Team MightyBoy

hey guys,
i just recently got a mighty, a 1987 543 version, a really well looked after one shipped up from interstate.
have had problems with idling, but a diesel fitter mate seems to believe its a blocked injector and will check the idle solenoid for power as my boy has the meter at work.
i think thats what needs doing anyhow. he as the only one that managed to get her to idle without the choke.
my problem though is what to do with her. i want her to be a wee rocket, being confident of handling it because of a bit of a kart history, but after stalking these forums for a few weeks, i have found that my little eyes glaze over after a while.
i have a notebook filling with bits from this forum, about what and with what that is mentioned by some of you guys, and have talked to a few mechanics and an engineer. all have varying opinions, and obviously, none as detailed and as informed as you.
i was wondering if i could bounce something off you in the hope of finding some way to less frustratingly move forward on this journey i have begun.
I am a 40+ mum of two, and a bunch of creatures with a smarter half who is away for big slabs of time. thus the additional unnatural frustration!basically i am in townsville, an autocultural chasm at the best of times, so resources here professionally are thin on the ground, even some of the dealerships cant fix the cars of their namesakes sadly.

What sort of motor - upgrade - would be the easiest to aquire, install and maintain for someone with my handicaps, both professionally and geographically? k6a sounds interesting, as does the cb thingy mentioned a while ago. turbo would be nice, although little blower also sounds intriguing. ahhh what do i do? i am getting so frustrated with the lack of resources up here, i have been tempted to put her up adoption already.

As you probably already know, F8B's are the quickest and easiest alternative to stock.. But because parts are getting harder to find all the time it's difficult to find F8B's in good working order.

There has been a few threads getting around about engine possibilities so if you spend a bit of time searching through older posts you should find the details of each engine.

Here's a couple of possibilities:

F8B - Hatch, Alto, etc.
F8C - Daewoo Matiz
F5A/F5B - jap import
F6A - jap import
K6A - jap import
CB60 - Daihatsu Charade
CB90?? <---I'm not sure if this one is available in australia.

That's a start for you, if you search around you should find more technical info about each engine.

Thanks so much. would you mind considering a few other blonde questions in a bit?

Blond...
um, i'm not sure we can help you..
Haha, just kidding.

Of course, that's what this website is here for.
I'm pretty sure at least one of the guys/girls on here can help out with whatever questions you've got, as not many people can tell you what you need to know if you go to repco or whatever and ask about these cars.

stevan_istheman wrote:As you probably already know, F8B's are the quickest and easiest alternative to stock.. But because parts are getting harder to find all the time it's difficult to find F8B's in good working order.

Not if you're willing to pay decent money. Finding a good F8B for peanuts is a totally different story.

To answer the original question though, there are numerous pro's and cons for choosing any engine for transplant into your ute. If you give us an idea of budget and how much effort you want to go to, then I'm sure we can narrow your choices down somewhat.

Certain options can get ludicrously expensive, and the more power you add, the more work you have to do elsewhere to make sure the power doesn't exceed the limits of braking/handling.

hey, thanks for that too.
basically, at my disposal i have a boilie who has aready done lots of minitubbing , rails, exhausts, and other associated bits, but for way bigger cars and motors.
i also have the guilt thing (because of his MANy existing toys) that is worth probably $5k and maybe more if i lean hard, or if he takes a shine to her.
so if there is anything that needs mods, my honey can do it and we have an engineer up here also who knows his work and likes it and who is happy to help.
my boy has suggested the gti motor and seems to like the idea, however he is also away a bit, and a lot of mods means i cant get mighty going for a while.
so, something relatively easy to get and install, that will make a difference in performance would be where we would probably go. he also suggested a front cut, or a whole car to do it. just dont know what sort i should start looking for. have come across a swift for 1500 but not sure about compatibility.
and... is a/c possible?
thanks for your time and sorry for being so blonde, bad week.

find a good import front cut. they also come with air-con if u look around.

that will have all the bits, apart from the custom mounting and shafts that will need to be created to make it happen

Hi welcome to the site .
you mention there was a thought the idling problem may be injectors. the standard engine did not have injectors just plain old carby, which probably only needs a good cleanout, although the diaphragms can give trouble, there is info on here if you search on making manual accelerator which cures the diaphragm problems.
but don't ignore simple maintenance stuff like good clean spark plugs and good coil lead and plug leads. I had a MB that ran like a pig. Changed one plug and good as gold.
Of course if it has the injected motor that is a completely different kettle of fish.