View Full Version : Suzuki SJ
Hi
Another thread for the S4X4OC on here.
This is a little bit of a catch up as i bought this a little while ago but i will try and bring this up to date pretty quickly.
I got bitten by the offroading bug a little while ago. Bought this a short time later. Pretty clean example (for its age) and had a whole years MOT on it. Completely standard except a set of lift shackles the prev owner had put on it. (i'll come to them later.)
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0169.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0170.jpg
Chriscooke
03-08-2011, 18:25
Awesome little toy. Get some proper tyres on it and get offroading :D Maybe a rollcage as well as these have a habbit of tipping over ;)
marko14a
03-08-2011, 18:38
My mate had one of these. It was rusty, noisy, uncomfortable, slow and unreliable. But by god it was fun, and it would go anywhere :D
Don't put lift springs on and get airborne though. They tend to fold the other way :wack:
Awesome little toy. Get some proper tyres on it and get offroading :D Maybe a rollcage as well as these have a habbit of tipping over ;)
Cheers , yeah have had alot of fun in this already. As mentioned above this was as it was a little time ago, going to try and get up to date to where it is now asap, just wanted to put history on here as well. :thumbs:
Just a little pic of how naf :cry: this looks next to my mate's SJ. This is the difference in high with mine already having the 2 inch lift shackles.
As you can see, there is quite a big difference in ground clearance. Not helped by the tow bar on mine which i was about to rip off but then noticed that it actually serves as quite a good guard for the fuel tank so its staying untill i get around to moving the tank.
This was a massive incentive to get modding.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/IMG_6847.jpg
Waited for the insurance to come through and got some tax on it.
First day on the road, mate and i went for a bit of late night off-roading on the lanes round here.
Could not believe the places this thing went, up some pretty muddy hills etc and it just kept going , we were both amazed (and quite often in stitches) as thought it would be getting stuck everywhere on those tyres (they are classed as all terrain tyres, but have the weakest looking tread pattern on them)
The ruts were a bit of a problem mind, with those lift shackles hanging down like they do, i was quite lucky it was really wet so they could just plough through the mud rather than getting stuck.
Decided i definatatly needed to get some other form of lift and get rid of those shackles.
Couple of pics from the morning after.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0175.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0176.jpg
iow200sx
03-08-2011, 20:09
dam you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i wanted to be the resident suzuki sj sxoc member. ive had mine about 3 months now, its taxed and mot's but i wanted to spruce it up and sort some little miggles before i put it on the road properly. ill have to start a project thread with mine now.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/disco-nick/2011-06-24185412.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/disco-nick/2011-06-24185401.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/disco-nick/2011-06-24185348.jpg
i have to say yours is a very clean example, have you had a good look round for rust yet?? the first place you will find it go is in the back left corner under the carpet.
I love an SJ :nod:
Mine was brilliant and, like you say, would always surprise me where it would go. My favourite part of any PnP day would be pulling broken LR's out :D
Lift shackles are the spawn of the devil! I can see from the pics that if you took them off and put new standard springs on you'd probably only be about an inch lower. Mine was running 2" Ironman spring and Oldman Emu shocks, I think.
dam you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i wanted to be the resident suzuki sj sxoc member. ive had mine about 3 months now, its taxed and mot's but i wanted to spruce it up and sort some little miggles before i put it on the road properly. ill have to start a project thread with mine now.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/disco-nick/2011-06-24185412.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/disco-nick/2011-06-24185401.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/disco-nick/2011-06-24185348.jpg
i have to say yours is a very clean example, have you had a good look round for rust yet?? the first place you will find it go is in the back left corner under the carpet.
Looks good!
What lift has yours got, is it just spoa or have you got lift springs on aswel?
I love an SJ :nod:
Mine was brilliant and, like you say, would always surprise me where it would go. My favourite part of any PnP day would be pulling broken LR's out :D
Lift shackles are the spawn of the devil! I can see from the pics that if you took them off and put new standard springs on you'd probably only be about an inch lower. Mine was running 2" Ironman spring and Oldman Emu shocks, I think.
Yeah will defo be getting rid of the lift shackles, will be doing a spoa conversion on it soon, im just getting the bits together.
I know spoa conversions are like marmite, some people rate them, and some people hate them. My mates one (in pic with mine above) has it done and it performs really well so im going for it. Its also the cheapest way of giving that much lift.
Couple more updates to go before im up to date with current spec, one of those being a perfect demonstration of how bad lift shackles are.:mad:
So first thing on the list was some nice big m/t tyres and some wheel spacers.
The need for these became even more apparent the next time i took the 'long' way home.
I was coming down a very thin track when i got to a massive boggy section with a bit of a drop into it. I decided there were 2 options for tackling this:
1) slowly rolling the front over the edge and trying to accelerate through it
or
2) sticking the boot in a little and making sure i got through it
I was on my own so really didn't need to get stuck at that point and as shown above the tyres dont look great so didn't think accelerating through it was an option, that left option 2:wack:
So anyway big bang as i landed in it (turns out it was even bigger ditch than i thought :clap:) and strangely enough on the rest of the way home the car would turn left really easily but didn’t want to turn right.
Here is a pic of the gap between the front tyre and the rear of its arch one side
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0187.jpg
And here is the same gap on the other side
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0188.jpg
Yes the low hanging lift shackle has hit the deck and smashed the whole leaf spring rearwards and busted the eye off the other end of the spring.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0186.jpg
Park on drive untill i find new spring :down::down:
Mate had a spare set of front leaf springs so next job was to swop these over for mine, these were actually in better nick than the ones i had so changed them both over. They actually didn’t sag as much as the ones i had before as well. :DHappy days!:D
So back on the road (and off) next i went to pick up these beauties
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/KGrHqMOKi0E12kpszzBNpLGEN4Cg_12.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/KGrHqYOKpsE1q1fIVFfBNpLE3S6dg_12.jpg
iow200sx
04-08-2011, 07:28
as far as im aware mine is just a spoa conversion.
lol didnt realise they had leaf springs at the front, they really are prams :D
Great little toys SJ's but really shit when on the DC's you will probably end up wanting something a little bigger later on like a Vitara or SWB Shogun ;)
Oh and watch out when you are wading :wack:
http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/attachment.php?attachmentid=73844&stc=1&d=1312444456
Oh and watch out when you are wading :wack:
I thought they waded pretty well :wack:
<object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/E5Tsz_SMF5I?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/E5Tsz_SMF5I?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="349" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
lol didnt realise they had leaf springs at the front, they really are prams :D
Great little toys SJ's but really shit when on the DC's you will probably end up wanting something a little bigger later on like a Vitara or SWB Shogun ;)
Oh and watch out when you are wading :wack:
Don't think I will be wanting anything bigger, thats one thing I love about the sj, goes places others can't because nothing else fits. Have some pretty narrow lanes etc round here.
Apologies, but not sure what the DC's are. Pretty new to this game, still learning the lingo.:thumbs:
Its not an offroad term, DC's = Dual Carrageways :)
jonny, I love that video, every time i see it i cant help think its not real :wack:
Its not an offroad term, DC's = Dual Carrageways :)
jonny, I love that video, every time i see it i cant help think its not real :wack:
How obvious, don't I feel like the genius!
Yeb absolutly terrible on road and especially at any speed.( not that you can build up much lol) I don't really mind that at all though cos I bought it just purely for the rough stuff.
Havn't seen that vid before that is brilliant, but don't think ill be trying that in a while.
Ill post some pics with the above wheels + tyres fitted later when I'm at home. Completly changes look of the car.:smitten:
Yeah those wading pics take me back.
My first SJ was a standard green 413 with a fibreglass roof thing and that died in a lake in Telford :) My mate said 'it can't be that deep, it's on the top of a hill and i drove it last week in mine' I said 'come on then' and drove it in...... when the water settled higher than the bonnet i knew we were in trouble! He didn't tell me he'd done an spoa on his and it had rained heavily that week :whip: still we pulled it out, took the plugs out, syphoned the cylinders out and carried on for the rest of the day :D At the end of the day it got a mile up the road and shat it's engine.
The next one was a black 410 that came from north wales. It was turbo'd but had blown the head gasket and kept blowing head gaskets every time it was used in anger :( This got stripped for parts and scrapped.
The last one was a standard red 410. We fitted most of the parts from the black one as they were better. It ended up with a Safety Devices roll bar, the black ones axles as they had free wheeling hubs on the front, the springs and shocks mentioned earlier, the black ones roof as it was new and had tinted windows, vitara alloys with 30x9.50 BFG muds, Cobra recliners and a home made petrol tank in the rear bed. It went everywhere :D
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/Easy007/Suzuki/n742079768_155022_4782.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/Easy007/Suzuki/n742079768_155024_5436.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/Easy007/Suzuki/n742079768_155025_5762.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/Easy007/Suzuki/n742079768_155027_6409.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/Easy007/Suzuki/n742079768_155039_622.jpg
My mates had an spoa, 31x10.50's and a 1.6 crossflow :D
I miss it loads and really want another, if i wasn't building the truck i'd of had another years ago. My mates really want to club together and get another but space is a premium so will have to wait.
So anyway, picked up the above wheels and tyres, initially I thought I had probably pushed it a little too far with the size of these though.
I had decided to go as big (tall) as possible.
I thought that people do crazy lifts and suspension mods and then don't go that big with the tyres. After all it doesn't matter what you do lift wise the axle itself is only going to be as high of the ground as the wheel + tyre is tall. (Think that makes sense)
So fitted them with 32mm wheel spacers, straight on the rear (took a club hammer to arch to bend all the sills in etc but that was it)
Fronts were a little more work, spacers again, and again club hammer to arches but bumper needed trimming as well. Also bar that runs behind bumper needed trimming.
Instead decided to just remove the bumper altogether and chop the bar right back from in front of the wheels.
So they are on but it does mean the shackles def need to stay for a while as the tyres are snug. But to be fair as mentioned above the replacement springs sag less and the wheels+tyres alone have raised about 3 or 4 inches anyway.
What do you think? ?
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0202.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0201.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/Easy007/Suzuki/n742079768_155024_5436.jpg
Ha Ha, looking at the passenger in this pic reminds me of first time i took my bro out in the SJ.
He looked at the passanger handle built into the dash and joked 'whats this for' I told him to trust me that he would need it. He continued taking the piss and joking how over the top it was.
5 mins later i look over, and hes arms out straight locked onto it just like in the above photo. Looked like he was holding on for his life. Thought he was going to rip it out of the dash.:D
gtst lad
05-08-2011, 02:22
haha nothing like scaring a cocky passenger!! looks good btw, are you going to do anything with the diffs?
That looks much better :thumbs:
haha nothing like scaring a cocky passenger!! looks good btw, are you going to do anything with the diffs?
Thanks very much.
Not got any plans for the diffs yet as other things i want to get done first but maybe, depending how things go.
That looks much better :thumbs:
Thanks:thumbs:
These tyres have been amazing:eek: haven't struggled to get anywhere in it at all yet !!
I did have had some other bits to do here and there on it.
Noticed reverse lights weren’t working so managed to get guard and lens off the lights to find bulbs looked fine. So pulled the wires off the reverse light switch, bridged with a bit of wire and hey presto lights on, so a new switch was needed.
Heater wouldn’t throw out any heat, looked at the valve in the water system and that wasn’t moving at all when turning temp hot to cold, dug around behind the dash a little and the outer casing of the wire attaching lever to valve had come out of the clamp. Clamped back in place, job done.
Well that’s it pretty much it up to date. Had such a laugh in this already so glad i bought it.
Unfortunatly everywhere round here has been a bit to dry to have much fun recently so not used it much recently. (never knew there would be a time i would be pleased to see rain.)
Next things I’m planning on doing are:
- Spring over axle conversion ( I’ve got most of the bits needed for this already so won’t be long)
- Re-locating the fuel tank to inside,
- Dodgy looking homemade snorkel
- Pos some spotlights.
- Oh yeah and a cage maybe a good idea once its lifted.
All to do now is post up a couple of pics of it a short time ago looking nice and muddy but will have to wait a while untill i can take it out and get proper mudded up.
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0250.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0267.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/SJ/DSC_0265.jpg
iow200sx
06-08-2011, 10:33
just got a quick question, i think my water temp gauge works but if your does how far does the needle go up?
mine barely moves over the line even after a good thrashing.
also how long does it take before you get hot air from the heater? i seem to find mine takes ages.
just got a quick question, i think my water temp gauge works but if your does how far does the needle go up?
mine barely moves over the line even after a good thrashing.
also how long does it take before you get hot air from the heater? i seem to find mine takes ages.
Mine seems to behave pretty normal, sits just below half once warmed up sometimes goes a bit higher when offroading but pretty normal.
Does take a while to warm up but think thats normal and also better that it runs a bit cold cos means its less likely to overheat when working hard and not going very far off road
You could pos have a thermostat prob.
iow200sx
06-08-2011, 15:58
Mine seems to behave pretty normal, sits just below half once warmed up sometimes goes a bit higher when offroading but pretty normal.
Does take a while to warm up but think thats normal and also better that it runs a bit cold cos means its less likely to overheat when working hard and not going very far of roa
You could pos have a thermostat prob.
ye i must have a problem somewere, think im gonna have to change the stat and then go from there.
Long time since an update on this.
Still haven't got around to doing the spring over axle conversion on this yet. I have most of the bits need just need to do it.
Also managed to get a winch for it which i need to get round to fitting as well.
Well here are a couple of pics of the SJ in action, as you can see this was quite a slope (practically a quarter pipe) Just wish the quality was better but transferred from a mobile. (still think the pics look awsome though ! lol)
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/DSC_0329.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb39/iansx/DSC_0337-1.jpg
Nice but i wouldn't try that with a spoa!!
I'd fear for the springs on 're-entry'.
An spoa can put some strange loading on the leafs and landing from that height could cause axle wrap and potential drivetrain damage.
I can never quite work out how the spoa puts strain on springs etc although a few people seem to be of the same opinion.
The way i look at it is that the axle saddles sit on the exact same 5 or so inches of the spings and are clamped both sides on the spring as well.
So whether the axle is above or below, the same 5 inches of spring are clamped both sides and surely exerted to the same forces.
iow200sx
26-11-2011, 15:37
this is what can happen if you keep jumping it that much,
http://www.suzukiclubuk.co.uk/phpBB3/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=3884
have to admit though i have done the same jumps a few times till i saw this pic...
Ha yeah seen that pic.
Yeah above is not a regular thing at all. Bit of a one off (not sure the trousers w would take it again lol)
So whether the axle is above or below, the same 5 inches of spring are clamped both sides and surely exerted to the same forces.
You will always get axle wrap even with a normal configuration, the difference is the fulcrum and pivot exaggeration of a spoa.
I'm sure you read a few articles from Google and looked at a few pictures which i'm sure will explain it better than i could but basically sticking the axle underneath is putting it outside of the arc of the leaf not inside. This will allow it have more of a pivot action to bend the leaf out of shape under load, too much rotation of the axle tube will break UJ quicker than a tramp at a bag of chips.
What is needed to eliminate this is some kind of linkage to stop the axle tube twisting.
haha this is a cool ass lil truck! my friend had one we used to off road which was awesome, even when i used a stick to guage a river crossing which ended up having the river over the bonnet of his 410 it still kept on going.
but err thats not mud, its only mud when you spend £20 quid in the jet wash trying to get it off!!!
keep it up!
haha this is a cool ass lil truck! my friend had one we used to off road which was awesome, even when i used a stick to guage a river crossing which ended up having the river over the bonnet of his 410 it still kept on going.
but err thats not mud, its only mud when you spend £20 quid in the jet wash trying to get it off!!!
keep it up!
Cheers, yeah they are great fun.
Yeah pics above not all that muddy, been much worse since. Rain is only thing that cleans mine, ( apart from having to clean the windows so I could see out of them) after it rains I just move it and clean up about 6 piles of mud up with bucket and spade) lol
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