The Rise and Fall of Chrysler’s Mitsubishi Forte Pickup: The Ultimate Sleeper Truck
The 1980s were a golden age for small pickups in the United States, and Chrysler found success selling the Mitsubishi Forte pickups under their Plymouth and Dodge badges. These trucks, even after Mitsubishi began selling them directly, continued to be popular with American buyers. One such truck, the 1987 Ram 50 2WD short bed, weighed just over 2,500 pounds and boasted a 2.0-liter G63B four-cylinder engine producing 90 horsepower. However, despite its peppy performance, Chrysler knew that “there’s no replacement for displacement.”
Enter the engine swap. Somewhere along the line, someone decided to replace the original four-cylinder engine with a Chrysler small-block V8. And what’s fascinating about this swap is that it didn’t involve the usual suspects like a Chevrolet or Ford small-block V8. Instead, it was a Chrysler LA-series V8 that found its way into the engine compartment. The LA-series V8 was known for its width, which made it a bit trickier to fit into a small vehicle compared to the narrower Chevy and Ford small-blocks.
The fact that the engine swap was done with a Chrysler V8 suggests that the desire to keep it all Dodge might have played a role in the decision. However, given the truck’s Mitsubishi roots, it seems unlikely that loyalty to the brand alone drove this choice. The most plausible explanation is that the person who did the swap happened to have a Chrysler V8 engine on hand and decided to go with it.
While the exact engine used in this swap is unclear, the most likely candidates are the 318 (5.1-liter) or the 360 (5.8-liter) V8. Both engines were readily available and affordable during the past few decades. However, it’s worth noting that these engines, especially during the Malaise Era, didn’t offer impressive power output. But, anyone with the skills to perform an engine swap like this would likely have applied some power-enhancing modifications before installing it.
With an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold and a better camshaft, power levels of around 300 to 350 horsepower could be easily achieved with one of these engines, even with stock exhaust manifolds. To accommodate the larger engine, a hole was cut in the hood and a scoop added since even a low-profile air cleaner would not have cleared the stock hood.
Although a manual transmission would have been ideal for a truck like this, the swap likely included the installation of a Torqueflite 727 three-speed automatic transmission. This setup would have made the truck a handful to drive, with the majority of the weight over the rear wheels and triple the factory power. It’s safe to say that this truck would have been a tire-melting, fishtailing beast on the road.
While passing an emissions test in California would have been nearly impossible with this engine swap, this truck was found in Nevada, where emissions regulations are more lenient. This provided the opportunity for the owner to create a truly unique and powerful sleeper truck.
Ultimately, this modified Mitsubishi Forte pickup represents a bygone era when small pickups were popular in America. The desire for more spacious cabins and additional creature comforts led to their decline in the following decade. However, this particular truck stands as a testament to the creativity and passion of car enthusiasts who continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. And in the case of Chrysler’s Mitsubishi Forte pickup, it’s proof that sometimes a bigger engine is all you need to turn a humble truck into a tire-scorching thrill ride.