Isuzu Modifications/Aftermarket/Accessories

conman2000

The roof rack on that website looks like a regular roof rack like on the Rodeo. I wonder if it is no drill too.

Con

paisan

you can get bull bars as DIOs! How do you like thems apples? Yep the stock Trooper rack goes into the threaded holes under the rubber strips IIRC.

-mike

sdc2

Those of you who have installed auxillary driving/off-road lights, what did you do for installing the toggle switch on the dash? How did you route the switch wire through the firewall?

FYI I have a 99 Trooper...

cwmoser

Any ideas on the perfect installation of a Radar Detector for the Trooper? I am thinking of installing a Radar Detector and making the electrical connection to the multimeter at the top of the windshield. I've done this simarily to my wife's Toyota Sienna van and she does not have to deal with a long cord hanging down to the cigarette lighter.

cwmoser

Here is a modification I would like to see for the Trooper -- electric fold out side windows at the cargo area. Be a nice way to quickly air out this beast.

emiura

You're thinking about roof rails that are about $465. I got a carrier base kit, which adds four bases on the roof where I can mount standard Thule feet. It's on Japan Isuzu website, also. Cost of the kit was about $140, including 10% discount, tax and shipping (to Jpn, not to the US). The kit does not include feet nor cross bars. Installation points of these bases are at above rear window and at very end of the rubber strip. So, it may not work if you want to carry long items, like canoe? It is good for things like skis and small size roof racks.

They have another base kit which provides additional base position at the front (above front window area). It is for installing full size roof rack.

Paisan is doing great job by locating suppliers in Australia. I'm sure price would be lower from AU than from Japan.
Paisan: The dealer I got the kit from enclosed a catalog of Bighorn accessories. Can I send it to you? Besides price, it even shows required installation time.

...Eiji...

paisan

Definitely. That would be cool, or if you could have them send a 2nd one that would work too. E-mail me mike@iace.com for my snail mail address. Also the Australian $ is so weak right now we should be able to get some good deals, I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

-mike

mtrionfo

SDC2 - For the switch I used the OEM Isuzu fog lamp switch. It fits into any of the unused pop-outs on the left side of the dash. This is an illuminated switch that has an indicator light when the lamps on, and it looks completely original. Cost was about $50 from St.Charles.

To route the wires I used an existing hole in the firewall that was located at the extreme left side of the footwell. There was a large rubber grommet in the hole already holding wires passing out to the engine compartment. I just threaded the additional wires thru the grommet.

Good luck, Marty
95 Trooper LS

paisan

I wired my driving lights (Hella 4000s) so that the trigger wire for the relay was triggered by the high beam wire going to one of the headlights. With the Hella 4000s I'd really only use it when I need high beams, so I figured that would be a nice smooth install. Also they work nice on flash-to-pass mode as well.

-mike

conman2000

Cool! When you get it installed, post a pic. The rails are too much for me then.

Thanks,
Con

atgep

Just a heads up My last 1999 S model rim is for sale on E-bay.

 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=592128066

Thanks. Troopin.

ricksrl

Anyone with a Trooper have a hitch mounted bicycle carrier? I'm worried about clearing the spare tire.
Any info appreciated!

Rick

emiura

I have a question to those who'd lifted your Trooper with OME springs, larger tires, etc. Can you use stock jack to change tires? When I changed a tire on my stock Trooper, the front tire barely cleared ground with the jack extended all the way. How does it work with the lifted truck?

...Eiji...

conman2000

check www.isuzu.8k.com as one of the Isuzu member here has one. I have a spare mounted one which I will post the pics when I get my film back.

Cheers,
Con

paisan

I've never used the stock jack on any of my trucks. I have a small floor-jack that I keep in the back (there's plenty of room) which gives me enough lift. There should only be an issue if you put bigger tires on, the OME springs don't change the distance from the rear axle to the ground. I'm not sure about the front. But I've tried the stock jack and it is pretty difficult to turn the crank on it when it's under the truck.

-mike

ilikeike

Thole has some racks which they sell outside of the US that look much cleaner than the standard units. You can see the Rapid System racks at

http://www.thule.com/English/welcome.htm

I would love to have a set of these, or even better yet, a set of the roof rails. Has anyone come up with an overseas contact yet?

Thanks - and thanks to everyone for the interesting messages day after day.

Koert

paisan

I should have stock Isuzu product prices on 3rd row seats, headlight assemblies, roof racks, and turn lights for the fenders from australia in a few days.

-mike

sdc2

That's a good question Eiji. I have never had occasion to use the emergency jack, so can't say for sure, but...

The front suspension "lift" with the OME rear coils does not change the suspension travel at all, merely repositions the equilibrium point an inch or two higher, by adjusting the torsion bars. So, I don't think the lift would affect how high you have to jack it to clear the ground.

The bigger tires, however, WILL increase the necessary jacking height. My 265/75R16s should need about another inch to clear...can the supplied jack do that? I don't know, but I probably should give it a try one of these days.

keepontroopin

You guys have all got to be kidding me!!! I read all your posts everyday and you are telling me none of you have used the factory jack?????? Wait a second.....am I in the Mercedes or Lexus room instead of the Trooper room.

paisan

Cause I tried once on my Rodeo and it didn't work out so well. Well the Trooper *IS* a luxury vehicle, just without the Luxury price. We don't need no stinking jacks! (Isuzu Roadside Assistance probably works well)

-mike

sdc2

I have a floor jack in my garage, so the only time I would use the emergency jack is if I got a flat out on the road (or off-road for that matter). I haven't had a flat tire in at least a decade...(knock on wood)

gpm5

I used it for jacking my loaded trailer off the ball mount. It is a pain to use and I would expect even worse while under the truck on the frame. I think one like it but with an up down jacking motion (I used to have one like that) would work better and fit in the jack compartment. BTW Paisan, when you rotate your tires, how do you do it. Do you put on the spare each time you take another off?

paisan

With my MX6 and XT6 I just use my small floor jack and jack the whole car up on a side. With the Trooper, I use 2 small floor jacks and lift the whole side, flip the tires and then down. A few times I had to use only 1 small floor jack that I carry, that time I had to use the spare

-mike

conman2000

The "bottle" jacks are so small and I think it is the only reason they still use them(I had the same jack in my 88 Isuzu Pup too BTW). I know of other people(including non-Isuzu trucks) use the small shop jacks too. If you do lift your truck, you could carry a block of wood to lif the jack up plus have a stable base for the jack.

As for Tire rotaion, I don't know about you but I have my shop rotate them when they do the oil change. I have not taken my new Trooper to anyone yet so I am going to try the Dealer first and see how their service is(I normally went to the local shop for work). When I use to do the work myself(Yes I am too lazy), I used the spare to rotate the tires or even easier, use a 2 ton jack and the factory jack so you don't have to use the spare(more dangerous as two wheels are off the ground though).

Cheers,
Con

sdc2

If you are doing a 4-wheel rotation, get a jack stand to support the corner that is empty during the rotation, it's a lot safer than a jack, plus it frees up your jack to use on the next corner.

Now that I have an aluminum wheel for my spare, I am going to do a 5-wheel rotation, so I'll be able to just swap the tires at each corner as I go around...

paisan

From what I've read on 4wd and awd vehicles you aren't supposed to do a 5 wheel rotation. just front to back.

-mike

sdc2

Really, do they say why? I haven't heard that...

The only thing I can think of is if the spare is different size because it hasn't been used (and therefore has more tread left and a slightly larger circumference)...

Seems to me there is a 5 wheel rotation mentioned in the owners manual...you've forced me to go out to the parking lot and look!
***
Well, I'm back and the owners manual for my 99 shows three different rotation patterns: a 4-wheel front/back swap, a 4 wheel "X" pattern, and a 5 wheel rotation. Page 6-11, if you care.

I think the main thing is that you are actually rotating them consistently, more than the pattern you use...

paisan

Yeah I forgot to mention that the manual does say you can do a 5-tire and x-pattern roation. I remember a few mechanics and others saying the X-was bad for 4x4s and awds. You are right though the more often you rotate the better.

-mike

paisan

10-11pm EST. Come chat with other Isuzu Owners. If you are an owner, or prospective owner, you don't want to miss this opportunity to get in touch live with other's who have real world experience.

http://www.edmunds.com/chat/isuzuchat.html

-mike

paisan

Looks like I can get the rack that is seen on http://www.holden.com.au for around $225-$230 shipped here to the US. Also I can get the bumper brake/tail light assemblies as well for around $200-215 (not sure if it's each or for a pair), "Jackaroo" (Door and Tailgate) $30, "Holden" (Tailgate) $28, "3500 24v V6" (Tailgate) $25, Grille Emblem $80, Headlight assembly (Clear lenses, unlike the US model) $425each.

My contact is still checking out the side-turn markers that go right in front of the front doors.

-mike

zman21

any news on the seats yet?

paisan

For the 3rd row of seats. Apparently Holden can only get them as part of the car. But we'll see if he can get em used for us.

-mike

gtroop

I'm excited to hear about the seats. I don't care about the condition of the cloth either since I will cover them w/ leather to match the interior. Don't forget about seatbelts either. Thanks for checkin this out. Any word on instalation brackets/procedures?

emiura

Thanks for your responses on jacks. I guess you can put spacer/base under the stock jack to change larger tires in emergency. I'm getting close to replacing stock tires, and I was wondering how larger tires/lift would affect it.

Re: 3rd Row Seat
It was not listed in the Japanese accessory catalog. I've read somewhere that Trooper models w/o the 3rd row seat do not have mounting hardware and need mod.

...Eiji...

sbcooke

I was reading the back posts regarding all of the jack information. The fact that no one has really had an opportunity to use our jacks is because the Dueler 684's are pretty decent tires.

I am considering a highlift jack for off-road? I carry plywood for under the jack, but I also carry "fix-a-flat". I would imagine that is the best way to fix a tire on the road or in woods. If I get hung up on an obstacle though, a highlift would be helpful.

cwmoser

FYI, I noted on Ebay that a company is selling aftermarket leather interior for Isuzu Troopers - in case anyone is interested.

drmp

My '99 Passport with duelers had two flats last winter. One is a sidewall tear and needed to be replaced. Paid 120 bucks for replacement. The other was a puncture with a screw that appeared like somebody vandalized it.

Oh yes that jack is a pain in the #$@. I bought a scissor jack from autozone for about 17 bucks and am carrying it always in my Passport. Also bought a "cross" tire wrench, the flywheel action of the cross makes it a breeze to remove and install the wheel nuts.

radman6

There are some earlier posts on pros and cons of Hi Lift jacks and Troopers. Think it's in the off roading trail reports section. One of the problems with a Hi Lift is there doesn't seem to be any place to jack up a late model Trooper without damaging the plastic covered bumper. There are also some safety issues to consider when using this jack. If you have an ARB or other steel bumper you would probably be OK for front jacking points. Some trailer hitches can provide rear jacking points.

Another other problem is Hi Lifts are awkward (like 4 ft long) to haul inside an SUV. They're heavy and have sharp edges which can damage the plastic side panels in the cargo are when you're bouncing around off-road. In this part of the country they're hauled mostly in the back of a pickup or bolted to a front bumper , roll bar, etc.

On repairing a tire when you're off road, you might check out some the 4WD speciality shops. They have a number of tire repair kits that work very well for nail hole type punctures. You can repair the flat in 5 minutes or less with the tire on the vehicle, then air up with a portable 12 volt compressor that works from your battery or cigarette lighter. The 12 volt compressor also works very well for those who like to air down their tires for driving on sand etc., then air them up again for the highway.

paisan

I got the Catalog from Eiji today! There are some pretty awsome looking stuff in there available for the Japanese Bighorn. Everything from camping kits (which include a stove and sink) to awsome HID dual-lamp headlights to roof-racks up the ying yang! I also note that they appear to have "Tuned by Lotus" stickers on the Big-horns in Japan, much like the Isuzu Impulse had over here. I want this stuff!

-mike

jakeg64

Paisan, Do you know if there's a comparable car to the Axiom in Japan or Australia? Maybe an accessory catalog exists for it too? Thanks.

gtroop

Paisan - Are you going to scan that catalog and post it on your website? Thanks.

Does anyone have detailed pictures of the 3rd row seats? Like mounting brackets, hinges, etc.

paisan

That Eiji scanned it before sending the hardcopy to me, perhaps he can e-mail me the scans and I can post em up on http://isuzu-suvs.com ? Thanks.

-mike

emiura

Mike,

I have scanned the catalog just in case you need translation. The catalog was slightly larger than my scanner bed, so edges are cut off, but you can see most of pictures and descriptions. I'll email them to you.

...Eiji...

paisan

thanks, i'm sure the others will like to see em!

-mike

paisan

http://isuzu-suvs.com/bighorn

-mike

ilikeike

Carl,
Thanks for the tip on the leather seats on e-bay. The auction is really a front for a company at
http://www.autoaccessoriesrusfl.com
They have leather replacement seat covers for $599, which is the best deal I've seen. Has anyone else tried replacing their own seat covers? It looks straightforward enough.
Paison, looking forward to seeing the Japanese catalog on your web site.
Thanks to all, Koert

conman2000

I like the grill insert on the white Bighorn. The ground effect look good too.

The lights look cool on the black one but I don't think it will look as good on a lighter color.

Cool pics though.

Con

paisan

I'm thinking that they can be painted to match or actually might match our trucks color nearly perfectly. If we could only order em... I wonder if I gave the part #s to my local dealer and said 'order this number' they could/would do it.

-mike

gtroop

Did someone photoshop the Mass plate on that thing?

paisan

The Mass plate is actually in the catalog! They may have photoshopped it onto there in Japan, but the catalog has it on there.

-mike