What are your Views on the Isuzu Mu?

[Drurban]

Hi All,

I want to do something similar to what sibainmud did with the Terrano.

So I would like your comments the good the bad about the Isuzu Mu.

This is for all too comment not just people with Isuzu's.

Look forward to your replys

Chur

[Dirtydog]

put a nissan engine in it, and youl be sorted.
unless it has a 2.8 they dont seem to bad.

i quite like them, would be happy to do one up as a comp truck, cool little (mid size 2 seater) trucks

heck id be happy to swap the ol bighorn for one.

[lax2wlg]

Durable IFS system designed to wear, not break
Good approach/breakover/departure

Rather heavy for what they are
Leaf rear + IFS front = limited travel.
Good platform for simple leaf SAS
Some had Dana 44 rear ends

General Motors involvement w/ Isuzu - potential for sub par build/materials quality. Marketed as the Amigo overseas and made by GM entirely.

[Filthy4x4]

You could do the same as what I did with my one...

Sell it and buy a safari

It has potential, they go bloody well for what they are and yours is halfway to being a comp truck, that SAS'd one for sale a while back was awesome...

[madlux]

The 3.1 can produce good power with a few mods. Ifs is shit like all ifs trucks are if fitted with big wheels etc... Rather the 3.1 over the Nissan 2.7 any day...

[datsunsafari]

cart sprung rear end, ifs front do i need to say anymore?

[Dirtydog]

The 3.1 can produce good power with a few mods. Ifs is shit like all ifs trucks are if fitted with big wheels etc... Rather the 3.1 over the Nissan 2.7 any day...

in all fairness its the turbo that lets the 3.1 down, blow too easy.

a good tubro on one would be a good start, and i guess it depends what year you have lol so far 93 doesnt sound too good.

[Sadam_Husain]

Go for it durban, the key is in the planning and knowing what you want to acheive before you start the treadmill parting with all your hard earnt $cash$ and $savings$, if you want a monster v8 truck with massive flex and all barred up it may not be the base to start on but if you want something road legal that still handles reasonable on the road its probably as good a base to start from as anything. How you build it and what modifications you do is over to you, personaly I think the focus should always be on building a strong and reliable truck, theres nothing worce than always haveing the weak truck that always breaks shit, overheats and has dramas every time you go out (no thats not a dig at your mentor ), post up what sort of stuff your thinking of doing to your truck

[LOLYF]

, post up what sort of stuff your thinking of doing to your truck

Check his avatar...I think he's already done most of the mods

[Drurban]

Great feed back so far keep em coming

[mud_slinger]

the mu is strong the front end is strong, gearbox is strong, as stated good departure and approach angles its a good all round truck really, if the front has a locker flex aint everything, can get the rear flexing pretty well tho.

[octanepwr]

What else are you planning to do to it? It looks fairly kitted out.
I have a 91 (2. on 33s, body lift, suspension lift, air locker rear, auto locker front, intercooler, 17psi boost, turned up fuel pump, removed muffler from exhaust.
Broken one CV at the front so far.
Snapped two rear body mount bolts (8.8 high tensile ones with captive nuts), had to get holes cut in the boot with gas axe to sort that out.
One thing I found was no easy way to mount a tow hook at the front. I dont have a bullbar (too expensive and no easy way to mount one from what I can see). I ended up putting a gusset over the body mount area and putting a hook on the side of that which seems to hold up. Have a chunky steel bullbar at the back with a tow hitch.
Have owned 2.8s and 3.1s and personally prefer the 2.8.
Yeah let us know what you are planning to do to it and what is already done.

[Drurban]

What else are you planning to do to it? It looks fairly kitted out.
I have a 91 (2. on 33s, body lift, suspension lift, air locker rear, auto locker front, intercooler, 17psi boost, turned up fuel pump, removed muffler from exhaust.
Broken one CV at the front so far.
Snapped two rear body mount bolts (8.8 high tensile ones with captive nuts), had to get holes cut in the boot with gas axe to sort that out.
One thing I found was no easy way to mount a tow hook at the front. I dont have a bullbar (too expensive and no easy way to mount one from what I can see). I ended up putting a gusset over the body mount area and putting a hook on the side of that which seems to hold up. Have a chunky steel bullbar at the back with a tow hitch.
Have owned 2.8s and 3.1s and personally prefer the 2.8.
Yeah let us know what you are planning to do to it and what is already done.

Well the next mod Iam going to do to it is the top mount intercooler, I have pretty much got all the bits but have not been motivated to do it.
As you said before it has had a fair bit done to it, Iam getting to the point were there is not alot more I can do without getting into major changes to drive train etc.

[mumbls]

Isuzu Mu's - For me, a love that one wouldn't admit to in public, value for money, quirky, economical, with great potential and they motor well in factory form. For the price of the last service on my 80 I would own 1-2 mint sub 200k manual turbo diesel models...

Such a strange car - with a strange name 'Mysterious Utility' - they really set themselves up, It appears to be the spawn of an MX5 and an Isuzu Atlas truck it was always going to be a interesting design.

I love the simplicity of early models, the solid 2.8 mechanically injected turbo diesel being a frugal diesel, easy to work on, I still have it as a fav search on trademe waiting for a good condition low km one to pop up

The 3.1 turbo diesel, like any later model, high compression, small engine size, turbo diesel, did have problems with over heating yet like the above mentioned these can all be over come, check with any other jap car maker of the era, they all have there engine problems.

Alas, back to the mu, it was easily fitted with a bolt on intercooler from the bighorn for a little extra power, it is easily tuned being mechanical, it is a simple engine, it has leafs in the back which are easy to add a bracket to gain a few inchs and torsions wind up well up the front. With minimal outlay a set of 33- 35 fat mudzillas are easy to fit.

Which turns them into a great beach wagon, the weapon of choice for many of the south coast poachers [wellington]

I see the isuzu mu vehicle as a great, truck influenced vehicle and will buy one when I return one day, to be used as daily wagon as the sale price for one is cheaper than driving the 80 for a week, and to me, a million steps better than dailying a corolla

[lax2wlg]

Heres one with a front locker breaking a CV, breakage at 3.55

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlRI4n4pTDU