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?
Very surprised
thanks SidewaysSo 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 Lachlan, I’m 25yo. I’ve lived in Perth WA my entire life, I love it here. I’m currently at uni finishing off a Marketing Management degree, playing with cars and working however have made it a very long drawn out process
. As for my username hooki, a friend started calling the LJ80 that when we were younger and I guess it just stuck. How did you get started in Suzuki's & how many have you owned?
The first Suzuki I went in was my dad’s LJ80 when I was growing up. At the time I didn’t think much of it as I wasn’t really into 4wd’s. Once I got my licence I was really into street cars until a friend picked up a cheap w/t sierra. I immediately loved it and soon after bought my first sierra (97 coily
). After rolling that I picked up another sierra (95 leafy) which I started to modify. During this time I thought it would be a good idea to take on another project, the LJ80 
. I sold the sierra after a while so I could focus on the LJ80. I finished the LJ80 off and ended up driving it around for about 6 months. After selling that I picked up the LWB sierra a few months later which has been a money pit/head ache ever since .How long did it take you to build your zook to what it is today?
The LJ80 build took 18 months.
My current LWB sierra build has taken 18 months so far and I’m hoping it will be completed within the next 6 months. A general rule of thumb which I have picked up on when rebuilding these cars…they take twice as long and cost twice as much as you originally plan for
. Any changes in store for your Suzuki?
Bodywork, Paint, Assembly and then wheel it. Maybe a rear locker and a full floater disc brake rear once it’s on the road.
What has been your best modification?
A rear locker on my w/t sierra made such a huge difference. That or transfer gearing.
What has been your worse modification?
Excessive lift. At the time of owning my w/t sierra I thought to fit bigger tyres, lift was the only option.
If you could have anybody else's zook, who's would it be and why?
Probably BlueSuzy’s LWb sierra. That’s a very cool full bodied lwb.
What has been your best 4wding trip?
I don’t have a specific trip, but early on when I got my first sierra and all my mates had 4wd’s was great. For about 2 years we were out most weekends with 5-10 cars camping and wheeling. Lots of great memories
. If you could go to any place in the world to wheel, where would that be?
Moab would be cool to check out or any other place they visit in the Petersons Ultimate Adventure. I would also love to take my sierra over east and check out VIC.
Tell us what the wheeling is like in your area?
As some of the other WA guys have mentioned the Powerlines is a very popular place to go as it’s so close by. It’s pretty much rocky terrain which varies from short steep climbs to small technical sections, however the majority of the track is pretty boring though. Otherwise there’s a lot of beach to wheel along the coast. I’ll be heading down to Harvey/Brunswick area once I have my sierra finished, the variety of terrain and tracks is awesome down there.
What other toys/hobbies do you put a lot of time into?
I love working on anything mechanical, although I don’t know a lot but I like to give it a go and learn. If I’m not working on my cars I seem to be helping friends fix their crap
. Cars, bikes and boats, they’re all good fun.What is it about the auszookers that brings you back for more?
It’s filled with extremely knowledgeable and helpful people who are always there to offer advice and answer questions. It’s always a good laugh as well, youtube/pics thread brings the funnies.
What about the auszookers forum would you like to see changed?
Nothing. Apart from the occasional tantrum or shit stirrer I think it functions very well. Maybe another section for people to post build threads of street cars, bikes etc. That would be cool to see what everyone else has got going on apart from their 4wd's.
1. coily
then this happened
2. leafy
3. LJ80
1980 when it was pretty much brand new and my dad had taken it up north camping. Dat brown
30 years later and it's looking a little sad
rebuild time
4. LWB
rust
Build threads
http://auszookers.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 320#p36320
http://auszookers.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 17#p115917
http://auszookers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=33644
Main Vehicle Specs
1985 Suzuki Sierra SJ51
A lot of rust removed.
G16b baleno engine
6.5 transfer gears with snatch cradle
Front ARB locker with cromos
Vitara Power steering
33” KM2’s on 15x7-38 wheels
Guard chop
2” spring lift with RUF, small chassis extension and stock shackles
JML front bar with WARN M8000-s
w/t diff conversion
Bulldog trimming full length soft top
Swift GTI seats
Rear bar and roll cage which I knocked up over the last few months.
Now for the million dollar question, who do you select to be the next Z.O.O.M. & why?
Red89 is the next entry
and I agree that bluesuzy's LWB is where its at.