Hi all! Like the title says im new here. Ive read the forums looking for info and i really like how people with experience share ideas and opinions with people like me. i am 26 years old and i own a montero 1988 swb with some mods but to be honest i havent wheeled it much. this is the first car i ever owned. i want to get more into this hobby but i dont have a great income or too much time. i also dont wheel much because i dont know people in my area that do it. no family members that do it, i just researched the car when i first got it and came across sites like this one so i started to make mods to it. ive done everything on a really low budget, ive built front and rear bumpers, sliders, tube doors, snorkel, custom grille, sr rear axle whith locker, and i have a starion lsd laying around that i want to install in the front. enough of that, is there any mitsu owners in san diego california? i have pics of my mods if anyone is interested in seeing them.

here is a link to my OLD cardomain
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2517317/1988-mitsubishi-montero#25173170020

Welcome to the Wire, Tonygon.

Come to think of it, I don't remember anybody in the Mitsu section (that posts regularly) in the S.D. area. Justice used to live near Oceanside/Camp Pendleton but has since moved east.

John B.

Welcome!

I cannot be considered one of the regular posters, but I have learned a ton from the wealth of knowledge from all the posts of the regulars.

Almost any question you may have, not only on the Montero/Raiders, but general automotive knowledge has either already been answered (search is your friend), or will be answered promptly. If you stump anyone they will all offer very quick suggestions that help diagnose your problem.

Hope you enjoy reading through the posts as much as I have.

Ryan

Welcome! Tell us about the SR rear. I don't think anyone has put one under a leaf-sprung rig yet. Been some talk, but hasn't happened, IIRC.

Lots of grinding of the old mounting bits I'd assume. How'd you handle those "pin holes" for aligning where the spring bolt fits into on the axle housing?

Welcome aboard, sir. I'm a newbie here as well. In fact, I've owned my Raider all of 24 hours at this point! Not my first vehicle, but literally my first truck.

Love what you've done with yours. One of things that appeals to me most about the older cars is how much modification comes from optimizing latter OEM bits sourced from junkyards.

I haven't even put gas in mine yet. All mods performed by the previous owner. I'm really impressed with your resourcefulness. Thanks for joining up.

Press on regardless, mate.

Welcome to the wire! Justice would probably know who's from the SD area that also on the Wire.

Many of us are from CA though and we often plan trips to SoCal and you're certainly welcome to the next trip. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Yeah, lost of work cutting all the coil "stuff" and grinding the remains. as far as welding the spring perches in place it was just a matter of measuring right and the leaf pack bolts went right in with no problems. i just made sure everything was aligned well before final welding. everything else was easy. e brake cables are just a little longer than gen ones but the ends are identical! as far as brake lines i just added a coupler between the gen1 and sr brake hoses. i also bought the sr driveshaft and took it apart and welded the sr rear joint to the gen1 shaft. it seems to work perfectly. im happy with it. ill take some pics tomorrow and post just to give a visual on the work, didnt take pics while working. aside from the grinding the swap took me only about 5 hours.

thanks guys for the welcomings.

I also want to remove some weight from the truck. im planning on fabbing up a tube 3rd door, what do you guys think? i would attatch the spare, gas can, and hi lift on it. the stock doors weigh a ton. i noticed it when i took the side doors off to install my tube door that i made long time ago, theyre still on there ill also post some pics.

Hey MontyMcV, how does having an lsd up front work for you? what kind is it?

Uhh... You're doing this right. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Unfortunately, I have only had it on a trail once or twice in way too many years. Such is life... The front is a swap using a Starion/Conquest rear LSD. There is a ton of info on here about it. Others who have done share a common complaint about driving on snow covered roads, where they would be in 4x4 as a result. They report it being a little squirrely, especially when turning.

The short version of the swap details are:

1. Need V6 front axle housing.
2. StarQuest LSD from 87 will use your 4-cyl CVs.
3. StarQuest LSD from 88-89 will need the V6 CVs.
4. An earlier LSD can be fitted into a 4-cyl housing with custom spacers.

Be sure to search if you are interested in doing this as there are more tips for best results.