1986 parts
 

Hey my cousin just picked up a 1986 trooper 2 and it needs some TLC was hoping someone may know of a place we can order after market and upgrade parts I am familiar with lmc for American units but not to up to date with the Isuzu unit

Hello. I am new to the forums. I should post some introductory thread "My Trooper Experience Through the Years". I've currently gone OCD over a Trooper I've owned for 17 years, purchased 7 years old and 95,000 miles.

I've found a good place to either order or simply research new and remanufactured parts at Rock Auto. Amazon and Ebay offer various opportunities. IsuzuParts.com (Washington) and IsuzuPartsCenter.com (Missouri) have parts I might not have hoped to find, with links to workshop manuals, numbered components, Isuzu part numbers, and the usual web-ordering links, shopping cart, etc.

Anyway, after spending a couple grand last year to rebuild the suspension of my '95 Trooper and replacing a rear window, I am set on the not-so-difficult goal of totally restoring it.

I had an '87 Trooper for almost exactly two years before getting my '95. I got the '87 Trooper for $1,000 from a friend, who didn't want to replace a CV-joint boot (or the entire CV-joint just as well). I went to his house with a NAPA "blue-plastic" boot kit, jacked up the Trooper, and slapped it on. He was crestfallen: "If I'd known you could do that . . . " But I'd already given him a check. I'd still be driving it if some ditzy college girl, talking to her veterinarian about her cat on a cell phone, hadn't totaled my first Trooper. Mom and dad should never have given her that Dodge RAM 1500, and she had no insurance.

So now I've discovered that there is some sort of cult or cult-following for these old beasts. They're orphaned, but the Isuzu commercial truck enterprise still provides many parts. On the V-6 models or second generation, the skinny on the street suggests the GM engines will go to 300,000 miles without overhaul, and somewhere I heard stories about 500,000. The Engine your cousin's '86 has is likely the four-cylinder, and it also had a good rep for longevity.

Here's another thought for you: there were three generations of Trooper as far as I know. Many parts are interchangeable over a range of years. So you might find 1987 parts that fit your '86 Trooper. This holds true for my own car, whereby some parts are interchangeable over the range 1992 to 1997. For instance, I just picked up a 1997 tail-light lens assembly (with new bulbs!) which is identical to the 1995 tail-light.

Interesting you should ask. With the internet, junkyard access is no longer exclusively local. Back when I was young and fulla beans, I'd take a weekend day to roam through a local junkyard harvesting parts for my Civics. I now discover that there are 16 salvage yards near my city, but I can't get out to make those excursions anymore. But this came to my attention after web-surfing over weeks for some bumper parts. I discovered a place up near Sacramento -- Rancho Cordova specifically -- advertising a 95 Trooper in mint condition and promoted as a source of parts. I called them to see if they still had that Trooper, but they weren't sure. Instead, they checked their inventory and replied that they have several Troopers of various model years.

Since I already put in my list of part numbers, I won't be jealous to keep this information to myself. The establishment has had various names -- the latest being "All Foreign Auto Parts". They're located on "Recycle Road" in Rancho Cordova. Here's a link with a phone number:

[Currently] All Foreign Auto Parts

I spoke to "Kevin" on the phone, who encouraged me to send up a parts list USPS and I'm waiting for a response now as I write this.

Otherwise, I'd check your local region or county, get some salvage yard phone numbers, and begin making inquiries. Between "performance truck parts" places up in Bakersfield and salvage yards in general, I've found that the establishments aren't that "web-savvy", don't use e-mail much, and more inclined to do business by phone or snail-mail. Calmini in Bakersfield caused me to panic when I ordered their grill-guard -- still in stock. You don't get an order acknowledgement from their web-site when you purchase, and they don't respond to e-mails -- only to telephone calls. But they shipped the grill-guard with a paper invoice -- such a relief to me given the $500 price-tag.

86 2-door troop
 

I wouldn't know about that. Also, I have bad news about All Foreign Auto Parts in Rancho Cordova, CA. They replied by phone to my letter today. They didn't say so -- they could still have some old pre-1992 Troopers in their salvage inventory. But beyond that possibility, they made it clear they only had Troopers as old as 2001. No help to either of us. It looks as though I'll have to remove my bumper -- as I'd have to do anyway -- and pound the distorted S-shaped back-bar into its original shape. I'll have to live with the driver-side slider bracket and slider that I already have. It's not really essential. Once I get my new grill-guard installed, the vinyl bumper is just a cosmetic feature, and that slider/slider bracket is not essential.

If you find a source for 86 parts, keep an eye out for 92-to-97 units in their inventory, if you can remember. I'd like to know if there are any other sources. I'm certainly going to keep looking from here.