# New owner of 93 HB 2wd, undoing a bad lowrider



## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Hi everyone, new to the forum. Im sure I will have a number of questions getting my truck up to speed for reliable daily use.

Needed a small work truck, came across a 93 HB that had suffered from a poorly conceived lowrider conversion. Otherwise, really liked the truck, wanted to save it from these misguided kids that need a good smack instead of a drivers license. 

Truck is not in otherwise poor condition for my area, body is ok, damage to the driver door and rocker from inpact making a 14 inch long, 2 inch wide gap between door and floor. That will be fixed hopefully soon. Some typical rust in the bed poorly repaired, and what looks like a rusty stress fracture in the frame behind the front tires on both sides. That will be fixed too, very soon. Super base model, one aux belt that drives the alternator. Everything else is manual. Just what I was looking for. Very few things that can break.

Adjusted ride height off the rubber stoppers, put some tires on it, fixed the brakes, and now ive just been driving it to get a feel for its quirks. Problems left to fix before safety inspection are trashed wiper motor transmission from ice and retarded kids without a scraper or a clue, seized rusty parking brake cables, corroded lighting, and a rear bumper from somewhere. Also, I am not too happy with the bearings after all the jarring they have experienced with no suspension; I will probably replace all 4 before winter comes around. 

Runs great, but I am getting very poor fuel economy. Needs a tune up this weekend, but what should I be looking for in mileage from the 4 cyl 2wd 5-speed model once things are new?


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## Nissan1988 (Aug 9, 2009)

I still have the window sticker from my truck, 1988 Z2.4i w/automatic. It says I should get 18 city and 26 freeway. In real life I get 24 mpg on free way.


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## 1989D21 (Mar 21, 2009)

I've gotten 30 mpg highway going 60mph. This is with a 5spd HB with over 200K miles.... My average is about 26mpg


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

imo a wheel alignment is called for..


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

alignment coming up, I did a quick tape measure verification just to make sure the wheels arent sanding, and its pretty straight at the moment. Ironically, it looks like it was aligned before they screwed with the ride height, because now it tracks straight back to stock.

Have a lead on my fuel economy problem. When I picked the truck up, I had a brake drag that would eventually stop the truck from moving at all after it heated up enough. I put two new calipers and pads on the front (rotors were good amazingly), and new shoes and hardware on the rear. The lower pins on both calipers were seized and I dealt with that thinking originally that was the problem. The problem is a lot less, but there is still a slight drag that heats up and nearly stops the truck, but not from the calipers or any brake hardware. 

The problem has to be somewhere else, there is pressure being applied just slightly on all 4 wheels, and its causing a consistent problem. 

The POs put a new master cylinder on it, is there an adjustment for this truck? I know on some vehicles a misadjustment can cause a similar problem. any ideas?


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

there are different size lengths rods for the mc..


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Ok, its been a few weeks, improvements made-

-Replaced driver side crushed door with nice junkyard one, took it to a body shop that was able to actually pull the rocker panel back out almost completely to my amazement. They also reinforced and painted it nicely.

-Installed a 1998 chrome bumper off of a frontier that actually fit fairly nicely. I only needed to drill two holes in the brackets and bolt it down.

-Repaired assorted electrical problems and installed new wiper transmission.

Total investment so far is 500 bucks for the truck, 30 for the bumper, 30 for the door, 200 for the rocker repair, 200 for brake work and whatnot. Looks like Im going to exceed my budget for 1000 bucks, but in the end the truck will be nice and solid.

Now I am fabricating some frame reinforcement steel plates for the rust problem. Went through the whole truck frame with a ball peen hammer looking for other surprises, and its pretty good otherwise. 

The bed is horribly rusted; I will leave it alone until after winter, its a pandora's box that is wise not to open right now. Structural integrity is good, but there is very little left of actual bed floor and it has been 'repaired' with thin sheet metal and screws. 

The brakes are still an issue, verified pedal adjustment, but I still have not pulled the master cylinder and measured the rod. anyone have a pic of a stock one?


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## rockcrusher44 (Oct 7, 2006)

Sounds like a interesting little project. Throw up some pictures when you can. Good luck.


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## minitrkingking (May 10, 2009)

Sounds like my truck almost exactly, bought it cheap and trying to stay under a grand while running down all the little problems.


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Ill have to do some research on how to post pictures, my understanding is that the free way is to post in the gallery and link to here? That or use an image hosting domain which I need to figure out how to do. 

Got the brakes narrowed down to three possible causes, on further more advanced inspection it seems that its not all 4 brakes seizing up, just the front two. I drove a few miles down to the auto store to pick up some other parts, and when I left, the brakes locked up so hard I was nearly smoking the rear tires trying to get across an intersection to park the truck. Not a good situation. Took a 30 minute walk, came back, hopped in and drove back no problem. If I continue to push this, I will toast the rotors and damage the wheel bearings further. 

When I put new brake hardware on there, I did not to my shame remove and clean the slides on the caliper brackets with a cookie or a sandblaster, I just hit them with some sand paper which was not enough. Rust and corrosion underneath the new clips could be making it hard for the pads to slide properly.

2nd option is that the master cylinder on there could be adjusted too far out, causing a slight drag that could be doing the same thing.

3rd could be failing brake hoses to the tires, they could be broken down enough that they are preventing proper return flow of brake fluid and are keeping the pads in contact.


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

if the brakes are locking up then it is most likely the out put rod of the booster is too far out and is keeping the mc on all the time even though the brake pedal is not pushed..


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## CMax03 (Jan 17, 2009)

Check the condition of your brake fluid...it's probably never been changed if they were a s stupid as you claimed them to be! New mater cylinder and front calipers may be needed... but I'm just long distance guessing ! You'll need to look into these items further!


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## smikster (Aug 12, 2008)

my 93 i had was same setup and i got 24-26 in town and 28-34 highway...wooo the wind


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Passed NY state safety inspection! Ha ha! 

put in new rear springs and welded in my 1/4 inch plate frame reinforcement plates, I made three pieces for each side that sandwiched the frame all around and welded it all together. It is now by far the strongest part of this truck. 

Still working on pictures through alternate hosting. Ill post some up when I figure it out.

Also picked up a nice aluminum side accessible cap for almost nothing. Only problem now is that thing is hideous in flat black, a green door, and a yellow cap.


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

pictures- (tell me if this works)

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

truck looks amazingly crappy, but there are daily improvements


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

look at that truck..

lol i just love these little trucks.

the drivers doors is the same color as the truck the leafs came from..


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

*More Progress*

Been actually driving this thing fairly regularly now, and despite a few hiccups and it being totally hideous, im liking it more and more.

Since last time I posted, ive done nothing towards repairing the brake problem. However, its changed in nature as the truck gets used. Now instead of a constant drag, its an intermittent drag. Sometimes I can drive all day without any problem, and others it immediately starts dragging and eventually locks up.

I think this new behavior rules out the master cylinder, since, correct me if im wrong, but if it were mis-adjusted it would a constant problem, not off and on. 

Im thinking now that it can be either one of three things, caliper slide issues, (unlikely since I just went through and tuned them up), some kind of proportioning valve problem, (im not sure of the setup on this truck), and most likely in my opinion, collapsing front brake hoses. I feel like that makes the most sense as far as it being on and off. Ill start there and see how it reacts.

Also went through and tightened all the loose bolts everywhere, including missing nuts and bolts on the alternator and belt tensioner (no wonder it wasn't charging properly), and replaced and rerouted all corroded battery cables. 

It now starts faster and stronger and idles healthier. Tune up and maybe a little paint this weekend depending on the weather!


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Tune up complete, gained what feels like 30 or 40 HP! Original spark components were all corroded and nasty. I also had a rust leak problem on the top of the distributor, ended up sealing it up with some silicone on the top to prevent that. Threw a spare set of pricey miata plugs in there.


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

just keep in mind that ain't no hot rod..

and put the regular plugs in it b4 u burn a hole in the piston tops..


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Should be ok, stock miata is only 90 something HP. They were just better quality plugs for that application.


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

holy crap, I just got 130 miles to a tank of fuel. That would be less than ideal fuel economy. There must be some kind of additional drag other than the occasional brake issue, cause it seems to be rolling just fine 90% of the time and it is definitely not leaking fuel.

It also runs great with no clear issues that would indicate such terrible fuel economy.


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

read the codes..


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

How? if its 93, it must be some form of OBD 1, right?. It is showing no MIL lights of any kind. Did OBD 1 on these trucks carry hidden codes?


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

read the sticky at the top of this forum..


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Oh yeah, thanks. I should have looked up there.

Resolved the brake issue, Zanegrey was correct, it was a push rod issue, but actually it was adjusted too far IN, instead of out. 

I borrowed a lift and replaced the hoses and re-lubricated all the brake hardware, I pulled the master cylinder and discovered that the pushrod was misadjusted.

It appears to have never been touched, and my theory is that as the truck aged, the linkages wore and the rod was never adjusted to take up slack. Instead of stopping on the way in at the 10.25-10.50 mm spec, it had worked its way down to 5 mm.

The stopper plate on the back of the master cylinder had been deformed over time as the spool valve part of the master came slamming back into it unsupported by the too short push rod. The spool was resting 5mm in from where it should have been, and this must have restricting return flow to the reservoir like a one way valve. 

It looks like the PO replace the master, but did not adjust back to spec, so over time this stopper plate got damaged and caused this problem, but it must have worked fine until the plate changed shape, so it may have appeared to have been repaired. 

I adjusted it back up to spec and replaced the plate. Brakes work perfect now, lets see if it lasts and we will know that this was all of the problem, or if i have to re-adjust.


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

working brakes are a very nice option ...

have you thought about an electric fan for some added hp gain ?

probably a 25% gain ..with header pipe and a kn (type )filter probably another 20 % 
gain .

with a larger diameter free flo exhaust you would be very close to 150 hp..


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Not really, this thing is more about having a reliable winter vehicle than anything else. 

I want to bring it back up to completely reliable and in good condition for any driving requirement, maybe paint it since it looks like hell, then just drive it and try and keep it from rusting apart completely. 

Ill keep all the modding to the summer, fall, and spring cars.


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

with the fan mod u r looking at >15% reduction in fuel consumption ..

it revs easier and faster....
ime...


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

well shit, those are all great reasons to do that. Anything concerning fuel economy is always interesting to me.

Should I grab a fan out of a newer truck? Im looking around for threads on this subject as we speak


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Ok, in the past month, improvements have been to put in bucket seats and axe the crappy bench which was bent in the middle. Getting ready for a new clutch, and I need to replace the chain tensioner and guides since that is now starting to make noise.

In the last month ive averaged almost 1000 miles a week running all over the northeast. I now officially love this truck. It has been very reliable, peppy, and (once the buckets were installed) comfortable.

I am at about 1500 dollars total on the truck now with everything, and have decided I am going to continue slowly restoring it and keep it. Since this is the new plan, I need to find a decent bed for it. 

If you've got one lying around, let me know


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## terdybukrat (Oct 4, 2004)

If only you were closer to NC...I've got a '93 that I only got for the motor(no title). It rear-ended another car so the hood, drivers side fender, grill and front lights are messed up. Other than those and the motor, it's complete.


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

is it a short bed? hows the rust in the bed? Whats the color?

Its amazing whats possible to ship these days


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## terdybukrat (Oct 4, 2004)

Been trying to upload pics, but can't seem to make it work. If you send an email to [email protected], I'll email them to you. It's red, in excellent condition outside. I havent taken the bedliner out, so I'm unsure underneath. However it has been in NC it's whole life and should be good. It is still on the truck.


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Well, the HB was sold last weekend! I have been using it way and way more for really long distance drives, like 600 plus miles a week, where the fuel economy is starting to sting a bit! I was using it less as a truck, what I really need is an old diesel or 3cyl metro for now. Something that gets 30-40 mpg and I can lean back in.

Ended up selling it to a guy who really needed a small work truck for his sub contracting business on home repair; he was super excited to have it and loved the truck.


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

i will be expecting my cut....


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## tinworm (Aug 20, 2009)

Ha ha, maybe! I told him how 90% of the money I put into this truck was undoing the lowrider baloney, and he was sort of interested in how it can be made back into a lowrider for petes sake!

"really?, you can adjust the ride height by relieving the tension on the torsion bars?" 

I told him that if he did that, its utility as a work truck would be nil, and if he did, I don't want to hear about it. I did tell him to at least do it right, and put some quality work into it versus what was done. That seemed to sober him up a bit. 

I think he needs a work truck more than a lowrider though, so perhaps the truck will continue to enjoy its lovely suspension partially provided be zanegrey!


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

seriously dude ..i want my cut...

lol...


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