New B2200 Here..

Hey fellas, thanks for the add.

Just bought today a 1987 b2200 RWD 4cyl 5-speed. I literally no nothing about these trucks, but was surfing C-List, found this awesome deal I literally couldn't pass up, and said eff-it, that would make a sweet weekend cruiser. So here I am lol..

I currently have a '12 F150 4x4 as my daily, and before that had a '04 Chevy Colorado 4x4 that was lifted and pretty heavily modded. Im familiar with the minitruckin scene because of how invested I was in my colorado, but lowering the truck will be a brand new experience for me.

The truck: So, I found the truck and immediately the mileage caught me eye. 43,000 miles.. original miles. I thought maybe a typo, but nope, 43k original miles. Then I noticed how good of shape the truck was in, and continued to read how it was garage kept and never driven in the winters. (Cha-ching). Here in New England they put so much salt on the roads there arent many 20+ year old vehicles still in 1 piece. I ended up paying $2,700 for the truck, and am very eager to start learning about it, and hopefully sharing the process with you guys.



TL;DR: Bought a sweet 87 b2200 with low miles and im a noob.

Great looking truck, even better find!!!

Your first project should deb to make sure your cooling system is in tack and working correctly. These trucks HATE to over heat!!!

Post lots of pictures!!

Dan

Cool thanks Dan.

Anything else I should look at in particular? I plan on deff doing an oil/filter change which I read somewhere to stay away from penzoil for these motors? And no fram filters? Also want to drop in a new air filter, maybe a new fuel filter, and check all vac Hoses and replace if necessary.

You are on the right track. I'd do all the normal maintenance, tune-up, etc then you know you are starting at a base point. As long as the block and surrounding area is dry (no fresh oil) and you verify the cooling system is working correctly I'd say you are in good shape - no need to look for things to do that aren't obvious.

Does the engine tick?

Oil and filter brand doesn't matter, it's all about personal preference and whether or not a person has experienced bad luck with one or the other. You know, like that time you were made to eat green beans then shortly after tossed your cookies and now you can't eat a green bean to save your life?

Wow - a time machine. You are fortunate.

Guess what, oil filters all come from the same factories, different paint and boxes. I've used Fram for decades, now using Purolater because they come free in day after Thanksgiving oil deals from Pep Boys.

Al vehicles have a weak spot. As decades go by, the clutch hydraulics can go, and also the electrical part of the ignition switch. I've had my '88 B2200 for 20.5 years now even though I could buy any truck out there; these are great trucks, real finds.

I'm taking the truck home Tuesday, the state I live in doesn't give temporary tags so I have to have it insured/registered in order to drive it home (its 2 hours away).

When I test drove it, it drove very smooth. Wasn't expecting the no power steering which caught me off guard, but it really wasn't that bad. After taking it for a ride, I let it sit in neutral and idle while I walked around the truck and listened to it run. From beyond the cab, I couldn't even hear it running, I was impressed. From the front with the hood open, it sounded pretty smooth, I didn't notice any aggressive ticking.

The truck was very well maintained, it has been in the same family since new purchase in '87. The mileage is mind blowing to me, I mean, 1500 miles per year? Damn, makes me wonder if the truck has even seen the freeway. I was concerned that maybe it sat for long periods of time, but the owner assured me while it was in the barn for all of winter, it was consistently started and not forgotten. Looking under the hood and around the truck, I could tell without knowing much about it in particular that everything was still original.

Im very forum literate, so I just wanted to introduce myself here, I'll mostly be lurking, although I will update progress made with photos. I've already created a spreadsheet with links to many threads about common issues with solutions such as overheating and timing. I have found many of your posts to be extremely informative Cusser.


So thanks in advance for all the information I'm going to poach from you guys!

- Derek

Bit of an update post.. Read through the first 22 pages of builds last night. It's unfortunate how many people buy a truck, start building it, and then are making good progress or doing something cool and then either sell the truck or disappear from the forums.

I'm a little confused on the Weber conversion. Is this done to gain power and efficiency or to eliminte the massive amounts of emissions stuff? Is this something you guys recommend doing, or just something to look into once the stock carb stars acting up?

I've got all my tune-up parts and filters and oil, Just waiting til Tuesday to pick up the truck

My current plans are a slight drop (2/3), some 17s or 18s (currently looking at 2015 4runners or the eskies), clean up the front end (new grille/paint) and then get the truck sprayed With either the mazda speed Greyish Blue or the dark grey.

If the stock carb and emissions are working properly and well tuned, then there isn't much power to be "gained." But as you suggested, if they're tired and no longer in good working order, then there may be some power to be "recovered." Of course you could recover the power by getting the stock setup back in working order, but it's usually close to $300 for a rebuilt carb (the same or slightly more than a brand new Weber) and then you still have all the emissions to sort through and repair/restore. Or, if you go the Weber route, you just ditch all of it.

The other reason to go Weber would be the style points of a cleaner looking engine bay.

When considering the potential power gain of a Weber, keep in mind that the fuel injected B2200 only makes 91 hp, or six more than stock. So there's just not a lot of power to wring out of 2.2L 8 valve engine.

Don't know where my post went.

Thanks , I'm certainly not looking to gain and power just wasn't sure why it was seemingly a automatic thing for so many people to do in their builds.

I plan on using the truck as a weekend cruiser and to commute to work in the summer (I work 10 minutes away).

I'm only 23 so I'm learning as I go/read with this truck and motor, this is the first carb'd motor I've owned, crap most of them are older than me lol