One-of-800 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS featuring a shortened wheelbase and unique interior. Just 55,xxx miles and fully-serviced. New headgasket, fuel system, cooling system, brakes, tires, etc.
Receipts
| Date | Title | Overview | Receipts | Cost |
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| Hella 4000 rock guards | Hella rock shields for the second set of 4000 driving lamps added to the Trooper. |
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$77.59 | |
| JDM window guards | Been looking for a set of these for ages. Very rare JDM-style window vent guards. |
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$140.00 | |
| Trooper transport | Moving the Trooper from RI to MD |
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$600.00 | |
| Used cooling fan shroud | Replacement used fan shroud |
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$190.79 | |
| Cooling fan and clutch | Replacement cooling fan and fan clutch |
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$95.15 | |
| Towing services | This was the fee to move the Trooper from Jay's 4WD back over to my bodyshop. |
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$150.00 | |
| JDM turn signal lenses | JDM or Euro-market turn signals |
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$47.50 | |
| Headlight washer pump | The retrofitted headlight washer system had a bad pump; this is a used replacement from Germany. |
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$79.78 | |
| Spectra Red spray paint | For the next stage of bodywork to repair the rear quarter panel. |
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$22.95 | |
| New spare tire | This is just a 5th General Grabber ATX tire to replace the rotten spare on the back of the Trooper. |
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$183.82 |
Projects
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| Annual servicing and lighting upgrades | I sent the 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS - which stands for Really Short (not really, but it is 14 inches shorter than a standard Trooper, which makes it a one-of-800 RS) - up to Jay's 4WD in Rhode Island back in August for a variety of fixes. Jay is the guy… more |
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| No start and annual servicing | I shipped my 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS up to Rhode Island today, where it will spend a few months with my long-term mechanic who originally brought the truck back to life. Right now, we're dealing with a no start issue that is either the original starter (yes,… more |
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| Final rust mitigation on the Trooper RS | While I hadn't intended to put any more money into the Trooper RS before relocating - especially with the news that the headgasket had started leaking - logistics demanded that I do something with the truck before moving it over to my mechanic Jay's… more |
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| Installing period correct audio | I have been attempting to check off some long-standing to do's, and one of them was installing period-correct audio components in the 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS. I had snagged an old Blaupunkt and have long had a vintage K40 CB radio to install and finally found time to get… more |
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| This is what success feels like | There comes a time when a project is finally to the point that you can drive it - for an extended period - and you realize it was all worth it. More than other efforts, I struggled at times to understand if restoring this rare 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS - code for… more |
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| Rebuilding a control arm and motor mount | As we know by now, I've had some unfortunate surprises related to rust on the '89 Trooper RS. The first was the driver's side floor, which was effectively, gone. What I thought was floor turned out to be a very robust carpet pad and when lifted away, there was daylight… more |
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| Incredible OEM paint on the RS | One of my favorite things about old-school cars is single-stage paint. It's a shame the industry moved away from this (though I understand why) as there are few things more rewarding than scrubbing off some chalky, faded paint and seeing original luster come back to life… more |
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| The Trooper RS looks like a truck | The Trooper RS is over the biggest hurdle it has faced since becoming a running vehicle. The driver's side floor and rocker were basically non-existent, so this represented two problems: it was the most expensive aspect of its restoration and the most time consuming.… more |
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| We’ve got a floor | When we last checked in, the awfulness of the floors in the 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS was on full display. Nelson, my trusted body guy who is going to charge me way more than he expected, has turned my porous Trooper into one that is structurally sound yet again. … more |
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| The Trooper RS has no floors | When I bought the 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS out Western Massachusetts, I figured it had rust....somewhere. I didn't look too hard. Basically, I wanted this dumb short wheelbase Trooper badly enough that I just looked at the odometer and decided its unicorn-like low mileage… more |
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| The Trooper RS is moving out of the shop | Big news! The 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS is moving out of Jay's 4WD shop and heading over to *another* shop; this time, it's for bodywork. I am very excited by a few things, namely: this brush guard. This bull bar, brush guard, whatever the hell it is was… more |
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| Down to the punch list items | The '89 Isuzu Trooper RS can't have too much more thrown on it, aside from whatever shortcomings are revealed as it gets driven. Jay, the mechanic who's been bringing it back to life on nights and weekends, has pretty much done all he can do short of driving it around… more |
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| Buttoning up the Trooper RS - but what's next? | My mechanic Jay has been working on (what he very much wants to be) final punch-list items for the '89 Isuzu Trooper RS. I'm a little melancholy, as there was a comfort that came with knowing Jay has been fixing plenty of little items along the way, and now it will be… more |
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| General Grabbers for the RS | When I had the blue '86 Trooper, one of the best days was when the General Grabber 31" tires went on, mounted to the stock steel wheels. It just transformed the truck, even with the stock wheel fitment and offset. One of the long-standing goals I had with… more |
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| Breaking down the Trooper RS revival | The 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS - after two years of moving it here and there, leaving it with different shops and seeing no progress - is finally running. And incredibly, it didn't even need that much to get to the day I had this weekend, where I drove it around the lot of… more |
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| How I learned to love powdercoating | Years ago, powder coating was kind of a taboo subject. It was sort of like - what, you're not baller enough to get your wheels professionally repainted when they lose their luster? It seemed that way at the time, but after having my first powder coating experience has… more |
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| The Trooper is running under its own power | After years of moving the 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS from one shop or storage locker to another, it finally left its latest home away from home running under its own power. It's a big day. The RS has gotten a crash course in resuscitation, with Jay over at Jay's… more |
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| Axle refresh on '89 Trooper RS | As mentioned the other day, the Trooper RS is finally under the knife after two years of moving it around to various storage locations. My mechanic, Jay Gaston who runs Jay's 4WD, is in the thick of it at the moment, taking apart the front axles and brakes to refresh the… more |
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| Shooting for summer: Trooper RS revival | As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was having trouble getting the lone gun mechanic I hired for the Trooper RS revival to start on the project. I dangled the prospect of a bonus, but what seems to have gotten things moving is that I'm now paying rent for this thing.… more |
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Maintenance
| Date | Title | Overview | Image |
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| Starter replacement, transmission lines, fluid changes | A variety of seasonal services including starter replacement, fluid changes, transmission line replacement, vent hose on diff replacement, repair/replacement of stuck caliper, and miscellaneous fixes. |
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| Headlight washer system, fuel level sender, CV axle rebuild, R134 conversion | Last major phase of mechanical repair on the Trooper RS after Jay tackled the leaking headgasket. He installed and retrofitted a genuine headlight washer system, rebuilt the axles, dropped the tank and installed a new sender (and now the fuel gauge works), re-installed… more |
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| Headgasket replacement | This is the first major service that Jay tackled in 2023 to replace the leaking headgasket on the Trooper. The head was removed and fully serviced/reconditioned prior to the head being replaced. This was an external leak only, so no internal issues were noted. |
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| Head resurfacing and assembly | Following head gasket diagnosis, full disassembly of head, decking, re-assembly |
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| Replace throttle position sensor | The original TPS likely got wet during an engine detail. Jay came to the house and replaced it which allowed the Trooper to shift and idle as normal. |
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| Custom OEM-style exhaust | Replacing the severely damaged and rotten exhaust on the RS with a custom unit that utilizes the factory muffler. |
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| Belt adjustment and transmission assessment | Jay traveled to the shop where the Trooper was stored to adjust the belts and also to assess a poor shift quality issue, which we believe to be due to a bad throttle position sensor. Will be remedied at a later date. |
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| Rekey locks | We removed the locks to have them cleaned up and reassembled; also had a duplicate door lock key made. |
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| Floor and rocker repair | The 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS went into my local bodyshop for the following repairs: -Driver's side floor -Passenger side floor -R+L rocker replacement -Lower fender repair -Drivers side control arm housing and motor mount rebuild… more |
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