Advice on a Gen3 Purchase

[EyeInTheSky]

I got it!

Woohoo!!

The seller even talked me down to $3,000 even. :-D He felt bad that the tags are due soon and the small leak I found (which his mechanic quoted him $180 to fix).

All in all, I'm a happy camper.

Pulled the trigger on my first Amazon order for this thing (CB radio and accessories, PA speaker for said CB radio, anchor shackles, and recovery strap)

Next is tires. They're Nankang NK-Utility FT-4's, P-rated AT's. No thanks. Looking at the General Grabbers or BFGs.

After that is a roof rack. I only want 3/4 size, so 42"x54" is what I'm aiming for. This will be an interesting job, since I' have to fab the mounts at the bare minimum, and possibly the basket (depending on cost).

More pics to come.

 

[Offroadmuch]

That is great! Congratulations!

 

[Outdooraholic]

Congrats!

 

[plh]

Interesting thing discussing the timing belt costs. I have been looking at an 03' anniversary w/150k close to St. Louis and called a Mitsubishi dealership in Columbia, Mo( a good place for me to stop on the way back if I pull the trigger on this). I asked how much it would be to take care of a timing belt and water pump for me on my way back home. The service lady said right around $750 plus tax. I had her double check the price and she confirmed.

With much higher numbers being thrown around here, does this sound right? I've been looking recently and have reserves about higher mile vehicles(yes, 150k is high for me). I will run through everything once I make a purchase, but always worry damage has already been done.

$750 from the dealer seams really low. Mitsubishi dealer here was $1200 about 4 years ago.

 

[coffeegoat]

Congratulations!

$750 sounds very low for a timing belt, water pump job. It sounds like parts or labor, not both. When I spec d the parts out half Mitsubishi and half aftermarket, I came in around $600, just the timing belt kit from rock auto was over 200.

It's possible they are not including all the other parts you should change while you're in there, like spark plugs, wires, tensioner, etc. It's a pain to get to a bunch of those little maintenance parts do you want to make sure you do them all at once.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Quirks/Maintenance Items/Wishlist/Rambling

Since I'm on here all the time looking for ideas/help/ways to spend all the money ever, I'll use this thread to keep me organized for now, as well as a sounding board for my ideas. It helps to type out what I've been thinking so I can say, "Hey, that's stupid. Backspace until that idiocy goes away because this is public and the other members will think you're slow."

Once I actually do something to her I'll start an actual build thread.

Maintenance items:
Headlight restoration
Front passenger window rolls up/down very slowly, esp when others are being moved at the same time. Regulator? Maybe bad connection somewhere?
General cleaning
Transmission flush


A buddy of mine wants to go camping next weekend so some of my wish list is being accelerated. So far I've only spent $150 on top of the purchase price, which netted me a good amount of gear.


Looking at rooftop baskets has been interesting. Either people are
A: Fabricating their own using scrap for dirt cheap.
B: Fabricating their own using materials that when bought from a metal supplier cost more than an entire rack from a known company (and a case of beer).
C: Buying a Thule or better and spending $300ish.
D: Buying a SAFARI OBSERVATION PLATFORM SOLID STEEL TACTICAL MONSTER TRUCK CARRIER for >$1000.

I just found option E today. I kept searching for Montero-specific roof baskets and ran into very few at high prices. I just decided to hit Ebay and search "roof basket," and lo and behold, I found tons <$100. Like, $55 to $70. Any experience here with cheap baskets? Just going to use it for spare, light gear and maybe my CB antenna mount. No observation platform needed. Plenty of sizing options.

I plan to add cross bars on the factory rails using square aluminum tubing and connecting via steel brackets and bolts. Still working on the configuration of those since the rack isn't level throughout the length.


Lastly, are there any group buys of AliBaba bumpers coming up? I don't like the ARB bumpers I've seen, and I don't have the welding skills to fab my own (plus the steel would get expensive really quickly).

 

[Outdooraholic]

I would definitely keep the spare on the back, not up on the roof. On the back, like the Montero comes from the factory, is the ideal location in my opinion. Up on the roof raises your center of gravity, makes it extremely difficult to get down if needed, and will have a negative impact on your gas mileage.

I've been toying around with the idea of mounting a basket on my Montero Sport, mainly to store my fuel cans outside of the vehicle, but also to have more cargo space when camping, but in the end the pro's don't outweigh the cons in my case. Personally I'm just going to save up for a swing out bumper carrier to mount the spare tire and fuel cans and pack a little lighter/smarter so everything else fits inside.

However, if you do decide to go ahead and put the spare on the roof, I would probably skip the cheap eBay ones and get a more heavy duty rack due to the weight of the tire.

 

[KyleT]

After having 4Runners and multiple land rovers with roof racks. I would highly suggest a cooler caddy on a Montero if you need the extra space. Or a rocket box. Or pack lighter. No explanation how nice it is to cruise the highway at 80 and not have a freaking loud sail up top and worry about hitting stuff.
I know they are functional and stuff but it takes away from the general utility of the truck. Plus as quick as the third seat comes out you can fill that spot under the floor too.

Congrats on the truck too. You will love it.


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[EyeInTheSky]

I would definitely keep the spare on the back, not up on the roof. On the back, like the Montero comes from the factory, is the ideal location in my opinion. Up on the roof raises your center of gravity, makes it extremely difficult to get down if needed, and will have a negative impact on your gas mileage.

I've been toying around with the idea of mounting a basket on my Montero Sport, mainly to store my fuel cans outside of the vehicle, but also to have more cargo space when camping, but in the end the pro's don't outweigh the cons in my case. Personally I'm just going to save up for a swing out bumper carrier to mount the spare tire and fuel cans and pack a little lighter/smarter so everything else fits inside.

However, if you do decide to go ahead and put the spare on the roof, I would probably skip the cheap eBay ones and get a more heavy duty rack due to the weight of the tire.

Oops, I think there was some misunderstanding. I see what I wrote wasn't very clear. I meant spare gear that is light, not the spare tire, along with light gear. Glad I'm putting my BA in English to use this morning. I blame the lack of coffee.

After having 4Runners and multiple land rovers with roof racks. I would highly suggest a cooler caddy on a Montero if you need the extra space. Or a rocket box. Or pack lighter. No explanation how nice it is to cruise the highway at 80 and not have a freaking loud sail up top and worry about hitting stuff.
I know they are functional and stuff but it takes away from the general utility of the truck. Plus as quick as the third seat comes out you can fill that spot under the floor too.

Congrats on the truck too. You will love it.


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Not sure what you mean by cooler caddy. This is what came up when I searched Google Images (pretty sure this isn't what you meant...)



Though I do like this one:




I plan to remove it when in town and only attach it for camping. With a wife and dog, sometimes we just need our "stuff," plus we usually go with some friends who have a 1 year old and a currently-pregnant wife. I also am an Eagle Scout, so I got that austere camping experience often enough as a kid that I "need" my creature comforts now. :-D

We use a plastic footlocker for most of our gear, along with a medium sized cooler plus our personal gear (one backpack each). The main thing I want on the roof is our camping toilet (for obvious reasons). This is only the beta version, as I whipped it up from scrap wood for our Labor Day trip with 12hrs notice. The next iteration will have hinges so it collapses. Dig a cat hole underneath, set it over the top, and you're good to go. The next iteration after that will have a cup holder for your adult beverage of choice, while the version after THAT will probably have a bidet/seat warmer/shiatsu massage setup (if my wife has her way).

 

[KyleT]

Basically a hitch carrier thing. Goes in the hitch.


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[EyeInTheSky]

Basically a hitch carrier thing. Goes in the hitch.


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I like that, though first I need to buy a hitch. The previous owner removed and sold it.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

New tires arrived and are waiting at the shop to be installed tomorrow morning. I went with LT265/75R16 (E rating) Kumho Road Venture AT51s for $512 installed. Now to sell the Nankangs that are on it.

First Amazon order arrived with my lights and some of the CB radio/loudspeaker equipment. Since I'm off tomorrow, build thread should be starting soon.

Thanks for being such an invaluable resource on all things Montero.

 

[normal_dave]

I forgot to say congrats on what appears to be a great purchase.

I too was psyched about getting mine modded and trail ready, but soon realized I needed to do some maintenance housekeeping before "inviting company over". Setup a checklist and start punching, you can add your mods as you go, I determined my desired light bar would only be helpful in having the tow truck find me when my timing belt failed on the trail.

The OEM hitch sits much closer (higher) to the body giving a better angle of approach. Here's one I found in the junkyard, you might get the part number, see if any dealers have old stock, it's really quite a heavy duty unit. It also comes with a complete plug/play 4 pin harness. (I'll have to mod mine to a 7 pin)

junkyard pic:

Post here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=349364&d=1465435593&thumb=1

Welcome (back) to the club!

 

[EyeInTheSky]

I forgot to say congrats on what appears to be a great purchase.

I too was psyched about getting mine modded and trail ready, but soon realized I needed to do some maintenance housekeeping before "inviting company over". Setup a checklist and start punching, you can add your mods as you go, I determined my desired light bar would only be helpful in having the tow truck find me when my timing belt failed on the trail.

The OEM hitch sits much closer (higher) to the body giving a better angle of approach. Here's one I found in the junkyard, you might get the part number, see if any dealers have old stock, it's really quite a heavy duty unit. It also comes with a complete plug/play 4 pin harness. (I'll have to mod mine to a 7 pin)

junkyard pic:

Post here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=349364&d=1465435593&thumb=1

Welcome (back) to the club!

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to keep my eyes open for some deals. OEM for the amr01yhb01 hitch is about $180-220 depending on the site, and according to car-part.com there isn't one within 75 miles (though much better prices).

Does anyone know if the Montero Sport hitch will bolt up to the Gen 3 Montero?

I agree with you on the maintenance. After the tires I plan to swing by my mechanic and see if he finds anything I missed. Then I think it's time for an oil change etc just for my peace of mind.

 

[normal_dave]

We've got a Uhaul brand on our '03 Montero Sport, and my donor '02 Sport has another brand of hitch, neither one appears anything like the Montero hitch.

I noticed one listing for the OEM hitch says (w/o harness) so I don't want to mislead. I thought the OEM hitch included the wiring harness, thought I read that somewhere else here. ~ $ 200 isn't bad for the strength and quality of the OEM hitch, and from what I've read the departure angle is a big deal off road. I typed in the number to my preferred online Mitsu dealer, and no luck.