Isuzu Modifications/Aftermarket/Accessories

sbcooke · February 2003

When mine died at about 3 1/2 years from purchase, I put a Sears Diehard Silver in. It cranks well at 10 degrees, at least so far.

boxtrooper · February 2003

I would like to know if anybody has added a high output alternator or replaced the original alternator with a high output type. And if they have did they use one of the type that has a welder and 115Vac also?
http://www.cmcs.co.nz/4x4access/powerwelder.htm

sdc2 · February 2003

Mike or anybody, is there a body or fender flare width difference between 00 and 01 models?

The reason I am asking, is because ARB has a separate part number for 01+ Troopers vs. 98 - 00 model years.

I am hearing it is just to match the width of the fender flares on the newer models...but my 99 Performance Package has the larger fender flares too, so I am thinking maybe I need the wider model despite being a 99.

If anybody can clear this up for me, I would be most grateful.

sdc2 · February 2003

Mike or anybody, is there a body or fender flare width difference between 00 and 01 models?

The reason I am asking, is because ARB has a separate part number for 01+ Troopers vs. 98 - 00 model years.

I am hearing it is just to match the width of the fender flares on the newer models...but my 99 Performance Package has the larger fender flares too, so I am thinking maybe I need the wider model despite being a 99.

If anybody can clear this up for me, I would be most grateful.

breakor · February 2003

I don't know about the fender flares being different. However, didn't the 01 Troopers get an additional a/c cooling fan in front of the radiator? That could present a clearance problem, thus the different ARB part numbers. Just a thought.

sdc2 · February 2003

...don't know. I was just told it was a little wider (sticks out a little more at the ends). I'm not even sure if that makes a significant difference, but what the heck, might as well get the right one for all that $.

Maybe I should just call ARB directly and get the straight poop (assuming they know).

paisan · February 2003

Starting in '01 in AUSTRALIA where ARB and ECB are manufactured, they started making all the Jackaroos "wide-body" models which includes the fender flares, and wider-offset rims. This started in the US back in '96 (as an option) and standard starting in '98.

So yes the widebody '01 ARB Bumper is the one you want for the '98-'02 Troopers sold in the US.

I hear there is a big discount happening on the ARB bumpers? Clue me in, I'm interested.

-mike

sdc2 · February 2003

That is good to know. I heard from somebody else they don't even make the 060 bumper anymore, so I guess the 070 number is definitely it.

A couple of guys are working on a Trooper ARB front bumper "group buy" - I have been PM-ing them on it on the Wire. Tentative pricing is $555 + $80 shipping, but I don't know if that means anywhere in the US or what. I'll pass along details as they become available.

paisan · February 2003

Count me in on that if that's the pricing. Let them know to count 1 more in their tally.

-mike

boxtrooper · February 2003

Is that the one I read about on this discussion a long time ago that weighed around 200 to 300 lb.?
..
Is the ECB front bumper lighter?
..
I would like a front bumper 2" hitch reciever and/or space for a winch and space for driving lights does the ARB or the ECB have these? The front 2" hitch is to mount a bike carrier or maybe removeable winch or fishing cooler and poles or extra spare tire or water tank etc.. I think three for a more stable mount of the 2" reciever hitch points would be even better on both front and back to allow for hanging stuff for activities. The two side 2" reciever hitch points could normally be filled with a tow ring or hook.

boxtrooper · February 2003

would be great to hold one of those CO2 canisters for airing back up after a trip into sandy beaches. It would let the tall CO2 tank stand up and keep clear for opening the big door.

sbcooke · February 2003

They may have also changed the connection points to the frame. I emailed ARB when I got mine to tell them that 2 of the connection points for the support brackets didn't line up with the frame rails, and that 2 of the bolting points required much longer bolts. I had to create a metal/rubber bushing to pad out one of the bolts with metal and rubber washers (there is a 2-3" hole that ARB provides a thick crescent washer to fill, it didn't really work right). They were very interested in my problems and even had a support engineer call me back. So maybe they also fixed those issues? I got a #3444060 for my '99.

I got mine from 4x4connection.com, they gave me the best price of all the places I called. I think I got $565? I will have to look it up.

I will post some pictures from my installation. It took about 2 full days, and I recommend getting a breaker bar.

boxtrooper · February 2003

Then also provide adapters to allow an easy swap between your adapted original bumpers and the expedition bumpers. When the original bumper is back on the center of the three 2" hitch receivers will be available for general use.

sbcooke · February 2003

http://community.webshots.com/album/64276179JErkIS

It is all bolt on, with a little drilling for a couple of new holes. There are 2 mounting brackets that bolt onto the frame, and then the bumper mounts to that.

raydahs · February 2003

http://www.planetisuzoo.com/articles.htm/45

raydahs · February 2003

Was this before or after the submarine test

sdc2 · February 2003

What did you do with your fog lights (can't quite tell if you had them to start with)? Do you have the extra turn signals in the bumper? How did they hook up?

sbcooke · February 2003

From before the overall weight is about 70 lbs. I had the front end cranked up about 1/2" after the install, but it wasn't necessary.

It was before my submarine test, you can see the pictures of me being towed off with the bumper on at paisan's site. Thanks for asking :-)

I didn't have fogs before, however I added IPF 800 series lights afterwards. I also was able to make a good removable fishing rack by bolting a piece of 2x12 on with 3 1/4" PVC tubes and other hardware.

The turn signals made me a little nervous, but after studying the job for a while it turned out they were quite easy. The most difficult part was removing the stock turn signals to access the wiring...I actually broke the plastic connector on one, which I crazy glued back together and has held since...knock wood. It came with the wiring and the lights and special clips. The stock signals have 3 wires and the ARB ones have 2, I cannot remember how I determined what was hot and ground, I think I used a volt meter, but I just laid the wires together, pressed the clips onto them, which pierced them to make an electrical connection. Then I electrical taped the crap out of everything knowing that it will get wet and dirty. The bulbs burn out occasionally, I think mostly from water getting in there from my adventures. The other weird thing is that they blink in unison with the stock signals when the headlights are off, and alternate when they are on.

I don't think it is available in any other color than black, however I am sure $100 at a paint shop could solve that problem.

Overall I am very happy with the purchase and fun of being able to do the install myself, since it was bolt on. I compared doing a regular brush guard, but for the about the same price you get so much more with the bullbar.

sdc2 · February 2003

Black works just fine for me, my Troop is monotone black... :-)

I was thinking maybe I could use the wiring from the fog lights for the IPF driving lights I won at ZuZoo IV (STILL haven't put them on, decided to wait until I got a bullbar). Only thing to figure out is how to rewire the "trigger" wire so they come on with the high beams instead of the lows (if anybody knows how to do this, I'm all ears!). Or maybe I should just use the IPF wiring harness...

I think ARB has a CB antenna mounting bracket available, too.

paisan · February 2003

I have my Hella 4000s setup to go on with the highbeams. What I did was run the trigger wire from the hella harness to one of the high-beam leads that connect to the headlight bulb. So far almost 3 years w/o a problem.

Let me know if you want to sell back your nudge bar

I always get requests for em, but they are too costly to import these days due to the shipping.

Also if you could e-mail me the info on the ARB buy, I'd like to contact whoever I need to cause I don't want to miss it. Thanks in advance.

-mike

sdc2 · February 2003

FYI There is now a post on the 4x4Wire about a Trooper ARB Bull Bar group buy.

jslakie · February 2003

Hi,

I have a 2002 Trooper and while installing an Alpine head unit, I noticed that there are two antenna connections for the diversity antenna system. I have searched this forum (and every other one) and found some information on this matter but not a clear solution. I've read that the smaller connection is a signal booster and that it is a 2 antenna system that functions by selecting the strongest of the two signals. Since all aftermarket radios come with only one antenna connection what do we do with the other? I've left it blanck which has resulted in awful reception. Is there a Y adapter that could help or should I try to hook the other antenna (signal boost?) lead to something else?

Did anyone else run into this issue while upgrading the stereo on a late model trooper? Any advice would be very welcomed. Thanks in advance.

-Jim

sdc2 · February 2003

Ah, so you had an aftermarket unit, I did not know that. I would love to tell you there is an answer to your question, but I have never heard anyone come up with one.

Maybe you will have to install a regular external antenna in the fender...

bluedevils · February 2003

Granted, this diversity antenna seems like a pretty unique situation, but they might know something about it. They sell head units that go into Troopers, and they pride themselves on their customer service and helping do-it-yourselfers do installs right. So they really should know a solution or workaround for this. However, you probably didn't buy your Alpine HU from Crutchfield - they don't carry Alpine, right?

jslakie · February 2003

Crutchfield does carry Alpine but I didn't get my stereo there since I found a better price elsewhere. I did however get front and rear speakers from them so I received their vehicle specific instructions which did not have anything on the diversity connection...in fact it doesn't seem updated with the information that the later troopers came with these antennas (the illustration shows a standard power antenna). I did call them and they were nice enough to try and help me anyway (good suggestion!). They recommend that I hook the smaller antenna wire which I assume is the signal booster to the blue Alpine "power antenna" wire. They said this should solve the problem. I'll try this adjustment this weekend and will post the results.

bluedevils · February 2003

Thanks. I didn't realize they picked up the Alpine brand. They also sell Denon now, so overall they are offering some slightly higher-end brands than in the past.

sbcooke · February 2003

Since we were talking about manual hubs recently, I noticed this article, I have passed over it many times before, but thought it is relavent to the earlier discussion.

http://www.4x4wire.com/isuzu/tech/manualhubs/?

jslakie · February 2003

Hey sbcooke,

I really like the mods you've done to your Trooper including the Rod Holder attachment on your ARB bumper. I am looking to figure out a similar solution that I can attach and remove from my brush guard. Any advice? Did you make it yourself? Thanks.

-Jim

sbcooke · February 2003

I made it myself. The ARB bumper made it easier to make it removable since it had holes I could run bolts through. Surprisingly though the holes in the ARB bumper are not evenly spaced? Must be for winch attachment points. There are some after-market available on the web, but I thought it would be fun to make my own. Cost vs. time it might have been better to buy one, but I did enjoy making it, and I am very happy with the outcome.

I used a piece of 2x12 with 3 1/4 PVC. I used pipe clamps and bolts to attach the PVC to the 2x12. For the top attachment I used flat metal brackets to secure the 3 1/2 pipe clamps to the 2x12, then at the bottom of the PVC I cut out 1/4" or so hole (on the side of the PVC against the wood) to add another attachment point on the bottom of the PVC. I used bolts for the bottom attachment, so I had to route (spelling?) a hole to attach the nut/washer and still allow the 2x12 to fit flush to the bumper...I did this with a 1 1/4 bit and a lot of care.

I cut approx 1/2 inch wide 3 inch deep "U"'s out to fit the reel arm. Since the PVC was rough I bought rubber windshield washer tubing which I sliced on one side and glued (it took 3 different types of epoxy...plastic is tough) over the edge to smooth it out. I used eye bolts to attach bungee cords to hold the rods down over sand dunes, however that is sort of overkill. I spray painted it black for looks. I found I could only fit 3 holders between my IPF lights which I though would be limiting on trips, but has yet to be a problem.

It took several prototypes to get it right (and quite a few beers). I have some pictures of the proto-type which I can publish. If you are interested I can also get some of the rack up in the near future (it is stored away in my garage now).

paisan · February 2003

You can do a how-to for http://isuzu-suvs.com if you want

-mike

sbcooke · February 2003

http://community.webshots.com/album/64963105ZuQBPi

sbcooke · February 2003

At the end in order to really screw it down, I added "C" clamps to the top and bottom, I forgot about those...looking at the last picture in the ones I put up reminded me.

duktrooper · February 2003

That's a mouthful to say. Does anyone know the current status of the ARB buy that was in progress until the thread got " terminated" on 4x4 wire? I'm interested. Thanks.

jslakie · February 2003

sbcooke-Thanks. The detailed information and photos you provided will be helpful to me as I am leaning toward making my own. I really thought yours was a prefabricated holder because it looks so good painted! I've done some searches online and have found a few holders that might work but I think I will enjoy making my own based in part upon your plans.

Now, I wish I could rationalize getting an ARB bumper since the group buy price is so reasonable (and they are NICE) but I just can't since I have no need for a winch. I guess I'm a light weight off roader at best ;-)

sdc2 · February 2003

If you are interested in the bull bar group buy, send a private message to Wareagle on the 4x4Wire. They should have included that direction in the Sticky.

One thing the ARB will do is increase your angle of aproach before hitting the (plastic stock) bumper. And of course it is more resistant to damage even if you do hit, compared to the plastic stock bumper.

I have no plans to get a winch, but plan on getting the bumper anyway.

jslakie · February 2003

Hi,

I am interested and considering getting the ARB bar. I would like to get the details and possibly get in on the group buy. I tried to email Wareagle at 4X4 forum but his email function has been shut off. Does anyone know who I can contact about this ARB group buy? Thanks in advance:)

-Jim

sdc2 · February 2003

Make sure you click on the Private Message icon on one of Wareagles posts, not the email icon. The direct email function is disabled to discourage spammers.

Are you "dctrooper" on the Wire? I am BigSwede - just had this same conversation over there...

sodaktroop · February 2003

There is a brown wire that is powered when the stock head unit is on the tuner function only. I just ran a wire from there to the power ant wire on my new head unit. Reception is now as good as the stock unit.

jslakie · March 2003

sdc2 that is me on the other board. Thanks for your help:)

sodaktroop-thanks for the information. I think I have it figured out and will see tomorrow. I'll post the results. As you note I think the brown wire with red stripe from the Trooper gets connected to the blue alpine "power antenna" wire. I think that should do the trick. It sounds like you connected this wire to your power wire which also seems to be an option.

jslakie · March 2003

Thanks to everyone for the information and advice. I connected the brown wire with red stripe to the blue power antenna wire on the Alpine and now have excellent radio reception:)

ilit · March 2003

My cassette player doesn't work but my cd changer and radio still work fine. I wonder if any body has ever replaced the Isuzu stereo deck (with cd changer control)with another brand such as Sony. How is the cd changer connected to the new deck, is the connection standard. Where can I find schematic diagram for making correct connection?

Thank you!

ilit · March 2003

Hi all,
I found a cassette player to replace mine.
This seller still has many more. Just in case you need it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3012517501- &category=3288

sdc2 · March 2003

I'll be darned...for $7, it might be worth picking one up just 'in case'...thanks for the heads up ilit.

paisan · March 2003

I have to put my headunit and CD player on Ebay soon. I want to get the JVC MP3 Player for it and VDO guages.

-mike

ilit · March 2003

Buy a receiver with "Auxiliary Input" where you hook up sound output from another device, i.e. DVD player and listen thru your car speakers. It's really neat!

ilit · March 2003

sdc2:
how do you like your I35?

paisan · March 2003

Yup I have a JVC one like that in my SVX http://isuzu-suvs.com/svx (see the guages install) and it works nicely.

-mike

sdc2 · March 2003

Not sure what you mean...maybe I'm a little slow today (just coming off a nasty cold/fever)? I'm guessing you are not referring to Interstate 35, which goes through my area...

ilit · March 2003

Oops! I'm sorry, I mixed you up with ratledge who has an Infinity I35.

sbcooke · March 2003

Paisan, what model JVC do you have? I am looking to upgrade my stereo in my Trooper this year (I decided against a snorkel in 2003 for now). How does it perform? Delay between mp3 tracks? Any skipping, does it skip offroad?

BTW when do you get your bullbar?

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