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Isuzu Modifications/Aftermarket/Accessories

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Comments

  • silverghostsilverghost Member Posts: 154
    are what I relied on. For me, the difficulty on the rears was 1.) the confined space limited wrench turns to about 70 degrees, and 2.) re-installing the rear-most bolts was very tedious due to my inability to see the bolt holes and align the threads. For my money, I would only do it again with the rear wheels off.

    My $.02 worth.

    Dave
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I'll re-write the direx to include lifting the rear and taking the wheels off. Didn't you use a socket? I think I remember using a socket so the 70degrees wasn't as big an issue. But we are always looking to tweak the direx.

    -mike
  • silverghostsilverghost Member Posts: 154
    in the end, I found the closed-end wrench easier to work with. With the socket, I tried no extension, 3-inch ext, 6-inch ext, both ext combined, and had little success with any of them. Maybe I wasn't holding my mouth right at the time, but a little more working room would have made it much easier to use the socket. With the wheels off, you wouldn't even have to get under the car.

    Dave
  • silverghostsilverghost Member Posts: 154
    Any chance of getting group buys going on Trooper stuff, as in the old ITOG group?

    Dave
  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    Most of the "group buy" activity has been over on Trail Talk at 4x4 Wire. At this moment I am in on two group buys for 2nd gen Troopers, one for boulder bars from Darlington Off-Road and one for a steel rear bumper with integrated hitch from Calmini. Don't know if you can get in on them or not, AFAIK manufacturing is underway.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I know www.ECB-USA.com offers discounts for Edmunds people. E-mail them to get pricing on latest stuff.


    Also I'm personal friends with matt from http://independent4x.com so if you guys find stuff there you want, let me know and I can arrange it.


    -mike

  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    How about classes on doing some of these Trooper mods/repairs? For example, schedule some Trooper maintenance or mod at a 4x4 meet like in the Uaraharie (spelling bad) ? Might get more to come and get interest up. I always thought Isuzu-America should had been promoting events like this.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    We usually do installfests @ Uwharrie and hold a bunch up here in NY/NJ/LI area. Let me know what you guys want to install @ uwharrie and we can do it. Speaking of Uwharrie, looks like we'll be heading there Aug 24-26. Anyone interested?

    -mike
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    It is a good thing that Troopers have excellent engine cooling systems. August in NC will test them. Bring your hydration packs in case you have to step out of your A/C Trooper. Also, there is extreme dry conditions so check for unusual restrictions on activities in the woods, like no fires or maybe like some places out West, no access at all until the rains come.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Just got back from Nantucket and had a chance to use my new Dueler A/T's offroad. They did pretty well. Much better than stock oversand (wider and better tread helps) and I didn't "kiss" the dunes when bouncing over large bumps. The tires never once bottomed out in the wheel wells. There is definitely a loss of power with larger tires not bad, but acceleration suffers a little, especially noticeable when loaded down.

    The new tires also changed the performance of TOD on sand. In the past deep sand would bog down the system, I was able to hit deep stuff, and when the system bogged down, I gave it more gas, and pulled out most of the time. I still had to use 4 low in some remote spots and a couple of times to back-up to prevent getting stuck. Overall a good improvement...worth $500? I guess so, but as a fun add-on, not necessary, I was able to go to all the same places with stock tires, just more 4 low and tire spinning.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well it's not really a $500 upgrade, if you think you probably needed tires anyway so maybe it's a $100 option to go with the upgraded tires v. replacing with stockers.

    -mike
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    Interesting comment about the tires changing the performance of TOD in sand. I have done some sand driving with mine and never had a problem with the TOD. Both beach and dune, and I only ever used 4L on the steepest of dunes.

    However, I had the stock tires (Goodyear Wrangler AP in Oz) replaced with BFG A/T's before I took delivery of the car, and aired down all round to 20PSI when on soft sand.
  • leedavidyoungleedavidyoung Member Posts: 102
    There was a discussion some time back on the additional 15HP offered with the Axiom. Has anyone researched this to determine if Axiom chip is compatible with Trooper?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    They changed the intake manifold, exhaust manifold and the chip.

    -mike
  • leedavidyoungleedavidyoung Member Posts: 102
    Sounds like a lot of effort for 15 HP.

    How do you like your new boulder bars? They look great on your truck. I'm in the market for a pair. Is the anything you would do differently?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    So far the bars are good. I've jacked up the whole side of the truck on em so they are on there good. If I had to do it over I would have made sure to be present when my welder welded them on. He made them a bit further down than I would have like by about .5-1" but that just means I means the 1" poly spacers I'm getting for the rear will even it out a bit. It's still higher than the T-case. I haven't gone offroading with it yet so we'll see how they do in the PB and paragon.

    -mike
  • rlhallumrlhallum Member Posts: 2
    I'm interested in obtaining a roof rack for a 1999 Trooper. The dealer tells me there isn't a "factory approved" rack for the Trooper. I've seen several Troopers with the Yakima and Thule racks, but I don't know which one is best. Does anyone prefer one to another?

    Additionally, if you've got one, how is the wind noise?

    Thanks for your help.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I prefer thule over yakima due to the square bars. I often see attachments on yakima's that are not perpendicular to the car because they rotate back or forwards on the round bar.

    Wind noise is OK...I added a fairing to my trooper and it cut the wind noise from the rack down a lot, worth the $50 cost. The road noise through the truck on the highway is another story.

    The rack itself is great. I carry bikes, box carriers lumber, canoe's, etc. It can handle a lot. I also go offroading with an empty box carrier still attached with no problems. A lot of bouncing over sand dunes and the rack or box don't come loose or are noticeable. I am huge thule fan. Both are good. I have found the best prices at outdoorsports.com
  • ostazostaz Member Posts: 80
    Hello all, just purchased (4 hours ago) a 99 Trooper S, w/38k miles in near perfect condition for under 10k from an auction. Love the beast, one question is, what is the best option for filling-in these empty fog light sockets. It is not just for looks, I live in the country, and on dark nights, I can certainly use the extra lights.

    Also, I will be conducting an experiment for the next few weeks to see if I can get the same results on improving gas mileage as I had on my other vehicles.
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    I recommend Hella 530 fog lights. They do a great job on dark country roads. They are a little too big for the existing fog light cut outs, but look good there nevertheless and install very secure.
  • ostazostaz Member Posts: 80
    Thanks cmuniz, do they mount inside the cut-out, but slightly over-sized, or do I have to drill holes to mount them in front of the cut-out?
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    Ostaz .... I have seen a set of Narva lights installed into a Jackaroo's (Trooper in Australia)cut out. It looked the same as a factory fit, to the point where I'm thinking about swapping out my OEM ones.

    Unfortunately I didn't get the specific model. But I'm guessing that it is the Narva Maxim 180/85. Available as either a fog lamp or long range spotlight.
  • leedavidyoungleedavidyoung Member Posts: 102
    Hey Ostaz

    In the past, someone on this forum has mentioned that Troopers are pre-wired for fog lights. I think you can find the wires behind the knock-out for the fog lamp switch. With a relay and OEM switch ordered from Isuzu, you can achieve a factory look if desired. I priced the switch and relay from St. Charles Isuzu for around $100 but I never went any further.

    Good Luck
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Was this a public auction, or a dealer-only auction, or what? A 99 Trooper w/38k miles for less than 10 grand seems like an outstanding deal.
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    Ostaz - They fit inside the cut outs, but like you said, stick out just a little at least the way they were installed in my Trooper. I believe that if you modify the bracket they might fit even better, but they look like they were designed for a vehicle like the Trooper. I was very happy with both their looks and performance.
  • ostazostaz Member Posts: 80
    Thanks all for the response. This weekend I have gone under the truck and rust proofed all exposed areas with my home made mixture, changed oil, and air filter, and dressed all vinyl and rubber parts. I tried to do my usual detailing work, but the Trooper needed next to nothing. BTW, it's silver.

    The auction was a public one, the vehicle was owned by the president of a .com company that was liquidated. I paid $9,345 plus tax.

    Thanks for the fog light advice, I intend to add it the weekend after labor day.
  • leedavidyoungleedavidyoung Member Posts: 102
    Hey Paisan,

    You mentioned a part # for a brake light kit, but I cannot find the message. What was that #? Does this harness snap into a plug next to the jack mount? Calmini is shipping my new rear bumper this week. I will try to get pictures of the install if anyone is interested.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    But order it from JC Whitney. It plugs in from underneath in about 30 sec. Definitely would love a writeup of the bumper install w/ pics for the "how-to" section of isuzu-suvs.com

    -mike
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    Hi Ostaz ... Can you tell us what your home made rust proofing brew is?
  • ostazostaz Member Posts: 80
    I use a mixture of paraffin and kerosene (to liquidity the paraffin for spraying). I spray the mixture into all exposed surfaces. Once the mix is dry; it forms a very thick, sticky barrier.

    But before I do this, I usually spray epoxy paint on exposed surfaces. If I see rust, I spray it with Muratic acid, which is a strong reducer. This mixture survived salty roads w/o even surface rust on covered areas.

    It is important to inspect once a year. I have owned some old Citroens for over 15 years now, never had a rust problem. Cost per car is under $50.

    While you're under the truck, don't forget to treat the rubber parts (such as boots, etc..) with a vinyl spry to prevent rubber from cracking.
  • mwwstmwwst Member Posts: 30
    I originally posted a message on the general Trooper page regarding the Overlander Expedition rack that I had purchased but I thought this would be a better forum for the detailed discussion. See post number 5490 under Isuzu Trooper forum for the start of this discussion.

    Picked up some 6mmx25mm bolts, locking washers and silicon sealant yesterday and continued installation of the overlander rack. I learned several things during the installation process:

    1. metric bolts can be difficult to find, even at the local Home Depot.
    2. Putting the rack together was the easy part.
    3. You shouldn't start a project at 8 p.m. in a poorly lit driveway.
    4. Even though the directions say that you don't need to cut sections of the roof molding strips for my2000 and newer Troopers, you DO.
    5. Don't tighten down the mounting brackets to the roof until the rack is attached.

    I made a couple minor errors that cost me some time. The total duration of last nights installation was 3.5 hrs (yes I finished at 11:30 p.m.). Add that to the 1/2 hour it took to assemble the rack the total came to 4 hrs. This does not include the time to go to 3 hardware stores to find the correct bolts that didn't come with the mounting hardware.

    A few observations: This rack looks great and works great. Very solidly constructed with very little weight since its all aluminum. This is a BIG rack (50" x 60") and adds about 8.75" to the height of the Trooper (69" total height). I strapped a 9' surfboard on top and had enough room to put a second board right next to it or some coolers or what ever without any problem. Driving on the road up to 75 mph I could barely hear any additional wind noise over what you normally hear. With the board on top I still didn't hear any additional wind noise. I'll report how it affects fuel economy after I've gone through a couple of tanks of gas with the rack on (currently get 17 mpg in mixed driving). What I've also found is that the basket portion can be fairly easily removed leaving just the cross bars.

    I know there have been lots of questions in the past regarding what roof rack to get for the Trooper. I originally picked this one because I liked the idea of the mounts being screwed in to the factory holes on the roof and not potentially damaging the door seals with the Yakima or Thule towers. I also like the ability of hauling additional cargo in the basket when taking the family on long trips. It looks like I'll also be able to use some of the Yakima attachments that I already own (bike and ski carrier) with some minor modifications to the attachment brackets. I hope this helps anyone else out there that might be looking for an alternative to the Thule or the Yakima. I'll give an update on long term usefulness, convenience, etc. at a later date. Sorry for the long message.

    MWWST
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    So they will be going in soon along with my 1" or 2" poly spacers. Then I'll have like a 4" lift on the trooper :)

    -mike
  • mwwstmwwst Member Posts: 30
    That should have been 79" total height not 69".

    MWWST
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Metric bolts usually are grade 8 bolts by default which are good for such an installation. When installing my bull bar I found similar results finding them, home depot had mostly imperial system bolts and it was hard to find even grade 5. Sears Hardware was a good source for me, I had to sort through the boxes rather than bins of bolts which made it that much harder to find what I needed.
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    I have found that the local Lowes (major competitor of Home Depot) has a much better selection of bolts. Better yet there are old time hardware stores the kind that have been in business for a century of longer that have a good bolt selection. Also try the places in the phonebook for industrial hardware supply, if they are willing to sell retail they have quite a selection too. I used them for large stainless washers for a boat application.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    In has been a couple of years, but the last time I checked I found that PEP Boys had the best selection of metric fasteners.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I installed running boards on my MDX today and finished about the exact time it started to rain...whew! It only took me about 3 hours. The first side took longer because I didn't follow the instrucions to the letter. It says to put the frame bolts on with only 3-4 threads before you put the board on. They need to be lower so the board will fit, I first tightedened them up 1/2 way all around, and then had to back them off to fit the board. This added a little time. The second side only took about an hour.

    I also got a good craftsman torque wrench out of the deal...so total cost was $389 + $75...not bad considering the dealer wanted $730 to put them on, and $450 to to sell them to me uninstalled.

    The instructions had one mistake...they said use a 10mm combo wrench, and you actually needed a 13mm wrench, the same size as the socket. I also found it easier to tighten everything up using a screwdriver type socket driver, and then just about 3/4 a turn with the torque wrench to set all the bolts.

    I am posting this here too because I don't think anyone over there appreciates installing accessories yourself.
  • ostazostaz Member Posts: 80
    sbcooke, which running boards did you buy and from where. I am about to add one to my 99 Trooper.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    They were honda/acura specific...however manik makes nice side steps/running boards. A good place to start is overlander.com, and then find it cheaper somewhere else on the web.

    Independent 4x4, I forget the url but he has rocker bars that protect against rocks offroad and don't significantly reduce ride height, however I don't know how good they are as a step? You can look on paisan's site....isuzu-suvs.com for a link to that site.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I worked with matt from indy on the rocker bars for the Trooper. Since I know most of the Trooper owners will also like side steps we made them stick out far enough to be used as side step as well. They are welded to the frame and are 1/4" thick tubes. Basically they become an extension of the frame. Very strong. I've jacked up the whole side of my truck on it!

    If you do any offroading they are a good idea over the typical side steps that will get ripped off.

    -mike
  • pdown77pdown77 Member Posts: 6
    I want to put a rear window spoiler on my 2002 Isuzu Rodeo LS. I can get it either in smoke or clear color. If I go with clear, I would like it painted to match the color of the rodeo. Has anyone do this?
  • twnisbetttwnisbett Member Posts: 11
    I want to move the seat back farther than it will go. Is there a modification I can make? Or, should I buy different seats? I'm tall, so the seat seems too close to the steering wheel/pedals in my 2001 Trooper. Thanks!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    You can have the frame-rails moved back a few inches. Way way back someone on here brought theirs to a body shop to have it done. IIRC it worked out nicely and cost ~$200

    -mike
  • 2ktrooper22ktrooper2 Member Posts: 1
    Read through most of the posts and discovered a trove of information, links and extremely knowledgegeable/helpful community.

    I took off my stock "bug shield" as the plastic in the wrap around sides was too thin and "flapped" or rattled at higher speeds and/or in cross winds. It was impossible to wash/wax underneath so it had to be removed each time.

    Needless to say, it was "ditched". However, this has left even more surface area especially on the hood sheet metal exposed to the tons of flying gravel up here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

    I have had zero luck finding a front-end bra for my stock 2K Trooper. Not a good feeling when Isuzu doesn't even carry one.

    I would appreciate any leads.

    Thanks, 2KT2.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Bras ruin your paint unless you remove and clean under them on a weekly basis. Get a Lund Interceptor Bug Guard replacement and call it a day. I have one to replace the factory one that flapped against the fenders and eventually broke.

    -mike
  • cptsessocptsesso Member Posts: 116
    I found 1 here at this link:


       http://www.partscheap.com/Troopera.htm


    I don't know if they have any in stock but they show it on their site.

  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    I had 3M Scotchcal film put on the leading edge of my Trooper. It is still holding up well after 3 years here in Minnesota (kinda like Calgary climate-wise), and you don't get the turbulence noise you can get with a deflector.

    If you do get deflector, I second the Lund Interceptor recommendation.
  • twnisbetttwnisbett Member Posts: 11
    I have a 2002 Trooper, and I put on a film protector as well, not 3M, but comparable. I live 2.5 miles down a dirt/gravel road, so there's lots of flying rocks, but the protector has worked very well. The brand I use is DDKM, and it comes in clear, smoke, yellow, and blue (why the yellow and blue is beyond me!). Bugs wash right off this stuff, too.
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    Guys,


    I don't know if these are available in the US. I replaced my standard headlight bulbs (H4 in Australia) with Narva Plus 50 bulbs. I'm stunned at the difference.


    The new bulbs put out approx 50% more light at the same wattage as the standard bulbs (55w/60w). For $30AUS, it is a worthwhile and noticeable improvement to the Jackaroo/Trooper headlights.


    For more info -

      http://www.narva.com.au/Globes16.html

  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    I recently tried to find some better bulbs. The problem I ran into is that, with the exception of Sylvania, the information provided on the packaging is way to vague. They all note that the bulbs are "x% brighter than standard bulbs". The problem is they give no information about that "standard bulb". It could be an old style halogen bulb (or even an non-halogen bulb given how tricky ad writers can be). In which case any newer halogen bulb is probably x% brighter.
    Does anyone have some information documenting the actual lumen output of the various bulbs?
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