Outer Limits 4x4 Board

g-day, im thinking of buying a diahatsu rocky as my 1st 4x4. i havet done much 4x4ing before, so i dont know much. Are they any good_ i reckon ill get one around the 84, 85 year mark, as they are cheaper and i have not much money.

Thanks

Clay henry

Earlier rocky's have a solid axle which is better for harder offroad. Overall there's nothing wrong with them, but you may find that there are things you cant get for them - like lockers.

If you do buy one, I would recommend you dont throw too much money at it early on and then you can assess how serious you want to be about it. It depends on how you want to go 4wding too...

A better option is to go out 4wding with someone else and see if it grabs you. If you're really hooked you're better off spending money on something more capable which you can get more mods for - say a Hilux or a Sierra.

Clay_Henry wrote:g-day, im thinking of buying a diahatsu rocky as my 1st 4x4. i havet done much 4x4ing before, so i dont know much. Are they any good_ i reckon ill get one around the 84, 85 year mark, as they are cheaper and i have not much money.

Thanks

Clay henry

What's your budget Clay?

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modul ... m.php?f=18

Daihatsu Rocky IS my 1st 4x4, and in stock form I think it will pretty much cane anything in it's class
It's small like a sierra but a bit bigger and more solid + you can get it in Diesel (on that note, I wouldn't touch a petrol one ) and yet Smaller than a SWB GQ - can squeeze around tight tracks and pick better lines + shorter so more rampover angle.

Throw a 2-3" lift at it and some bigger/aggressive tyres and it will take you a while to outgrow it.

BUT. After saying all that I've had some mongrel troubles with mine, gearbox in particular - even though everyone i spoke to said their gearboxes are much stronger than is needed for their size

If you want to get straight into full on 4x4ing and go modification crazy, don't get a rocky save your pennies and go a patrol/cruiser/rangie ...ok maybe not a rangie .

But if you want a great , small 1st 4x4 go the rocky Try and get a diesel, and PWR steering so you can weld the front diff Oh and if there's a Turbo Diesel one grab it... but from your post i take it you just want a cheap one to get started so I wouldn't stress too much the NA ones have enough poke offroad atleast.

Offroad my rocky's been everywhere these two go it just takes me longer and I make more noise :

- Front locked

Was my first 4by and it was great the only problem is with rust and the gearbox/transfer case. It was a good first 4by.
Cheers...Vic

My 1st 4wd machine is the Rocky too and yeah it too canned plenty of LCs on 35s. It was mainly limited to 31s because of the crappy ratio.
Detroit Lockers even that out though hahaha.
Well if u can find the parts for them they are formidable rigs in the right hand.
Even though they are not popular in Oz, they have a massive strong following in South East Asia and certain parts of Europe and they are competitive in 4x4 challenges.

Oh btw i do have a moded Toyota Hilux LN106 in addition to the Rocky and oddly it's more fragile then my Rocky hahaha considering te Hilux has 65000 genuine km on the clock and hardly any offroad time, while my Rocky has nearly 500000km on the clock and has been offroading since day 1 in 1984 when my dad was driving it.
My Rocky hasn't missed a bit other than a damage TC selector fork recently due to my carelessness for forgetting to tighten up the drain plug while filling oil hahaha.

They are a bloody tough truck and will go for years and years...

The only thing as said earlier is lack of aftermarket accessories.

This is my first 4x4 and I love it to bits They do good for what they are.
If I need bigger and more capable I will buy a different truck though.

g'day lads

my budget to start out is around 4-5 grand. thats for a car and maybe some start up bits. i gotta sell my current laser, which get a fair bit of off roading practise. Im not looking at spending heaps of cash on a 4x4, so i dont think i need a really big one. a mate told me to get a suzuki, cannot remember the model, but he reckons they are better. is he right?

So are they good for a 1st time 4x4?

Thanks,

Clay

Clay_Henry wrote:g'day lads

my budget to start out is around 4-5 grand. thats for a car and maybe some start up bits. i gotta sell my current laser, which get a fair bit of off roading practise. Im not looking at spending heaps of cash on a 4x4, so i dont think i need a really big one. a mate told me to get a suzuki, cannot remember the model, but he reckons they are better. is he right?

So are they good for a 1st time 4x4?

Thanks,

Clay

I went from a rocky to a suzuki sierra. Both are excellent first 4wd's, but the sierra has way more aftermarket support. Depending on yout situation both would be suitable. The sierra has little power, or interior room. The rocky (esp the T/D) has much more power, and more comftable ride and interior, even AC and Power steer if you look hard enough. Both can be modified, but the Rocky is limited without major custom work because it has little support from part manufacturers. The sierra on the other had has everything and anything available either over here, or imported from the states (called a suzuki samurai over there). The money you are looking at spending should be enough to get you a good rig to start with.

Layto....

The erlier rocky can be found under $3k pretty easy but finding a T/D 2.8 may be tough.

Except for the lack of aftermarket support I'd still rte them well.

Quite a few people have done axle swaps in them to make lockers available.

Later ones look much better but unfortunately have IFS.

My first fourby was a 84 tdRocky. And was basically standard. Best thing is you don't need to do any thing to them to make them capable off road. Had no major failures over the ten years I had it. But they do have there limits.
Parts of any kind can be hard to get and pricy.
The ride is, Rocky by name, Rocky by Nature. Mine use to make me sick when I first bought it. After market springs would have been good.
Sold mine because I needed something bigger + it was getting abit rusty.
I think you should also consider an early model Pajero, swb if you can find one.
I now (still) have the Pajero + Lwb suzuki . But I had to spend money on the zook to make it good off road to my satisfaction. And still spending money.
Peter.

Here ya go - http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1985-Rocky-4WD_W ... dZViewItem

Or this one if your in QLD, ended with no bids - and TURBO http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DAIHATSU-ROCKY-4 ... dZViewItem

As you said you don't want to spend much cash on the 4x4, I would recommend the Rocky over a Sierra.

The Sierra's (Suzuki) have lots of bits you can buy, but if you want just a stocker 4x4 to take bush now and then, the Rocky is for you.
They have a bit more poke and grunt and a lot more space than the zook. This is the main reason I chose the Rocky (plus I wanted a Diesel).

I am wrapped with my Rocky, although it is the later 93 model with IFS, but it holds its own when i go offroad, and is great on the road with lots of comfort and power

thanks for those links rockyf70. they both look pretty tops. im in tassie, but i realise that i will have to goto the mainland to get a decent car, and for a decent price as tassie is woefull. the secound one looks like a goer, but bit concerened that its done heaps of k's. i understand that its 20 years old, but how much trouble would it give me thats it done so many?

Diesels will go forever
You just have to inspect it for any problems... A car with 100,000kms could give you more trouble that one with 350,000kms, depends how they have been treated and serviced.

Clay_Henry wrote:thanks for those links rockyf70. they both look pretty tops. im in tassie, but i realise that i will have to goto the mainland to get a decent car, and for a decent price as tassie is woefull. the secound one looks like a goer, but bit concerened that its done heaps of k's. i understand that its 20 years old, but how much trouble would it give me thats it done so many?

Judging by the paintwork in the pics on the 2nd one it looks well looked after , can't imagine mine ever lookin that shiny.

Its a gamble with any car that old, just have a 'just in case' budget, and do the best possible inspection before you buy. Mine has 345 000 atm, but it had a reconditioned engine put in at 170 000 , so I think the 1st owner didn't treat it very well . The only engine trouble I've ever had was a blown head gasket... which was partially my fault, driving around on the beach in ~40 degree heat with a radiator that looked like it was original equipment, missing probly half the fins

When you go for a test drive, If it's hard or impossible to down shift into a certain gear it will be the synchro's, cost me a bit under a grand on mine about 6 months after I bought it, with most of the bearings replaced too, but I knew this was a problem when I got it.

I've had a mobile mechanic come up to me in a Macca's carpark and start a convo about my rocky, telling me how great they are.... a customer of mine said same, and a NRMA guy who came to jump start me once.... one thing they all said "Rocky's are bulletproof" I'd say they are bullet resistant, cause i've had a bit of a bad run with mine but you can't expect much better when its a 20+yr old car, and you drive it hard offroad

they sound like what im after then. when you buy a car on ebay, and its cash on delivery, do they get pissed if you turn up and dont buy its cause its shit? do you get done for fraud, like you would for something else on ebay?

Clay_Henry wrote:they sound like what im after then. when you buy a car on ebay, and its cash on delivery, do they get pissed if you turn up and dont buy its cause its shit? do you get done for fraud, like you would for something else on ebay?

If they say it's "xxx" and you get there and it aint as described, yeah, you can walk away and they SHOULDN'T be able to do you for anything. But worst case scenario is they leave bad feedback. Ebay can't MAKE you give them your money. In fact, if they blatantly lied on their listing, you could prolly do them for fraud on ebay, but I don't think it counts for much.

If you want to buy on ebay and then travel to pickup i'd say get a inspection, eithere throw a case of beer at sum1 from this forum who's in that area to have a look, or get an NRMA inspection, but NRMA will pick at every little tiny detail, which can be a good or bad thing. And ask every concievable question through ebay to the seller 1st, and don't delete the messages he sends back.

ok mate that sounds good. i was a bit dubious about paying for something before i see it, i mean i have bioght stuff on ebay before, like mobile phoes and stuff, but a car, thats a different storey.

If i were to get a rockey, what would some of the cheapest changes would i make to the car to make it go harder? new tires? snorkel?

Suspension lift and tyres.


Snorkel if you plan on playing in water and deep mud.

yeah i think i might come across some water. and they would be reasoably cheap too woulnt it? i could make one myself with poly pipe, or should i buy one made properly?

any idea how much it would cost to get 2 or so inch of lift? also how much would a set of 30s or so cost?

Clay_Henry wrote:yeah i think i might come across some water. and they would be reasoably cheap too woulnt it? i could make one myself with poly pipe, or should i buy one made properly?

any idea how much it would cost to get 2 or so inch of lift? also how much would a set of 30s or so cost?

No company's make snorkels for the rocky these days, so its a custom job all the way. Check through the for sale here for tyres, rocks have the same stud patters as feroza's, sierra's, F100's andsome jeeps, so rims are cheap and easy to locate.

Layto....

I would get some steel tube bent to suit rather than use poly, but it's your call. Secondhand 30"s or 31"s should be easy enough to find.


You could also consider 7.00R16 or 7.50R16

See my snorkel thread http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/phpBB2/vi ... ht=snorkel

Mine is 3" stainless pipe with rubber bends... another guy in that thread made the whole snorkel from stainless.

You can also buy an airtec snorkel (search in Daihatsu section) but this is claimed not to fit perfectly at the A-pillar bend.

15" rims are easiest to find by far for these...
'The Rocky' also has a snorkel made from PVC.. works well

A quick question, how much does a turbo deisel Rocky weigh?

Peter.

From memory they're suprisingly heavy - soemthing like 1680kg. Redbook should have the figure somewhere.

how much would i be looking at for a set of tires?

also i think i will got for the turbo option, are they much better? do they also have any dissavantages i should know of?
Clay

Clay_Henry wrote:how much would i be looking at for a set of tires?

also i think i will got for the turbo option, are they much better? do they also have any dissavantages i should know of?
Clay

Depends what you want? Roadies, A/T's, Muddies, new or second hand? With or without rims. You can get em pretty cheap second hand, and rims are failry common as they are the same pattern as sierra and F100's. I got a spare set with rims for $400. And you can get cheap new muddies for as little as $150ea, or retreads for $110.

Turbo= Much much better, just more power really, no COMMON disadvantages AFAIK, might use a bit more fuel. Maybe just a bit more 'stuff' that can break, and prolly a negligible effect on engine life as its workin harder, but wouldn't be a noteworthy difference.

so other than feul differece, not much, you reccomnd a turbo. i reckon ill go that way. thabks fellas, and girls.

Theyre better on fuel Engine doesn't need to work as hard to produce the same power!

But cause its turbo you drive it a bit harder