Thanks for the great forum. IÔÇÖve been referencing it for the past 6 months or so and gotten lots of great information. I pulled this automatic 87 Raider from the back yard of the original owner. It had been sitting among 20 or so other cars that had been parked and given up on by them. It hadnÔÇÖt run since 2003 and the owner indicated the carb was acting up and they didnÔÇÖt want to put the money into fixing it. IÔÇÖve got a little family and decided this would be more fun for us than a 4-wheeler and cheaper than a side-by-side. It has the headlight washerÔÇÖs, bouncy seat and LSD which I understand is the off-road package. My goal here is to have a fun little vehicle for not much invested. The original tires were rotten and wouldnÔÇÖt hold air, so I picked up some cheap used rims so I can move it around when IÔÇÖm working on it. I know the 20ÔÇÖs wonÔÇÖt work for heavy off-roading but used tires for them are much easier to find around here than used 15in truck tires. I kept the stock rims if I ever want to remount them for more serious 4 wheeling. So far, IÔÇÖve changed fluids, had my daughter help bleed the brakes and installed a Weber carb. I took the Mikuni off with the intentions of rebuilding but it was such a rusted mess that most of the electronics in it were shot. I dropped the gas tank and that is a rusted mess as well, but IÔÇÖm in the process of cleaning it out and resealing it. I temporarily hooked up a snowblower gas tank and got the truck running enough to drive it into the garage while I finish working on it for the winter. IÔÇÖve given new life to a MG the previous owner had written off for dead a couple years ago so IÔÇÖm comfortable with all the normal things to check/replace but wanted to get your opinion on what quirky things about the Raider I should look out for. I did read that there are a bunch of grease zerks that will need attention. I havenÔÇÖt found anything showing where they are all at but they IÔÇÖm sure its out here something. It seems like the cooling system and head gaskets are suspect so torquing head bolts and ensure the cooling system is in good order are musts as well. Other than that, I found the rear rust above the rear wheels which will need some patching. If thereÔÇÖs anything else that I should check that one wouldnÔÇÖt normally think of please let me know. Oh, and if anyone knows where I can get a gas tank pickup/sending unit please let me know. Most places I found online indicate they are no longer available and the Raider/Montero is a rare car up here so I havenÔÇÖt been able to find one in a junkyard yet.
I bought one for my 93 Pajero (Gen 2) and it is pretty good. Mine includes an underside diagram of all the zerk fitting locations - about 10 of them! That alone may be worth the price. I can't predict what would be in the Raider publication, but it's a small gamble. Good luck - the Raider is one tough little beast.
Thanks, I had read through the stickie a couple of months ago and forgot about the service manual being out there. Appreciate the reminder.
On a side note I've been ordering parts from rockauto and noticed the manual aisin hubs there for what I would call a good price. I didn't see them listed under the Dodge Raider section but they were listed under the Montero of the same year if anyone is having trouble finding them.
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