Congratulations on being selected for Auszookers Zook Owner of the Month!
How does it feel being honoured with the nomination for Z.O.O.M. 2017?
Great, I like telling everyone about what I've been doing, but I'm usually too busy doing it to put fingers to keys.
So tell us about yourself. Who are you, What's the meaning to your username, Where do you live, and what do you do for a living?
My Name is Chris Couchman, I grew up in NZ bro, until I ended up in OZ with a job rotomoulding kayaks. I was setting up an email account and the ozzycouch has stuck as something that is always available. I live up on the Sunshine Coast in Qld with my partner and 18 month old. I work as an estimator for an company quoting traffic signal, road lighting and subdivision installations.
How did you get started in Suzuki's & how many have you owned?I wrote of a small hatch back so was after a new car. At the time I was doing a lot of surfing and wanted to get away from the crowds, so being a cheapskate a $1500 Vitara for up the beach seemed perfect. I have only owned two road going zuks, but a lot of bits.
How long did it take you to build your zook to what it is today?After swapping out the original 29/31 tire combo, it spent a lot of time getting stuck with a set of Iron man shocks/ springs and nothing else. Don't listen to anyone who says Suzukis can go anywhere, they don't! After doing a lot of digging and dragging it out of holes, it ended up with a rear locker and entered into a round of tough tracks, because I thought that's what everyone did.. Most of the spectators had vehicles more modified, but we had so much fun than they did.
Joining up to the NBS crew over the years the driving got progressively harder and harder until a body swap was necessary. The doors would only open with assistance from an axe/hammer and bumpers ended up on the roof after most trips.
During the reshell a mate threw on some brown paint. I made a front bar and sorted some sliders to keep it from getting too smashed up, and that how it sits today.
Any changes in store for your Suzuki?After ending up around 20mm lift over stock with all the extra bar work, the ramp over is suffering. So I want to extend the wheel base, lift and go up a tire size or two. Have almost got all the parts over the last year but some front arms from henno would be nice...
What has been your best modification?
In the early days the high lift jack, then the lockers, now probably the winch. Saved so much walking/ digging to get out of spot I just wanted to try while driving solo.
What has been your worst modification?No really a modification but, leaving the big wheels on when it get used as the daily drive. I give up on the motorbike as a daily when we get summer storms roll through, and swapping back without putting the stock wheels on makes the car so sad to drive on the road. Not just acceleration, but brakes cornering and no rear grip in the wet with the mud tires. Horrible..
If you could have anybody else's zook, who's would it be and why?Daves LWB, it's almost always better suited the type of driving we do and with Dave driving miss daisy it just seems to just sniff out that tiny bit more ledge or rock to keep moving.
What has been your best 4wding trip?All of the early trips when I got started in 4x4ing. My friend Adds and I went out with no idea what we were doing and ended in all sorts trouble. Hours upon hours of digging, packing wheels, chopping down trees to make fulcrums and leavers to get the zook out of bogs. We got lost to the point where we were following tree lines 10m each side of the car through grass over the roof of the car.
And even after a three hour drive through a forest on dusk, we discussed that driving down a stupid bank down to a local road would result in us getting out, or at least someone finding the car on its roof so we could ask for a ride home.
If you could go to any place in the world to wheel, where would that be?I recon somewhere out bush in Russia would be awesome, Ii think it would be somewhere you could drive around for days and not find anyone. May have to get a local involved to try something like that though.
Who are you closest to in the auszooker's community?The NBS boys and girls and anyone else I know through here, I don't play favourites and even go 4x4ing with Patrols lol.
What other toys/hobbies do you put a lot of time into?I do random projects to keep myself occupied, like building a boat last year. 3m of stich and glue awesomeness that still hasn't seen the water.
A friend and I have been playing with a Hyundai accent in a local race series, making most bits as we have a budget of $0 lol.
Do a little bit of Motorbike riding away from the daily grind to keep it interesting, rather than just a quick way to get home in the traffic.
Still go surfing when I can, but having a little one limits the time do to these lone ranger type hobbies.
So Camping/ driving to keep our one year old up to date with enough sleep, is how I can sneak in a bit of beach driving, a surf and keep the rest of the family happy at the same time.
What is it about the auszookers that brings you back for more?Just keeping up with any developmental stuff like what gone west is doing with his vit.
A bit of a laugh a people having a go at each other and parts every now and then when they come up.
Was good for Glasshouse trips for a few years ago too.
What about the auszookers forum would you like to see changed?More trips, but unfortunately I know the strain of getting them up and running with random people. Because time is short at the moment, I usually just go driving with people I know already.
