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Welcome Beagle,
Quite a wide ranging set of wants, so apologies in advance for the long reply.
Love my '99 GV V6 manual - bought new so owned it 20 years now & done lots to it......
If you've had other 4WDrives before......Suzuki's are different. The secret to Suzuki's is that they are smaller & lighter than just about everything out there. A GV is less so than earlier Vitaras & certainly a heavy Sierra would still be lighter than a 'light' GV.
Point is, don't make it any heavier than it needs to be.
Personally, I think if you want & then need a winch bar & winch on the front of your GV, you're in the wrong car, going places that are going to cause you grief. I have an alloy bar to mount lights, aerial & radiator protector mesh, but can't justify a steel bar or winch & my car is already much heavier than I would like it to be.
The 1998-2005 GV was mostly overlooked by the aftermarket accessory suppliers when new & it's still not that good now.
Rear mechanical diff lock - I assume you mean an auto (un)locker like spartan or lockrite - they are available, most Suzuki (Sierra) owners don't rate them, but a GV is heavier than a Sierra, so sort of work ok.
PowerTrax "Lock Right" & Nitro "Lunchbox Locker" available from companies like JimnyBits - UK. They also sell a spool from Trail Gear, which is cheaper again.
If you can afford it, go for ARB AirLockers & get a diff specialist to install them, as it is not straight forward.
Your year auto GV probably has an alloy front diff housing & centre. These are weak if driven hard with bigger, grippier tyres & locking the front diff with an alloy housing is asking for trouble. This can be swapped for cast steel items from a manual GV but the ratios are different - auto has 4.875:1 & manual 4.3:1.
The last auto GVs (a bit later than 2002 I think) also had steel housings & centres - check the diff to cross member mount, as there are a couple of different types.
XL-7s had steel bits, but odd ratios. Still, I think your ratios on an airlocker should be able to fit.
You can use 5.12:1 from an earlier Vitara's to mostly compensate for bigger tyres, but again, get a diff specialist to set them up.
Front driveshafts / CVs also need to be treated with care & it is involved to up-grade them.
Lots of people have given up wheeling a GV hard, due to limitations of getting the front end to stay together.
There are transfer case gears available for low range = 3:1 (std is 1.8:1) but do nothing for high range, which is stuck at 1:1.
2" suspension lift is too high IMO, again for front end limitations, although 4xFour Art do a 3" lift, but it is a comprehensive kit.
OME suspension from ARB is probably as good as it gets, although there are kits from Dobinsons, Ironman, Pedders etc. - these are all in the 30-40mm increase range.
Even so, diff rotation ('drop') brackets are advisable.
Your 2002 might have SRS airbags? - limits already limited options for winch bars.
Look at Uneek & Outback Accessories.
Snorkel - really only FTS out of Taiwan. I don't know of a stockist in Aust.
There is a Toyota Hilux version that is meant to be close enough to not look too ugly, but I think it is not compatible with ABS brakes - which you car probably has.
Wheels are a pain in the ass, as the centre needs to dish around the front brake calipers, as the step in the rotor is shallow - stick with the original 16" wheels.
The biggest size, without too much dicking around is 225/75R16. (still need to bang the top lip of the rear arches around & loose the mud flap) - about a 30" tyre & plenty of options.
If you want to do some dicking around - 245/75R16 is about the 31" you are after - or 215/85R16 is a easier fit, but there are only a few tyres available in this size (like Maxxis MT753 Bravo).
Need bumpstop spacing, mods to wheelarch liners, body & plastic trimming etc.
People have fitted bigger, but lots of cutting &/or body lift (SRS issues for you again?) required.
Car is low to the ground, so lifting with tyres is a good idea - decent bash plates are worthwhile. Sump is a little vulnerable & the gearbox cross member will get bent out of shape & acts as a plow without them.
Have fun!.
Rgs, Michael
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