"New" Montero Sport owner

[happywanderer]

Hello all,



I'm new here to the site, new to the Montero and new to overlanding. I'm a walking newbie tri-fecta. I bought my little Monty Sport a couple of weeks back as a project car which actually means I bought a well used (129K miles) sport with the cash I had left from...well, that's a long sad story and no need to kill the forum buzz. In short it will be my DD as well as off-roader. I'm here looking for general information and to meet some well informed Sport owners.



I'd been looking at several makes but the brands I liked at a price I cold afford were just too beat up. I did quite a bit of research and I know that the engines and drivetrains are strong on these vehicles. I also liked the all wheel drive system. Unfortunately there are no maintenance records for this car but Carfax does not show any
reported accidents. It goes pretty well but it does idle rough, even after the throttle body was cleaned out. The handling is a bit vague, which seems normal for the truck. But I have to say i like it. I don't know exactly why but do.



Fix it list:



a) New tires - The ones on her are at the wear bar. Given most of my driving will be on pavement, I'm considering Goodyear Silent Armor or Firestone Destination A/T. Suggestions welcome.

b) New shocks- Again, suggestions from the pros welcome.



c) Timing belt and water pump. I'm assuming this has not been done given that there are no maintenance records.



d) Lift? Nothing too radical and I'm not fully sure its necessary. I'm not building a crawler here.



e) Bull bar and new rear bumper, skid plates, etc. I haven't found much in the way of after market stuff so if anyone knows where these things
can be had, please share.



All right, enough from me. I look forward to picking your collective brain as I turn this beastie into something more overland worthy.

 

[off-roader]

Hello all,

I'm new here to the site, new to the Montero and new to overlanding. I'm a walking newbie tri-fecta. I bought my little Monty Sport a couple of weeks back as a project car which actually means I bought a well used (129K miles) sport with the cash I had left from...well, that's a long sad story and no need to kill the forum buzz. In short it will be my DD as well as off-roader. I'm here looking for general information and to meet some well informed Sport owners.

I'd been looking at several makes but the brands I liked at a price I cold afford were just too beat up. I did quite a bit of research and I know that the engines and drivetrains are strong on these vehicles. I also liked the all wheel drive system. Unfortunately there are no maintenance records for this car but Carfax does not show any
reported accidents. It goes pretty well but it does idle rough, even after the throttle body was cleaned out. The handling is a bit vague, which seems normal for the truck. But I have to say i like it. I don't know exactly why but do.

Fix it list:
a) New tires - The ones on her are at the wear bar. Given most of my driving will be on pavement, I'm considering Goodyear Silent Armor or Firestone Destination A/T. Suggestions welcome.

b) New shocks- Again, suggestions from the pros welcome.

c) Timing belt and water pump. I'm assuming this has not been done given that there are no maintenance records.

d) Lift? Nothing too radical and I'm not fully sure its necessary. I'm not building a crawler here.

e) Bull bar and new rear bumper, skid plates, etc. I haven't found much in the way of after market stuff so if anyone knows where these things
can be had, please share.

All right, enough from me. I look forward to picking your collective brain as I turn this beastie into something more overland worthy.

Tires are very subjective. I've always had good luck with BFG (AT's and MT's) and have heard nothing but good about Falken Rocky Mountain ATS's (cross between an all terrain and a mud terrain tread).

As for shocks, KYB are decent inexpensive monotube design shocks. They're also the OEM manufacturers of the original shocks mitsu put on there. Mine are likely the original shocks (3 position adjustables) since they're so expensive to replace. Currently they have 288K on them and are still going strong albeit, I can tell they're ready to be replaced soon. Definitely suggest avoiding the typical store brands like Monroe, etc. unless they're using a monotube design. Monroe's I've experienced them wearing out in less than a year of driving. Same goes for the lower end Rancho RS5000. RS9000's I've seen mixed reviews on for Mitsu's. Old Man Emu shocks are usually well liked although a bit expensive when compared to KYB's IMHO. Same goes for the other monotube shocks available.

Which engine do you have? In addition to the timing belt and water pump, also consider changing your tensioner & pulleys.

As for a lift, it may not be necessary. Depends on the tire size you plan on running. Body lifts can either be made (UHMW plastic pucks + longer bolts). Suspension lifts are available albeit depending on which suspension you have in back. Year of rig is needed to know that (either leaf or coil spring). For the front you can 'torque' the torsion bars to gain some lift at the expense of front suspension travel. Rear can be raised using other coil springs (arb, tjm, etc.). I don't recall for sure but if the rear coils are the same diameter as the full sized montero's then simple spring spacers (ones for a Toyota Sequoia) work to.

There is a front suspension drop kit available from Thailand (only ones I know that make one) but it's not easy to get and you have to deal with both customs and special shipping from the Port of Entry to your door... but it is doable and has been done by at least one US owner before.

For bull bars, rear bumpers, armor... ARB, TJM, & ECB are the 3 common bull bar makers for mitsu's. Aftermarket rear bumpers are all DIY bumpers as nobody makes them. That said, there are plenty of non-mitsu bumpers that can be easily modified to fit assuming you have fab skills or know someone who does. My 96SR has absolutely no Mitsu specific aftermarket armor and yet it has aftermarket bumpers (front & rear smittybilt for a Jeep JK) as well as aftermarket rocker panel armor (from TrailGear for a Toyota Tacoma).

 

[eurosonic]

Get your self a locked rear end from a 3.5 sport limited.

 

[Mudrunner]

For lift stuff both Old Man Emu and Ironman4x4 make kits for the sport.

 

[happywanderer]

Thanks for the great information. I do have the 3.5 engine and I'll add the tensioner and pulleys while I'm at it. The shock info is great too, I really had no idea what might be suitable for some off road work. Rear locker, I'll look into that. Old Man Emu and Ironman for the lift. As expected, you guys know your stuff. I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions as this rebuild plays out. Thanks again.