Mazda B-serieses. The year of the minitruck.

[Dez]

Jun 27, 2024 16:19:19 GMT giuliettaevo said:

My Work wheels had what seems like exactly the same stickers on them🤔

But that could offcourse be an universal export practice, Japanese script would not be very practical outside of Japan.😅

Every set of rays or works I’ve had specifically said it on them, usually on the stickers on the back, but these don’t. The faces have been stripped and polished in the past though so any identity there has been lost.

[redratbike]

Jun 27, 2024 18:04:38 GMT Dez said:

Jun 27, 2024 12:11:54 GMT rodharris83 said:

Anywhere from 135-280 BHP depending on spec.

Good write up on them here:www.drifted.com/13b-engine/

I think this one is about 130-140hp. Nothing spectacular, but double the stock power for the truck…

is it for sale on here ?

[Dez]

Jun 27, 2024 18:29:16 GMT redratbike said:

Jun 27, 2024 18:04:38 GMT Dez said:

I think this one is about 130-140hp. Nothing spectacular, but double the stock power for the truck…

is it for sale on here ?

No id just put it up on fb marketplace. I actually took a deposit for it last night so it’s sold assuming it all goes off as planned.

[Dez]

So I’ve ordered loads of stuff I’ll need.
Of course all the rockauto stuff that’s travelled over 3000 miles from the states is here before all the UK based stuff I’ve ordered has turned up. I’d have ordered all of it from rockauto if I could, but the septics never got the diesel version.


That lot cost me £175 with shipping and duties.
Given I bought a fuel tank pickup a couple years back and it ran to £80 in the uk, and I couldn’t get the 3 hoses for less than £50, it essentially means I’ve paid £45 for a temp sender and a pair of brand new bumper corners, which seems pretty good to me.
Plus, magnets 😂

Tiniest temp sender ever. No wonder it was broken.


I’m still waiting for the fuel filter to turn up, the air filter and 2x engine filters are here. I’m definitely raiding the bottom of the ‘obsolete stock’ barrel getting service stuff for this, that blueprint box isnt a recent one!


I’ve had this nardi hung up for a while, I bought it criminally cheap cos it’s got those 3 holes drilled in it, which I’ll eventually get tigged up. Otherwise it’s pretty nice and has the trim ring and horn push.



I had to get an adapter to go to momo bolt pattern to fit the ubiquitous mx5 boss kit. I’ve actually got another boss kit off a friend that ain’t missing the boot, but I’m not getting it til I see him at the gathering, this will do as a placeholder til then.

[adam73bgt]

Jun 27, 2024 18:03:19 GMT Dez said:

Jun 27, 2024 7:06:31 GMT adam73bgt said:

Those wheels certainly have a bit of the rays volk racing look about them, 6 stud is handy because there's quite a lot of cool looking splits that seem to come here on imported hiaces and the like but they don't generally command the same silly prices that 5x114.3 stuff does these days

Bookmarked in for this build 😁 if I didn't already have an engine for my MGB I would have been tempted by the 13b 😂

6 stud used to be a great source of cheap cool wheels the. Just throw some adapters at them. Not really the case anymore though. They’re not quite 5x114 prices but you still need about 500 for something decent. 10 years ago we were buying them for 50 quid a set!

I reckon the wheels could be part of the raguna/D works stable. I can’t find the exact same model but the details of the bolts and wheel backs make me think this.

Haha yeah you're not wrong sadly, seems not long ago I could pick up decent sets of 5x114.3 17" splits for doing refurbs on for 2-300, but most people are asking 4 figures for that sort of thing these days which is nuts, unless you get lucky with someone who doesn't really know what they're selling

[stealthstylz]

Think I've got a MX5 boss boot at home you can use that then get me the RRG one back if I can find it.

[Stiff]

Those wheels look a lot like the Bridgestone Bergs, at least the centres do.
Whatever they are they're the perfect choice for a mini-truck.
Another Dez thread subbed!

[Dez]

Jun 29, 2024 9:51:58 GMT Stiff said:

Those wheels look a lot like the Bridgestone Bergs, at least the centres do.
Whatever they are they're the perfect choice for a mini-truck.
Another Dez thread subbed!

They’re another ‘similar but not quite’. Bergs seem a bit more angular on the back turn.

The other ones that are very close but also not quite are Raguna M03.



Tbh they’re not massively different to work Deerfield either, but they don’t have that characteristic volk-style backturn on the spoke like these have.

Part of the problem is there were *so* many rims available at that period, a lot with rather stupid names, so it’s hard to track some of em down.

[Dez]

Things are moving at a pace.

The Rotary package sold so it was removed-


It became apparent here what a lash up the ‘conversion’ was. A lot of bits were just held in with big zip ties!
Other than the gearbox being bolted up in the stock manner, it was ropey. The motor had been sat on the sump on the draglink as the mounts didn’t work.


Random bit of metal wedged into the mount as it was at totally the wrong angle.


Don’t think it was actually possible to change the oil in it either-


This nut caused a lot of swearing, but I got it eventually.


And collected today. It’s going in an anglia apparently.


Rest of truck stripped of small parts and boxed up-





And then Phil called by so we lifted the cab off onto a pile of pallets so I can sell the rolling chassis. The cab will be getting used for cuts, I’ve already sold the cab back and there’s a few other useful bits left in it.


Someone is coming for the cab back cut, complete dash, a bumper and a grille tomorrow so that’s another big pile of stuff out the way, then I can get on with swapping the suspensions over, with some further mods whilst I’m under there 😉

[Dez]

Temp gauge works now-


And the cab back has gone, along with most of the interior, the bumper and grille. When I part a vehicle out i don’t do it lightly, I don’t waste a thing.


I’ve swapped the wheels over between trucks too. Funny in the 90s these were the go-to wheel and tyres size for minitrucks, but now they look really weak fitment.
They’re 15s, 6.5jays with 185/55. I mean they’re not bad but I’m so used to seeing everything with stretch and poke these days you become a bit desensitised I guess.

[Enbloc]

Love it with the period wheel/tyre fitment. Has stance and purpose.

Most modern day trends are are an extreme, cartoon version of what has been before which is not always a good thing.

[75swb]

I think the wheel fitment on yours is pretty spot on. Bumpers and one colour will make a difference.

Saw this for sale this morning and thought how much better yours looks with the proper wellside rear

[Jonny69]

Jun 23, 2024 20:40:18 GMT Dez said:

Swapped out for a glass one stolen from the other truck. Always stressful fitting such a large flat bit of glass, especially knowing the last owner broke the last one trying to refit it, but it stringed in ok.

Lame joke in there somewhere along the lines of Stringer by name stringer by nature.

[Dez]

Jul 1, 2024 19:41:02 GMT Enbloc said:

Love it with the period wheel/tyre fitment. Has stance and purpose.

Most modern day trends are are an extreme, cartoon version of what has been before which is not always a good thing.

They’re just a bit too small for me, I said right from the start this needs to have 16s. They’re actually a reasonably large vehicle, over 16ft long, they’re only ‘mini’ in the American sense. I always planned on 16s, which isn’t that extreme or cartoony compared to the bagged minis on 22s!

[Dez]

Jul 1, 2024 19:56:59 GMT 75swb said:

I think the wheel fitment on yours is pretty spot on. Bumpers and one colour will make a difference.

Saw this for sale this morning and thought how much better yours looks with the proper wellside rear

I never understood the whole trayback thing. I understand it’s a very Aussie/NZ thing but I don’t see why there that into it, they never look as good as an original fleetside bed.
The guy I got this off had removed the original bed to fit a tray instead!

[Dez]

Jul 1, 2024 20:50:22 GMT Jonny69 said:

Jun 23, 2024 20:40:18 GMT Dez said:

Swapped out for a glass one stolen from the other truck. Always stressful fitting such a large flat bit of glass, especially knowing the last owner broke the last one trying to refit it, but it stringed in ok.

Lame joke in there somewhere along the lines of Stringer by name stringer by nature.

It did occur to me when I wrote it…

[Dez]

Today I removed the bed again. I’d chucked it on to get it out the way for a bit, but only having the mrs on hand to help me lift it made it a difficult job. That’s the only aspect of shared yard life I miss tbh.

So instead I dragged this out from way down the back, which took ages, but was worth it cos it made the lift so much easier.



Then i stripped all the rear suspension off. This nut was a particular sh1t, mostly as it has a 23mm head. I have a socket but not a spanner I that size, as it’s a weird size that doesn’t need to exist. Plus there was a fuel tank in the way- which someone had already dented for clearance but I didn’t want to dent anymore. So I ground away the bottom side, turned it round and split it with a chisel through the gap.




I then found a really peculiar bit of rust on each side straight above the axle. Exactly the same each side, must be a design flaw. So I set to and fixed that with a bit of gas pipe.
I think it’s supposed to be that shape anyway 🤷‍♂️












Glad I got that fixed so I can swap over the new rear springs from the other chassis tomorrow.

[zeberdee]

Any chance you have the dimensions of your repair section ?
Or is is just generic ‘gas pipe’ ?

Think I’ve spotted some rust in the same area & need to repair it over winter .

👍

[Dez]

It’s 4.5” diameter, 1/4” wall seamless, which I believe is standard UK gas main size from the friend in the industry who got me it. It’s fairly common to get hold of, I have various off cuts for doing bag spacers and stuff like this.

You only need 2.5” of it so you should be able to get some for basically nothing.

[Dez]

Well things are happening but the clever stuff isn’t finished yet so here’s some basics.

Good suspension stuff liberated from ropey chassis-


I needed a front spring eye pin as one was wrong, luckily I’d had the two on the right in the bottom of a box of junk for 22 years or so. 😂


Next i reassembled all the stuff I didn’t want onto the chassis I’m selling to keep it a complete roller.




And the last thing you can have today is my blasted and power coated satin black barrels I collected today, along with the blasted centres for me to paint tomorrow.