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Would appreciate some comments from Sierra owners [bought!]

Tech Talk for Suzuki owners.

Moderators: lay80n, sierrajim

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Would appreciate some comments from Sierra owners [bought!]

Post by Fearhoza »

Have been offered a Sierra. Details and pics are here: http://carl.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic.php?t=106439

Would like some "What it's worth" feedback as well as any other information if anyone is willing :)
Last edited by Fearhoza on Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by ANDY_M »

ok where do i start? i bought my ute for $200 the body was rusty and bent, its an 85 1,3 NT had 185,000 kms on the clock and had a really bad knock in the motor, overall it looked 10 times wore than that one

definately wont ride like ur feroza, but will most likely out do the feroza offroad ability

there are lots of parts available for suzukis and they are cheap a chips

looks like a good project if thats what ur after, it would clean up pretty easily

chances are he wont want much for it if he was given it, genuine utes are getting rare and are hard to find id say offer about $400-$600 coz other than it being a ute it doesnt have a real lot going for it

just to give u a bit of an idea, what my ute looked like when i got it

Image

then in 9 days it looked like this, all for about $1500 that included new tyres, 2nd hand motor, paint and a few other little things

Image
WM Motorsport BRENDALE 3205 1951
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Post by Gwagensteve »

Hehehehe

It looks like you originally posted that on the wrong forum :D

OK. This car as a total bitsa, but I think it is worth more than $500.

Here is what I can see from the photos.

Chassis - 1.3 NT trayback
Axles - 1.3 NT
Cab 1.0
Dash - 1.3 NT

The other stuff is obvious.

5K conversions were common and this is a good torquey engine for this car, torquier than a 1.3 for sure (grimbo used to run one)

The conversion looks OK.

Here in Vic, cars like that are hard to come by and are worth well over $1k. I just bought and rebuilt a complete basket case for $1200 -floor in cab toast, axles shot etcetcetc. At any one time, about 20% of the Vic club is looking for a car like that.

Are you going to be able to save any money for the OS trip? No, I don't think so. This car will take a fair bit of love to get right, but you might not be to worried about that. If it runs ok and you you can live with its foibles, I cant see any reason why It won't last you as is until the end of the year.

It would make a fantastic off road car for sure though - with that torque and wheelbase you won't know yourself, especially with some luggy tyres and the rear diff welded.

If you can get it for $500, buy it. when it comes time to sell, drive it to victoria and loiter around the suzuki club meeting.... and name your price
:D

Or part it out - Cab - $400 Chassis - $250 Clip - $200? You'll get you money back.

Just watch you can get it transfered into your name though - I doubt this is a matching numbers car and if the relevant authorities have not been notified, you might have a lot of trouble transferring it.

Steve.
[quote="greg"] some say he is a man without happy dreams, or that he sees silver linings on clouds and wonders why they are not platinum... all we know, is he's called the stevie.[/quote]
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Post by Fearhoza »

Hmm. It's funny... The Daihatsu forum is swinging me against it, and the Suzuki forum is swinging me towards it :p

If i purchased it, fixed it up mechanically and cosmetically.. added a few bits but not heavily modified. So basically it was A1 condition... What would it be worth at the end of the year?

Scenario 1: Sell feroza (+~2,500), buy sierra (-~500), keep as is or minor fixes like seals, etc (-~200), drive till end of year and sell for original price or more (+~500 -> 1000) = $2300 to $2800 banked at the end of the year.

Scenario 2: Sell feroza (+~2,500), buy sierra (-~500), fix up body/mechanicals/paint/new tyres/accessories/suspension mods/etc (-~1200), keep till end of year and sell (+~2000 -> 2500) = $2800 to $3200 banked at the end of the year.

Scenario 3: Sell feroza (+~2,500) = $2,500 saved at the end of the year.

Hmm. These are purely theoretical naturally :p

All your advice is fantastic by the way. Thanks for the effort :)
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Post by built4thrashing »

if you bought this and fixed it up properly and spent say $2000 on it and then sold it in vic ya could get about $6g for it.

I sold my feroza and bought a sierra and it was the best thing i did.

i always found the feroza's limits offroad but have only been amazed what the sierra can do. the feroza was like a commadore offroad in comparason (shiat)
1999 SQ625 Manual Grand Vitara. Lifted, Twin Locked, 31' Extremes, dual Batteries, Winch.
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Post by Gwagensteve »

Should be worth an absolute minimum of $2500 if it is clean, registered and has no obvious problems. Should be able to fetch $3500 or more.

If you find the right buyer, it could be worth a lot more. They are not making these any more, and most people that are serious about building a capable sierra want an LWB.

It wasn't clear in the photos, but to get the 5K/5speed in, normally, the transfer was moved back a bit. If it wasn't, you might have a mess of a jackshaft (i.e too short) that will cause vibrations and have a short universal life.

At least with a LWB, there is plenty of rear driveshaft to play with.

This can be sorted, but it is one area of the corolla conversion that can be stuffed up.

You will need to be very careful with registration - another issue occurred to me. The 5k was not sold new in 1986. If you car is in fact a 1986 vin, it might, in fact, have to run unleaded. 5k's run unleaded fine, but the car might not actually be legal.

There is a small loophole- commercials in 1986 did not require a catalytic converter and emissions were not as stringent. I am aware that 1.3 sierras as late as 87 have be RWC'ed in vic with a 5K in them, but sometimes it was a struggle. If this is not possible, you will need to find a 1.3 to go in.

Steve.
[quote="greg"] some say he is a man without happy dreams, or that he sees silver linings on clouds and wonders why they are not platinum... all we know, is he's called the stevie.[/quote]
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Post by Fearhoza »

Ergh... Where would that be able to be checked out? The stuff about emissions, RWC's, and the jackshaft issue with the transfer case?

If i could pick it up for $500 do you think it would be worth the trouble?
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Post by Gwagensteve »

The seller should be able to get a security check on the car and this will tell you if the numbers match and what engine the car is registered with. anyone serious about selling their car should get one as it will tell the buyer if the car has any money owing on it, or the motor/whatever is stolen etc.

no idea how to do this in NSW but I am sure the web will tell all.

As for the case being moved - if the car is vibration free and the unis in the jackshaft are in good condition, don't worry too much about it. It is worth looking at if you have vibration/uni lift issues.

Yes, for $500, I would bother with it. As I have said, IMHO the cab and chassis is worth more than that.

It all depends on your level of mechanical aptitude and how much work you are willing to take on.

Steve.
[quote="greg"] some say he is a man without happy dreams, or that he sees silver linings on clouds and wonders why they are not platinum... all we know, is he's called the stevie.[/quote]
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Post by Fearhoza »

So i'm assuming that the security check us a REVS check. Designed to see if any money is owing and any other records on the car are available.

As for the emissions and the like... what kind of place would do that?

And what was it you were saying about unleaded fuel? It's running on unleaded now as far as i know.
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Post by Gwagensteve »

If the REVS check has the engine number listed as the number of the 5K, and the vin on the chassis and the vin on the body match, then you shouldn't have any trouble with the transfer.

Worst case is that the Revs check nominates a G13AXXXXX as the engine - then you might have a big hassle as the engine in the car is older than the car and this can lead to hassles - the car has to meet 1986 emissions but the only emssions info for the motor is that it meets 1983(?) emissions. As I have said, there is a small loophole here as it is a commercial not as passenger car.

If the revs check nominated an F10A as the motor, then ther will be no problem with the 5K, but it might have required an engineers cert.

Have a good chat to the owner, The car has reg - it might be all legit.

I think with what you are trying to do, if the car is registered with a 1.0 or 1.3, I wouldn't pursue it as getting it transfered could be a nightmare. tHe easiest way to reg it woudl be to put the "correct" motor back in it - probably more work than you need to be doing.

If REVS comes back with a 5K in it, I can't see any problem.

Steve.
[quote="greg"] some say he is a man without happy dreams, or that he sees silver linings on clouds and wonders why they are not platinum... all we know, is he's called the stevie.[/quote]
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Post by Fearhoza »

So it could go either way. I talked to the original owner who said they had an engineers report with the 5K and gearbox on it, so that seems like a good sign. I'll still do a revs check though.

Just to make it easier, where would i find the VIN/Chassis number and the engine number?

Going to be a pain in the ass if he painted over it!
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Post by Gwagensteve »

If there is an engineers report for the 5K then you're in the clear. Part of that process will be informing the relevant people of the engine number change.

If you can get a copy of that report, all the better - it will certainly add value to the car once it is in better condition.

Vin number is on the RH chassis rail between the bumpstop mount and the steering box bolts. It is normally quite deeply stamped and will be legible event through plenty of paint.

Check that it matches the numbers on the build plate on the firewall. If it his does not match, its not a show stopper so long as the numbers recorded on the Revs information match what you have.

If I am right and it is a 1.0 body on a 1.3 chassis, the numbers shouldn't match but this swap might even be refered to in the engineers cert. so having a copy of that will be quite useful.

Its still sounding good, all the better that there is some supporting documentation for the motor.

Steve.
[quote="greg"] some say he is a man without happy dreams, or that he sees silver linings on clouds and wonders why they are not platinum... all we know, is he's called the stevie.[/quote]
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Post by grimbo »

Fearhoza wrote:So it could go either way. I talked to the original owner who said they had an engineers report with the 5K and gearbox on it, so that seems like a good sign. I'll still do a revs check though.

Just to make it easier, where would i find the VIN/Chassis number and the engine number?

Going to be a pain in the ass if he painted over it!
I had a 5k in my Sierra which was a geat motor. The problem was the emissions test for it. Because it was a Japanese motor not sold in Australia and no relevant paper work was here it had to get tested which was going to cost a lot of money. So make sure it is all good on the engineers report for the engine and any emissions stuff
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Post by Fearhoza »

Hmm. Good news it seems. Was able to get the Vin/Engine number over the phone, and he's currently enquiring about the engineers cert/report.

After a revs check it seems to be okay.

Vehicle Enquiry Results

Registration Number: TYE838 Request Id: 105101322
Registration State: NSW Date: 23.04.2007
VIN/Chassis: SJ40T120806 Time: 13:36
Engine Number: 5K0295464
There are no encumbrances that match the quoted identifiers.
VEHICLE DETAILS MATCHED WITH RTA

Will find out about the engineers report soon.

So what does this all mean :)
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Post by Gwagensteve »

Looks like it is legal as its stands, and therefore a pretty good buy.

PS I am at work and don't have time to look it up - I thought SJ40XXXX denoted 1.3 and SJ30XXXX 1.0 (?) But can't recall exactly.

I still think this is a 1.3 chassis... can anyone confirm?

Ps if you after a cool swap, toyota townaces came with the last version of the K motor - the 1.8 litre 8k, with available EFI. This owuld make a cool swap :cool:

Hehe just spending that $2500 for you.

Steve.
[quote="greg"] some say he is a man without happy dreams, or that he sees silver linings on clouds and wonders why they are not platinum... all we know, is he's called the stevie.[/quote]
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Post by Fearhoza »

Thanks for all the continued great advice steve :)

I got him to contact his pop to entire about the engineers report... He said that when he got it it was pink slipped and engineered.. But he didn't get any kind of written or printed stuff about it.

Said it was because it was done a fair while ago and it didn't have to be printed... or something. Not sure what this all means to the legalities.

If it is all with the RTA and on the rego is a engo cert totally necessary?
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Post by Gwagensteve »

*Disclaimer - I know stuff all about the process in NSW*
If the car has been legally registered with the 5K in it, as recorded with the RTA, then you should be fine, no need to resubmit the cert.

I also remember something from the late 80's that certain conversions were type approved and might not have required a cert - this could be the case. Don't quote me on this though.

I would be confident this car will not be a hassle to transfer based on the info you have.

Steve.
[quote="greg"] some say he is a man without happy dreams, or that he sees silver linings on clouds and wonders why they are not platinum... all we know, is he's called the stevie.[/quote]
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Post by lay80n »

Gwagensteve wrote:*Disclaimer - I know stuff all about the process in NSW*
If the car has been legally registered with the 5K in it, as recorded with the RTA, then you should be fine, no need to resubmit the cert.

I also remember something from the late 80's that certain conversions were type approved and might not have required a cert - this could be the case. Don't quote me on this though.

I would be confident this car will not be a hassle to transfer based on the info you have.

Steve.
I think there was a clause that if the motor was less than 15% more powerful then a engineer reqport wasnt rwquired a while ago. A mate of mine had a RB30 in his Vk calais with no engineers, and was fine even whel pulled over (had to go to pits to get checked though, as most coppers are morons who dont know the rules).

Layto....
[quote="v840"]Just between me and you, I actually really dig the Megatwon, but if anyone asks, I'm going to shitcan it as much as possible! :D[/quote]
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Post by Fearhoza »

Hmm... :cool:

What to do... what to do...?
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Post by =SKB= »

Fearhoza wrote:Hmm... :cool:

What to do... what to do...?
Buy the @#$%ing thing?

:D
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Post by Zute »

Kick it to me, Kick it to meee... :armsup:





I wish :cry:
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Post by Fearhoza »

going to organise getting a pre-purchase inspection done (with compression test and the lot) on friday. Will decide from there :)
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Post by grimbo »

Fearhoza wrote:going to organise getting a pre-purchase inspection done (with compression test and the lot) on friday. Will decide from there :)
too late you missed out I got it last night































not really but if you keep wasting time that will be true :D
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Post by Fearhoza »

not wasting time.. creating a good bargaining position :rofl:

Will hopefully finalise by the weekend.
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Post by Fearhoza »

picking it up in the morning to take to a 4x4 center to have a pre-purchase inspection done.

Is there anything in particular that is zook specific that i should make note of to get checked that isnt on a regular check? I'm also having a thorough check including engine compression and the like.

It's almost time :D
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Post by sierrajim »

[quote="Harb"]Well I'm guessing that they didn't think everyone would carry on like a big bunch of sooky girls over it like they have........[/quote]
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Post by Fearhoza »

Okay. Back from the pre-purchase check.

Electricals.
-No brake lights
-No indicators
-No reverse lights

Mechanicals.
-Tailshaft needs Front of rear universal + front of front universal.
-Exhaust needs repairing
-Sump is leaking
-Rear diff pinion is loose [may need new bearings/parts/work, if so ~$500+ on its own]
-Air intake hose needs replacing

Body.
-Rust bottom LHF door
-Rust in firewall bonnet hinge
-Gaping hole in sill panel [rust?]

Compression test came back fine, registering 200 on all four.

As for prices, the mechanicals including labor came to approx $542.00. The electricals could be anything from something loose to a real problem and a quick call said it could be up to $400. The body wasn't quoted on but cutting some rust, some welding for the bonnet hinge and repairing the sill should be too expensive.

Have dropped the car back and picked up mine, but as the owner wasn't at home i'm yet to inform him.

Cost me $70 to get it checked and also put $20 of fuel in the damn thing :roll:

Is it still worth it?
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Post by lay80n »

Someone on here will be selling a rear diff, so if you wanted to, grab a 2nd hand centre for WAY less than $500. Electrical is a fix it yourself for a few $$ problem, probably just a few switches or earths or simillar. Tailshaft uni's are easy too, can do at home with basic tools. Sump should be pretty straight forward. Cut of the sills and 45 them, solves rust there. New doors are plentyful - just quick paint job and done. Fire wall hard to know without a pic.
Overall, easy fixed :D
Layto....
[quote="v840"]Just between me and you, I actually really dig the Megatwon, but if anyone asks, I'm going to shitcan it as much as possible! :D[/quote]
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Post by Fearhoza »

lay80n wrote:Someone on here will be selling a rear diff, so if you wanted to, grab a 2nd hand centre for WAY less than $500. Electrical is a fix it yourself for a few $$ problem, probably just a few switches or earths or simillar. Tailshaft uni's are easy too, can do at home with basic tools. Sump should be pretty straight forward. Cut of the sills and 45 them, solves rust there. New doors are plentyful - just quick paint job and done. Fire wall hard to know without a pic.
Overall, easy fixed :D
Layto....
Bastard :D :rofl:

The firewall problem is the left hand hinge of the bonnet has been ripped out, leaving a quite large hole that seemed to be rusting a bit. What do you think over all layt?
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Post by Fearhoza »

The more I think about it, the more I want it. Will most likely be making an offer today. Will keep you all posted of course :)
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