Isuzu Modifications/Aftermarket/Accessories

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Comments

  • pinoy99pinoy99 Member Posts: 79
    Have you considered Old Man Emu? I have them on my 99 Trooper for close to 70k miles and am very pleased with them on and off pavement... about $60-65 each. Good Luck.
  • vivayovivayo Member Posts: 32
    In a discussion on another forum I follow, the topic of shocks also came up. Someone posted a link to http://www.shox.com and that site has info under the "Manufacturers" link that evaluates several different manufacturers. Bilstein and Tokico are listed but neither Rancho nor OME are, but then there is plenty of info on these two right here.

      Just another source of info for someone looking at new shocks.

    Charlie
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    on my 99 trooper are great. Improved on-road ride nicely, and off-road performance tremendously.
  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    I saw an ad for Edelbrock, they have a new twin-tube IAS shock out now, for less $$ than the monotube version. Don't know anything more about it, but might be worth a look.
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    Has anyone tried Pro-Comp shocks!
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    I got my ECB series 2 nudge bar from Paisan today. Am going to try and put it on tonight if I have time. My wife won't be home so I might be watching Sponge Bob Square Pants and Scooby-Doo with my 2and a half year old instead. Can you believe Scooby is still popular? Anyway if I can talk him into helping me maybe the two of us will get the bar mounted. I am going to take some pics and do a write up too for Paisan's site so keep your eyes open for it! If you want it e-mailed to you let me know!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Cool beans looking forward to it!

    -mike
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    paisan first of all let me say the bar looks great on my Trooper, however ECB sent the most generic instructions you could ever imagine. They might as well not even send any hardware with the bar because 75% of what they sent wouldn't work. I had to Jimmy Rig just about everything to get the bar on. Thank God Lowe's is right down the street. I will however snap some photos and send them on to you soon.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Did you look at my writeup? It should not have needed any additional hardware...

    -mike
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    needing ADDITIONAL hardware, but rather an issue of needing THE RIGHT hardware.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It should have been chisel the weld nut off the chassis, put the bracket on with 2 screws and nuts and done, 15 minutes or less. I'd be very curious to see why it didn't work, cause you aren't the first one to have a problem. The other people I spoke with once I explained what needed to be done, it was simple.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    It would have probably taken me 15 min to chisel off one weld nut. In terms of mods, I finally replaced the stock speakers in the rear with SONY XS V1331 3-ways (5.25 in) to complement my Alpine head unit. The sound is excellent and much needed since I got the full Pink Floyd CD set for Christmas. Also, I got an onboard battery/air compressor unit for Christmas, which is in the cargo area--it can be recharged on AC or on the lighter plug in the truck.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Ok,well otherthan chiseling offthe weld nutz, it's a pretty straight forward install. I don't understand how it could have gotten messed up :(

    -mike
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    In other words the mount plates were not tall enough. The two vertical slats on the mount plates only made it about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up to the matching holes on the frame. Thus the screws would not fit into the holes because they were mismatched. The directions are the worst directions I have ever received with a product in my life. I think they were written in Australianese Ha Ha!!!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I'm not quite sure of what you are saying there, about it not fitting, but I'll bet there was something whacky.

    -mike
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    Basically on the plate that mounts to the car there are 6 holes. Two are where the bar connects to the plate. Two holes are for where the tow hook is screwed in (although there is no tow hook on the drivers side) and the last two holes were on the two verticle slots of different height that were supposed to go up and match the two holes already on the vehicle. The holes in those two slats would not go up high enough to match the holes on the vevicle. Does that make any more sense? It was frustrating, but not that big of a deal. I just ran and got some different sized nuts and bolts and slapped the damn thing on. I really like the look of it, but I will love it once i get my lights put on it. i am thinking about buying the 100watt lights Matt has on his sight, but I may go with the Hella 500s.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    They aren't supposed to connect to the tow hook holes at all. They are supposed to connect to the spot where the sway bar bushing clamp goes. I'm gonna go out and grab the other bar I have here and see what the bracket looks like.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I think I figured it out here... I think that the wide-body version is different than the std model ones. They assumed we have the wide-body version here, which I guess we don't have. I'll go out and line up the bracket with my truck. Definitely a different bracket than I had on my bar.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I would go with more than 100watt. There are several 130watt lights out there. If you are looking for off-road lights? I got IPF 800's, they are rectangular and have a wide spread pattern. They are great for lighting up the ground right in front of you, good for off-roading at night and foul weather. However, while the ground in front is lit up like daylight, when I adjust them up, the flat/wide spread pattern makes them not be as effective. While a 1/2 mile away is lit up, the ground between here and there is not lit up. When I point them down, they are great for off-road, not as high beams. Does that description make sense? What I am getting at is...they are awesome on the trail, but 95% of the time I wish I had super bright driving highbeams, I might choose round lights next time.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Hellas can all accept up to 130w bulbs. Generally the Hellas come in 3 types:

    Fog, Euro, Pointed

    The Fog is a widespread beam the illuminates close in, and wide.

    Euro is less wide and much further out.

    Pointed (forgot the actual term) goes very far but has a narrow beam.

    I choses the euro cause it was a nice cross.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    So do you retain your tow hook in the front, or does the bracket screw into the tow hook holes? If there are some holes beside the tow hook spot, I might like that better than going into the sway bar position holes and chisling off the nut. Also, is the bar good and tight?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well I broke out the bar that was due for delivery to my best buddy's Father-in-law and put the brackets up against my truck. Apparently there are 2 different bars... The Wide-Body version and the Std-version for the Troopers in Australia. This time they sent the wide-body versions. The brackets I have match up nicely w/o chiseling off any weld nutz and also attach with 4 bolts to the frame instead of 2 that my version has. They use the stock tow-hook holes, but they have longer bolts so that you retain your front tow hook w/o issue. I believe the 4 bolt on frame will provide a more stable mounting point for the bar. Heck I may sell my setup and replace it with one of these if the installation goes well on my buddy's in-law's Trooper.

    -mike
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    With the bar I got the the tow hook stays however you have to take it off temporarily to mount the mounting plate between it and the frame.

    Paisan when you put your buddy's bar on let me know if you have any problems. I will be curious to see if maybe my brackets were faulty or something. Also believe it or not my nudge bar has already suffered its first casualty.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Sorry to hear it got damaged already! At least it probably protected the bumper, hopefully.

    It looked like the passenger side bracket will fit snuggly in there. It was too cold to try to line up the driver side one.

    What did you hit, or what hit you?

    -mike
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    Like an idiot i was pulling out of the garage the other day and I was thumbing through my wallet to see how much money I had. I stopped thinking I had cleared the garage door and hit the button while I tryed to figure out where my money was. Well needless to say I hadn't pulled out far enough and the door came down on the bar leaving a long white mark on it. I think it will probably come out, but I was so pissed I did something so dumb. I am just lucky I pulled out as far as I did or might have a big crease in my hood. I gave myself a big DAAAAAAAAAAA after that one!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I have white marks on mine too. From various incidences. I thought it actually got damaged! The nice thing about the black bars we have... Gloss Black Spray Paint... will clear up most blemishes. :)

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    I like the idea of mounting to the tow hook holes and remounting the tow hooks through the holes in the bracket. How much are those bars?
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    One other thing, is it possible to get a front round tube bar like that designed through Independent4X.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    They are $360 for the Series 2 which is a double set of tubes (like mine, except that it goes up one extra loop higher) and $339 for the regular nudge bar. I put the nudge up against the non-wide-body model tonight and they are in fact wider than the non-wide body version by a few inches. I think those prices are including air-frieght to your door, but check out http://www.ecb-usa.com I think they sell them here in the states.


    -mike

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I don't think matt has a tube bender that big, his can only do smaller tubing.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I am trying to decide what to get. I think I have it down to a CB. Now, the features I want are: channel scan, dual channel monitor capabilities, weather channels, rf gain adjustment, maybe a pa option? I have also thought about portable. The cobra 38 wx model sounds nice? You can get some portable radios with the first 3 options?

    Any suggestions? Any brands people like? I am looking at cobra, but uniden may be just as good? How about FRS? Would I be better off spending $40 on a pair of FRS radios?
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    What are you going to use them for?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I tried FRS, CB is more universal, helps you get out of tickets on the highway, and is generally cheaper for a better setup. I have a radio shack $99 "old" style cb that works well, I'm working on getting an antenna to mount to the rear spoiler, for now I've been using magnet mount ones though.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I want it for off-roading weekend trips, summer vacation to communicate with other family members (I realize they need something too), weather reports on road trips, oh and most of all fun! That is why I am looking into a CB that needs to be mounted, I figured it would be a fun project.

    I am thinking about mounting an antenna either off the rear bumper (tall whip) or medium length from behind the spare. I understand you should use about 18' of coax for best reception, so I was thinking about running the wire under the carpet to the rear and possibly out one of the tether holes in the rear cargo area (that is for a bumper mount).
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The problem with the bumper is that it won't get a good ground. Behind the spare would probably be better than the bumper, also how would you deal with the rear doors if mounted on the bumper? By Feb 17 I may have one mounted on the rear spoiler so you can check it out if you want.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I like the idea of behind the spare, but how do I get the wire there? I don't think I feel like drilling through the body, at least not yet...I may just end up with a HH unit, but I hope to narrow it down this week.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I'm not a big fan of HH units. Also I haven't been able to find a real good way to mount the antenna on behind the spare w/o interfereing with the wiper or tire itself. I should play around with it some more. You could just have the wire go down and under the door into the back.

    -mike
  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    Doesn't Independent4x sell a spare tire antenna mount?

    I can't see how a bumper mount could work with the rear doors, unless maybe if it was on the extreme end of the bumper.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Tire mount is only for non-hard-cover, actually for spare tires w/o covers at all. It essentially goes in the lug nuts IIRC.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    drilling through the rear on the extreme left or right could work (if there is any metal on the sides). It could then be grounded.
  • radman6radman6 Member Posts: 81
    I've also thought about putting a CB in my 2000 S Trooper. Some ideas I've kicked around:

    1. Using a portable CB package, radio and magnetic antenna, not mounted permanently - and only putting it in the vehicle when I need it. I have one made by Uniden I've used in another vehicle. Coax runs out through window, up to the roof. Get to enjoy wind noise with this setup.

    2. Permanently installed radio and roof mount antenna with a quick release for when I want to haul something on a Yakima rack. Have to drill a hole in the roof for the mounting bracket. Antenna is in best position for optimal performance.

    3. Glass mount antenna like for a cell phone if there is such a thing for a CB.

    4. Using a stainless steel antenna bracket that fits in the small gap between the hood and the fender (have this setup on my 93 Chevy pickup and it works great). Looks like there's room to fit one on my Trooper. Non destructive install.

    5. Mounting antenna on rear quarter panel. Have to drill a hole to mount the bracket. Can install a pretty tall antenna here and not have serious over height problems.

    With CB antennas, generally taller is better. All the shorter ones are loaded versions of the taller ones, in some multiple of the optimal length (109" ?) i.e. 1/2 or 1/4 the optimal length to receive the 109 inch wave frequency.

    Whatever antenna you end up with, make sure you get it tuned for optimal performance. Any CB shop can do this for you. Basically they hook up a SWR meter to your antenna coax, key the mike, then make adjustments to the length of the antenna to optimize the match between your radio and antenna. Tuning can make a dramatic difference in performance.

    I like the off road style antennas better (Fire Stix?). They're stronger, more flexible, and take a lot of abuse. I also like the quick disconnect brackets for when I want it out of the way.

    My 2 cents for what it's worth : )

    Radman
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The problem with magnet mounts is they are useless off-roading. They get knocked off and then everyone has to stop. The glass mount ones I tried suck big time for CB. I thought about the hood deal on the lip, but I'm going to try that on the rear spoiler thingy. Also I have been using a magnetic one that goes out the small back door and up under the spoiler to the roof. It basically will look permenant cause no one can even see it on the roof or the wire. But the problem is with the offroading.

    -mike
  • radman6radman6 Member Posts: 81
    Hey, I like the idea of using a magnetic mounted antenna up on the roof by the spoiler, and running the coax through the small door. Not an optimal off-road setup but will work for a caravan.

    Do you just slam the door on the coax so you don't have to run it through an open window?

    In my post above, the Uniden portable I use is not a hand held, it's a regular (small) permanent mount radio - I just don't mount it. It plugs into a cig lighter, antenna goes up on the roof, and I find a place somewhere to stick the radio where I can reach the mic and hear the speaker.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I just slam it in the door. You may need to buy an extension for the antenna cable. What I did was velcro my radio on the passenger side to the hump, then ran the antenna cable under the door sill mouldings, and jammed it under the plastic sides in the back and the end comes out on the right side near the small door. Then I slip it out the bottom and on the outside of the seal of the small door under the spoiler, and to the magnetic mount about 1-2' from the back center. No one can see the wire at all, totally hidden.

    I'll try to snap some shots to put up of the cb install and the antenna as it stands now.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    What I've done lately is put the mag. mount antenna on my rear "corvette killer" bar and it has worked nicely for trail rides.

    -mike
  • radman6radman6 Member Posts: 81
    I'm getting ready to upgrade my shocks and install a poly bushing kit at the same time. Does anyone have a good source for either?

    Best local price is $62.95 ea plus 8% tax for the shocks. Haven't been able to find a manufacturer for the bushing kit yet.

    Love my 2000S but prefer less body lean and a little firmer ride with less bounce.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    Hotrod has them for $59.99 - http://www.hotrod-offroad.com/frames.html. IMO they are a very good Isuzu vendor.


    It used to be that Rancho offered a buy 3 get 1 free spring time sale. That didn't happen last year but who knows they may bring it back and you could wait and get a better deal.


    As to the bushings, that has been written up many times (including prices, part numbers, instructions, vendors and glowing tributes to the improvements). I suggest you check these archives or Paisan's site.

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    That is where I got mine as well. Dan is a great guy over there. Check http://isuzu-suvs.com for the writeup on the bushings. I got mine at JC Whitney.


    -mike

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Hey guys, I fitted up the ECB nudge bar onto a VX today (same frame as the trooper) just to shoot some pics of it. Check em out at http://www.ecb-usa.com/vx


    On a side note, the brackets fit 100% correctly, and all the bolts fit as well. Not sure what the deal was with some of the people not having them fit properly.


    -mike

  • dielectric7bbdielectric7bb Member Posts: 324
    What's that tiger doin on the hood? And I liked how you put the Trooper in the background on a few shots even if you only took pictures of its rear end!!!
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