Isuzu SUV Forum banner

My 1988 Trooper- Azul Tortuga

47K views 155 replies 39 participants last post by  GoneTroopin 
#1 ·
I hope to maintain this thread appropriately to chronicle the mods, changes, upgrades, down grades :oops: or whatever happens with this truck.
I acquired this Trooper a month ago or so with a blown head gasket. As luck would have it we had a good 2.3l sitting in an 86 Trooper that is gonna get a diesel engine swap sometime in the near future. So I took the 2.3l and transplanted it in. The motor is great now but the transmission was shot. It had HEAVY gear oil in it and most of the bearings were toast. So I got a used trans swapped in.

I put a coat of wax on it. Still looks a bit rough but after another wash and another coat of wax it'll be looking as good as a 25 year old paint job can look.







The rack you see is a Conn-Ferr rack I picked up last weekend off of Craigslist from a guy with a 1990 Trooper. I spent a day or so with a DA sander and some elbow grease, a could cans of rattle can satin and there it is... I intend to put an expanded metal floor in it soon.



Thought I would throw in the odometer shot. Just getting broke in good.



More to come...
 
See less See more
5
  • Like
Reactions: micpatton
#3 ·
Sweet, the color is cool, , how's the mpg with the 2.3?
 
#6 ·
A couple upgrades I made in the last few days.

First is a molle rack for the back door. I currently only have a couple pouches installed and my first aid kit. More to be installed soon. Easy way to keep stuff accessible.




Then I swapped the shifter knob out for a cooler one. Makes an extra 10 HP. :mrgreen:

 
#7 ·
One more set for the night...

I made this key chain. Made from vegetable tanned leather. Hand stamped and hand stitched with heavy wax thread. The concho is an actual Texas quarter that I made.
The key ring is a small aircraft wire ring.



 
#9 ·
Good eye Capt'n I didnt even know it was a Sony deck. It doesnt work. Hasnt since I got the truck. I need to look into another deck soon.
 
#12 ·
Finally I got the roof rack done. And mounted.







When I got it, it was in poor shape. No rot but lots of love rubs and surface rust. It was decked out with plywood and it was rotted.
I sanded and wire-brushed the bad parts and then 3M scuffed the good parts. Primed and painted with a satin black.
I put expanded metal on the floor of the rack and it too was wire-brushed, primed and then painted to match.

Putting it on was an adventure. It took a couple ratchet straps and a tree for a overhead pulley rigging, but its up there.

I'm digging it. Any thoughts?
 
#16 ·
I would if I could but I don't have a reference mpg to go by before the roof rack. I only have 95 miles on the truck since I took possession and the roof rack has seen everything since 85 or so.
 
#18 ·
Today I mounted the Hi-lift brackets and the dirty ol Hi-Lift. I might pull it off and clean it up a bit. Right now I am using a hitch lock to secure it from thieving hands, but I am going to look for another solution I think.



Capt'n- Bumpers? who needs stinking bumpers?

I think I will go with a two piece rear bumper. Mainly because of this:



That bad boy is welded all the way around the mount.

This is kind of what I envision:



I'm not sure how it will evolve. Maybe add some clevis/d-ring mounts where it bolts up.
Who knows? Open to suggestions. Anyone?
 
  • Like
Reactions: recon
#19 ·
Not a bad idea, I'd go out a little further for protection.. Could run a flatbar rib across the top even and still clear the hitch then it's one piece ..
 
#20 ·
Good idea Brad. I think a top rib would be good. You think it should run to the edge of the body on the outside?
I also thought that I would add Hi-lift pads/indents toward the ends.
I want to buy/make some sliders as well with Hi-lift points as well. I has seen a post once with a hi-lift and the poster mentioned a tubing attachment. I have yet to see one of those attachments. Anyone know what I'm talking about.
 
#22 ·
This is where I got the notion of a tubing adapter:

Gizmo42 said:
Look for an SUV floor jack with 21" lift height. They can be difficult to find but they are out there. And not the ones with extension that screws into it like the Torin, those arent all that stable.

Having grown up in the 70's when all American cars had bumper jacks I well remember the dangers so when it came time to get a farm jack for emergencies I went with Hi-Lift for the better materials. I rarely ever use in front or back though because the whole end can shift and fall over on even a slight amount of slope once both wheels are off the ground. I chock the wheels and use it on my sliders with a tubing adapter.

from thread: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=71547&p=630920

I asked the op on that thread what it was he was referring to.
 
#23 ·
Ok I've been wanting to do some leather work in the Trooper for a bit.
So here is a short build of my first leather project on Tortuga.

Turtle leather is illegal and really wouldn't be fitting, I mean I like turtles and the truck is as slow as a three legged turtle, but no turtle leather...
So I took out some vegetable tanned snake embossed leather.


I pulled the passenger side visor down and brought it in the shop. Dirty, nasty and brittle.


I took a utility blade and went to town.


Inside I found, rotting dried out foam. I promptly tossed it and then began the layout.


I drew a centerline to keep it all straight and cut out the retainer hole. Applied some glue and let it tack up.


Then I traced out the outline of the metal frame and then rough cut, applied glue and then pressed it together.


I made sure I had good contact all the way around and then went to making my stitching holes.


It was completely hand stitched using heavy waxed thread.


Then I began cleaning up the edges and making them a bit more uniform.


I broke out the airbrush and choice a two tone brown theme.


Once it was dry and sealed. I installed it on the truck.




Overall I am happy with the result. I am going to go and finish the driver's side now. It is a bit more complicated. It will have loops for pens, a flashlight and a slot with a matching insurance carrier. (i'll post completed pics of it too.

Thanks for looking
 
  • Like
Reactions: NCEvets
#24 ·
Hey man, that is absolutely awesome!!! Definitly two thumbs up. I think a leather headliner would be cool, maybe not? Or maybe a leather console cover
 
#26 ·
Drivers side completed. The insurance card holder has a set of snaps on the back that secures it to the visor. The strap is really just for the back to hold additional paper.



The back



My fingers are shot from all that stitching. I gotta go have a good IPA to properly recover. :lol:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top