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installing trooper springs into 2nd gen rodeo writeup

88K views 75 replies 38 participants last post by  99isuzorodeo 
#1 ·
EDIT: same thread just changed the title to one that makes more sense :D

Just got them in on friday! :twisted: but heres a little write up for those who were clueless as i was ..well until i actually took a look under the zoo.

Tools & equip:
at least 2 jack stands
1 jack
various size wrenches and sockets
breaker bar (optional but helps)
98+ trooper coils
rodeo manual for reference (i used the .pdf version)

first jack up the rodeo. does not have to be too high my tires were about an inch off the ground.


after taking off the tires support the diff with a jack. and unclamp the brake hose and unscrew the brake connector from the rear axle.

left side:




middle:


right side:



also there is a wrapped wire that is ziptied to the upper link so just pinch the bottom and the wire will let loose. (the pic is it already detached though)


next remove upper link bolt on LEFT side ONLY. it may look like the spring is in the way but try to jack up or down the diff to give the best clearance. you may want to use wd40 on the nut because i needed a breaker bar just to loosen it up. after you take the nut off use a screw driver and hammer to push the bolt out and it will just slide over the spring with ease.




next remove the bolts for the stabilizer link. its 2 bolts on each side.
(its already unbolted but you can see where it is located.)


then remove shock absorbers. you can easily take them off by unbolting the tops and lowering the diff so you can slide the bottom off the stud then it will come right out.

then lower the diff slowly until the springs are loose like this.. (be careful and watch the brake lines and all wires so they don't extend too far)



here is the springs side by side (trooper left - rodeo right) my springs came off of a 2002 trooper.



then switch the springs and start reversing the steps.

NOTE: with the trooper coils the upper link bolt hole was not blocked anymore by the spring. this was the hardest part for me though because the holes did not line up perfectly and the bolt wouldnt go through the other side because of it unaligning when you put one side on (hope that dosent sound confusing). you may want to have a thrid hand around because i had to wedge and pull while a thrid hand tapped the bolt through.




and keep reversing the steps and BAM! a nice two inch lift. my rears went from 33 1/4" to 35 1/4 " (top of fender wells) off the ground.

before:



after:



the lift looks higher in person. i just need to crank the t-bars in the front to match and hopefully sometime soon buy the zoo new rims and tires and im good! 8) the job really wasn't that hard and took me 3 hours to complete (and i was taking my time) hopefully this encourages some of you to DIY instead of bringing it to the shop and save some kee$$$hh, thats always good right?!
 
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#7 ·
A couple of things I did on the rodeos I've lifted (but neccesary with the OME 912 springs), had to lift it much higher so the axle can drop more, and had to remove the bolt for the parking brake cable where it attaches to the frame. Also, I removed the end links for the sway bars instead of the bushings since they werent being replaced at that time.

And I used a port-a-power to push the axle back into place for the upper link, makes life so much easier :mrgreen:



Would Trooper springs be about the same? I plan on doing my 2000 soon.
Trooper will be pretty similar. You wont have to deal with the upper link though since troopers are 3 link and the gas tank is behind the axle.
 
#8 ·
X2 with experience take the link bolts loose so you don't take a chance of breaking swaybar bolts on rearend(rust)

Also if you put the stock bottle jack under the driverside shock it will rotate the housing to allow the bolt to go in easier.

Good job :wink:

Oh and when you crank the front if it pulls then the t-bars were not turned the same amount,just something I've noticed after all the lifts i've done.
 
#9 ·
I just got done doing this. 58 bucks for some used Trooper coils at Spaldings. Would have been cheaper at Pull and Save but they haven't had any 98+ Troopers in a while.

One thing not mentioned is when you re-tighten the trailing arms, the truck needs have the weight on the axle. I jacked it up under the pumpkin until it just started to lift off the jack stands. If you tighten them with the axle is drooping, you'll trash the bushings.

Cheapo way to get 2 inches of lift. Love it.
 
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#10 ·
After driving a bit now and I love it even more! Rides so much better than the stock Rodeo springs. Mine was squatting on take-off and bottoming out easily. 1000% better now. Anyone with 2nd gen Rodeo's on a budget it is highly recommended you do this swap.
 
#11 ·
I managed to get two sets of Trooper springs and I am ready to do this mod on both the Rodeo and the Sport. However I was wondering, can you use a spring compressor like those used to install McPherson struts to install these springs? Seems if you could it would be easier than dropping the axle.
 
#12 ·
A spring compressor is going to be more of a hassle. It's not hard to drop the axle.

I'd be curious to see the results on the Sport. Seems like that's an even lighter rig and the lift is going to be a bit higher.
 
#13 ·
Just thought it might be easier to compress the springs than to loosen the bolts. I did spray them last night with PB blaster and of course it's a Texas truck, so no rust issues.
The junkyard had the springs to an amigo sitting next to the trooper. I took them and compared them side-by-side. the trooper's looked about an inch or so taller and the material seemed a bit thicker.
Also on my list is a LSD axle and a bit larger tires. I'll post the results as soon as we get it done.
 
#14 ·
CatFuzz said:
After driving a bit now and I love it even more! Rides so much better than the stock Rodeo springs. Mine was squatting on take-off and bottoming out easily. 1000% better now. Anyone with 2nd gen Rodeo's on a budget it is highly recommended you do this swap.
i totally agree. even though i havent cranked the front up, the ride is wayyyyy better. my car doesn't rock as much any more between shifts and no more bottoming out on bumps and speed bumps. the ride just feels so much smoother.

if anybody in northern california wants to pick up a pair of trooper springs you should go to All Hyundai Isuzu Kia & Nissan Auto Recycling in Sacramento or visit (www.allhyundaiisuzukianissanparts.com). or even if you need some parts for your zoo they got a bunch of them ready to part out. they charged me $50 for the trooper springs.

also GL with the install vilos66.
 
#18 ·
great write up, and the lift looks good

first time i swapped coils, i used compression tools on the springs....that process SUCKED. but it was straight forward.

about to get some indy4x springs for the full 3" lift w/out using spacers. this write up helps, but i'm concerned about getting that bolt back in the upper link with my limited tool set. can i use two jacks to adjust position to line up the holes, or is that even possible?
 
#19 ·
all2common said:
great write up, and the lift looks good

first time i swapped coils, i used compression tools on the springs....that process SUCKED. but it was straight forward.

about to get some indy4x springs for the full 3" lift w/out using spacers. this write up helps, but i'm concerned about getting that bolt back in the upper link with my limited tool set. can i use two jacks to adjust position to line up the holes, or is that even possible?
yea if you have two jacks you can jack under the driver side shock and put the other jack under the diff and jack up the driver side higher so it kinda rotates the holes to align better like bansil said. but what i did was wedged a screwdriver between the upper link and the underbody of the rodeo while the link was in the mount to keep it down and used a breaker bar or you could use any long bar to put between the gas tank and upper link to pull the link closer by pulling the to of the bar and using your foot to push the bottom and have someone else tap the bolt through. if that makes any sense haha.. no need for special tools.

GL on the swap!
 
#20 ·
nice write up!

Lol. When I did mine, I forgot my shop manual at home that day, so we ended up just dropping the whole rear axle and sliding the OME coils right in. :oops:
The top upper link bolt was also kinda a PITA, but we got it done in an hour and a half, and changed the shocks while we were at it. :D
 
#21 ·
I changed different coils and coil spacers on 3 different late-generation Isuzu vehicles, totally probably more than 10 times. Now as I used to this procedure, it takes only 30 minutes for me. I am using a different sequence of actions:

1) Disconnect the rear sway bar, if you have one. I am not using the rear sway bar on my vehicles. I am always removing it. With better shocks and coils, you do not need it, really.

2) Disconnect the brake lines, if you do not have the brake line extension.

3) Disconnect the upper shocks mounts.

4) Take the Hi-Lift and raise the passenger rear side of the vehicle ( I use the rock sliders as the jack point).

5) Replace the right coil.

6) Lower the passenger rear side of the vehicle.

7) Reconnect the passenger rear shock.

8] Disconnect the rear bolt of the upper driver side trailing link. If you are doing this first time on your vehicle, and you are not a guy of strong build, you may need an impact wrench.

9) Take the Hi-Jack and raise the rear driver side of the vehicle.

10) Replace the coil.

11) Lower the vehicle.

12) Reconnect the trailing arm. If the holes do not fit, jack the axle under the link with the stock bottle jack until the holes more-or-less fit. Force the bolt into the hole with the rubber hammer. Tighten the bolt and nut with your hands. Do not use the impact wrench here.

13) Reconnect the driver side rear shock.

14) Reconnect the brake lines if you disconnected them.

15) Reconnect the sway bar if you have one.

The actions 3 through 13 take about 30 minutes; I have all the convenient tools for that. I do not need to do the actions 1,2,14,15, they would add another 15 minutes, I guess.
 
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#24 ·
Ok Probably a stupid question.

Is their any store that sells "new" trooper springs that anyone is aware of?
Looking for something like Autozone not online if possible. Tried all Autozone , Oriley , and Napa couldn't think of any others.

I tried playing in the Mud last night and actually sheared my stock spring in 1/4. Will try to get pics.
Checked my local salvage yards and struck out at 5 different ones.

Unfortunately this is also my daily driver so this wasn't very bright of me...

I put 31x10.5 on my truck and they fit without rubbing , but I have a feeling it will be another case with my 22' boat on the back. And I would like to hang out with my Mudding buddies on occasion. Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
#25 ·
Fairchild said:
Ok Probably a stupid question.
Is their any store that sells "new" trooper springs that anyone is aware of?
you can buy OME 912 springs from Indy4x. They will give you almost stock height for Trooper (may be 1" more) and better than stock ride.
 
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