As was the case with my Hyundai Stellar, my ownership of this 1986 Mazda B2000 can be tied to my Locost Seven project. Luckily, the Mazda met a happier fate than the Hyundai.
Having spent a lot of money on the Seven’s frame and body panels, it was hard to justify fitting my roadster with an old Hyundai motor and began a search for a spiffier engine., The list of options that fit nicely into a Lotus Seven-style engine compartment is surprisingly small and I knew I didn’t want any sort of scoop or blister protruding from the hood and that I preferred the simplicity of a carburetor fuel system. Any modern engines tend to be quite tall compared to the Ford crossflow or BMC A-series that the frame is designed around, and another, more obvious snag is that engines tend to be very heavy things to move about. Of course I couldn’t find anything in Canada, but there were several candidates in the United States. Shipping an engine is already a pricey affair, but shipping one across the border is monstrously expensive. A solution was to ship the engine to a border town in Montana and transport it on my own from there. The family minivan was too new at the time to subject to dirty hauling duty, and the border warehouse insisted on a pickup or cargo van to load the engine into, so buying a cheap, disposable truck was the solution.
I’ve never been a big truck person, but have always been intrigued by the mini trucks that were popular in the ’70s and ’80s. My first choice would have been a Datsun purely for style considerations, but no dirt cheap runners were available to buy on short notice, so I began a search for my second choice, the Mazda B-series. I managed to locate a good runner with higher kms on it for $400. For this sort of price, there would obviously be compromises. The looks were probably the most obvious, with rust spots on the body, mild front end accident damage, a windshield full of cracks and neglected looking wheels being the most visible imperfections. The second most notable compromise was not seen but hear; the exhaust had partially rotted away in front of the muffler making anything over idle a little (very) noisy. On the plus side, the clutch was brand new.
While not blessed with an overabundance of power, the FE-series 2.0L straight four engine ran like a top. You can just see a hint of it under the giant air cleaner housing and all the computer-controlled carburetor-related hoses. A single overhead cam design, the engine was perfectly square with an 86 millimeter bore and stroke. Output was rated at only 86 horsepower which was fully usable with the slick five-speed manual, which shared its guts with the Rx-7 sports car, making it uncommonly smooth shifting for a truck.
The interior was actually in quite good condition, if a little dusty. A quick wipe down with a wet cloth had it looking quite presentable and I actually enjoyed using this little truck as my commuter vehicle for just over a month.
Since the Toyota 4AGE engine I’d arranged to have shipped from Florida to Montana did not have a gearbox included with it, I needed to find a Toyota T50 manual transmission. These gearboxes were only (for North America) found in the now iconic rear-wheel-drive Corolla GTS and I had to travel in order to secure a reasonably priced one. It came attached to a 4AGE parts motor, so I knew I’d have all the needed bolts and fittings. While cheap, the snag was that I would have to travel to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan–just over 600kms (372 miles) away–to pick it up. The trip out there was uneventful, but I didn’t arrive until late in the evening. Not being familiar with the town, I took along my wife’s uncle who was a local. We met the seller in a parking lot and manhandled the engine from his truck to mine well after the sun had gone down. The drive back the next day was a little more exciting, with temperatures dropping to -30C /-22F along while a massive snow storm blew in. All sorts of vehicles had skidded into the ditch along the highway, but somehow my cheap little Mazda made in back in one piece.
I took a trip of similar distance in much better weather to Montana to pick up the good engine two weeks later, which proved uneventful. I was really enjoying the dependability of the little Mazda and briefly flirted with the idea of fixing the muffler and windshield and keeping it for myself, but eventually decided that I couldn’t justify the cost of an additional vehicle. The insurance company was starting to nag me as I had not yet completed the mandatory insurance safety inspection. In its then-current state, the truck would not have passed, so I ended up selling the truck to a coworker for the same $400 I’d bought it for. He put a modest amount of work into it and was still driving it years later when I lost contact with him, making the Mazda a great little short-term hauler indeed!
Awesome article! Sweet looking truck. These have been one of my favourite trucks when I was growing up. Why Mazda discontinued the B series pickup trucks is beyond me. I thought they should’ve continued offering pickup trucks to this very day to those who need them.
Only in the USA (& Canada presumably), they still sell them elsewhere
There was a “chicken” tax that made the Mazda truck import very expensive so eventually they merged production into the Ford Ranger line to avoid taxation.
Mazda / Ford mini pickups were indeed the best of the bunch , I drove and worked on them a fair good bit .
Mini trucks make very good sense but they never really sold well once the craze finished .
Other countries buy them by the boat load but not America .
-Nate
I’ve never thought of it as a “craze.” I thought it was a good thing to have. While full-sized trucks are good things to have for some jobs, not everyone needs, or wants a Ford F150, a Chevy/GMC C/K 10, a Dodge Ram D1500. Sometimes a Chevy S10/GMC S15, a Ford Ranger/Mazda B Series, a Dodge Dakota, a Toyota pickup truck (Tacoma), an Isuzu P’up/Chevy LUV, or a Mitsubishi Mighty Max/Dodge Ram 50 will work just fine.
I mean nothing against you, as I share most of the sentiment you expressed in your post.
But my OCD is being set off by a few of the errors in the way you listed the models.
Dodge went to four-digit designations with the new Rams in ’94, which was also when they stopped using D for 2WD and W for 4WD models. So it’s either “D-150” or “1500”.
The Chevy/GMC C/K 10 is “right,” but I’d assume if you’d like to compare apples to apples, you’d use the more modern four-digits or even Silverado/Sierra.
“F-150” is more correct than “F150,” but nobody notices (or cares), even me. Same with “S10” and “S15”.
More than all that, though, it might have been easier just to have said “a compact or midsized truck will work just fine.” (Plus you left out the poor unloved Nissan Hardbody/Frontier.)
And yes, I really do have nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than correct people on the Internet. This is what an English degree does to you, kids. Learn from my mistakes, and just say NO.
No offense taken. I agree. the F series used the – between the F and the numbers. Thus, F1 became F-1, F150 became F-150, etc. Dodge did use four digit after some time, although I didn’t know when the D or W 150 became the D or W1500. Did I leave out the poor Datsun/Nissan pickup? My bad! 🙂
If you didn’t think of it as a ‘ craze ‘ then obviously you were never there .
I remember driving a Mustard yellow Ford Courier (made by Mazda , Ford bought Mazda lock , stock & barrel in 1967) with ” FORD’S NEW 1800 C.C. IMPORT ” in a HUGE sticker across the rear window ~ it indeed , was a tough little truck , almost impossible to kill and many I know tried .
My ex Father In Law (a good Man if ever one lived) bought a ’72 Courier in the early 1990’s and thrashed it _mercilessly_ , driving it 40 miles each way every day , throttle pinned , he’d arrive and pour in a quart or two of oil and a gallon or so of tap water then head on back…..
The _second_ time he overheated it and blew the head gasket , I noticed the Babbitt cam bearings material had melted a tiny bit and looked like tear drops running down thew cam bearing towers….
We just slapped in another head gasket and it was good to go another TWO YEARS until he smacked a parked ’87 Buick Century early one Sunday morning on his way to the swap meet , I wrapped a chain through what was left of the right front headlight , grille and radiator , yanked it all out off the fan and crank pulley and it drove home just fine . he was upset I said it had to be junked after that ~ tough as nails was the Ford Courier trucklet .
Then there were the Datsun PL620’s with their OHC 1600’s , tin foil bodies but really strong chassis and super easy to hop up engines .
I had a ’71 and a ’78 , the ’78 was pretty smog choked and too cramped in the cab but still ready to work 24/7 .
The Mitsubishi/Dodge Ram/D50’s were absolute junk , anyone who ever owned or got stuck fixing one knows this , that’s why there are almost none left whilst Couriers and Datsuns still roam the roads .
I* personally like the Toyota 20R engine and rig too but my son’s (?) ’92 with 2.4 Liter four banger took several seasons of Desert Racing before needing minor engine freshening , also tough as nails .
I agree, tiny little trucklets are *very* good indeed but when the craze died folks simply stopped buying them even though every other country in the world buys them happily .
Many countries have tinier yet 1,000 C.C. trucklets , often with the rear coil suspension intruding in the bed’s side panels . too small to haul a Motocycle in even .
-Nate
I’m sorry about all the trouble you and people you knew had with trucks. I’ve always driven Toyotas. If there was a “craze” I guess I wasn’t caught up in it. The way I see it, people bought what they needed. A compact truck was there, and they needed a compact, so they bought it. Compact trucks have been around since the late 60s- early 70s, long before the craze hit America. My stepdad at the time drove a 1978 Toyota pickup truck.
Me , I had no troubles with them and especially loved the ’72 Datsun PL620 I owned , we put an early 5 speed into it and a Weber carby with larger jets , it flew and still got good fuel economy .
Datsun began importing mini trucks to America in 1959 , those were under powered but still as you said , folks who only needed to haul a little bit cheaply , enjoyed them .
-Nate
Your trip in the snowstorm was undoubtedly helped by the weight of that engine and gearbox over your rear wheels!
No doubt as the tires were merely ok.
Decent looking truck, but I am curious why you did not put a trailer hitch on the Minivan instead?
Does Alberta still have safety inspections? Aside from the windshield (maybe even with the windshield cracked) it would have passed inspection in several states.
A hitch and cargo trailer would have been the logical thing to do. I don’t always do the logical thing. This method was pretty cheap however – probably about $100 for the plate and insurance for a month and a half. Less than just a hitch.
Alberta has safety inspections mandated by your insurance company for vehicles 10-13 years old depending on the company. They are mostly a way for garages to make a little extra cash and less about safety. In theory you need a reasonable windshield, decent tires, decent brakes, decent suspension, decent exhaust, heater, lights and working wipers. Decent is up to the mechanics discretion. I’ve had perfect vehicles fail and questionable ones pass.
That’s crazy. The reason you have inspection company is to make sure a car or truck is safe enough to drive. How can a questionable car pass inspection and a perfectly good car fail?
I had a mechanic insist on re-wiring the signal lights to swap with the side markers on a Toyota Hilux. Absolutely no good reason except they wanted to make an extra few bucks. I’m sure the new owner had to have them swapped back to stock functionality.
More annoying I had a garage that destroyed a Nissan Micra of mine as they wanted to engineer an easy repairable issue by messing with the ignition module. This after they insisted on replacing a perfectly good ball joint. Ugh.
I don’t mind safety inspections if they were exactly that and only that.
We have ‘safety” inspections every 6 months its a pain in the arse and merely a revenue stream for inspection garages, Introduced at the behest of the Retail Motor Traders Association a lobby group my father belonged to, safety, yeah right.
Yes, those smooth 5 speeds in 70’s and 80’s Japanese trucks made it almost feel like you were driving a little sports car. A pleasure to drive!
I agree. My stepdad had a 1978 Toyota pickup truck when I was a boy. I remember it had a 2.2 litre 20R engine mated to a 5 spd manual transmission. I loved driving it. It may not have been as comfortable as some of today’s pickup trucks, but I was quite comfortable in it. I had plenty of head room, leg room, and body room. More comfortable than my current car, a 2006 Corolla.
I once hauled 2700lbs of scrap metal in my ’75 LUV one time. Truck never whimpered once, but I did a few times! Miss it.
My stepdad and I have hauled rocks and bricks with our 1978 Toyota pickup truck. it was a tough little truck, tougher than you’d think a compact truck would be. I miss that truck. 🙂
Oddly enough, it seems that the short term ownership of that little truck you bought and used to bring in parts for your project car gave you more satisfaction then the actual project car did.
I quite enjoyed my 2010 Ranger during the time i owned it. It was nice to have such a vehicle to haul crap around with out having to resort to getting my daily driver car dirty or torn up.
I do enjoy keeping a marginal vehicle on the road. Even better if it has some character to it.
Mazda utes are tough little suckers I once towed a 55 Austin Westminster on a ton and a half recovery trailer with a B1800 it towed it ok stopping was a mission but it was 120km highway trip very few traffic lights, car went on the trailer 800,cwt of motor and box on the back of the ute.
I always liked these trucks. One of these would be a perfect weekend beater. If I needed a weekend beater. You certainly did alright on the financial side of things.
My dad had a red longbox version of this. Good truck, if underpowered.
I had forgotten about that stripe package. When I was a kid I thought that looked pretty cool. A decade after that a lot of pickups had custom paint or graphics on them. Some were tacky, but still, I kind of miss the individuality of them.
My stepdad’s Toyota pickup truck was a bit underpowered, but it got the job done without protest.
A nice post on a long forgotten truck, perhaps the most carlike I’ve ever driven. I drove one once and that engine just purred.