Build Thread: 2003 Montero XLS: Ol'Betsy #6

[PajEvo]

I shall bookmark that one. Thanks Pat!

Tires/wheels are now swapped over: gave me just over 1/2 inch of lift over the stockers. LOL. Not noticeably louder, even at highway speeds. I shall get a better pic, but I will say I don't know why mitsu dropped these wheels in 2003 for the ones that shipped on my XLS. These older ones look so much nicer, IMHO. Truth be told, I like the look of the 2001-2002 Monteros better overall, than the 2003+, but I wanted that 6G75 motor, so...

My tire guy mounted the toyos for me for free, s I didn't have the heart to tell him I didn't want the white letters out... I'll just run em like this for a bit...


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93 Mitsubishi Pajero turbo diesel with no lift, no lockers, but steering wheel moved to the curb side for better mall-crawling...

03 Mitsubishi Montero XLS: fully independent, monocoque and proud of it. Well it seems proud...

 

[MitsuRoby]

Great start Phil, seeing build threads like this gets me excited to take my adventures to the next level! Will the 265 toyos fit before the lift? That is going to be my first change but will do an OME lift after that.

 

[MitsuRoby]

I shall bookmark that one. Thanks Pat!

I don't know why mitsu dropped these wheels in 2003 for the ones that shipped on my XLS. These older ones look so much nicer...

and disregard the last post! This refreshed after I asked if they would fit. As far as the rims those are the rims given to the 20th anniversary Monteros. It was an extra option for the XLS. The other 03's have the flatter 5 spoke!

 

[PajEvo]

Just grabbed a pic of my gen3's new boots, to show all four. Still need to clean the white letters properly. :chef:

 

[PajEvo]

Headlight resto

Oh, also restored the headlights, using a kit... increasingly finer sandpaper discs, followed by a buff/polish. You know the drill (pun intended)... Much clearer now, and the headlights are much brighter. Important on any adventure, right? Here is the truck after doing just one side:



Painter's tape BTW, so no, I didn't paint it blue, although I'd like to... LOL

 

[JordanM/S]

Sweet paint job, thinking of Bigger boots? Your boots look a little small for you feet


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[Inyo_man]

Oh, also restored the headlights, using a kit... increasingly finer sandpaper discs, followed by a buff/polish. You know the drill (pun intended)... Much clearer now, and the headlights are much brighter. Important on any adventure, right? Here is the truck after doing just one side:

View attachment 229228


Painter's tape BTW, so no, I didn't paint it blue, although I'd like to... LOL

Looks great!
That project has been on my "list" for quite some time now...
What kit did you purchase, out of curiosity?

 

[PajEvo]

It's a Simoniz kit. Around $20 here, so I'm sure you'll find it cheaper south of the 49th.

Bigger boots? These are bigger than stock (fractionally) and will do for this truck's purposes. Spare is OE size and does look a little small on the back there, I must say... This rig def needs some lift. I took my ball mount off the gen2 for a test tow with the new truck and had to flip the ball over the opposite way - needed height instead of drop! It's just not right!

 

[Jay Ayala]

Painter's tape BTW, so no, I didn't paint it blue, although I'd like to... LOL

You should paint it blue. T87 is the paint code.


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[PajEvo]

Jay, you're killing me. You know very well that I had a t87 Raider back in the day. It my absolute fave color! Also had t86, t88, and other assorted Mitsu blues. This is the first of my trucks not to sport any blue at all. Unless you've noticed my valve caps...?

 

[JordanM/S]

What suspension are you thinking? I just put the full OME kit on my sport, medium duty. It has the height now, I'm sure it's just because the sport is the same frame of the L200, but it rides just as rough as the stock stocks and suspension.

Next rig I'll buy is definitely going to be a gen 3 Monty... Gotta love the comfort of wide body, big comfy leather seats, and unibody IFS.


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[PajEvo]

Jordan, in all my rigs, I've never ever changed the stock suspension, unless you count my brief foray with some procomp shocks on Betsy#1, that turned out badly... LOL. One of the things I've always loved about these rigs is their ability to go down a fireroad at significant speed with no dramas, and then turn onto the pavement and roll nicely down the highway. Say what you will about their marketing department, but their engineers know how to build a good suspension. My latest rig seems to be no exception. I don't really want to change the character of it. So... I'm thinking an inch and a half of lift gained through spacers under the coils in back, and on the struts up front. This retains the stock suspension, but gives me a bit more room under the belly. I'll be using airbags in the coils for towing and load bearing anyways, so I don't feel I need to pay the punishment of a heavy duty suspension every other day on the road.

Maybe this is flawed thinking from the outset? My experience with the gen3 is very very limited compared to the previous iterations of the Montero/Pajero, so if you guys have opinions or experiences, I'd love to hear them.

 

[JordanM/S]

Good route. The punishment is real, I pay the price on the pavement with every pothole, speed bump and crack in the road. :/ and it will only be worse when I move to toyo MT's.

Will you be planning on putting up pictures an a write up the Airbags project? I'm thinking of installing a set for my coils and would love to see yours.



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[PajEvo]

There should be some info on them from my gen2 build thread (also in my sig) and I'm hoping they'll migrate to the new rig... I've yet to measure the diameters of the coils to see if they'll fit. But I need to get on that. If they do, I'll see about a more detailed write up. I've been using them in my gen2 for about four years now, and they are superb for towing and leveling.

 

[FullMonte]

ironman offers a under armor kit for the gen 3 http://www.ironman4x4.com/html/ubprotection.html

(Sigh) I called them hoping they would give me more info, and they were very honest, I must say... they said it's not what I thought..they compared it to sheet metal under my Montero...bummer..just when I thought I struck gold..

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