1990 B2200 Ground Up

It's still in the truck. Gonna get it taken apart as soon as weather permits.

Ok i may take it off of your hands

Ok guys I am back on this project. I finally got my shop where I can work in it a bit. Now I am back to working on the frame for the project. My next step is deciding on what to do with the steering. I am going RHD but not sure whether to use a rack or the factory LHD power steering box.

I have narrowed the front of the new frame 2" per side. This will allow me to make the arms an inch longer per side but also be moved in an inch per side. So as it stands right now the factory power box wont fit as its too close to the FE3 engine pulleys. So to make it fit I would have to widen the frame rails forward of the control arm mounts. Gotta figure this out asap so I can start mounting the engine. I got all the mounts and pieces plasma cut and ready to install.

On a related note I am looking for a long bed for another B project. Anyone has one let me know. Thanks

Ok I bought another truck a month or so back. It's a 1990 reg cab B2200. 5 speed, gray with gray interior, nice bench seat. I bought it for a parts truck but it runs and drives so nice I decided to get tags and insurance on it and just drive it. I was driving my Cab Plus work truck as a daily. So I basically have a backup for my work truck if it breaks. I also just bought another 1990 complete parts truck. Some engine pieces may be missing as it does not run. But I bought this one for the body and frame as it will be my new crew cab project. Here are some pics of it from the wrecking yard. It has lot's of nice chrome that I will likely not be using. I plan to start a new thread for this build as well.

more photos

But back to the ground up build. I am at the point of just about ready to hang the engine/trans in the frame and weld in the motor mounts. On the motor mounts I basically measured the factory ones on the frame and drew some in CAD and had the pieces cut. They should just weld on the frame once I get the engine sitting where I want it. The only problem I have seen so far is that the power steering pump on the Kia motor is way down at the bottom on the right hand side and will be in the way of the power steering box as I have it now. I will likely have to widen the front frame horns where the box is to make it all fit or swap to a power rack. I will get some latest pics as soon as this hurricane weather gets past us.

I also just bought a shell of a truck to use the cab and doors from for the crew cab build. but for now back to this one. I have drawn all the brackets and tabs for the rear suspension and the frame braces in CAD and sent them to my guy. I also drew the motor mounts for the front. But I lost some of the pieces so I had to re order some. While I was at it I drew the trans mount tabs for the frame.

So the next step on this project is to cut the frame right in front of where the control arms would mount and widen it out for the stock power steering box. Since I am going right hand drive on this I can't use a rack unless I use a rear steer rack from a Tacoma or a front wheel drive car. Looked and looked at some and have not found one that is power and the right width. So I have decided to use the stock power steering box. To do that I have to move the frame rails out in the front so the power steering box does not interfere with the pulleys and the pump mounted low on the right side of the motor. So today if the rain stops I will get a brace tacked in across the front of the frame and cut off the front and re do it. Then I can weld in the motor mounts and set the engine and trans in for a test fit. So before I do that I would like to explain my thinking for mounting the engine.

First I ordered some new motor mounts for a B series truck as they will work with the Kia/Mazda engine. I may have to put the Mazda brackets on it and I may not. So as I may have said before I bought a whole Sportage and I am using the Kia auto trans. So basically the engine/trans can be set in the frame as low as I can get it. The lowest point that cannot be moved is the trans oil pan. So as long as I space that pan 1/2" above the bottom of the frame rails I will be fine. Now of course as you might be thinking that may make the factory Kia/Mazda engine oil pan not clear or work right. That I see as a non issue as I can mod the pan all I want. So the engine should clear a stock hood.

So to wrap all that up the first plan is widen frame and mount steering box. Can't go any farther on steering until I make the control arm mounts, then make the control arms and figure out how to make the drag link and tie rods. All that will have to be hand made as factory stuff will not work on this one. More to come with pics as I go.

And the latest is that I have the frame marked to cut and I will have pics asap.

Ok, so I got my work building built and now me and my kid are both building B series. We got all our projects moved down to his shop where we have much more room. I also got the long bed I needed for the other project and I have bought two more parts trucks. Now I have 6 B series trucks. More to come.