new to a 99' trooper

[SwedishTrooper]

new to a 99' trooper (pics added)

hello everybody. im new to this forum and almost as new to the trooper.

i just purchased a 99' with 92K miles. everything is totally stock and in great shape. i've been doing some searching on this froum as well as some other isuzu forums looking to get some ideas/advice on the few modifications i am looking to make.

my first thoughts are about the overall suspension. i've read that the stock springs are way too soft, and have seen the recomendations for the 913/912 (i believe) for the rear. as far as the front, im a bit confused as to the best way to approach the lift.

the torsion bar adjustment i seem to understand, however, im curious as to what everyone's experience is with this type of modification. it seems up to 1.5" would be the max lift recomended in order to avoid cv boot tearing. also, the alignment issues involved are a concern. with this mod, i've also read about the ball joint flip. im confused though as to whether this is something to do by itself to gain front end lift without the camber/castor issues, or if its something done in conjunction with the torsion bar adjustment.

i should also state that i live in florida and wont be doing any kind of 'rock climbing' or anything of that sort. i dont believe i will ever be looking for alot of wheel travel, just something that will get me through some sugar sand, mud and the occasional water crossing.

seems most recomendations for tires are the 265/75 as a good, general tire that will keep the gearing better and MPG decent.

sorry for the rambling. im very excited to turn it into a great truck to explore the everglades and other forests throughout florida.

thanks for your time
mike

 

[robertdarin]

the stock springs are too soft but the shocks are as well. i would go with ome shocks and your choice of ome springs. do the torsion bar crank and flip the ball joints. you can do all of this yourself. the first thing you do after this is to go get an alignment (ask me why i know). good luck with your new rig!

 

[Streakerfreak]

Welcome to ExPo!

 

[AKTrooper]

Old Man Emu Shocks and springs

Get with ARB USA or Rocky Road Off-Road and order some Old Man Emu (OME) springs for the rear and OME shocks all around. I found the price not to high, easliy installed at any mechanic shop and the ride absolutely incredible. They are likely to be better than most of us are willing to dish out but i found it difficult to bottom them out as they really stand out on rough roads at moderate speeds. I drive the Alcan highway with the Trooper fully loaded and despite the improvements that road can be nothing short of a roller coaster ride in some sections. The OME shocks and springs seems to progressivley stiffen upon impact with large rollers in the road preventing the vehicle from getting that suspension bottoming out jolt we all love so much. I went with the standard shocks and springs but if I had it to do over would likely go with the heavy duty or expedition grade models. The cost is the same regardless of which you choose.

 

[datrupr]

Welcome to ExPo!!!!!

Robert and AKTrooper are right. Go with OME shocks and springs, crank your t-bars and do the ball joint flip. After you crank your torsion bars you will lose a good amount of travel in your front suspension so you will want to flip the ball joints to get some of that travel back, you'll want it. Also, don't just flip the existing ball joints, buy new ones, they are only about $35. 265/75/r16 and the OME set up will give you 2.5"-3" of lift which is perfect. Post pics of your Trooper and your build. We love pics here at ExPo. And again, welcome!

 

[Zaphod]

Welcome to the zoo, brother! Troopers ROCK! :victory:

Just a word of warning in case you've missed it: Our beloved Troopers from around 1998 to 2001 (Mine is a 2000) all have a design flaw where the piston rings don't quite seal in the cylinders, resulting in a rather annoying tendancy to burn oil.

You will get no smoke, and if you stay on top of the oil level you'll have no problems. Just get in the habit of checking your oil every gas fillup or every other one, and top off as needed. Always carry a quart or two in the back. Two Castrol quarts fit perfectly into each of the pockets on the rear doors.

It's an extremely common problem, and I want to assure you that it's no big deal provided you know about it and keep it in mind. Some folks didn't know about it and only found out when the engine siezed, hence my warning to you. I found out only because I decided to check the oil one day soon after buying the truck and found it 3 quarts low. :Wow1:

My Trooper has since become an extension of my persona, and I haven't even STARTED seriously modifying it yet! It grows on you, and I hope you come to love yours as much as I do mine.

 

[AKTrooper]

Increased lift after OME install

I found the lift to be about 1-2 inches so I did have the T-bars cranked a bit. I got some advise on this forum saying that with this modest increase the ball joint flip option wasn't required so I didn't. I did need to get the front end realligned but that was about it.

Also, get that rig out and see some country. With a stocked cooler, a stove and sleeping bag you now have wheels to go as far as the road takes you and bit further if you are motivated enough.

I have camera today so pictures should be posted tonight amd you will see my 1998 Trooper looks very stock and for the most part, it is. That said, it's well traveled on the Canadain and Alaskan road and trail systems.

 

[SwedishTrooper]

hey everybody, thanks for the great responses and information.

i'll definitely get some pictures up tomorrow. ive slowly started my projects to some extent. i got the windows tinted yesterday and just got done installing an aftermarket cd player (speakers to be replaced soon). the first weekend i got it i cleaned the engine bay, then did some detailing and painting under there too.

i totally agree AK, gotta get out and do some exploring and traveling. i do alot of camping and traveling around florida, but now i'll finally have a vehicle that can take me off the paths (till now, even the main paths were a bit nerve racking in a saab).

my future thoughts are the OME springs in the rear (heavy duty as i do plan on towing at some point in the future), the torsion bar adjustment/ball joint flip. also, 4 new shocks.

i have more questions of course, but i'll take my time again reading more info in all the great posts.
any thoughts on if i should wait to do the lift till i get some larger tires? or will the 2" or so of lift i gain not be enough to make the trooper look overly tall or feel unsteady?

also, one last question about heading out and camping and exploring. i notice in alot of posts from out west, folks have rooftop tents or set-ups on top of their vehicles. why is this? is it for safety from wildlife? or a convenient way to carry and set up a one man tent? thats the one thing i noticed about the trail riders, their tents on their roofs lol

thanks again for everyones input

mike

 

[endo]

Get with ARB USA or Rocky Road Off-Road and order some Old Man Emu (OME) springs for the rear and OME shocks all around. I found the price not to high, easliy installed at any mechanic shop and the ride absolutely incredible. They are likely to be better than most of us are willing to dish out but i found it difficult to bottom them out as they really stand out on rough roads at moderate speeds. I drive the Alcan highway with the Trooper fully loaded and despite the improvements that road can be nothing short of a roller coaster ride in some sections. The OME shocks and springs seems to progressivley stiffen upon impact with large rollers in the road preventing the vehicle from getting that suspension bottoming out jolt we all love so much. I went with the standard shocks and springs but if I had it to do over would likely go with the heavy duty or expedition grade models. The cost is the same regardless of which you choose.

While I agree on what to get I don't agree with where.
Independent4x is the largest supporter of the isuzu aftermarket. We are direct with ARB, and use their springs in our kits. We also have torsion bars to address the front of the vehicle and your lift concerns.
Give us a try. http://www.independent4x.com We keep the parts in stock and will make sure you get the best service out there. Feel free to call and see what we can do.

 

[robertdarin]

i agree, but your stuff from indipendent4x. it took rocky road a month and a half to ship my springs. that and those guys can answer about every question you could think up about a trooper.(indy4x also gives you stickers with your purchase )

 

[Zaphod]

and just got done installing an aftermarket cd player (speakers to be replaced soon).

Did you ensure that the power lead for the antenna was hooked up? Without it your radio reception will be nil.

Ask me how I know! :sombrero:

 

[SwedishTrooper]

zaphod, i did notice there were 3 wires left from the cd installation. the wire harness i bought though didn't have those included, so i figured i'd just cap those and see if something wasn't working (i remember an old vehicle of mine, the dash lights ran through the stock stereo, and not using that wire left me with no lights). there doesn't seem to be a problem though, radio works great, even AM! so i feel ok with it so far.

i took a few quick pics with my phone this past weekend. i'll attempt to post them in this thread. i tried to post the pics straight from my computer but on my end it wasn't showing, so i'll attempt using photobucket (sorry if we're not supposed to mention 'names' or 'name brands')

im very interested in upgrading to a conical air filter, and like you zaphod, i was looking at the exact one you installed. ive thought more now that i will just find a cone that fits the intake hose and fabricate my own bracket. this is still in the thought process, but its something i definitely want to do.

here is a pic of under the hood. i removed the black plastic "manifold cover?", the top of the fuse box and the bracket that holds down the battery. i primed everything and painted it 'daytona yellow', followed by clear coat (i used the high temp engine enamels). the battery in there was yellow, so thats where my inkling to use yellow came from. i'll take some better pictures soon.

i attempted to blindly find a touch up paint at my local parts store, however i was a tiny bit off in color. i saw to look at the 'color code' on the firewall, so i have those numbers, now just have to reference them to something. the painted plastic on the bumpers and flares are nicked up and black, which looks kinda crappy. so thats next weekends duty, find the exact color and do my touch ups. here is a generic pic of the trooper as i purchased it. nothing aftermarket done at all.

i'll update more as i go.

mike

 

[zutroop]

Guess you've got your project underway, by now, but thought I'd weigh in with my 2 cents worth. I'm new to this forum, but have been "Trooping" for about 8 years, now. Given your location, I think your main concern may be your choice of tires. The Trooper has pretty good traction in sand if you keep moving, but increasing your flotation via reducing tire pressure is an effective way to avoid getting stuck. We occasionally run on the beach at Hatteras with our 265/70/17 BFGs and don't even air down. We do, however, carry a large, portable, 12V compressor just in case. The compressor lives in my Corvette, most of the time, but that's another forum!

I would suggest raising your vehicle only a little, particularly if you have to drive it as a daily commute vehicle. Your useful lift will come from larger tires and not as much from a suspension lift, although your breakover angle can be improved by a moderate suspension lift. My ground clearance is now 11 1/2" at the rear diff and I have not lifted the back at all (but I do plan to install the OME 912s for a little added stiffness when loaded, which will raise the body another 1" or so). Also, I really feel like adding unnecessary stiffness will not be to your advantage off-road, but will improve handling on-road. Thanks to my experience with VW based buggies, I'm a fan of less stiffness and more suspension travel. Incidentally, the 32" tall rubber proves to be a good all around compromise, but will affect your final drive ratio in a way that will cause the vehicle to drop a gear more frequently when driving in hilly country (hiway). I don't think that will be much of a problem in FL, however.

As a final comment, I think a good ARB bull bar (or similar) with a winch is a good idea. It adds clearance where you will likely need it most, can easily be removed and sold when you move to your next vehicle and actually comes in handy more often than you'd expect. I have never had to use the winch to retrieve the Trooper, but I have had to remove trees from my path several times. Remember, though, it is a heavy combination and will actually change the handling dynamics of the vehicle.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo191/cruisecity/WhoopieTrooper.jpg

 

[Incusus]

Awesome choice! I cant add much more than has already been said. I went with the OME "stiff" shocks and 919 springs. When you crank the torsion bars, even if its just an inch or so, I'd say go ahead and flip the ball joints. It corrects the camber from cranking them and gives you a wee bit more downtravel.

Oh, and in case you hadn't heard yer, CHECK YOUR OIL WEEKLY

 

[Incusus]

(snip)
As a final comment, I think a good ARB bull bar (or similar) with a winch is a good idea. It adds clearance where you will likely need it most, can easily be removed and sold when you move to your next vehicle and actually comes in handy more often than you'd expect. I have never had to use the winch to retrieve the Trooper, but I have had to remove trees from my path several times. Remember, though, it is a heavy combination and will actually change the handling dynamics of the vehicle.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo191/cruisecity/WhoopieTrooper.jpg

Nice troop, I've been wanting an arb or tjm bar & winch on mine but am having a hard time justifying the cost so far as I've only ever had to winch myself out three times and so far the hi-lift jack has worked flawlessly.

Do you have any un-doctored pics of your truck? I'd like to get a good look at that bumper install....