The Rusty Rhinos name came from this car, not the other way round. A 1985 Suzuki SJ410, bought on eBay in February 2007 for £300, which failed its first MOT on rust (lots of it) and was promptly nicknamed the Rusty Rhino.
- Model
- 1985 Suzuki SJ410
- Engine
- 970 cc petrol
- Power
- 45 BHP
- Top speed
- 68 MPH (book). 55 MPH (realistic, after 22 years of service)
- Purchase price
- £300
- Rally distance
- 8,461 miles
Before the rally
We'd heard a little about these chirpy off-roaders before buying one. Uncomfortable ride, prone to toppling over, overheating, rusting, and only the very basic creature comforts. What better vehicle to drive 8,500 miles in? We bought the SJ before we even had a place on the rally, for the measly sum of £300. It wasn't in a bad state, exactly, but it certainly had its fair share of rust. Of course it failed the MOT on rust. Lots of it. And not so surprisingly it quickly earned the name of the Rusty Rhino.
An online review once described driving an SJ on open roads as "as relaxing as drinking boiling hot vinegar", and we agree. Take it off road and it really shines, though: it's a capable, rugged little machine. After much testing (or rather, repeated excuses to go and play in the mud), we decided a few modifications were needed. First, a set of chunky tyres to help in the mud and sand. Next, the air intake: badly positioned and restrictive. We wanted to raise it so the car wouldn't suck in as much dust, which resulted in a home-made snorkel fabricated from a surplus bull bar and a plant pot.
We added an extra radiator fan (found at the side of a road), which proved superb. We added fog lights, which turned out to be more useful than the standard headlights. We raised the body by a few inches for more ground clearance, which was a great idea in theory and less so in practice: we think that's what eventually caused a leaf spring to snap. For creature comfort we added a vanity mirror to the sun visor, which was interesting because it was from a wing mirror so everything always looked further away than it was. We also ignored the fact that we didn't have a passenger wing mirror at all, which added significantly to the hilarity of the drive. Most people who saw the Rusty Rhino didn't fancy its chances of getting us to Ulaanbaatar, but we were optimistic about our preparations, and ready to go.
On the road
After coming very close to toppling over, we decided that mounting the jerry cans on the roof was not a good idea. We got wet whenever it rained. Apart from that we had no real problems with the car, until Kazakhstan: car-wrecker country. Pot holes you could park a car in, and ruts that made your bones hurt, all taking their toll on our suspension. In total we had six leaf snaps at the front. We had two spares, one of which was designed for the rear, and to drive in a straight line the steering wheel had to be held at 90 degrees. Steering was, well, vague. That left one more leaf to be fabricated by a Kazakh garage, and the rest as complete bodges from ourselves: a block of wood, U-clamps, random bits of leaf spring from a scrap yard, and several hours of sawing.
The exhaust fell off, which was easily fixed. When it later snapped in half, we had no choice but to put up with the noise. Saying that, the off-roading was superb, and there wasn't much that would stop us, particularly before we lost our four-wheel drive entirely. With cracks in the door frames and roof, lights falling inwards as the rust gave way, and very strange looking suspension, the Rusty Rhino looked a bit sorry for itself by the time it arrived in Ulaanbaatar. But it arrived. That was always the point.
Historical references
A couple of reference documents we kept on file for the Suzuki SJ410:
- Suzuki Samurai Parts Catalogue — PDF, 888 KB. Useful reference for anyone working on a Suzuki SJ series vehicle, with diagrams of the car.
- Suzuki 4x4 History — PDF, 660 KB. A look at the Suzuki 4x4s over the years and some of the key differences.