[Technotron101]

G'day everyone,

I’ll try and keep this as short as I can, but I just have a few questions about a Jimny as a ute chop candidate.

I’ve been wanting to get a zook for a while now, and some of you might remember my previous posts regrading sierras and utes and stuff. I originally was considering a sierra ute, then a maruti because I thought I wouldn't fit in a standard ute, then realising how utterly powerless and speedless the 1L is, tried looking for a Holden drover, being that it had a 1.3L and 5 speed. Having searched around gumtree a lot for months I started to realise the price for a decent ute was 3-4 grand. I was thinking that you know, they're probably worth that. It just started to hit me the other day that they really aren't. They're just a 30 year old tin box. I saw couple of jimnys around for similar money, and I’ve pretty much decided that a Jimny with a slightly extended wheelbase and ute chop would be far better value.

I remember seeing a couple of different variants of conversions in New Zealand, one of which was made by work mate, which in my opinion looked very agricultural, not just in purpose but also design and execution.

The second one I came across was made by cowpertrucks, another New Zealand based converter. This company appeared to have two variants, a halfback and a fullback. The former being a standard chassis, while the latter is said to have the wheelbase extended 200mm. There is another in the picture, with a longer wheelbase again, but it isn’t mentioned anywhere, so might be a custom. The fullback doesn't look out of proportion in any way, and doesn't reduce the ramp over angle too much. The tray is decent sized (for a Jimny) and I reckon it actually looks pretty damn good.


In the picture below, the jimny in the far right is a halfback (standard), and the jimny in the far background is from what I can see, a fullback, with the wheelbase extended 200mm. The one in the front left appears to be a custom, as the wheelbase is extended far too much I think, and isn't mentioned anywhere.


I ended up doing a heap of research on jimnys, and worked out that the best one for the job would be a 2000 - 2004 jimny. Pre 2000 used G series motors, with less power; 2005 onwards used a newer engine with variable valve timing, which to me is just more things to break, and that was also when they started the push button transfer case, which is again, more things to go wrong. The dash is more modern, yes, but to me, that’s a worthy sacrifice in the name of reliability. And the bonus is that an older jimny should be cheaper too.

For a similar price to a sierra/drover, I get more power, better ride, more legroom (big thing for me, I’m almost 6ft), air-con, power steering, power windows etc, and a generally newer vehicle, which means less chance of rust, hopefully less kilometres and means it should last me longer as a first car.

I’d just like a few tips about the jimny. I have been reading so much jimny stuff it’s all blurred now, but the 2000 - 2004 model has airbags, yes?? Has remote central locking?? Has immobiliser?? Anything else I missed, or have included above that it doesn’t actually have??

Also, does anyone have any input as to any major problems with the jimnys? I have briefly heard of the steering wobble, but as far as I know that shouldn't be a problem unless I mess with lift and tyres and stuff right?

The only problem I can see, compared to a sierra/drover ute, is capacity. The sierras are designed with light truck tyres, heavy suspension etc, because the lwb ute was designed and built as a load carrying vehicle. With the jimny, with a ute chop and chassis and wheelbase extension, what would the load capacity end up turning out like? What sort of kg rating are we talking? Say, am I going to be left with a ute that can only carry 150kg and is utterly useless? Being a passenger vehicle, and a small one at that, I assume it would have a pretty soft rear suspension setup, correct? However, as a direct result of the ute chop, there should be a lot of weight reduced too, from bodywork and the rear door. The two rear side windows wouldn’t be light either I'd imagine.

How would I go with mounting a spare tyre, and getting around the fuel tank and all that ute related stuff, not to mention tailshaft extensions and brake line extensions?

Just another question, not directly related to a ute, but what sort of towing capacity does the jimny have (2000-2004 model)?

Thanks guys,
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the idea.

[jdk81]

skim read, but it will be mostly useless.

It's very expensive, labour and skill intensive project.

Even a sierra ute has a pretty shit capacity.
But an engine conversion and few comfort mods, is realistic, wouldn't too expensive, and wouldn't be too bad, but far from good.

I'd look elsewhere.
It is so easy to ruin a car.

[Gwagensteve]

TL:DR

Jimnys are made of glass.
A 3k jimny is flogged out and a bad candidate to put $$$$$ into chopping.
Check the rules around wheelbase extension and legality. It's generally only possible on new vehicles as the finished car must meet all current, relevant ADR's once extended.

[alien]

Gwagensteve wrote:

TL:DR

Pot, Kettle. hahahaha


To the OP:
IMO all that work and you could just buy a hilux and call it good.

[Gwagensteve]

Hehehe

I agree.

[Marko_SJ]

I think last time AZ discussed a similar subject matter it was

Hilux = winner

Jimny = wobbler

[Technotron101]

I think my attempt at keeping it short failed. Basically I was wondering about jiimny specs. What is the carrying capacity? I assume that iis GVM minus tare, minus fluids, people etc. So two people could be 200kg, so that's the back seat, so if that's removed then there's 200kg gained, as well as whatever carrying capacity it already had for it's tiny boot space. Minus the bodywork, minus two windows etc. What are the jimny weight specs? What sort of towing capacity does the 2000-2004 jimny have?

[tanshi]

https://www.4x4australia.com.au/drive/1 ... mny-sierra

[Gwagensteve]

So that's 345 kg.

Don't overestimate how much weight you'd loose. You still have to refabricate a cab wall, with a glass window, and build a tray. Trays get quite heavy. I'd be very surprised if the finished car is lighter at all. So with a driver and passenger you're down to 185kg, minus fluids, floor mats, and anything else you need in the car day to day. (Remember too that most cars end up substantially heavier than their claimed tare weight. Famously, a modern Alfa coupe went over a weighbridge 175kg heavier than the cars claimed tare.)

[Joshyboy26]

Buy a marutu/ sierra ute and put aircon in it. Youll save about 10 grand.

Also 1 litres arent that shit and jimmy 1.3s arent that good. Same shit.

Also likely its not even engineerable/ registerable.

[Gwagensteve]

Almost every Jimny I know of is over GVM when actually in use. Driving a car around over GVM shortens the life of everything.

They're low, have bulky bodywork, wobble, the transfers fall apart, the gearboxes are garbage, and the design of the cabin is unsuited to a ute conversion. (consider a Jimny has nearly the same wheelbase as a LWB Sierra but you end up with a tiny tray.

[Technotron101]

The wobble is fixable with a shim in the king ping bearing though isn't it?

Putting the ute chop idea aside for a moment, what are jimnys like by themselves? I've seen plenty of people driving them, and many rigs here on AZ are jimnys, and people seem to like them, but as always there are people who don't, that's life.

Again, I guess I fit into a different category than a lot of people here on AZ, wheeling my rig constantly and building the best wheeling rig ever isn't really my main focus, if at all. I love the zuki's for their miniature size, fuel economy, but their old-fashioned tried and true 4wd system. From that point of view, are they really as bad as you make them out to be? I mean, compared to a sierra, which, don't get me wrong, I like them too, that's what got me into suzukis; jimnys seem to be a lot more car for the money. Granted, it is more money, but you're getting more car too. A sierra, tough and deisrable as it may be, is still a 30 year old tin box. A Jimny may not be the most desirable offroad beast to modify until the cows come home, but that's not really what I'll be doing with it anyway. I see them as having all the mod-cons and features of a "real car", but packaged into a relatively low priced car, that still fits that small, lightweight, practical economical 4wd suzuki package. They are after all the successor of the sierra.

Apart from the glaringly obvious steering wobble, what is there really wrong with them? What are some problems with the gearboxes/transfers etc? Remember I'm looking at a manual, 2000-2004 jimny with stick shift transfer, non-vvt, non-abs jimny. That bypasses the stupidly complicated electric transfer case bit, but is there other things that are genuine problems?

Don't see me as defending the jimny, or saying they're good, I'm just genuinely interested.

[MrRocky]

Ive found them unbalanced offroad when compared to a sierra, you can have twice the articulation offroad in the jimny and a sierra that ist lifting wheels 1m high and the sierra will be more balanced than the jim haha not the car for me but suits many midrange zookers. Horses for courses

[henno]

As an everyday car that has all of the meagre requirements you list, Technotron101, I would choose the Jimny over a Sierra 10 times out of 10. Once you start to divert heavily from that though, there is a fast diminishing of returns for the Jimny; most people (with a few noteable AZ exceptions) seem to run out of driveline or load carrying capacity before it meets their goals.

Ute chops still bring the suck though.

[Technotron101]

I was originally considering the sierra, and I understand it's very capable. However chances are 99% of my car's life will be on road. I really can't see myself going whole hog with the whole wheeling thing and reaching the limits of a car. For that reason. I reckon a Jimny is probably still the best car. I still have school, uni and then work to contend with before I start getting more time and money to sink into wheeling.

I still think a ute chop could be a possibility... But i'd only do it if it was worth it and actually practical. I'm not the sort of person to just throw money away and do something coz why not.

[MrRocky]

The state you are in will impact the ability to do a chop legally

[jdk81]

Not worth it, not practical.

/end story

[shep]

a young fella in Darwin built a semi passable ute chop. So far he has spent around $20k and has ended up with a very heavy jimny that to my eye is ugly and has less room in it then a stock jimny.
He loves it but so what anyone else thinks is pointless. Is all approved and engineered.

[got_bar_work]

A soft top 2l vit would probably be a better option to ute chop.
Drop it on a lwb chassis . Its only a body mod then

[alien]

^ user on here "ozzycouch" i think it was did that.

[tanshi]

vitara will suit your needs better. more space. more comfort. just as cheap if not cheaper to run. Can look tough if thats what youre into.

Plenty capable offroad. just an all around better on road option. I have no issue with jimnys, but a vitara is what will suit your needs

[Technotron101]

It may be just me, but I actually really like that black jimny. I watched a youtube video of it in action and it looks really good.

If tare is 1020 and gvm is 1420, then there's 400kg to play with. 30kg for a tank of fuel, 10kg for engine/gearbox/transfer/diff oils, maybe more, I don't know. That leaves 350kg to play with. I reckon an alloy tray could be made to be as light as the bodywork and seats that have been removed, so that's still 350kg. Minus me, which is 60kg, minus passenger, say 70kg, and you're left with 220kg. Give or take any of the above a bit, then it could end up being 200kg ish. Which isn't awesome, but isn't as bad as I thought it would end up like.

What does a sierra ute's carrying capacity end up turning out like, realistically?

[Gwagensteve]

Not much different, but a sierra isn't made of glass.

[Joe]

got_bar_work wrote:

A soft top 2l vit would probably be a better option to ute chop.
Drop it on a lwb chassis . Its only a body mod then

This is a swb sv420 body chopped and dropped on a sv620 lwb chassis

[Seth2013]

couldn't help but pop these here




can find this one on insta under 611crawler. from what I have worked out its cruiser diffs, airshocks and ute conversion. its like the Goldilocks Jimny, everything you could ever dream of doing.

however - I agree with the above comments, find a LWB sierra ute or look at a different brand of vehicle

[Gwagensteve]

It's certainly not my idea of a goldilocks jimny. Too tall, whacky roll stiffness/centres, hack fabrication (look at that rear panhard and the links!) and if it ever falls over its going to destroy the cab.

[Technotron101]

It's certainly not the best...

[alien]

Gwagensteve wrote:

if it ever falls over.

*when

[Seth2013]

Gwagensteve wrote:

It's certainly not my idea of a goldilocks jimny. Too tall, whacky roll stiffness/centres, hack fabrication (look at that rear panhard and the links!) and if it ever falls over its going to destroy the cab.

LOL - and thats why i'm clearly a bolt on modder and not a fabricator - good spotting Steve.

[BlueSuzy]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Not much different, but a sierra isn't made of glass.

Apparently the gearbox's are made of glass. I've rebuilt mine and didn't see any glass at all.