Nnamssorxela's '03 Montero: Daily Driver and Adventure Mobile

[nnamssorxela]

I'll spare the details, but I made up my pancake pipe and installed the snorkel:

I then tested it over ~1,500 miles:

 

[Rod]

Great Job....nice fabrication!

 

[nnamssorxela]

Thank you for the compliments.

I blew out a headlight and a tail light on my last trip. I ordered some new headlights and some LED tails as well as a few more bits and figured I would polish the headlights AGAIN since owning the car.

Previously I've been sanding up to 2k grit, then polishing it out with a rubbing compound and pad on a wheel, but for some reason this car hazed back up not long after. This time I decided to sand up to 1.5k grit (2k was not available), then clear them. From previous experience I know even at 2k they remain hazy, but I've also read that the clear coat will not stick to the polished plastic very well. I went for it and I'm mildly pleased with the results. Once this completely dries, I will wet sand, polish, and wax. You can see one lens is not as clear, but I believe that is from a little extra orange peel. I think the final wet sand and polish will fix that.

Next I plan on tinkering with the wiring so my orange "running" lights will become my day time running lights, and turning the switch to ON will be the only time the actual headlights come on.

 

[nnamssorxela]

Small update. The car has been intermittently showing a bank 1 and 2 lean code since I purchased it, along with the stability and traction lights coming on and off on longer trips. After lots of searching and head scratching, I read enough threads about the variable length intake manifold butterfly bushings failing to know I wanted to remove that entire system. Over the last month it had gotten so bad that I would throw both codes and both traction lights in just a minute or two after start up. I believe one of the reasons it got so bad was because I was tracking down the air leaks with carb cleaner which dissolved the greasy/oil sludge on the bushings which were forming a seal of sorts. At any rate I removed the system and what a difference!

People say that you will lose low end torque or high end hp by removing the system, but in my opinion if you already have a massive vacuum leak on the motor you will only gain power by fixing it. The car has never been smoother and after several trips the lights have not shown back up. May be placebo, but the trans feels smoother and there seems to be a bit more power as well. A little early to call it a "fix" but I'm pleased so far.

I also scored some 4.9 gears for the front and a 4.9 LSD for the rear to swap out my open 4.3s. I'm hoping this will "restore" some of the power I lost going to bigger and heavier tires, and allow me to run even bigger tires while still netting a mechanical advantage. The LSD should supplement the traction control as well, and hopefully I'll have less power cuts on ice.

 

[nnamssorxela]

This build has been incredibly slow, because I've just been using the car, and I also bought another project. Looking forward to working on it this summer. I fixed some images, but will have to track down the rest later.

Recently I cut off my rusty very low hanging hitch and moved it up about 8" or more. Before the square tube for the hitch was attached to the piece in my hand:


Now it's much higher, and the receiver is about flush with the bottom compartment:


Is it really a build if there aren't photos of welds?


Ready for a lot of rust grinding and eventually some paint:


Sometimes I wash her too:

 

[evomaki]

Just caught up on this thread. You have been slow and steady at this with some very nice fabrication. When you removed the butterfly valves, were the screws loose on the plates? I have a 2006 Monty with 112 thousand miles. I need to do this removal for safety purposes, but I'm wondering if this is a get it done this year kind of deal, or get it into the garage ASAP.

 

[nnamssorxela]

Thank you for the kind words. I was at or over 160k miles when I removed the butterfly system. No screws were loose, but I did have worn bushings (noticeable vacuum leak). I'm under the impression that the screws can back out, and/or worn bushings allow the butterfly to make contact with the runners and eventually break.

I would say that if you aren't having an issue with anything , to just do the removal at your leisure. Tons of these cars running around with high miles and no issues.

 

[nnamssorxela]

Really small update. I finished my hitch "tuck" and gained 8+ inches of clearance:







I also blew out my air line last time I went off-roading. Sick of the proprietary Smitty Bilt fittings so I welded up my own adapter out of a bolt (that goes in air compressor) and an NPT fitting so I can use real air fittings.

Blown out cheapo line...it gets hot!:


Cut appropriate lengths:


Clamp them together:


Weld:


Drill a pilot hole off-center:


Use a crappy fitting drilled out to 1/4" to use as a drill bit guide:


Attach fitting:


Screw it into the compressor:

 

[Rambo Penguin]

Is that the curt hitch? Did you cut it off the sides and then just move it up? My hitch is far too low.

 

[nnamssorxela]

I don't remember the brand, but I think they are all designed to sit below the bumper cover. I cut off the bottom portion altogether, then cut the "ends" off of the square section and moved it up.

 

[nnamssorxela]

Painstakingly removed all the old photobucket photos and re-uploaded. Here are a few bonus photos I found in my archive:

 

[nnamssorxela]

More old photos.

Look at that rear droop!






Look how low the rear hitch was:

 

[nnamssorxela]

Since this is my thread, I post what I want! My current time sink:

 

[Rambo Penguin]

Sick pictures man. You’re ride looks great. Getting ready to do a 2” lift on mine, move the hitch up just like yours and complete my sliders. Your truck is great inspiration for me

 

[nnamssorxela]

I'm flattered. I really need to get off my rear and build my bumpers and install my diffs. I've gone camping and off-roading almost every weekend this summer and it's been great, just doesn't leave much time to work on the truck. I'll post a few more if you find them interesting.