first-gen montero mods

Tony Montero: Is it time to get more aggressive with this one?

Jeff Glucker
5

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I’ve had my 1991 Mitsubishi Montero for some time now. I’m happy with the way it looks and I don’t see myself ever selling this one. That said, I am itching to do a bit more with it. And that means I may have to add to it. Initially, I told myself I wouldn’t put a roof rack on top, but now I may need to do just that. And I don’t want to stop there.

My plan right now is to find the slimmest rack I put on the roof. It seems I’ll need to go with either the Slimline from FrontRunner or a custom rack from Gamiviti. Once that’s in place, I will add an arch or an awning and some extra auxiliary lighting as well. Up front, I’ll have an LED bar and I think I’d like to do a chase-light-style on the rear. Another upgrade to the outside involves adding a winch plate in the area of the current skid plate, and then a winch.

On the inside, my goal is to build out a rear sleep platform and storage space. It will be hinged so I can fold part of it up and continue to use the second row of seats. Then fold those seats down and the hinged portion when I am out camping. Under the platform, I’d like one side to be a sliding storage drawer and the other to be a sliding space for a fridge. It will need to be a fridge that’s not too tall so I can have good open space above the platform and not have it feel too claustrophobic. With the fridge, I’d also jump to a dual-battery setup and also store some solar panels in the storage space (along with recovery gear and other camping bits).

The biggest upgrade I’d like to do? Well, that one involves chatting with a California Smog Ref… because I believe a Cummins R28 would fit rather nicely in the nose of this thing. But that one is an upgrade for far further down the road.

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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5 responses to “Tony Montero: Is it time to get more aggressive with this one?”

  1. nanoop Avatar
    nanoop

    So you want a roof rack in order to put headlights on it? If that’s all, aside from the mandatory shovel and orange Maxtrax, why bother? Get a single bar and be done.
    Making the interior livable on the other hand, gets my full approval (as if you’d need it): stowaway spaces, illumination, and maybe some kind of cooking kit would be great!

    Reply
    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      I more want it for the awning. The light mounting is a bonus proposition of having the rack.

      Reply
  2. outback_ute Avatar
    outback_ute

    Be realistic about what you need and consider the weight, you can always add stuff. Possibly a pair of roof bars would work for an awning. Not sure about a sleeping platform on top of a fridge – won’t be much height left! Maybe remove the half back seat (starting with another one!) to mount the fridge.

    Reply
    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      The interior of the rear section actually has really good height to the ceiling. My goal is to find a fridge that’s not too tall, and base the platform off that. And if it doesn’t work, I’d abandon that goal, and focus on slimmer coolers or something.

      Reply
      1. outback_ute Avatar
        outback_ute

        Family friends had one of these when the V6 first came out! I was thinking of normal/full size fridges, but a quick google shows that low profile drawer-style fridges are a thing, so it might work. For a sleeping platform I’d be aiming for pretty close to sitting-height headroom.

        Reply
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