[Smokeyr67]

G'day guys, I'm Shane and my I l'm looking to build a nice little offroader.

The thing is, my last Suzuki was a leaf sprung 1 l hardtop, and I'm totally out of the loop now, so I need your input.

Ideally, I'm looking at getting a stock coil sprung softtop,that I can to a nut and bolt rebuild on, but in reality, I dont even know if that animal exists,


I need your help.

I grew up wanting the perfect 4wd, joined the Army and drove 8 ton off road, but knew that my little Sierra could do more than that Mack.

Thanks

Smokey

[neofitou]

I went though a very similar thing last year, I also had a 1l many years ago, and bought a new sierra, did a modest build on it and enjoyed the hell out of it (then moved to vanuatu and sold it )

You are better off with a wide track. They are leaf sprung, but the Coily sierra is a worse choice due to issues with part availiablity (they change a lot of the drivetrain) as they only produced it for a few years.



Good Basic Zuk, IMHO.
WT (wide track) Stock base
31" MT Tires.
transfer case gears gears.
Front and rear lockers, preferably air.
Bumpstop extensions

Longer leafs front and rear:
RUF (rear up front) with NT spacing.

gwagonsteve has a good write up here
There are probably a few on here too, hit up the search button as you go, and start a build thread.

Also a good option is check out the for sale and wanted sections. there are a few guys on here from brizzy that might be able to help you out.

But I (and a many others) are avioding a body lift, you dont need much persuation to get 31s to fit without it.

You can convert to coils and bigger tires etc later, once you get a feel for the car and done some driving in it, and seen others cars perform. different things work in diferent conditions so it will also come down to the tracks you drive.

neo.

[Smokeyr67]

Mate, I understood your first sentence:)
Thats why I'm here, for informed opinion.

I wont be body lifting, maybe an inch suspension lift, but thats about it.

To be honest, I'm after something for nothing, a real bare arse project. I want to rebuild, not renovate

Thanks Neo,

[neofitou]

In that case, even simpler.

You will be able to get a car in good condition that should not require much work, but take your time, they come and go, Drive.com.au let you set up a search that emails you whenever a car is listed there or on ebay whenever one pops up which is handy.

Then just a suspension kit and some better tires.
The ebay kits often get rubbish reviews, they are usually made with chinese steel which sags quickly. OME and a few others are made locally and are a good, and even super cheap can provide them.
215x15R75 will fit the exising wheels and require no modifications, and will pass a roadworthy .

Jobs done!

[alien]

get a WT leafy, chuck a 1.6L engine in it and some 215/75r15 BFG KM2 or Kumho KL71, throw airlockers at it front and rear and go spastic.

its not cheap to do like that, but would be an awesome rig.

to do it on the cheap, weld the rear diff, auto-lock the front diff and just give the stock 1.3L a good service and new exhaust with extractors, then fit the 215/75s.

[neofitou]

oh yeah, extractors are a must.

but the 1.6 is not! especially with 215s.

[tanshi]

pick up another 1 litre! can be had cheep and if your going with the complete rebuild option and know your way around the tools can be done up just as nicely

[alien]

neofitou wrote:

oh yeah, extractors are a must.

but the 1.6 is not! especially with 215s.

depends how fast you like to get places =) haha the 1.6 makes the biggest difference to the on-road day-to-day driveability of a sierra IMO.

[Fatzook]

Buy a 1L. They are narrow track, which gives a narrow spring spacing. You can pick up a pair of Wide track sierra diffs for a couple hundred these days. Slap them underneath after moving the perches to suit the narrow position. Find some 4.6:1 vitara front R&P's and drop them into your new diffs ($150 each), Chuck in a 2" lift with RUF and some 235/75 tyres of your choice, and enjoy running rings around most other 4by's, including 1.3L sierras.

The 1L is a stunning little motor!

[Proxy]

alien wrote:

to do it on the cheap, weld the rear diff, auto-lock the front diff and just give the stock 1.3L a good service and new exhaust with extractors, then fit the 215/75s.

this is my zook without the lockers, almost had it a year now and i've driven over more than i could of imagined, on sagged out old springs then a 2nd set of stock ones,

they are a seriously capable car, everytime i've got stuck and my modified mates moved on i just re thought my driving line and what i was doing and tried again, sometimes a little push may be needed but hey a push cost's nothing

[mrw82]

*shameless plug time* http://auszookers.com/index.php?name=Fo ... ic&t=24603

come have a look at it and make an offer mate.

a 1 litre hardtop, just like the good old days

[Smokeyr67]

Sorry for my slow reply.

What I need is to learn about the different Suzie models.
When I started my research I knew about 1l and 1.3l, 4 and 5 speed boxes, soft and hard tops.

I assumed wheelbase and track stayed the same.

My search will start with a search for knowledge.

Thanks guys