[SurfyZook]

G'Day all,

Great forum, stacks of good info on here!

Thought I'd introduce my first Zook and myself

She is a 1990 SJ413 with a 1.6 G16B EFT conversion





I am setting her up for a lot of international travel so have lots planned for her so will start a build page when it kicks off

Just had a couple of quick Q's

Does anyone know of any suppliers of LSD or do they still make them?

What's the cheapest ARB lockers you guys have come across? Ive been quoted $1200 supply

Any common faults or things to look out for with the G16B engine or the Zook in general?

I am going to try keep it to the GVM of 1370kg but have seen you can get heavy duty springs. Has anyone install these? How they go? Do you know what they increase the GVM to?

Cheers in advance

SZ

[Dec]

[quote="SurfyZook"]
I am setting her up for a lot of international travel so have lots planned for her so will start a build page when it kicks o

A zook that flies! You've got me interested:)
Great looking zook mate welcome to AZ!

Be sure to keep on top of the rust i.e, Floor pans, windscreen surround and the door sills (behind the plastic decor).

[Gwagensteve]

I believe an LSD is available, but there's no point fitting one - they don't and can't be expected to do the job of a locker. They are also at least as expensive as a genuine air locker and very difficult to find.

The cheapest air lockers are the Chinasoong versions. They seem OK(ish) and are around $600 each, although the compressor, wiring, fittings etc all appear to be of average quality.

$1200 supply is about right for a genuine airlocker.

The most common fault with the G16B is head cracks followed by block cracks. Symptoms will look like a head gasket failure. Overheating most likely causes the cracking.

Heavy duty springs do not increase GVM. GVM is a function of all of the engineering parameters of the vehicle, not just spring rate. If you wish to legally increase the cars GVM, you can approach an approved engineer to see what they might require you to do, but the best solution is to avoid overloading in general - lighter cars are more reliable and better to drive than heavier cars.

Steve.

[Gwagensteve]

International travel? In that car?

I probably would have chosen a vehicle with more payload and with factory fitted motor. (as opposed to an engine conversion)

Also be aware that any substantial roof load can lead to cracks in the base of the A pillars. I have seen this first hand.

Your car already looks to have aftermarket springs with reasonable lift in them, they should be more than adequate to retain acceptable compression travel up to GVM.

Steve.

[SurfyZook]

Hey Dec & Steve

Cheers for the reply fellas

Yeah will be attempting to travel from Sydney to Europe. 1st goal is to make it through Indonesia.

Yeah, have already found a few rust spots around the side plastic bumpers so will be getting on to that. Will check the other spots you mentioned Dec.

I thought LSD would be a cheaper alternative. Bummer! Will have to have a think about weather to install the air locker. I don't plan on attempting any really narly tracks but I know Indonesian roads can get pretty bad and want to be prepared. Really trying hard to keep costs down as well.

I plan to do a full rebuild so might see if I can get the head and block Xrayed for piece of mind

Heavy duties leafs are out then out then will just have to keep to the specified weight. Yes it has a 2inch lift.

I originally had planned to do it on a DR650 but really want to take a couple of surfboards and some photography equipment that just wouldn't fit on a motorbike. So after doing some research for a suitable vehicle, the sierra was perfect. Cheap on fuel, 4x4, light, small and reliable. I choose the 1.6 thinking it would be easier on the engine when full loaded.

Thanks again guys

SZ

[alien]

If you're doing slow speed sort of stuff the 1.3 will be perfectly adequate if geared properly for the tyres. The 1.6 REALLLLY shines for highway driving / anything where you want to go over 40km/hr for a long time. If it's all about reliability, then keeping things as stock as possible will make parts that much easier should something break. Maybe look at what suzukis they got in Indonesia as to what spares you'll have available? They definitely got the 1.3L sierra in some form or another. Did they get the Vitara or other vehicle with a g16 in it?

[SurfyZook]

G'Day Alien,

The Zook already has the G16B in it and I'm really happy with it.

Reliability is definitely the goal but want to make it a capable 4x4 as well

Good point about seeing if Indo has Vitaras for parts cheers for that one. I plan to have a basic kit with me to

SZ

[vet 180]

Really cool project.

Make sure you do a thread

[J--A--C--K]

Having driven around Australia in my sierra , I would say keep the tyre size down to a reasonable size, I had 30x9.5 muddies and they are loud and heavy and rely on gearing to much. I blew a transfer case after doing some hard trails and heavily loaded, and sourcing a new case and fitting wasn't to hard , but doing the next 8,000ks were hard on stock gearing. Plus bearings don't last as long.
Just my 2 cents.
Have allways wanted to do an international drive.
I'd want to cross russa and over to Alaska and the Yukon.
Good luck

[SurfyZook]

Cheers Vet180 yeah will do mate

It has 205 on the front and 215 on the back at the moment so was going to stick with those sizes to keep costs down and to keep things as stock as possible. So cheers for the heads up on tyres

Trip around Oz would have been awesome.

Maybe you should start planning that Russia and Alaska crossing, would be a wicked trip!

SZ

[TEKNO]

G,day....love the older models...looks good mate

[GraphicX]

those rims look sweet on it.

make sure if you make the trip to post some pics of your zook globe trotting.

[Brenno]

Hi SZ,

I would start with making sure you have the same size tyres front to rear, that would go a long way into making a reliable vehicle. I wouldn't even put it in 4wd without changing that first, Sierras have no centre differential.

Sound like one hell of an adventure! Would you mind letting us know what age you are attempting such a feat?

[SurfyZook]

Cheers Tekno and GraphicX

G'Day Brenno, I thought the previous owner just had the tyres that way to keep the steering a bit lighter. Will make sure I buy same front and back. Cheers for the heads up!

29 years young

SZ

[AckerDackerly]

Nice looking Suzuki Sierra!

One of the great things about the venerable SJ is the fact that is is quite capable just as it came from the factory!

As others have said, the more stock you keep it, the easier it will be to fix it - although it should not be too hard to find G16 parts. Well, maybe between Indonesia and Russia might be a bit difficult unless you go through India - but that means crossing Iran/Iraq or Afganistan...

I would go over it thoroughly to make sure everything is in tiptop condition - especially the fuel and electrical system. Bad earths seem to be a major problem so check all the black wires connected to the body for a solid clean connection. If in doubt, disconnect, clean the contact surfaces and reconnect using special electrical grease that conducts in addition to subduing corrosion.

On a side note, I have looked into driving from the lower 48 states to a small Alaskan town called Unalakleet on the Norton Sound near the Bering Strait. There are no roads in that part of Alaska. While the Samurai is a pretty good offroader, it would take a well-equipped Avis Stalwart FV620 or 622 to make the trip... Lots of swampy tundra in the summer and massive snow in the winter.



Who knows what they have for roads on the other side of the Bering Strait...

[Gwagensteve]

Acker - G16B cars are common in indonesia and russia.

Surfyzook,

You're going to need to know exactly how the conversion was wired, what clutch parts etc were used, and how the fuel system was set up. Balenos and G16B votaries were pretty much sold everywhere in the world, so getting parts shouldn't be a big problem, but you'll need to know what's in the car.

There's countless different ways of wiring the car. You definitely need to know exactly what was done and whether it was done reliably. The ECU and EFI gear is very reliable, but some people's wiring isn't.
Make sure the check engine light is connected and working (there is already a position for the check engine light in the sierra dashboard but it's unused with the carby engine) make sure you understand how to put the ECU into diagnostic mode and you have a copy of the codes from the FSM with you. I reckon only a small proportion of G16B conversions ever get the check engine light setup - It's vital in my opinion.

I would completely go through the fuel system. This is an area where many conversions are compromised. If the car has an external LP pump/surge tank/HP pump setup throw it away. This WILL give you problems. Source an SJ80 fuel tank and fit a Vitara swimmer pump. Ensure the electrical connections to the pump are sound and all rubber hose is EFI compatible. Carry a spare pump with you, along with a coil and igniter that suits your model of G16B. Depending on age and local emissions controls etc, there were a number of subtly different G16B EFI setups so finding the right coil and igniter are important. Take at least one spare fuel filter. Consider if filling from dubious pumps carrying coffee filters and filling through a funnel so you can observe for water/junk in the fuel. the G16B will burn almost any grade fuel but water and debris will still be an issue.

Have the engine leak down tested and the cooling system pressure tested.

If the engine has a thermo fan/controller etc throw it away and fit a stock sierra radiator shroud and a G16B vitara viscous fan. These will cool the car under all conditions without wiring/controllers/additional electrical load/connections etc.

Carefully check/revise the air filtration. The stock vitara G16B air box is pretty average for prolonged dust exposure, and the G13 airbox is also of poor construction. I would recommend a proper cyclonic airbox like the 1980's Hi-ace airbox I've used in a couple of projects. An added bonus is that 80's Hi-aces are everywhere in SE asia so replacement of the element (should you need to) will be easy. Make sure all the rubber inlet piping seals properly and hasn't become embrittled from oil exposure.

Personally, I would be concerned about the longevity of the gearbox, Sierra gearboxes are old and the G16B puts them under a much higher torque load. Then the rear axle (bearings mostly, then housing) if you are travelling on unsealed roads for prolonged periods. Make sure all bearings and gears are in good shape. Have them gone through and setup by a reputable shop. Many workshops set these diffs up poorly.

I would consider swapping to Cromo front axles. Not because of strength - you won't need the axle strength if you stay at a 215 tyre, but because the 26 spline front axles mean the front and rear diff centres are identical. This means if you have problems with the rear centre you can swap front and rear centres over quite quickly and with no special tools.

I know most of the world isn't very "remote" any more, but you'll likely be doing around 20,000km or so on generally poor roads, in a 25 year old car at GVM. (it will be by the time you're packed, despite intentions) making sure you know enough about the car to keep it going will be critical.

Steve.

[SurfyZook]

Sweet! Cheers fellas

Heaps of good points to check over. I'm making a list of mods and rebuilds so will add all the points you guys raised.

Really appreciate it

Hopefully start the preparation in April so will start a build project page and I'm sure will have a heap more Q's

The Avis Stalwart FV620 or 622 looks like not much could stop it! Would be a unreal trip

Cheers

SZ