'99 Vitara, 91kmi, $900. Needs a top, RF axle & general TLC.
How crazy do I want to go with this? General plan is summer top-down fun for SWMBO and winter 4x4 commuting.
'99 Vitara, 91kmi, $900. Needs a top, RF axle & general TLC.
How crazy do I want to go with this? General plan is summer top-down fun for SWMBO and winter 4x4 commuting.
You sure about that winter thing? SWB vehicles are evil on ice and snow.
Largest tire you can cram in there with liberal cleatancing of the fenders. Lose the lightening bolts. Add lights. Bedline inderccarriage and lower six iinches to limit rust encroachment. Enjoy.
In reply to NGTD:
Shouldn't be too bad in 4wd with snows and a competent driver.
Yeah, if the snow isn't more than 5" deep and I want to pretend I'm Finnish I'll just drive the Accent. 
This will be for deeper & thus slower-speed stuff.
There is no slower speed stuff.
Woody wrote: There is no slower speed stuff.
Truer words were never spoken 
Put some good snows in the 225/235 70/75 range and you'll be a superstar in the winter. My son has a few and tells me when people are driving 20-30 km/h under the limit because of the snow, he can routinely drive 20-30 over the limit and track perfectly straight doing it.
For summer, some stock car rims and a set of 275 60 15's and those awesome flames will be justified.
Some black steelies with all-terrains, a mild lift, a new top, and removed lightning bolts. Then go find some mud or sand dunes. 
I did a bit of research last night & have a few questions:
1.) A white replacement top costs ~$100 more than a black one(racist??? 
). Having no A/C, I'm sure it would keep things cooler inside, but are there any drawbacks to having a white top - particularly regarding longevity/durability?
2.) It seems like a 2"-3" lift would be about right, but how should I go about it? Realistically, I don't see us doing any real off-roading. It looks like $120 will buy a body-lift(but I don't think that's what I want?), $200 will buy a set of 2" shock/strut spacers(but I think I need camber bolts to go with it? Do I need new shocks/struts too, even if the stock ones are fine?).
3.) I like the black steelies idea, and I could probably get away with blast & paint/powdercoat on the stock wheels. Any suggestion on tires? I think I'd like something with a good snow rating, but I know a true snow tire wouldn't be great the remaining ~9-months of the year. I've seen 29" suggested as the correct size with a 2-3" lift.
Beyond that, I'm thinking I'll replace the front/rear bumper covers, remove the decals & buff/repaint as necessary(treating the light rust areas in the process). Hit the underside with POR-15(I already have plenty), and buy/build some type of nerf/push bar for the front & bolt a couple lights to it.
Am I on the right track???
You should do this.
And then go pretty much wherever you want.
I'm kind of biased though. You might not want to listen to me.
White tops get dirty from dust, dirt and smog.
Black shows less dirt but will show dust, salt. etc.
In reply to Toyman01:
Well yeah, obviously I want to do that. I'm just trying to set realistic goals here!
In reply to petegossett:
One step at a time. You don't have to be finished tomorrow.
In all honesty, I'm been looking for a 4 door one to leave mostly stock. A decent set of tires, a winch and some brains will get you most places you need to go.
www.lowrangeoffroad.com is a pretty good place to deal with if you need parts. I'm pretty sure they carry just about anything you can imagine for that thing.
I'm pretty sure calmini has stuff for those guys too. Maybe Old Man Emu as well (I'd go with these guys if possible).
I've been drooling, er um browsing, the Low Range Offroad site. I'm just not sure what to expect as far as the different methods of getting a ~2" lift?
Avoid body lifting. It gives more clearance for the tires but raises the CoG and does nothing for your suspension or ground clearance.
The best way to lift these is with longer struts and longer aftermarket arms.
Are there seats in the back of this thing or is it a 2 seater? My uncle had an Amigo when I was a kid, and after my morning at the beach, I'm thinking a "convertible" SUV would be a fun summer beach buggy. Craigslist here I come...
Toyman01 wrote:
In reply to GameboyRMH:
Thanks, that's what I was wondering regarding the body lift. But for ~2", would spacers and camber bolts(if needed) be ok? Or do I really need to go all-out with longer struts & aftermarket arms? There"s no plans for trail riding, just looking for a bit more snow clearance in winter.
In reply to sethmeister4:
Yes, there are seats in the rear, and although I've not tried them they appear they would fit real humans.
How much off-roading have you done? Most people are not aware of how far their rig will go stock and end up wasting a lot of money on stuff they will never use. To my Sidekick, I added flares to help catch mud from wider BFG All Terrains and some skid plates from Calmini. For venturing off-road on PA fire trails, hitting the beach in OBX, and some light off-roading, I was covered. Never got stuck and had a lot of fun. If you start hitting the limits of your rig, then start raising it up.
In reply to pinchvalve:
No definite plans to go off road, looking to add clearance for deep snow.
www.calmini.com I used to drool over their site for the old Grand Vitara.
In reply to edizzle89:
If I hadn't sold the golf cart last weekend too, I'd have been tempted to trade it for this one too.
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