Hooniverse Truck Thursday – Red Truck Appreciation Society
Suzuki SJ410 & Nissan Patrol GR
Yes, it’s still snowy here. It’s not yet May 1st or midsummer, when the amount of snow has usually halved, so it’s not a bad idea to truck around town in a red Japanese 4×4.
It’s just a matter of preference, whether you want yours to be XS or XL-sized. Check out the Suzuki and Nissan after the jump.
Here’s the first one of our unbeatable duo. I just have to say, nothing improves the looks of an early-’80s Suzuki SJ410 more than a huge snow plow mounted on the front. It’s almost half the size of the truck itself, but the little Suzuki seems to perform admirably with it. These were also known as the Suzuki Jeep or Suzuki Samurai, but at first and around here Suzuki preferred a more basic nomenclature.
The Suzuki seems to be in solid enough condition, with rust seemingly kept somewhat at bay. Of course, it’s been repainted here and there and is mostly dirty as hell, but the paint is still vivid enough to stand out of the snow. Handy, when you need to find it in the morning.
White wheels suit the truck especially well, and are shod with Nokian Hakkapeliitta studded winter tires – the official Finnish choice.
Just in case the plow won’t get all the snow off.
The SJ410 is powered by a titular 4-cylinder 1.0 engine, which puts out all of 45 horses. Those must be pretty big and strong ones, as the truck is pushing 30 years and still doing duty.
Structure-wise the SJ410 is very traditional, with solid axles and leaf springs front and back. Who would expect anything else?
Moving on:
The second truck here is fourth-gen Nissan Patrol, newer than the 3rd gen one I saw some time ago. In its decided ugliness it’s more handsome than the slab-sided previous one, and red suits it better than the usual UN white.
This Patrol also has an imposingly-sized bull bar, which should fend off elks as well. It’s no snow plow, though.
The fourth-generation Patrol was built from 1987 to 1997. It looks little else than a bulging development of the 3rd gen, but features coil springs instead of being leaf-sprung, even if it still had solid axles. The track was 17 cm wider now, too. Elsewhere, you could have it with a petrol straight-six engine, but the Finnish import program only featured diesel sixes, turbo or without.
No Nokians this time, but Fulda Tramp tires.
For some reason, the rear side windows have been replaced with plywood on both sides. Otherwise it’s a clean truck, with again little rust. I can’t testify on the frame rails’ behalf, of course.
Despite being parked in front of a day spa, the Nissan is a tough-looking truck that looks very useable even 20-25 years on.
Which one of these two would be your choice, the snow plow Suzuki or the more wide-hipped Patrol?
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Those little Suzukis are suprisingly capable despite their diminutive proportions. In college one buddy had a stock Samurai, another had a lifted F150 with huge tires and a hungry V8. They went off road together. They both did fine on the trail. In an attempt to prove his rig superior, the guy with the F150 got stuck. Bad. We all got a ride home in the Samurai. The F150 was pulled out by a local logger the next day after bribing him with a case of beer. We probably could have lifted out the Samurai ourselves.
Hell yeah they are! Same deal, a friend of mine had one, his friends all had Patrols/Landcruisers usually lifted and on muddies. Sure he may of got there a little slower, but at stock height with stock a/t he could go everywhere they could. And that was before he the lift kit, huge tyres and CA18 conversion!
I know what I want![youtube VvE6CZNxJpI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvE6CZNxJpI youtube]
There is a lot of Jeep Cherokee going on with that Patrol.
I am confused with conflicting multiwant. Obviously in the idealized automotive fantasy world I spend an unnormal amount of time in, I have no problem with owning two (or many more) boxy '80s Japanese utilitarian 4x4s, but do I want the bulletproofity of a Y60 Patrol with a TD42 (Diesel), or do I want a significantly more hoonpower TB42S, with the possibility of upgrading to a TB48DE?
Obviously with a gas engine I'd want it badged as a Patrol, and the Diesel one would be a Safari. Obviously.
Is that wagon beside the Suzuki lowered? Wonder how well that works as a snowplow.
Yepp, looks like the E36 touring is slammed. I fear for its sump.
Cowcatcher? Watch your mouth, weren't those banned from street use back in '98 or so? This Patrol is obviously equipped with an auxiliary light holder, which is perfectly legal.
Tidy little truck. One hell of a shovel hanger.
The cool thing about the Suzuki is that you can still buy a new one today in India. It's called the Maruti Gypsy over there and is yet another vehicle still sold new in that part of the world that I wish I could buy here. Also, in Japan these were sold as the Suzuki Jimny and were considered kei class trucks. The original Jimny was in fact the first kei 4×4 and was powered by a 2 stroke engine.
Patrol at least should have… whatshouldIcallit…aux. mech. power output? I've been wondering if it was used for something too IRL. I understand it was basically gimmick to get tax break on SUV but in theory there could be some interesting machinery one could attach.
Rotating brush? Fertiliser/sh*t spreader? Miniature excavator? Any photos of such equipment?
PTO, they make everything better, or lets your vehicle become a swiss army knife.
(This was to Manic_King)
hello, I just saw the article, I am interested in to buy a snow plow for a suzuki Sj 410. Do you know where I can get the information? our email is info@suizandina.com check our website http://www.suizandina.com