I don't think I've ever started a garage, can't find one anyway... So here goes:
Basic, run of the mill 2005 Kia Sorento LX. 5 speed manual, cloth interior with the black/brushed aluminium, premium sound. Has taken me up almost every trail I've ever attempted. This truck is off road a minimum of once per month, and gets a pretty hard wash down every time afterward. Old experiences as a street racer/import car show guy make me anal about dirt. I wash the underside and frame after I go out in the mud...
Mods thus far: Pioneer Premier single din with the adapter for the factory amp and everything, BOSS 1200 watt amp running a single Kicker in a small, sealed box. Homemade ram air intake (someday cold air, figure out how I want to run it). Upgraded the Michelin tires with Big O A/T's, factory size.
Pictures of it flexed out:
Some pictures of my home made intake kit:
And a video of acceleration after installing the intake. I think I can do 0-60 faster, but I didn't feel like dumping the clutch at 4000 rpm, so I just let it out slowly and floored it when the clutch was all the way up:
So I don't have any pics of the first one, but this Sorento has been through two front bumpers. First wreck I spun out on a patch of snow coming down a mountain highway. In my defense, the storm had passed nearly a week before hand and the roads up the mountain had been completely dry and sunny. Unfortunately, on the way down a patch of trees had protected one patch of snow and it was on a curve. As I came around it, there was a pile up. I touched the brake as a gut reaction, and that touch put me sideways. Last speed I had remembered seeing was 55, and the spin put me straight into the center hay bales. The cross member in front had to be replaced, along with the headlight subframes, but it drove home and drove for a month before going to the body shop. This crash convinced me of the power of my Sorento
So the second bumper got screwed up the day after Christmas. Went on a snow run with the local 4x4 club and at the end there was a huge sand quary with hills built up to climb on, big open area for drifting, etc. It's quite a sight to see 7 trucks going every which way. Well, my Kia found the only big rock in all of that sand, and I drove over it with the driver's front tire. Smashed the bumper, ripped the fog light out, ripped the wheel liner out, pushed the tire out of round, and ruined my front wheel baring.
So what does any sensible man do when the 6 month old bumper gets smashed? If you answered "buy a new one", you fail! The correct solution is sawzall!!!!!!!!
Current plans are to take it as it sits there to a fabrication shop favored by my off road group/forum. A custom tube bumper will be welded on with a front mounted hitch. Rock slider step rails will be added and a custom rear bumper will be done as well.
So I can't find the pics now, but I ordered a set of slotted/drilled rotors with the ProCeramic pads. Got them from a guy on here who sold his Sorie, so his loss was my gain. My stock front rotors had started to warp at 45,000. Quite a shame, because they're in magnificent shape still. No gouges, pads were at about 40%. But the new brakes are heaven. If anyone here hasn't gotten the drilled rotors with ceramic pads, ORDER THEM NOW... It is as though the hand of GoD is reaching down to stop my Sorie every time, even with somewhat knobby off road tires. Lots o' stopping power.
And finally, worthy of note... MY LIFT KIT HAS BEEN ORDERED!!!!!! (I plan on doing a new reply for each phase of the build, hence so many posts).
Anyway, I'm going with the Daystar 2.5" spacers. I asked a few of the local shops here to quote me, and I found one that offered to match Sierra Expeditions. Sorry to those guys, but I gotta keep it local when I can.
I ordered the lift today, so the wait begins. I'll be replacing that wheel baring at the same time I tear it down to do the lift. Luckily I've got a work car, I plan on the Sorento being down for a week or two. Install the lift will take less than a day, but tearing apart the front hub to find out which pieces need to be replaced, then ordering the pieces will take time.... Plus I gotta have the new baring pressed in at a shop... Oy. Not looking forward to it.
So, with nearly two years without a garage update, you may be asking yourself "Why is John updating his garage so suddenly?"
Answer: To tease those who follow my build and offroading awesomeness!!!
My Kia Sorento is now sitting in garage of the very capable, very awesome Off Road Innovations/Exit 28 Motorsports here in Northern Nevada. Between now and Friday, they will be custom fabricating my front 'prerunner style' bumper, trimming the rocker panels below the doors and tucking a custom fabricated, manly, rock sliding side step for protection as I tackle tougher trails in the future.
I couldn't really post up too much on my home forum about this, not until the work is at least in process. But I figured the other like-minded Sorie owners here could deal with a little pic-less tease.
Ok... So the Kia didn't get done today like I had hoped :-( I guess we're optimistic for tomorrow.
However, I did find a teaser pic one of the techs put on this FB:
Pics of finished bumper. The sliders still need some work. They're going to reinforce my frame, add plate to the top of the sliders/steps, and finish painting them. The shop didn't have a dimple die cutter to add the pattern to the plate that I wanted.
BIG thanks to ORI/E-28 Motorsports. They did great work.
The holes in the bumper are a reversed image of the grill. ORI felt that pattern flowed with the vehicle better than anything else they tried.
I don't have a great picture of it yet, but ORI also gave me a 3/16" skid plate under the motor that stretches back past the second cross member behind the front axle. It's very beefy and protected well now.
