Dave's 'New' Grand Vitara "Build Thread" and subsequent use, etc...

Finished off the suspension lift this morning...



Whilst lifting the front, I couldn't get one of the drop-links (from the strut to the anti-rollbar) to come off, so I chopped it off with Mr. Angry (the angle grinder) and then didn't even bother attempting the other side I just whizzed that one off too and ordered a new pair (£15.99 with delivery off eBay), so today...



.. I fitted the new ones.

And then...



A new pair of shocks on the back, from JimnyBits, a perfect fit, better than the shocks I've used on my two previous NGV builds where I've found they rattle at the bottom wishbone mount, these were a nice snug fit and don't make a sound on the test drive

So...



... these have gone in the bin! :lol:



Looks well from the rear

The front looks a little low though because of the 'spoiler' bit at the bottom of the big front bumper...



Oops! It fell off! Mr. Angry strikes again! :laugh:



Chopped off roughly with a slitting disk, and then swapped for a sanding disk to tidy it all up nicely...



That's better!

All done...!

I then put it to work...





A quick cash & carry run... on a Sunday?! :lol: ...

My wife and daughters are away for a long weekend, so it's the only day I could go... We had our main Londis delivery on Friday but they'd crossed off some stock as not available, so a quick test run up the coast in the sunshine to Booker to replenish...

Back to pottering with the NGV today, I've had a week off work sick, but feeling a little better ow, so just a pottery day today. hoping to get back out in the garage and get back on with the Jimny Buggy next week though...

Back to the roofrack basket first...



And after measuring a couple of times, I chopped 10.5" out of the length, so that it suits the NGV better... you may remember the width was fine, but it was a little long, and the seller's item description on eBay said "home assembly required" so I figured it should be "adjustable" :laugh:



Yup. cut 10.5" out of everything that runs lengthwise, and then re-drill all the holes in the ends



Then on to the feet... I'd taken the roof rails apart a couple of weeks ago, and ordered longer stainless bolts and washers to suit my plans (65mm x 6mm if it helps anyone out there finding this on an internet search in the future )



Make one foot plate, drill and test fit...



Happy with that one, so make another three...



Bolted in place like that, and then measure for the cross rails, some 40mm x 5mm steel bar so that the roof basket will sit nice and low on top of the actual roofrails... I had spent a few hours - whilst off sick - googling and looking at photos of aftermarket roof bars, but they all sat far too proud / high off the rails and would have looked awful... :* Hence making my own to suit





Using the pair of bars what came with the roof basket you get the idea how bad they'd look, as most systems I could find also had feet which gave even more height! :ohmy:



So with the flat bar coming straight off the back edge of the feet I've made it will sit nice and low (i.e. remove the roof bars shown here)

So I've ordered the steel for that... looking around, everyone on eBay sells it by upto a metre, and I want a 95cm and a 105cm piece (back and front, the roof narrows in towards the back of the vehicle)... so rather than do a custom order or pay extra shipping from another supplier for a 3m bar to cut to length, I figured being as I'm welding them up anyway, I'll cut 5cm off the back metre length and weld that do the front metre bar to give me the 105cm piece I need... sorted on the cheap! :woohoo:

And, then, yet another cuppa tea (told you I was having a pottery day, not too much effort today! :lol: ) and...



This is a "front skid plate" fake moulding I bought cheap off eBay... it's a genuine Suzuki Accessory from back in the day when these NGVs were originally launched... :lol: :laugh: :woohoo:

A bit of tape on the top edge, and three holes drilled through the bottom skin of the bumper and "christmas tree" panel clips used to hold it in place...



Looks alright, especially with the "spoiler" bits cut off the bottom edge of the sides of the bumper too... very much cosmetic, I can't see it coping with rocks?! :laugh:

It's getting there, and I'm getting back to normal health too, so back into the garage for the winter soon to finish that there Boogie!

This is the look I was tying to avoid -



:ohmy:

Yeah it does look a bit plonked on top doesn't it. Prefer your idea.

Well, the steel bars arrived late yesterday, and today was my day off... be rude not to then?



I cut 5cm off the back bar and shaped it to match the narrowing of the roofline. and then tacked it in place on the bench before testing fitting as above...



The cutoff piece was then used to extend the front bar, as mentioned before... one needed to be 95cm and one was 105cm. so I bought two one metre lengths of bar...



The other bar completed too, and waiting for paint..



Two coats of black Smoothrite paint, and the bolts are added to go through the roof baskets main rails...



Closeup, the two nylocs are to give the correct spacing into -



... the channel section of the main crossbars on the roof basket...



All bolted up. and it looks like it's meant to be there, not like the previous photo I posted on one on roof rails with feet and then on the top of all that... looks out of place in my opinion...



From the side



And the front...

The number plates are still obscured as I am STILL waiting got the V5 document from the DVLA before I can put the "S2 NGV" plate I have sat waiting to go on it :ohmy:



From above...

Last thing to do?... a test drive, make sure it doesn't whistle :whistle: TICK and that the radio still works as the rubber ducky aerial sticks through the roof basket at the back TICK

Right that's the NGV finished, just need to eventually attach the new plates... so it's back to the buggy on Sunday! :woohoo:

Fini’!

Looking good!

One more little job...

I noticed a little badge missing from the driver’s side rubbing strip on the door... I found the rubbing strips on eBay in Suzuki’s Official Store and messaged them to see if just a spare badge was available...



Arrived in the post this morning and fitted this afternoon when the Post Office quietened down a bit...

Great service from Suzuki as always, hence why I’ve been brand faithful for 28 years...

FINALLY :blink: Two months after getting the NGV the V5 rurned up from the DVLA...



And it's new registration is finally on

2 MONTHS! We have just put a plate on retention having sold the vitara to go on the Spare Jimny. The garage we bought Leviathan from are not going to be happy if it takes 2 months for them to get the v5 back for the one we have sold. Way to go DVLA!

It depends what you're doing... if there's a form in the post involved it's taking ages as it requires human intervention, and the DVLA folks are either working from home where possible or social distancing in HQ which leads to less bums on seats to process paperwork...

If it's something internet based (which apparently a change of ownership is now available online somewhere?) it's super-quick as it's all computer based, but mine was a V62 sent in by the garage that sold me the car to get a new V5 in my name so I could transfer the registration on (two minutes online this morning when the V5 arrived, and a quick call to the insurers Adrian Flux)... our youngest daughter swapped her Ford Ka for an Audi A1 earlier in the year in the midst of the first lockdown and that took ten weeks!