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Choice of weapon.
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Author:  Davros-1 [ Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Choice of weapon.
Of all the vehicals I had one of the best ever was my little Zook.

Had fat tyres, 5K engine (after I blew up the 4K :oops: ), fat flares to cover the 9R tyres and it could go anywhere. Since it had stock LJ50 gearing I presume it used to rev it's little nuts off on the bitty - still got 50+ mpg no matter what.

Recently my son has bought a tin top f10a that stirred a lot of memories, and helping sort that out has made me realise just how much bang for the buck these things give you.

However. I have found I don't fit near as easily as I remember. Fine once in there, and the non-standard seat doesn't help at all, but something to consider....

Time to turn to the brilliance online here!

I am in S.A. - the lower western bit. So there's bugger all boggy bits. A 300 metre high hill is a mountain. Snow is in a Christmas ornament. The next pub is frequently considered close if it is less than an hour away at 100 km/h. There are lots of sand hills, sand tracks, sandy beaches and some rocky limestoney tracks linking the bitumen and the sandy bits. From time to time I want to drag a tinny to some of the less well trodden places over said sand and camp, just one or two people and swags. Big stretchy wheel travel is not much needed that I can see, although there are plenty of towering Hiluxs and Toytrols staggering around the place, so maybe I'll find out otherwise.

What type of zook should I consider? LWB 1.3? Vitara? From what I gather browsing here an NT shorty is probably a great weapon locally just as I remember, and while my lad's little bus is remarkably willing when towing the tinny on the road to the boat ramp, it probably is not going to cope with skull dragging it through sand....

Budget, going to be cheap. Two grand, maybe three.

Ideas and opinions?

I'm jealous of this smiley :beer: His glass fills up with no obvious effort on his part.
Author:  SierraDan [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 8:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
I would say a LWB Vitara. 1.6 EFI with 4speed auto. Little bit of lift and some good tyres.
Author:  bumstein [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 9:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
Whichever zook makes you smile the most when you drive it :-)

for me it's a '93 softtop Sierra 1.3. I've done long drives in it (3000 k's in three days across the Nullarbor) and although it was noisy and bumpy and not nearly as spacious as our 80 series cruiser.. I smiled every time I jumped in it to do another leg of the journey!!

Choose the one that blows your hair back :-)

8)
Author:  Scrawny [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 10:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
SierraDan wrote:
I would say a LWB Vitara. 1.6 EFI with 4speed auto. Little bit of lift and some good tyres.


The older I get the more readily I tend to agree with this ^^^^ I'm in a SWB Vit now after a Sierra so I'm halfway there. It has all the creature comforts of a/c, power everything, coil springs, EFi etc but still small, light and cheap to run
Author:  VonDecoy [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 10:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
sierradan wrote:
I would say a LWB Vitara. 1.6 EFI with 4speed auto. Little bit of lift and some good tyres.

bumstein wrote:
Whichever zook makes you smile the most when you drive it :-)


This, so very much.
I have a 97 SWB Softtop Vitara. It's a 1.6 manual.
It'll happily sit on 110 on the bitumen. Sand does not worry it.
Some weeks ago we pulled a 6x4 trailer full of dirt with it.
It carried all the gear for 2 guys (swags, food, beer, chairs) the length of the border track.
If I could buy mine again I'd get an auto hardtop version. (and there's one that lives near me.... :( )
Other than that, it's perfect.
Author:  atari4x4 [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
SierraDan wrote:
I would say a LWB Vitara. 1.6 EFI with 4speed auto. Little bit of lift and some good tyres.


quoted for truth, so much truth. Armsup

235/75r15 AT's + Dobinson lift kit from Dank & add accessories to it when required.



Davros-1 if you find one in Adelaide that you'd like looked at before making the trip over to the big smoke, just shoot us a message & a link & i'd be more than happy to pick the shit out of it & take a heap of pics for you.
Author:  alexxx [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
welcome buddy. I just sold a SWB 1.6 efi 94 Vitara and the thing did everything i wanted it to.

go the LWB and Auto and your laughing!!!
Author:  alexxx [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/enfield/ ... 1013520806
Author:  alexxx [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/o-sulliv ... 1013335306
Author:  Davros-1 [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
Oh alexxx, I was just in the process of contacting you, when it sold! I admit, I spend a bit of time grovelling through Gumtree etc. and comparing comparing.... That one was right at the top of the list.

It must be the old school in me - I honestly had not for a moment considered an auto, in fact it was normally a reason to X that tab when browsing, until now anyway. Nor had i considered the four door Vit, just assumed the SWB was the go 'because' So the consensus is that the auto wil handle normal towing o.k.? I'm not planning on pulling the loads my 'Cruisers can deal with - frankly there isn't much that matches them for outright ability. Having owned quite a few of them now I guess the biggest change in my thinking is that this is a pure recreational and fun vehicle. It doesn't have to earn me money, it just has to make me smile, I like that - that advice is excellent and now part of my 'must have' list. I'm assuming there must be the normal trans coolers etc. required to keep the trans from meltdown in the sand on a stinker of a day. Don't get me wrong, I'll take an auto any day over a manual for like a Falcon etc. so I'm not against them, I've just always gone for the simple manual box for work vehicals. Guess I'm predjudiced against the Tojo big 4WD autos anyway, not a good reputation, considered very weak and unreliable if loaded up.

Back when I had my old Zook, a friend who is an auto trans specialist was allways saying that a properly built trimatic would be ideal for it, and he reckoned the transfer box etc. was not much of a job to splice in somehow. But I sold it, so we didn't do it. What could have been, as we didn't know it couldn't be done, we would have done it and thought little of it. Around this time I built a wild 302 Cleveland up and fitted it to a SWB FJ40 - mounted the engine 450mm rearwards and did a lot of work to get the centre of balance central and low. So modding held no fear, we figured if it's made of steel it can be welded, and not seen anything to change my mind.

I'm loving the links, drooling on my keyboard now... Like air-con, I'm a grandpa now, so I'm allowed to be soft - it's for the grandkid you know, got to keep him cool, not me. <ahem>

LWB is long enough to sleep in with the seats down perhaps? Yes I am short for my width - the low centre of gravity gives me fearsome stability on a boat you know. Looking at alexxx's build there isn't a great deal to do to get plenty of offroad ability unleashed, although given a sprightly engine and low weight I imagine they go a long way if you know what you are doing even dead stock.

Had a bit of interest in some of my 'Cruiser parts and rolling wrecks already, few diffs, a gearbox or three and I will have no further excuses!

Thanks to all so far, that was a worthwhile question.
Author:  Davros-1 [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 6:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
'Nother quick question, I've noticed there is discussion re. alloy diff housings versus steel diff housings in the Vitaras. Is this a deal breaker, or really only an issue when the owner proudly tells us he has a 'locked' rear diff - which I assume to mean welded solid and thus illegal anyway, or if the vehicle is expected to be used hard core rather than lightly, i.e. diff locks, big rocky stuf etc.?

Cheers.

:beer: is good.
Author:  VonDecoy [ Sat Feb 02, 2013 6:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
I'm 176cm and can sleep in my Vitara. It's a bit of a squeeze, and I do have to remove the passenger seat. A LWB would be much easier.

I think the steel diff is more of an optional yet awesome extra.
IF you can afford to get one go for it, if not maybe just keep your eyes peeled and try not to shock load the front diff. From what I've read most of the broken diffs come from driving hard and larger tyres.
Regarding 'locked' rear diffs. Hopefully they mean that it's got either an air operated, or automatic diff lock. Welded solid would be a dealbreaker for me.

Check out Atari's Blagon. I reckon it's great. Even just from the pictures.
Of course, more experienced minds than mine will be able to tell you heaps more.
Author:  Davros-1 [ Sun Feb 03, 2013 8:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
Check out Atari's Blagon. I reckon it's great. Even just from the pictures.
Of course, more experienced minds than mine will be able to tell you heaps more.[/quote]


I hope to catch up to Atari at some stage.

Anyone with a Vit is qualified to have an opinion to me, I asked the question so I won't argue. :)
Author:  DarkHorse [ Wed Feb 06, 2013 10:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
Up to 235/75 tyres and a bit of restraint and a stock alloy diff should be OK for most driving.
31s and a lack of mechanical sympathy is a pretty immediate death sentence.

4 doors, aircon, power steer, plenty of space, road manners... you don't have to be a grandpa to appreciate the little luxuries. ;)

IMO the later 2L motors are worth the upgrade, and they can be found for around the $3k mark.
Author:  Davros-1 [ Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
Primary purpose to me is to drive on sand. Bouncing over rocks is not my scene - much more likely to go for a sierra for mountain goat stuff.

I really do like the idea of comfort, had plenty of time in bare bone 4WD's over the years.
Author:  atari4x4 [ Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
a stocker will do fine in the sand, just run the right tyre pressures & you'll be laughing, it's just sometime you'll be wanting more ground clearance. i say find the nicest one around & then once the bank balance recovers, keep your eye out for some 235's A/T's & hit dank up for a good deal on a dobinson lift kit.

i reckon that's a solid combo for a mild tourer, tyres aren't too big that you're going to have gearing issues & the new springs & shocks will give you a bit of extra height & probably ride a bit nicer too. i wheeled on 30's & 31's for a bloody long time & with some sensible driving i didn't smash a diff or even pop a CV.... mechanical sympathy goes along way to keeping the front end together.
Author:  Davros-1 [ Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
That sounds just fine to me. I'm not hard on machinery, and I have a pretty good handle on the use I plan so the advice thus far is very gratefully received. My only hangup is regarding the ability of the auto Vit's when towing, is there any extra cooling required? Or are they pretty well bomb proof from stock? Not planning to drag big loads, but will a tinny or small trailer prove problematic in soft going and at highway speeds?

Thanks to all, appreciate the advice thus far.
Author:  atari4x4 [ Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
the 4speed auto in the LWB's are an AW4 (i'm sure it means aisin warner 4 speed) & they're used in the 4.0l jeeps & i think they're also in the v6 pajero, so they're going to pretty under stressed in the vitara.

i'd maybe look at a small aux transcooler seeing some of the temps you can get out your way, but with a 235 it's not really going to be working overtime.
Author:  jimnynutter [ Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
Well shit, all this auto praise is making me feel silly for buying a manual.
Author:  atari4x4 [ Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
the only time i've missed the manual in the old silver one is when i'm pedalling the blagon through the hills at a great rate of knots, but i reckon it keeps getting better & better offroad the more i learn to drive it
Author:  45tr0 [ Sun Feb 10, 2013 1:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
Reading with interest.
With the jimny selling I'm contemplating what next. 4 doors and aircon a necessity, and an auto are a must if the wife or girlfriend are ever going to drive it.
Which is the pick of the vitara motors mated to the auto - 1.6l or 2.0l? Any advantages over the GV when it comes to lift, tyres and other mods, etc?
Author:  christover1 [ Sun Feb 10, 2013 7:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
I have a 93 efi 1.6. LWB Vitara
I'd choose a 2.0 if wanting to run large tyres,
as gearing options for high range are rare/expensive.
Author:  DarkHorse [ Sun Feb 10, 2013 9:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
45tr0 wrote:
Reading with interest.
With the jimny selling I'm contemplating what next. 4 doors and aircon a necessity, and an auto are a must if the wife or girlfriend are ever going to drive it.


So you'd be looking for a manual then :lol:

45tr0 wrote:
Which is the pick of the vitara motors mated to the auto - 1.6l or 2.0l? Any advantages over the GV when it comes to lift, tyres and other mods, etc?


Depending on loads, tyre size and terrain... the G16B is fine up to about 30" tyres with not much weight and flat roads. Add rubber, load and hills and I think the V6 is worth the upgrade.
Author:  45tr0 [ Sun Feb 10, 2013 9:23 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Choice of weapon.
DarkHorse wrote:

So you'd be looking for a manual then :lol:



Lol. I've always been a manual person but I'm outvoted, plus I'm interested to find out what all the "autos are betterer off road" noise is about.


DarkHorse wrote:

Depending on loads, tyre size and terrain... the G16B is fine up to about 30" tyres with not much weight and flat roads. Add rubber, load and hills and I think the V6 is worth the upgrade.


V6 it is then. Thanks :)
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