New member new ride

[swellseeker]

Just got a "new" gen 3 and thought I would make my first post. Sold my 1991 land cruiser(sad day) but I am stoked on the Montero. I have been looking around the board for a while and some good info here. I was originally looking hard at the gen 2 but just could not find a decent one. I eventually found a gen 2.5 with only 60K but turned out the motor was bad and would need to be replaced so I kept looking. I saw this gen 3 and it snowballed into a purchase. I was not looking to spend more for the gen3 and originally was never a big fan of the design. But once I researched this forum and others and saw the potential with tires, lift and ARB bullbar, I was sold.


to do list-
get tires
remove running boards
get my surf racks on.
cut remaining cladding flush as others have done for a cleaner look. I wish I could remove all of it but the rear corner looks like it would not be flush. I love the look of the Ausi gen 3's look without the cladding and basic black bumpers.
2" lift.
ARB

thanks again for all the great info.

[Silverwulf]

Welcome! I have been toying with the idea of a gen3 too. Enjoy the ride!:victory:

[DougL3NC]

Welcome! I have been toying with the idea of a gen3 too. Enjoy the ride!:victory:

I will sell you mine!

[DougL3NC]

Sold my 1991 land cruiser(sad day) but I am stoked on the Montero.

Should have swapped you my 01 Limited for your Landcruiser....I've been looking at 80-series Landcruisers for weeks now. Gotta sell my Monty first though!

[silvElise]

welcome to ExPo and nice monty!

[off-roader]

Nice Gen III. Been seriously considering a Gen III in the same color as my Gen II SR for daily driver use. Would also round out my collection of Montero's LOL.


Should have swapped you my 01 Limited for your Landcruiser....I've been looking at 80-series Landcruisers for weeks now. Gotta sell my Monty first though!

Doug,

Why are you looking for a LC? Realize that in stock trim, you're looking at 15mpg when empty whereas with my 96SR running 35's and geared up fully (body armor, aftermarket bumpers, & loaded w/ camping gear) I normally get 15mpg.:Wow1:

Unless you're after uber hard core trails necessitating solid front axles, the LC's gains are minimal IMHO if not there at all.

HTH.

[DougL3NC]

Doug,

Why are you looking for a LC? Realize that in stock trim, you're looking at 15mpg when empty whereas with my 96SR running 35's and geared up fully (body armor, aftermarket bumpers, & loaded w/ camping gear) I normally get 15mpg.:Wow1:

Unless you're after uber hard core trails necessitating solid front axles, the LC's gains are minimal IMHO if not there at all.

HTH.

The bulk of the 80-series LC's are OBDI...which in NC means A LOT! It means good tires and no blown bulbs get you an inspection sticker. If the cat goes bad, gut it and go on. If the MIL light is on, the inspector doesn't care.

OTOH, I like the Gen2 Monty's but the 95 up SR's have the DOHC motor...and I'm just not jivin' with that engine. The Gen2.5 is the SOHC like I have now, but again comes back to OBDII. I know people love the 3.8 in the NP chassis 3rd Gen's, but you really need to look at the price difference in a lot of the engine parts.

As for fuel mileage, I've been dealing with 12.5 to 13MPG since I started driving my Gen3 even when it had stock size tires. 15MPG would be nothing but a small move up.

I'm really in a pickle because my heart belongs to the 3 diamonds, but that upside down sombrero is really tugging at me!

[Inyo_man]

Great looking rig!
Start saving your pennies now, because as you know the mods. never stop.
(Nice to see another Gen III getting outfitted in the states.)
Have Fun

[off-roader]

As for fuel mileage, I've been dealing with 12.5 to 13MPG since I started driving my Gen3 even when it had stock size tires. 15MPG would be nothing but a small move up.
Then expect 8-10 with the LC. It's all in the driving you do and how you drive it.

I see what you're saying about the OBDI vs OBDII though.

You could always get a gen II LS and then upgrade the rear differential to the SR diff and housing w/ locker:Wow1:

[swellseeker]

Should have swapped you my 01 Limited for your Landcruiser....I've been looking at 80-series Landcruisers for weeks now. Gotta sell my Monty first though!

That would have been too easy! haha. Except we are on opposite coasts.
My 91 LC needed work though. It had a bad bearing and would leak oil out the rear main seal like crazy. If I was single, I would have put the cash into it and fixed it up but with the family, the Monty is soooo much more comfy and practical for road trips and adventures. The 91 is slow and drinks gas. I used to take it ghost town hunting in NV with my dad and his H2 and he would complain because I was always stopping to get gas.

I got tires on it the other day. Wanted to go with 265-75-16 but with tire prices I went with the stock size Hancook Dynapro. I still want to get the 2" lift but not sure how it will look with the stock tire size. The gen 3's just seem to look complete with the lift.

Has anyone taken off the cladding? I have been inspecting it closely and it looks like it can be done all the way along both sides and end up flush with the f and r bumper.

Thanks again.

[Inyo_man]

I chopped the plastic "mud flaps" in both the front and rear.
However, the "flap" behind the rear wheel seems to have a structural support that I was nervous about cutting off. It looks like if you chop it off it would affect the support of the cladding left behind that raps in from the rear bumper.

I used tape to create the line that I wanted and then made the rough cuts with a 'saws-all'. To clean it up, I brought in my brother's 'baby-belt sander'. Using this I was able to sculpt the remaining plastic, easing corners, etc.

[datrupr]

Has anyone taken off the cladding? I have been inspecting it closely and it looks like it can be done all the way along both sides and end up flush with the f and r bumper.

Thanks again.

I am not sure how it is attached. I would love to take the cladding off of mine. A few weeks ago the cladding on the left rear door got pulled up so it would hang when the door was opened and closed. It drove me crazy. I fianlly took off the piece that was pulle dup and hanging. I still want to get rid of all the cladding as the ARB doesn't line up witnh the cladding, there is a slight overhang. I'm just afraid to experiment as I am not good at body and paint work.

[swellseeker]

Took off the plastic cladding today. More work than I thought and found out that designers did not expect it to be removed. They did not make it easy. The body panels are full of holes to hold the plastic on and the front of the rear wheel wells even had a metal braket with rivets through the door. Its all off now and some bondo and paint work are needed but I already love the look of no plastic. (besides the bumpers). Here are some pics. You can look at the beginning of this thread to see the before.

[fatrat]

Nice Monty & it looks cool w/o all the plastic!

[datrupr]

I need to find somebody to help me with the patching of the holes and then a cheap place to paint where the cladding was, I so want to take the pastic off. Kudos to you for having the guts to do it. I think I am going to start working on this.

[swellseeker]

It looks so much cleaner to me w/o the plastic. The bumper and body now have the same line too. I may be getting a friend to help with covering the holes. I have been told that bondo will start to pop out due to vibration and that the holes must be filled with metal. Still not sure about what color paint will go back. I will post pics as soon as I do any more. The glue left behind is a PITA to get off too. A sson as I get all of the glue off I will take more pics as it will give a better idea of the final look even with the holes.

[magoh76]

Any updates? How did it go getting the holes filled in? Sorry to revive an old thread...