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What did you do to your truck today?

Discussion in 'General Truck Info' started by Coast Steve, Aug 25, 2010.

  1. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Nice looking Hijet, Tuskano. What wheels and rubber are you running?
     
  2. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Thank you, the wheels are 13in 4x110 Toyo Kogyo wheels off a 1st gen rx7 that had the middle rebored to fit better. The tires are Sumitomo Htr-200s that are 175/50R13, but I'll be changing to a different size soon for a new look. Plus, the tires are the same ones that were on when I bought it a year and half ago... they are pretty worn.
     
  3. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Well...back on the hunt. Was going to go have a closer look with money in the jeans tomorrow, but the one I was after sold this afternoon. :(
     
  4. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Good luck then. The rx7 rims I had were with it when I bought the truck. Just had to be bored out a little more to fit better. Gives it a unique look as they are rare for Mazda rx7 owners I think.

    I had bought Nankang AS-1s as spare tires for the ones I had. If you went 13s that were 6.5 inch wide, they would be good for them in my opinion. The new tires I am going for are P155/65R-13 Carmac NT65s. Going to do a slight stretch on my tires to try to go an inch lower on the coil overs. Mine's staying for road use... even though it has 4wd lol.
     
  5. ttc

    ttc Active Member

    how heavy are those rims? i am running the other style first gen rx7 rims
     
  6. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    I'm actually not sure... never weighed them. I could hold them one hand no prolbem though with the tire on. They are definitely not heavy that's for sure. If I ever buy a scale, I might weigh them.
     
  7. ttc

    ttc Active Member

    Ya that would be a hard way to judge weight. I find a noticed lack in power with the Mazda rims with 180s vs mazda rims 155s vs stock steel rims. I would really love a set of steel 13 inch rims but they would be hard to find in north America cheap
     
  8. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Maybe bigger tires? Might be your loss of power. I had found a 5th wheel like mine off eBay a few months ago to use as a full size spare. Still need to bore it out and clean it up. Mine feel like they are good power, interested to see how my new tires work out.
     
  9. ttc

    ttc Active Member

    Ya I would have to go look at the difference sizes. I put the 155 on because I got them cheap and they where new never installed winters
     
  10. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Cheap is good. My new tires are half as much as the 175s I have on now. Ended up buying 2 extra as spares.
     
  11. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Well, my answer to the question for today is:

    Bought it and drove it home. Nice little DB-51T Carry.

    Went over it well while I was waiting for the seller (he flooded it when he was trying to start it and went to the shop while we waited for a couple minutes to try it again)...all the stuff in the "what to look for when buying" thread got checked off. Mechanically, it runs like a top and already has some 13" rims on it (fairly heavy steel ones). Clutch is almost new (tons of thread left...all of it), 4x4 shifter worked smoothly, everything straight underneath...CV boots are showing their age, but the cracks do not expose the joints (I have a little time there).

    It's a little dirty and there is more vinyl and an "awooga" horn to take off, a rear turn light to replace a bulb on (anyone have hints for how to get a corroded base from a socket?) and it will eventually need a repaint (minor surficial rust from rock strikes and the usual at some of the corners and joints...but very surficial at this point). I'll need to find a new lock pull and maybe a shifter knob, but that's minor.

    100+ miles to drive it home and not a hiccup....A little louder / revvier than I am used to, but it handled it just fine :)

    I'm in the owner club now :)
     
    Tony Evers likes this.
  12. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Congrats on the purchase! I kept my "awoogah" horn... people expect a vintage car or something. Would be funny to have a air horn alongside it though.

    My backup light is corroded the same way you described. I managed to shatter the bulb in my attempt. I am thinking of just getting a new housing for a new bulb.

    And yea, they are loud when going.

    I got my new tires and stretched them over my Mazda rims with help from a tire shop. Also finished up the suspension. My only worry is the current spring in the front coil overs. I may go and find one with a higher load limit in a attempt to stiffen it. Tire can hit the underside of my fender flares up front and I don't want to crack them.
     

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  13. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    hehehe...mine is cosmetically a bit rougher (from 10' away it looks pretty decent ;) ), but mechanically it seems to do really well. The "awooga" horn on mine is mounted to the rack....with the big pipes they had on it, I thought it was going to be an air horn ;)

    Pick up pic 1.JPG Pic Up pic 2.JPG
     
  14. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Ohhhh... I like the stripes on it. Yea I would have thought that to be an air horn as well. My little horn is still under the bumper. I like your mini whitewalls :D
     
  15. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Well, today was a trip to Canuck Tire for oil, oil filter and air filter. I'm glad there are some resources out there to help with part numbers!

    I know my oil was changed only about 500 km ago...but it has been sitting for almost a year. Don't know how much I want to push year old oil...besides, now I can swap to synthetic (and I got the xg-series Fram filter for the swap). Also managed to get an air filter for it.

    Still need to get the stripes off and the dead bulb out and will put new rubber on soon....but at least I have enough to get started ;)
     
  16. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    I'll have to measure the bolt pattern (4x115, I suspect) as I will need a spare...probably just keep the best of the current rubber on a new rim...but right now I am looking at straight swapping the old Coopers from the truck and getting some new Motomaster AWII tires in there 155/80R13. I suspect the tires (same size on right now) are taller than stock...seemed a bit quicker than indicated. Oh well, I have a gps I can used to confirm.
     
  17. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Well, I pulled off the last of the striping yesterday (after the future paint job, it'll wear stripes again) and swapped in the new air filter (man, I love the older Carry with the round filter...the off-the-shelf FRAM from Canuck tire dropped right in perfectly).

    Today I got it registered and plated :) May, if lucky, get new tires for it today too.

    Tomorrow I suspect I'll be swapping it over to 10W30 synthetic ;)

    It is coming along nicely :)
     
  18. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Ohh nice! Still staying non synthetic in mine. I still have a stock size air filter on mine too.

    I found out mine bottoms out and the front tires hit the fender flares... going to have to cut out the insides of the flares.

    Fridau i was at a meet with a rebuilt rx7 rotary in the bed.
     
  19. ttc

    ttc Active Member

    Rx7 rotary... Could you jam that in a mini truck mated to the original transmission :)
     
    Tuskano likes this.
  20. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Its possible... We got the mechanic who built the rx7s rotary thinking. Not sure about using the hijet transmission though.

    Ive been thinking on it too... the friend and the mechanic infected me. Both times we visited the mechanic, he would show us stuff and we would all talk for like 3 hours about technical rotary stuff.

    Plus a rotary sounds right.. I mean, it has mazda rims already. But it wont be anytime soon. Truck already has a new engine.
     
  21. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Well, new tires are on (sorry Tuskano, not whitewalls ;) ).

    Tomorrow is oil change day and I may drain out and filter the fuel from the tank. I know some of it is a little stale and seeing some of the images on this site makes me wonder how much sludge has accumulated. Overall, the DB51T seems to run out well....but the idle can sound a little low from time to time. If the filtering doesn't help with the idle, I may check to see if the throttle cable hasn't stretched a hair....may need to adjust the tension a little to keep it burbling along nicely at the stoplight.
     
  22. ttc

    ttc Active Member

    Maybe the set screw has worn on the throttle stop at the carb.
     
  23. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Hi ttc,

    It's a possibility...or maybe it backed out sitting in the Canadian cold for so long ;)

    For now, I got the oil change done (man, that was actually fairly pleasant and straight forward to do!) and added some SeaFoam to the gas tank to help clean things out that way. Considering the level of wear and tear on the truck (the paint is hardest hit, but it is 25 years old...everything else seems to show it only has 45000 km on it), and how well it runs out otherwise, I'm guessing a little bit of gunk, the set-screw backing out a hair or the throttle cable stretched a bit. Minor work, all the same.

    So far, so good...but I keep having to remind myself the the tires are a little bigger than stock...I don't want to try to explain how I got a speeding ticket in a mini to anyone ;)

    Also, anyone know a good source for door lock pulls? That is my next fix-it task :)
     
  24. ttc

    ttc Active Member

    Makes me wonder if it was the paint they used but being in the sun for 25 years the UV do some damage.

    I had one of my lock pulls stolen when the truck was on route from japan. I got a dorman generic replacement mixed box of them during a rock auto order. None fit into the plastic trim on the door of the hijet. But that was the smallest item that went missing.
     
  25. ttc

    ttc Active Member

    FYI a mini truck will do 80 in a 60 so if you got a hard ass mounty you would get a ticket.
     
  26. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Today, I drove mine to work (no I won't post it every day ;) ). Even after a week at a conference, I hopped in and it started 2nd turn (almost caught on the first, but I released the starter a hair early).

    Hmmm...ttc, if they are plastic, at least you should be able to trim them down to fit. I can't find one that will fit the threads (most are for a bigger diameter shaft).
     
  27. ttc

    ttc Active Member

    Look at 80s Toyota bits. My door handle is off one of them
     
  28. Tuskano

    Tuskano Member

    Gah... gone for a week and I miss out on replying. Last week I had taken mine on 5S from WA to Oregon to visit family who live about 4 hour drive away. Took at least 6 for me. Was a fun little trip, but I hate driving large highways. Mountain roads are fun though.

    Mine starts up on second try as well, unless it is warmed up. Then it catches first try.

    And yes, they can go fast. On highways I can hit 120kph (though I usually stay around 110). Up hills I have no go power, and downhills are my friend. Got one speeding ticket in mine before on 101 heading into a town and hit a speedtrap while doing 10 over. Wasn't fun.

    On another note, I noticed I forgot some new things. Finished rear suspension and new exhaust w/ muffler. And stretched tires that are Carmac NT65s (P155/65R-13).
     

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    Last edited: Oct 20, 2015
  29. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Well, for me it was fill it up (I ran it down to get a good idea as to the capacity...~30L, not bad). I figure if a tank lasts me 2 weeks for general commuting and running around town, I'll get a month for the price of one fill of our other vehicle.

    I also picked up a LED light and new switch to replace the awooga horn (which was old, badly weathered and died). I like the horn's location for the light (and the headache rack already has the hole for it)....but now I just have to decide whether I will face it back (cargo light) or front (off-road / fog light). I'll need to re-do the wiring as the horn was a less than ideal wiring job...4 way momentary switch and some funky wire routing.

    I also spotted LED 1156 bulbs at the same spot. Not sure of the equivalent wattage of the LED bulbs...I know the stock bulbs on my Suzuki are the higher wattage bulbs (~22-24W). Perhaps retrofitting it over to LED (without changing the fixtures themselves) will be something to look at as bulbs burn out.
     
  30. Psycho Mike

    Psycho Mike Member

    Ok...I have done a bit in the last 24 hrs. First, I checked after the first 500 km or so...synthetic oil has not had any leaking / burning off and is still nice and clean....looks like my engine is buttoned up well and didn't have a lot of build-up (another indicator that this thing did, in fact, only have 45,000 km when I got it).

    I've ordered a bunch of LED bulbs to retrofit the existing turn, marker and brake lights to LED (the side lights and headlights will remain incandescent for now). I thought this was an easier thing to do than to try to get 4-to-3 wire converters and LED trailer lights on the back and it allows me to keep the existing lenses and do all the 1156 lights at once.

    I've decided to use the big LED light for a cargo light and was able to obtain some nice insulated, stranded 14ga, jacketed bipole wire (two multi-strand wires in insulation all within the same outer shell). I'll use the "good" bits of the existing wire to run power to the switch and then run this jacketed stuff (UV resistant) up to the light (one to power the light, one to a common ground on the headache rack...seems like an easier way to do it). I'll be wiring that light up today or tomorrow.
     

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