SOMEONE PLEASE HELP A NEWBY MINITRUCKER

Ok heres the deal,, bought a 87 mazda extended cab ive wanted since i was a kid,, it was junk been through 2 frames,, 2 motors,, and cant find a decent box anywere.. Its time to redo it, its in the shop completely down to bareframe,, got a rolled caprice with a 350..
whats the easiest way to swap? and will i need to switch the rear end too?? were do i find a bushing kit at? someone told me a Prothane ranger kit will work, but he says alot of things
my gas gauge dont work,, i know of 4 mazdas, only one has a working gauge.
also i need the strips that are inside around the doors.
and were the hell are all the cool parts you used to be able to get for these trucks? Like the completely clear taillights i bid a set up to $175 on ebay and still lost Any help is greatly appreciated i really really want to get this thing together before summer.

welcome to the b-scene!
on the 350 swap, since it is a chevy, the dizzy is on the back, you'll have to mod the fire wall & the tranny tunnel to make it fit. as far as the rear end, you will probably want something a little stronger than the factory mazda unit which is good to @ 200 hp, you can get a 89-95 yota 4x4 rear, they come in different gear ratios are the same width as mazda, & you can get a lsd unit or locker, and downey off road offers a disc brake conversion too, but really that is your choice on what rearend to use.
as far as bushing, are you wanting leafspring bushings? you can get them off of summit or perfomancecenter.com, measure the eye on the leafs, i think they are 2", & get a set of bushings accordingly.....
on the gas guage, mazda's run 90-o ohm, and gm units run 0-90 ohm which would show exactly backwards full when empty, empty when full, which is what i have to run with my fuel cell. other than that, you can get a sending unit from an autoparts place, or mazda dealership
the strips, either a junk yard, or mazda dealership,
and all of the cool parts are getting harder to come buy, the clear tails haven't been in production for a minuite, the only way to get a set is e-bay or something similar......
happy hunting & welcome aboard!

Ah man u havent been around enough Mazdas.I have three and all the gas gauges work-well maybe,sometimes,sorta.Lol.What bushings are u looking for.Summit Racing has polyurethanes for the front sway and end link.they are good quality stuff.bj

First of all,welcome to the scene.

Unfortunately for you,you just missed a set of all clear tail lights in our classified section that sold for $80. Your next best bet for clear tail lights would be the altezza style clears,which you can get in chrome,smoked and 'carbon fibre' looks. Or you could so what some of us have done,and red out your tail lights using a transparent paint,such as Duplicolor Metalcast anodized candy red.

There are lots of aftermarket parts still around for these trucks. Try places like JBM Sport Truck Accessories,StreetBeat Customs,Godfather Customs,FBI,Grant Kustoms,JC Whitney,SuicideDoors and such just for a start.

As for finding a bed,well you're on your own with that. You either have to be lucky and find one that is in good shape,or you better be good at welding,or know someone who is. Just remember...if you do find a bed in suitable condition,an Extended cab bed will not fit on a standard cab and vice versa.

Best of luck sourcing parts. The V8 swap sounds like it'll be fun for sure.

def do the v8 swap! I recomend doing a frame off too! it may take a little longer to finish everything but its the best way to go.
I ve been looking for weather strip with no luck for a while now, check with yer local auto body supply store.
build yer own motor mounts, and buy the neoprene bushings as required. go heavy with them , check energy suspension.

jcwhitney will handle all of your weatherstripping needs

hey thanks for the help everone,, got a set of leafspring bushings coming, decided to "rebuild" the box,, gonna switch to a between the rails gas tank. Still need body mounts????????? and a set of clear taillights... Still trying to get the 350 cut out of the wrecked car. Also found a 90 b2200 strait cab,, shaved handles, rollpan, frenched antenna and other crazy stuff, with a set of gold 100 spoke deepdishes with a bad carberator, $500 its coming home next

i can help you on the engine swap as i have a detailed booklet on how 2 do a chevy swap and can provide you with motor mounts tranny mounts and new crossmember