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possible new Zook owner needs help....

Tech Talk for Suzuki owners.

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possible new Zook owner needs help....

Post by Moses »

i am looking at buying a Zook ans my other rig (Turbo Diesel Jeep XJ) is out of comission for now

the one i have my eye on is a complete stocker and i am after some mod tips and recomendations for parts suppliers

i have done all my own work in the past and intend to do the same with a Zook

i just need to know a few things such as:
Lift, best wat to get it, eg. coils over or re-spring and shackles
i would like to run 31's min or possably a set of 33's, what would be needed to do this, eg. diff ratios, drive lines ect.
also need to know what ratios are they running already

also if anyone can let me know of sites to get parts from weather it be here in Aus or from overseas

thanks in advance for any help
Moses
coming soon to a book store near you.....

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Post by Gwagensteve »

At the risk of being flamed by Grimbo, (who won't be on line until tomorrow morning so you have 12 hours of grace before the flaming,)you really need to do some more research and pose some more specific questions.

If you are moving to brissy as your avatar states, you will soon learn that pretty much any of the more desirable modifications talked about on here are out of the question in Qld the cops are read hot on modified 4WD's in QLD.

What year sierra are you looking at? This will make a difference as to what is possible from a tyre size/ease point of view.

What do you mean by coils over?

The path for running 31's is very well trodden - 2" BL will clear a 31 with no problems and no other modifications except the removal of the bumper bracket.

33's are more complicated as they require guard work and a good understanding of what you want to achieve by running them- do some research.

Transfer gears alone will permit either tyre size to be run effectively from a gearing point of view.

3.7 WT 3.9 NT 4.09 Coil 4.1 1.0litre.

As for suppliers, do a search, all the major names get a mention on here regularly.

Really, you need to do some searching and research on here, start with the sierra bible. 90% of what you need to know will be answered just by reading it.

You will find links to gearing calculators that will let you work out the effect of tyres and gears on RPM and off road ability, step by step instructions on body lift installs.... and a certain useful thread on understanding suspension on sierras written by.... oh, I don't remember who now :oops:

Immerse yourself in the bible and then get back to us with some targeted questions.

to get a question answered without flaming, you need to ask : I have done a search but I can't find how to......

or I have read the bible but but can't understand how....

and you will get all the help you require.

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 St Jimmy »

well done steve hope that others will be as nice.boner
slugs are just snails that sold their belongings for drug money

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Post by Moses »

i have been reading but i am really more interested in other peoples opinions rather than the way i interpert what i have already read

so please feel free to be totaly blunt, just after what people would 'recomend' as opposed to how to, and this is what it would cost

but if it will help it is a '92' manual model that i am looking at

and as for the coil over that i made referece to i ment srping over, my bad
coming soon to a book store near you.....

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Post by Gwagensteve »

My opinion? OME Dakar springs, OME shocks, 2" BL, 31" tyres, transfer gears in the 5:1 range, airlock the rear diff if you DD the car, otherwise weld/spool the rear. If you need a front locker, airlock the front, it's the only way to go in the front.

Get out and drive it, it will be soooo much more capable than the XJ (and I'm not bagging XJ's) you wont' believe it.

If you want to run 33's, go for 6:1 type transfer gears, extend the shackles 2", run maybe 2" bumpstop spacers and any more room you need get via guard cutting/shaping. If you are into hardcore stuff, 33's will require an increase in front CV strength (My preference is Trail tough double tough axles whoch require a rear diff in the front, a bolt in)

Beyond that, there are seriously no major gains to be had, everything else is incremental- you won't get any massive gains.

SPOA? not my cup of tea, and generally expensive and slow to get right.

You will still have to interpret anything you read here, whether it was written just for you or not. The quality of the answers you get is totally related to the quality of the question. Most people won't bother answering someone who asks such broad questions. What do you want to do with the car? What do you want the sierra to do your Jeep couldn't? DD or weekend car? Why do you want 33's? People need to get a feel for what you know and what you want to achieve before they buy in with advice.

The most important thing to do is just get out and drive it rather than pull it apart chasing 1" more droop or 20:1 more reduction or a 1" bigger tyre. A sierra on 31's is a fabulous thing and the ease of build and capability/effort are way up there. beyond that it's diminishing returns. Just get the gearing right.

The last car I built for a club member was a 2 year build and has had all the tricks you could imagine.... and it's amazing. On effort vs outright capability though, it just isn't worth the effort (that doesn't make it less cool though)

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 Dozoor »

Stick with 31s , throw $2000 at the tranfser and diffs ,

1. series one rockhoppers , these bring the high range gearing down as well as the low range , this way you will not need to change your diff ratios.
2. Throw a couple of lock rights in the centres ,
3. build yourself a front and rear bar making sure to improve the exit and aproach angles ,
4. Fit a snorkle , or build one ,
5. Fit breathers to the diffs and mount them as high as possible ,
6. Fit a 50mm body lift .
7. Remove the rear helper spring .
8. Strengthen the tranfer case mounting .
9. Trim gaurds.
10. Go and have a Ball .

Although the above is the ultimate in medeocrete it is a great all round package that will still slip along the road safely and outwheel a heap of
much bigger trucks .

if you want 33s you will need to do a fair bit of muking around
under the car and look a series 4 gearing , sure you can lift it and throw them on , but it all leads to more bucks , 33s are pushing the reliability of the c/vs axles and diff centres .
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Post by Moses »

thanks to the both of you, that is the stuff i was after, acuall experience

i plan to do a fair bit of crawling work with the Zook, but as for doing what i can't in the XJ, nothing, the reason i am looking at a Zook is because i need a new motor in the XJ and a new one will be in the all park of $12k, and i just don't have that coin right now, so that will make the Zook a DD for now, untill i get my XJ on the road, then the Zook will be pure trail rig

after what i have read so far i am thinking maybe 2 - 4" lift with 31's for now, a set of rock hopper gears, and i will custom make my own front and rear bars for a better approach and departure angle, also a set of custom rock rails and snorkel

is there anything else you might recommend, keep in mind i have no problem cutting body work if need be

also i would like to get some extra track width
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Post by just cruizin' »

Unfortunately opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one and everyone is different and on the net you are going to get advise from the guys like Steve who have a wealth of knowledge and real experience to those you see little more offroad then what they see on these pages.

Like other have mentioned:
Sprung over: NO don't do it. Tricky to set up, illegal in QLD
Tyres: 31" Max without major mods, yes still illegal but you can also swap back easy
Lift: 2" OME springs and 2" Body Lift (check for sale section :armsup: )(blatent self plug)
Swaybar: Throw over left shoulder (into the back corner of the shed just in case)
Gears: Yes, 1Lt tranfer = OK, S1 rockhoppers = Good, S3,S4 or Trail Tough 4.9 = Great
Diff Locks: What you can afford in the rear, front air locker only.
Last edited by just cruizin' on Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Moses »

oh another thing, i am not too worried about what is legal in Qld as if it is too much of an issue i will just get it registed to my home in Vic, i know things are alot easier to be legal down there, even my XJ is legal down there, but to register it up here i would not have a hope in hell

more so interested in mods that will be capable than legal, i have done my fair share of work to build up a few jeeps, but as you will all agree they are very different rigs

i am just trying to get a feel of what can be done and what is worth doing

if i can get a few ideas, like you lot are giving me then it gives me a starting point, and i can go from there
coming soon to a book store near you.....

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Post by Dozoor »

This is where it gets interesting , as you go up you need to go out eg track
then you,ll want more and you,ll look at wheelbase , then it will start to get heavy and you,ll lose some on road performance and you,ll want to recover that so you,ll look at conversions , then you.ll start breaking shid every time you go out , then it gets to be a chore , and you,ll get bored and over it and it will end up in the for sale section ;)

its the common trail we all walk :?

I ffeel for you with your Jeep , mines in the front yard aswell
with the dash steering column all out back to the bare firewall .

I was quoted $3900 to replace a heater core.
I wouldn,t be suprised if you could get a crate motor over here for half that 12.
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Post by Gwagensteve »

2" BL and 2" spring- width will be OK is you use Speedy rims, these have the correct offset. No need to go wider.

do not run more than 2" springs. above this they are stupid stiff and ride like crap. Most of our cars actually run de-leaved packs with very little spring lift at all.

Stay with 31's for a DD until you get the XJ back on the road. Once you go to 33's it will be more of a pig to drive- better to keep a lower profile and an better car to drive while you have to DD it.

from 31's I would avoid 33's altogether (99% are 12.5 wide which suck on a Sierra) and step up to 34's which can be had in 9.5 and 10.5 widths which work better off road (but wait until you get the XJ back as a DD)

for some ideas beyond the 31" build remember.... once the XJ is back on the road :lol:

34's on a sierra, 2" spring, 2" shackle, 2" BL, full RUF:

Image

35 13.5's :shock: on stock offset 15X8's, 2" spring, 2" shackle, 2" BL Full RUF ... more body work than you could imagine :D

Image

Ps if you do what Dozoor and I are saying, you won't waste any money once you want to go bigger.

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 just cruizin' »

And custom sills on the first pic
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Post by Taff »

Moses wrote:keep in mind i have no problem cutting body work if need be
1; Virtual lift - $free?
2a; Speedy Desert rat 15x8 rims - $50-75ea
2b; 31" MTR / Claw / MT117 .. whatever floats your boat. - $1k?
3; 4.9 gears from lowrangeoffroad.com - ~$800
4; OME springs / shocks - ~$750 [not too sure on this one]
5; ARB lockers - $???? [lots]
6; fun - priceless.
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Post by Gwagensteve »

just cruizin' wrote:And custom sills on the first pic
Image

gotta get the doors back on somehow....

One Day gregwithzook will get back onto Outers - he works at a company with no web access at work and doesn't have a home computer (he's a programmer??? - I guess it's like the mechanic with the busted ar$e car :D)

Both cars are his. I had a small hand in building both of them.

PS the irony -the doors on the green car are mine, they were mint, off my 86 LWB. Greg "borrowed" them for about 3 years and never put a mark on them.... I put them on my 1.0 and dented one on it's third trip :roll:... no wonder when you're this narrow :D:

Image


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 Dozoor »

If your interested close to the bottom of this page http://www.suburbanimports.com.au/motors.htm

is a fully reconditioned long 4.0 mtrs for $2950. ;)
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Post by Moses »

Dozoor wrote: I ffeel for you with your Jeep , mines in the front yard aswell
with the dash steering column all out back to the bare firewall .

I was quoted $3900 to replace a heater core.
I wouldn,t be suprised if you could get a crate motor over here for half that 12.
i wish i could get one that cheap, but i have the turbo diesel VM motor, at last qoute $6k for a short motor, plus i would need new heads, 4 seperate heads at anything uo to $1400 each :(
coming soon to a book store near you.....

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Post by Moses »

well i think i will go for a 2" sring lift and 2" body lift with 31's to start with and go from there

thank you all for your help, it has been fantastic, i do know how nooby questions can be a pain in the ass
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Post by Highway-Star »

Hi, sorry to interupt whats been a good thread, but just querying what Dozoor said:
Dozoor wrote: 7. Remove the rear helper spring .
Is this the load carrying spring on the back leaves (the fat short one that usually seems to be inverted)? Whats the motivation in its removal? Increased spring travel, one less thing to dig in the dirt, softer ride...

Sorry for the gumby question but I thought removing it could be detrimental to the car when any load goes in the back. Would it be stupid to do it to a car that still gets 4 people in it occasionally?
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Post by Moses »

that is an interesting question and one i missed

i would also lke to know the reason behind this, tho for me having people in the back will not be much of a problem, will be very rare that i will have anyone in the back of my car, infact i will more than likely remove the rear seat anyway
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Post by lay80n »

Highway-Star wrote:Hi, sorry to interupt whats been a good thread, but just querying what Dozoor said:
Dozoor wrote: 7. Remove the rear helper spring .
Is this the load carrying spring on the back leaves (the fat short one that usually seems to be inverted)? Whats the motivation in its removal? Increased spring travel, one less thing to dig in the dirt, softer ride...

Sorry for the gumby question but I thought removing it could be detrimental to the car when any load goes in the back. Would it be stupid to do it to a car that still gets 4 people in it occasionally?
All your reasons are on the money. As for what its liek with 4 in the zook, it will depend on the leaves that are still in. I have never had 4 people (4 seats for that matter) in my zook, so i cant answer that personally. It will ride lower with weight in the back, as the overload is removed, but how low, and how it will ride will depend on shocks and remaining springs. Steve might be able to answer that one a bit better.

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 danman. »

Mate go a spring over all the way..

piece of piss to do and so much flexier..

thats all im going to say

Dan.
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Post by grimbo »

danman. wrote:Mate go a spring over all the way..

piece of piss to do and so much flexier..

thats all im going to say

Dan.
except for the fact it is illegal in QLD. That's all I'm going to say
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Post by sierrajim »

grimbo wrote:
danman. wrote:Mate go a spring over all the way..

piece of piss to do and so much flexier..

thats all im going to say

Dan.
except for the fact it is illegal in QLD. That's all I'm going to say
and that to do the job properley its not a piece of piss. That's all i'm going to say.

(Steve's turn)
[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 sierrajim »

One thing may have slipped your mind. Have you thought about buying a Sierra and just driving it for a while?

Summer is coming along, with a good line a stock car will go a fair way in the dry.
[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 vicelore »

i went stock for about 5 months was very funn. just take a mate to pull u out when u push to far.

after that i went

2 inch ome spring lift
2 inch BL
front diff re drilled 20 mil forward
drive shaft spacer
32 simex ETs
Series 4 RH gearing ( with new main shaft and bearings)

all this cost me around the 5k mark. and now im extremly happy.

next will be F&R air lockers.

just to give u a idea of what road i choose.
91 SWB sierra, 2in spring lift, 2in BL 32 simex ETs, Series 4 RH gearing.

[url=http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=110288&highlight=]My build up thread[/url]
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Post by danman. »

oh another thing, i am not too worried about what is legal in Qld as if it is too much of an issue i will just get it registed to my home in Vic, i know things are alot easier to be legal down there, even my XJ is legal down there, but to register it up here i would not have a hope in hell

more so interested in mods that will be capable than legal, i have done my fair share of work to build up a few jeeps, but as you will all agree they are very different rigs
thats all im going to say

Dan
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Post by sierrajim »

danman. wrote:
oh another thing, i am not too worried about what is legal in Qld as if it is too much of an issue i will just get it registed to my home in Vic, i know things are alot easier to be legal down there, even my XJ is legal down there, but to register it up here i would not have a hope in hell

more so interested in mods that will be capable than legal, i have done my fair share of work to build up a few jeeps, but as you will all agree they are very different rigs
thats all im going to say

Dan
How exactly is SPOA "a piece of piss to do"?

To do spoa you require:
-Perches - easy
-Flat stock springs that aren't twisted - sometimes easy
-High steer - costly
-Trac bar - not so easy
-Actual work on the car, castor etc - not too hard

Now installing OME suspension when the original U Bolts come off nicely is fairly easy. SPOA is a fairly lengthy process, although not rocket science its not what you'd call a piece of piss to do properley.

SPOA would also mean that you're running 33" + tyres which then leads to the need (as opposed to want) for transfer and possibly diff gears. As a DD you'd also want to look at power steer for 33's. More money and time again.
[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 just cruizin' »

sierrajim wrote:
grimbo wrote:
danman. wrote:Mate go a spring over all the way..

piece of piss to do and so much flexier..

thats all im going to say

Dan.
except for the fact it is illegal in QLD. That's all I'm going to say
and that to do the job properley its not a piece of piss. That's all i'm going to say.

(Steve's turn)
Legal is one thing, safe in another
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Post by grimbo »

danman. wrote:
oh another thing, i am not too worried about what is legal in Qld as if it is too much of an issue i will just get it registed to my home in Vic, i know things are alot easier to be legal down there, even my XJ is legal down there, but to register it up here i would not have a hope in hell

more so interested in mods that will be capable than legal, i have done my fair share of work to build up a few jeeps, but as you will all agree they are very different rigs
thats all im going to say

Dan
also you can't actually do that, live in one state and register your vehicle in another in the hope of bypassing some road rules
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Post by Moses »

sierrajim wrote:One thing may have slipped your mind. Have you thought about buying a Sierra and just driving it for a while?

Summer is coming along, with a good line a stock car will go a fair way in the dry.
that thought has not even crossed my mind.......

to give you and idea i what i already drive, i have a '97' Turbo Diesel XJ Jeep, with 4" lift, custom cut out flares, wider off set rims on 33's, there are a vew other things removed and modified too, all this gives me some pretty damn good flex and it crawls very well too, i to tend to push my rigs fairly hard and take my wheeling pretty serious

also if i was not in need of a new motor, the money i am spending on a Zook would have been spent on a 8" long arm suspension kit for the XJ, i am only buying a Zook because i NEED to get anouther 4x4 and it will be far cheaper to get a Zook and modify it as opposed to the new motor for the Jeep (which i sadly just can't afford right now)

so hopefully this will help you understand where i am coming from, a stock rig just wont cut it for me
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