 It seems that every time we send one of the hardworking 4WD Action photographers on a trip down to the Apple Isle, the locals stop at nothing to make sure some of the best 4WDs in Oz are ready to be featured in these humble pages.
Take Liam, for example. When he heard we had booked the flights for sharp shooter Jamie, he decided the 32in Mongrels and suspension set-up that scored an RTI of 1308.32 at his local flex ramp day (1308 is pretty damn good for those unfamiliar with the RTI index) could do with a little improvement.
When we spoke to Liam late one night just a couple of days out from the shoot, he had just finished getting the little Zook ready for 35in tyres! If you own a big Patrol or LandCruiser, 35in tyres are big. At 4in larger than standard, they make a huge difference to the vehicle’s performance. On a pint-sized Sierra, however, they are close to 8in larger – that’s the equivalent of running 39in tyres on one of the popular wagons.
Don’t think for a minute that this has been an easy conversion. Liam picked up this Zook after it had been sitting in a paddock for a couple of years. It had had a pretty hard life, was only just running, and almost anything he has kept standard has had to be fixed or replaced. The best thing about it, however, is that Liam has done most of the work himself, with just the help of friends when he needed a few extra hands. He told us the key to tacking a project like this is doing your research first and allowing heaps of time, because everything takes at least twice as long as you anticipated.
But after all of it has been finished, Liam’s favourite thing about the Sierra is that he built it himself. And every time he takes it out and outdrives his mates, he has the satisfaction of knowing that he created this little monster.
MECHANICALS
Sierras aren’t really known for their stump-pulling power, ands Liam’s is no exception. When he picked it up from his mate’s paddock, the G13B was in need of some attention. A bit of a service, 2in exhaust and Holley carb later, however, and the little 1.3 gets the Zook along at a respectable pace. Liam has also fabricated a 3in stainless steel snorkel to keep the engine from taking a mouthful of water.
Underneath the vehicle is where things really start to get serious. Because the standard Sierra axles are notorious for breaking under the strain of larger tyres, Liam decided to upgrade to HiLux axles.
As well as being strong, they are also quite a bit wider, so the Zook can handle much steeper side angles. Fitting the HiLux axles did present a few problems, though. After everything was fitted, Liam was getting really bad driveline vibration from the rear driveshaft. Due to the lift and location of the diff pumpkin, the angles affecting the shaft were too much to cope with.
Eventually he had to pull the rear diff out and replace it with one from a Bundera, as the transfer case and diff pumpkin are more in line. Because the Bundy’s are coil sprung it was quite a big job, as the housing needed to be stripped and new spring perches welded on. They used this opportunity, however, to twist it up a little to further reduce the tailshaft angle.
Both HiLux and Bundy diffs are fitted with 4.88:1 gears and ARB Air Lockers. As is the case with most Air Locker owners, Liam is over the moon with their performance. To further reduce the gearing and help cope with 35in tyres Trailgear reduction gears have been fitted to the transfer which give a 6.5:1 reduction.
The front suspension is still using standard-height Sierra springs, but they are now sitting on top of the diff rather than under it. A few leaves have been removed to help improve the ride and flex. Climax drop shackles have replaced the standard ones, as these have the ability to fold out when off-road to give the suspension a little extra droop.
Adjustable Rancho 9000 shock absorbers have been fitted and custom shock mounts where fabricated to suit the conversion. The rear is sitting on HiLux front springs with a few leaves removed and Climax drop shackles as well. Another pair of Rancho 9000 are bolted to custom shock hoops.
» Continue to Page 2
Related Articles
HiLuxes are unbreakable, right? They may be able to withstand a fall from the top of a high-rise building that is being demolis...
After flying over to Australia a number of times and getting a taste of what there was to offer, Scottish ex-pat Callum Blackha...
How many of us can say they are that happy with their 4WD, they want to be buried with it? Most of us, we are sure, are always ...
« Back to Customs Articles
|
