Vitara project?

[tommyk]

I'll start by saying im a toyota man, have been all my life, untill a recent event started me asking why. I was out wheeling at mount cotton when i heard something coming i stopped jumped out and had a look, it was a lwb vitara revving its guts out, it looked to be running 31's? I couldnt believe how well this thing was walking over obstacles even with an independant front. Now its got me thinking of a lwb vitara project. Has anyone got any pics of a lwb vitara with solid axle front? im thinking if i got one i would definitely go SAS, whats a common replacement for the front diff, or should i be thinking about bundera or suzuki widetrack diffs front and back? if i go bundera diffs front and back what transfer case should i use? ........i cant get vitara's out of my head.....i feel bad about thinking about suzuki's behind my hilux's back lol.

[tommyk]

anyone? any info at all, i also wouldnt mind seeing pics of ones still ifs, i wanna go 33's

[nicbeer]

some links

http://carl.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopi ... light=antt
http://carl.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopi ... sas+vitara

[MUD-PIGSIERRA]

Check out link below
http://www.overkill4x4.com/showroom_suzuki.html

This is a post by another forum member of his website it also has alot of extreme Vitaras, obvisouly alot from the states though.

http://www.loupgarousuzuki.piczo.com/?cr=7&rfm=y

If you want too do up a Vitara there is a few different Kits and products getting around other than going SAS.

I believe if you get a 92 model or onwards its easyier too get in Reduction gears.

Here is a pic of a mates of mine its not a LWB but it it can give you the general Idea of what you can do, Im sure he wont mind me posting them up.

He is running a Body lift and Calmini suspension kit with a little interior panel beating to clear the 31" claws

[Gwagensteve]

Vitara's are cool, and the LWB has very nice balance, along with lots of stuff that sierra owners crave such as EFI, auto and power steer. Why go SAS though? sure, a SAS is cool, but it is a truck load of work and vitara IFS can be made to travel really well. sure an SAS would look cool and might have more articulation, but it won't match the handling or ease of building the IFS. I have been consistently amazed with the performance of vitara IFS once it is freed up a bit.

Calmini springs, strut spacers and arms with OME struts will give you a smooth riding soft and flexy car. With 2" BL and some trimming, you can run as much tyre as you could ever realistically want to run on a Vit.

Hilux diffs are too narrow for a vitara, and so are sierra (along with a bit too weak for a car that heavy)

There have been some nice SAS conversions done, but generally IMHO they are too high and would not make for a stable reliable road car.

Personally, the more standard car you are out driving is 1000% better than the project that sits in the shed waiting for another $5k to finish it off.

Steve.

[waxhead..]

There swb vit in our club with crawler gears, 32"pedes, f&r air lockers, ifs. He could break cv's on demand, and would typically break one per outing.
He then did a graft of Hilux Cv's into the vit IFS, problem solved, hasn't broken one since.

[cj]

As Steve mentioned and as you have seen for yourself the IFS front on a Vit can actually work pretty well with a few mods. The weak points are the alloy front housing (swap in a steel housing from a GV or XL-7) and the CV's (swap in some from a Hilux) although the CV's aren't too much of a problem depending on the tyre you run and the way you use your right foot. The lwb has better balance than the swb (I've got both) even though I prefer the shape of the swb so it climbs better and is more forgiving at speed. The lwb also has a larger fuel tank. The auto is my choice along with some low range crawler gears for the t-case and ARB's front and rear although there are cheaper options. I think the 235/85R16 is a pretty good size to run on some 16x6.5" rims from the 2.0 Vits although if you want more then I would suggest some 255/85R16's (now available in the Maxxis Bighorn 762) on GV/XL-7 16x7" rims or for something more hardcore, the narrow Special Service Super Swamper in 9/34-16. Tall and narrow on the right offset rim fits a lot easier. Rotating and shaving the rear diff will gain almost another 2" of clearance.

[sierrajim]

Vitara CV's suck!!!!!!

I'd either graft a hilux front end under it or live axle 60series under it.

The build would depend on how much money you have.

Having owned a vitara, i'd love to build one from a cool factor. Realistically there wouldn't be much Vitara left at the end of the day.

[cj]

Vitara CV's suck!!!!!!

I'd either graft a hilux front end under it or live axle 60series under it.

The build would depend on how much money you have.

Having owned a vitara, i'd love to build one from a cool factor. Realistically there wouldn't be much Vitara left at the end of the day.

But all your builds start out with the "i'm going to keep this one simple" and then......

[A1]

mmmmm A vit project nah wouldnt waste your time .....


Here's mine ...no longer a 5 door .......but was a LWB when I started oh so long ago ........hopefully its finished before Tuff Truck or I will have wasted $595 ......... ......... let alone 15 or so months building it .....



http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic.php?t=66056

[tommyk]

i've seen some good ifs lwb vitara's but i really wanna go SAS and have coils all round im just not sure how the pinions are set, i thought it was a middle pinion on the rear diff and an off centre pinion to the drivers side on the front, this would then mean hilux diffs would be a good choice. They're cheap, theres alot around with alot of ratios, as for the fab work i can handle that. I wanted to start with a vitara in bad condition, and cheap, i was thinking bad condition from the start cause i would strip most the interior, no carpet or mats, strip the body and give it some new paint, run the standard engine, gearbox, and transfer with hilux diffs, coils all round and 33's then play around with the ratios. Does it sound do-able?

[grimbo]

not sure what part of Hilux diffs are too narrow you missed, but Hilux diffs are too narrow.

[tommyk]

i thought that was just someones guess, i just didnt think they were since a hilux looks wider than a vitara when you look at em, i noticed A1 used 60's diffs, but i ruled that out in my mind cause of the rear off centre pinion since i wanna build a weekend car with a bit of road work, i woulda thought it would get some bad vibrations.

[tommyk]

when you look in the pics of the zook forum rigs theres a lwb vit on page two, the red one. They look like hilux diffs to me?

[Pegboy2000]

http://carl.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic.php?t=1523

last few pages are the only ones with pics these days though

[sierrajim]

Either 80 series or 60 series diffs will work. They'll also provide you with the width you'll want to fit coilovers in to hold it all up.

Both of these diffs run 4.1 gears which should work well with a Commodore V6, auto and geared hilux case in front of them.

So in the end you're just building a vitara chassis and body, the body in the end will just be cut into a ute.

How far do you want to go?

But all your builds start out with the "i'm going to keep this one simple" and then......

Doof is still simple, still original diffs, engine and chassis, only upgraded with stock zook parts........for now

[Gwagensteve]

Personally, a built IFS vitara is cool, especially when it has lots of little tricks to make it strong which aren't obvious.

An SAS vitara with too narrow diffs, wacky wheel backspacing to make the width up, over height etcetcetc is uncool.

Not everyone can build a car like A1, and mostly these kind of cars end up half finished, chopped up, unsaleable, and truth be told, not really that much better off road than the car the diffs came from.

Just my opinion.

Steve.

[bugden23]

i have a 94 LWB vitara, one of the best things about suzuki's is that because their small, they don't need the clearance and tire sizes of a hilux.

I've lifted mine by about 2" front and rear air lockers bigger all terain tyres ARB bullbar and winch, this will go as far if not further than the big boys because i can take lines through the terain that the hilux's and cruisers can't. By making it alot wider, heavier, and higher all your doing is making it similar to a hilux and removing all the benifits of the cars size advantage. and if ur gonna do that u may as well just by a hilux

[A1]

Each to there own I guess .........

I know what I would rather ....and actually I'm building it .....I still have the weight advantages of the difference from the HUUUGe heavy 60 series body and chassis let alone motor weight ........but have there width and now with the all the chromo gear at the front the strength of equal or more than a D60 diff.......the diffs have been shaved and are back to stock unshaved lux diffs clearance ......but have the strength of the larger centre and full float rear ...............

hopefully with the LUX xfer case c/w 5.1 ratios and 4.8 diff gears and the auto have enough reduction to suit me .....aslong as the 4spd auto holds ...up to the abuse .......



First post ..........mate go with what you think ......just make it work ....there are alot of people that appraently know better but never build anything ...build it to what YOU want and will be more than happy .............if the lux diffs are to narrow ....add the ifs hub kit and or wheels spacers prob solved still with the added less weight than say what I have with the 60's diffs ......Antt (use to be on the board) done the lux diff swap / dual transfer = Vit+zook ...and to date I think he's only broke a shock ....and from what I have read is more than happy with his setup .....he's running leaf up front ...with fox/racerunner shocks on the rear .........../ also mysteriousvit off the board only grafted the lux diff up front kept the rear Vit .....he's swap the way he done it was very easy as it still used the upper coil mounts from factory vit ( this front end is up for sale to think )


Dan

[tommyk]

Thanks A1 good advice, i've got alot to think about lol

[v840]

If an offset front and centred rear pumpkin is what you're after why not just go crazy and put GQ diffs under her. If anyone has done this can you please post up pics or a link? I think it would look pretty mean.

[tommyk]

Lol i would love to do that but im after something that would atleast look like it would be legal as i live in QLD and i wanna drive it to trails. i was thinking this arvo tho, has anyone mated a seirra transfer case to the vitara auto and used landcruiser diffs with offset pinions front and back?

[mysterioussasvit]

im selling my solid axel hilux bolt straight in and weld on panhard bracket drive away 2 hours work max pm me if you are interested

[cj]

im selling my solid axel hilux bolt straight in and weld on panhard bracket drive away 2 hours work max pm me if you are interested

What did you do to solve the gearing?

[=SKB=]

http://www.zukiworld.com/month_080106/f ... k_hoff.htm

[evanstaniland]

ill most likely have some bundera diffs for sale soon let me know if your keen!!

Evan..