And the two shall become one...:)Quote:
Originally Posted by JoFotoz
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And the two shall become one...:)Quote:
Originally Posted by JoFotoz
I've been a lurker for a while but I now have my own Proton. I think we have an awesome group here. Thanks for all your knowledge and support.
Names Karl... live in the Detroit area, but moving back to Fl in a few weeksup my 99 ironman edition about a month ago. After some routine maintenance. It's one of my favorites. And I'm a Jeep nut, and hard to convert. But it's won me over for sure. Can't wait to probe for info and hopefully find some vx'ers local!
Welcome. If I have any personal disdain for jeep owners, it's usually because I keep running into elitism amongst their ranks. Welcome to the dark side. We have cookies.
Thanks.. and I've never talked smack about other 4x4s. ALWAYS a chance I needed to be helped out. Just loved the wrangler since I was little. And have owned 7 different jeep models. (My favorite was the 1990 Wagoneer with the fake wood paneling ). But, I'm not a mud guy (bogging is huge in Fl) o want trails (very few local) and inclines (not many of those in Fl).Quote:
Originally Posted by ipd
I think what a lot of people looked at was the original MSRP on the VX and a Wrangler, and immediately decided that the VX was an overpriced POS. And to the untrained eye, that makes sense. To those who actually checked what features that TJ's had--compared to what the VX had--could easily justify the price difference. Plus the VX has more power (215/230 on the 6VE1 vs. 190/235 on the last-gen 4.0 Powertech I6). But enough about what you probably already know. The real kicker is that the VX basically inspired the entire SUV modern-exterior-design market. Nakamura immediately designed the Murano with the same spirit of lines that was pioneered by the VX. And currently, everything from Mazda to Audi has taken the "sports car SUV" idea that the VX started.
Except that the VX is body on frame. And was the first with TOD. And has coilovers to back it up. So basically, even if mine rusts out, I'm going to weld more and more steel onto it and keep it. I want to be buried in it.
Come to Moab and do some trails with us http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...or-details-etc if not this year next year, or come to Colorado we have lots a trails to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by livinlrgeThanks.. and I've never talked smack about other 4x4s. ALWAYS a chance I needed to be helped out. Just loved the wrangler since I was little. And have owned 7 different jeep models. (My favorite was the 1990 Wagoneer with the fake wood paneling ). But, I'm not a mud guy (bogging is huge in Fl) o want trails (very few local) and inclines (not many of those in Fl).Quote:
Originally Posted by ipd
Hi All
Just a quick hello from across the water... London.
Delighted to have just bought a Metallic Red Vehicross, 50,000 miles... funnily enough it's the car owned by a former member here...
Loved the car from afar many years but expected it to drive like a boat! I was wrong... In fact it seems like a really great, sporty drive and am loving it.
Previous owner put a sports exhaust on so that V6 sounds sweet too.
Looking forward to browsing through the many excellent forums here... information not super-easy to find here and I suspect interior trim parts especially will be tough where they're specific to UK right hand drive.
In case anyone has a quick answer (and of course in due course I'll post question on the correct threads), does anyone know of a good parts source in Japan? I have a right hand drive dash piece to replace!
And... I already saw loads of discussion (threads running several years) on restoring the plastic bumper parts to a solid colour! Has a conclusion been reached?
Anyway, thanks to you all for creating this amazing VX meeting place.
Best from London
Niall.
Hello All,
I am a proud owner of a 2001 VX in Kaiser Silver with 135k down in Houston. I used to own a 1989 Isuzu Amigo as a work truck and then someone made me "a deal I can't refuse" on it. That was a fun truck (lifted, 2wd and oversized tires) and thanks to it I had to have another Isuzu for a replacement and came across this VX. I've always loved the body style and have heard/seen the videos of their off road prowess. I used to own a Camaro and I get more stares and "gas station admirers" in this vehicle than I did in the Camaro.
I look forward to using this website and talking to the community. I do have a lot of the "common problems" associated with the VX: windows coming off regulators, ABS light and some minor cosmetic blemishes so I will be doing a lot of thread searches for these fixes. Thank you for having me!
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...um/Igor_VX.jpg
Looks like you lucked out. The markers & turns have already been swapped for clears. Headlights don't look too hazy, but that could also be because someone treated them recently. If so, they won't have any UV protection, so it will happen again unless you have a method to protect them. Can't speak to the quality of the step bar...most on here have forgone them in favor of rock sliders.
Welcome to the addiction!
Thank you! Swapping those markers and turn signal lenses was mod #1. I don't know the story on the headlights, but I have installed the UV protection film just in case. The side steps came with the VX and are pretty useless as is; they don't stick out enough to be useful. I'm debating either removing them or adding shims to make them stick out and have some function.
Yeah. If I come to Colorado .. I'm not leaving. I love it out west. (Lived a few years in AZ) BUT, Moab is a def next yearQuote:
Originally Posted by CatFishCome to Moab and do some trails with us http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...or-details-etc if not this year next year, or come to Colorado we have lots a trails to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by livinlrgeThanks.. and I've never talked smack about other 4x4s. ALWAYS a chance I needed to be helped out. Just loved the wrangler since I was little. And have owned 7 different jeep models. (My favorite was the 1990 Wagoneer with the fake wood paneling ). But, I'm not a mud guy (bogging is huge in Fl) o want trails (very few local) and inclines (not many of those in Fl).Quote:
Originally Posted by ipd
If I come to Colorado... Im never leaving. I love it out west. Lived in AZ for a few years as a kid, but havemissed it ever sinceQuote:
Originally Posted by CatFishCome to Moab and do some trails with us http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...or-details-etc if not this year next year, or come to Colorado we have lots a trails to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by livinlrgeThanks.. and I've never talked smack about other 4x4s. ALWAYS a chance I needed to be helped out. Just loved the wrangler since I was little. And have owned 7 different jeep models. (My favorite was the 1990 Wagoneer with the fake wood paneling ). But, I'm not a mud guy (bogging is huge in Fl) o want trails (very few local) and inclines (not many of those in Fl).Quote:
Originally Posted by ipd
Hello Fellow VX owner's I am Tyler n i owned y VX for 4 years now n love it to death my wife thinks I love it more then I do her witch it almost true but don't tell her that lol but any ways I've done all the mods my self to my VX n I got to say I love the way it looks n love how everyone looks when I'm driving down the road but I would put pictures up but idk how to do it with my phone
New to the forum..
My names Butch and my wife is Kelly.
We bought our 1st VX about a month back looking for a back road, rock bouncing, exploring, vehicle that had creature comforts.
I found a stock VX after remembering these. now I'm fixing, modifying and making it ours.
We live in the Angeles forest and are close to the desert.
So far we have put close to a 1000 miles on it and at least 800 miles have been in the dirt like, Afton canyon, Kelbaker, Calico, Angeles forest, San Berardino forest. I'm a ex desert racer and just love showing my wife where I go on dirt bikes.
Mods so far have been, big tires, adjustable shocks, roof rack, light bars, axles, tried electric fan but.. Had to go back to the airplane propeller with sound. Lol.
This forum seems great to see how people are modifying their VX's !!
Thanks for letting me join..
Now back to my freaking Windows..
Where do I buy new plastic slider do dads ?
Butch
Hello my name is Eric. It took me 10 years to find my VX. I flew into Arizona on a one way ticket and drove it back to Corpus Christi Tx. Initial repairs to the VX were Windows and stereo. I installed the OME 912's and new ARB shocks for the 3ish" lift. I took the 15" snowflakes off my 90 Isuzu pickup and had 31" Duratracs mounted. After the lift was finished we discovered the very tired axles. That was a chore to replace. So now it's should be ready for the easier bolt ons. Thanks for having me.
Welcome to the VX forum, if you have not fixed you windows yet here is some info that might help.
http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...new+window+fix
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikad92397
Thank you.
I went my own way on my Windows and so far they are working great.
I used a Teflon cutting board for parts to cut up and make big sliders/ holders/ adjusters and they are working like new, oooops, Better than new.. Lol
Butch,
Here's the link to the site offering modified window brackets for the VX. Installation instructions are also available on the site. I'm not sure if this answers your "plastic slider do dads" question, but these brackets sure fixed my window issues.
Good luck!
http://www.streetboutiquecustoms.com/vx.html
Hi all!
True to my word, I was able to finally rescue a high mile VX that was destined for destruction. Being in rough shape, I've set out to clean up and restore the vehicle to its original glory. I'm now the proud owner of a 2000 Ebony VX with 189,000 miles. The vehicle needs new seats, driver's handle (of course), door panels, window tracks, door seals, various interior trim pieces, and all of the usual maintenance, but I'm on track towards making this vehicle great again. I'm going to be doing some really neat mods to it that I'm sure everyone will want to know about, some of these include: reverse camera with hidden monitor in the rear view mirror, push button ignition and proximity keyless entry, sound dampening throughout, sun visors with lights, improved interior lighting, custom brush guard and skid plates, and more! I'll take pictures all along the way, but I'm glad to be a part of the group.
Lance
As with the 3/s...get it 100% running right...then mod it. ;)
p.s.
I installed bright-*** LED's last week. they are TITs. perfect for the smoked light covers.
New to the group, I got a silver 01 with 230k, premuch stock, a/c under repairs, PS window is falling down(what to do?)DS mirror not moving!, but since 99 when I heard about VX wanted one, now after three Isuzu's got one. Looking forward to enjoy this truck, anyone around LOS ANGELES aria?
Hiya Falcon. Welcome to the site and congrats on finding your new ride.Quote:
Originally Posted by falcon
The window falling could be caused by a few different things, so simply running a site search for "Window fix" should bring up quite a few threads regarding the different possible causes and their related fixes (window glass bracket, regulator, etc).
I don't have current access to my electrical manuals at the moment for suggesting possible causes for your mirror issue, so I"ll have to check later.
Hello VX community,
I just bought a 99 VX and drove it home yesterday. It runs well, but cosmetically it's on the rough side.
I will be browsing for info on things like shocks, and the door pulls. The inner door pulls appear to be made from peanut brittle, but they are black.
Thanks in advance for any links and advice!!
I ended up using lizard-skins chainstay protectors to hold the inner handle on the door card. 2x of those, cut in half, fit on the handle nicely. Not a perfect solution, but it does prevent inadvertently breaking them off the door, and the black ones I got fit well with the color scheme.
OEM shocks are pretty baller. If yours are toast & you're not trying to go crazy with the VX, I'd just look for a nice used set.
P.S.
Make sure you check the oil level every time you gas up. That's a good fail-safe for these, since most like to burn oil it seems.
I got my OME shocks rebuilt and I love them, here is a thread that has a link the place that rebuilds them. http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...ghlight=shocks
Lots of good info here on the forum you should be able to find info an anything you need. Good luck with all you upgrades and enjoy your new toy.
Congrats on the new VX!
Everybody has had the door pull ( that has the window buttons) crack horizontally where you grab and pull it. I repaired 3 or 4 with JBWELD, the red and black tube with the steel in it. Applied it on under side and especially a little in the thin channel. Sand it down, paint it, strong as cement. i have a ton of pics if you're interested.
Another quick fix is with electric tape wrapped around it so it overlaps a bit.
You want to prevent that long skinny piece from cracking off.
And another thing....chances are very high the rearward tab is broken off the handle. The handle can still be nicely seated without it. Or you can use JBWeld to form a little nub to kind of take the place of the plastic tab.
If you get an error 404 when you do a search on here, check the actual URL. If after the www.vehicross.info it starts with "/forums", delete those 7 characters and it should work for you.
Good Luck
Wish we could get this site working 100% again.
I can't figure out how to thank you guys as shown above so I will just say THANKS FOR THE ANSWERS!!Quote:
Originally Posted by VX KAT
Hey there folks! Glad to be a part of the forum!
I'm a new Vehicross owner here on Oahu. I don't even know what to tell you about the truck yet, except that I like it very much.
In fact, I like it in spite of the fact that I probably overpaid, and it has a MISSING right front axle bearing and thrust washer. So I bought it it, drove it very little, and noticed that I would get this BAD vibration... Took the passenger front side apart and discovered the missing bearing (that's the needle bearing inside the spindle - not the wheel bearings - although the inner wheel bearing came apart in my hands, too), broken ABS brake sensor (ouch - we all know what THOSE cost - and it explains the ABS light being on), and a big chunk missing from the inside brake pad. I'm not quite sure what happened in this wheel yet - I THINK someone took it apart, and then had some issues...
Surprisingly, the spindle looks fine, as does the axle. There's a little wear where the splines from the axle rubbed the inside of the spindle, but all of the bearing surfaces look great. I was able to source wheel and axle bearings and brake pads locally - but had to order the oil seal and thrust washer. So parts are on the way from the mainland (sigh - $25 for parts - but $27 for shipping. That's Hawaii.) and I hope to have her back together this weekend.
This truck is a 2001 in black with grey seats. About 155K miles. I understand that the prior owner is retired military here on Oahu - and I would hazard a guess that the truck is not original to the island.
I did run into another Vehicross owner the day after I bought mine - up on the North Shore (surfing) in the dark green. Looking forward to catching up with him in person soon!
Mahalo!
Jonathan
Yeah, owning a VX outside the lower48 isn't exactly a cheap proposition. :)
I needed a vehicle fast and NOW, as my MINI lost it's transmission and supercharger. I went on CL and saw this cool looking '99 Ironman, older than I was looking for and I thought the price was a little high but was still drawn to it and it looked to be in great shape. I gave the owner an offer of $4500 and he agreed on the spot, picked it up the other day and couldn't be happier. This car has the original window sticker, all original paperwork, original destination dealer checklist and manifest. Came from Japan in July of '99, ported in San Diego, freighted to Portland, trucked to Eugene, OR. Dealer manifest states it came there with 6 miles on it and it stayed with the dealership for 2 years, (I'm thinking it was used by the dealer), sold in March of 2002 with 429 miles. This car still looks showroom new and has all the original added options that brought the original price to a whopping $31,377 in 1999, (no wonder it sat for 2+yrs.). I hope to have this for many years to come and trust that this site will help me find what I need to keep it running and looking great. So far all I've found is the Ironman floor mats are a little worn, (where can I find them?), and there's a cd stuck hard in the 6 disc cd player. Other than that, it's in beautiful shape since it's a one owner car and garage kept. Thanks for having me.
http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...ny-So-Cal-VXrsQuote:
Originally Posted by falcon
321. That's a HELL of an upgrade from a mini to the greatest mass-produced off-road vehicle ever made. ;)
I recommend Hex mats, since they're much more spill-proof (and wear/dirt proof) and look great. They also match the grille.
I'd also recommend swapping to an aftermarket head unit with an aux/USB input...as this will give you FAR more options. (I have a 128GB sandisk cruzer ultra in mine--~4000 songs--and unless you knew what to look for, you wouldn't even see it there).
i'll take any chance i get to post-whore mine. :p
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ps8thxcrff.jpg
Ironically - I too drive a Mini Cooper (2003 6-spd S model) ...
Love both - but obviously for COMPLETELY different reasons.
But if you think about it - both are kind of "campy" vehicle selections... definitely unique crowds who love them.
Hi everyone!
I recently purchased my second 2001 VX; the first back in 2002. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed driving it. Reading through the forum I am amazed by the number of problems; and solutions you've found. I just had mine Ziebart rustproofed and am looking forward to many more years....
Eddie
Montauk, NY
Yeah, I had mine rhino-lined on the underside before it saw its first Utah winter. Hopefully the 2nd one is the last....I should be moving to GA.
Had Ziebart done on my 3000GT the day I got it too.
Traded in one of my Jeeps for a 1999 VX and looking forward to getting the mods started! Currently located in New Mexico but reside in Idaho. Lots of terrain to try out the VX and see how it compares to my ZJ. Little less power than I'm used to but seems like a very capable rig.
I hope you get the VX trail ready soon, maybe you could join us in Moab this spring. http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...ight=moab+2017
I was driving my son to school and saw a White VX. I didn't know what it was so I did some googling to find out. The next day I found a '99 astral silver one for sale about 4 miles from home. Two weeks later she was mine. Come to find out it was previously owned by "Buffy" (who is a member) who did a complete rebuild on it back in 2010 and documented the whole thing.
http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...y%5DVX+Rebuild
Kinda neat I have that kind of history on my new ride. The next owner changed it over to a 5 speed with 4:77 gearing. I haven't done any real climbing with it but I'm driving it from Florida to Oregon in two days. There I'll get the chance to put her to the test. I'll be sure to take some pics and video. Cross your fingers she gets me to Oregon safe and sound