FNG " MK75" Build Thread !

mk75

Adventurer
Yes I can get down with some tech support . Your buddy and I share similar back grounds .. "IDC" Independent Duty Corpsman was me for many many years and then the world of contracting came into being .. Your buddy stilly on active duty / contractor ? Guys with our skillsets are in big demand.. The wife put her foot down and said no more contracting for me.. I miss the life if you catch my drift .. If your reading this and your a brother in arms many thanks for your service to your country and to those of you read this that support the troops many thanks for those care packages.,,, FYI " guys dont need soap and stuff like that down range...
 

scrubber3

Not really here
Yes I can get down with some tech support . Your buddy and I share similar back grounds .. "IDC" Independent Duty Corpsman was me for many many years and then the world of contracting came into being .. Your buddy stilly on active duty / contractor ? Guys with our skillsets are in big demand.. The wife put her foot down and said no more contracting for me.. I miss the life if you catch my drift .. If your reading this and your a brother in arms many thanks for your service to your country and to those of you read this that support the troops many thanks for those care packages.,,, FYI " guys dont need soap and stuff like that down range...

Ain't that the truth. Lol. Although lotion does come in handy whilst in the sand box.

Believe it or not I was a forward observer on a COLT. The eyes of the brigadier general on the combat zone and beyond. Calling in artillery, air, and naval strikes. I didn't turn any wrenches till I got out. Now I have an ADN and skill set as an RN. I also have other biology degrees in the realm of herpetology. I was very close to serving in the navy as I was in NJROTC in high school. Lots a respect for you sailors. I can't be on the water that long. Thank you for your service and it's nice to have a brother in arms here in the Mitsubishi section. I still get a call every once in a while to go be a consultant for a few weeks. It pays great and I get to meet some great people. It's nice to see our nations new heroes doing their thing. I still keep up with 7th and 3rd groups SOF respectively. Miss the bastard gentlemen. One will be my best man next spring when he gets back from the box. My fiancé lost her husband in 2007 to an IED. You could say we have both made our sacrifices. She understands why I am the way I am. I cannot say that about many people. Best thing is she never asks me any silly questions either.

Caught this guy today.
473f509f-4527-935c.jpg

473f509f-4547-9e30.jpg


Male banded/ northern hybrid water snake. Very healthy specimen.
 
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mk75

Adventurer
MK75 NEEDS Suggestions on lifts...

Gentlemen ,

I need suggestions on suspensions and tires and lifts for EP and not rock crawling .. TBH I'm not that familiar with alot of the maufacturers .. I have been to alot of the other 4x4 sites and when I look for these suppliers they seem like they were fly by night or down and out because of the economy. Seems to be alot of stuff out of South Africa for example " $$$ shipping cost " . Do any of you have experience buying from South Africa .. Then there is find a bull bar " ARB" maybe from a TACO or pay someone local to design something / knock it off ???

So once again guys if my lack of knowledge is frustrating let me know..

Thanks Again !!
 

scrubber3

Not really here
No worries about asking questions here. We are here to help, my friend.

Most of us have had to acquire bumpers destined for other vehicles and modify/ fabricate a way to mount them on our rigs. Mines is a Logan's winch bumper made for a jeep Cherokee (xj). I know eurosonic got his bullbar off of a Toyota. I think off-roarer got his off of a jeep as well. Not sure which model.

I have no experience in ordering anything from South Africa so I don't know how to help there. I do know that eBay is a good resource for finding aftermarket support for things like a snorkel, roof rack, etc.

Off roader is an advocate for car-part.com for finding used replacement parts. I've used them before and it's a great service.
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
When you say "EP" can I assume you mean over landing... I.e. getting to beautiful locales which may be in remote locations but not necessarily "technical" off roaming like what's required when rock crawling?

If so here's how I would set up my Montero as one...

Shocks: if you have the OE adjustable shocks, keep them until they die and then replace them with working ones from mitsu (or a salvage rig) or with a decent mono tube shock like those made by KYB, Tokico, Old Man Emu, etc. I'd avoid other kinds of basic vehicle shocks such as Rancho 5000's, Monroe's, etc.

Suspension: stock is fine. If anything, maybe add air bags in the rear to improve load carrying ability.

Engine: verify the engine's in good condition (compression or better yet a leak down test) then tune it up. If you have the 3.5 DOHC engine you may need to change the intake manifold if your butterfly valve bushings are worn. This will eventually happen with the original part. Iirc there is an OE replacement that's supposed to be more reliable.

All of the earlier V6 engines (gen 1 & 2) have the dreaded valve guide seal issues. You'll need to eventually replace them or put up with exhaust smoke during a cold start and after an extended idle (3-5 minutes or less as it gets worse). Fix is to replace the valve guide seals. Not sure if gen 3 montero v6s still have this issue.

Transmission: Perform a transmission fluid change or better yet a full flush to remove all the old stuff. The mitsu auto tranny is exceptionally robust so long as you take care of it by performing regular fluid changes and don't abuse her by doing stupid things like shifting from drive into reverse or vice versa without coming to a complete stop first.

Transfer case: Replace the fluid.

Differentials: Replace the fluids. Add LSD additive if you have an LSD. The Locker IS NOT and LSD.

Tires: Upgrade tires as needed. AT's will offer better mileage, less noise (than MT's), and will cost a lot less. Smaller is better for less fatigue to the entire drivetrain. Bigger if you want more clearance or IMHO for better looks ;)

Roof rack: avoid carrying heavy stuff up there if possible. It just raises your COG and drag. But put a rack up there if you want one for looks ;)

Winch: good to have with a winch anchor especially if you wheel by yourself. Do note there's enough room underneath the front between the frame rails to mount many winch models. All you have to do is cut a hole in the OE bumper and mount a fairlead. The rig ends up being a perfect off road 'sleeper' rig.

Other upgrades: Since I don't have kids and am not too tall, I built a storage/sleeping platform in back. It folds so I can still use the 2nd row seats. I did remove the 3rd row seats since I don't ever plan to use them. With the platform 2 can sleep comfortably in back plus I can store gear safely underneath when wheeling. As an added benefit, unsavory people won't see stuff in back that they may want to 'borrow'.

HTH.
 

mk75

Adventurer
Scrubber3

Hey I can't tell if that thing has a pointy or round head ? By the way I know things are tuff out there in the real world with the prices of food going up . I got some mountain house I can send you .. LOL :REOutShootinghunter
 
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scrubber3

Not really here
Lol! I can put Texas Pete on anything! Or a little bottle of Tabasco sauce.....

This guy was happy I let him go though. It was a semi-round head.
 

mk75

Adventurer
Gentlemen ,

Can anyone explain to me in detail or maybe a play by play on how to do the LP/rope trick for removing and replaing rings..


Thanks ,
Marshall
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
Note: The LP Air/Rope trick is for replacing the valve guide seals. not the rings.

Proceedure explanation:
If you remove the vavle springs/retainers, the valves will fall into the cylinder. To avoid this you remove the spark plug from each cylinder and...

LP AIR TRICK: ...using an LP air nozzle, 'squirt' air into the cylinder (the air pressure pushes the valves up so they don't fall in). This allows you to remove the springs/ retainers and change the seals w/out removing the heads first.

ROPE TRICK:
...insert as much pliable nylon rope (1/4" dia?) into the cylinder via the spark plug hole as you can. Then you hand turn the engine until that piston is in the up position essentially compressing all the rope at the top of the cylinder. Like the LP Air trick, the rope will support the valves so you can remove the springs/retainers and change the seals w/out removing the heads.

That's the basic concept anyway. if nobody else chimes in with the detail you're hoping for check 4x4wire as there are lots of regulars there who have done this to change their valve guide seals.

HTH
 

DR1665

Gearheads United
I'd just like to go on-record as saying I'm glad I'm not the only person who uses "FNG." :) Good on ya!

Hope to one day read about your adventures south of the border, sir. Love stories of Mitsubishi brothers and sisters doing cool stuff. Pres on regardless.
 

mk75

Adventurer
DEQ PASSED !!

Gentlemen ,

Greetings and afternoon.. So I got the dam Monty to pass deq.. Ran it for like an hour before the DEQ trip and then sat in the line keeping it at 1000-1100 RPM and then everytime I moved up I pushed it to like 2500 and held for a second .. So here is the ruff guys .. When the Montero is hot it does not smoke , but when it idles for several minutes and then you put on the gas it throws a puff of smoke " SOMETIMES" and I mean sometimes.. To be honest I cant quite tell the color of the smoke.. kinda blue kinda not .. There is no power loss , no oil leaks , and I'm not going through coolant... Anyone have any ideas ??

Also does anyone in the Oregon area know of any metal fabricators ?


Many Thanks ,
Marshall
 

DR1665

Gearheads United
Smoke after idle is a good sign of leaky valve seals. Increased cylinder pressures at higher rpm keeps oil from seeping past the seals. Given the engine has a reputation for leaky valve seals, I'd say you have your confirmation.

Not a job I think anyone one envy having to do, but nice to not have to yank the heads (unless you wanted to reset things to zero before a lomg trip).

Only metal fab outfits I know of out thay way are TSSfab.us out of Duvall, WA, and JVAB out of Seattle. Both specialize in rally builds.
 

mk75

Adventurer
DR1665 ,

Hey thanks for the leads for fab outfits.. I will give them a call and see if they can point me in the right direction . I found an ARB bull for a tacoma that according to research here and elsewhere would work for my gen 2.5 . Comments welcome ...

Thanks
 

mk75

Adventurer
Running Boards ...

Gentlemen ,

Hey guys so this weekend I plan on removing those useless running boards MKmay2012 002.jpg.. Everything looks straight forward when I crawl under .. Is there anything that I should be aware of before removing ??

Many Thanks,
Marshall
 

Vandal

New member
It's definitely straight forward. IIRC, you just unbolt them. I removed mine the first night I owned it in 20 mins (air tools helped), right before I wheeled it for the first time.
 

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