Justice R's 99 Montero Build

[Justice R]

Here's the 99 I bought a couple months ago. Been rolling completely stock till this weekend

Its a 99 with 150K, cold weather package, rear locker and the heated seats, infinity sound system etc. Only option it does not have is the 3 way adjustable shocks.

First thing I did was go through the front of the engine. Replaced the following:

-Timing belt with new tensioner and bearings, crankshaft bolt (updated version)
-Water Pump
-cam seals
-front main seal
-All new accessory belts
-All new coolant hoses and thermostat and rad cap.
-Flushed Radiator
-Repaired leaky oil cooler line at hydraulic shop
-New wires
-NGK Iridium Plugs

The engine runs strong and does not smoke so I'm hoping it will go for a while after all the maintenance I did. No signs of Valve Guide seal leakage or smoke.

I'm still not sure of my end state for this one..I would like to build it a little different than what I've been seeing. wont put an ARB bumper on this one most likely, too heavy I did not like the way my old 95 SR handled with the heavy ARB bumper and winch. Most likely no snorkle either. Main goal, I want to be able to go faster in the desert (suspension tweeks) When I get back to cali next year. But of course I want to be able to crawl when I have to, so we'll see. I'll be building my own bumpers and armor soon. I'll probably start with the front bumper. I have some ideas but nothing concrete. Going to keep it light but still strong and of course provisions for a winch or at least a go through for the fair-lead if I decide to mount winch to the frame like I did on my 89. Maybe something pre-runner inspired. Going to be fun. atriot:

 

[Justice R]

Here's the rims I chose. American Racing AR-23 in 15x8. Ive been wanting these for years. I would have got them for my 89 back in 08, but the tire shop told me that they were discontinued in 6 lug. Not the case. I was nervous that they would not fit since all the online calculators say they will not, but the specs said otherwise.

For tires I'm sticking to 33x12.50 for now decided to try a different brand. I was looking at the General Grabbers but a 75lbs per tire, too heavy, love tread of the Toyo's but really heavy too . I love the Duratracs on my 89 they are light at only 49lb but wanted to try something different. I liked the tread pattern on these Cooper Discoverer STT's and they have been getting good reviews so I decided to try them out they weigh in a 55lb so not bad. I'm maybe compromising some side wall strength with the coopers but I've had better luck in the past with less known brands as I ripped sidewalls open on BFG tri Guard and Goodwear MTR's in the past. The Coopers boast an "Armor Tek" carcass with a third ply at an angle. They have a rim lip protector as well which is always nice. We'll see how they do.

 

[Justice R]

Got them mounted last weekend. I like them. They have that classic desert racing look. Probably my second favorite wheel with the Walker Evans being my fave but way out of my budget.

I have some Aisin Manual hubs I need to clean up and put on. The next major mod will probably be 4.90's in the diffs, however I was surprised by how little they seem to have affected the truck. I think it was good to stick to alloys and the lighter tires. We'll see how it does towing the bass boat soon. My 91 really struggled a bit to keep pace on 65/70 MPH streatches but was good local.

 

[cap510]

Looking good justice! It seems as if all the gen2.5 owners are on the portal.

 

[eurosonic]

very nice! Nice to see another twin brother on here.

I like the step-lip on the wheels.

 

[IncorpoRatedX]

Love the way that thing looks, those have always been my favorite american racing wheels.

 

[zukrider]

the coopers are AWESOME snow wheeling tires! at least on a sami they are. great tire all around though. love the wheels!

i tend to agree with the frame mounted winch, and separate bumper. keeps both pieces lighter overall, and easier to mount/dismount while alone. i will be doing just this! i have the rear to complete first though.

 

[Justice R]

Thats the way I did my 89. Loved that. The 95 and 91 with the ARB and 12K winch was a bear to lift off and on.

 

[Justice R]

Couple of pics from yesterday's fishing trip.

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[IncorpoRatedX]

Simple and clean, love it.

 

[Michael Vincent]

Those rims are sweet!

 

[MontyMcV]

Geez, Justice, I know you're military trained and all, but to make that poor dog pull the rig- what a Grinch...!

BTW, my 00 is the same color, so triplets now. Of course I don't have a rear locker- yet.

 

[eengler2]

Looks great! What's the offset on the rims?

 

[Justice R]

Looks great! What's the offset on the rims?

-19mm

 

[Justice R]

Took out the old factory infinity radio and put in this double DIN Pioneer unit with Bluetooth and USB that was on sale at Best Buy. The factory "infinity" system has an amp in a compartment under the rear seats. I got an adapter harness that lets you plug and play and retain use of the amp. The radio bolted right into the existing frame work behind the dash. Sounds great and the blue tooth and IPod controls are nice. The lights are a little over the top but I can dim them out in the menu controls.

The small speakers behind the dash were blown so I took them out and replaced with some JVC units from Amazon.

The factory speakers are in a 4" frame but they are actually a 2" speaker and the foam on the edges was rotted out

The 4 " JVC's fit well I had to slightly ream out one mounting hole with my pocket knife on the drivers side then it bolted in.

On the passengers side there was a center support on the grill that I trimmed out in order to clear the tweeter that sticks out on the JVC's.

Sounds a lot better with the fours in the dash. A lot clearer highs and mids and no more popping. The passenger side was not hooked up at all when I pulled that section of dash out but it was blown as well. Next I'll pull the door panels and check those speaker out.