The red one. A small Ford pickup with a Mazda heart — stock motor, loud cab, and a story in every panel. Spin it. Then read what it is.
The truck, in 3D
Drag to spin · pinch or scroll to zoom
Tap a number on the truck — or pick a view.
Year
1979
Color
Bright red
Motor
Ford 2.3L Lima
Gears
5-speed stick
Drive
Rear-wheel
Built by
Mazda, for Ford
01 — Measured, not guessed
Size
Length
175 in
Wheelbase
106.9 in
Width
≈ 66.5 in
Bed
61 × 77 in
Short bed, short wheelbase, honest size. The 3D model above is built to these numbers — 175 inches nose to tail, just like the real truck.
02 — Bone stock, and proud of it
The motor
Ford 2.3L LimaFour cylinders, overhead cam, 2-barrel carb. Stock, just as it left the factory.
Blue topBlue valve cover with the Ford oval cast in. Big round timing cover at the front — blue too, whatever the paperwork says.
SparkMitsubishi electronic distributor — small, tan cap, low at the front beside the alternator. No ignition box anywhere.
No air cleanerThe carb wears none right now — its throat sits open. That's how it sits, so that's how it's written.
A quirkThe lights dim at idle, then come back up when you drive. The little 35-amp alternator just works hard at low revs.
The motor, in 3D
First pass
Built from 18 photos of the real motor. Shapes and places are right — blue cover, round timing cover, alternator low at the front, carb open on top. Fine detail comes later.
Front cornerTiming cover, alternator, distributor — all where the photos put them.From the topFord oval on the blue cover. Carb open — no air cleaner, on purpose.The sideIntake and carb on one side, exhaust on the other.
Parts and facts
The settled facts, in one place. These are the numbers that fit THIS truck.
Part
What it is
Number / source
Note
Distributor
Mitsubishi electronic, magnetic pickup
Ford OEM D77Z-12127-B (Cardone 31-675)
No ignition box anywhere.
Distributor cap
—
MD602949
Small tan cap.
Coil
—
Intermotor UF-7
—
Alternator
Mitsubishi, external regulator
35 amp
Lights dim at idle — that's this alternator at low revs.
The book
Haynes manual
268
Ground truth for this truck's facts.
03 — As it sits, not as it shipped
How it sits today
Bright redBench seat inside, black with a fine red grid. The bench sits 3 inches high — there's a sub under it.
Heater deletedThe whole heater is out — box, core, all of it. A racing switch plate covers the hole in the dash. The plate is not hooked to anything.
Starts on the keyThe plain stock key switch does the starting. The red start button on the plate is just for looks.
Quiet floorSKAR sound mat over the ribbed floor pans. Carpet's out, floor rust repair under way.
The detailsHoundstooth door panels. A big white-face tach on top of the dash. Skull-and-crossbones shade on the back window. A black whip antenna on the passenger fender.
04 — The engine bay is stock. The cab is not.
The sound system
Head unit
Kenwood
Amp one
Taramps 440×4
Amp two
Taramps Bass 400
Sub
10″ Pioneer
Two amps, back wallBoth Taramps amps ride on a board on the back wall of the cab, each with its own 50-amp fuse.
Kick panelsA 6.5-inch speaker in each one, at 4 ohms.
B pillarsA 3-inch and a 2.5-inch speaker in each pillar, wired together at 2 ohms.
The sub10-inch Pioneer under the bench, passenger side, pointing down. The bench was lifted 3 inches to fit it — that's the whole reason for the lift.
05 — Rods, levers, cables. Almost no wires.
How it works
This truck is about 90% mechanical. Pick a system — the steps light up in order, like following a rod with your finger.
Tap one:
06 — Why this truck exists
The story
In the 1970s, Ford needed a small truck. Mazda already built one — the B-series — so Ford sold it with a Ford badge and called it the Courier. This one is a 1979, from the last years of that run.
Under the hood it is bone stock: the Ford 2.3 Lima, a carb, and not much else. Nothing fancy, nothing hidden. That's the point of it.
The fun is in the cab and the bed. A bench lifted for a sub. Amps on the back wall. Speakers in the pillars. The heater gone, a race plate in its place that does nothing at all — and a plain stock key that starts it every time.
It is a work truck that got turned into a toy, one piece at a time. This page is its record: what it is, and how it sits today.
The log
2026-11-15Engine blockout built in Blender from 18 photos of the real motor.
2026-11-15This page rebuilt as a design showcase.
2026-11-123D model matched to the real truck: 175 in long, just like the truck.
