Trooper Redux ...

[jeffryscott]

Mine is varnished. I wouldn't want to add the weight of a sheet of stainless steel. Bedliner is a horrible idea, impossible to clean.

If I did stainless, it would be a very thin sheet, so weight wouldn't be an issue, but it is fairly expensive. I agree on the bedliner, and didn't mean to imply it was a consideration. Varnish is certainly the least expensive option.

I think I may go another route though - a 16x32 cutting board in (the exact dimensions needed). Cons are the expense, same as a stainless sheet ($30ish), but it would be easy to clean, durable to cut on for food prep, and easy to maintain.

 

[Heading Out]

I've run 285/75 16 and 265/75 16 AT's on my 2nd gen Trooper and the 265's are the way to go for sure, I also went for the BFG's. They've been my go to tire for a street/dirt rig for years now.

My son has the trooper now, He loves it and I miss it, I always think of getting another...

 

[jeffryscott]

Sunday I pick up a roof top tent - miss having one and found one at a great price on Craigslist. So excited, will post some pics when I get it on and deployed!

 

[jeffryscott]

Added the rooftop tent and took it for a spin! Sadly, my old back can't deal with the setup and take down so I'm going to stick with a ground tent and cot. While I had decided to keep the Trooper, I'm reconsidering selling once again. It's a great setup, but I have to be honest with myself and whether I will use the truck as intended, or not.

 

[BigSwede]

Maybe you should look at an Autohome or similar clamshell type RTT...

 

[justcuz]

Are those Nissan wheels steel or aluminum?
Saw a couple Troopers in the wrecking yard the other day and one had a stick in it. Not many second generations with a stick shift, hope someone grabs it before it gets crushed.
I was very impressed with the room in back.
The yard I frequent always has Land Rovers, Mitsubishi's, Jeep Cherokee's, Explorers, Blazers, Pathfinders, etc.
Out of all the smaller SUV's the second generation S10 Blazer and Isuzu Trooper are the least found vehicles.
The most are Ford Explorers and Jeep Cherokee's, not sure if it a reflection of quality or numbers sold.
Although I still see a lot of second generation S10 Blazers on the road here.
Hardly ever see 4Runners, in the wrecking yard or on the street in my neck of the woods. Frankly I think all the old Toyotas are being hauled down to Mexico.
I would definitely own a Trooper if I could find a nice one at a good price. One of the coolest things about them other than their off road ability out of the box is they are almost invisible. Park one somewhere and most people don't even give them a second look.

 

[justcuz]

Added the rooftop tent and took it for a spin! Sadly, my old back can't deal with the setup and take down so I'm going to stick with a ground tent and cot. While I had decided to keep the Trooper, I'm reconsidering selling once again. It's a great setup, but I have to be honest with myself and whether I will use the truck as intended, or not.

You know you will regret it if you sell, if you are not cramped for space or money, keep it.
Vehicle registration in Arizona is rediculously cheap and insure it for less than 5,000 miles a year.
My family asks me all the time why I have 3 Suburbans, I always reply by asking them what they will drive when their car breaks down if I sell one.

 

[jeffryscott]

Said goodbye to the Trooper today. Transmission AT/Temp light came on last week, so I did a partial flush and fluid was black. Although the transmission showed no signs of malfunction, given the history of the 4L30E it seemed prudent to move on while I had a chance. I've been debating selling for the last six months and I took the transmission sign as my answer.

Enter 2004 Toyota 4Runner, Expedition white. Moving my new BFG ATs over to the new 4Runner. Mods will be minimal until I get to know the vehicle.

 

[monksphere]

I'm pretty new to the trooper world, but I recently bought a 2001 limited. I put OME coils with bilstein shocks on her. Still havent put new tires on it yet, soon tho. The transmission was rebuilt right before I bought it, but my check trans light came on while I was in Baja driving over La Rumarosa. Pretty nervous about it. It seems to be shifting fine but planning on doing a flush soon.

 

[justcuz]

Search your transmission on line, there are a few little things that go wrong that can be repaired easily. IsuzuPlanet has a entire section devoted to this transmission.

Nice thing about the second generation Isuzu V6's is the engines have the GM V6 60 degree bell housing bolt pattern. This allows you the choice of swapping in an Aisan Warner automatic from a Jeep or a 4L60E out of a GM product.

The 4L30E is made in France and used in several European cars including BMW's. I am not sure that transmission is all that bad, it's just that there are better choices out there.