I have an eye on this one on eBay, which has also been sitting on Craigslist for $1900 for quite a while:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1986-Isuzu-Trooper-2-door-4wd-4cyl-5speed-/120887633301?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1c2576e595
Seems to be in decent shape, I'm pretty sure they're mechanically solid.
Can I safely assume this is a full-frame vehicle? I may decide to take a sawzall to the roof 
Anything else I oughta know about these?
Thanks!
Curmudgeon will be through in a while and he knows everything about them.
That's the early 'Trooper II'. Yeah, the 'II' was here before the Trooper. It is a body on frame construction, in fact everything Isuzu built in the way of trucks and SUVs is body on frame.
Those things are practically unkillable and about as complicated as an 8 pound sledgehammer. They are practically unstoppable, the way people used to think of the early Land Rovers. That's the good.
The bad: they are slow as molasses in February and do not get good gas mileage. The engines are typically pretty tough, but occasionally the 2.3 like that will crack the cylinder head, although at the mileage that one shows if it hasn't happened it's not likely that it will. The carburetor base plate will wear and when that gets bad enough it won't idle. Parts used to be easily available to fix that, might not be now. At high enough mileages, the transmission bearings will get really noisy. They will run a long time like that, though.
If it were me looking for the 'box' type Trooper, I'd hold out for a later one, like an 88-91 with the GM V6. More punch (although not all that much more) but they had FI and got better gas mileage. The later ones were also available with the 2.6 4 cylinder but it gives up HP and gas mileage compared to the V6.
Wasn't there a diesel option for a while?
Weren't the 2-doors a 1 or 2 year only thing though?
I have a rusty 2-door with no engine and trans you can have if you come get it. Going to a scrapper sometime this summer to clean up my mom's place.
I think 86 was the only year in US with the 2.2 turbo diesel.
best bet is to get at least an 87 or later, the earlier ones have less beefy differentials(10 bolt rear/8 bolt front) and IFS components.
the GM 2.8 is a turd, the only reason to get one of those trucks is to drop in a 3.4. otherwise stick with a 2.6(88-91), its not 'fast' but has plenty of low end grunt.
Weren't the 2-doors a 1 or 2 year only thing though?
short wheelbase RS was only in 89. the long 2 drs were almost exclusively pre-88. I only know of a single 88 2.6 lwb 2dr.
Well this is for a 2nd/fun car, so fuel mileage isn't going to be a major issue. I think I'll wait until after the auction ends and shoot a lowball at the seller.
I speak trooper! I've got a '91 V6 in nice shape.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/1991-Isuzu-trooper/
It's pretty much bulletproof, and very capable off road. I use mine for everything, from embarrassing XJs in the mud to towing the boat and picking up old British cars. I've also found that maintenance is rediculously easy (even stuff like differentials) and parts are dirt cheap.
Oh, and I'll second the "wait for a later one" comment. Late troopers (like mine) have better engines, front and rear axles, disc brakes all around, a better frame, etc.
Oh, thats a super rare RS. It's got bigger wheels and tires and special gearing (4.77 IFRK). There aren't many good one left in this country, it will bring a premium over a normal 4 door like mine.
Planetisuzoo.com is a good resource
I second the comment: "...slow as molasses in February". Little old ladies in walker frames can beat these from one side of the intersection to the other.
Buy this and immediately toss the engine/engine&transmission.
I can't imagine how slow these would become if you switched on the A/C (not currently working on this example) while driving.
The vehicle you are describing was on my want list for many years. I have seen a diesel version way back when. There was a family that had one for many many years. I was hoping I would be able to scarf it up when they got tired of it, but apparently it went to the kids.
I believe the 2.6 had some cylinder head problems and at tone time there were aftermarket heads from somewhere like Spain that were better.
The first year was carbed and had round headlights. The later ones were injected and got better mileage. They had squarish headlights. I believe the first ones came in with no back seats installed because the were "pickups" and skipped a tariff or something.
Isuzu built 2 door Troopers through, IIRC, 1994 in all 3 body styles (round headlight Trooper II, square headlight box Trooper and the 92-up version). The 92-94 2 door version is super rare here in the Great Satan, I have seen exactly one. They were fairly common around the Pacific Rim and in Oz. The 'box' style LWB 2 door is rare, the box style 'stumpy' SWB is more common but still not all that easily found. 4 doors are everywhere.
The early diesels are really really slow, they make the 2.3 gas motor version look like a Mustang GT. 0-60 time? Grab a calendar, pack a lunch and hope for a good tailwind. They are as bulletproof as anything you will ever see, though. The later (92-up) was available overseas with a turbodiesel and 'cutaways' pop up on eBay etc from time to time.
As a 'how tough is an Isuzu' illustration, I had a guy bring in a P'UP with coolant in the oil, the odometer was only 5 digits and the owner said it had turned at least 4 times since he bought it brandy new. It turned out the timing chain was so worn that it had gnawed a hole through the back of the timing cover. We told him we could not guarantee anything, sent the cover out and had it welded, replaced the timing chain and gears, flushed the crankcase, crossed our fingers and it fired right up. Last I saw he was still driving it.
I have a 1987 Trooper II that has been setting for 10 years, All of the vac hoses are dried and cracked. Can I do away with all that, cap all the outlets, do away with the smog pump, and still be able to make this thing run right. Also, the fuel pump started leaking. Can I pull the actuator rod and by pass the pump with an electric one?
Yes to all the above. Just be sure to leave the distributor vacuum in place and bypass the mechanical pump hose connections.
In reply to Curmudgeon:
Thanx Curmudgeon. I still can't decide if it's worth investing a couple hundred bucks to get this up and running, for what I think I can get out of it. It's a 2 door, but it needs another drivers door, it's on it's 2nd one, damn light weight hinge area. 110,000 miles, 45,000 since I rebuilt the trany.
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