Offensive Wreck

[KruJoe]

SavvyMan, if yours was a three-banger 1.0, it must have been an actual (fwd) Swift?

 

 

This evening was the first time I'd seen it in daylight. Mrs_KJ was overcome* with joy at the sight of it.

 

 

But she very soon had her first ever try at driving solo.

 

 

And she made her first marks on it too... trying to reverse past those tyres

 

[mouseflakes]

After a year couped up in a back garden that Justy must be happy now to have field to gallop around in.

[catsinthewelder]

With the grot below it on the green wing and the dent above it on the silver one that rubber trim couldn't have been better positioned.

[Albert Ross]

So, the cost of the car, the time, and the fuel to go fetch it, you probably spent less than the cost of the fuel the bloke put in the Roller... Them small tractor tyres.... not 16" by any chance are they??

[Jim Bell]

Now that's what I call buying a car and doing a good thread about it.

 

Nine dart finish.

[wuvvum]

I had one of those once.  It was an odd thing, and I didn't like it as much as the Mk1 Justy.  It didn't really handle, and the steering was far too light.  It was absolutely brilliant in the mud though, and would beat pretty much anything off the line in the wet.

 

Then I lost the keys about two weeks after I bought it, and it sat for ages until I got round to getting a replacement cut by Subaru - I then had the joy* of spending an afternoon upside down in the driver's footwell bypassing the dealer-fit immobiliser.  By then the MoT had almost run out and it was terminally rotten underneath, so I sold it to a bloke who was going to use it as a field car for his kids.

[rml2345]

That looks terrible. What an excellent purchase!

De-facelifting it is a smashing idea as well, hope it works out.

[KruJoe]

With the grot below it on the green wing and the dent above it on the silver one that rubber trim couldn't have been better positioned.

Yes Rich, it's worked out well, this silver car has had a tough time lately, but everything I've found broken is in good shape on the green one, so we're onto a WINNAH!!!111!!

 

 

There's foliage growing from all sorts of un-expected places.

 

 

So, the cost of the car, the time, and the fuel to go fetch it, you probably spent less than the cost of the fuel the bloke put in the Roller... Them small tractor tyres.... not 16" by any chance are they??

Aye, got this one cheap! It sold before at £200, but the feller changed his mind. Going on that listing it was no way worth two. Some would say I was done at £87.10, but that's their shout.

Soz to disappoint, but I think the RR driver only stopped for 10 L&B or summert from the shop.

Them big tyres on the field are all scrap, they've been there for years, originally brought in as obstacles for cyclo-trials. I think they're 18.5's anyway. Have you worn out the last set you had from us?

 

 

I had one .. It didn't really handle, and the steering was far too light.  It was absolutely brilliant in the mud though, and would beat pretty much anything off the line in the wet.

 

... joy* of .. bypassing the dealer-fit immobiliser.

I've not driven this example much, it does feel quite understeery, but yes it can grip! Even on the steep, muddy bits of the field with balding tyres, we can only get a tiny slip of the front wheels before it just grabs hold and goes. If there's NO grip to be found, I bet I could get it stuck. I once got the green one proper confused on our steep hill when it was covered in sheet ice. But that's simple physics, nothing this side of studs or chains would manage that.

 

Gladly this one is immobliser-less. The green one had one of those jobs with the little electronic 'finger' which you have to touch into a socket on the dash before you can start. That type is a right faf.

 

The RAV4 had a dealer fit job which had gone to bolx, but a bit of googling saw me pulling that out in no time.

 

 

 

I really like the look of the back end, but I think that D pillar needs to be gloss black to finish it off. It may happen eventually!

[overrun]

I am impressed at how roadworthy it looks when on the A-frame, compared to the sales* image!

[purplebargeken]

Yuck.

 

Well done.

[KruJoe]

Ha ha! It had been washed clean by six month's of rain, and I took four spare wheels and tyres with me, so that was a start!

The inside looks minging...

 

 

But the seats are in good shape under the grime:

 

 

Seats and carpets will come out of both cars for the silver one to get a less holey carpet. I may swap the seats too, I prefer the design.

 

 

This is the green one's cockpit:

 

[KruJoe]

Right, lesson time.

 

Even though this is basically a Suzuki Swift, (made by Suzuki in Hungary), Suzuki never made a hatchback Swift with the AWD system. They did do an AWD saloon, with the 1.6 16v (Vitara) engine, and I had one of those back in the day. It gripped like a b'stard, a great chassis, but just needed more oomph.

 

 

Our silver Justy will have a pretty face like that ^ when it's done.

The AWD system came from the legendary Suzuki Cultus, which was a JDM only "Swift GTI" (1.3 16v with AWD).

Just coz I can haz it, here's the GTI review:

 

 

Yes, people have made their own Cultus by using GTI bits on a three door Justy.

These Suzuki Justys are not at all related to previous generations, which had a button on the gear stick for the electro-pneumatically switchable 4WD.

 

 

After the 1990's there were Justys based on the Suzuki Ignis, then the boxy Daihatsu Sirion, but those didn't even have four wheel drive so they're dead to me!

[hairnet]

you are trig when hes having a day off aicmmfp

[KruJoe]

With the scans? If this is the only magazine I ever have, I'd be satisfied with it! As you may have seen in the grin thread, I thought I'd lost it in a house move years ago, and was over the moon to re-discover it this week.

 

 

I looked at it every day through my high-school years, and almost ever car I've owned was featured in it!

[hairnet]

i used to buy autoexpress when it was new - used to cost 40p i think

 

autocar was a pound then too

[stuboy]

i used to buy autoexpress when it was new - used to cost 40p i think

 

autocar was a pound then too

 

did it have rover 200 on front cover

[explosive-cabbage]

Me and Joe had a look under this the other day and found it to be suprisingly sound, no major holes and just a couple reasonably easy jobs for and MOT.

 

However Joe started exploring today with a grinder and a wire wheel and 'reasonable' areas of rust started to migrate...

 

I pointed him in the right direction with my new welder and left him to it.

 

Pics to follow??

[stilo_active]

That's truly horrific. Good job! Like the Autoexpress scans too

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[KruJoe]

It's doing a 'Micra'.





I got the front end stripped down - dead easy, it's all little M6 bolts with 10mm heads. Easy apart from the ones that shear, need knocking out and the captive nuts replacing. Grr. So I did a few of those.



Once stripped of bits, I cleaned up the cross member and found plenty more grot spots.

 

 

I got one patch zipped on, but then had to drop the rad back in, plug in the batt and alternator, and lob on the remains of the bumper so Mrs_KJ could have her practice session.

[purplebargeken]

Niva love!!!!!!!

 

You are truly as mad as a box of frogs. I salute you!

[nacho man]

I really want a copy of that auto express top tests book now, ebay didnt supply the goods, so I am on the hunt.

[KruJoe]

That's Helga, Olga's sister.

 

 

The 306 still creeps about under its own steam, but not for long. Bits of it are disappearing onto a project of Will's happening in the shed.

 

 

As you'll have guessed, I've decided to save this Justy. This is how it happened:

The car came with a bit of helpful paperwork, the test fail from 18 months back, and the advisories:

 

 

The ball joints are fine, but both track rod ends are slack as knackers. Replacement (Suzuki Baleno parts) ordered.

Both back springs have a broken top coil like this:

 

 

Tyres... I have a few kicking about, but I think I'll treat it to a full matching set of all-weather boots (on cleaned up rims) once I've had it tracked up properly. I don't think I've EVER bought a full set of new rubber before!

 

 

 

Will couldn't resist crawling under and having a poke about.

 

 

 

I was expecting the exhaust to be shot, considering its recent history, but it was just a missing rubber which had caused a flange-to-flange joint to open up. Will levered on a spare rubber hanger, I'll seal up the joint again at some point. Hopefully I can sort it, new systems for these are £megabucks.

 

 

 

There are a few small patches needed at the front of the floor, nowt major.

 

 

We had a poke around the back end, but found nothing but mud. It looks like it has been buzzing 'round a ploughed field, there's no sign of dents or bruises from being bounced over rocks etc, it could have been so much worse. It mostly needs a good scrub down, and plastering with the black stuff.

 

 

It was about half-a-hundredweight lighter after that.

 

 

That's the Malhamdale equivalent of a Vulgalour bucket shot!

[phil_lihp]

Liking this thread a lot, it'll be good to see it cleaned up and given an unfacelift.

[HMC]

Glad to hear the underbody looks decent, pulling off armfulls of muck can sometimes leave behind less than you expect! Looking fwd to updates

[hairnet]

did it have rover 200 on front cover

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/65550/subscribe-our-1988-price

 

drawing of rover 200

[kinkersaab]

 

 

It was good until i got..over enthusiastic on a rough track.

[KruJoe]

Ha ha!

That's another way to improve the looks of the facelifted model!

[KruJoe]

Remember this?

Well, it's still alive, not rotting into the ground with the other hopeless carcasses in the field.

 

 

It has been pottering about the place, earning its keep (seen here laying a track).

 

 

Some progress has been made, further updates to follow.

 

L8RZ.

[John F]

I actually like that. Quite a lot, really.

 

Top purchase / save, Joe!

[oman5]

Our 96 justy was ace. We had it 5 years which was some kind of record, incredibly it's still going with new owners too!