Reddy the Daihatsu Rocky

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utherjorge

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Warren, PA
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Dave
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Becker
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Hello to all. I just found these forums looking for something...and I reallllllly found something. There seems to be good stuff here, and I'm going to need weeks to digest.

I have a 1990 Daihatsu Rocky. A small SUV of mine was totaled by a drunk driver, and I set out to find something unique that fit what I was looking for. There were a few choices, but I settled on a Daihatsu Rocky. Then, I had to find one!

I found mine at a Copart auction (with a clean title!) in Arkansas, and had it shipped to me. I did all of the regular cleaning stuff, like you do, and all fluids. However, there were some issues to work through, and most have now been done.

-The heads in these pop pretty regularly, and mine was no different. The head has been decked and fixed. All new gaskets and all of that.
-Larger alternator was fitted (only 75amp...I'm worried about going too big) to help power "stuff."
-The Rocky is almost all galvanized steel, so after cleaning it up, I Monstalined the exterior and interior.
-New seats and seat covers were fitted.
-Various odds and ends.

The plans for the next few months include:
-Suspension upgrade. Haven't decided which way to go, but with the AUS exchange rate what it is, actual Daihatsu upgrades are cheaper than they would otherwise be. I got badly stuck a week ago, which is also when I learned my old springs are tired and make the rig squat when the going gets rough.
-Electrical upgrade. Now that a larger alt is in, I'm upgrading the "Big 3," swapping to a larger battery, and when I put in a new, unbroken dashboard (in my basement now) I'm adding lights and a couple of power outlets.
-Winch. Um...mighta helped me with being stuck last week.
-Building an "overland storage" thingy in the rear. I have to get the rest done, I think, but this will help me be ready for camping.

I have already paid for some Northeast overland fun, so getting the beast ready is a must. I'll post here as I go. Thanks for reading!



 
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SubeeBen

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Sweet looking rig. Good luck with your build & keep us posted.
 

utherjorge

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I was hoping to find something that was simple and basic and could get by on the trails near me. I didn't want something large, but my two ideal vehicles, 40 or 70-series LCs were hard to find that weren't beaten to death and something I could afford. I mean, I could afford them, but not a 70-series.

I also wanted something unusual, and if small and unusual are what's up for grabs, there are few choices. Then, if I could find a convertible, that's a winner. The funny thing is that I looked for an early 2-door RAV4 for a while and found nothing. No sooner had I snapped up mine but two showed up, both with locking differentials.

Some Amigos were around, too, but the ones here were beaten up really badly. Almost got a Vehicross, but he changed his mind/raised the price, and I think it was cold feet for him.
 

bawesomfels

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I think I've only ever seen one of these in the wild. It's awesome you found one and it's working out so well!
 

utherjorge

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Another option would be a Gen. 1 Montero. Small, agile easy to maintain and fixed. [emoji16]
It's funny you say that; there's a guy over teh border in NY that used to have a small stable of Dodge Raiders around his shop. He still has one left, but I always like the compact style and boxiness of them. After my rig got totaled, I was thinking about them...but no convertible. Our summers are too short as it is; I wanted to be able to enjoy as much as I can! :smiley:
 

Chocs

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It's funny you say that; there's a guy over teh border in NY that used to have a small stable of Dodge Raiders around his shop. He still has one left, but I always like the compact style and boxiness of them. After my rig got totaled, I was thinking about them...but no convertible. Our summers are too short as it is; I wanted to be able to enjoy as much as I can! :smiley:
There is a top down model of Pajero (Montero) Gen. 1 MK1 SWB, however, it is only available overseas but can be imported to US. A shop in Virginia and Georgia can import one for you. I like Daihatsu Rocky (Feroza overseas) too. Been looking for one before I settled with a Montero Gen. 1 SWB. You have a nice and good rig, very dependable too.
 

utherjorge

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A little bit of snow fun the other day. I chose to not go too much further, as the snowmobiles were out, and it's the first time they could do so all season. Coming around a curve and stuffing into a snowmobile going 50 would be a bad day for all. Plus...I learned I have no heat. MORE WORK TO DO

 

utherjorge

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The one above in the snow was near Kinzua Dam. I started poking around on the Forest Service roads that day, but I stopped where that picture was because the snowmobile trail overlaps for a bit there. It was the first day of real snow, and while the road had already been groomed, I didn't want to take the chance of eating a giddy snowmobiler with my grill.

My avatar pic is closer to Heart's Content, still near me, on an oil road that was unlocked for some reason when we had a surprise snow storm in late November. It melted almost immediately.

The muddy pics closer to the top of the thread were taken in nowhere: I can't grab the GPS from Google but it's an old logging road that I was trying to use to get to the reservoir shore above the dam.

Keep in touch! Getting a lot done the next few weeks: dual batteries and the winch first, probably, some maintenance overall (tranny and transfer case) and the other big one is the suspension upgrade: new torsion bars, near shocks (for better travel) and 60-series Land Cruiser springs on the rear to eliminate the sag.

I the locker company in Greece has been less than responsive, and I haven't found anyone local who wants to install them anyway.
 

utherjorge

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OK: so this week, and for the rest of February, lots of things are getting done. First, we're getting some servicing done of the tranny, transfer case, and diffs. That's boring and none of you are interested in that, right? :grinning:

Once that's done, I believe we'll be tackling dual batteries later this week and I might even get the winch on shortly, too. Electrical is an essential upgrade I'll have pics for.

The new torsion bars just came in the mail from Australia, and the new tie-rods came in last week, so once I can figure out the rear springs and how I'll do them, that will be shortly done, too.
 
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baronske

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Texas
Nice ride. I am looking at a Rocky too. How hard is it to find parts? And what kind of performance parts for the engine and lifts available?
 

CR-Venturer

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Absolutely sick rig. I love it, and I've never even heard of them. Why does JDM get all the good stuff? ;_;

I'm a huge fan of tiny 4wd's, mostly due to the millions of ultra-narrow mountain roads in BC where I live. Looks like you found an absolute gem! You're all set up for a winch on the front there - going to fit one?

Watching this thread for interest and possibly ideas.
 

utherjorge

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Wait until you see my update Tuesday....:sunglasses:

The Warn is on and the dual batts are in...heh heh

Parts are not impossible to find. You may have to look hard, and some trim pieces are unobtanium.

Engine performance parts don't really exist. Common wisdom seems to suggest that the gearbox is limited to 150hp or so, and while I have seem things forged cranks mentioned in Australia, I haven't seen any for sale. Turbo-ing these ends badly.

I added a 2" body lift. You can go that high without relocating things, although even that's not true: I chewed up my fan shroud and am waiting on another.

CR-V: I actually got mine at a junkyard auction through Copart; it was a basketcase, but since these are made of galvanized steel, almost no rust anywhere on this one. The hood is plain steel, though, and they do rust, I guess.
 
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utherjorge

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OK, so here we go!

Finally had some sun today and had a chance to do some shenanigans. Sadly, I have some minor wiring issues left, but my van needed an absurd amount of work, so my fun quotient is now going to be limited to activities that will not destroy Reddy or my meager bank account.

Got the dual batteries in!




But why would I put dual batteries on this? Well, because I now have a winch:



 

utherjorge

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In the last 24 hours we suddenly developed major cooling issues. I am hoping it's just air in the coolant from all the different work done; yesterday was the first day I had the chance to get her to highway speeds, and she did not care for it at all. Then we have bubbling at the rad cap; I released the relief valve and had lots of air bubbling in the overflow. If I lost another head gasket, she'll be parked until I can get to her...likely a year. Fingers crossed.