ImNoSaint's 2.5 Thread

Imnosaint

Adventurer
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I feel like I'm home again. From its superior seating position and outward visibility to how its track feels like it puts you in the center of the universe, this Monty is all I've been wishing the H3 was. The Hummer was sold to a good home with nice people who will enjoy it on day trips in our desert. The 2.5 is a sharp contrast in build quality, critical design and user interface. My smile muscles hurt and I haven't done anything to it, save for new 32X11.5R15 ATs (not pictured).

This build will be conservative at first. I commute across Utah every weekend, 780 miles, so I need to be more practical for the time being, the reason I didn't go with 33s. I'll be moving up north in May and during the summer I'll source out another set of wheels with MTs mounted after an OME replacement on all four corners.

It's interesting to go from a Gen III to the 2.5 as well, seeing Mitsu's continuity of engineering, even a little dumbing down (dare I say) for the III, not in quality, just in something lost in its luxury.
 

mapper

Explorer
Ha! was poking around the old Montero woods in the last week and saw that one for sale in St. George. Looked great and if it was local I'd probably have snatched it up. Good score!

These 2.5s are tough. Mine was t-boned at about 40 mph a year and a half ago and I still drive it regularly!

I considered buying a gen 3 a couple times since. Certainly the newer model has some advantages in the comfort department but these gen 2.5 trucks are a real nice compromise between "basic" but still sufficiently comfortable.

Honestly you don't need much more than tires. I found in the 2.5 with the 4.2 gears even 31" are a bit of a strain when loaded and running through the mountains. I can see why guys like to get the gears from the SRs
 
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SONICMASD

Adventurer
Glad to have you back on the home team! I really enjoyed your Gen 3 stuff and am looking forward to this build.
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
Ha! was poking around the old Montero woods in the last week and saw that one for sale in St. George. Looked great and if it was local I'd probably have snatched it up. Good score!

These 2.5s are tough. Mine was t-boned at about 40 mph a year and a half ago and I still drive it regularly!

I considered buying a gen 3 a couple times since. Certainly the newer model has some advantages in the comfort department but these gen 2.5 trucks are a real nice compromise between "basic" but still sufficiently comfortable.

Honestly you don't need much more than tires. I found in the 2.5 with the 4.2 gears even 31" are a bit of a strain when loaded and running through the mountains. I can see why guys like to get the gears from the SRs

Yeah, this was a popular find down here. Thirty minutes later and I would have missed out according to the seller.

Woot woot, welcome to the club, I knew he would be back!

Thank you. Glad to be back.

Glad to have you back on the home team! I really enjoyed your Gen 3 stuff and am looking forward to this build.

You were an inspiration with your build, along with several others on this Mitsu thread.

What prompted you go with a 2.5 over the 3 you knew so well?

Good question being a fan of the 3. This forum was a big influence, but this goes back 26 years. My associate producer had a new first gen Monty and I was really impressed with it. When the 2.5 came out with its new fender treatment, I was hooked. I looked at a number of 3s in Salt Lake, some over-priced, most the victims of suburban kid hauling. Then this 2.5 popped up on KSL.com. I like having a frame, I like the suspension set-up, its utilitarian styling throws back to the roots of this industry (Defenders, Patrols, Land Cruisers, etc) and it sits well on its track - the 3 appears to be bulky over its wheel base and track. Plus, I wanted something different.
 

Marutuk

KK6WFB
Good looking '98, definitely do like the white coloration on it.

Looking forward to see what you'll do with it.
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
Thanks everyone for the welcome back. During my tear-down I've come across one of the wonders of the universe, and that's how the taillights fill (completely) with water (or blinker fluid). Certainly this Monty isn't the only one to have such a mystery. I recall reading a comment on another build thread.
 

Offroadmuch

Explorer
Thanks everyone for the welcome back. During my tear-down I've come across one of the wonders of the universe, and that's how the taillights fill (completely) with water (or blinker fluid). Certainly this Monty isn't the only one to have such a mystery. I recall reading a comment on another build thread.

Please share this mystery of the universe. I would love to know how that happens...
 

Imnosaint

Adventurer
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I've put 1700 miles on the clock and I'm learning a lot about this Monty. I did the standard initial mods according to every other 2.5 build thread on Expo with the deletion of the running boards and flaps (what I'm dubbing as the Cinderella mod), along with mounting 32X11.5R15 ATs all around including the spare. I've also changed fluids in both diffs and the transfer case.

I bought this 2.5 with 121,234 miles on the odo. It's been sitting in the Southern Utah sun for at least two summers. The car came from City of Industry, California and was bought by the PO in St. George, Utah in 2004. So, no rust issues. It appears to have never left pavement.

The seller indicated that he bought the Monty from a shop eight months ago where the PO had them replace the timing belt, TB tensioner, valve stem guides, water pump, all related gaskets, hoses and belts. The PO then couldn't pay the bill, so the shop liquidated the Monty after it sat there for several months. All the work appears legit upon inspection, lots of new parts under the hood, but I'd sure feel better with a piece of paper in my hand from the shop telling me so.

The interior needs a handful of tiny instrument panel lights, the power driver's seat only moves vertically, the front Infinity speakers are finite, but outside of that it's cherry. I was surprised to find that the middle row seats work as they were engineered to (something lost along the way to GEN III), as does the sunroof. And having been a detailer in my much earlier years, the fact that it appears no children were ever transported in this vehicle is a big plus. Despite the usual wear on the driver's seat, the interior is pristine. Score.

The front end was toast, so I replaced wheel bearings and seals, the lower ball joints, and upper control arms on both sides and had it aligned.
 
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