Utah East Mojave Lake Tahoe

Berdoo Canyon - Joshua Tree National Park Covington Flats - JTNP Hole in the Wall - Death_Valley NP Berdoo_Canyon_JTNP

4x4 LS model, 

2.8L (2828cc) GM 60 degree OHV V6, (LL2) 

TFI fuel system

5 speed manual transmission

4.56 ratio differentials (good for tire sizes through 35")

3" shackle for rear leaf springs, lifts rear 1.5"

3_inch_shackle_lift-stock.jpg (42845 bytes)

15" Aluminum Rims

Isuzu Trooper Modifications

BFG Mud Terrain - 33 x 12.50 tires Rancho 9000 shocks  K&N air filter w/ Edelbrock H/W kit 
Holley 2 barrel 400 cfm model 3210 (part 502-3) TFI Superwinch manual locking hubs Yakima rack system
Bump Stops Fender Trim  e-mail and links 

 

BFG Mud Terrain - 33 x 12.50 tires ~ $600 installed.  These tires are great on the Trooper II.  The tires work well in all road conditions, from pavement to deep snow.  Originally the fit on these was a little too tight, but they fit fine with a few hours of body and suspension work.  First, we did a 1.5" torsion bar lift in the front (just a little tighter - too much and the Trooper front end tends to bounce and over steer and the CV joint makes strange noises).  I replaced the stock bump stop on the upper A-arm with a smaller stop, and found that adjusting the Rancho9000 shocks to 5/tight also helps to balance the tighter springs.  I lost a little steering radius; 1/4 turn each way over my 31 x 1050s and about 1/3 turn each way over the stock street tires.  The stock steering bolts are too short to contact the steering arm so they need to be replaced.  Next, I did a small fender trim by bending back a little sheet metal around the rear wheel well fender for added clearance, especially nice while using snow chains.  Last, I installed 4" rear axle bump stops to keep the rear tires from rubbing the wheel wells when the rear axle articulates fully.  This mod, the way I have it set up, causes the truck to oversteer just a little bit in 2WD, and 4WD understeer is also more noticeable.  The price we pay to lift several inches!  I'll also need to add a Pacer fender trim kit in the near future.

bfg_mud_terrain_km_33x1250

 

If you don't feel like taking a big hammer to your body and messing around with your suspension, I have been running BFG Mud Terrain 31 x 1050 tires for the last several years with no problems-  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.  This is a very good mod and I had no wheel well clearance problems even without any lifting.

 

Rancho 9000 shocks $140 - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.  No more bottoming out over dips and bumps.  Pre-running wash board at 50 mph is smooth as silk.  We still brace hard for unexpected dips, only to have them be non-events.  Crawling results in far fewer bottom hits.  I leave them turned to setting 5/firm all the time as they don't seem overly harsh and help cornering and braking.  Note:  the big BFGs rub the boots a little at full lock.

rancho-ps.jpg (23770 bytes)

 

K&N Air filter mounted on an Edelbrock air cleaner hardware kit- $50.  Probably good for 5-10 HP over the overly restrictive stock air filter.

edelbrock-ps.jpg (30202 bytes) 

 

Holley 2 barrel 400 cfm model 3210 (part 502-3) TFI - $340.  This is a VERY good mod good for 25-30 HP.  After adding the filter and carb, our trooper easily goes 90+ mph loaded, with a huge cargo box on top (vs. about 80 before without the box)!  Hills I used to take in 3rd gear at 45 I now climb at 70 in 4th!  Fuel consumption is not too much worse if I can manage to not stand on the gas pedal.  

carb_view_front - click for detailed pictureThis was an easy mod, but  I had to jury rig several things to get the Holley to fit and run correctly.  Specifically:

1) I milled the throttle cable bracket so it fit onto the new carb without too much cable tension.  Too much tension will tend to hold the idle too high.  I also needed to add a spacer to the throttle cable to get the tension right.

2) I soldered and taped the wire connections so they won't break or leak.  I used the wire connections I found at Sean Michaels' excellent web page.

carb_view_rear - click for detailed picture3) The gas pedal stop required adjustment to get full travel with the new carb.

4) I needed to bend the TPS so it registers .65 volts.

5) I needed to scavenge a straight stud from my bolt bucket to mount the K&N/Edelbrock air cleaner.  If you do this, make certain to run a bolt down the stud to hold the injector retaining plate in place (see photo detail).

I can't stress enough how well this mod works.  The computer took a couple of hundred miles and / or a few days to figure out what's going on, and my idle speed still varies between 700 and 1100 RPM, but I'd do it again in a minute!

 

Superwinch locking hubs - $110.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.  If you have auto lockers, this $110 one hour mod will make all the difference in the world.

superwinch-ps.jpg (21323 bytes)

 

Yakima racks, Basket Case, and Space Case - Very handy.  Put the gas and wood in the basket case, and put the snowboards, skis, and bulky stuff in the Space Case where it's out of the way.

racks-ps.jpg (33889 bytes)

 

I'd love to hear from you if you have questions or comments.  Contact me at:  lock-n-roll@trailgoon.com

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