Tacoma to Trooper, New Isuzu Owner

[RealJon]

Well, I have finally replaced my Tacoma, I purchased a 1999 Trooper. It has 144k on the clock and according to the previous owner burns one quart every 650 miles. It was owned by a lady who used it to daily drive and take feed out to the animals on her farm. The interior is amazing for a 12 year old vehicle that was used on a farm. The tires are decent, all four match and have evenly worn tread. It has stock alloys but they have 6 total alloys all matching which is nice. Everything seems to work amazingly. Only thing it needs it front breaks and inspection. I managed to pick it up for 3,000. I am going to use this as a daily drive as well as an exploratory rig so modifications will be limited but effective.

Here is my current plans, (in order of completion)

Upgrade to LT265/75/16 GTradial Adventuros. I had these on my Tacoma and I was very surprised at the price and the quality, They have never let me down.

Upgrade suspension with OME 2" Lift. It will not be a radical rig, I just need it to be better then stock.

Add front Warn Manual hubs to help with CV joints.

Those are the most important things I feel need to get done first.
If anyone has any advice or any input it would be greatly appreciated. After reading about Expedition West's Trooper I feel it was the right purchase for me!

We do the title change on Wednesday and I will upload pictures as soon as I get home!

P.S. I still need a name for this build, It is black with pearl fender flares, riding in this thing makes me feel like I am riding in a whale or on the back of a water buffalo. :sombrero:

 

[MFoltz]

Japes,

 

[MFoltz]

sorry, hit enter to quick! what is the major difference from the Tacoma to the Trooper? The Tacoma and the 4Runner are the same platform, so after driving the Trooper for a few days what do you prefer?

 

[RealJon]

Well it is still sitting at the previous owners house until we finish all the paper work. Initial feel was the Trooper is much much larger, I am 6'4 and was squeezed in the 04 Tacoma and in the Trooper I have a ton of room. Visibility was a bit better in the trooper as was the TOD feature intrigues me. My Tacoma was a miserable ride for me on the highway BUT It felt as if it had a lot more power then the Trooper, I guess that's because the trooper is over 1000 lbs heavier the the Taco if I remember correctly. My one concern with the trooper is the oil issue, In my Tacoma I NEVER worried about anything mechanical and beat the snot out of it every day. I assume the confidence comes from owning it for a while. Overall I feel the Trooper will feel like and upgrade for me even though I KNOW the Tacoma is much more effective off road. I will update you with any issues or problems I find in the coming days!

 

[MFoltz]

Thanks for the reply!

I had a 1999 4Runner in college, so I am familiar with the layout and feel of the Toyotas. I thought that you already had the Trooper in your hands! Look foward to updates in the future!

 

[jeffryscott]

The Trooper is no slouch offload .... It is at least, if not more, capable than my 3rd gen 4runner I owned before my current Trooper. Check PlanetIsuzoo for ideas on oil brand and weight to reduce oil burning.

I think you will be pleased with the Trooper.

 

[RealJon]

I have been meaning to go check out Planetisuzoo. It makes me happy that I am replacing 4 forums (ttora, tacoworld, ect) with one.

I was looking at 4runners, newer Montys, LCs, LRs, and even Tahoes as my next vehicle. I had settled on the 5.7 Commander but couldn't see 15k for a vehicle that will honestly see less dirt then I want over the next few years (college, again..). I hope the Trooper will be as good as everyone says, for 3k I was hard pressed to find anything near its age or quality for the price.

Total I figure I will be in the trooper for only around 6k when all is said and done.

On a side note, Is there anyone in NE PA that knows some good places to go exploring and enjoy nature? I plan on checking out Rausch Creek but I am still a novice off road and need a bit of guidance. :elkgrin:

 

[RealJon]

Well, I got her today! Me and my bud went out for a bit of romping to "test". Right now it has 245/75/16 Michelins and it did very well on the rough rock and fallen trees we went through. No pictures though, my friend was so impressed he decided against buying a Jeep Liberty and started the look for a Trooper instead. I should have new shoes in the next month, and tomorrow I will start with the pictures and list of interior / exterior modifications I can perform on the cheap.

Anyone in the NEPA area have some 265/75/16s they want to get rid of, I has monies Hopefully my buddies girlfriend will let him bring her Liberty out to Rausch Creek we can get some experience in on some lower level trails before we try some intense things!

 

[BigSwede]

265/75s are a great choice. I had those on my old 99 Trooper.

Trooper always surprise folks off road...seen it many times. Congrats and welcome.

 

[RealJon]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

There she is, Sorry about the Cell Photo. Its raining and cold.

Soon as I get some new shoes I will get some offroad shots.

In addition to the list of mechaical modifications I plan on making there are some cosmetics as well.

Tinted Windows
Hurculine the White Area and Bumpers (Still debating)
Touch up some paint issues that are bugging me
Fix the hole in the large back door (rust about the size of a dime)
Mount a stand for my Laptop
Find good seat covers ( any suggestions )
Clean and Paint all 6 alloys
Possibly build a storage deck in the rear ( haven't decided if I want to sleep in it or on the ground )

Once I start doing modifications I will be using a spread sheet to document cost, time, and required parts with part numbers. I want to do this build the right way.


Any one have info about a roof rack for a trooper? I am not sure I will need the extra space but I would like to have it available.

 

[jeepj667]

I bought and modified a Con-Ferr rack for my trooper. Cut It down to 4x7 from 5x7 then bent custom mounts. You have three sets of mounting holes already on each side of the roof under the black trim.

 

[BigSwede]

Here is a handy guide to finding those mounting points...

http://myweb.cableone.net/bcanderson/trooper/Roofrack/Roofrack.html

 

[double moo]

I did mine several years back. Here is the write up I did at the time.

http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?p=220750#220750

 

[jl8088]

Congrats on the new ride. The paint color looks a little familiar to me. Good luck with the build, sounds pretty close to what i was looking to do too.

 

[SRN]

My Dad bought a '95 Trooper a bit ago and I have to say I am genuinely impressed with these vehicles. Stout, roomy, decent power and handle themselves well off road. I'm glad to see more and more people taking notice of these rigs.