Pzuzu The Isuzu Build (RIP)

[Stomis]

Stomis submitted a new Build:

Pzuzu The Isuzu Build (RIP)

So finally after all the chatter I made a move on a new truck. My daily driver (1999 Stratus) is not long for this world. Water pump went on me the other day, car over heated, gauge didnt lead on to how bad it actually over heated and the head gasket cracked. Got lots of nice oil boogers in the radiator and its just not worth fixing.

So onto craigslist I went. 24hrs later I brought home a 1994 isuzu trooper with a 3.2L v6, 5 speed, 4wd, Isuzu 12bolt rear w/ 185,000 miles for $900. Shes up there in miles but really clean, AC even works.

So the plans for it are to build an expo style rig. This truck needs to be comfortable and capable. Its shaping up to look like...

Dive in head first, screw phases
Lift coils in rear
285/75r16 Goodyear Duratracs
Fullsize spare
1in body lift

Narrow my dana 44 from the 87. Bronco shaft on the long tube. Narrow my DOM tie rod and draglink. Its already setup with a milled flat top and crossover and its fresh maintenance wise all rebuilt and has a lockright.

Front suspension will be ballistics brackets, DOM radius arms, and TJ or XJ coils. Will be poly bushings on the axle end and both ends of the uppers. The frame end of the lowers will either be trail-gear creeper joints or ballistics joints.

Transfer the winch, highlift, and $200 AGM battery over from the 87.
Home made front and rear bumpers, sliders (probably toyota sliders)
Roof rack for kayaks



Its basically gonna be how the rest of the world builds 4x4s, small and capable.

Pictures of the foundation:
View attachment 230989

Read more about this build here...

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Nice score.

Disk or drum in the rear?

 

[BoondocK5]

That is in pretty good condition. I like it.

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

That's a nice Suzy!

 

[Stomis]

Nice score.

Disk or drum in the rear?

Ya know I havent even checked. If its drum its getting converted

The only real issue with it other than mentioned exhaust leak is some rust. The frame is gonna need some work. Its not rotten no holes or tin foil thick section but if the thing was left alone for another say 4 or 5 years it would be shot.

Theres a few little spots on some trim and I need to pull the windshield and grind out the rust thats starting in the channel on top. I just saw that today never noticed it somehow lol.


I operated on the headlights. One was hanging off to the side with a broken spring so I made new adjustment screws and springs, changed the oil, and tried to fix the exhaust leak until I had an Ah ha moment where I realized I could just replace the old cracked flex pipe with a vatozone piece for the time being...

 

[Deuling]

Well this otta be sweet

 

[Stomis]

Well I did the exhaust today. I realized a few days ago it was completely shot in like 3 places. I dropped $300 on summit. Bends, clamps, magnaflow cat, magnaflow muffler, resonator, etc etc.

The stock exhaust was routed terribly. There was a POS flex pipe routed UNDER the front driveshaft... So I ran a pipe down the other side of the tcase, made a new "y pipe" and remounted everything.

Its dumped behind the rear axle w/o the resonator right now. Turns out when I ordered my muffler I didnt realize it was a "straight through" rather than a chambered muffler... Its not really what I wanted to Im gonna put an over the axle piece in later next week and hook the resonator up and see if its quiet enough...

2 feet of straight pipes and dumps off of longtubes in the 87 has been more than enough loud exhaust driving over the last 3.5 years...

I'll shoot some pictures sunday.

 

[swettysblazer]

I know what you mean with the exhaust man. I just put tailpipes on my truck for the first time in about a year and a half. Before that, I was running an open Flowmaster. Talk about driving you nuts on a long drive... Now I can actually hear myself think.


This build looks cool though, I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out

 

[jeff in co]

Wow, leather and a 5 speed!

We had one of those Isuzu's too but a newer, 2000 model if I remember correctly. A great rig and my wife still thinks it's a cool truck to this day and wants it back.

Anyways, don't know the extent you will modify (and ours was the 3.5L engine) but it DRANK oil like no tomorrow! As long as oil was in there, we were fine. And our mileage was only around 100k or so. Anyways, just a head's up......

 

[Stomis]

I know what you mean with the exhaust man. I just put tailpipes on my truck for the first time in about a year and a half. Before that, I was running an open Flowmaster. Talk about driving you nuts on a long drive... Now I can actually hear myself think.


This build looks cool though, I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out

Yeah the other issue is I didnt realize I bought a straight through muffler. Its like 2 feet long and not super loud considering but its still too loud. Im out of room under the truck because I lost alot of space with how far back the pipes y'd together around the tcase. Right now my plan is to run an over the axle pipe and try to squeeze the resonator in past the axle.

Wow, leather and a 5 speed!

We had one of those Isuzu's too but a newer, 2000 model if I remember correctly. A great rig and my wife still thinks it's a cool truck to this day and wants it back.

Anyways, don't know the extent you will modify (and ours was the 3.5L engine) but it DRANK oil like no tomorrow! As long as oil was in there, we were fine. And our mileage was only around 100k or so. Anyways, just a head's up......

Yeah its a known issue with them. The motor runs strong, has the typical lifter noise isuzu is known for. Ive only been driving it for a week so its about time to check the oil. Guy I bought it from said he would top it off with about half a quart between changes.

As of right now I plan on rebuilding the motor eventually. I can get fully remanned,warrantied heads on ebay for $300 a side. I'll do bearings, seals, hone the cylinders, new rings,and new timing set and have a totally fresh motor.

I started reading into what the oil burning issue with them actually is and it apparently has to do with the oil rings holding too much oil when they wipe the cylinder. Theres suppose to be new design rings with 8 drain holes instead of 4 like stock that solves the issue. I never even knew oil rings had drain holes in them, or maybe the article was full of crap

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Yeah the other issue is I didnt realize I bought a straight through muffler. Its like 2 feet long and not super loud considering but its still too loud. Im out of room under the truck because I lost alot of space with how far back the pipes y'd together around the tcase. Right now my plan is to run an over the axle pipe and try to squeeze the resonator in past the axle.

That's the way my Tracker's is. Right after the pipe comes back down from going over the axle it has a mount and a resonator. Little can thing. I'd imagine you can buy those small enough to work...or maybe even a short Cherry Bomb if you have the room. That's really all a resonator is.

 

[Stomis]

That's the way my Tracker's is. Right after the pipe comes back down from going over the axle it has a mount and a resonator. Little can thing. I'd imagine you can buy those small enough to work...or maybe even a short Cherry Bomb if you have the room. That's really all a resonator is.

Thats what Ive got. A 12in no name cherry bomb. Im gonna see if I can fit it in there tomorrow.

 

[sniperthx1]

Cherry bomb with a small engine? Does that even sound good?

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Revvy and loud. Sorta like all the fart can mufflered Hondas only without the megaphone coffee can sized tips.

 

[Stomis]

Cherry bomb with a small engine? Does that even sound good?

Im using it as a resonator not as a muffler. Its got a 2 foot magnaflow on it.

 

[sniperthx1]

Ah, I missed that part I guess.

I really hate the fart canned hondas.

 

[Stomis]

Heres some shots of the exhaust. Got the resonator on and the over the axle piece done. Its much quieter now but I really hope the muffler breaks in more. Its got a little bit of a buzz over 3000rpms which Im not happy about to be honest...

I also need to get some sealer for the butt clamps because they spit a little where the two ends seam even though theyre not suppose to need anything else.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

I remember the tone changing on my last two Magnaflows as they broke in. Little more mellow. Could always try and put a bit of sound deadener on the floorboards right above it.

Maybe a tip even.

 

[Stomis]

I remember the tone changing on my last two Magnaflows as they broke in. Little more mellow. Could always try and put a bit of sound deadener on the floorboards right above it.

Maybe a tip even.

Im gonna look and see if the buzzing sound is a heat shield or something, I suspect so. Ill drive it for a few weeks and if its still too loud Ill cut out the magnaflow and put a chambered muffler in.

Nice score.

Disk or drum in the rear?

Btw its disc in he rear

 

[AJMBLAZER]

The rattles/buzzes/etc can get annoying. That big lifted Tracker I had acquired a rattle a few years after I did the exhaust and I sorta lived with it for a while. Then finally it really bugged me so I looked...
...and it was the rear mount and I fixed it with parts in my toolbox in 5 minutes.



Good to hear.

Didn't Isuzu later use a D44 rear axle? Friend of mine robbed a 6 lug D44 with discs and a 4.xx ratio out of a Japanese SUV. I think it was an Isuzu.