Fresh Meat! 1986 B2000 LX Beater. Welcome any advice.

Just picked up a 1986 Mazda B2000 LX Short bed with 175k miles on the 2.0 engine. Its a beater, in fairly rough shape, corrosion and lack of vehicle maintenance has taken its toll that is clear. The engine sounds decent and the clutch and shifter feel alright and the frame doesnt appear to be structurally compromised just some major rust bustin and prevention for me to do.

In the process of degreasing and cleaning up the engine and undercarriage currently and giving it the service maintenance its been neglected for so long. Not sure it was ever washed lol.

Needs a passenger window + regulator, Gas tank (if i cant repair), interior seats, (prolly just cover them), ill "ospho" the frame and undercoat it, then fiberglass the rust holes on the body and cut out rotted sections of the bed to weld in some new bed panels and cheap bed spray, Ill top it off with a good old never fail rattle can spray job and it'll be the perfect little parts hauler/winter driver to keep my other ride off the salty corrosive roads of the Midwest. Purchased at $600 I'm not lookin to make it anything but solid and mechanically functional in the smallest budget possible. Ill prolly budget $400 max but hopefully stay below that while fixin it up a bit.

Wondering if there are any specific problem areas I should focus on and look for? Oil leaks from multiple locations but i need to clean the undercarriage to get a better picture of what I'm working with.

What vehicles have compatible components that I can rob from in a salvage yard (engine, body, seats)?
Any good parts websites you guys use, and what reasonably priced repair manual should i pick up for this truck?

I appreciate any and all constructive feed back. Thank you.

V/R,

Somoteitbe

Former Navy F-18 Jet Mechanic.
I lack the in depth knowledge of auto mechanics, but I can turn a wrench and speed handle with the best of them.

My other ride: 1967 Chevy C10 Fleetside, 383 stroker, 4 spd, dual exhaust. (My baby)

Welcome to the site.

Pics are a must!!! Of you baby too!!

Almost any seat will fit with track modification. Sometimes headrests can't be used if the seat is too tall.

Repair manual - Chilton or Hanyes is a good source.

What to look for:
Make sure your cooling system is in top shape. These engines HATE to be overheated!

Valve cover gaskets leak when old. Start at the top and work your way down.

Cam end seals usually leak as well.

Search this site and you'll find a wealth of information on seats and mods. Another source of information, mazdatrucking.com. That being said, only stupid question is the one unasked.

If you need specific parts ask me, Scotch, OrangemazdaB2000 and others here and on MT.com. We may be able to help.

A mechanic is a mechanic, these truck are really easy to work on.

Thanks for your service!!!

Dan

Thanks for the knowledge, I'm still awaiting approval of mazda trucking forum as well. (2 days now). I'll post some picks of the beater and more of my baby later on tonight. Thanks again.

V/R

Somoteitbe

Wow, that's amazing, I just picked up an '86 LX longbed a few days ago. And I'm working on my '71 C10.

And most coincidentally, I'm NOT a mechanic, lol.

Now I have to get some pics up too!

Welcome, seems like a friendly place, with lots of knowledge.

I'm sure a moderator will approve you soon. Unfortunately, because of web attacks/hacking/spam this is what has to happen these days...

Haha, yea thats pretty crazy. I just added a few albums of both trucks and a tool box project i did on my profile i think its set to public, let me know if you guys cant see them.

i think if i post that link it will work. Either way, they are all in my "user albums" not under "My Rides".

Well I cleaned her up and put it back together. Temp gauge didn't work I noticed when I drove it home after buying and found it wasn't plugged in. Cleaned it up a bit got it working. Radiator hose on top was really soft no pressure at all after running it for a awhile and when messing with my heater knob to try and get heat blowin it fell in....just blows cold air. Should I go with a new thermostat next it should open up and pressurize the top hose after 10-15 min of idle I would think but I'm no auto mechanic. Dunno if I should pick up a new thermostat next or what? I also found traces of oil in my coolant reservoir. I drained the radiator and put new in and I'll get it tested to see if it's a head gasket thing or not I think. Hopefully not but I've seen in here that that is a common issue.

well, got tester for exhaust gases in my anti freeze, accidentally sucked antifreeze into it so had to wash it out and drain more, thermostat seems like its refusing to open so picked up a new one rated at 180 degrees cuz saw a post on here i believe earlier that suggested the 180 degree ones over the 195 since these engines have a tendancey to over heat. After it all cools down a bit ill go tear into it and hopefully get a negative test on the exhaust gas in anti freeze.

also noticed a leak coming from what looks like the timing housing havent crawled under her yet but glad i scrubbed the skid pan clean and did a good de greasing so i can confirm its coming from there.

my question is if the leak is coming from the timing housing is that a simple fix or is it just as serious and in depth as a head gasket change?

There is also an oil spot below bottom rad hose too dunno where that would come from either...got me concerned... any advise or help is greatly appreciated! i dont want to get in over my head