Picked up a 97 LS - First Things First

[BayMonty]

A few years ago I sold my 2000 Montero Endeavor to make way for the family Suburban as we were expecting our 5th child. I was finally able to start looking for another Montero about two months ago and found this 97 LS on Facebook Marketplace a few days ago. There have been several Montero's listed in NorCal the last two months but none of them were in respectable condition and within my limited budget.

For $1800, this was probably the best deal around here.



It has your typical driver seat wear and tear (literally), one of the rear wheel indicator lights on the instrument panel is out, the brake light on the cluster stays on, the rear tailgate power door lock motor/actuator isn't functioning correctly (the door opens but will not lock through keyless fob), and the steering suspension needs a little work. Other than that, the body is pretty clean and other than the driver seat, all the other seats look barely used.

Ready to make it into a fun rig like my old Endeavor:



Happy to be back on here!

 

[PacS14]

Welcome back! Clean Monty! What are your plans for it?

 

[BayMonty]

Thanks PacS14. Right now it’s all about getting it back to factory condition. I’m a little OCD with my cars. I enjoy the process of making sure everything operates just as it’s supposed to...mechanically, electrically, aesthetically, etc. During this initial stage, I’ll either go OEM suspension or upgrade with parts that are the foundation to accommodate a 2-3” lift. I’m debating on some standard steelies or procomps vs. updating the look with something of this era like some black Fuels. 33’s. Depending on how it takes to this setup I may change gearing. Once the ride is dialed in, steering/suspension is solid, I’ll probably rhinoline the front and rear bumper corners and the Sudan Beige on the side, and possibly black out the chrome with carbon fiber overlay. Aluminess low profile full length rack on top with an LED light strip at the front of the rack. I’d like to eventually source the factory rear air locker and possibly add some MLH’s. If I want to go really extreme, I’ll add some off road bumpers front and back with upgraded skid plates and delete the factory running boards for some sliders.

Slow and steady though.