Not So Modest 2000 (Gen 2.5) Montero Build

[zerodrift]

Decided to order a new hvac housing and heater core. Hopefully the company it was ordered from actually has it, as it does appear this part is discontinued from the dealer. As the dash is only loosely in place I plan to remove it and have a shop make the exchange as I honestly am getting weary of the dash work.

As a change of pace I've shifted gears and did a little preventative maintenance on the frame. There was a minimal amount of surface rust on the rear wheel area and a bit around the front skid plate. Project started with a pressure washing of the underside of the car. First thing this morning I drove the car onto ramps, set down a drop cloth and with a wire brush and brake clean- scraped the area to loosen anything the pressure washer didn't. After an hour I set to painting the rust areas with POR15. Honestly I didn't follow their recommendations to remove paint as what's there was fairly good. Just looking to stop the surface rust at this point. I'll spray some epoxy paint tomorrow and call the job finished for now.

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[zerodrift]

About half way into a snorkel install. Certainly not working at my typical pace with the minor fab stuff, but still enjoying the process. Fitment on the eBay special is 'ok' but not great. Will likely have some tension on it once it's secured fully. Should be ok with some heat I recon.

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[zerodrift]

Snorkel install part2!

The install will require the removal of the fender as it turns out. At least if you are going to install all bolts that fasten the unit to the vehicle.

After carefully getting the fitment sorted out with respect to the small bolt holes with template paper and tape- make holes in your fender to mount the unit. Remove the fender and use a proper paint/primer to ensure rust isn't an issue. I carefully touched up the holes on the front while the painters tape was still there and just went wild in the back side.... Quick and dirty, but should do the trick. While the kit did have nylon nuts- I went ahead and used red thread locker to keep things together in a more permanent fashion with all the rough roads this will see. On an unrelated subject I'm going to be using this vehicle as a daily driver for winter and most of the work week. So I'm planning to make this a little nicer than I was initially thinking. More to come on that subject later on.

Anyways- reinstall the fender and use a good silicon to seal up everything. The kit I received certainly leaves much to be desired fitment wise- but I'm not going to complain for the price. I believe I spent asking $180 on eBay. It fits the fender well enough when the assembly is tightened down, but the vertical part pulls away from the pillar too much from what I can gather. It may be by design, but I'm not too sure about that as I'll have to make a custom bracket to attach to the A-pillar. Also the upper snorkel piece didn't really fit on the assembly and will require work to fit...

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[zerodrift]

Progress has been a little slow as of late as I've been dealing with other issues on my nicer car that take priority.

Still waiting on a few parts including the heater core and other miscellaneous odds and ends for the next stages of the project. Likely will take a few weeks at this rate before the interior comes together.

That said I was able to install the fog lights this evening. Was a much easier job than I was thinking it would be. Here is a quick diy for the replacement.

Tools:
-Philip's screw driver
-penetrant spray
-pliers
-may need a drill, magnet on a stick, m4 x 15 or 20mm bolts (stainless if possible)

From the front, remove the single Philip's screw that holds the front trim. Set the plastic trim aside and keep the screw in a safe place. Apply penetrant spray to the two screws that hold the unit in. These are found on the side closest to the outside (passenger/drivers side). If you can see these two screws from the fender well, apply more penetrant spray to the back. From the front, remove the plug and carefully remove the two screws that have been soaking in penetrant spray. If it strips, prepare to drill the screw head off and extract the threads. Finally, remove the light assembly by pulling the side with the screws towards the front of the car and then pry/pull the assembly away from the center line of the car. Bring the assembly out from the front bumper and reassemble the same as removal. Just plan to adjust the aim before installing the front plastic trim.

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[zerodrift]

Fog lights work! Tis a good sign as I wasn't sure if the lights wiring would function.

Heater core arrived! I thought it was going to be just the core itself, but was pleasantly surprised when the whole assembly arrived!

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[reversecaoboy]

Very nice!

Where did you order that heater core from?

 

[zerodrift]

Very nice!

Where did you order that heater core from?

Ordered from http://www.parts.com/ and the part description was 'heater core' with part number MN188337. It is a special order part as a heads up. From a quick visual comparison they look to be identical. I'll report back with any other observations later on.

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[jeep-N-montero]

Fog lights work! Tis a good sign as I wasn't sure if the lights wiring would function.

Heater core arrived! I thought it was going to be just the core itself, but was pleasantly surprised when the whole assembly arrived!

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Is that the rear corner of a GC8 I see?

 

[zerodrift]

Very sharp eye! That is the wife's 2000 Impreza. Been in a long term project mode for the last few years. Engine has been out and I'm slowly shaving and rewiring most everything in the engine bay for the new stand alone engine management. Hopefully I'll be able to jump back into this project this spring, or as soon as my Gen2.5 is in a suitable condition to drive daily.

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[zerodrift]

Progress is starting back up again this last weekend. Lighting needed attention and an inexpensive bi xenon projector setup was installed. I'm still working on the electrical at the moment so the lights aren't yet functional.

That said it was a few hour project to tackle the mechanical side of things and clearance was really tight. Now that it's installed I'm not super fond of the look with the shrouds, but that will have to be sorted out later.

 

[Se7en62]

Well done! I'll be staying tuned to another Gen 2.5!

 

[zerodrift]

The last few weeks I've been sorting out the electrical systems and other side projects on the car. I'm about 75% finished with the electrical system as it currently stands and relieved to say the heater core system has been entirely replaced and the dash is back in the car! The hvac doesn't smell of smoke anymore and I can finally enjoy being in the car now.

Anyways, here are a few teaser pictures of the progress...

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[nwoods]

This is impressive work!

 

[newworld2004]

That is great talent!.

 

[newworld2004]

Is that the rear corner of a GC8 I see?

where did you get front Fog lights? is that pretty much plug and play?