Allow myself to introduce... Myself.

[Dr Steel]

Greetings to all!
My name is Dr J. Thaddeus Steel. I am a truck driver in the construction industry, as well as a recording artist among other things, none of which are terribly important in the context of this introduction, but I thought I would share.

I like things which are quirky, whimsical, and unique. In the search for my next vehicle, I decided I wanted something ridiculously small to turn into my "Steelmobile". Either a very small coup, or pickup. I settled on a 1987 Dodge Ram 50 I found on marketplace, with under 112,000 miles. I knew I was paying a little more than she was worth as a starting point, and that she would need a lot of little things fixed... But she ran, and drove, and so I brought her home. She has a lot of potential for my vision, but she does need a *lot* of tlc.

I joined this forum to gain knowledge and understanding in that endeavor, as well as to enlist the help of more experienced owners. I have worked on my own vehicles all my life, but these smaller foreign engines are new to me.

Without further Ado here is my project in progress:
1987 Dodge Ram 50
G63B 2.0
5 speed manual
Screenshot_20210407-092658_Facebook.jpg
Screenshot_20210407-092728_Facebook.jpg

Thus far, I have changed out the water pump, resoldered the leaking seam in the top tank of the radiator, and the truck already came with a brand new carburetor, thermostat and housing, and fuel pump. I'm currently in the process of trying to change out the timing belts, but the crankshaft pulley bolt is being a pain and from what I can tell it must be removed to change out the small balance shaft belt. She runs fine for the most part, but the smaller belt is very dry rotted so both need to changed out before I drive her much further.

[Dr Steel]

Thus far, I've changed the timing belts, water pump, resoldered the leaking seam on the radiator, changed the idler arm on the passenger side steering mechanism, replaced a missing wheel lug, changed the muffler and steering wheel, fixed the lights and horn, and flushed both the coolant and oil.

I still need to replace the shocks, get new tires, change the transmission and rear end oil, and a new clutch and cable besides the other minor repairs and modifications I have in mind.

[xboxrox]

Hello & Welcome Dr Steel

Congrats on getting your good looking toy ~ it should keep you entertained a good while

[Dr Steel]

I'm also looking for suitable replacements for the the interior door pull handle/armrests as mine are completely shot. I like the look of the mitsubishi ones, but I'm having trouble finding any for sale. If anyone here has information on which year model will fit the stock mounts, or has any for sale, I would greatly appreciate it.

[geezer101]

Hi and welcome to mightyram. Mitsubishi is interesting as they have a habit of sticking to a particular design ethos. I had a Lancer fastback (Plymouth Arrow/Celeste) that had butchered inner grab handles. I found that the long dual grab handles from a Cordia would line up with 2 of the original mounting bolt holes so I added the third one by drilling a plastic lug into the inner door chassis. Look at Monteros/Raiders for a possible alternative to a replacement grab handle as a straight swap. If you can't get a matching colour, there's always vinyl colour spray to get it close.