the fins, reducing their capacity to cool. As Geezer suggested in another thread, the thermostat should be checked...they're cheap to replace, and once they've over-heated, they're usually no good.

Welcome to the forum! Do keep us posted on your progress, and definitely post more pictures. (Note the forum has a Gallery, too, where you can post a photo album).

[ZacSmith]

The you guys! This is a nice change from all the s10/sonoma forums. Pretty much no one would ever give me any kind of answers. I definitely will keep you guys posted!

[MrPaco]

I'm not too sure what kind of carb it is. Title is clean and signed off.
Tires are good, but 3 of them are 195/xxxx size and one is 185/xxxx size I haven't noticed any kind of pulling to any side or anything with this setup and seeing as how I'm on a budget, I plan to just use em.

Welcome, Zac. Cool truck.
What is the second set of numbers on those tires? (185/?/14 and 195/?/14) It's possible that they are are close enough in diameter, depending on what the %number is, but since they are mismatched it could also be significantly different. I'm not an expert (as everyone here knows...), but I think that if you are going to keep those tires, the odd one out shouldn't be on the rear axle (if it's there, maybe it's on the front already).
I could be wrong about this, if I am, someone with more knowledge will chime in with better info.

Share some more pics when you have a chance, from other angles too.

[MrPaco]

The you guys! This is a nice change from all the s10/sonoma forums. Pretty much no one would ever give me any kind of answers. I definitely will keep you guys posted!

You will be very pleasantly surprised with the level of expertise, and generosity of knowledge, that exists in this group. I have benefited from this greatly in my short time here.

[ZacSmith]

Wow I'm not making a good impression, lol. I was tired yesterday and didnt realize that the tire was dirty so it looks like 185 but it's really a 195 too. They're all the same. I'll go do a photoshoot and make an album titled the bumbledee soon.

[claych]

IMHO IF the truck seems solid to you (drive it) and you have it checked by a smog mechanic (to ensure it will pass California smog test)

^^^
The above .

[ZacSmith]

The truck seems really solid, but I haven't even bothered to take it to a smog guy yet because I knew it runs rich and I knew it wouldnt pass. So I need a carb adjustment most likely. Another note is that it has a thermal choke so it engages when the motor is cold. It actually runs a million times better when that is on.
It also has an electric fuel pump hooked on a switch to make it easier to start, but I've forgotten to turn it off and it floods the motor.

[Fordubishi]

Resetting the steering is dead easy. Turn the wheels lock to lock an count how many turns it was. Cut that in half and put the steering wheel there. Remove the steering wheel and line it up as close to straight as you can (there is no "master" spline). Bolt it back down and you're done.

[85Ram50]

For the fuel pump go to this thread and read post #37. You want to add the Oil Pressure safety switch so the fuel pump does not run when the motor is not running.
http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/6738-fuel-pump-questions-Weber-conversion?p=68985#post68985

[claych]

The vehicle seller, is legally required to provide the buyer with a valid smog certificate at the time of sale. The buyer should also be informed that the provided smog certification is only valid for 90 days after the date it is issued.

"quote" (https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/vr/checklists/ownership)

[xboxrox]

ZacSmith -- you did good fella & the guys here at Mighty Ram 50 are a swell bunch as you can see... I think once you (fix the overheating issue) get the radiator flushed & a new thermostat -- I think you should give the SMOG thing priority... It would be a real bummer to not be able to renew the registration or drive legally... Don't wait until you NEED IT, go get the truck visually & tail pipe inspected ASAP by a reputable SMOG mechanic/station... They might even have answers to fix the "running rich" issue...

O'Reilly, NAPA, Autozone & Rock Auto sell rebuilt steering gear boxes... Thanks for joining us :thumbup:

[geezer101]

Added thing to consider that members have eluded to - what is the front end and all round suspension like? If it's creaky, got a knock somewhere or it bounces on the road be prepared to rebuild it. In all honesty, even if the suspension needs work $1.2k is still a good price for this truck (if everything else is legit). Remember you can go to a JY and find a matching tire to swap up cheap (not super recommended - something you do to get you out of a bind and you can buy new tires cheap enough from some discount tire dealers anyway). This is a 40 year old truck you're looking at. It's going to need all sorts of attention that won't be obvious straight away and some of these can be challenging (like finding a good heater core or replacing a body panel or trim - in this case the front grille) You may (more like, will...) also run into ghetto fixes waiting to ambush you. Wiring is #1 on the list.
Don't let this stuff deter you, it is a right of passage!!!! Good luck :thumbup:

[ZacSmith]

Well in the long drive home and after bouncing the truck quite a bit, as far as I can tell the suspension is golden. I'm not sure if the required smog thing is true for registered non op cars or not, but my last one was also non opped and it wasnt smogged either. Either way I'm not too worried about it

[xboxrox]

ZacSmith, non opt :secret:

[ZacSmith]

I'm not scared of non op. At least here all you have to do is smog it and register it and you're good