[Toccoa]

Got her in July of 2012.

------------------------
And then the adventure began...

Had issues trying to remove the spare tire

Hit 100,000 miles!

Replaced the Engine Oil Cap

Added various missing caps in the engine bay

 

[Toccoa]

Went to a junkyard and found a soft top

Replaced all rubber coolant hoses because of a SMALL leak

Replaced EGR Valve

 

[Toccoa]

First Mod!

Removed Mud Flaps (only had three anyway)

BEFORE

AFTER

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How it's done

Tools:
10mm socket wrench (use the short one)
Gloves (your hands will thank you later)

Pre-step for Front Wheels
Turn front wheel to full lock in the direction of the wheel you are working on

Step 1:
Locate and remove the following 4 bolts

Step 2:
Remove the mud flap

Step 3:
Replace screws back in their holes

Same steps for the other 3 wheels. Back wheels are easy. The fronts have one screw (inside one) that doesn't have a lot of room. That's why you turn the wheels and need the smaller wrench.

When you are all done. Your ISUZU will thank you.

 

[Trooper King]

Looking good Toccoa keep up the good work. 8)

 

[Doowrag]

Cheers for the mudflap write-up, always wondered how it was done.

I bet i made a big difference with new oil cap and no flaps, looking forward to seeing it evolve.

D

 

[Toccoa]

Last time I got an oil change, I found this under my hood. :evil:

After a nice discussion on how a dirty rag is no substitute for a window washer fluid cap...

I got a new one.
This one even has the attached ring so they won't lose the cap next time.

 

[Toccoa]

Scored a Rodeo Sport cargo mat on eBay. Turns out the seller is also a planet member. Small world.

 

[Toccoa]

Sometimes it's the little things.

The door switches on my Rodeo Sport look every bit of 11 years old. Time to replace them!

PARTS: You will need ISUZU Part # 8971682070 for each door switch you plan to replace. NOTE: This is not the part # for the tailgate switch.

STEPS:

STEP 1) Open door. Locate door switch. Unscrew door switch.
STEP 2) Gently pull switch out from the body. Be sure to pull it far enough out so that the wire plug doesn't try to to back into the hole.

STEP 3) Unplug switch from wire plug. The trick is to push in the catch on the bottom. I had to use pliers or my driver side, but I used my fingernail for the passenger side. You could probably use a flat-tip screwdriver too.
STEP 4) Compare your parts. I think this was a good decision. The old one just looks awful.

STEP 5) You are basically reversing steps here, but be sure to slip the top part in first a slight angle. This will allow it to lay up close to the body.
STEP 6) Replace the screw and admire your work.

NOTEWORTHY:
The driver side, which is what I showed in the pictures, will have two wires coming out of the plug. The passenger side will have one. Don't freak out and think you yanked out a wire. You didn't (unless you have no wires and in that case you did).

And that does it. Not a big update as far as things go, but it takes your Isuzu one tiny step closer to looking like new again.

 

[Toccoa]

Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!

Well, actually I did. The "Sport" part of the Rodeo Sport badges on my Zu were looking pretty sad. Thanks to gilaman for getting the part # (2-90042-008-0).

First, a little before and after.

Here's how I did it.

1 ) I taped off my Sport badge. I lined it up from the right side (the "T"), the top and the bottom from about the "O" to the "T". This is enough to allow perfect fitment of the new badge when you are done. Then you Goo Gone. Let is soak about three minutes. The badge should start feeling weak around the edges.
2 ) Take some dental floss and saw your way through the adhesive backing. You might need to reapply some more Goo Gone as you go.
3 ) Once you have enough of it separated, you can gently pull the rest off.
4 ) The old badge is now gone, but I still have a lot of work to do.

5 ) More Goo Gone and a plastic scraper were needed to get off the hardened adhesive. This took about 30 minutes to do.
6 ) Finally got it all cleaned up. You will need to get some soapy water to remove the Goo Gone residue. Be gentle. The painters tape can easily be moved at this stage.
7 ) You can see the difference between the new and old here.
8 ) Now carefully peel the backing from the new badge from the right ("T") to about the "R". This stuff is very sticky, so take your time. Once you get it laying down how it needs to, just keep pulling more of the backing away until you are done. Now that it is on. gently press the badge in all over to make sure it has a good bond. Pull off your painters tape, hit is with some spray wax and enjoy the chrome!

 

[Toccoa]

Chronicled in great detail in my "Vinyl Wrap Samurai" thread.

I took my Rodeo Sport from this:

... to this!

 

[Toccoa]

Decided it was time for my Zu to spread its wings... er wheels.
Gave my Zu a wider stance with 1" wheel spacers and it came out great!

The Spacers:

Here's the comparison pic:

Another view with the spacers on:

I debated going with 1.5" spacers, but with no lift, stock wheels, and skinny tires (245/70/16), my Zu is no trail rig. These pics don't do it justice, but my Zu really does have a more athletic stance now.

 

[Grumpfrompahrump]

Those little cooling hoses at the throttle body are largely forgotten, so they tend to spring leaks later in their life. I found this out the hard way. If you have never changed them, I would recommend it. They are cheap and still available from Honda.

 

[Toccoa]

Those little cooling hoses at the throttle body are largely forgotten, so they tend to spring leaks later in their life. I found this out the hard way. If you have never changed them, I would recommend it. They are cheap and still available from Honda.

Agreed. Replaced all of my coolant hoses a few years back after my Zu's "smoking" incident. :lol:

 

[Toccoa]

I've heard it said before from others, but with the 2" wider track, my Zu really does feel more planted. 8)

I'll try to take some more pics tomorrow.

 

[Toccoa]

As promised, more pics. :mrgreen:

 

[bradzuzu]

Looking great !! But,,, what's going on with the two silver sections ?? It's amazing what that spacing does huh ??

 

[Toccoa]

Looking great !! But,,, what's going on with the two silver sections ?? It's amazing what that spacing does huh ??

Thanks. It really is amazing what such a small change can make. It will look even better when I get more aggressive tires and a small lift.

About those colors. I'm playing around with changing the color again. :drunken: I've been sticking a few colors on and driving around to see how they look at different angles and different lighting. So far, everyone likes that one the best.

 

[bradzuzu]

Haha like a big kid !! It looks cool , I'll be watching

 

[Toccoa]

Scored a mint (but stinky :lol: ) soft top from tonnydoodles. :thumbright:

Gave it a nice bath and now I have a sweet smelling soft top WITH WINDOWS! Switching out the tops every few weeks because of rain was getting a little old. Now I can run a soft top until winter. 8)

 

[bradzuzu]

Very nice !! I do and don't miss my soft top, it's so much quieter with the hard top...

Now I see the silver stripe on the back corner yet no new pics or explanation...

Looks sweet man !!