1989 Isuzu Trooper
- Thread starter RooflessVW
- Start date
That looks like real glass!
My dad bought a Trooper brand new in 1986, if I recall correctly from Tom Benson Isuzu in New Orleans. It was the 2.2 turbo diesel, he said it got close to 50 mpg and he said top speed was around 63-65 mph. He ended up wrecking it into the bayou around 1990. I was born in ‘91, never got to experience it.
Got the buckets painted and ready to go
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Tippy ? Yes, saw one do that in Dallas …
Few things left to tighten up. Need to shorten a few wires and make a bracket for the three relays. Also have some bezels without the KC rock guards coming. I installed a fuse panel for the lights as well. Used a positive terminal I had left over from a previous audio install to replace the crusty factory terminal. I need to get new battery cables but keep forgetting to measure them.
A friend of mine is 3D modeling a custom emblem for me.
A friend of mine is 3D modeling a custom emblem for me.
I remember it recommended 10w30 synthetic if I recall correctly. Which i thought was kind of different back then but makes sense now.
Yep ran Royal Purple in mine
Finally fixed the AC today and am getting 45°F from the vents. Can't ask for much better than that.
I kinda lost track of this thread, but I got caught up on it tonight. It’s great that you’ve fixed her up and that you’re keeping her on the road. Those round headlights and grill assembly look great on that rig, so much better than the originals IMO. 
Had it in the air yesterday for the 190k service. 5 wheel rotation (with a bonus nail in one - sweet!) oil and filter, trans and transfer case, and greased all the points under the car. Blasted everything down with a couple cans of LPS 3.
Had to go buy a new tube of JT6. I ran out with one ball joint left!
So far I've covered almost 12,000 miles since I bought it and it's been a champ. No real updates or changes.
Had to go buy a new tube of JT6. I ran out with one ball joint left!
So far I've covered almost 12,000 miles since I bought it and it's been a champ. No real updates or changes.
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Kicking it old school with some Klasse sealant glaze.
Spent some time on the Trooper this week.
Shampooed the seats and carpets and finally detailed the interior.
Polished up the turd with Klasse AIO and Sealant Glaze then topped with Collinite 845. Tires are dressed with Aero Cosmetics Rubber Care.
I'm experiencing some pinging so I tore the front down to verify cam-crank timing. The cam is as close as it can get but is about 2° advanced. Once I secure a spare cam gear (and maybe a hot cam) I'll work on degreeing it
Filled the transmission with some Honda MTF to see if it shifts better than Castrol 10W-30.
Did an oil change with Napa 15W-40 and Liqui Moly MOS to try to slow my rear main leak.
Shampooed the seats and carpets and finally detailed the interior.
Polished up the turd with Klasse AIO and Sealant Glaze then topped with Collinite 845. Tires are dressed with Aero Cosmetics Rubber Care.
I'm experiencing some pinging so I tore the front down to verify cam-crank timing. The cam is as close as it can get but is about 2° advanced. Once I secure a spare cam gear (and maybe a hot cam) I'll work on degreeing it
Filled the transmission with some Honda MTF to see if it shifts better than Castrol 10W-30.
Did an oil change with Napa 15W-40 and Liqui Moly MOS to try to slow my rear main leak.
192.5k miles.
By myself tonight and bored so I decided to spend it in the garage with the Trooper and some WT Rye.
I bought a bunch of parts for the head job that I didn't end up using because I had already changed them when I bought it. So it got:
- Fresh oil change with Rotella 15W-40 and a Fram PH9688. Installed a new PC valve.
- Valve adjustment. Went from 0.008/0.010 int/ex to 0.008/0.008 int/ex now that the valves have had time to seat. Verified torque on the head bolts.
- Fixed a bunch of vacuum line weirdness. I got to looking at it and I had some stuff connected... wrong.
- Plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor, and coil.
- Headlight bulbs. One of the Koito bulbs had a wavy low beam filament that showed as a dark spot. Replaced with Sylvania Xtravision.
By myself tonight and bored so I decided to spend it in the garage with the Trooper and some WT Rye.
I bought a bunch of parts for the head job that I didn't end up using because I had already changed them when I bought it. So it got:
- Fresh oil change with Rotella 15W-40 and a Fram PH9688. Installed a new PC valve.
- Valve adjustment. Went from 0.008/0.010 int/ex to 0.008/0.008 int/ex now that the valves have had time to seat. Verified torque on the head bolts.
- Fixed a bunch of vacuum line weirdness. I got to looking at it and I had some stuff connected... wrong.
- Plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor, and coil.
- Headlight bulbs. One of the Koito bulbs had a wavy low beam filament that showed as a dark spot. Replaced with Sylvania Xtravision.
