The Montero 3.0 Build

With the running boards removed the sills and rocker panels are vulnerable to damage from high centering. Rocky Road Outfitters in Heber, Utah, make a stout pair of rock sliders for the Montero.

We use a topo map application loaded on an iPad on our trips and have wanted to mount it. I use the iPad everyday so I needed a way to be able to install and remove it easily, which won't be often since we'll just be using it on the trail. The other criteria to this little project; I'm cheap. From our local emergency vehicle supply store I found a PanaVise mount at $29. From Lowe's I sourced a 4x5" tin plate and industrial Velcro for under $6 and put this together. It's been rock solid. Just below is the CB install that went in about a year ago. Used along with a Garmin GPS and the pictured iPhone with the Tiltomter app we can navigate with updated USGS maps pinpointing our location without wifi or cell signal.

The rear door storage on the '03 Gen III Montero doesn't serve much purpose save for a poorly designed way to stash headrests from the third row seat and a narrow but deep pocket for stowage of small items. I have a few Pelican cases no longer being used, so I thought to adapt a small case, the Pelican 1400, using it for a first aid supplies container, installing it onto the door replacing the pocket. While at it I picked up some Quick Fists to mount an ax, using the door pull hardware, where it'd be readily accessible. I completed the door modification by adding two more QuickFists to hold a collapsable shovel, along with an ARB flat repair kit that fit well into the space with more velcro to prevent rattling around. A Maglight and a fire extinguisher round out the job. A year after this mod, we've been for want of a work surface, a place to make lunch and such while on the road without much set-up when we stop. After the above mod, I saw that there's roo...

The first Montero mod were H&R 30mm spacers on all four corners widening the track and filling in the wheel wells a bit better, along with updated rubber, Cooper Discoverers ATP plus one in size. A couple of years later, and after a suspension mod I nounted 33" Big Horn Mudders from Maxxis. This was a test-run with the Big Horns before the OME suspension.   

This is what we started with, an '03 Montero Limited we bought to replace our previous land barge, an '07 GMC Yukon, used to haul around four teenagers and one pre-teen. Four have since flown the coupe so we downsized three years ago to the Monty. This is a third generation for this model, with generations I, II, and II.5 being formidable platforms for vehicle-based adventure. Being an avid follower back in the day of the Paris/Dakar when it actually went there, I became a fan of the Gen III, and, granted, what remains factory in that competition is minimal, the performance and durability of the Gen III's platform won me over. I've owned two, my first an '01. The main issue with the Gen III is there's very little aftermarket support. It thrives as the Pajero in Asia, Australia and Europe, but fizzled here in the States. Mitsubishi missed the marketing train on the Paris/Dakar victories, an opportunity to position the Montero nicely against British and...