Alright, finally getting around to posting some of the things I've done, and looking for a bit of insight on my next steps:
Bought the rampage a couple years ago, and while it was in decent condition, in order of fixes and replacements, I:
cleaned out the fuel lines, replaced all filters and vacuum lines
upgraded the carb to a weber 32/36 DFEV (shop did the arm swap out)
redid the wiring to the rear brake lights, replaced the backup sensor, removed the custom light toggles and put back in a stock setup (paid for this, but was never done), new shocks and springs (shop put them in)
traveled 600ish miles to get a topper for it and swapped out the tonneau cover (still have it, and the cargo bars)
dialed in my timings and upgraded my cluster to the rallye cluster, broke my oil sensor and learned how to use an extractor in the parking lot I bought the new sensors from, and put in a new fuel pump
new tires, fixed wiring, fixed the janky fan setup with the stock setup, new clutch pad, lots of shifting corrections (broke the holding bracket, paid a shop to weld it back on)
remade part of the shifting linkage, new alternator, new battery, new voltage sending unit (not the right name, can't remember what it was called, but it bolted into the firewall and looked like a cigarette case (eventually found the fix 800 miles from home, a bad wire connection from the alternator to the battery. I paid three shops to check that connection, and none of them did on that long and awful drive)
fixed a broken bolt on the positive clamp connecting to the battery (coulda been the original issue this whole time with my engine stuttering, and battery issues)
swapped my broken speedometer out with the one that came with the rallye cluster, new CV axles, new motor mount pads, and new ignition coil
Probably some other stuff here and there, like the millions of broken door handles I've gone though (still haven't put the door panel back on for fear that when I do, it'll immediately snap again), but now I'd like to mention my planned updates/upgrades.
New working tach (pretty sure the issue is a bad cap on the breadboard, but there's no info for it in the books, and the cap itself is old and the lingo is impossible for me to decrypt)
installing the center console, replacing the glove box, and installing the shifter arm rest thingie I bought from here
fix the hazard lights (narrowed it down to steering column which means no rush what so ever to fix it), fix the radio (antenna or signal booster issue), seal the shifting rod so water stops rusting and stripping the spline clamp connection, remove the bumper and clean off all the rust and install the caps I found on ebay for it
seal the chips on the topper and redo the rubber seam/upgrade to that super ugly and wonderful topper that sticks well above the body
fix a small ding just behind the driver door, and remove all rust, redo the hood glue that binds the sheet metal to the frame
repaint the bad boy the stock silver, xline the bed and underbody (up to the lower portion of the main body
upgrade engine to the 2.5l and upgrade the transmission to whatever works best with the new motor (and all the hard stuff that i don't quite understand that goes with that)
that's pretty much it. I learned how to tool on this truck. I bought it for that purpose: to learn on, to have a decent little pickup that was fuel efficient, and to have a manual rig. It's been pretty good to me, honestly. Very few times have I been stranded. I have most of the tools on hand to replace most issues that could crop up, and it's surprisingly few.
If anyone knows the magic combinations of engines and transmissions, and harnesses, and fuse blocks that'd work, i'd really appreciate some insight. This kinda came up on the official scamp/rampage thread and I thought it would best left to another post. I'll upload some pictures later. I had to install those hood clamps that all the fast rigs use because a mechanic slammed the hood down on the wooden dowel the previous owner was using to prop up the hood, which warped my hood just enough that anything over 50mph meant the hood would try to recreate the ending to Free Willy. Really wish I coulda fixed that without having to drill into the hood.
Bought the rampage a couple years ago, and while it was in decent condition, in order of fixes and replacements, I:
cleaned out the fuel lines, replaced all filters and vacuum lines
upgraded the carb to a weber 32/36 DFEV (shop did the arm swap out)
redid the wiring to the rear brake lights, replaced the backup sensor, removed the custom light toggles and put back in a stock setup (paid for this, but was never done), new shocks and springs (shop put them in)
traveled 600ish miles to get a topper for it and swapped out the tonneau cover (still have it, and the cargo bars)
dialed in my timings and upgraded my cluster to the rallye cluster, broke my oil sensor and learned how to use an extractor in the parking lot I bought the new sensors from, and put in a new fuel pump
new tires, fixed wiring, fixed the janky fan setup with the stock setup, new clutch pad, lots of shifting corrections (broke the holding bracket, paid a shop to weld it back on)
remade part of the shifting linkage, new alternator, new battery, new voltage sending unit (not the right name, can't remember what it was called, but it bolted into the firewall and looked like a cigarette case (eventually found the fix 800 miles from home, a bad wire connection from the alternator to the battery. I paid three shops to check that connection, and none of them did on that long and awful drive)
fixed a broken bolt on the positive clamp connecting to the battery (coulda been the original issue this whole time with my engine stuttering, and battery issues)
swapped my broken speedometer out with the one that came with the rallye cluster, new CV axles, new motor mount pads, and new ignition coil
Probably some other stuff here and there, like the millions of broken door handles I've gone though (still haven't put the door panel back on for fear that when I do, it'll immediately snap again), but now I'd like to mention my planned updates/upgrades.
New working tach (pretty sure the issue is a bad cap on the breadboard, but there's no info for it in the books, and the cap itself is old and the lingo is impossible for me to decrypt)
installing the center console, replacing the glove box, and installing the shifter arm rest thingie I bought from here
fix the hazard lights (narrowed it down to steering column which means no rush what so ever to fix it), fix the radio (antenna or signal booster issue), seal the shifting rod so water stops rusting and stripping the spline clamp connection, remove the bumper and clean off all the rust and install the caps I found on ebay for it
seal the chips on the topper and redo the rubber seam/upgrade to that super ugly and wonderful topper that sticks well above the body
fix a small ding just behind the driver door, and remove all rust, redo the hood glue that binds the sheet metal to the frame
repaint the bad boy the stock silver, xline the bed and underbody (up to the lower portion of the main body
upgrade engine to the 2.5l and upgrade the transmission to whatever works best with the new motor (and all the hard stuff that i don't quite understand that goes with that)
that's pretty much it. I learned how to tool on this truck. I bought it for that purpose: to learn on, to have a decent little pickup that was fuel efficient, and to have a manual rig. It's been pretty good to me, honestly. Very few times have I been stranded. I have most of the tools on hand to replace most issues that could crop up, and it's surprisingly few.
If anyone knows the magic combinations of engines and transmissions, and harnesses, and fuse blocks that'd work, i'd really appreciate some insight. This kinda came up on the official scamp/rampage thread and I thought it would best left to another post. I'll upload some pictures later. I had to install those hood clamps that all the fast rigs use because a mechanic slammed the hood down on the wooden dowel the previous owner was using to prop up the hood, which warped my hood just enough that anything over 50mph meant the hood would try to recreate the ending to Free Willy. Really wish I coulda fixed that without having to drill into the hood.