Pajero Gen 2.5 3500 V6 - Build Thread

[qoda]

Thought I would start a small build thread for my recently purchased Gen 2.5 Pajero with 285,000 on the clock. Hopefully it helps others and I can get some advice along the way. We bought the Pajero, having owned one in the past because my wife and I have a soft spot for the Gen 2s and not only that but we needed a backup vehicle incase one of the Land Rovers broke down (again).



To start with, the Pajero was purchased late last year and was in a pretty poor state, but I was fully aware of what would need to be done and on a positive note the engine is in really good condition, the 4wd system was all working, gear box felt good and services were up to date for the most part. My initial list of concerns were:

• Rear suspension knocking badly
• Very loose steering and swaying dangerously on the road
• Crud buildup on rear driver side wheel - blown seal
• Bushes all round in a poor state
• Hand brake not working
• Cambelt service not done

I probably should have walked away from the car at this point but who else was going to get her back on the road and I was looking for a project car anyway, so step one was to get her "back on the road".

Time to get her to a mechanic in Boksburg. 2 months later, due to a difficulty in sourcing parts, and a bill of R43.5k and following was done:

• Entirely new front suspension setup - lower and upper control arms, tie rod ends and stabiliser arm - R13k
• Cambelt service and a few other maintenance jobs - R15k
• Replace rear axle and fix handbrake - R15.5k

Now with that all sorted out by a professional and the old girl feeling way better on the road the rest were DIY jobs. There were a couple of mods already done to the vehicle, which was a bonus, these included:

• ARB front bumper with Warn Winch and spots
• Tow hitch
• Safari centre roof rack
• First gen Unichip (no idea what the turn is)

First thing was tyres and rims, the BF Goodrich tyres were shot and unfortunately it did not come with the original rims but I wanted muds and steelies anyway. I went with 31X10.50R15 Kumho MT71 Road Venture and A-line 15" black steel rims (15x7J / 0 Offset / PCD 6x139 / CB 108.6)




With that done it was time for a snorkel, got one off 4x4 direct and installed in an afternoon. Not exactly a priority but why not.



Now I really needed to deal with the rear suspension issues, it felt like the rear axle was going to break off and even my great grandfather Model T probably had a better ride on gravel. There were two issues here, the stabiliser bar links and the rear lower control arm front bushes. So after a ton of calls I finally got the stabiliser bar links from Masterparts and the control arm bushes (poly) from Sid's Suspension. Was a quick morning job and made the world of difference, the car was finally drivable and really enjoyable.



On to some minor DIY jobs

• Removed the 3rd row seats in preparation for a drawer system
• Tightened and replaced clips on all inner body panels
• Fixed and tie down wiring in the engine bay and dashboard
• Tighten up steering, way too much play
• Tighten petrol release cable, wasn’t opening the flap
• Replaced headlights with after market LED globes and controllers

And then a few authentic changes.

• Sprayed the roof rack black and sealed with a lacquer matt clear coat
• Installed new spotlights with switch in the cab
• Removed the side steps before I rip them off, planning on fabricating some rock sliders
• 3D print a new windscreen washer cap
• Replace windscreen wipers all round

There are lots more plans for the old girl and the checklist is far from complete, but I'll post as I go.

[ChasingSunsets]

Very nice, would love to build a Gen 2 one day. Was the first 4x4 we had that really shone and stood out.

[McGuywer]

How did you Tighten up steering?

[qoda]

I followed this guide from Dodgy Garage (great channel for Paj Gen 2 related content) - https://youtu.be/l1Hz9M2j0Xk?si=qy94E0gskW0G8RDH. Mine was very loose and I did over tighten a bit at first so needed to turn the adjustment screw back half a turn. There will always be some play in a the Pajero steering but this made a big difference for me. Just don’t over tighten, rather tighten up a bit, test and repeat until it fells good.

[qoda]

Quick morning job before work. Found a “cut to size” rubber mat on Takealot (Search: Trimmable Boot Mat - Extra Large) and fitted it.

[qoda]

Ripped out the old Kenwood that the Pajero was sold with and installed a new double din Android based system that I picked up in Takealot. I now have:

• Navigation (with GPS antenna)
• Handsfree (external mic)
• Apple carplay
• Reverse camera (still need to mount that)

Not bad for R1,300 and easy enough to install.

[MysteriousEngine]

Takealot link here:

Double Din 7inch Universal Android 2GB 32 GB Carplay Android & IOS Car Radio

Regards

[Eli Stone]

Does it have SSII

[qoda]

Does it have SSII

Even better SSI

[Garthox]

Very nice pajero and well done on the progress so far.

I'm jealous of your front bumper 😎

[qoda]

Both electric side mirrors were insanely loose and the passenger side wasn’t swiveling to the left. Bit of a hack of a fix but at least it should hold up and annoy me less.

The upper clips holding the mirror in the housing were broken off on both sides so printed up a piece and plastic welded it in. On the passenger side the plastic guide for the motor assembly had popped out so luckily that was also an easy fix (forgot to take a photo of that). Sorted!

[qoda]

Gave the windscreen washer arms a bit of a touch up and printed some new plugs to cover the bolts. They were looking really shabby.

I should probably give her a proper clean this weekend and not park under a fruiting wild olive.

[Cats]

Takealot link here:

Double Din 7inch Universal Android 2GB 32 GB Carplay Android & IOS Car Radio

Regards

How are the real world experience with this radio unit? It is really not expensive for what it promises, but I see the reviews on Takealot are a bit hit and miss. Did it come with external mic or not? Comments on that are also devided?

I already have a double din in my poverty pack VW Transporter. There are no steering wheel controls. I would consider this newer unit because :

1. Android Auto
2. External mic, if included will be bonus
3. I really need a rearview camera, and although my current unit support this I still need to get back there to fit a camera and connect the wiring, so while doing that might just as well upgrade to Android Auto capable unit.

Main atraction will be the Android Auto so if that works easily it is definately an option I would consider.

By the way - Love your Blister Pajie resurection. They are the most beautifull Pajero shapes in my opinion.

CATS

[qoda]

The unit is great so far, but too be fair it’s only been a week or so. I can only really comment on Apple CarPlay and it works really well over USB and Bluetooth (Auto connect). Mine did come with an external Mic, GPS antenna and 2 USB ports. Note you will probably need a double fin bracket as well, the bracket it comes with was useless to me.

I genuinely don’t have any big issues with it, radio works well, sound is good even with the stock speakers, Navigation with google maps works and has full support for Siri so it’s pretty much Handsfree. Everything works as expected and can be tweaked in the factory settings (passcode:8888). Maybe one issue are the buttons, they’re a bit small and with it being in the position it is, it’s a bit fiddly. What I’ve done is ordered one of these Bluetooth controllers, will see if I can hook that up as steering control: https://www.takealot.com/car-wireles...l/PLID93235032. And if I’m being critical the boot up time is slow.

Edit: Now that I received this BT remote, I wouldn’t recommend it. Can’t adjust the volume over CarPlay/Android Auto and can not connect directly to the android headunit, only via your phone.

The camera was an extra purchase, I went with this one: https://www.takealot.com/effortlessl...n/PLID96018518. Tested on the bench and it works well, I’ll install this weekend. Have not tested in low light.

[RoelfleRoux]

Even better SSI

I'm sorry to say:
Your Pajero is blessed with SS II.
You will now have to carry the weight of the entire forum's banter.
PS.
I support Cats' opinion on your thread and car. I had one of those back in the day, when SS II was something to brag about :-)
That four cam engine is a beaut.
The lines are really nice. I parked next to a very well-kept one recently and couldn't stop myself from running my hand over that front wheel arch.

[qoda]

I'm sorry to say:
Your Pajero is blessed with SS II.
You will now have to carry the weight of the entire forum's banter.
PS.
I support Cats' opinion on your thread and car. I had one of those back in the day, when SS II was something to brag about :-)
That four cam engine is a beaut.
The lines are really nice. I parked next to a very well-kept one recently and couldn't stop myself from running my hand over that front wheel arch.

Ah, I wasn’t aware, thanks for the info. I’ve read the threads and had a good chuckle. Since my daily is a Disco 4, I’ve developed a thick skin 😂

[qoda]

I finally got around to installing the reverse camera, no wonder I’ve been putting it off, it turned out to be a big job.



I haven’t been able to get it to activate when reverse is engaged yet as there’s an issue with the reverse light. Relay is good as is the fuse, globe etc, so at this point I think it may be the switch on the gearbox. For now I need to manually engage the reverse camera.