'93 hilux surf - even more lift and deep dish

[Lawsy]

well after years n years of lowered vw's my back decided it needed a smoother ride..

more details here about how liberating stepping away from the 'dub scene' was..

I sold up the 2 last dubs and with money burning a hole in my pocket and a chosen direction - I started looking round..

Here's Cody the surf..

pics from theadvert..





as you can see has some suspect stickers up the sides - bird poop and mens sticky mess have been mentioned - so thats first on the list.....

[Lawsy]

Well with the truck picked up and on the drive, i found a local specialist who i took it to for a full service and cam belt change..

its such a different drive, permanent rear wheel drive, auto box, selectable 4 wheel drive in hi or low range

first up after the service was to start on the stickers..

some have come off ok, but others are stuck fast as the top layer of vinyl is knackered - so its a long slow proces..

interior is pretty cool, its the SSRG spec so top of the range, electric everything, massive sunroof and recaro seats



ok they need a good retrim, but seat covers will do for now..

engine is the 2.4 turbo, pulls ok, never going to break any speed records, but feels like it could pull a house down.. lol

anyway, Mrs Lawsy and i had our first outing last weekend, a trip to the new forest..



looking better without the stickers, but still need to finish them all off



how to make it look small... lol... stand fat me in front...



then decided to change the front end a little

bull bars were sourced and fitted..

naked...



new bars - sourced from a uk spec four-runner - spots not wired up yet, but looks so much better



then today, first day off and wanted to have another drive around, there are a few byways near where i live, mrs lawsy got a little scare on one of them as it was muddy n slippy with a big drop, but we managed it ok - then found a big ford and had fun..








next up, need to sort the rear window motor as its playing up, which is really annoying as to open the tailgate you need to put the window down, then it opens like a truck back


so far i'm loving it, the up high driving position is great, its a little greedy tho at around 25mpg on the urban commute

plans

in time, bigger wheels, lift up, maybe a body lift and then a suspension lift - but for now i'm just going to enjoy it

biggest issue is the fact its an import so insurance was a little higher compared to what i'm used too and even more annoying is the fact the wiper arms and indicators are on the opposite sides.. lol

big change i know, not really a retro in true words, but different, 17 years old and an import...

what you think???

[stevehowes123]

very nice truck them, just keep a eye on the head if it's a 2.4 td they have a nasty habit of cracking between two of the cylinders .
2 and 3 if memory serves my right

[Lawsy]

Nov 14, 2010 20:49:39 GMT stevehowes123 said:

very nice truck them, just keep a eye on the head if it's a 2.4 td they have a nasty habit of cracking between two of the cylinders .
2 and 3 if memory serves my right

that they do mate

i've looked into it a lot and its normally ones that have been worked hard, plus there is talk that it effected 1 in 20..

plus when the specialist looked it over it looks prett certain that the heads been off and sorted before it left the land of the rising sun..

like all cars, you hear more horror stories and reading up on the owners club there is still more positive than negative too so it put my mind at rest

(plus if it does go pop the the lexus v8 drops straight in ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D)

[stevehowes123]

luxus v8 in a surf ? sounds GOOOOOD ;D

[Lawsy]

Nov 14, 2010 21:02:41 GMT stevehowes123 said:

luxus v8 in a surf ? sounds GOOOOOD ;D

theres a few guys on the surf owners club that have done it, calling em lexurfs...

i'm wanting to get winter out of the way, then save cash to sort a lift and bigger tyres first

[Rich]

Nov 14, 2010 20:45:15 GMT Lawsy said:

W..and even more annoying is the fact the wiper arms and indicators are on the opposite sides.. lol

Thats the right way round! Especially with an Auto!

Looks better with the new bars and the stickers off!

[Lawsy]

Nov 14, 2010 21:26:28 GMT Rich said:

Nov 14, 2010 20:45:15 GMT Lawsy said:

W..and even more annoying is the fact the wiper arms and indicators are on the opposite sides.. lol

Thats the right way round! Especially with an Auto!

Looks better with the new bars and the stickers off!

yes mate - much easier to drive, just pain as swapping between this and the daily i keep putting wipers on or randomly indicating.. lol

need to sort me a side exit zorst too ;D ;D ;D

[carlb1970]

that looks a real nice one. have just started going playing off road in my sportrak, i tag along with a bunch of surf owners , heres a clip of dans lexus surf from last week.
s52.photobucket.com/albums/g18/CarlB_2006/sportrak/?action=view¤t=SDC11335.mp4&newest=1

[Lawsy]

Picked up some new rims and tyres last night..

Thre them on this AM then took them for a bath!!! 31" 10.5" 15" All terrains..









Looks a lot better for them...

Good grip and drives nicer too - happy all round!!

[Lawsy]

well it looks liek this thread has crashed n burned..

will try another update tho...

customer zorts and lifted...


anyways, i got onto rough trax and ordered 2" springs and shocks

was advised that the munroe shocks are better than the desert fox ones, so ordered them up

then popped to see Tony of 4x4toys.co.uk in basingstoke and got them fitted

rears went from saggy to a 2" lift and looks loads better, front have gone up about an inch as winding torsion bars up over time

i also decided to say good bye to the side steps to give a more visual look of being higher, plus i had something else planned

that saw a trip up to longlife exhausts (a34 north of oxford) to get a new system made up

we decided on a tight to chassis mounted silencer with a side exit pipe (ok i know might clout it if going extreme off road but i like it and like the design)

so here's some pics

not the best as not really had chance to take much pics untill today when timenator and me took to some local lanes

here's a sneaky of the exhaust







oh yes and i forgot to mention

we decided to fit the pipes equal on both sides

so here's the 'drivers' side shot (ignore my pie eating frame :lol:







and that takes me to today

not bad for 3 months ownership

next up on the list

CV boots need replacing, so does teh steering idler arm, then its the dreaded MOT time

what you think

[carlb1970]

loooks so much better already, like ya say, losing the steps has made a big difference to the looks. well done matey i luvs it

[Rich]

Loving the pipes dude! Looks hardcore! Just be wary of squashing them offroad! ;D

[Lawsy]

cheers rich..

they should be ok off road, they sit quite tight to the body and parts of the chassis etc hang underneath..

still need some rocksliders making up i think, some scaffold pipe and someone to weld em up should do the trick... lol

[240karl]

ill have to show my boss this, its much better than his surf! top job fella

[Lawsy]

got busy today...

have had a few cans of matt black sat in the shed since i started a project on another car, never got round to finishing as i had an offer i couldnt refuse

so thought about a few things love..

matt black cars (hot roads mainly)
the truck
zombie/vampire films etc etc
cool car films, deathproof, punisher, mad max etc etc

so decided to opt for a matt black truck and going to head down a sort of zombie hunter/hot rod/deathproof theme

first up was start at the front

this morning was looking to be a good day ( i work saturday and have mondays off) so out i went with spanners in hand about 10am





thought i'd give all the panels a good clean and wash, check for any rust issue, very pleased to say there was none (other than one bonnet strut) and paint the panels in the back garden :thumbsup:
a mate popped round for a brew

so cleaned them all up, roughed up the surface and set too it..

using plastikote paint in rattle cans i'm quite pleased, normaly matt black shows bitty, but these havent gone on too bad

bonnet is a little patchy in places, but a gentle rub and then apply the planned decals should sort it out





gloss vinyl logo applied



its now about 3.30, so not bad to strip all down, paint and put back

i get a phonecall, wife, can you pick me up from work

knowing there's some lanes between here and her work i happily oblidge..



yes i know its looks a little poo only with the front done, but i have a plan and need to spend some time on photoshop before i carry on (plus need it back together for the next week)



when i first put it all back together the orange indicators looked stupid,stood out far too much, so remembering a tip form my youth i lightly dusted them with matt black, sanded back, light dust etc etc till it was good covering, but thin

stelth side lights



they still flash orange good enough tho



the eagle eyed ones amongst you will also notice i've deleted the aerial hole too - eventually it'll be back with a snorkel pipe running through it..

anyone know someone who can do decent sized vinyl stickers..

coudl do with some 'large ones' for the bonnet and side doors

[Al Ramone]

ooh, like the route your going down with this. well done ;D

you need to find your local vinyl printing place rather then normal stickers, if you want big uns

[dakary340]

tasty ;D

[micrat]

going to look brilliant! i miss going off roading! shame i sold the fourtrak we could have seen off the undead masses together lol...




will be watching with interest!

[captainwow]

Looks badass, but you'll regret it the first time you try and wash any clay/proper mud off it .

My mate did his in matt black, I'll diga couple of pics out, it looked mega!