Rolled 84 Daihatsu Rocky (also, I'm new here!)

[Heathx4]

Hey folks,

Firstly, a little introduction: I'm a 20yo student in the Newcastle area, and first got into 4x4 for myself (driving Dad's Outback doesn't count I don't think) when I bought an 1984 Daihatsu Rocky in December of 2002. This little ripper was most fun, and I was blown away at its capabilities, especially in climbing wet rough tracks.

A few weeks ago I managed to put it on its roof. And I wasn't 4wd'ing at the time. It was freaking stupid actually (as a lot of these things are) and I was pretty upset. We had actually been 4wd'ing all day, and on our way home. Went to throw the back around in a little dirt car park, which was bumpy and soft from the rain. It gripped and flipped. Rolled on to the RHS and then on to the roof.

A friend of a friend helped to pull it back on its feet, and I've been working on it since then. Got the engine running fine (cheers to the folks at the rec.autos.4x4 newsgroup for their great advice) and the car drives fine now. But, the windscreen is gone, and the front pillars and doors are crushed. There is also a bit of panel damage on the RHS. So I need to decide what to do with it.

Originally, I just wanted to get rid of it (and have actually put a couple of ads up for it). I knew I couldn't afford to fix it just yet, and thought I could just get some money for it. But lately I've been thinking otherwise. Perhaps I should cash in the rego now, and start putting some money away to do it up at the end of the year.

What are your opinions on putting money into an 84 Rocky? The immediate modifications I was thinking of were a snorkel, driving lights, anti sway bars??, turbo kit (is that even possible? It is a 2.8L Diesel). The car was the 'deluxe' version of its time, the one with the sunroof and all the fittings for its era. There is over 400 000 k's on the clock, but it had just had a engine + gearbox recondition before I bought it, and I spent another $1000 on the transfer case + a drive shaft, so the drivetrain should be fine.

So, a shout out to other Rocky owners. I know I will always have a soft spot for them! And if you could offer any adice on my situation, it would be most appreciated.

[RockyMan]

I think the best option would be to look for another Rocky and keep yours for spares. Since all the mechanics are good on your Rocky, you may find something with good body condition and stuffed engine.
Rocky's shape hasn't change from '84 until mid '93.
There is a lot of cheap Rockys around if you prepered to look.

[*BESTY*]

A friend of a friend helped to pull it back on its feet, and I've been working on it since then. Got the engine running fine (cheers to the folks at the rec.autos.4x4 newsgroup for their great advice) and the car drives fine now. But, the windscreen is gone, and the front pillars and doors are crushed. There is also a bit of panel damage on the RHS. So I need to decide what to do with it.

Perhaps I should cash in the rego now, and start putting some money away to do it up at the end of the year.

What are your opinions on putting money into an 84 Rocky? The immediate modifications I was thinking of were a snorkel, driving lights, anti sway bars??, turbo kit (is that even possible? It is a 2.8L Diesel). The car was the 'deluxe' version of its time, the one with the sunroof and all the fittings for its era. There is over 400 000 k's on the clock, but it had just had a engine + gearbox recondition before I bought it, and I spent another $1000 on the transfer case + a drive shaft, so the drivetrain should be fine.

So, a shout out to other Rocky owners. I know I will always have a soft spot for them! And if you could offer any advice on my situation, it would be most appreciated.

Soft top Conversion !!!
As you say....recoed running gear....all in good working order
I take it that the Chassis is still straight ??
a. Find another body in the interum and put it on while you make your old body into a topless body.
b. You should be able to get another windscreen surround (and glass) for cheap.
c. Remove all of the roof, B pillar etc......Get someone to fab some tube - rollcage for you (full cage).
d. Panel beat the dents out of it

I think most Turbo's for Toy engines will fit as your is basically a Toyota engine

Forget about sway bars........do a leaf over conversion, A frame rear, 36" Swampers....and most importantly............LOCK IT !!!

[BundyRumandCoke]

Ok here goes. A year ago I bought a LWB shell, from firewall back, including full resin top, rear door, chassis, half the interior, fuel tank, and assorted odds and ends for $695 from 4X4 Parts Australia at Strathpine Brisbane. It had a few minor dings, and a bit of rust in the roof gutters, but apart from that, it was damn near perfect. Something like this would be the go for ya. As for the Turbo for the 2.8 DL diesel motor, as it happens, I have a complete aftermarket turbocharger for this motor under my house at the moment. Garrett turbo, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, modified thermostat and housing, coolant lines for turbo, oil lines for a remote oil cooler from the turbo. The only thing needed would be a bit of exhaust work. I have fitted a later model factory turbo charged motor, with intercooler, so the above is surplus to my needs. If anyone is interested, give me a bell.

Id go for the body rebuild. Ya cant beat the Rocky for power to weight ratio, especially with a turbo fitted.

Hope this helps

Cheers
David

[Heathx4]

Soft top Conversion !!!
As you say....recoed running gear....all in good working order
I take it that the Chassis is still straight ??

I certainly hope so! To be honest, this is definately something I need checked out. I thought it should be fine, seeing it wasn't really a bad roll over and it's a pretty strong truck, but... the rear door misses (goes below) the lock when you swing it closed on its hinges, by a couple of cm's. So either the right rear panel section has lent in a fraction... or the chassis is twisted. Hope I can get that confirmed.
Anyway, a soft top conversion was certainly something I considered. In fact, the bloke that first turned up when I rolled it used to have a soft top version of mine, and he was explaining how it worked.

a. Find another body in the interum and put it on while you make your old body into a topless body.
b. You should be able to get another windscreen surround (and glass) for cheap.

Really? I'll start a search! I also need the roof jacked up, to pull the crumples out of the door frames. That could be a bit of a job.

c. Remove all of the roof, B pillar etc......Get someone to fab some tube - rollcage for you (full cage).

An engineered rollcage is mighty pricey isn't it? Then again, so is a roof I suppose. I'll look in to it.

d. Panel beat the dents out of it

No worries.

I think most Turbo's for Toy engines will fit as your is basically a Toyota engine

Forget about sway bars........do a leaf over conversion, A frame rear, 36" Swampers....and most importantly............LOCK IT !!!

What are the options for locking it? Which diffs? Are you talking a permanent welding job? Means I need to dissengage the hubs on anything with traction doesn't it?

This could be quite exciting. I wish I had the dosh now! Well, there are plenty of things for me to follow up on... might have to see if I can get some time off work! I'll certainly be hanging around here trying to pick up a few more tips - I'm pretty new to this

Thanks!

[Heathx4]

Ok here goes. A year ago I bought a LWB shell, from firewall back, including full resin top, rear door, chassis, half the interior, fuel tank, and assorted odds and ends for $695 from 4X4 Parts Australia at Strathpine Brisbane. It had a few minor dings, and a bit of rust in the roof gutters, but apart from that, it was damn near perfect. Something like this would be the go for ya.

:o wow! LWB, that's Long WheelBase right? Why is that important? Is the Rocky shell a LWB normally? I like its length, and wouldn't want to go any longer. It is nice being able to around and between things bigger rigs can't.

As for the Turbo for the 2.8 DL diesel motor, as it happens, I have a complete aftermarket turbocharger for this motor under my house at the moment. Garrett turbo, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, modified thermostat and housing, coolant lines for turbo, oil lines for a remote oil cooler from the turbo. The only thing needed would be a bit of exhaust work. I have fitted a later model factory turbo charged motor, with intercooler, so the above is surplus to my needs. If anyone is interested, give me a bell.

I'm interested now! But of course, I do have to leave it for a while. It is nice to know these things are available though.

Id go for the body rebuild. Ya cant beat the Rocky for power to weight ratio, especially with a turbo fitted.

Hope this helps

Cheers
David

Thanks, it does.

[Heathx4]

Well, I may as well put some pictures with the story. There are a few here, some taken less than an hour after the roll, and others taken a few days later while I was doing some work on it.

Thanks for your advice everyone, keep it coming! I'm so keen to get back behind the 4wd'ing wheel.

[Ferwoaza]

Detroit make lockers for the Rocky, so does LOKKA I think. I'd be curious to know what diff ratio your rig runs. I've had reports of one running 3. something but apparently there is a wide variety...but can't find any info on it. If you go much bigger with wheels, you'll need better diff ratios as no transfercase mods are available.

[BundyRumandCoke]

Heath
It looks no where near as bad as it sounds. First, the rear roof has probably been knocked sideways at the top, so the rear door wont close. Thats what happened to mine when it fell over a few years ago. Yours is a LWB. All resin tops are LWB. You can tell a SWB by the straight metal roof. They also have virtually no room behind the rear seat. Yes, Detriot Locker makes lockers for Rockys. I have them fitted front and rear. Steering isnt a problem with a front locker in. On normal roads with hubs unlocked, no problem at all. Even on road, with a locker in and 2wd, steering is as normal. In 4wd, on the dirt and normal driving, it still isnt a problem. Only when you are applying power in 4wd, does the steering become hard. If you happen to have power steering, then it shouldn't be a problem. Murray, the Rockys run 3.36 diffs. Pinion 11/ Crown wheel 37.
Personally, I'd run with the new shell and doors. You may even be able to use your resin roof and rear windows, and the sunroof and surrounds.
If, on the other hand, you decide to wreck it, give me a buzz. I might be interested in the rear end.

Cheers

David

[Heathx4]

It looks no where near as bad as it sounds. First, the rear roof has probably been knocked sideways at the top, so the rear door wont close. Thats what happened to mine when it fell over a few years ago.

Wish that were the case! I've removed the fibreglass canopy (which was okay save for a couple of cracks) and the metal door arch (which was quite bent) since those photos were taken. The door still is just a little low on the latch side. It'll shut okay if you lift it up though. All the doors open and shut okay if you force them actually, but I don't hold much hope for the front ones!

But I agree, it doesn't really look that bad. Have a closer inspection of the door frames though, and you see some pretty twisted metal, part of which punctures the side of the driver side dash.

About the lockers... are you talking about automatic lockers? So you get either 50/50 or 100/0 torque? Does the rear ever lock when you don't want it to, say in a tight turn on road? Are you saying the extra understeer is not a concern? I guess with hubs unlocked, the front diff doesn't matter anyway. Had any problems with the extra load on the axles and so forth? And lastly, have you noticed more tyre wear / noise? I guess these issues could probably warrant their own thread, but I'm very new to the ideas so I'm not sure.

The power steering works great (I was a bit surprised the first time I was towed with the engine off!), so heavy steering shouldn't really be a problem.

Personally, I'd run with the new shell and doors. You may even be able to use your resin roof and rear windows, and the sunroof and surrounds.

Yeah, sounds good to me. I'm not so confident about the sunroof though! It's pretty crushed.

Cheers.

[Ferwoaza]

Heath
Murray, the Rockys run 3.36 diffs. Pinion 11/ Crown wheel 37.

I know I keep seeming to harp on this point...it just suprises me that 4wd Monthly said that there is a wide range available on their article on the Rocky a few months back...think it's time I sent them a please explain letter

[BundyRumandCoke]

The rear locker works fine. Both are automatic, ie no input from the driver, no switches ect. Actually, the phrase "locker" is a misnomer, as the Detriots are actually automatic unlocking diffs. In straight ahead driving, the diff is locked. When turning corners on hard surfaces, the friction of tyre on road overcomes the spring tension of the detriot, leting the teeth ramp up and over each other, until you are driving straight ahead again. The diff then relocks. If the diff is set up correctly, no appreciable difference is noticable with tyre wear. You will hear a slight click click noise coming from the rear when turning corners, the sound of the teeth ramping over each other. Very occasionally, the diff will let out a loud metallic bang, which is the diff settling into the locked position when under power. A bit un-nerving at first, but you get used to it. Id have to say, the detriots are the best mods I have done to my Rocky. One in the rear was bloody fantastic, the second makes for outstanding traction.

Cheers

David

[zukin]

ive got a mate that has a rocky red one he is moving to england and he wants to get rid of it you would be able to get what ever ya want i reakon for a few bucks and he is close to ya just in adamstown heights like its pretty much standardish few after market things but he wants it gone.. pm me if ya keen ill set ya up