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Jan 24, 2021 16:03:48 GMT
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So I got a hankering for an older vehicle, something without a diagnostic socket  Enter this a 1998 Mazda B2500, bought in a shady deal in a car-park in Essex, after a nightmare journey.
 Looks handsome, right? Well, looks can be deceiving  . I should prefix all of this by saying: I am not a 'car guy'. I enjoy them, but I've very little experience working on them. So I figured, getting an older vehicle would be a good way to learn. I've been right on that score 
The good points: the interior is very clean, it's clearly never been near a farm. I love the 90's Japanese interior. The chassis is relatively rot free, just some surface rust really. The bad points: blown head gasket, and the front cab mounts are pretty well rotted out. The blown head gasket presented as hydro-locking. Sometimes she'd start, sometimes not so much. Radiator cap off confirmed exhaust gas being blown back into the cooling system. Removing the glow plugs confirmed that water was getting into cylinder #2:  So, head off:
 Asked my mechanic for his opinion on the condition, and he suggested it was starting to pick up on the bores, so time for a hone and new rings. He also commented that it looked like the head was new. So he dipped a stick in the head bolt holes - quite a few were full of oil, so the head bolt torque was probably never right. Why bother replacing the head if you're going to balls it up?
So at some point it's overheated and blown the gasket, and someone's replaced the head badly. Why did it overheat - stuck thermostat. Took me all of 30 minutes to find the thermostat and test it. So some numpty has blown the head gasket, and replaced the head without looking for why it overheated. I decided I was up for a head gasket job, but not so much on the piston rings and bores, so I've dropped the lump off at a local rebuild place (that was 3 months ago now, I need to chase him again  ) |
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C-rock
Part of things
Posts: 216
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Jan 24, 2021 16:07:12 GMT
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Good to see another b series look forward to your progress
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Jan 24, 2021 16:16:30 GMT
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So now I'm left with a considerably lighter vehicle to push around  And some front cab mounts to sort out, which were hidden behind SO MANY SPOT WELDS: The front cab mounts are open to the front wheel wells at the back, which seems a bit daft. Water gets thrown up into them, and then sits there on the little flat water shelf. The bottom half of the slam panel is quite rusty. So panel off after taking some measurements to make sure it goes back in the right place: 
Started removing scabby paint and rust from the panel. It's taken bloody ages, even with the twist-knot brush in grinder and die grinder  I've decided that rather than put back exactly as it was, I'm going for 'functional' and quick to fabricate. So the front cross-member on the panel (which connects to the cab mounts, and bears the weight of the radiator, and the bonnet slam latch via an intermediate bar) is being replaced with box:  I'm still trying to decide exactly how and where I do the transition from sheet metalwork to box on the slam panel. I'll take some photos tomorrow and you lucky people can help me decide  I've been reading the excellent panel making thread on this here board, so I thought I'd practise the techniques on a bit of scrap bodywork:  It's a bit rough, and the dimensions are wrong, but I just wanted to get a feel for what I might be able to achieve to help me plan my next move. |
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Jan 25, 2021 12:18:38 GMT
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Excellent work, keep it up. I am the same, i farm out what i can't/don't want to undertake, and get stuck in to what I'm comfortable with.
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Jan 25, 2021 20:47:35 GMT
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Here's some more detail of the cab mounts:   
And this is about where I want the section I fabricated earlier to sit (not clamped up hard, but you get the idea):  I think my next step might be to fabricate something pretty similar to the existing mounts:  Fit the new parts up on the body mounting bushes, and then get the front box section I've already made hung off of those. Then cut back the rot in the wheel wells, and build forwards to meet the new cab mounts. Once that's done I can offer the slam panel back in and make it fit. Any advice or ideas for how you'd tackle it would be very welcome, because I'm winging it pretty hard over here I'm not worried about sticking to the original design, as long as it works and doesn't weigh as much as a dreadnought, I'll be chuffed. |
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dazcapri
North East
Enter your message here...
Posts: 1,061
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Jan 25, 2021 21:00:08 GMT
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Love the supercab version on these and the Rangers,looks like you have your work cut out but all good so far and calling grizz he'll love this. |
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Last Edit: Jan 25, 2021 21:00:32 GMT by dazcapri
Mk3 Capri LS
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Jan 25, 2021 21:06:29 GMT
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Love the supercab version on these and the Rangers,looks like you have your work cut out but all good so far and calling grizz he'll love this. Certainly loves it. Looking at the work to be done, you seem to be in control. Keep at it. |
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Jan 29, 2021 14:14:00 GMT
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Photo update coming when I get some time, too busy for now!
I'm hoping someone can answer a question for me. Is it possible to replace the ball joints in a pitman arm and idler? The whole replacement parts (i.e.: whole arm and whole idler) I can get aren't suitable - they crank the wrong way, and won't clear the chassis if I fit them. I want to know if it's a case of pressing the ball joint out and pressing a new one in - can you buy ball joints by dimension?
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Jan 29, 2021 19:00:45 GMT
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I love that you say you are not a car guy and then get on with it and to a great standard 👍 makes me feel even more inadequate 😁 bookmarked!
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C-rock
Part of things
Posts: 216
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Jan 29, 2021 22:11:53 GMT
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Slam it  |
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smellyferret
Posted a lot
Back in a retro after 7 years!
Posts: 1,121
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I love that you say you are not a car guy and then get on with it and to a great standard 👍 makes me feel even more inadequate 😁 bookmarked! This man speaks the truth! |
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These are bullet proof for the most part, we had 4 of them in the family over the years, all Turbo
models though. Only weak point if 5th gear failures when used as a tow vehicle.
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Mark
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,825
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Jan 31, 2021 11:53:46 GMT
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I love these things. I looked after the Mazda press fleet in the late 80's / early 90's and always enjoys ragging these around. Out in Staplehurst, Kent there are lots of mini humped back bridges over streams and these trucks would leap like you wouldn't believe! I was always impressed at how quick the petrol ones were too. The only bum clenching moments were how grabby the brakes were when combined with zero weight over the rear. Yours looks great with the crew cab and being silver. I've bookmarked this to see how you go with it. You're making great progress so far! |
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E36 BMW 318is saloon (rare as a hens false tooth)
VW Caddy Maxi 2010 (usually full of Labradors)
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Jan 31, 2021 12:44:24 GMT
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So, to answer my own question above. You can't press out the ball in pitman, idler or tie rods:  They're not pressed in, they're inserted from the back and then swaged over to capture. I was having trouble sourcing new pitman arm and idler for this chassis (UF series). See this truck is on an 1998 plate, but 1998/99 is a model changeover year. The usual suspects who stock parts for these list the pitman arm and idler for the later chassis (UN), and don't stock the earlier one. The later one cranks back towards the steering box, where I need one which cranks away to clear the chassis. The platforms seem to be mostly the same, but there are odd little differences like these. But I'm getting ahead of myself a little here |
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Jan 31, 2021 12:45:50 GMT
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I love that you say you are not a car guy and then get on with it and to a great standard 👍 makes me feel even more inadequate 😁 bookmarked! I'm just taking stuff apart at this stage - wait till see how badly I put it back together again before you make up your mind  |
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Jan 31, 2021 12:48:08 GMT
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These are bullet proof for the most part, we had 4 of them in the family over the years, all Turbo models though. Only weak point if 5th gear failures when used as a tow vehicle. Yeah, despite the after-market stickers on the tub, this is decidedly non-turbo. I was in two minds about putting any money into sorting the engine out, but I figure it's the quickest and cheapest way to get it back on the road. If once it's done I actually like it, then I'd *really* like an engine swap. Considering something lumpy and Mercedes - OM605 or OM606. |
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Jan 31, 2021 13:08:46 GMT
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Stripped the rest of the components attached to the wings back, tucked the loom back up out of the way and started twist knotting some of the scabbier bits on the wings:  The biggest cause of problems in the wheel wells is where the panel is double-skinned - water gets in between the spotted together skins and sits there doing what water does to steel:
 So I've removed the spotted sections both sides so I can see what we're dealing with. I think the purpose of these panels is to provide some stiffness in the panel to transfer load down from the wings to the body mounts. I'm not sure how best to go about repairing these sections - the one which requires least puzzling over is to try and replicate faithfully what was there before, but:
- The double-skinned section rotted out, and it seems like madness to me to add a water trap back in - The panel shapes are quite complex, and probably beyond my ability to fabricate
Does anyone have any pearls of wisdom for me?
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Jan 31, 2021 13:13:49 GMT
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In good news, I had an unexpected phone call from the chap who's got my engine. He must have sensed that I was about to chase him Rebuild is now occurring, and the engine was in 'better condition than expected'. But he had managed to knock it over and break a cast bracket that connects the engine to the bellhousing Luckily, my business partner Matt is always up for a challenge so he'll attempt a weld or braze. Failing that, it's not a complex part to fabricate a replacement for. |
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Jan 31, 2021 13:25:01 GMT
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Speaking of Matt - he's been a driving this forward like a trouper. He's battled 30 years of crusty rust to have the front hubs, suspension and axles apart. Quite honestly, he thrives on the challenge - he's been like a pig in the proverbial this week. And just because I know we love a bit of rust porn: passenger side upper wishbone shims:   |
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Jan 31, 2021 14:05:34 GMT
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I spent most of Friday at the computer shopping for replacement front transmission, steering and suspension parts. This is slightly complicated because this is an older truck than the most recent incarnation of this model (it was facelifted in '98/'99, and in production until 2007). So I've been squinting at pictures on websites and trying to work out which parts for the later UN chassis will also fit this earlier UF chassis. So I have on order: - Lower wishbone bushings - Shock absorbers - Lower wishbone ball joints - Half-shaft outer CV joints - Half-shaft inner CV boot - Brake calipers and pads - Anti-roll bar fittings - Bump stops all round - Track rod end kits - Hub bearing rear seal
The upper wishbones are technically fine, but the axles that they mount to (not sure if that's the right term) have fretted because the bushes had decayed. Complete upper wishbones are available, and the cost of bushings and ball-joint, plus an unobtanium 'axle' versus the complete wishbone means that I might as well fit new parts. BUT, they're on a shipping container on it's way in from Taiwan. Expected Feb 15th, fingers crossed!
In addition, I still need to order pitman and idler arms:
  Which on this chassis, crank AWAY from the steering box. On the later chassis they crank towards the box. I think I have the OEM part numbers for what I need now (idler: UE3832320, pitman: UB3932220B), and they do seem to be available in a few places - some for silly money (excuse me, £80 for an idler arm, I foxing think not, chum) I'm going to call Herth + Buss UK (German specialist supplier of parts for asian cars), since they list both parts. Fingers crossed they aren't subject to Brexit tax yet...
I also need to source brake disc guards. |
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Enter this a 1998 Mazda B2500, bought in a shady deal in a car-park in Essex, after a nightmare journey.
. I should prefix all of this by saying: I am not a 'car guy'. I enjoy them, but I've very little experience working on them. So I figured, getting an older vehicle would be a good way to learn. I've been right on that score 
)
