B2600 4x4 Project

Ok, so yeah, not going to sell it anymore. I put it on a forum for sale and I just couldn't do it. I'm too attached to it, so I pulled the forum post.

I ordered all new A/C parts for it so I can drive it in the summer. It gets too hot in AL to not have A/C.

I'm going to swap the Rockstars back onto it today.

I'm also looking to put in power windows, locks and keyless entry. SPAL is who I'm going with for those parts.

lookin rlly good love the 2 tone

Just ready through the entire thread, Good looking truck! Love those wheels!

I think they use the same center caps for the 18's and the 20's, that's why they seem to stick out further on the 18's. I have the 18" Rockstars on my tundra and I've been talking about trimming them down for over a year now. Haven't done it yet though. Several guys on the tundra forum trimmed theirs.

From what I have learned, there are some trucks that have front hubs that extend further past the WMS (wheel mounting surface), which means the studs on the center caps need to be longer so the cap doesn't hit the hub. I also heard they have a deep set of caps and a shallow set of caps, but I don't know anyone with the shallow caps, so maybe that's not true. Trimming the studs and using shorter bolts works just fine and looks much better, in my opinion.

Thanks for the compliment on the truck.

I've always liked that style wheel!! I think this is the only 4X4 Mazda that I like....Very clean and overall bad-ass...Great work!!! <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy" />

Ha, thanks.

If it's any consolation, when I go to the 302, I'll probably scrap the 4x4 junk in the front to eliminate weight and moving parts. Plus, this thing will never be offroad anyway.

That paint is too clean to get muddy...Lol <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy" />

You know what would be cool when you got rid of the 4wd stuff? Make it into a a prerunner with longtravel suspension and what not. That would be bitchin.

That's has been the plan from the start of the build. I think I even talked about it somewhere near the start of this post.

Well, I have some good news and bad news about this truck. Bad news first. The 2.6L finally kicked the bucket today. I'm sure it could be revived with enough TLC, but I've already brought it back from overheating once. When I bought it, the radiator was bad and head gasket melted. I don't think it's worth spending the time and money on it again. This time it died on the interstate. She held strong for about a mile off of the interstate, but a large amount of metal to metal noise pretty much signaled the end. She was trailered home.

So, enter the good news, I'm finally going to bite the bullet on the engine swap. It's 302 time!

I've read through the threads here several times that focus on the 302. Seems like a piece of cake.

The only thing still up in the air is whether to keep the 4wd or just go 2wd. I'm really leaning toward 2wd. I've never engaged the 4wd on this one since I bought it, so I don't see a reason to fight the driver's drop issue with the 302. If I want it to work, I need to bolt the 302 up to a truck transmission made to accept a transfer case. Then, I need to buy an adapter to bolt up a Chevrolet transfer so I can hook up the IFS setup in the front. The Chevy transfer cases are made to hook up on the right side of the transmission/engine, like the OEM Mazda transfer case.

The other option is to try to find an adapter to mate the 302 up to the original transmission, but I doubt the OE transmission and clutch would last very long with the 302.

Thoughts?