bigreen505
Expedition Leader
I promised I would post back when I found a winner, and it looks like I have.
Silver 1999 Isuzu Trooper with a rebuilt engine. The owner upgraded a bunch of suspension components but the goal was a lift for looks, not necessarily a lift for improved performance and travel. The engine blew on the way home from his second trip to Moab which led to a lot of expenses that coincided with his realization that his style was more WRX than Trooper, so he sold it.
It has the ARB 819 springs in the back (medium heavy), Rancho 9000x shocks (so far very unimpressed with them) and some assorted poly bushings supporting 285/75 R16 Futura Dakota tires (also would not have been my first choice -- or my tenth). I think I will wear them out and replace with 265/75 or 235/85, or if I get really lucky run two sets of rims with street/snow and off-road tires. In my opinion the stock torsion bars are worthless and they will be replaced with something -- either Sway-a-Way 1549's or ARB. It is possible the bars just wore out from being over cranked.
Daniel Stern has begun the hunt for e-code lights for it and recommended Cibie Oscar's for auxiliary lighting.
As with the Pathfinder, all mods will be focused on improving the stock form as much as possible while maintaining efficiency, durabiliity and reliability -- nothing huge or monsterish. I go off-road for travel and scenery, not for rock crawling or stupid truck tricks. On the wish list are a refrigerator, on-board air, ARB lockers, ARB or possibly custom aluminum (local fab) winch bumper with winch, storage, CB, 2M,and probably a roof rack with basket (so that rack and aux. lighting can be easily removed from the vehicle when not needed, and none of it in that order. I will probably start addressing the storage issue in the next couple weeks.
I'm going to install manual hubs right away and ball joints and tie rod ends very shortly thereafter, but hold off on everything else until I'm sure it's a keeper. Seems like a good truck after a couple minor teething problems. I'll start a mod thread (and sell the Pathfinder) when I know it's a keeper. I was reading 4wdtrips and came across a mod thread for the Expeditions West Trooper including a list of planned mods, and will probably use that as a general road map, but with an eye more for comfort than pure utility (think Dynamat, not Rhino Liner).
Thank you all for your help and patience!
Silver 1999 Isuzu Trooper with a rebuilt engine. The owner upgraded a bunch of suspension components but the goal was a lift for looks, not necessarily a lift for improved performance and travel. The engine blew on the way home from his second trip to Moab which led to a lot of expenses that coincided with his realization that his style was more WRX than Trooper, so he sold it.
It has the ARB 819 springs in the back (medium heavy), Rancho 9000x shocks (so far very unimpressed with them) and some assorted poly bushings supporting 285/75 R16 Futura Dakota tires (also would not have been my first choice -- or my tenth). I think I will wear them out and replace with 265/75 or 235/85, or if I get really lucky run two sets of rims with street/snow and off-road tires. In my opinion the stock torsion bars are worthless and they will be replaced with something -- either Sway-a-Way 1549's or ARB. It is possible the bars just wore out from being over cranked.
Daniel Stern has begun the hunt for e-code lights for it and recommended Cibie Oscar's for auxiliary lighting.
As with the Pathfinder, all mods will be focused on improving the stock form as much as possible while maintaining efficiency, durabiliity and reliability -- nothing huge or monsterish. I go off-road for travel and scenery, not for rock crawling or stupid truck tricks. On the wish list are a refrigerator, on-board air, ARB lockers, ARB or possibly custom aluminum (local fab) winch bumper with winch, storage, CB, 2M,and probably a roof rack with basket (so that rack and aux. lighting can be easily removed from the vehicle when not needed, and none of it in that order. I will probably start addressing the storage issue in the next couple weeks.
I'm going to install manual hubs right away and ball joints and tie rod ends very shortly thereafter, but hold off on everything else until I'm sure it's a keeper. Seems like a good truck after a couple minor teething problems. I'll start a mod thread (and sell the Pathfinder) when I know it's a keeper. I was reading 4wdtrips and came across a mod thread for the Expeditions West Trooper including a list of planned mods, and will probably use that as a general road map, but with an eye more for comfort than pure utility (think Dynamat, not Rhino Liner).
Thank you all for your help and patience!
