thinking of getting a surf!!

[simon15]

I'm currently looking at getting another off roader as I miss it..

I have been looking mainly at disco's but recently the surf has caught my eye.

but looking into it and reading a few things they seem quite expensive/complicated to modify.


ill be looking at around a 6'' lift on 33's.

how easy are torsion bars to lift. I see you can buy 2'' lift ones but is that as far as you can really go without spending a fortune???

what are everyones opinions on them compared to a disco?

I only have around 1500 to spend at the mo so will be looking at a almost standard 2.4 unfortunatly...

[Antshiel]

I'm currently looking at getting another off roader as I miss it..

I have been looking mainly at disco's but recently the surf has caught my eye.

but looking into it and reading a few things they seem quite expensive/complicated to modify.


ill be looking at around a 6'' lift on 33's.

how easy are torsion bars to lift. Very Easy... I see you can buy 2'' lift ones but is that as far as you can really go without spending a fortune??? The Sky's the limit...

what are everyones opinions on them compared to a disco? Well its a disco, nuff said...

I only have around 1500 to spend at the mo so will be looking at a almost standard 2.4 unfortunatly...

Is that £1500 on mods or for the surf?

If your going for a surf For £1500 you will get exactly what you pay for, although i only paid £1875 for my 92 2nd gen, three weeks later the head cracked and ended up costing another £1100 to get it replaced with an uprated one. That said for a tad under £3000 i now have a spotless 54,000 miles Surf. Look at spending a little more and check the cooling system: Rad, Rad cap, Any signs of overheating etc. Also if you can get one which has had the head replaced, check its an uprated one. If you can get all that for £1500 ill give you £1 to put my lottery on for Saturday. Welcome to the looney bin.

[Scorpion]

Welcome to the forum!

To be honest mate you'll be very lucky to get a decent Surf for £1500, although it is possible. It's that time of year when nothing is selling so it's a buyers market, especially for 4 X 4's!

As Ant has said if you buy a 2.4 make sure the head has been replaced as a cracked head is possibley the biggest common failure. Try to take someone with you if you aren't confident what to look for and see how much paperwork it has regarding services etc.

Basically it's all the stuff you would look out for with any 4 X 4 plus the head issue.

Normally some good bargains on eBay for Surfs but as usual it's buyer beware and much better to check one out before you hand over your hard earned cash.

'Copycat' (the artist formerly known as kameeleon).

[BUSHWHACKER]

You could get two for that price.
http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/forums/sh...ad.php?t=29161


Providing you have time, lots of space and lots of spanners!

[simon15]

yeah I have seen those two. if only I had the space and could be without a car for a while.....

[TonyN]

You don't need to go to much bigger than 4" to run 33's, there will be some minor rubbing issues on the front with some wheels depending on what offset you get.

There are lots of options to get it up, easist and quickest (fitting wise) is a straight 4" suspension lift, but probable the most expensive especialy if you're paying labour. but you can still add a 2" body lift and you're at 6" A suspension lift is the best option for retaining standard handling, as you don't alter any of the suspension angles like just fitting big springs in the rear, which stretch out the radius arm angles on the rear, and the front stays factory alignment settings as the whole front setup is bacially dropped 4" down.

or you can get 2-3" rear coils, new shocks, uprated torsion bars and front diff drop brackets, and a 1 1/2, 2 or 3" body lift, this can be done in stages, as you get the money. The most you can usually lift the front on the t/bars is 1 1/2", as the CV angles get to steep, fitting manual hubs will save on wear and lets you go a little higher (but obviously only on the road, when in 2wd), then you can fit diff drop brackets the lower the CV angles but stock T/bars will start getting twichy if go over 3" extra with them (less if they are worn)

Lastly is a fit a solid axle from a pickup, this is the optimum offroad setup, as a IFS truck will never have the suspension travel of a beam axle due to drive shaft constraints. But its still a reasonable amount of work and money. And to do it properly, needs other parts to change the steering layout to crossover steering, but thats another story. This is a easy way to get 6-8" of lift on the front, but then the rear needs work to get it level. either a custom coil/4 link set up, or cut the lot off and use matching pickup rear end so you end up with leaf springs all round.

Once you include wheels and tyres, all the above are gonna cost you more than your budget for the truck, but the middle option is probably the cheapest.

Having said all that, a Surf with uprated rear coils, no side steps and a set of good 31" M/T tyres will take you 90% of any offroading you need to do in this country, plus will still be nice, easy and reliable to drive daily around town which is more than can be said for a Disco of the same age!

[drunkmonkeyboy]

hello and welcome. I got my surf with head done for £1400 its an 89 2.4 and its great!! took a bit of patients and travelling from plymouth to southampton to get it!! best car i have bought goes great in the mud and anywhere i am brave enough to take. have needed to do the odd bits on it but all for under 2k including the truck so far (some of the bits i have got are just cos i wanted to rather than need!

as for the 4 wheel drive dont use it on the road unless its icey! there is plenty of info on here as to when to use it. and to be honest when i am green laneing i mostly use 2 wheel drive.

good luck with your search!!

PS tony you are so clever!!!

[andrewlee31]

just a tip drunk, when green laning i find its more comfortable in 4 wheel low, as the low speeds your driving at to keep the bobblies happy and the ground intact.

just my tuppenth, ignore me totally if you like

[TonyN]

just a tip drunk, when green laning i find its more comfortable in 4 wheel low, as the low speeds your driving at to keep the bobblies happy and the ground intact.

just my tuppenth, ignore me totally if you like

I agree, not ripping the ground up and driving slowly is paramount if we're not gonna see all the byways closed down.

2wd is fine, untill it starts to slip a little, then you want to keep wheel spinning as little as possible. Save digging big holes in the ground for the offroad sites!



Not a dig at Drunk, just a reminder to all seeing as it was brought up, tread lightly, or lose it.

[drunkmonkeyboy]

Hi tony and andrew, thanks for the tip, even in 2 wheel drive i go slow cos i am only a beginner so dont get the back wheels spinning. Cos i have a mannual i stick to first (which is slow) and it will crawl along just on idle fine. the wheels spinning is only when i find a big muddy puddle thats chewed up allready . As for 4low all the info i have read on here says that it should be used for surfaces that are really slippery cos it can cause transmition wind?

Oh and I got an offroad lession for christmas from mrs drunk!!! which I am trying to book up in the next couple of weeks!! Its at trax and trails. Its in la*dys though it was all mrs drunk could find near us but the principles should be the same. I did see in the letter that they will let you use your own car if its up to scratch. I think I would rather trash one of theirs on my first lesson!