Thread: Junkyard rescue of an '87 Dodge Power Ram 50

This little truck was shoved back in the corner of a small private junkyard in Virginia. All it needed was a little bit of fuel and a battery and it drove itself out.

It's a 1987 Dodge Ram 50 4WD single cab short bed with the G54B 2.6L 4cyl and a KM145 5 speed manual.

New truck. by Ben Stryker, on Flickr

After an ordeal getting it home, it's gonna sit for a little bit while I order parts and get the registration dealt with, but I'm happy with it. It's a little rough right now, but it'll clean up nice and look decent with the right tires and stance.

Everyone needs a beater truck. Nice find!

LS swap it?

Nice find! That's the Mitsubishi Mighty Max clone, right ?

Originally Posted by BrandonHall10

Everyone needs a beater truck. Nice find!

LS swap it?

I'm keeping this one as fuel efficient as possible, maybe some mild mods but nothing too crazy... For now.

I would keep it Mopar if I was going to consider a V8 swap, but that much horsepower would eat the rest of the stock drivetrain as a snack... That would mean at least 1 ton axles, a beefy transfer case and transmission, lockers... That's a lot of money to drop on a truck that cost less than $1k. Lol

Originally Posted by cheatah faheatah

Nice find! That's the Mitsubishi Mighty Max clone, right ?

Correct! My dad had an 88 when I was growing up, almost the exact same as this one but with an extended cab, and I've been wanting one ever since then.

iirc tilt column and dash mount hand operated e-brake ?

Where the handle looks like a T shifter and you have to push the thumb bottom and twist to release it? Hell yeah. Lol

My uncle had a 1 ton mighty max he beat the piss out of it but it was a 2wd.

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This one has had the snot beat out of it already, but it refuses to quit. lol

I got the truck in the garage, started tearing it apart... The exhaust is off, waiting for a header; the carb is off, waiting for a new Weber; and the interior is torn apart, waiting for 10 AM so I can vacuum and shampoo the carpet and seat without upsetting the neighbors.

IMG_20190126_190739926 by Ben Stryker, on Flickr

IMG_20190126_195455119 by Ben Stryker, on Flickr

I also yanked out all of the emissions crap that I will never use and only gets in the way... effin rats nest of vac lines.

A/C ...resurrect or delete ?

It's all still there and it's actually still charged. Just have to figure out which wire controls the compressor clutch and find the corresponding switch inside and make those two into one wire and I'll be in business.

I've got a few other things to delete and block off, and then a few everything to find plugs for, but once the Weber carb gets here I should be able to figure out all the connections it needs and be ready to to start it up. It still needs a new ignition coil, but I can toss an MSD Blaster coil or whatever in it. The mechanical fuel pump does still squeak when you manipulate the lever, but since I'm going with the Weber I'm putting the electric fuel pump in the back next to the tank.

Then it's just header, spark plugs, a few wires and it will be running...

Ordered the header ($88) and got an MSD Blaster 2 coil, just waiting on Redline Direct to email me back about the Weber carburetor kit and I should be able to get it running. I also ordered some cheap shocks and extra gaskets, in case I want to fix any of the oil leaks get bad enough.

I also got some Grade 8 bolts to mount the bed and rear bumper, along with some interior bulbs. Oh, and a cheap head unit.

Ordered the Weber 38/38 DGES K610 kit... That, the header, 2 1/2" exhaust and an upgraded ignition system should really wake up this little 2.6L and give it better throttle response, low end power, and open up the top end a little.

I've got a lot of parts coming in the next couple of weeks, and I'll have this weekend and the next to get everything installed and all the other little details dealt with. Once the truck is running I can finally take it over to the car wash, get rid of the moss that started growing on the roof and hood... Lol

Pic of pile of parts on table as requested by ScottyDoggs.

Parts by Ben Stryker, on Flickr

Decent size pile you have there sir

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next request, parts installed and truck running lol


coming right along i see.

those be some, LOOOOONGGGGGGGGG tubes there lol

I need all the torques I can get, this engine barely makes 100 hp at the crank in stock form.... lol

This engine is a hemispherical head design, and with the engine being manufactured by Mopar it does have a claim to the Hemi title. I should get some Hemi badges for it... lol