10/29/2015 - Steve purchases his '90 Mighty Max V6, 4x4. Steve is Patient Zero.
11/06/2015 - Jeff decides he wants a '89 Raider V6, 4x4.
11/08/2015 - Coop is infected with Raider lust. Greg is exposed, apparently Exocet Disease grants immunity to the Mitsu Virus.
11/12/2015 - Now that the Raider is on the wrong end of the Cool Wall, Jeff changes gears and starts looking for pickups.
12/08/2015 - Coop puts in an offer on a Raider. He is denied.
12/09/2015 - Steve finds and subsequently loses a Power Ram 50 V4 4x4 with an auto.
01/13/2016 - Coop has an accepted offer on a Raider in TX. That one also falls apart.
01/16/2016 - Jeff has a lead on a damaged truck in TN. This truck was sold.
01/17/2016 - Jeff purchases '90 Ram 50 service manuals.
01/21/2016 - Jeff has another lead on a truck 2 hours SE of Dallas. But no way to go get it.
01/30/2016 - Jeff finds a truck in Portland. Attempts to recruit/infect Jason and/or Dirty Steve. They prove resistant. Portland seller is a flake anyway.
02/02/2016 - Mike contracts the Montero strain of the Mitsu Virus.
02/02/2016 - Jeff lists his Focus on Craigslist.
02/03/2016 - Jeff is shocked to discover air conditioning is not standard on a bare bones 90s Japanese work truck
02/03/2016 - Jeff sells his Focus, freeing up funds for a truck.
02/04/2016 - Wayne falls ill with the 'Imported for Dodge' version of Mitsu Virus. Buys a smashed up Dakota.
02/06/2016 - Jeff begins pursuing a '94 Mighty Max 4x4 in Portland. Quickly discovers a dealer who thinks a non-AC, damaged truck is worth $3000.
02/13/2016 - Brian contracts the Montero strain.
02/14/2016 - Jeff locates the near-junk truck on eBay. Located in Conway AR, with optional shipping.
02/17/2016 - Chris starts showing signs of Montero infection.
02/19/2016 - Jeff wins the auction for the eBay truck. $999
02/22/2016 - Jeff finds ultra rare '90 Power Ram 50 4x4 in California. Attempts to entice Steve with it.
02/22/2016 - John shows early signs of infection.
02/24/2016 - Jeff's truck is picked up in Arkansas.
02/25/2016 - Jeff gets non-smashed gold Dodge tailgate, rear light, other minor parts from Junkyard
02/26/2016 - Jeff's truck is delivered. Sanity is well and truly lost.
Now we're all up to date. I've joked before about doing crazy things for cars. My long history with the 3S, the Spyder, a few other things. I've completely reset the bar with this one.
Let's get a look at this thing. I only gave it a brief going-over because I had to get in to the office.
The auction said this thing was a farm truck or hunting rig. I don't know where I'd trust it to take me hunting, but 'farm truck' definitely fits. The delivery guy had a hard time getting it started. Already I'm wondering if it's a fuel pump issue like Steve has.
The brakes are shit. The clutch grabs very high. It's leaking something from near the trans. May be coolant dripping down from above. The power steering is hooked up, but doesn't seem to be working. AC hardware is present, but the compressor is bypassed.
Every body panel is dented, scraped or otherwise damaged. The front bumper is caved in. There's a horrible screeching noise from the pulleys. It's taken a front end hit. There's evidence of donor parts from a 4 cylinder. The speedo doesn't work. The ignition key works, but the starter itself is rigged to a push button.
The sun roof hole in the roof was patched very badly. The windows have awful purple tint on them. The seat is shredded. There's no radio. Someone cut into the rear bumper to install the step bumper. I had to use vice grips to open the hood, and now it won't re-latch.
The exhaust leaks. It's bizarre how similar it sounds to a 3S
Click to enlarge.
I've seen vehicles that are already in the graveyard that are in better condition than this thing. But....I've also seen much worse.
So is there anything good about this? YES.
There's a ton of mud under it, but from what I can tell, NO STRUCTURAL RUST. The frame looks straight. The driveline is solid. The engine pulls strong. It ran good once it was started. It restarted easily once it was warm. It's got a factory bed mat
My goal is to have a decent little utility truck. So the body damage, aside from the roof, is mostly irrelevant. Maybe, if I can find a Pick N Pull priced engine ($250-ish with accessories and wiring), I'll put a 3.5 or 3.8 into it. But that's FAR from my mind right now.
The electrical stuff I can fix. Brakes are easy. Clutch will be a pain, but do-able. I'll toss a spare 3S fuel pump into it to see if that helps with starting.
Here is the best part. I can look at this truck and already I know exactly how to work on it. I know exactly where to start with diagnosis and repairs. It's a V6 Mitsubishi....and I know those well.
In the immediate term, I'm not doing anything but putting brake pads on it and hopefully fix the pulley noise. I can't get distracted by this until my Stealth is re-assembled and sold. So I want to get the brakes done, and hopefully get it registered just in case I need to move it anywhere. After that, it's not being touched until the Stealth is dealt with.
VIN for future reference: JA7FM24S7NP009652
Phase 1 - Make it work
Phase 2 - Make it good
Smashed front bumper
Badly hacked sunroof delete
Misc body damage
Damaged seat
AC hardware is present, but inoperative
High clutch engagement
Misc fluid leaks
Montero wheels + new, bigger tires
Suspension and steering overhaul
Interior overhaul
Phase 3 - Make it crazy
6G75 swap
Paint
