Isuzu Modifications/Aftermarket/Accessories

paisan · April 2001

There are 2 in the front and one on the right. Or in my case... 3 under the hood + the 2 under the bumper, and one on the firewall.

-mike

nighter50 · April 2001

Mike- thanks for the thoughts. Full recovery looks to be 5-6 months. FYI - if your going to rupture your biceps tendon better to do it from the long head of the biceps (near shoulder) rather than at the insertion into elbow (where mine ruptured)...also get it fixed immediately raher than wait like me...had to graft a tendon from my leg:) BTW - did it playing hockey.

comment on DoubleCross instead of Q Tower - with DC there is no contact with paint and they fit most factory racks (in case you get a different truck someday - but why would you!)

radman6 · April 2001

Wow! Thanks Keepon Troopin, nighter50 catmandu, guill, cd1000, and ppouncy for all the responses on the Yakima rack setup. I'll probably be picking one up in May. I like the utility this rack offers, and being able to space out the bars is a plus for carrying a 16 ft canoe. I think I can get in the garage ok with the rack on the Trooper. (My pickup with canopy and Yak rack is too tall with the rack on and I'm always paranoid I'm going to forget)

Also checked out the storage boxes. Thule has a much nicer (more streamlined) box out this year for the same price as the Yakima. Both are 16 cu ft, and both go for around $349.00. They also adapt to each others bars. I'm thinking about a Yak rack, Thule box combo.

Thanks for the tip on protecting the door frames. I was a little concerned about the way the clips / Q-towers mounted - but it sounds like it's plenty strong - just need to protect the paint.

Spring is here! Can't wait to get my toys out : )

catmandu · April 2001

Check out the Packasport box for the yak racks. I think they have a website. They are more expensive ,but well worth it. They are fiberglass and much heaver than most. They come long enough to carry skis of over 200 centimeters plus boots and poles.

sdc2 · April 2001

I skimmed a couple of Axiom reviews yesterday, they sure liked that extra 15 hp. I want it for my Trooper, dang it!

bluedevils · April 2001

We want to keep our 75-pound chocolate lab in the cargo area once our baby is born. My wife wants a soft mesh netting instead of the typical metal-bar divider. I've seen one at www.drsfostersmith.com, but it's 70 bucks. Does anybody have any ideas on where I could buy a piece of mesh netting that I could hook up inside the Trooper? I would rather not spend 70 bucks on a store-bought net from the pet store. That seems way overpriced.

paisan · April 2001

You could use your cargo net to maybe make an ad-hoc device to block the dog from jumping over the seats? Just a thought.

-mike

sbcooke · April 2001

rack better than Yakima. The square bars keep things from rolling off and turning when mounted. i.e The bike racks that have 2 separate pieces, a clip for the front wheel and then separate for the rear, the attachments spin and don't sit level on a yakima, I don't know if I explained it properly, but my brother-in-law used to complain about it. Either rack would be great though, I love mine. I got it at outdoorsports.com/car-racks-direct. Best price I found store or web.

justdrivin · April 2001

I have been lurking here for a few weeks and appreciate all the good info. I recently purchased a 2000 S with 8000 miles; had a 91 Trooper and really like the newer one better.
It seems like I have been busy the last few days with modifications and thought I would post them:
-Wheelskins steering wheel cover..a pain to put on, but real nice and the gray is a lot better then black plastic in the Georgia sun.
- Smoke tinted windows..see above.
-Rainguards/wind deflectors- had to have them.
-Kenwood CD player and Eclipse speakers up front- from previous vehicle..sounds great, and yes, the tweeters in the door still operate..I like the high end! Good info here on the install, and Crutchfield is real helpful.
-Yakima Treadhead- goes on the spare tire just fine, holds two bikes (from old Trooper).
- Draw-tite hitch..for the See-Doo..looks great,too.
-Looking at a Bug-Guard for the hood tomorrow.

Well, that's it for now. Wish I got a little better gas mileage..about 16-17 mpg. Otherwise, I love it. Sorry so long!

paisan · April 2001

Dave,

Welcome to the crew! Where are you located? Definitely check out http://isuzu-suvs.com we are always updating it. Also thurs night 10-11pm EST we have our LIVE chat here on edmunds! Feel free to post and questions and help us answer questions for others.

-mike

justdrivin · April 2001

Mike,
I am just north of Atlanta. Bought the truck at Carmax and think I did O.K.- $19,995 - looked right on Edmunds.com anyway. Already have the other site bookmarked and I lurk daily on Trail Talk.

catmandu · April 2001

Im also looking for a bug guard for our 01 S. Would appreciate any info on your research .

bluedevils · April 2001

I can't believe I didn't think of trying that! What a good idea. I'll check it out. Main thought is, where to hook it to the vehicle? I'll see if I can figure something out.

duktrooper · April 2001

I'd be interested in alternate bug shields to the Isuzu brand for my '99 Trooper. The bugs get enormous down here and it's a constant pain to keep them from eating thru front hood paint. From all I've seen and heard, the Isuzu bug shield is thin, flimsy, and noisy although it looks pretty good.

justdrivin · April 2001

Mike,
I am just north of Atlanta. Bought the truck at Carmax and think I did O.K.- $19,995 - looked right on Edmunds.com anyway. Already have the other site bookmarked and I lurk daily on Trail Talk.

cd1000 · April 2001

I just bought a Lund hood shield for my 2001 for $42 plus shipping from truckaddons.com It is the screw on variety and is called the x-terminator. A couple of other places advertised similar prices but had none in stock. I bought my hidden hitch from them with no problems. Part # is 78080 Chris

radman6 · April 2001

When my factory bug deflector broke I replaced it with a Lund Interecptor. It looks good and seems to work fine. It stands off the hood a couple inches so you can wash / wax behind it. It comes with a lifetime warranty against breakage. Lund also has another model up from the one I got for a little more money. If you use the search words Lund Interceptor in your search page you'll get lots of hits. I got mine from Central 4 Wheel Drive for under $60.00. I think J.C. Whitney has them too.

randers3 · April 2001

I will second the Lund Interceptor as a great bug guard. Had the OEM Isuzu deflector, which cause me so much aggravation, I just pitch it in the junk. The Lund stands out from the hood and does a nice job of deflecting wind and bugs over the windshield. Got mine at Carparts.com for $49.95.
Mounts in existing holes for the OEM unit. Took 3 minutes to install.

ctnewton · April 2001

Getting to the front horns is pretty straightforward. I took the front grille off.
There is a row of clever plastic fsteners along the top, and one in the middle. There are also two phillips screws.
Use a screwdriver to pop the tabs of the plastic fasteners so that they align with the slot. You'll know what I mean when you see it. Once you pop all the fasteners and remove the two screws, the grille comes right off.

One horn is clearly visible, while the other is tucked to the right side.

Reassembly requires you to pull the 'shanks' of the fasteners out from the car, and install them on the grille. Then just push the grille back into place and install the two screws.

Removing the grille provides excellent access to install a transmission oil cooler. I'll be doing this soon and will report.

Pete
www.suvtech.com/isuzu_trooper.htm
www.suvtech.com/discus

paisan · April 2001

Check out http://isuzu-suvs.com/trooper/horn-nudge.html for pics of the horns I installed in addition to the stock horns. I wired the hot lead of the relay to the horn relay under the hood and so now both sets are used when you hit the horn button. I should have a writeup soon for this.

-mike

keepontroopin · April 2001

I bought a Bug guard on Monday and installed it in about 15 mins. Monday night. I bought it at the local parts store (Advanced Auto Parts) for 29.99. I think they screwed up on the price because everywhere else I looked the Bug Deflector II was 39.99 or more.

atltrooper · April 2001

I have also been reading everybody's posts for the last few months... thanks for the info. I have a 1999 Trooper I OD that I bought new in Atlanta. last summer in August. I guess Isuzu had a few 1999's in their inventory somewhere. It only had 40 miles on it! So far I have installed the following:
- Alpine 6 ad changer: kept factory head unit to avoid theft, still sounds pretty good (see next)
- Pol speakers front and rear: ordered from Crutch field, no problems & easy to swap out with Crutch field's wiring harness
- I&N drop-in air filter: definitely worth it. In economy mode, my trooper has a lot more pep
- INSTALLED TODAY: Draw Tie Class III hitch

Future Projects: window tinting, bug shield, brush bar with Hell's, leather seat covers(not sure yet)

I've put 16000 miles on since I got the truck in Aug'00. Runs great!

ilit · April 2001

Something for you guys who want to increase Trooper power by re-tuning the computer chip: http://www.hypertech-inc.com/

duktrooper · April 2001

hypertech is located here in Memphis but I don't believe they offer chips for Isuzu's. Their market is the big 3. Let me know if you know otherwise. I think "jetperformance" does make chiips for Isuzu's at around $350 but I haven't heard anything about them.

sbcooke · April 2001

I want to add an in dash CD changer. I don't want to have to replace the OEM head unit? Anyone have any ideas? I am open to buying thr factory unit, but it is expensive from Isuzu. I am looking to get better than the OEM, but anyway.

paisan · April 2001

Wait for someone on here to sell their OEM CD changer? I'm sure it won't be long before someone on here upgrades and wants to sell you their old one.

-mike

duktrooper · April 2001

I wanted to do the same but heard of occasional problems with CD's skipping. Here's what I did instead...installed an Alpine 6 CD changer(very slim profile) vertically in the glove box, where it is out of sight and I can lock it. Cost for unit was only $250. Alpine is known for high quality and this unit was highly recommended by dealer. Not had a single problem with and I don't worry as much about theft.HTH

paisan · April 2001

People still steal radios? Here in NYC they just take the whole car! :0

-mike

gpm5 · April 2001

The factory DELCO head unit with cassette was no loss to me. I don't use cassette. The Alpine has a great look in the trooper--looks like factory, although its not a CD changer that I have. The spot for the factory CD changer works great for CDs in cover slips. The Alpine face comes off and has a storage box, if you are in a questionable area in terms of theft.

crunchy · April 2001

I just got a replacement for my defective original CD changer, and would be willing to sell it. It's brand new from the factory and has never been installed in my truck (or tested, for that matter). I've also got the factory head unit if anyone's interested. I don't know how much these things cost from Isuzu, but I'll give you a good deal.

Sue

keepontroopin · April 2001

Sue I am interested. How much do you want for it? Send me an e-mail. chapla.t@mellon.com

jbkennedy · April 2001

I just spoke with a U-Haul dealer in Houston about installing a Class III hitch for my 2001 Rodeo with the spare tire mounted underneath. They are having a special - $119.95 installed. I think that is a very good price! I believe that their supplier is Hidden Hitch.

central · April 2001

Now that you have had it on a while, do you have any further feedback? For example, does it tend to rattle at the receiver? Does the width still seem correct or do you wish you had a slightly wider unit? What about the mounting height? Looking at the pictures it almost seems like it is slightly too low so it keeps cars from going low into the bumper rather than stopping other SUVS from going high into the spare. Then again pictures can be somewhat deceiving.

paisan · April 2001

It's mostly to stop cars from hitting the tire/bumper. The top of the bar is parralell with the step notch of the rear bumper so you can stand on it and bridge the gap. No rattling at all in the reciever. I believ GPM order a 60" wide bar that sticks out a little further than mine. Mine is only 54" wide. If an excursion wants to push your tire, there is just about nothing that's gonna stop him.

I can't complain though for $129 it's a good value. If I were ordering again I'd go with the 60" one probably. Other than that, it's great. Took it to the car wash and the paint is better than the paint on my car!

-mike

gpm5 · April 2001

Matt is making up the 60" at 11" from the pin hole to the outside of the bar this week--that should be ~7 inches from the back of the bumper to the outside of the bar. I have the hidden hitch on my trooper. The bar should provide great protection. I'll let you know how it does.

central · May 2001

At one point I believe you asked if the WAG unit would work with a hitch. As
we are now the proud owners of a second Trooper, with a previously installed a
hitch, I now have your answer. No, at least the hitch on our 2nd Trooper uses
the same mounting points as the WAG on our first Trooper.

Also, for what it is worth, did you give any thought to having your revised guard
"wrap" around the sides for maybe 1' or so? This side area always seems to
collect parking lot dents on our cars.

In addition, my other wild idea is to have a custom adapter so that the guard
could be raised when off roading. As it is the guard would seem likely to hang up
on many a drop off. Granted the guard could be removed off road but then the
advantage of having a rear guard would be lost . The adapter would have a male
piece on the bottom to plug into the hitch. The top would be a standard female
hitch receiver with the height set to just below the spare. When you want to go
off roading you would unplug the guard. You would then plug in the adapter. Next
you would just plug the bumper guard into the newer, higher location.

gpm5 · May 2001

Good to know on the waag. I also thought about wrap arounds. A guy clipped my corner in a parking lot but came from behind. I'm pretty sure at 60 " and 7 inches out the bar would have got him and made him turn away.

Matt at independent 4x will also do a custom bumper guard somehow mounted to the truck--he told me. I'm not sure how--or whether he just figures he would weld it on. I like hitch guard idea though.

The adapter (basically a receiver extension elbowed up) would work fine. I'm sure matt can put that together no problem.

Anyone want to mount lights on it?--they could plug right in at the harness.

paisan · May 2001

Yeah my and matt's original idea is that you would not use it when off-roading, since anything coming out of the hitch receiver is going to hang you up. I though about mounting extra lights on it and plugging into the wiring of the hitch harness too. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Cool thing about matt is that he makes up each bar individually, so the custom things you guys want he can easily adapt for you. WAAG claims that it doesn't interfere with hitchs but who knows. Matt was also telling me about the bolt-on rear bar, he basically said he would engineer it to bolt into the spots where the hitch would have bolted to.

-mike

gpm5 · May 2001

Yes, at 7 inches out it could hit at a sharp approach angle but would also protect the tail pipe and the mud flaps from dragging. I was thinking that it could be used as a jacking point offroad. Of course protecting against backing into a tree on a tight forest trail is a big plus. Having the elbow would improve the angle.

cd1000 · May 2001

Does anyone know the distance between the factory drilled holes. I am installing a surco safari rack and just put it together. I have not peeled back the rubber strip yet(tomorrow) and was wondering if anyone knew the distance between the holes. Thanks--

crunchy · May 2001

To KeepOnTroopin: did you ever get my email?

If anyone else is interested, I still have a brand new in the shrink wrap in-dash 6 CD changer for sale. Dealer price is $500, so make me an offer.

Also, I need to sell my brand new Husky bed liner because the subwoofer box is in the way of it. They go for about $70 at carparts.com (I bought mine locally), so make me an offer. In a few days I'll try Ebay if I don't have any responses here. Check out pics of it at http://63.105.28.12/trooper

Sue

central · May 2001

These shocks do seem to make quite an improvement.

If you plan on doing the installation yourself be sure and eat your Wheaties first as the bolts you need to remove are installed very firmly. The front shocks are not that bad as you can turn the tires to get at the bolts with a breaker bar and extensions. The rears are another story. The bottom nuts on the rear are quite easy to reach. The top bolts are a real pain especially the driver's side which is guarded by the muffler. I put a socket attached to a breaker bar on the bolt. On the nut I used a box end wrench (there is no room for a socket on this side) with a pipe as a cheater in order to break the nuts loose. I wouldn't even think of trying to do this with an open ended let alone a crescent style wrench.

Again this is not rocket science but if you don't have some good box end wrenches, sockets, extensions and cheater bars I recommend you think twice before changing shocks yourself.

pogofx · May 2001

I've seen some discussion about using and Axiom EMU in a Trooper to get the extra horsepower. I too have thought about this. From what I can determine (from talking to dealers - but what do they know) that the only difference is software to get the HI gain.

Something to consider: From what I understand, please correct me if I'm wrong, is that the 00 Trooper is drive-by-wire while the 99 Trooper isn't. I would assume that the Axiom has the same drive-by-wire system. The EMU upgrade would then most likely lend itself to 00 and above Troopers.

I have a small amount of experience in this area. I chipped my Jetty 1.8T (which is also drive-by-wire) with excellent results. HI up from 150 to 193. These results are more easily attained with turbocharged engines than normally aspirate engines. In my case the engine was designed to produce this HI (by Audio) but was detuned through the ECU that VW put in. Also of note is that the chip programming is different for the same engine that is not drive-by-wire.

I aslo had the chip put on a socket which allows me to swap the stock chip back in easily.

Does anyone know about aftermarket chips? I've found two companies that their website claims they make Trooper chips. The companies are Pro-Tech Transmissions and Finish Line Performance. Any experience?

paisan · May 2001

Yes '00-'01 Troopers and Axioms are both drive-by-wire. My Isuzu salesman, who's also a mechanic and a good friend said it may not be as easy as swapping the black box ECU under the hood. He said the headers could also result in the increased horsepower and or the cams. Also the increased HP may reduce the torque curve giving higher peak HP, but a sharper torque curve. Just some thoughts. If you did swap the ECU, I'd keep the original Trooper one for warranty and state emissions testing purposes (with ODBCII the state computer knows what car it's testing)

-mike

gpm5 · May 2001

central, thanks for the heads up.

central · May 2001

I have had a change of opinion about a hitch mounted guard. I asked a welding capable friend about such a design and his first question to me was "Where is the gas tank? I told him directly in front of the hitch and then the light bulb went on. In anything over a low speed collision the bar could be driven forward and the receiver could torpedo directly into the gas tank with potentially dire consequences. While this could theoretically happen in any trailer collision, I doubt the energy transfer would be as direct and concentrated as with such a guard. Therefore I am now planning on removing my hitch and going with a guard which mounts to the frame on the outside of the gas tank (i.e. where my hitch presently mounts). Granted this could be an over reaction on my part, but I think it is the way to go for me to sleep at night. I encourage you to consider this situation carefully and when in doubt err on the side of safety.

paisan · May 2001

Central, I'm not sure what kind of hitch you have on your truck, but mine has a solid steel plate at the back end of the hitch receiver. If the tounge were to get pushed into it, it could not go past the end of the hitch back. The other thing is that with a trailer hitch on the car, any energy that goes into the hitch either via a 5000lb trailer pushing against it, or a 2500lb car will actually transmitt the energy around the gas tank to the 2 frame rails via the hitch and bolts. If you don't have the hitch and bar, a car will smack right into the rear skid plate pushing it into the tank if anything. As I understand it, and I've spoken to a lot of hitch and welders, the weakest point in the system is going to be the bolts that hold the hitch to the frame. They will bend before anything else. the next item will be the welds in the T-bar, then the welds in the hitch itself. In fact on the Excursion the rear hitch and a bar below the front bumper are specifically there to transfer energy to the frame rails. If you take your hitch off, maybe someone on here would like to buy it from you though!

-mike

gpm5 · May 2001

That's right. On the hidden hitch there is a welded steel plate on the back of the receiver. I suppose if the pin broke, and if the bar came through the welded plate on the back of the receiver, and if it continued through the gas tank skid plate, continued on a straight course, and hit the actual steel gas tank, it could enter or put a 3 inch dent in the bottom edge of the tank. Is it possible, maybe, but an asteroid could also hit our planet. I have seen solid steel bumpers take collisions and side collisions and the bolts and the attachment points almost always bend. The same would be true here. With any twist the bar is likely to bend at the T weld point and under that scenario the free end might penetrate the radiator of the oncoming vehicle. An extra collar welded to the bar could prevent it from moving inward, providing a fourth layer of protection. I might ask Matt about that.

cd1000 · May 2001

I installed a Surco Safari rack on my 01 LS. Installed the 50x50 and it comes to the back of the moonroof. Had to adjust one of the crossbars because of factory holes but it was no big deal. All websites including Overlander say the only one for trooper is 50x60 but if you have a moonroof you do not want that one because all of that extra ten inches will be over the moonroof. Very sturdy and the rubber stripping pops up easily and went back down with a little customization. The Trooper brackets for the rack work well. I will post a pic soon. Chris

central · May 2001

I readily agree this is probably an over reaction on my part. But I have yet to ever use a trailer hitch (the used car came with one). Therefore for me it is a matter or why take even a very, very, slim chance? And as Paisan pointed out, I can maybe sell the hitch and use that money to pay for part of the price of a frame mounted rear guard.

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