Point taken. I definitely won't be buying a Jeep. If I were to go non-Trooper, it'd probaby be a Dodge Ramcharger. I'd get rid of the V8 and drop in a built 225.

It is unlikely that my off-road needs will take me beyond the capabilities of the Isuzu IFS anytime soon. It's just that so much talk here is dedicated to SAS projects that I thought I'd ask the obvious...

I am hoping to get a nearly free project rig and it's going to need a lot of work just to get it moving. I'd like to drop a 223T into it if I can find one with trans (wish for 6-speed) and t-case intact. The engine compartment is empty right now, so I'll be dropping something in there in any case. The Trooper was a 4-cyl in its previous life, so I'll probably keep it a 4-cyl just out of convenience.

I'm not on a big budget. I've got a practically new 5x8 cargo trailer I hope to sell for about $1700 and am hoping that it's enough to get the truck running. Once it runs I've got a 1991 Geo Metro I'll sell for maybe $13-1400 that I can spend on tires & mods.

If the Trooper in question doesn't have LSD, a rear locker or LSD axle swap would be item #1 on my list of mods. If it does have LSD, it's probably a winch followed by rock sliders--maybe with a 2" body lift. I'd be happy with 31s and certainly not interested in anything larger than 33s at this point. A front locker sure would be nice...

Some of the custom bumpers I see pics of here and there are awesome, but that'd be a low priority project for me.

Thanks for the input, folks.