I was originally planning on building a Suzuki Sidekick. It was going to consist of slightly narrowed 60's, coilovers, 38x12.50 SX's, and a 4.3. I now found a rare Daihatsu Rocky that would also be kick ass. What do I do?
The Rocky can be bought under a grand. It has a perfect top but needs seats and a some dash work(mild). Parts are hard to come by, if not impossible. The sidekick is cheaper than the Rocky but needs a top and a grill making the cost about the same. Parts are readily available, there is slightly more interior room, but the interior is not quite as trick as the Rocky. I know for a fact that the headlight buckets on the Sidekick will interfere with the 38's and the possibility of stretching the wheelbase. I am unaware of any similar problems on the Rocky. The Rocky also has a partial hard top like a targa top on a Porsche. I will not be using any of the power or drivetrain, so parts options there aren't a problem. The Sidekick has smooth lines while the Rocky is boxy.
Everything about the Rocky screams rare and unusual, but that also means EXPENSIVE if available. I know tops are twice as much. The Sidekick has been done before so it is not that different, but that means it is buildable even though mine will exceed those I have seen.
HELP ME! I need your opinions!

Screw those, do an AMC Pacer! :D

Don't do a Gremlin, I want to do one next year and be the only one. hehehe...

You are a sick, sick, individual! But the Pacer. Now that has to be something that EVERY wheeler has pondered. Just imagine the visibility! It would be like driving a glass bathtub!

Lets see, hmmmm which head would be cooler on Britney Spears body ?, Marge Schottz, or Phyllis Diller?:barf: Do you get the comparison? :rolleyes:

man with 38s i would say you are going to have to get it in the 90 to 95 in wheel base. if you stay short you are going to see a bunch of sky. the rocky will be a pain in the ass to get any parts for the tracker is common as dirt and cheap parts. but what the hell either one would be different. and would both fall under the "its not what you buy its what you build".

I think the Daihatsu Rocky for the rare factor. You are obviously not concerned with wheelbase or you would build a more common rig.I dont see what on the rocky that you will have to buy thats expensive, body? no you will be trimming that anyway. It has all the top and so on and they are a little wider than a sidekick right? So dare to be different.

Actually, the Rocky is skinnier than the 'Kick. It is just the flares that throw it off. I actually think the Rocky is down there in the Sammy size, just a little nicer interior. In fact, my plan if I ran the Rocky is to use those cool unbreakable Sammy flares on it. The things I worry about buying are stuff like doors, fenders. Hell I'm sure I'll trash the Softtop sooner or later, and that is an annoying $380. Fenders for a 'Kick are about $50. I haven't found any for a Rocky yet. Gimme some more input.

Oh yeah, I plan on stretching both wheelbases. At least a little bit. The one thing I didn't like about the Rocky was the flares. But they will actually allow me to stretch it farther than the Zuk. And the wheelbase, when you think about it, isn't all bad. It is 86 on the Zuk and the Rock. A flatty is only 80, granted that they have a low center of gravity, however. I'm thinking I can mik 90 out of either one. I hope.
Hey check it out. If I ran the 60's full width, 88 inches wide, 86 inches long! I could fit two of 'em on my trailer sideways! Cooool. Maybe I'll buy and build them both, and THEN decide! Anyone want to front me a little cash?

if you want something foreign, small, and cheap, why not just get a vw bug and slap it on a jeep or toy frame. lots of aftermarket parts for them.

Well, I just got off of Car-parts.com and that didn't help me AT ALL! All of the body parts are very close in price. Did you know that a door for a 'Kick is $500? WoW! Time to learn how to drive!

Eeyuoooo. That's gross. And I am not actually aiming for a foreign ride, the US just doesn't make anything tiny save the Dodge Raider. And that thing is just not cool. It doesn't have any style. S-10's have been done more than my ex. Besides, I want to run an import so I can run those funky neon lights as my rock lights! Then I'll get them to blink with my stereo. Yeah, that's cool.

:barf: :barf: :barf: hey, there is a Vega wagon here on 36's, i think your on to something......NOT :oncrack:

Ok I see where you are going with this project. I dont think they make chrome rockers or fender trim for the rocky so go with the Kick. Besides girls like the sidekicks(to drive for themselves) and then you can wheel the mall parking lot all day. Those are easy night runs as well. Just get yourself a lavender triangle neon sign and you will be set. You wont have to worry about body damage unless you park too close to the mall entrance. Screw it just juice the ride and you can articulate right there in front of Mervyns.HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA:D

Is that enough input for your decision?

Do they have a mall in Yanktown?:eek: :D

rocky

f-that rocky
I say side kick
I just saw one on 31 mt's and it was cool
but hey I think jeep forward controls are cool
cuz they are
the rocky is lame
now the dodge raider
that is cool

A mall? I'm not sure. It's been so long since I've needed to buy underwear...

Choosing the Rocky would be major style points, but have you considered a VW thing? 4 door convertable body baby! OK, so it's got a trunk up front to cut out for the motor and no usable frame to speak of, but has serious possibilities. Really. :D

VW Things are going way up in value. Not a cheap platform to start with.

SG

The Thing would be cool. My little bro and I talk about it quite a bit, actually. They do look a little like a Hummer. But too big. I need small. Little. Different. At this point I am leaning towards the 'Kick. But I sure hate to see the Rocky just sit there. What a waste. Either one would look so trick floatin on a set of Bilstein boingers. Little trucks need love too.

do pacers itl be a better price and selection

I'd build up the little Montero.

i say ford pinto, chop top, flat-bad!! :D

i bet youd be the sick f*ck to try and go down on rosie o'donnel too huh?

yugo yugo yugo yugo :flipoff2: :barf: :rainbow:

I forgot all about those! Oh, wait, that won't work. The cardboard dash will get ruined during water crossings. Darn.

:rolleyes: Got nothing better to do with your money than make some freaky mall poseur? Some people have more money than common sense. :rolleyes:

I'm not sure who you are calling a poser, but is that your grocery getter under your name? My mom drives one of those. I need three months to finish up a friends Jeep, build mine and I will be calling on you. Be a gent and pick up a head of lettuce and a gallon of 2%, would ya?

I would rather see them under a set of 38's

Originally posted by twistedscout
I'm not sure who you are calling a poser, but is that your grocery getter under your name? My mom drives one of those. I need three months to finish up a friends Jeep, build mine and I will be calling on you. Be a gent and pick up a head of lettuce and a gallon of 2%, would ya?


Why don't you ask your mommy to pick you up some groceries. I'm sure you aren't allowed to go to the store by yourself.

So, what's the prob? You guys can only build things that you have seen others build? Wouldn't want anyone to tease you, now would we? Imagination does take a little effort. You guys just go back to driving what the Magazines tell you is cool. That must be what you mean by common sense, right? I am really shocked that you don't drive a Jeep. Hell, they make all kinds of parts that aren't too different, strange or scary. And it's all bolt on if you want, since having to use anything above hand tools would require some imagination. Go back to lurking. You have said enough to describe yourself.

Obviously you only want to build something that others think is cool. If you really were interested in doing something different for the sake of being different you would just build it and stop crying because you asked for an opinion and didn't get the support you were hoping for. This is not blingbling4x4.com giving you ideas on what to build so you can post your hack job for sale on e-bay. Build it and show us the results.

paul you jumped him pretty good. he just wants some thing different. if you remember his scout i am pretty sure it was a capable rig. mabey more so than yours. you jumped on him about more money then sense. i think you will find he is a member of the build it not buy it club. just an outside view. mike

Ha! I've been waiting for this.
Some of these clowns think they can trash your junk because they can't possibly see how you are going to find the bolt on kits to ever make the rig a realistic and capable vehicle.

Others just think the whole little girly-man car with big wheels sounds a bit... too different.

I've seen you Scout II and am just waiting to see what kind of BAD ASS rig you end up with.

Read the title of the post again. Read his original post.


Asking others what they think you should build is :rainbow::rainbow::rainbow: no matter how well it turns out.

Thanks Josh and Gunracer. Paul: Of course I want to build something to turn heads. Who in this game doesn't? We all want to be the first to stumble accross something that everybody digs. My deal is this: I had a huge Scout II that would go anywhere it was pointed. It was absolutely fabulous. I love it and will always miss it. I do NOT build rigs and sell them. The parts that were not sold to build my new project are going to be put on it. I am debating having my Scout tub crushed just so I won't have to see it on the trail someday. Sounds like a waste of money, I know, but I take my trucks very personally. And I feel that it shows. Yes, this new ride will be a little odd. It will break necks. It will bring snears. It makes me love it even more.
I'm not only building a little bitty truck to annoy people, there is a reason. My Scout did go anywhere, but it trashed the trail doing it. I can't stand seeing people stack rocks , and my rig was knocking down trees and cliff walls. Bad deal. The most important reason is that I have a new baby girl. The Scout didn't have a top or doors. It would have been entirely to costly to add them due to the door inserts and the 25 inch bob job. It would have also been foolish to do so when the size of my rig mandated knocking it on its side to fit through some trails. This new rig will have a stashable top and hard doors(we spent a night on the trail in 40 degree weather and rain with no top or doors and there were bear sightings nearby). My daughter will be able to come along and my wife won't hate me(as much). I wanted a little rig with a removable top, light weight and a little style. What's wrong with that.
You won't see any rigs of mine on Ebay, but you will see them on the trail. And for what it's worth, I decided on the Sidekick. I pick it up tomorrow for $350 and I can drive it home. Thanks for your assitance for those of you who assisted.
Gimme a couple of months and I'll post pics of a sweet rig on the rocks, not in the mall parking lot.

I like the THING idea, I've had that one turnin in my mind for a few years, so don't :barf: too much when you see it wheelin' up soup can in ayear or two. I think that you should go with somthin' other than the sammy, as it has become such a common base for buildups in the last few years.

Wow twisted kinda sensative about a question you asked dont you think? I can never understand people post questions on this board and then get pissy when they get a hard time or a joke comment. You are on a board with thousands of people like yourself, I am sure you are a smartass so why would you expect any less from us? Neon lights and stuff of course this is gonna go poser on you. You are asking about two little non-macho rigs to build. If you were so daring to be different you would build the thing or the rocky instead of the powder puff version of a samari that has been done more than a 2bit hooker. Hopefully you wont knock over any cliffs with that BBUUUHHAAAAAAHHAHAHAHAHA:flipoff2:

I want to put a honda civic hatchback on a Jeep frame. Relatively simple, wierd, but cool. No offense to the Jeep guys, either. I would use an s-10 blazer frame but they're IFS.

I can see it now, no doors, or rear hatch or rear windows......aaaahhhh

Originally posted by sfazr2
I want to put a honda civic hatchback on a Jeep frame. Relatively simple, wierd, but cool. No offense to the Jeep guys, either. I would use an s-10 blazer frame but they're IFS.

I can see it now, no doors, or rear hatch or rear windows......aaaahhhh

Come on just go German with a VW cabriolet then it has a soft top.

Cuz I am not building it just to be different. Aren't you guys reading what's above. Being different is just a little part of it. I want a little rig with a rag top that isn't a Jeep or a Samurai. That leaves only a few options. VW Things aren't exactly dime a dozen, making parts location difficult. That is why I chose the Sidekick over the Rocky. Ever try to find a left lower door hinge for a Daihatsu? I'm sure it would be a chore. Yeah, the Sidekick has been done. Fine. I am still about function over form. It is just nice to start out with something a little unique. And the neon lights? Read the damn posts. IT WAS A J O K E. Get it. read it again slower if you need to. The ONLY thing I asked you guys was which would be a neater base to start from, a Rocky or a Kick. I'm pretty sure that a Kick on coilovers, 60s fore and aft, and 38s will be plenty different. I have all of the parts to build any truck ever made laying in my yard. It doesn't matter what the hell it is. I just chose the Kick because it was super cheap, in good shape, and parts are all over the place.
And I can handle a joke just fine. It is just people like Paul making direct insults cuz he would rather run his mouth than listen to what is being said.

Originally posted by twistedscout
Thanks Josh and Gunracer.

:D


Originally posted by twistedscout
I am debating having my Scout tub crushed just so I won't have to see it on the trail someday.

Uhm, I'll take it for ya. Me and my sawzall will make sure you don't recognize it on any trail.


Originally posted by twistedscout
Gimme a couple of months and I'll post pics of a sweet rig on the rocks, not in the mall parking lot. [/B]
We are waiting!

Tell ya what, you stuck up for me so shoot me an offer for it. I'm not really going to crush it. You just have to promise to paint it a different color. I have to get rid of it before I decide to put it back together! Want it? Hit me with some cash and come get it.

And it goes like this

Come on bag the Kick and do the rig I posted pics of. It has a rag top and parts are everywhere, and its little. I have thought of this as a wheeler before just too much work for the results.

:D Hey.. I want to take the time to say, Twisted...goodluck and can't wait to see the end result. I understand the way you feel and respect the fact that you are building the rig in an effort for your family as well. I had always had CJ's and went the Sammy route once...man did I get ragged on, then the XJ that I now have...heard all the station wagon stuff, But now that it's on 35's and etc,etc, it gets respect on the trail but it's the trick homebuilt stuff on it that the true, real wheelers notice. Build on man!!!:flipoff2: those who don't understand!

Is that a real pic or a doctored one? I fear we may be on the brink af a new world order. I have felt it in the air. A world where(gasp) cars are equals to trucks. :nuke: I recently had a bad experience. I was enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon of making rock music on my "Fender". I heard a motor in the distance. I waited. I saw it nose through the trees. It was hunting me. It was a (deep breath) 76 Camaro on 35's! I will never be the same. My trail was tamed by a leather jacket wearing punk in a CAR. I now lead a life of depression and irresponsible drug abuse and alcoholism. :(
Actually, I am getting the feeling that we will be seeing a lot more "cars" on the trail. Everybody wants to be a little different. Whatever, I guess. As long as it works, right? Go for it!

Originally posted by twistedscout
I'm not only building a little bitty truck to annoy people, there is a reason. My Scout did go anywhere, but it trashed the trail doing it. I can't stand seeing people stack rocks , and my rig was knocking down trees and cliff walls. Bad deal. The most important reason is that I have a new baby girl. The Scout didn't have a top or doors. It would have been entirely to costly to add them due to the door inserts and the 25 inch bob job. It would have also been foolish to do so when the size of my rig mandated knocking it on its side to fit through some trails. This new rig will have a stashable top and hard doors(we spent a night on the trail in 40 degree weather and rain with no top or doors and there were bear sightings nearby). My daughter will be able to come along and my wife won't hate me(as much). I wanted a little rig with a removable top, light weight and a little style. What's wrong with that.


There you go. Those are real reasons to choose the rig you are going to build. :grinpimp: Why didn't you just say that instead of asking what was cooler? :rolleyes:

post a pic of the two different options. Im not familure with them by name... call it oldtimmers disease.... I just dont associate names to well no more.

I like the VW golf or what ever its called now in the doctored pic. I want my old Datsun Roadster on hmmmm maybe a zuki frame.

Oh, way to go, jp. Now look what you started!:D

I seriosly like the idea of different. If you have a full yard of parts then find another rocky soonish buy it and store your parts. Did the broncoII ever come with a removably hard top? :D Definetly get photoshop and photo chop and see what looks better. Where do I find a pick of a dihashit rockme? HMMMMMM

both zuks off this board....

only rocky i could find on this board.....

That's close. The ragtop one I found has huge flares on it. Thanks for the pics. Paid the $20, huh?