Z.O.O.M. August 2013 - alien

atari4x4 · Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 6:36 am

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. 2013?

Quite surprising actually! I never would have guess that i’d be nominated for it, especially given the standard of some of the zuks on here.

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?

I’m an almost 30 year old graphic designer living in Perth, WA. My username comes from a highschool love of the X-Files and a general interest back then in paranormal stuff – although i don’t subscribe to it anywhere near as much now. Of course it was only fitting that my main mode of transport when i got my license was called my “UFO”.

How did you get started in Suzuki's & how many have you owned?

The UFO is my first car – i bought it for $7,300 when i was 17, and i’m only its second owner. The previous owner was a girl who lived in bunbury, and it had highish kilometres on purchasing because it had been driven to NSW and back (the alloy bar it used to have was fitted in Sydney as proof).
I can’t remember when i saw my first sierra, but i always knew that i wanted one right from when i was really young, and my mind was well and truly made up well before buying the UFO. Lucky for me too, as the salesman in the caryard was trying to sell me a lower KM sierra which was actually a coily! (i know, right!?)

How long did it take you to build your zook to what it is today?

In its current incarnation? Well, the whole time i’ve owned it! I started out doing a lot of beach work and doing jumps with my mates in the car, which saw the suspension sag quite badly – and my love of going fast around corners on the road meant i was also due for new tyres... i couldn’t afford both so i went with some 215/75r15 Cooper H/T tyres (being that i drove mostly sand at the time), and did a 2” spring lift later. Following that came extractors and 1.5” exhaust and some home-made drop shackles. I drove it like that for about 2 years, then i blew the motor so put a 1.6 carby vitara motor in. Not long after that i busted the rear diff a bit, so that got welded (which was great fun in the wet!) Then i took it off the road to do something different (at the time) – the SPOA conversion on lux leaves. My most important stipulation though, was that i wanted it street legal. So i consulted an engineer and filled out all the proper paperwork to get it through. Lucky i did too, because during what became a 2 year build (don’t ask!) WA adopted the NCOP and my mods would have been un-engineerable. Lucky for me i had a great engineer and i passed all the tests (including the lane change) so the government had no choice but to approve my engineering certificate.
What a lot of people don’t take into account with my sierra is that its very much a compromise. Because i drive it every day (and because it was engineered to be on the road) it needs to behave well on the road. In the case of my sierra that meant keeping the rear roll stiffness quite high, which means the rear doesn’t flex all that well, but it does allow me to take corners at amazing speeds on the road. Anyone that’s driven behind me would attest to how flat the UFO corners, especially for a SPOA sierra on 31” tyres =)

What has been your best modification?

That’s really hard to put a finger on to be honest... but i’d say my attitude. Changing the way i drove my sierra and showing a little mechanical sympathy since my younger days has saved me a fortune in breakages i’m sure!

What has been your worst modification?

Also my attitude – because it’s my daily driver i’m scared to do any damage off road, so i often give up on a hard line before i’ve fully explored its potential =)

If we’re talking about parts though, worst mod would be the home made drop shackles =) They worked, but they affected the handling a lot!!

If you could have anybody else's zook, who's would it be and why?

Gwagen’s Hedgepig. If you need a reason you’ve not seen it. Go look at it. Mmm!

What has been your best 4wding trip?

Yeaaaaaaaars ago when Mundaring’s powerlines track was hardly formed, we used to wheel around the catchment areas of Mundaring Weir. It was totally legal and the tracks were a lot like the one’s Gwagensteve posts from Victoria. Amazing countryside, very hilly, very lush and green and some spots almost like a rainforest.
One trip in particular, i took my stock as a rock sierra with just the 215/75r15 Highway tyres most of the way up a notoriously hard hill called “CV Hill” (guess how it got its name?) – Back then only a twin locked sierra on 31’s or larger could get up, and even then it was a struggle. The big boys in Patrols etc used to always have breakages when they attempted it.
I was so proud to make it up to just past the half way point after about 20mins of trying (to travel about 50m) i totally didn’t think about how i’d get down again. With a sheer muddy drop off on the left side, HUGE ruts on the back left corner, a tree on the right side and nothing but giant rocks infront of me i almost considered reversing, but then someone had the great idea of going rear wheel drive, spinning the wheels and everyone pushed my sierra so it turned on the spot allowing me to drive back down the way i came up. AWESOME.
That was my first real experience with driving something really technical and the problem solving that goes with it. Unforgettable.

If you could go to any place in the world to wheel, where would that be?

I’ve always loved the idea of MOAB... something about the way those yanks tackle some insane rockfaces with sheer foot-to-the-floor disregard =)

Who are you closest to in the auszooker's community?

Hard to answer, mitch (Shandy92) and Kevin (96coily) come to mind first?

Tell us what the wheeling is like in your area?

Powerlines, Powerlines, Powerlines.... people give it shit, but its such a great place to wheel. I’m only 15mins north of the Perth CBD, and the best part of the powerlines track (Flynn Rd) is only about 45mins drive from my house. Sure, there’s the pines which is either sandy bush tracks or swampy mud as well, but there’s nothing technical (and legal) near to Perth other than the Powerlines.
As mentioned before - all the best driving tracks were actually even closer in Mundaring near the Weir, but they all got shut down around 10 years ago which was a real shame. But when there’s bogans dumping rubbish and leaving gear oil all over the tracks in a catchment area, it was only a matter of time unfortunately. I count myself as very lucky to have been able to drive those amazing tracks.

What other toys/hobbies do you put a lot of time into?

Not much really... Most of you know i’ve got 2 pet parrots, Chilli is mine (the green thing next to my name) – He’s an eclectus parrot. Very clever, and had a very sharp beak.
Other than that, i used to ride a lot of flatland bmx (i still have my bike and do the odd trick on occsasion) and i also played paintball – My team even came 3rd the 2008 Asian World Cup. I was also the gun technician of our sponsored teams, which was over 30 players.

What is it about the auszookers that brings you back for more?

For me its the social atmosphere. Sure its great to have instant tech advice, and that’s awesome – but the community atmosphere is really enjoyable – even if just like in real life some of the community are just twats =)

What about the auszookers forum would you like to see changed?

Not much to be honest. I think it works well as is – change can be scary =)

So if there is just one bit of advice you would give someone just starting out with Suzuki 4wds what would it be and why?

Drive it, drive it, drive it.
Too many kids see my sierra and ‘want to have one just like it’ – but i drove mine relatively stock for ages and actually LEARNT to drive it. Each mod was done apart from the next so i could fully learn how it worked etc. I only got a front locker this year – and i’m still learning how to use that properly!

Now for the million dollar question, who do you select to be the next Z.O.O.M. & why?
It was a very tough choice, but i’d like to see what Joeblow has to say for himself =)

Z.O.O.M. August 2013 - alien

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