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Suzuki SJ70 Adventure Rig Build
Started pulling down my Zook this week getting it ready to do a trip through Indo and beyond.
The body has 280kms on her however the engine is a G16B and I am told it only has 130kms on it so will be leaving that mostly alone. It runs nice and sounds really good. There are some noises coming from the gearbox, changing in and out of 4wd can be a bit of a challenge and the clutch is playing up a bit at weird times so will need to suss this out. Other than that she runs nice Plan at the moment is to keep it as simple and possible Overhaul gearbox New clutch Clutch cable Transfer case overhaul (maybe) New belts New spark plugs Sump and Rocker gaskets Diffs (possible overhaul) Diff locker (maybe) New rear brakes Re spray manifold Fabricate a winch holder for bulbar Winch Re spary bullbar PVC snorkel Fabricate sidesteps Fabricate rear jerry can holder and bumper Custom draw system Custom roof rack system Re spray body More to come as I uncover or get a bright idea's http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pstrrpfqzy.jpg Meet the Rig. She is a little rough but has a lot of heart. Over the next couple of months she will be a transformed to adventure status ready for dispatch. Yewwwwww!!! http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psktpcmqmy.jpg A little cramped in my old man’s garage but its free rent while I get this little beast ready for the task ahead. http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0bfpvb6s.jpg First order of business is to get the gearbox out and see if I can find out what the noise is http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pstdceepob.jpg Doesn't take long for the workbench to fill up http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psot6tepjp.jpg The inside of the transmission is a pretty sight http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psq1nmmuqs.jpg This is the input shaft. It connects the clutch to the gearbox. That indent on the tip is meant to be smooth. Pretty sure that’s got something to do with the noises I was hearing. Unfortunately, not the most common part to get hold of. Bugger!!! |
Couple of comments , dont overdo the roof rack and loading , are you thinking RTT ?
In view of the wear on the primary pinion check out clutch friction plate for adverse wear.also support bearing/bush in rear of crank . These are a very capable small 4wd, but load is the biggest enemy to them so minimizing on unnecessary items is a good move , diff lock and winch unless you are intending severe conditions is probably a bit OTT . A good hd MT tyre would be a good option in view of the previous comment. Look forward to seeing the transformation :thumbup1: |
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Got to love an old SJ. Here's mine today; needed to pop to do a little job so threw some tools in the jeep and took a cross-country route
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good little trucks, very capable, but as above, their strength is their weight. load it up too much and you lose all your benefits. Also, stability on these is a big issue (hence the big scar on my head!) so avoid loading up the roof.
http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...ps748f0e1c.jpg http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...psb7ad366b.jpg |
Hey Tacr2man, Big Yellow Tractor and Moggy 1968
Cheers Great pics! Any excuse to take her for a spin ay Big Yellow Tractor Moggy 1968, where are those photo's taken? How much weight did you have on the roof when it rolled? Yeah I have had a lot of comments about keeping the weight down. The GVM is 1350kg so will definitely keep it under that. Currently it weighs 1000kg with me in it and half a tank of fuel. So I have to keep my weight under 330kg, hopefully well under that. Tacr2man, definitely not overdoing the roof rack loading, cheers for the heads up. I had wanted to put a RRT on it but after doing some research I decided to drop that idea. Only items on the roof will be a couple of surfboards, small tool box with some spares and a swag. I'm thinking 30-40kg tops. I will be replacing the clutch and spigot bearing so no probs there. |
take it you are based in OZ , when you finish the gearbox treat it to a full synthetic oil , handles the heat a lot better. Cambelt if you haven't changed
and know the mileage , worth changing , also these engines if they don't get the engine oil and filter changed regularly , can block the feed to cam resulting in it trying to grind its way into head , as they run direct in head without shell bearings. :thumbup1: i had a couple of Zooks when i lived in WA , did the nullarbor in a vitara with trailer camper one time. |
Great little truck, I met a geezer in Spain who had just come back from Mali in a little long wheel base version that he could sleep in!
enjoy |
Love them.... More capable and reliable than most 4x4's....
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we had 60ltrs of fuel on the roof for the trip and it destroyed the roof gutters indecently quickly off road, so we ended up having to distribute the cans amongst the other cars. This is the roof after I had hammered it back into some kind of shape so I could put some lighter stuff up there, but you get the idea!http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...psphpbp2gr.jpg |
Added to the above recommendations I would change the waterpump. doesn't cost much but potentially catastrophic if it fails. Bits you take off, if they aren't too heavy, you could take as spares, at least you'll know they fit!
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G'Day Stuxtttr and Overland Tonka
Cheers guys! Tacr2man, Yeah mate doing all the belts. Will get some top grade oil for sure. I plan on servicing her regularly so all good there. That's awesome you did the Nallabor in a zook. Yep based in Oz for another 2months :clap: Moggy 1968, Wow, the Sahara would have been a great trip! Ive got a rack that spans the length of the gutter so don't think I'll run into the roof rack issues you had (Will post some pics shortly) I'll be under 40kg as well. Will do the pump, thanks. Cheers SZ |
Suzuki SJ70 Adventure Rig Build
After a lot of hours in cyberspace and stacks of phone calls to local wreckers I couldn’t find one Australia shop that had an input shaft! Not even second hand one unless I wanted to buy the whole gearbox. Suzuki could order one from Japan but it would take 4 weeks and $$$. Back to the information highway and I found a helpful fella on a Zook forum that directed me to a online store in the US of A that has the part I’m after. Yewwww! Ordered and on its way.
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psxbiuohfo.jpg Time to start the rear bumper with jerry can holder. All the bits and pieces meccano style http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psn9qouujd.jpg Next I removed the existing bumper to use it as a template http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0gzdwcpx.jpg Cutting up and cutting out the 3mm 100x50 steel RHS Bumper rail http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psfpytprg5.jpg Slicing the back of the corners to help bend it around for a round finish http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0rrsgbjc.jpg Shinny http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pswjwo1tr7.jpg I had to cut out the back of the bumper to weld the inside of the weighty swing arm hinge with some reinforcement. The cut out bit went back on and sealed up http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psunwlgw2w.jpg The rear bumper is starting to take shape now |
Good skills mate !
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Still a rookie welder but getting the hang of it |
Nice work. Liking that rear jerrycan holder. At least it's low down so should help with the CoG.
A friend of mine used to have an SJ413, with some mud-plugga remoulds on it, it was great off road. went places my defenders couldn't get to.... ...but then out on bumpy tracks like on Salisbury Plain, I could put my foot down and keep my fillings in place, he was shaken to bits! horses for courses. you not tempted to stick in a nice little 2 litre or 1.5 ish diesel engine? would help economy and waterproofness? should be easy with the remote transfer box. |
"you not tempted to stick in a nice little 2 litre or 1.5 ish diesel engine? would help economy and waterproofness? should be easy with the remote transfer box."
I hope not , zukes very waterproof as standard , and you can do without the clatter of a diesel JMHO |
had my sj410 swimming before now. only thing I found was a bit of bath sealant on the distributer where the cap joins and the a spray of wd40 on the distributor, coil and plugs
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Thanks mate. Trying to keep the weight as low as possible so the bumper was a good solution. Also acts as protection and a extra way to lock the back door. I have faith in the Suzuki engine so not really tempted to change it up. I do like diesels though |
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Suzuki SJ70 Adventure Rig Build
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psmoxwscbb.jpg
Should I shouldn’t I, should I shouldn't I hmmmmm…… After some deep thought and a strange desire to complicate things as much as I possibly can, I decided to pull apart and rebuild the whole engine! http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0fdjklrm.jpg Off with the rocker cover to expose the glorious innards. http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psjwodhshg.jpg Bottom of the head + inlet manifold http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psrc2y2o5g.jpg Onto the block http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pso6lw1cp5.jpg Crank shaft, yeah baby! http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7dmztpll.jpg All looks pretty damn good, but with the kms I’m going to attempt to on this trip I will feel much better knowing everything is fresh, revived and squeaky clean. New piston and rings ordered + rebuild kit, head and block have been sent away for reconditioning. Time to sort some custom draws.... |
the advantage of all this is you will literally know the vehicle inside out for the trip, which is a real bonus. try and run it for a good while before leaving though to shakedown any teething troubles.
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Awesome vehicles
As is mentioned elsewhere their weight (or lack of it) is their core strength.
Unstoppable and when you screw it up big time, they are easily pushable/pullable. With the fabrication you're doing it looks like you're going to overload yours... I did over 20,000kms over 6 months in 1992/3 with a buddy in an SJ410 - which looks the same Nairobi to Cape Town and back. We had 8 x 10l plastic jerries on the roof, and a spare wheel with camping equipment at the back of the roof rack. The suspension is difficult to get right, they are set up for a fine point between unladen and fully loaded. Empty they bounce around and over laden they bottom out. if you have a puncture, it hardly affects the vehicle at all (when unladen) and running on a blown rear tyre doesn't shred it to bits at 60kph (I discovered this from necessity not ignorance) Adding a winch to the front and a jackable front bumper means your front springs WILL need altering for something stiffer. (this will make the bounciness when unladen more apparent!) If I remember their payload was 800lbs, or 380kg's - not far off a Motorbike! The roof rack needs to be mounted onto a piece of steel that runs the full length of the roof channel before it is of any use. In short these Suzuki's are the "Jack Russells" of the car world - Everyone loves them, they can do anything and in the company of bigger stronger faster, vehicles, the Suzuki will establish itself as the boss in very short order. Enjoy, and try not to do too much to them, they're built to the same standards as Hilux's and consequently given their weight they're much stronger than Cruisers and Defenders. Shortfalls are lack of Diff lock, and Axle articulation - not earth shattering, and given its weight a passenger and shifting the luggage around can overcome some of the lack of diff lock. The Jacking situation is also a disaster - a hi-lift jack is overkill, and the standard jack is impractical off road. So you need Jackable sills, front and rear points or full length bars. Adding taller tyres helps quite a bit, it does increase the gearing for long distance driving, and low range is low enough not to worry anyone Good times G |
Thank you sir, this is really good to see! After two lovely volkswagens, I promised myself a 4wheel drive for an adventure. And off course I looked at the big and cool looking bad boys. But I'm broke. This looks like a new love. I found some good looking examples in my country and when I get back I'm starting to save for this.
Keep it up! Love to see the end result! And I'm jealous of your skills. Overhauling an engine.... :| Alex |
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I haven't meet one person that can fault them in there ability and reliability. Yeah, I'm trying real hard to keep it under the GVM which I should get. Keeping all the accessories to a minimum. The back bumper is 18kg which is a bit heavier than I would have like but keeping the weight close to the ground and having a solid rear bumper was worth it. I'm just running the existing suspension, it has a 2inch lift with koni shocks Good advise on the roof racks, moggy 1968 ran into some problems there. I manage to score a aluminum cage that mounts along the entire gutter so happy days Lots of good tips there, cheers for the heads up bud |
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Cheers mate They are cheap to buy, cheap to run and unstoppable off road! Ticks all the boxes. Good luck |
Suzuki SJ70 Adventure Rig Build
Custom box building time!
Kind of just winging it here, I have a rough idea of what it will look like but as the building goes on I keep thinking of new ideas or having to adjust bits to suit. The big goal is trying to keep it as light as possible but having enough storage for all the gear for the trip. http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psk6jwa2rp.jpg First up, framing up the skeleton http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pskj9ixfjx.jpg Using this pocket hole jig + glue for the joining. Quick and strong http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pssmbxsovi.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psqlmfxlhn.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pskr8ttrv5.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pshasowfpt.jpg Adding dowels for strengthening on the storage box joins http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pso6dob094.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psfgzwxxid.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psxpykw7n2.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psphcfs31f.jpg All primed up and ready for top coat |
wow, nice woodworking:thumbup1:, fancy doing mine when you've finished:rofl:
Need to build some kind of racking system in mine, but it won't be to this standard |
Have to agree far better carpentry skills than I have , that's why i had to build in steel tube and aluminium :cool4:
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can't weld :doh: :blush:
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Cool photos! great job on the build
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Suzuki SJ70 Adventure Rig Build
After a trying couple of weeks of box building I decided to give that a bit of a rest in hope of bringing some new ideas for the final set up. It was time to bring the Zook back to life. First up, piece together to gearbox.
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psavxyqej9.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pslle4txvj.jpg That shiny new input shaft is very pretty! The return spring was broken which explains the dodgy clutch. http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pslnnh9dd3.jpg Done! http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psekq3o3x3.jpg The puzzle http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pstpxtqgb3.jpg Bottom end bits and pieces http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psyk7q8xok.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psflfcvelz.jpg Bottom end in. http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psctseiuo7.jpg Now the head http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pscmucbmmr.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psjuphcsqj.jpg All went together like a dream! Kicked over first go which was just awesome! After a few trips and a few adjustments to the distributor timing she is a very happy girl. |
Impressive work! !
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk |
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Suzuki SJ70 Adventure Rig Build
Time to fit the winch!
I have a ARB non winch bar so will have to do some fabrication tricks to fit my little winch in it. The bar its self is very tied so will need a clean up and spray to give Suzi a nice new look. http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4yf45mrc.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pssoagqzn3.jpg All the pieces needed http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psxypgc02q.jpg There isn't much up front of the Zooks for fitting a winch so I added a bit of round tube inside the tube rail for more strength http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pszu4gagwx.jpg After a bit of fiddling around I found the right height to set the winch at http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pshhbe49rb.jpg The winch cradle http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psxs8kstvd.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psqe7kupvd.jpg Welding the bottom angle http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psjrlhkwfy.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pso0zewdy0.jpg All primed up! + the rear bumper |
Where are you located? And boy, this is my making my hands itch to get going on a project! I'm poor as f at the moment and have no technical knowledge but all can change right!
And more pics never hurts...;) Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk |
Well......
After 4 months of prepping I hit a massive financial blow which would see my income for the trip end in June next year. I was absolutely gutted when I found out this news! So for now the overland adventure will have to be put on hold until I sort things out but for the mean time I've decided to do the backpacking thing to ease the wanderlust. I got the Zook 90% complete so here are some shots of her http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pstfhxkrl3.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psjxrvl5pv.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psmce9uwt8.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psip9u4z7n.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pstby0skim.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psrqltybfk.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psggbb3gsu.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psmoqpqraw.jpg http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psztwpsjok.jpg Thanks for tuning into the build! To be continued....... |
I know how you feel mate.... my project G wagen fund has run dry and I've now got it up for sale.
Still, chin up.... things will look up again later and money will come in. Great thread so far though bier |
Well done you've done a great job on the zook:thumbup1:
The money will come right in the end, don't sweat it. regards Gren |
Any updates ?
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Sad to hear about the financial issue. Love the car though! She (?) Will get you somewhere nice soon I hope!
Alex Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk |
Amazing job!
Overhaul gearbox New clutch Clutch cable Transfer case overhaul (maybe) New belts New spark plugs Sump and Rocker gaskets Diffs (possible overhaul) Diff locker (maybe) New rear brakes Re spray manifold Fabricate a winch holder for bulbar Winch Re spary bullbar PVC snorkel Fabricate sidesteps Fabricate rear jerry can holder and bumper Custom draw system Custom roof rack system Re spray body More to come as I uncover or get a bright idea's Of your original ideas I personally would not respray anything,keep a low profile, I would remove the bullbar, heavy and useless. dump the spotlights, heavy, useless, they will break an the first gravel road Cancel sidesteps because of same reason. Cancel winch(electric) and buy a trifor. Darken rear windows for privacy..(theft) put netting over radiator Consider second spare tire I realize i'm a bit late but as you haven't started your travels you can sell that stuff on ebay, and get some of your $ back |
awesome work
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nice work on the bumper. may i know what winch did you use for your ride?
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