4x4 Mag - Super Suzi

"Super Suzi"

by Rob Fisher

It all started when I was looking for a second car for running to work, as I had just sold my previous vehicle and was in desperate need of another by the weekend. By chance I was told of a Suzuki SJ410 soft-top for sale that was in need of "slight attention". I went to see the vehicle, which had been left standing for the past 8 months and could hardly be seen through the overgrown grass and was looking pretty sorry for itself. After a jump start it fired up almost immediately, I checked it over and took it for a test run. As I was used to driving "normal" road-going vehicles, the ride in this leaf-sprung 4x4 was a bone-shaking experience, and although it was a bit of a gamble buying it as there was no tax or MOT and in need of some bodywork repairs, I had already decided it would be mine!
I needed to get it road worthy pretty quickly as I was to use it daily to commute to work (a 30 mile round trip), and amazingly it only needed replacement shock absorbers to pass the MOT.

At this particular time off-roading had never crossed my mind, but then a friend of mine bought a Lada Niva 4x4 and was keen to try it out. We got together with a few other 4x4's and planned an off-road day out, and to my amazement the little Suzuki seemed to go just about anywhere I wanted, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The bug had bitten...

I started looking at ways to improve the Suzi. The old PVC seats were the first things to go, these were replaced by XR3i seats which gave a much more comfortable ride and a higher driving position. The road tyres were well worn, so a set of off-road tyres were in order. I bought two new Mud-Terrain's for the rear, and put a pair of used All-Terrain's on the front. These made all the difference, and I found the capabilities of this little vehicle quite amazing.

I was soon driven to seek an even more aggresive tyre and I managed to pick up a set of 6 inch Daihatsu wheel rims which gave a slightly more off set position, and I fitted Bronco Diamond Back's to these. The front bumper needed to be removed to allow for the larger tyres, so I set about fabricating a new one to give more tyre clearance and better 'off-road departure angles', and as it was fixed directly to the chassis it was strong enough for me to fit a towing point to.
Now I was itching to try out the new modifications, so I went to a 4x4 Funday event organised by Richard Walsh which was quite local to where I live.
The tyres performed superbly, I was so pleased with the results, and they pulled many a 'less-aggressive-tyred' Land Rover out of trouble... I felt that no 4x4 that could touch me that day!
Now I have two sets of wheels and tyres, one strictly for off-roading and one for general "normal" use, such as commuting to work and back

The Suzi's capabilities off-road were beginining to be a bit frightening to me on times, as I found myself in very worrying and difficult situations as I pushed the vehicle to the limits, and I thought it may be time to consider strengthening the vehicle a bit as the soft-top wouldn't offer much protection if ever needed.
After a tackle with a nasty bog and then an argument with it's neighbouring tree and many of it's branches I managed to damage the soft-top pretty badly, so this was the excuse for the next stage of my project : strengthening the roof.

Firstly I removed the soft-top and fitted a Safety Devices full roll cage, which was mounted and welded to the chassis. I decided to make the Suzi into a 'truck cab', this was done using aluminium sheeting to form the roof and back of the cab with a perspex oval rear view window. The rear body was then covered with aluminium tread plate with a hinged door at the centre for easy access inside.
For finishing touches the cab was painted black and sealed using black rubber matting (and lots of black silicone!) which was fixed using rivets.The rivets were intentionally used to give my Suzi that 'something different' appearance.
Now it really looks the part, and heads do turn when I drive past. I recently purchased a very good set of second hand 7 inch chrome wheels and tyres which really sets the vehicle even more.

I admit it is not exactly the fastest thing on the road, but the pleasure I get from my Suzuki is immense and far outweighs any of the costs involved. As the bug bites deeper there are many things I would like to do, the list is endless and my project is far from over.
Watch this space... The Suzi will be back!