Roaming Lost: Montero Gen2.5 Build

[roaminglost]

Good choice on the OME parts, I remember when mine were new and nice and clean, you are going to love driving it even more now. Did you make sure to remove the rear sway bar?

im stoked on the ride because the original shocks were so compressed that its going to be night and day lol!
we didnt remove the sway..

 

[roaminglost]

If you do remove the sway bar, hang onto it. You might find yourself wanting to put it back on.

why would I remove it?

 

[roaminglost]

On very uneven terrain a truck with no swaybars will distribute its weight more evenly among the tires, which can improve traction and reduce the "head bob" effect of crossing uneven ground. It's most effective when both sway bars (front and rear) are removed.

Some vehicles (newer Jeep Rubicon, Ram Power Wagon) have fancy swaybars that split in the middle to produce this effect. Many other vehicles have aftermarket swaybar disconnects available so that the driver can easily unhook the bar when they get to a trail and then reconnect it when they return to the road. This is not possible on a Montero because the geometry of the sway bars (front and rear) does not permit a safe position while disconnected.

So a lot of people remove them entirely. This makes the vehicle less stable on the highway which I find both uncomfortable and unsafe.

Ahhhh that makes alot more sense. yeah I won't be removing because this will be a mainly overloading vehicle with minimal rock crawling

 

[Toasty]

It doesn't have to be rock crawling, rutted dirt will make a Montero tippy with sway bars. Keep them on unless you go offroad a lot, you can get really comfortable in these trucks with a tire waaaay off the ground because they are very well balanced. It feels weird but you get used to it, my Gen 3's favorite thing is hanging a tire 4' off the ground.

I saw you're doing heat vents? Do you have a cooling issue? The cooling systems in these things commonly get neglected but are pretty easy to rehab.

 

[roaminglost]

It doesn't have to be rock crawling, rutted dirt will make a Montero tippy with sway bars. Keep them on unless you go offroad a lot, you can get really comfortable in these trucks with a tire waaaay off the ground because they are very well balanced. It feels weird but you get used to it, my Gen 3's favorite thing is hanging a tire 4' off the ground.

I saw you're doing heat vents? Do you have a cooling issue? The cooling systems in these things commonly get neglected but are pretty easy to rehab.

no cooling issues! I even purposely tried overheating it and nothing. it raises a bit and stays there and I had the AC on. Not too worried about it. but I do have the heat vents I haven't installed them yet. wouldn't hurt I suppose

 

[Toasty]

If the insides of your engine look anything like the outside of the truck it's probably in great shape, these trucks have very good cooling systems despite what you'll read and hear. Keep up on it and it will keep your engine cool for a lot of years even climbing at altitude, out wheeling or stuck in traffic on a 118 degree day rocking the AC. Vents can hurt performance actually, there is a science to getting the openings in the prime location not to cause issues at speed. There are some neat ways to figure it out though so do your research before cutting holes in that shiny hood. Maybe even invest in a test hood, I have some Evo 7 vents i plan to install someday on my spare hood to see where the magic is (if at all) but mostly because they might look cool so it would be great if they actually did a thing.

 

[roaminglost]

If the insides of your engine look anything like the outside of the truck it's probably in great shape, these trucks have very good cooling systems despite what you'll read and hear. Keep up on it and it will keep your engine cool for a lot of years even climbing at altitude, out wheeling or stuck in traffic on a 118 degree day rocking the AC. Vents can hurt performance actually, there is a science to getting the openings in the prime location not to cause issues at speed. There are some neat ways to figure it out though so do your research before cutting holes in that shiny hood. Maybe even invest in a test hood, I have some Evo 7 vents i plan to install someday on my spare hood to see where the magic is (if at all) but mostly because they might look cool so it would be great if they actually did a thing.

oh yeah the shop just did a whole check over, it did need new valve cover gaskets so they're sealing that baby up.

I won't be doing the vent unless I have a extra hood, waiting on pick a part to get my truck then ill do it.

 

[Toasty]

Ah, I don't have one that color but if you happen to be in Az anytime soon you're welcome to one of mine in exchange for doing some science with me.

What offset and size are your wheels?

 

[roaminglost]

Phase 01 complete.
OME Lift w/ Heavy duty spring
VTX Classic 16x8 -12
Toyo Tire Open Country M/T 305/70
Front Runner Outfitter Pajero Rack
No modifications were done.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Looking pretty good, I see you have rust spots in the same area as our 98, the good thing is I have been told they used decent steel on the rockers and can be fixed before it eats through.

 

[Toasty]

Looks great, blue Monteros are my favorite i'd really like a second one for a resto mod.

 

[Salonika]

Looking pretty good, I see you have rust spots in the same area as our 98, the good thing is I have been told they used decent steel on the rockers and can be fixed before it eats through.

Unless you live in the rust belt LOL

 

[Steve1814]

VTX Classic 16x8 -12....where did you get 108s? i can only find 106.1's

 

[roaminglost]

VTX Classic 16x8 -12....where did you get 108s? i can only find 106.1's

I had them machined, if you ask for rich at VTX tell him I sent you and they should do it

 

[roaminglost]

Looking pretty good, I see you have rust spots in the same area as our 98, the good thing is I have been told they used decent steel on the rockers and can be fixed before it eats through.

thanks! yeah gotta take care of the rust asap.