Post your Mitsubishi Pajero Pics

[SoCalMonty]

How do you like the Ironman suspension? Why did you choose that over OME? How hard was it to do the front end? I've never messed around with T-bars, only traditional springs and shocks. Are you keeping your sway bars?

I've only put 25 miles on the truck, just driving easy around town, so no real feedback yet. I only chose it because someone pointed out Camel's site, and I was crunched for time to order torsion bars to get my front end finished (the '93 SR frame uses the shorter torsion bars, so my '95 SR bars didn't swap over to the '93 frame). I don't know what the OME stuff costs, but I assumed the Ironman was more affordable - could have been wrong though. The T-Bars were $232, and the rear springs were $120. I have almost-new KYB Gas-A-Justs so I didn't replace the shocks. Both of my swaybars are removed. On my inclinometer, just making "moderate" turns on the street, I will get 15-18 degrees of roll. :coffeedrink: :smiley_drive: :Wow1:

The front end is easy as pie. T-bars aren't hard to remove or re-index. It took me 30-40 mins to do both of them on my first try. I re-indexed them a couple times, and the last time I did it, it took me about 15 mins to do both sides.

You just jack up the front end, loosen the 2 bolts on the anchor at the front, then drop the adjuster bolt at the rear. That's it!

Then:
-Rotate a couple splines to compensate for sag on stock bars (you can adjust at the rear or the front, doesn't really matter...I have done it both ways now). Just look at the bars and remember which way the bar twists to press the control arms downward!)
-Slip front end into splines on anchor
-Place adjusting lever on rear splines, hand tighten adjuster bolt
-Confirm index marks, then tighten front anchor bolts
-Adjust the rear lever and check your lift!

I'm interested in the Ironman shocks..l would love to hear of your experience.

If those are the "Nitro" shocks on Camel's site listed with the T-bars and springs, they are listed at $80 each. Judging by the price point, they are probably similar to the KYB's. I wonder if they have longer pistons though. I haven't checked any sort of flex yet, as I only have 10 out of 12 body mounts connected. The 2 front mounts by the radiator are not yet bolted up...pulling out the front end on Saturday so I can bolt up the front mounts, so on Sunday I'll get into some mild dirt and try things out. :wings:

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

so on Sunday I'll get into some mild dirt and try things out. :wings:

I'll be interested in dirt road driving speed results.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

I will need to do the body lift, suspension upgrades (it has 180k miles on stock setup), and tires. I'm trying to do this project on the cheap, so I'm agonizing a bit over the potential added cost of 16" wheels. I'd prefer to run tall skinny tires, like the 10.5" width (and 33" height), but man there are so few options for the 15" wheel. I like the duratracks, and the lightweight Montero is well suited for them, but I'm concerned about the width. Any rubbing anywhere with the 12.5 width?

Do you know what bolt pattern the Montero has? Or actually, do you know if standard Toyota Tacoma wheels will fit, or some other common vehicle? If I go with 16's, I want them as cheap as possible, and spend the money on the rubber!

Howdy Nathan,

Your mailbox is full.....and I typed this up.....................

I'd simply go with 33x10.50 BFG KMIIs or ATs on the stock wheels if you're going for cheap. The problem with the Montero is that the hub bore is 108mm which makes finding used wheels a challenge.

Also, to run 33s you will NOT need to do a body lift!!! The cheap solution will be to crank the torsion bars (I just did it after I added the ARB bumper) and a coil spacer for the rear springs. So, torsion crank and $80 spacers and you'll be golden for 33s!

The 12.50s rub a HAIR on full lock and stuffed a bit. Not enough to worry me one bit! I think you'll be perfect with 33 10.50s. As for load rating. I prefer the stability of the load rated tires. I have a purpose built overlanding truck to accomplish traversing a multitude of terrains.... but with safety and comfort of hwy travel. I'm not satisfied with the C rated tires in that regard, when loaded down. The do handle well, but I'm quite... critical.... of the overall system which is my family moving, 4 wheeled, missile of adventure.

If you're stuck with going with the Duratracs, I'd highly recommend getting 285s. They're a great compromise for general overlanding. They are, afterall, the tire size of choice for Australians! The 12.50- 11.50 size just looks right on the truck.

 

[SoCalMonty]

Howdy Nathan,

Your mailbox is full.....and I typed this up.....................

I'd simply go with 33x10.50 BFG KMIIs or ATs on the stock wheels if you're going for cheap. The problem with the Montero is that the hub bore is 108mm which makes finding used wheels a challenge.

Also, to run 33s you will NOT need to do a body lift!!! The cheap solution will be to crank the torsion bars (I just did it after I added the ARB bumper) and a coil spacer for the rear springs. So, torsion crank and $80 spacers and you'll be golden for 33s!

The 12.50s rub a HAIR on full lock and stuffed a bit. Not enough to worry me one bit! I think you'll be perfect with 33 10.50s. As for load rating. I prefer the stability of the load rated tires. I have a purpose built overlanding truck to accomplish traversing a multitude of terrains.... but with safety and comfort of hwy travel. I'm not satisfied with the C rated tires in that regard, when loaded down. The do handle well, but I'm quite... critical.... of the overall system which is my family moving, 4 wheeled, missile of adventure.

If you're stuck with going with the Duratracs, I'd highly recommend getting 285s. They're a great compromise for general overlanding. They are, afterall, the tire size of choice for Australians! The 12.50- 11.50 size just looks right on the truck.

I agree with the wider tire for a couple other reasons.

I would always go 12.5 instead of 10.5 for the extra volume. This leaves more room for airing down, more grip on the rocks and more float in sandy terrain with the wider footprint, and more comfort on the trail from the extra cushioning. Good luck!

 

[Dwing]

Any more pics of that Monty?--I love that brown color and want to see some side pics.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Any more pics of that Monty?--I love that brown color and want to see some side pics.

Click back a page...

 

[Dwing]

I should have before posting. Went back one and went to the build thread, very nice btw. Can't wait to get my 94 ls going again. Not sure if it has a blown head or cracked head-will see.

 

[SoCalMonty]

I should have before posting. Went back one and went to the build thread, very nice btw. Can't wait to get my 94 ls going again. Not sure if it has a blown head or cracked head-will see.

You should be able to find a used head for cheap if you need one. I've also had heads successfully welded before, and it's not that much.

However...I'm sure others will shun this idea...but I've repaired 2 engines with cracked heads/blocks with KW Fiberlock Block Seal (I hear Blue Devil is the best, but the KW was cheaper so I tried that one first). One of them was raced and run on a dyno a couple times making pretty high boost, and the KW has held tight for a year and a half (it's still working fine, but the rings are all blown out and compression is universally low so I'm in the middle of replacing the engine due to mileage and wear). For $40, it's worth a shot as long as it's not too far gone.

 

[nwoods]

Thanks Scott and Sean. Coming recently from the Jeep world, I know all about the benies of big wide tires, but..... Floation is not really about width, it is about contact patch. Airing down makes tires longer, not wider. Your tread is only as wide as it is, if airing down is giving you a wider tread, you are running them over inflated! So pizza cutter tires float just fine when aired down. The key is to have enough sidewall to make it count. A nice tall pliant sidewall when aired down also gives you that nice conformance over rocks to smooth out the ride here in rocky SoCal. AND, if you maintain an effective tire pressure, taller skinny tires increase the pressure per square inch of the contact patch on the ground (compared to fatties) which gains you a little bit more traction, all things considered equal, over wider tires. Useful on an older rig without traction control like this Gen 2 Monteros. Plus, there is a benefit of slightly lighter tires, with less rotational mass, and less air drag, and a general benefit of gas mileage over fat tires.

The KM2's are fantastic tires, but it might be a bit more agressive than I need on the Montero. Hard to say, they do perform very well around here. But they are only in Load C, in either 33X12.5R15LT or 33x10.5R15LT. Same for the Duratracs. Only available in Load C in 33X12.5R15LT.

The Cooper Discovery ST MAXX looks pretty sweet: http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Light-Truck/DISCOVERER-S-T-MAXX.aspx, but not available in 15" rim sizes, Only the somewhat more tame Discoverer S-T: http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Light-Truck/DISCOVERER-S-T.aspx, also in Load Range C

Even the Goodyear MTR's are load range C, and again those are all 12.5's. Finding a 10.5" width in 15" rim size is not easy

PS: Inbox cleaned up a bit. Sorry about that.

 

[SoCalMonty]

That's why I like to start with as much base width as possible...can mean the difference between slipping off an obstacle and smashing your undercarriage, too, having that extra reach side to side!

It seems tires in general are harder to find now in 15's...probably since the advent of the "brodozer" and it's requisite oversized wheels for getting over those pesky parking curbs at the mall.

I was always very happy with Pro-Comp A/T's (similar to the BFG A/T) in 33x12.5x15. They don't make that diameter/width in a 15" anymore...you have to get their "Xtreme" Radial, and it's not even listed on their site. I had to email them to find out they even offered a 33" A/T tire for a 15" rim. The only 33x12.5 tire on their site that's NOT a mud tire (I don't like M/T's) is for a 17" rim!!! What gives?!

I may go with those Duratracs when the time comes, but finances dictate I have to use up these 31's for all they're worth first. Ugh.

 

[JamesW]

I'm interested in the Ironman shocks..l would love to hear of your experience.

I have a pair of them in the back of my shorty. They are the nitro gas ones,+2s meant for a 90 series but I put a sleeve in the bottom rubber and they fit like a glove! They aren't as firm as the ones i had before them,but they were oil filled,but they aren't bouncy either,it's more of a cushioning effect when hitting bumps with a bit of speed. The terrain here isn't the same as what you would be driving on in the U.S. although our roads are fairly bumpy. I've only ad them in a few months but i'd say that they are good

And the articulation has improved thanks to the longer shocks.

Before

After

 

[nwoods]

James, that's sweet. What else did you do to your suspension besides the shocks? Oh, and I want your hood

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

James, that's sweet. What else did you do to your suspension besides the shocks? Oh, and I want your hood

I'll eventually install one on my truck. The hoods actually have the bolt holes pre-drilled on the underbonnet supports.

 

[JamesW]

James, that's sweet. What else did you do to your suspension besides the shocks? Oh, and I want your hood

I wonder how much it would be to get a lot of them shipped over,they only come on the 2.8td The front bit of the scoop is bolted on,but the rest of it is part of the sheet.

My suspension is some 20% stronger lwb springs,cranked torsion bars and +2 90 series land cruiser shocks

 

[jeisonk]

Amazing photos :clapsmile