Suzuki Club UK

Ok this is for interest sake as I probably wouldn't build it but here are some guidelines if you want to play along and design next years Xmas pressie:-

1. Must remain road legal
2. Don't want to go too high as we have lot's of side slopes. But love ground clearance.
3. Don't have much mud.
4. Kibris cannot play coz he will just describe his own zook
5. A/C would be nice?
6. Would consider better axles

So please let's have your input, nothing crazy expensive, please try and keep it sensible...ish

a) BODY WORK
b) SUSPENSION
c) ENGINE
d) TRANSMISSION

I'll make a small start and chime a bit later:-

a) BODY WORK - LWB - bobbed - for better handling and departure angle. Hard top?
b) SUSPENSION - can I do coils and be UK road legal?
c) ENGINE - Hmmmm suppose the usual would be 1.6 16v or VW 1.9 TD would be better?
d) TRANSMISSION - not sure of ratios but would fancy Toyota or Patrol axles -auto?

A+B) Having seen various poeple's trucks and having been for a ride in Scottie's I'd say that a virtual lift and bolt on YJ spring kit.

C) Standard engine swap is a G16 with a cutsom intake manifold and an SU HIF44. If you're determined then you can make almost anything work. An XUD engine and LDV gearbox is also something that gets thrown around a lot, but the weight sounds like it's an issue. There's also the J20A which if I'm remembering rightly Scottie now has. There's also the Suzuki V6 petrol H20, H25 and H27 engines that I think could make for an awesome SJ but I think you'd need to use the gearbox that the engine came with and meatier diffs/axles.

D) Rock lobsters are a great way of dropping the gearing for bigger tyres. Hilux axles are supposed to be an easy-ish mod. Maybe consider ARBs or lock rights?

This is how I'm building my LWB, simple(ish), strong, reliable and easy to work on.

1.6 16v, Sj gearbox, rocklobster, 4.3 diffs

RUF with hilux springs on the rear (or similar YJs etc.)

full float converted rear axle of some description.

Chromo shafts and CVs up front

255/85r16 tyres

Power steering

Virtual lift and tucked sills (possibly box section?)....I kepp thinking about bobtailing it but i'm not sure I want to

Transferbox lift

Aiming for a roof height of no more than 6'1"

Internal roll cage, tied into body and seat mounts.

tube bumpers front and rear.

Ed - yeah to what you say, but all your reduction gears in transfer box is not the most reliable way.

Scottie - like your ideas, have you not considered coils? Followed a lifted SWB anus the other day and he really hit his rear end hard dropping off a ledge and if that had been a LWB standard it would have been a nasty hit.

I assume tube bumpers for lightness?

If it was easier to make coils 100% road legal in this country then I would. However it's not

The buggy build I'm starting next year will be on coilovers hopefully though.

That's getting a j20a (either auto or manual? Still haven't deicided) using either an SJ tbox or landcruiser, depending on funds.

Will be on 35s and some hybrid axles I want to build. Suzuki based to keep them light and not too wide.

And yes, I'll be using 44.45x3.25mm tube for the bumpers and they will be very simple and as light as possible.

The one thing I like to do is keep the weight down on everything I build. Less weight means less strain on all the components and less power is needed.

Ta mate all sensible - anyone else want to play?
Go on Mark, you can play now

I'm blatently going to describe my pressie to me here, rather than something I'm seriously suggesting anyone actually tries:

a) GRP LJ body stretched to fit SJ chassis (perhaps a pickup conversion) and 6 point cage for safety
b) Quarter elliptic YJ's with panhards or 3 link from a Vitara, springs from Jimny*
c) Toyota 1ND-TV 1.4 TD engine, BMW 6 speed rwd box
d) Rocklobster, 3.9's, 31" tyres and the gearing is within 1% of factory in high, but twice as low in low.

This is with the BMW box with a 1:0.66 6th - the first 5 gears are roughly the same as a standard SJ413 box. Otherwise you'd need custom t-case gears.

* With the leaf perches intact so you can swap back to leafs easily for legal reasons, if it's purely bolt-on, it should be ok - but if VOSA whines then being able to swap back in a car park is good. I think making a coil conversion can be done as a purely bolt-on thing without too much trouble. Yes, the upper wishbone would need an extra crossmember welding in, but that's perfectly legal - and the trailing arms would bolt in using the leaf spring perch. Some guy did it years ago.

Maybe I'm just lusting after coils but I can't get it out of the back of my mind. I know YJ's are a far more sensible idea, but coils...

Coils, coils - wherefore art thou not on my truck???

This would be what i would build. Awesome truck!

http://youtu.be/aey6Y1PvB58

Nice zook! So back to coils in UK, are Rocky Road kits for coils legal there??

What about portal axles. There is a nice set not too far from me, unfortunately they are on a nice little haflinger