Turbo Rotary Mazda B2600i Minitruck Build!

i have the truck column in right now but am debating using the rhd rx7 column.

everything is the same on them, but wiring for the turn signals and s*** shouldnt be hard to figure out.
 
The turn signals are the weird part. The sides are switched on RHD cars.
 
good to know lol.

too bad i dont have taillights haha.

hand signals ftw.


but seriously, i kinda figured they might be backwards but that info right there just confirmed it, so now atleast i know what to look for when i do put in some taillights
:thumbsup
 
pics for the whiners...

heres the hole on the right side for the steering. key note: harbor freight metal hole saws will not cut through anything thicker than 20 ga sheetmetal....

4822177286_365ef1034f_b.jpg


heres the steering box. it still needs degreased and painted up, but for mock up reasons it hasnt gotten much attention..

4821076691_d1cbd8b902_b.jpg


4822177284_c4d4e3af6c_b.jpg


heres the steering column mounted. it was loosely mounted in the pics, but afterwards i bolted it up securely and it sits about and inch higher. i will get some pics up with the steering wheel mounted later...

4821076699_6e8ff0b66d_b.jpg


heres the dash mounted. i just need to make a filler peice from the windshield to the dash and it will be golden.

4821076687_45b3a61490_b.jpg


i keep doing things to make my build harder and not easier, but i figure i might as well do it if the truck is torn apart, so i bought upper and lower fd rx7 intake manifolds. turns out u just use the upper with the fc lower, but i have to build an adapter and get some other parts to make it work, but the reason for this is less restriction and also it is easier to setup a fmic to and also it just looks about 100 times better imo...

4822177292_2046f5d796_b.jpg


and heres the turbo mani teaser. lol. great teaser right?

it will not look anything like this when its done obviously...

4822177274_ca99e15116_b.jpg


and heres the door panels i got. just need some controls for them and either dye them black or rewrap them. they will have to be cut up pretty good, so they will prolly have to be rewrapped, but theyre in pretty good shape...

4821076705_a2b2d3ba3a_b.jpg


well hopefully i can get some more done this weekend. today was supposed to be a garage day, but i have been running around all day like a chicken with my head cut off, so ya, hopefully i get some s*** done and can get some more pics up for u guys...

the build lives, i promise!
 
It is a bit weird driving a RHD vehicle. I always turned on the wipers instead of the turn signals, lol.

Shifting with your left hand is weird.

-Derrick
 
lol. i guess ill figure it out. the truck hardly ever gets driven, but maybe it will a little more now.

except its a damn cop magnet and i hate getting pulled over lol...
 
idk about that...

nothing to brag about yet.

maybe someday i will be able to say theyre jealous or pulling me over just to check it out, but i doubt that day will ever come...
 
ah well, there is always tomorrow for getting the truck done.

-Derrick
 
Last edited:
well it might take a few years to be completely done, but i want to have it running in a few months. atleast by next summer(yikes)...
 
well i have made some good progress in between my 36 hour hitches at work and imma hopefully get the rest of the cab cut out today before i get called out.

i decided it was going to be easier to cut the truck to the doors and cap the rockers before i got the cab completely cut out since it would be easier to manage with the cab being somewhat square.

i got strips of 1/8" sheetmetal for the caps since this is what the truck will be resting on and dragging when laid out now so i wanted a good structure.

continuing where i left off:

here is the rest of the front portion of the cab floor cut out. i still need to cut out the rear cab mounts and probably going to do a smooth rear cab wall also. we will see, but being is how i am redoing the whole floor i might as well lol. the frame will have to be sectioned and resupported and new fram mounts built to compensate for the almost 3 inches lower that i am going with the cab, but first things first...

4916967876_de943a524c_b.jpg


then both sides were measured and measured and measured before being cut. i made sure to leave a bit of excess under the door to weld to then it will be trimmed up to the proper height. i am just letting u all know now that this is not an actual doored truck. it will be an 1/8" from the door. the reason for this is that i want to be able to open my doors when laid out and also not drag my doors in half so that they seperate. the truck will have a show paint job eventually and i dont want to have to worry about messing up my paint from dragging. so hate if u want that its not doored, but dont second guess the amount of work that goes into this.
4916967890_7c62d77607_b.jpg


here u can see the cut with a small bit of excess. this will be trimmed later after the cap is welded on the bottom..
going for a 5 1/2" body drop when all is said and done..

4916967904_49ea75c1e4_b.jpg


here is a better look after the pink paint has been wire wheeled off and the edges have been cleaned up. almost to the door, but not quite. keep in mind the cap has not been welded on yet and there still needs to be some trimming.

4916967912_7fac9eeb31_b.jpg


doors on, doors off... lol

here it is stitch welded in place and trimmed up. both sides are done to the end of the door now. i just need to cut off the back support pinch weld and weld it all up...
4916967924_6ab7ae616d_b.jpg


heres a better picture of what needs trimmed off in the background and welded up so the cab will sit flat on the ground...

the caps had to be stitch welded because the stock sheetmetal is so thin it will warp if anyone was wondering y the welds were so small...
4916967940_b3ec53a996_b.jpg


and here is the finished product before being ground down and cleaned up a bit...
anyone gonna b**** about that 1/8"? i dont think so lol. u would hae to get down on ur hands and knees to realize it isnt doored at a show when its laid out anyways...
4916983636_31a247f065_b.jpg


back out the the garage today to get some braces welded in the cab to support the structure so i can finish cutting out the floor.

thanks for looking, and believe it or not, this is coming along nicely imo..
 
and heres some fun pics i took a week ago before i decided to tear into it. the truck wanted out of the garage for some sunlight while i cleaned the garage..

what a mess..

not everyday u see a rhd minitruck..
4917135064_bcc0b4a0d5_b.jpg


mt storage unit...
4917135058_58fec84e38_b.jpg


hard to believe its going to be almost 3 inches lower huh?
4917135050_2653da94c4_b.jpg
 
Your neighbors are probably calling the police as soon as it rolled out. I can hear the call now to the police "that guy left his stripped out truck in front of the house. Quick stop by with the police and give him a ticket to clean up his yard" lol

I have to hide my projects behind the fence.

-Derrick
 
Your neighbors are probably calling the police as soon as it rolled out. I can hear the call now to the police "that guy left his stripped out truck in front of the house. Quick stop by with the police and give him a ticket to clean up his yard" lol

I have to hide my projects behind the fence.

-Derrick
I was thinking the same thing about said neighbors... such a nice community, i'm sure working on cars in driveways is frowned upon by most... That's the nice thing about living in a trailer park :p HaHa!
 
Your neighbors are probably calling the police as soon as it rolled out. I can hear the call now to the police "that guy left his stripped out truck in front of the house. Quick stop by with the police and give him a ticket to clean up his yard" lol

I have to hide my projects behind the fence.

-Derrick
I just pulled the truck out to sweep the garage. Lol. Strangely enough my neighbors are pretty intrigued by my truck. The part that I was worried about is when the front clip showed up and they just dropped it in the driveway. Luckily I had the whole car torn down in less than eight hours.

I was thinking the same thing about said neighbors... such a nice community, i'm sure working on cars in driveways is frowned upon by most... That's the nice thing about living in a trailer park :p HaHa!
All the work is done in the garage. Never gave much thought to it. I know my buddy has had problems but he rents his house...
 
All the work is done in the garage. Never gave much thought to it. I know my buddy has had problems but he rents his house...
I'm sure it would be a bigger problem if you only rented...
But I understand that the work gets done inside... It would be super funny to go out with a DA Sander outside on a Windyish day... haha
 
Back