zwalcheff
New member
First off i wanted to say thank you to everyone that has contributed such awesome info to this forum, it has been a huge help with my recently acquired 97 Montero LS. This is my first form post even though i have had my Montero for about 6 months now. Thanks to this forum i have already conquered quite a bit of the initial (from stock) modification work.
My Montero was previously owned by a good friend of mine (since it was new), so i am now the proud second owner. Luckily i got the truck with a clean bill of health, new timing belt, water pump, oil pump, hoses, and a recently flushed transmission. I recently replaced all of the worn out suspension components (upper control arms, tie rods, pitman arm). The front wheels didn't fully unlock when i got it (flashing dash lights) so i replaced the freewheel clutch solenoids (found the part on Amazon for $30) which solved that issue. The ignition switch was also shot out when i got it, but it wasn't anything $30 bucks and 10 minutes couldn't fix. Some new front break pads, rear cam seals, and an oil change later everything is golden.
For upgrades i started with the stereo (like i do with any new vehicle) and replaced all of the stock speakers with new JVC 4way speakers. I already had a kicker comp 12", 800w Fosgate mono block amp, 1 farad Fosgate capacitor and a good length of 4 gauge monster cable from my F150 (sold recently) so that went in along with another 600w 4 channel amp i had laying around for the rest of the speakers. I may change the way the amps and subwoofer are installed sometime down the road depending on what i decide to do with/in the back of the truck, but for now the amps are screwed to the floor half way under the 2nd row seats (not much clearance) and the subwoofer box is strapped down with the capacitor screwed to the side of it.
Next i moved on to the lighting and replaced all of the cabin light bulbs with blue LEDs. This ended up motivating me to replace all of the dash and climate control light bulbs with blue LEDs also. I grabbed a 52" 300w LED light bar off of ebay for $130 bucks, mounted it across the front of the hood and wired it to a blue led rocker switch that i installed in a blank slot on the dash. Of course so much awesome LED light in the front of the truck made me want some in the back of the truck too so i got 2x 18w (6 bulb each) LED lights on Amazon for $30, installed them on the rear, and wired them to a 2nd blue LED rocker switch on the dash. At this point i went ahead and added a 2nd fuse block under the dash so i could limit the number of home run wires to the battery.
At this point i was still riding (and 4x4'ing) on the stock 29" tires and old worn out shocks so i upgraded to some Gladiator QR900 33x12.50 M/T tires and KYB MonoMax shocks. Since i got the 12.50 tires (much cheaper than 10.50) i ended up having to put 1.25" wheel spacers on the front wheels to stop some front swaybar rubbing. I also trimmed about 4 inches off of the front bumper corners. After much debate i cut the rear swaybar in half and removed it, which was absolutely worth it.. And i mounted a 4' shovel to the side of the roof rails.
I think that is about it so far. I am only 6 months in and the truck is rock solid and an offroad machine.
Next Steps:
Valve Cover gaskets (leaks when vertical)
Rear locker...
Gearing swap
New Coil Springs
Front & Rear bumpers
double din stereo deck w/GPS
Winch
Storage and sleeping solution
I live in the San Diego mountains near Julian (Warner Springs) so i spend all of my free time on the dirt and sand so i am sure something else will come up or need fixing before too long also. If anyone is interested in hitting some awesome Mountain roads, there are some killer ones right in my backyard and i am always down to hit the dirt. Let me know..
I think that is all i have for now. I'll add pictures here shortly.
Again, thanks to everyone who posted the great info that got me to where i am today with my Montero build.
My Montero was previously owned by a good friend of mine (since it was new), so i am now the proud second owner. Luckily i got the truck with a clean bill of health, new timing belt, water pump, oil pump, hoses, and a recently flushed transmission. I recently replaced all of the worn out suspension components (upper control arms, tie rods, pitman arm). The front wheels didn't fully unlock when i got it (flashing dash lights) so i replaced the freewheel clutch solenoids (found the part on Amazon for $30) which solved that issue. The ignition switch was also shot out when i got it, but it wasn't anything $30 bucks and 10 minutes couldn't fix. Some new front break pads, rear cam seals, and an oil change later everything is golden.
For upgrades i started with the stereo (like i do with any new vehicle) and replaced all of the stock speakers with new JVC 4way speakers. I already had a kicker comp 12", 800w Fosgate mono block amp, 1 farad Fosgate capacitor and a good length of 4 gauge monster cable from my F150 (sold recently) so that went in along with another 600w 4 channel amp i had laying around for the rest of the speakers. I may change the way the amps and subwoofer are installed sometime down the road depending on what i decide to do with/in the back of the truck, but for now the amps are screwed to the floor half way under the 2nd row seats (not much clearance) and the subwoofer box is strapped down with the capacitor screwed to the side of it.
Next i moved on to the lighting and replaced all of the cabin light bulbs with blue LEDs. This ended up motivating me to replace all of the dash and climate control light bulbs with blue LEDs also. I grabbed a 52" 300w LED light bar off of ebay for $130 bucks, mounted it across the front of the hood and wired it to a blue led rocker switch that i installed in a blank slot on the dash. Of course so much awesome LED light in the front of the truck made me want some in the back of the truck too so i got 2x 18w (6 bulb each) LED lights on Amazon for $30, installed them on the rear, and wired them to a 2nd blue LED rocker switch on the dash. At this point i went ahead and added a 2nd fuse block under the dash so i could limit the number of home run wires to the battery.
At this point i was still riding (and 4x4'ing) on the stock 29" tires and old worn out shocks so i upgraded to some Gladiator QR900 33x12.50 M/T tires and KYB MonoMax shocks. Since i got the 12.50 tires (much cheaper than 10.50) i ended up having to put 1.25" wheel spacers on the front wheels to stop some front swaybar rubbing. I also trimmed about 4 inches off of the front bumper corners. After much debate i cut the rear swaybar in half and removed it, which was absolutely worth it.. And i mounted a 4' shovel to the side of the roof rails.
I think that is about it so far. I am only 6 months in and the truck is rock solid and an offroad machine.
Next Steps:
Valve Cover gaskets (leaks when vertical)
Rear locker...
Gearing swap
New Coil Springs
Front & Rear bumpers
double din stereo deck w/GPS
Winch
Storage and sleeping solution
I live in the San Diego mountains near Julian (Warner Springs) so i spend all of my free time on the dirt and sand so i am sure something else will come up or need fixing before too long also. If anyone is interested in hitting some awesome Mountain roads, there are some killer ones right in my backyard and i am always down to hit the dirt. Let me know..
I think that is all i have for now. I'll add pictures here shortly.
Again, thanks to everyone who posted the great info that got me to where i am today with my Montero build.
