Hey Jeff:

After you pointed me to the Mazda B2600i I did some nationwide craigslist searches. While this is not scientific, my subjective impression is that there are far more Mazda 4x4 pickups out there - especially with the coveted extended cab - than Mitsubishis.

And by the way, is that what the "i" means in B2600i??

Anyway, thanks for the brand new line of inquiry. I have now come to understand that the simplest Mitsubishi retrofit is into trucks that came with a 2.6l engine and 5 speed standard transmission. Yes? Is this the same basis for the cross compatibility to the Mazda B2600s? In other words, do the Mazdas and Mitsubishis use the same 2.6L engine and transmission?

Finally, I seem to recall having read here that the 2.6L engines were failure prone. Did I misunderstand this? Now that I'm retired and not making that big money anymore for me to afford to do a conversion to a 4D55T engine I'm gonna have to find a truck with a dead engine. As much as I'd like to have something pristine I have other family commitments and can't afford $3200 for a toy.

Thanks to each one of you for educating me about all this.

Vernon