OK: so first, background. I've owned a lot of project cars. Each one has forced me to learn more about what the heck I am doing. The last one, and the first one I actually got on the road, all legal and stuff, was summer of 2016. I got a Geo Tracker, cheap, and got it all back together, including the rear frame and body, which were cheesed up by rust. Finally got it on the road in August 2016, and was able to enjoy it, for, oh, a month? And then...


A drunk driver popped it as it was parked outside my house for one evening. Twenty feet to the right of that F250 is where the Tracker was. And you see where it ends up. 2am and we all heard it happen. I was in bed, and my first thought was "Yep, there it is." I have more pics, obviously, but here's a close up from that evening:


A funny thing about the accident: we never did find the spare tire that was on the Tracker. To this day.

So, the hunt was on. I wanted a small SUV, and I didn't mind getting another Tracker again, but nothing around here (Pennsylvania) would be in good shape. I figured I'd have to look wider around the country, so I had the time to pause and find something a bit different. I settled on a Daihatsu Rocky.

Then, after a couple of months of half-hearted searches, this little monkey showed up in Arkansas on Copart:

So, after a long pile of mess with Copart () it showed up. 

Done thus far: mainly cosmetic stuff, including rear half and front getting more red; bumpers redone, with Hammered paint, though it looks like I have finally scored a front durable bumper; some ordered parts from overseas (Germany and Indonesia, so far) put on; bought some seats yet to put in; and scored a couple of harder to find items for the interior.

What's next:
Swap? Well, I started a thread here since I found a very clean 1998 Tacoma close to home...should I get it and strip it of its 2zrfe, even though it's a 2wd auto?

Body lift: sourced it from Australia, and the stock bushes are badly cracked after 27 years: might as well kill two birds with that stone

Front bumper: the stock bumpers on this are an embarrassment. They would protect me, not at all...and see the above pics of that Tracker regarding what sort of impacts are out there, in case you didn't know. Plus...I can't winch, I can't hi-lift jack it, I cant;....and so on.

Engine: OK, so if I don't end up swapping a motor, the stocker is mildly smoking, but it is definitely dumping coolant. I believe I have freeze plug damage; only thing I could figure (and, anyone else I ask could figure) why I'd be dumping coolant through the front of the manual tranny. So, I do have friends with an engine crane....

But the stock alt only puts out 50amps, and the fine folks at WARFS have been tremendous as a resource, for parts, and knowledge. But should I simply scrap all that and start from scratch with a new 22-something or 2/3zrfe?

The font axle work scares the heck out of me the most. Lots of info out there (and here) about swapping motors and trannies and TCases and rear ends (not like I understand it all yet) but not much on the front axle.

So, anyway, here it is. Thanks for reading!

Hi utherjorge,

Okie Dokie....  Well that explains a lot.  Nice write up.

Sorry to read your "need" to start a new project was because your Tracker was totaled by alcoholic abuse.

It's always very interesting to understand where a guy (or gal)  is coming from, and where they are going, when venturing off into the 4x4 world.

It sounds like you enjoy the whole thing with fabbing and swapping.  I've only done a few swaps and each one was a challenge.  I had help from friends with fully equipped machine/fab shops, so that made it less painful - both from a time, cost and design perspective.

The eventual outcome was very nice, but there where a number of unexpected speed bumps.

I didn't catch the "purpose" for your build.  I assume  you want to wheel it some.  There, of course, is a wide range of 4-wheeling, from very mild to very extreme.

The hobby/sport of 4-wheeling has been incredibly fun for me over many years. but there is one aspect that has always been a negative about it, and that is it seems almost all the guys that I know who started with a really nice vehicle went through a phase of modifications (lots of time and money) to make it more capable, and eventually (within a few years) the vehicle was totally trashed.

In 1994 when my 1st 1986 longbed was totaled (happened off-highway), then in 2002, when my 1985 standard cab was totaled (happened off-highway), I figured someone was sending me a wake-up call, so I decided to get out of wheeling.  My craving for another Toy truck ended in 2006 when bought my current 1986 22RE SR5 XtraCab.  So... here I am.

It will be fun to track your project. 

Best of luck.

Gnarls.

... it would be too wide for a lot of it.....but I have to get in there. Clearance and width issues would preclude me from taking the Burb in...

Yes.... size matters! 

Gnarls. 

LET THE FUN BEGIN!!   

Gnarls.

Hey utherjorge,

You and the other "Rocky" fans, have probably already read this.  It has some very interesting information on potential engine swaps.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/newbie-general-4x4-discussion/1707098-best-modern-4-banger-engine-swap-1990-daihatsu-rocky.html

Gnarls.

Yes sir. I have read that.

You'll notice that there were two suggestions that were almost immediately ignored: a 2rz and AMC 2.5. I am all about the first, but honesty, there are about a billion (I counted) of these things around me, and perhaps it would typically be easier to find an AMC 2.5 than a 2rz, in general, but if I'm doing Toyota axles, I figured I should stick to the whole drivetrain.

It looks like people there are suggesting an Ecotec, and those, too are around...but not very common. We have a few popular dirt tracks around here and those Ecotecs are snatched up where they appear cheap for use in racing.

are you trying to stay gas? what about a TDI swap?

Another idea... Why not a Wankel engine? A Wankel-engined Dahatsu Rocky would be the ultimate car for people who really know what they're doing, and don't mind hunting down obsolete parts, but it might just be the coolest car in the whole US...

Another idea... Why not a Wankel engine? A Wankel-engined Dahatsu Rocky would be the ultimate car for people who really know what they're doing, and don't mind hunting down obsolete parts, but it might just be the coolest car in the whole US...

The Wankel engine swap would be the ultimate nightmare!  And people who really know what they're doing would not do a Wankel engine swap.

If today's violent anarchists were to decide to go from historical statues to automotive engines, the Wankel name, and inventor, would inflame the most insane radicals to protests beyond chaotic violence.

Gnarls.

Are there labels/model numbers/a year range any of you guys can help with?

the marlin store has a ton of transmission info.

https://www.marlincrawler.com/transmission/rebuilt-complete

check out the table at the top of the page for a brief listing, but you also have this https://www.marlincrawler.com/tech/transmission/transmission-gear-ratio-chart

the trans all shift in the same spot, its where the tcase lever is located that changes/varies. top shift refers to the shifter on the tcase being directly on top of the tcase. and the other style is forward shift, where the tcase shifter is actually on the tailhousing of the trans.

Gah. More confusion for me.

In the WARFs threads, where they swap to a 22 4 banger, the comment is made that they needed the "rear shift," where the shifter is as gar back as possible. Otherwise, where it pokes out is directly in the dashboard. The "rear" shift supposedly pops out right where the existing hole is for the Rocky 5spd.

Of course, if the 2z has a longer block, and when mounted correctly, it's further backward, perhaps this problem does not exist. In other words, maybe the 22 needs the "rear" shift due to a shorter block, and maybe the 2z is longer on its own.

I have looked before for both block sizes and weights and haven't found them. In a cool build thread where a 3.0 v6 was swapped into a Rocky, it fit just fine.

The body lift kit is in! All the way from the UK!

I'll be working on getting it in this Sunday and next, methinks. Pics to come, of course.

Wellllllllllllllllllllllllll, it's not, really, at this point.

I had surgery late August, and while I was compiling stuff, I haven't had the time to get in there on a weekend: all of my girls are playing sports on the weekend: 3 playing outdoor soccer, one playing indoor soccer, one of them doing hoops now, and one on Varsity Volleyball on a team that has a very good chance to win some titles. So....yeah.

However, now that practice during the week is done, I think I can begin doing the body lift. I can probably bang that out myself over the course of a week.

Haha...only four girls, but some play multiple sports. ASK ME HOW MANY MILES I DRIVE A YEAR FOR WEEKEND CHILDREN ATHLETICS

My friend, every day I get to work two jobs I love, and I get to take my daughters to the school where I teach, and they're about 100 feet from me at all times, every day. I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

AND I HAVE A ROCKY, TOO!