2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited -- Build Thread

[blam627]

This 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited has been my family’s workhorse for 20+ years. It’s just recently had its 200k mile birthday and it has definitely earned its long overdue makeover. This will serve as a build thread for upcoming mods and upgrades, but will also maintain a history of the car, what’s been done to it and hopefully will inspire others to start their builds.

The Montero community has been so welcoming over years and way more helpful than most other communities I’ve been a part of — I’d love nothing more than to finally contribute and give back to it.

To start it off, here are some pictures of the Montero as it sits today. It's pretty much bone stock, but there's a long list of things I want to do things I want to do to bring this old workhorse back to life. Stay tuned for more content and backstory!

 

[Michael Brown]

Wheels and caps look great.

Grab an FSM if you haven't already.

 

[blam627]

BACKSTORY:

The story behind this car is what makes it so special to me. My parents purchased the car in the early 2000s and it has quite literally grown up with me. It’s the car that I rode in to elementary school, the one we took on family trips, the work truck that hauled all the restaurant equipment for our family business, the one that dropped me off at middle school sporting events, and the one that got my younger sister and I through our high school and college years. It's safe to say that it has not lived an easy life.

However, in all of our years of ownership, it’s never complained about anything we threw at it and has been our most reliable vehicle — aside from an occasional dead battery, it has not once left any of us stranded with any mechanical failures. There’s a reason it’s stayed in the family for so long while so many other cars we’ve owned have since been traded away.

03/2011:

04/2012:

12/2012:

In the mid 2000s, western NC had a hurricane come through and knocked over the carport the Montero lived under. Aesthetically, the car took a beating. We had the dents repaired and the body repainted, but as expected from a low-end aftermarket paint job, the shine didn’t last but a few years. In 2014, some idiot backed into the passenger side while it was sitting in an open parking lot and left yet another battle scar on this rig but it’s just been wearing all these battle wounds proudly.

03/2014:

Since my sister and I graduated from college, the car has been placed on spare car/inclement weather duty. My parents have newer cars they drive and I myself admittedly have too many projects. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit and overloading got bit that I realized we have a (triple) diamond in the rough. I've taken the Montero out wheeling with my GX buddies and it did everything theirs did, but in bone stock form.

03/2015:

I realize it would take a lot to bring this car back to its former glory, given the state that it’s fallen into. But because it’s so rare to see one here in NC and because of its unique history and backstory, I just couldn’t let it go. So instead, for its 200k milestone birthday, the plan is to bring this Montero back to life and give it the refresh it deserves. We’re overnighting parts from Japan if we have to.

 

[Michael Brown]

Great story. The best sources I've found for parts are Luso Overland, Adventure Driven Design, RockAuto (Denso is usually OEM), and PartSouq.

Offroad parts can be found at Rocky-Road.com. Their rock sliders are bolt on units.

The dealerships have long forgotten how to work on these so the community is the best resource for knowledge.

Honestly, just watch some videos and get used to the behavior. Good AT tires (I prefer Toyo Open Country) and driving will take this almost everywhere. Just be steady with the throttle over obstacles. I've had no problem following Rubicon Wranglers in stock form.
Focus on keeping balance instead of flex. These will salute one wheel in the air while going so just move forward until it balance back down.

Upsize tires if needed for more options.
Look around for a sticker on the rear diff that says "Hyblid" LSD.
This is a factory Torsion LSD with a clutch that engages during free-wheel so it always works.
They can be found in junkyards and eBay. Yours would need a 4.3 ratio to match the front.
Alternatively you can swap both units for XLS 4.9 gears. Entire Diff assembly is swapped with no gear setup needed.

Yours is missing the benefit of the traction control system, but a rear LSD will do wonders.
Dancing Pajero Video