Japanese SUV goodness: 2001 Isuzu Trooper
- Thread starter BIGdaddy
- Start date
FullTankHank
Adventurer
What a great build, and I definitely have to echo what has already been said here a few times....good lessons to be teaching your daughters, a great dad move.
Subscribed! Looking forward to seeing the progress you make on this rig! I'm looking at Troopers as an entry-level 4WD (BigSwede has commented on my other thread a bunch) and your build has been good inspiration for what I'd want to do to mine. One question: if yours is an '01, does that mean it has the TOD 4WD system? If so, how do the manual hubs work with that?
You lose the ability to shift into 4x4 in the cab with the hubs disengaged. Its also not good for the Transfer case to engage TOD 4x4 with the hubs disengaged.
The manual hubs take a lot of load off the CV joints and boost your mpg a hair. When things get dicey you simply lock them in and engaged the TOD.
There may very well be a "next chapter" with this rig coming soon.
Happy new year everyone.
2 plus months...Lets see it! :sombrero:
Clem
airbornegrunt82
New member
Eh hmmmm, updates? I just read the entire thread and am excited with the direction this Trooper has been going.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
BIGdaddy
Expedition Leader
So, long story short, life happens and i was promoted at work in May of this year. Bid out for a management position, that i had been prayerful about for 6 months or so. What a ride it has been...Sorry for the lack of updates.
Vehicle-wise, we decided to focus on paying down my student loan debt so the trooper became the obvious value choice over a new car.
Also, my wife's school FINALLY agreed to insure me on the school flatbed to facilitate what i do in regards to set design/construction, etc. This effectively takes a huge load off the trooper to serve in that role. SUCH a blessing.
In July we took the trusty trooper to a tranny specialist expecting the worst, yet at 189,000 miles the specialist gave the tranny a clean bill of health, with zero metal on the pan magnet. He simply drained and refilled fluids and put in a new filter. He thinks the old fluid might have been causing a bit of the "tired" feeling I described to him. Amazing feeling when you pay a couple hundred instead of a couple thousand...haha!
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Fast forward to last friday which had me picking up the trooper with my "long sitting in my garage" OME 929's installed by a local shop who also cranked my torsions and aligned the front. This thing rode nice before but its like a caddy now. I went with the OME2929's because i have 3 kids, gear and a trailer that gets hauled around on a regular basis.
Vehicle-wise, we decided to focus on paying down my student loan debt so the trooper became the obvious value choice over a new car.
Also, my wife's school FINALLY agreed to insure me on the school flatbed to facilitate what i do in regards to set design/construction, etc. This effectively takes a huge load off the trooper to serve in that role. SUCH a blessing.
In July we took the trusty trooper to a tranny specialist expecting the worst, yet at 189,000 miles the specialist gave the tranny a clean bill of health, with zero metal on the pan magnet. He simply drained and refilled fluids and put in a new filter. He thinks the old fluid might have been causing a bit of the "tired" feeling I described to him. Amazing feeling when you pay a couple hundred instead of a couple thousand...haha!
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Fast forward to last friday which had me picking up the trooper with my "long sitting in my garage" OME 929's installed by a local shop who also cranked my torsions and aligned the front. This thing rode nice before but its like a caddy now. I went with the OME2929's because i have 3 kids, gear and a trailer that gets hauled around on a regular basis.
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BIGdaddy
Expedition Leader
Current tires are 235-75/16 general grabbers on stock alloys, which will both be getting replaced in the near future (look at all those wheel weights...lol)
I'm thinking that 255-85R16's or 285-75R16's are what I'll go with. Hopefully I can find grabbers in either of those sizes. (Love that tire.)
I'm thinking that 255-85R16's or 285-75R16's are what I'll go with. Hopefully I can find grabbers in either of those sizes. (Love that tire.)
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BIGdaddy
Expedition Leader
Carved some time out to stop at a local shop that has an RTI ramp outside.
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Wanted to test:
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16" wheels
235-75/R16 General AT/2 tires
Old man emu 2929 coils
Stock shocks
Rear swaybar installed
No front end mods (ball joint flip, etc)
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Pic 1: You can see in this first pic - most of the articulation is in the rear - front hardly stuffs at all
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Pic 2: Lots of slack in rear brake lines (I think it's the e-brake cable pictured)
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Pic 3: Generous amount of room. At least 3" on either side of tread surface.
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Pic 4: Backed up to ramp. Never lifted a tire. Progress was only stopped due to open front and basically open rear limited slip. I tried applying brake pressure to trick it. No dice.
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Pic 5: This was about as "stuffed" as front ever got. At least 2.5" clearance from tread to wheelwell/bumper
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Wanted to test:
- Overall articulation
- Rear brake line lengths at full flex
- Tire clearances
- Rear limited slip function
.
16" wheels
235-75/R16 General AT/2 tires
Old man emu 2929 coils
Stock shocks
Rear swaybar installed
No front end mods (ball joint flip, etc)
.
Pic 1: You can see in this first pic - most of the articulation is in the rear - front hardly stuffs at all
.
.
Pic 2: Lots of slack in rear brake lines (I think it's the e-brake cable pictured)
.
.
Pic 3: Generous amount of room. At least 3" on either side of tread surface.
.
.
Pic 4: Backed up to ramp. Never lifted a tire. Progress was only stopped due to open front and basically open rear limited slip. I tried applying brake pressure to trick it. No dice.
.
.
Pic 5: This was about as "stuffed" as front ever got. At least 2.5" clearance from tread to wheelwell/bumper
.
.