cronk
Observer
I purchased a used 2002 Rodeo in early 2004 as my primary driver. I chose Isuzu because it was my cheapest available option for what I was looking for. (An inexpensive 4x4 SUV or 4 door pickup.) That and an Isuzu pickup I had as a kid had left a lasting impression on me. I drove the Rodeo as my daily driver for about three years before I acquired a company truck. After that, I drove it less and less. Eventually, it sat in the driveway more than it was driven. I never had any issues with the truck and could always count on it when I needed it.
With my travel came the opportunity to explore many areas of the United States in my free time. Problem was, my rental cars only took me so far. I had to hike on from there. That was the limiting factor in what I could see and do. So, like all of us on here, the desire to go farther was the basis for my build up. It has been a progressive build from something that I already had on hand. Lots of idle time in my evenings allowed me time to read, plan, dream, and shop.
Looking back, I guess I have always been interested in the expedition type vehicles. From an early age, I remember reading my grandmother's National Geographic magazines. The ones that stand out featured the rain forest expeditions. I remember being infatuated with the articles and, more particularly, the trucks in the articles. Orange colored Fords with campers if I my memory serves me correctly. I guess you could say that the expedition seed was planted around that time.
Over time, I found some Isuzu forums that helped guide me with modifications. I eventually made my way out on my first trail ride, then to others. I still remember my first run. I was a bit nervous and excited at the same time. The feeling of conquering a terrain that I never thought I could do in my vehicle was amazing! I was hooked after that, and extremely impressed with what my nearly stock truck could do! Of course, I wanted to make it better! It wasn't long before I started modifying my truck and trying new things. A few mistakes were made along the way. I learned from those and with each outing came new desires and ideas. I've made several runs at this point and many new friends along the way, some of who lead me to this site. Now, I'm at a new milestone and a new forum. I'm looking over this site daily for information and inspiration. I recognize more and more of my fellow Isuzu enthusiasts, Birds of a feather I guess!
Part of what I like about Isuzu is that it is different. I have never been one to follow the crowd and have always enjoyed building things and solving problems. So I guess I fit right in with the Isuzu community. Modifying my misfit vehicle not only fit my personal style, it proved to be a challenge. Unlike many brands, Isuzu doesn't have large aftermarket support. There are only a handful of vendors. Anything outside of the available parts network has to be fabricated. Part of this may be due in part to the fact Isuzu drivers are frugal to start with. Just like me, they chose their truck based on it's bang for the buck. So I guess that is where my build began, bang for the buck.
If you were to compare a used Isuzu to any other vehicle in it's class, you'd notice that for the cost, it's pretty hard to beat. You can find a nice 4x4 Isuzu for under five thousand dollars, maybe as little as half that if you sort through the bad ones. For that price, you get a full framed vehicle with plenty of life left in it. One that, even stock can take you where you want with confidence. One that comes standard with a Dana 44, strong Isuzu corporate front axle, 4 wheel disc brakes and a strong and reliable double overhead cam V6. Shoot, it even has hemispherical combustion chambers! Granted, it can be argued that there are some weaknesses, every brand has an Achilles heel. For mine, it's the 4L30 automatic transmission. Not a bad transmission by any means, but vulnerable for sure. If you were to buy a Rodeo for your platform, get a a manual or the 2004 Rodeo with the Asian automatic transmission. I can testify that with care, these trucks can and will last, I have driven mine to over 100 thousand miles without any major problems to date.
Some may argue that the IFS is a weakness, but it has served me well through the years. It also allows a lower center of gravity for the vehicle. They have proven to work well even with tires as big as 35 inch. It really depends on your driving style from what I've seen and read. If you spin high RPMs, the cv joints are going to break. The good thing is, they are easy to change out.
A recent concern with these trucks has been frame rot. If you have driven in the salt belt or are looking at a truck that has been driven in salt, check the frame! There is a recall notice due to the rot. I recently had mine checked and it checked out fine. I feel I have circumvented the problem by washing the frame every spring and painting any rust on the frame that has cropped up.
The only major maintenance I have ever needed to perform (besides basic maintenance) has been replacing a timing belt tensioner, an o-ring by my thermostat and just recently, the actuator plug on my transmission. (I changed my water pump when I did the timing belt because of where it was located.) The tensioner will knock like a rod knocking when it goes bad. Both repairs are problems associated with higher mileage, neither job was all that difficult to perform, given proper guidance. There are many good write ups about these available on the web. With proper care, these trucks will last a long time.
Performance wise, the truck does well. It accelerates well, tows up to 5 thousand pounds and stops well with the disc brakes. I have gotten anywhere from 15-21 MPG on the stock truck, usually around 17 MPG. My best mileage was with wind was behind me and driving 60-65 mpg. To date, I have driven it all over the Midwest, South and North-East. I've been on many long road trips and it sits and rides nicely on long road trips. After I added larger tires and the roof rack, my mileage dropped a few miles per gallon. I now average about 15 mpg.
The first modification I performed was to turn up the torsion bars and add taller rear springs. I got my springs from Valley Spring Works but Old man Emu springs were an option too. I went the cheaper route. The springs gave me about 2-3 inches of additional clearance. Around the same time, I added 31-10.5-15 Toyo AT tires which replaced the stock 245-70-16 tires. I ran them on 15” Isuzu rims commonly referred to as snowflakes. To prevent rubbing, I pounded the inner fender lips down with a hammer. Other lifted Rodeo drivers have trimmed their lower front fenders. While apart, I added Rancho 9000 in place of the factory shocks. I played it safe and kept them the same length as the factory shocks. (Use caution adding longer shocks in the front. Otherwise you can pull the seals out of the steering rack.) The Yakima Load Warrior was added around the same time.
This is how it sat after the initial lift.
These were the wheels and tires.
This is a comparison to a stock Rodeo.
With my travel came the opportunity to explore many areas of the United States in my free time. Problem was, my rental cars only took me so far. I had to hike on from there. That was the limiting factor in what I could see and do. So, like all of us on here, the desire to go farther was the basis for my build up. It has been a progressive build from something that I already had on hand. Lots of idle time in my evenings allowed me time to read, plan, dream, and shop.
Looking back, I guess I have always been interested in the expedition type vehicles. From an early age, I remember reading my grandmother's National Geographic magazines. The ones that stand out featured the rain forest expeditions. I remember being infatuated with the articles and, more particularly, the trucks in the articles. Orange colored Fords with campers if I my memory serves me correctly. I guess you could say that the expedition seed was planted around that time.
Over time, I found some Isuzu forums that helped guide me with modifications. I eventually made my way out on my first trail ride, then to others. I still remember my first run. I was a bit nervous and excited at the same time. The feeling of conquering a terrain that I never thought I could do in my vehicle was amazing! I was hooked after that, and extremely impressed with what my nearly stock truck could do! Of course, I wanted to make it better! It wasn't long before I started modifying my truck and trying new things. A few mistakes were made along the way. I learned from those and with each outing came new desires and ideas. I've made several runs at this point and many new friends along the way, some of who lead me to this site. Now, I'm at a new milestone and a new forum. I'm looking over this site daily for information and inspiration. I recognize more and more of my fellow Isuzu enthusiasts, Birds of a feather I guess!
Part of what I like about Isuzu is that it is different. I have never been one to follow the crowd and have always enjoyed building things and solving problems. So I guess I fit right in with the Isuzu community. Modifying my misfit vehicle not only fit my personal style, it proved to be a challenge. Unlike many brands, Isuzu doesn't have large aftermarket support. There are only a handful of vendors. Anything outside of the available parts network has to be fabricated. Part of this may be due in part to the fact Isuzu drivers are frugal to start with. Just like me, they chose their truck based on it's bang for the buck. So I guess that is where my build began, bang for the buck.
If you were to compare a used Isuzu to any other vehicle in it's class, you'd notice that for the cost, it's pretty hard to beat. You can find a nice 4x4 Isuzu for under five thousand dollars, maybe as little as half that if you sort through the bad ones. For that price, you get a full framed vehicle with plenty of life left in it. One that, even stock can take you where you want with confidence. One that comes standard with a Dana 44, strong Isuzu corporate front axle, 4 wheel disc brakes and a strong and reliable double overhead cam V6. Shoot, it even has hemispherical combustion chambers! Granted, it can be argued that there are some weaknesses, every brand has an Achilles heel. For mine, it's the 4L30 automatic transmission. Not a bad transmission by any means, but vulnerable for sure. If you were to buy a Rodeo for your platform, get a a manual or the 2004 Rodeo with the Asian automatic transmission. I can testify that with care, these trucks can and will last, I have driven mine to over 100 thousand miles without any major problems to date.
Some may argue that the IFS is a weakness, but it has served me well through the years. It also allows a lower center of gravity for the vehicle. They have proven to work well even with tires as big as 35 inch. It really depends on your driving style from what I've seen and read. If you spin high RPMs, the cv joints are going to break. The good thing is, they are easy to change out.
A recent concern with these trucks has been frame rot. If you have driven in the salt belt or are looking at a truck that has been driven in salt, check the frame! There is a recall notice due to the rot. I recently had mine checked and it checked out fine. I feel I have circumvented the problem by washing the frame every spring and painting any rust on the frame that has cropped up.
The only major maintenance I have ever needed to perform (besides basic maintenance) has been replacing a timing belt tensioner, an o-ring by my thermostat and just recently, the actuator plug on my transmission. (I changed my water pump when I did the timing belt because of where it was located.) The tensioner will knock like a rod knocking when it goes bad. Both repairs are problems associated with higher mileage, neither job was all that difficult to perform, given proper guidance. There are many good write ups about these available on the web. With proper care, these trucks will last a long time.
Performance wise, the truck does well. It accelerates well, tows up to 5 thousand pounds and stops well with the disc brakes. I have gotten anywhere from 15-21 MPG on the stock truck, usually around 17 MPG. My best mileage was with wind was behind me and driving 60-65 mpg. To date, I have driven it all over the Midwest, South and North-East. I've been on many long road trips and it sits and rides nicely on long road trips. After I added larger tires and the roof rack, my mileage dropped a few miles per gallon. I now average about 15 mpg.
The first modification I performed was to turn up the torsion bars and add taller rear springs. I got my springs from Valley Spring Works but Old man Emu springs were an option too. I went the cheaper route. The springs gave me about 2-3 inches of additional clearance. Around the same time, I added 31-10.5-15 Toyo AT tires which replaced the stock 245-70-16 tires. I ran them on 15” Isuzu rims commonly referred to as snowflakes. To prevent rubbing, I pounded the inner fender lips down with a hammer. Other lifted Rodeo drivers have trimmed their lower front fenders. While apart, I added Rancho 9000 in place of the factory shocks. I played it safe and kept them the same length as the factory shocks. (Use caution adding longer shocks in the front. Otherwise you can pull the seals out of the steering rack.) The Yakima Load Warrior was added around the same time.
This is how it sat after the initial lift.
These were the wheels and tires.
This is a comparison to a stock Rodeo.
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