132 replies to this topic

[Squatch]

This is a feeler. I'm back to work on my '88 Isuzu Spacecab that I'm building to haul the 4WC Eagle shell I recently purchased.

 

 

 

I like different stuff than most. And have the skills to build my own vehicles. I've owned Isuzu's off and on since '88. It took me 2 1/2 years to fnd a clean example of one of these trucks. I've owned it since Oct 2011. I drove it home and once home the fun started. They original plan was to build it for a cheap commuter and eventually maybe put a 4WC on it and build it similar to my Trooper shown above.

 

Unexpected problems have come up and the build has been back burnered more than once. It still needs to have an Engine installed and get it legal and then decide what mods I need and want to do to carry the camper to the places I want to go. A year+ ago I pulled it back into the garage to get the engine going and it has mostly sat since then..I'm now retired and starting back on it in earnest. Where we'll end up is a good question at this point.

 

My question is to see if there is an interest in me doing a build thread here. I realize this is not a gearhead forum and most folks buy their cars not build them from junkers. So I don't want to put the effort into this and bore folks unless there is real interest in seeing what takes shape.

 

I do have an ongoing build thread since I got the truck over on PlanetIsuzu.

http://forum.planeti...hp?f=15&t=56442

It's long, technical and very blog like at times. That's just my style I guess. All the background to this point is there. If I go with this here I'll just cover the highlights of the past and keep going from there.

 

 

 

BTW Isuzu called their extended cab the Spacecab. It has a moonroof. Somehow Mama Squatch managed to turn that into the Moon truck. Beats me!

 

I do name alot of my stuff. Or should I say it names itself. The above Trooper is Red Beans. It's kidney bean colored and has the original dealer tag from Fred Beans Isuzu in PA. The F got deleted and she became Red Beans. Originally she was project towboat. Another unlikely project built to tow my Bassboat. She is still a little cosmetically challenged but that coming. Underneath she has a full frame off resto using the best parts the factory and the aftermarket had to offer for these trucks. The drivetrains on these 2 trucks is identical. I have been hoarding rare parts for some time so I have some cool stuff for this one as well. If I procede here I'll give a little more backgroung on RB's as that will help to explain what I would like from the Spacer. this truck is black so for now she is Black Beans. Maybe I'll call the white camper Rice!

 

Some teasers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So would you folks be interested in seeing how this gets built to off road my camper or should I keep it on the gearhead site?

Edited by Squatch, 26 May 2015 - 02:27 AM.

[ski3pin]

Isuzu, interesting. We had an 86 trooper for years that we bought new. I put two transmissions into it and then pulled and reinstalled the motor after a rebuild, so this is bringing back memories.....might be interesting to watch as long as I don't have to do the work.

[Alley-Kat]

Yes, your build thread with the highlights would be good. Thanks for offering.

[Foy]

I had an '89 Trooper which I bought new. It was a fuel injected 4-cyl and was the second-best truck/SUV I ever owned.  I sold it to a friend in Wilmington, NC and he's still driving it today.

[chnlisle]

Gene Rubin and I thought about doing this many years ago. Looking forward to the progress. Now if only Pods.......

[takesiteasy]

I'm always interested to see what others do to their trucks (and campers). I look forward to watching your project.

[Squatch]

Glad to see a couple of folks have some background in these things. Big difference between an '86 and an '88. '87 was a changover year. on the Troopers by '88 they had much stouter axles, wider track, much improved tramsmissions, larger fuel injected 4 cyl engines. Drivetrain wise this is pretty much identical to a Trooper. This is the platform the Rodeo's and Amigo's were based off of.

 

This is not a PUP. This is the 1`st year of the truck that replaced the PUP. '88-'95. Then they sold rebadged GM s10's. (GM owned a controlling share of Isuzu at that time.

 

So anyway. I bought this truck and drove it 3 hours from central VA.( al ot less snow and salt down that way. Mileage is unkown. When the previous owner bought it he was advised the speedo had been replaced with one with many more miles on it. THey bought it in '94 and put around 40k + miles on it around the far, and small town till I bought it in '11. It was idle challenged but that is common and normally due to the miles of vacuum, hoses found on '80's vehicles.

 

My plan was to replace belts, hoses, brakes, shocks, fluids and tune it up and drive it. Well you know how plans go. I did a compression test and it had 2 dead cylinders. The previous owner had never adjusted the valves and burn't the exhaust valves in 2 cylinders.

 

I pulled the engine and replaced the head with a new one. While it was out I cleaned and painted the frame and engine compartment.

 

The engine was reasealed, painted and all rubber parts replaced. That's the red one above. Diring this time the truck also got some ball joints and front end bushings replaced. New Skyjacker nito shocks. All the brakes were replaced with Powerstop drilled rotors and matching pads in the stock size.New clutch, new motor and transmission mounts and lot's more.

 

 

I offroad my trucks and they see a fair amount of water crossings. So the transmission, transfer case, and axle vents were extended to the top of the firewall to keep water out of the components.

See the hose?

 

This truck has pop out rear windows and a Moonroof. all the little rubber buttons where the brackets go through the glass were replaced along with the factory weatherstripping.

 

 

The grungy interior was shampooed and scrubbed.

[ski3pin]

Your truck also had the auto locking hubs that you replaced with aftermarket manual locking? I remember that I did. I remember 86 was one of the last carburetor engines and I so remember the yards and yards of vacuum hoses. I still have the vacuum tester from those days. This trip down memory lane is fun. Thanks, and best of luck with the project.

[Squatch]

I replaced the factory stereo with one from a 2000 Trooper with cassette head and cd player. They sound great, it was cheap, and I don't have to worry about folks stealing my fancy stereo at trailheads and boat ramps.

 

 

I added some high end Polk speakers in the factory locations.

 

 

 

Removed the mice nests.

 

 

I added a class 3 receiver hitch. And a commercial style 7 pin round pin connector in the bumper.

 

So anyway I installed the fixed engine in the truck. It ran fine but I couldn't get the wisps of white smoke to clear from the exhaust.

 

So I pulled the head again and found a very small hairline crack in the wall of the #4 cylinder on the exhaust side into the water jacket. Daggonit! The engine is toast. This is very rare. The bottom end of these 4 cylinders regularly go 300,000 miles without being touched. They do have a tendancy to eat a head gasket every 100k or so. Early iron block aluminum head engines.Much different expansion rates.

So I pulled the engine and parked the truck for a while.

 

I have a friend who is a factory trained Honda mechanic with his own shop. His wife had an '88 Trooper with 72k miles on it. Back around 2007 it had cracked the head. The early castings had a thin spot. (This pickup still had a #1 casting in it when I got it. That's the one with the burn't valve.) So he completely rebuilt the engine. Including putting all the aluminum parts through his bead blast cabinet. He put the engine back in and they drove it just a little till the rear rebuilt calipers locked up and it got parked. It sat for some time parked next to the main road at his shop getting snow and salt splashed on it. By the time he got back to it the rear of the truck had rusted bad. I bought it for the motor.

I keep showing these pics of Red Beans pulling heavy stuff for a reason. We intend to put a slide inCamper in a small 4 cyl truck right! Built right these trucks can do way more than most might think.

 

So anyway last summer I pulled the drivetrain and lot's of useable parts of that Trooper.

 

So that brings us to the present. I now have a 4WC that needs a truck. And a truck that needs an engine and a little supension work to carry it. I have been accumulating parts along the way. So this week I finally got enough other stuff off my plate to get to the motor. I have cleaned it as it seems my friend used some less than perfect gaskets on it when he rebuilt it. So I have stripped the intake,exhaust ect off and cleaned it.

 

Dirty.

 

Clean.

 

 

 

 

I told you this motor was just rebuilt a few years ago and parked. That's still assembly lube on the rocker shafts. This motor hasn't even been broken in yet.

 

 

Cylinder still show the fresh honing.

 

 

 

 

The torque on the main bearings and connecting rods was rechecked. All spot on.

 

And a fresh coat of Detroit Diesel alpine green paint.

 

Edited by Squatch, 28 May 2015 - 01:04 AM.

[Squatch]

SKI that was a lesson learned many years ago. All my Zu's have gotten manual hubs. The Auto hubs use a small C clip that likes to come off. Then the hub body slides out. the CV axle slides in and the hub grinds the splines off the end of an expensive CV axle.

Edited by Squatch, 28 May 2015 - 01:08 AM.