Vintage LJ50 Suzuki Jeep Abandoned for 20 years.. Will it start??

I have been looking for a backup A12 engine for my sawmill for years.
When I saw this non-running Suzuki LJ50 with an A12 come up for $50 I took a gamble and snapped it up. Lets try and get it running.
My other channel (Angry Ram) - • What happens when you ...
Mrs Marty T. • Time lapse Painting of...
Rusty LJ50 Suzuki Jeep Restored After 20 Years
$50 Suzuki Jeep: Can I Get It Running?
How I Restored a Rusty Suzuki Jeep for $50
Suzuki LJ50 Restoration: The Complete Story

[@Gappasaurus]

“She’s a bit of a doer-upper.” - Marty, Master of the Understatement 😆

[@MrWilberbeast1]

Before you mentioned the saw mill engine,I was like “oh Marty what have you done?” I look forward to see what you do with this poor old beast. Thanks for the great content.

[@michaelmcclown5593]

Metal recyclers is it's future.

[@bird175]

yeah i thought it was going to be a 2 year, 50 part restoration

[@ianc4901]

Same here, I was just about to unsub when I saw the state of that old wreck, glad it's just the engine he wants !

[@kevinsturgess1475]

👍

[@Ragnar8504]

@@bird175 It's roughly the same level of destruction as Florian Rauscheder's VW T1 but unlike that one it does have an engine. In case you don't know the channel, he's a German VW nut who keeps dragging the most horrible scrap out of the woods and then replacing most of the metal to make the wrecks roadworthy again. CT Moog's Georgia swamp VW is perfect in comparison. If you're conservative or have a weak heart you might want to skip some of the footage of his girlfriend helping 😀 (she's really pulling her weight but her clothes keep reminding me of my old shop teacher admonishing everyone to wear proper PPE in the metal shop, suggesting that hot metal shavings falling down one's cleavage might be slightly uncomfortable and safety goes before good looks in a workshop).

[@gily3344]

Love: I said no more old Tractors. Marty: Oh that's for the sawmill. *Drives downhill without breaks*

[@larrybennett2160]

Marty wins again and the rust and spiders are defeated!

[@puirYorick]

You find value in so many things the rest of us might give up on. It's great that you're saving these hulks from the scrap heap for a while longer.

[@staind288]

That's because he's out in the boonies and also in a country where there's little throw away.

[@IronArmPanda]

@@staind288 I don't live in the boonies like Marty, but I still do the same. Almost everything can be fixed with minimal knowledge if you put in the effort. Just replaced the water damaged screen on my phone last night, less e-waste in the dump. Control board on my water softener also went out a week ago, rigged up one from an older unit that I saved and it worked perfect. Would have cost me near 200USD for just a small 4x5in PCB, or 1k plus for a new unit that can handle extreme hardwater. Saved and sold many a side of the road chainsaws, pressure washers, weed eaters etc. Find them on the side of the road in the cities all the time as well, just go to the suburbs. Why let it rot if you can make some money on the side or save yourself some money down the road.

[@retro8696]

This is not the worst I've seen I will never forget this VW bug I seen for sell that was rusted so bad the hole floor was gone and the trunk and hood where also rusted out.

[@northeden8661]

To be fair, the dog was a backyard mechanic in another life. That's why she insisted on being present for the test drive. You can see her mind working to assess the engine and Marty's workmanship..

[@melfletcher2315]

🤣🤣

[@dan0000023]

@@DontCryAboutIt the donk wasn't passing the "butt dyno" test so she bailed.

[@jeffboatright]

@@DontCryAboutIt You noticed that, too, eh?

[@samuelfellows6923]

🙃

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

Just going riding for a little action🤡 I imagine she found something more pleasant along the way....

[@toastrecon]

Lol. No brakes. Half of a transfer case. Fuel tank bungeed down right over the battery. Time for a spin in the woods. 😂 Looks like fun!

[@johnmorriss5308]

...in a beautiful part of the world where level is defined as "less than 1:2"

[@bb001a]

Shoutout to the unknown genius who installed the simple rear diff and spring arrangement that surprisingly worked.

[@davidchang-yen1256]

You Kiwis are amazing. No brakes, no rear DS, frame made of rust and totally sketch rear “suspension”. Get it running and first place you take it is a track that most Jeep owners would not go down. Cheers for another fantastic salvage/rescue!

[@macapple2697]

Good push at 18:50 Marty 😂. Great video as always, I admire your ability to revive the dead so efficiently, wish i could do the same.

[@zest3922]

Hahaha had to push a little extra there.

[@jcramond73]

A bit more choke and Marty would have started 😂😂😂😂

[@FACELOWNER]

@@jcramond73 Brilliant, that really made me chuckle....🤣🤣

[@pauloseibert]

yep he's a runner!

[@Scoots1994]

Came looking for this comment. LOL

[@alfadoofus]

For a minute I thought you were gonna turn this into local runabout "vehicle" . I'm glad you got a spare engine at a bargain . Great video

[@timeflysintheshop]

Pull the engine and squirrel it away for a rainy day with the saw mill. Then prop what's left up on a hillside or a big rock so it can be a cool decoration at your off grid paradise! 👍😁😉

[@luvtruckin]

Fifty bucks a you’ve got a hard to find motor for your sawmill if it ever needs one good job on that one. The patients you have when working on old stuff is an inspiration to all of us.

[@daveb7999]

Marty, I told my significant other that 'Marty can fix most anything'; she said, "so can you," I said 'Marty's WAY better at it than I at fixing stuff' ... she said, "Not In MY Eyes" ... I think I've been blessed! 🙂

[@easttexan2933]

Marty, you never cease to amaze. You remind me of a ball cap that had writing on the front of it. It said, "I know things and I can fix stuff."

[@orchestratedpassage9468]

the postman...

[@abstract_jeff]

Lol I love that you felt the need to leave the fart in the video while you were cleaning the oil filter gasket. 🤣 We're all 5 inside lol.

[@andrewjones-productions]

I was experiencing a bit of deja vu when I saw this and had visions of a second 'Golden Nugget' project. To quote Dougo of Larson Farms, "those who know will know".

[@BrassLock]

A _"Golden Nugget with Marty Patina."_

[@derpydog1008]

This one's worse than the original Golden nugget.

[@deletesoon70]

The home made wooden door was a dead giveaway.

[@Davey569]

Ed ❤

[@Higanti]

Matt’s off road recovery, Ed’s nugget

[@dougpark1025]

Always good to have spare sawmill engine. The rest of it looks like scrap metal.Maybe a bit here and there worth keeping. I was surprised that it started so easily.

[@patrickmoodabe9728]

I really love these old Suzuki LJ’s. There’s a fantastic KZbin restoration journey of an LJ20. It’s called the Golden Nugget. There’s the LJ50 with an original 3 cylinder. & the LJ 80 which was a 4 banger. Many had the Datsun engine swap. These were the godfathers of the SJ410 & 413. Proper off-road geometry. You can get some fibreglass replacement panels. & replacement metal parts from USA. These vehicles are loved around the world. Any ‘restoration’ would greatly grow your audience base (as it did for the golden nugget). Please. 🙏🙏🙏

[@jcddcjjcdnz]

One of the most enjoyable epsisodes, thanks.

[@ErgonBill]

Always thought Datsun 120y's were a heap of crap till I owned one years later. Reliable and efficient engines. Couldn't kill mine.

[@KelikakuCoutin]

Aren't the older Datsun engines based on Morris's design from England or not?

[@larryskeeper1197]

I had a 1200 ute. Mild Wild... great little engines..

[@ErgonBill]

@@KelikakuCoutin Austin

[@KelikakuCoutin]

@@ErgonBill Right. Wasn't the story that they used the same basic design and produced the same basic engine, but that the Japanese version actually worked quite well, as opposed to the original British version not working so well?

[@GARDENER42]

@@KelikakuCoutin No. The only real similarities are both being small displacement, 4 cylinder OHV. Everything else is different.

[@wolfpreist]

the entire time you were testing spark, i was yelling at my screen, "check the points! clean the points!" awesome video, glad you got it running.

[@davidd6635]

Marty brings back so many memories. Girlfriend later wife in mid 1970's had a B210 jillion miles used as much oil as gas. Did a valve job and hone in the apartment parking lot. Happy days. Lasted easily thru college yrs. Enjoying all your episodes, and watching the kids grow up.

[@waterbourne9282]

Geesh, I was shaking my head when you were running the camera over it thinking there was no redeeming features anywhere to be seen, and then you explained your reasoning. Top effort mate.

[@GLUFSAREN]

It's amazing how these old engines hold up in the elements for so long, I don't think todays cars would hold up so well.

[@gamerjay6624]

The wee Suzukis were primo on stations and runs before quads started ruling the roost , brilliant wee machine and so fun to knock around in.

[@Mayzan841]

That tune with the air compressor blowing into the intake, Marty is either just having fun or giving us all a guessing game.

[@andyrooiam]

thought it was gonna turn into louie louie by the Kinks

[@Liofa73]

@@andyrooiam -- It wasn't a Kinks song, it was just covered by them. Original was Richard Berry and the Pharaohs, but the two most famous covers were by the Kingsmen and later The Kinks.

[@lawrencewillard6370]

Those older vehicles are long lasting. Teenage son given a Mazda 323, had engine rebuilt., manual transmission our son had no feeling for, so lent our Colt. Drove it on 600+ km journeys. Fantastic vehicle, would pull over on passing lanes, but never caught up by those behind.

[@jotoole6170]

Marty is like Mad Max's Kiwi cousin. Marty you never cease to amaze us with your skills pretty good engine for 50 bucks it will serve you well

[@coffeebuzzz]

Mid Mix.

[@bobcougar77]

I used to wonder how long it took that society to evolve to the point of gyrocopters and Nitro setups on everything. I'm starting to think they are just waiting for the signal.

[@dcraft1234]

Love your channel. No BS, no drama or screaming. Just a man with his machines.

[@topotone]

Fun find Marty. Had a chuckle picturing you telling the wife, “Honey, can I borrow the bottle brush ?” Rosie is quite the cute pup. Anyway, always great to spend 20 minutes (of 6 hours) seeing what you’re up to. 👍🏻

[@GuildOfCalamity]

The back wheels are hilarious, and not to mention the wooden doors. I'm not sure who thought that looked good, but it's soul is in a better place now with Marty.

[@matui6983]

Served my time working on those engines in Nissan C20 vanettes for Telecom. Bulletproof lil donkeys. Still remember points gap 19 thou and Dwell 52degrees. Biggest cause for breakdowns was points gap closing up.Still got one them in one of 3 Aerolift Forklifts we have, great little engine.

[@grahamhawthorn2320]

Little treasure. Lol. It has a few bits missing, like a carburettor, coil. Another good one. You are the master of the Understatement.

[@99unclebob]

you have got the prefect spare for the sawmill ,unless you have ulterior motives after the jaunt in the forest you had a bit of a grin on your face, you can tell they are simple when you see the intake/exhaust on the same side of the head, the cut out at high rpms was from low fuel pressure, gravity feed is less than 1 PSI, the fuel pump on that motor would run at probably at 5-8 PSI , so any external tank plumbed next to it would probably solve the starvation issue, what an awesome little relic you got 👍😁

[@roelofvermeulen2584]

Those A12s are hard to find because the 1200cc engines are the class engines for Ministock racing (same with the 3k Toyota engines). Should be easier to find A15s, can find them in forklifts too.

[@paulw3182]

Wow.. I thought my car was bad.. :) Great channel, your always "looking toward the brighter side of life"

[@Retiredkiwi]

Had a yellow LJ50 with an A14 in my younger days, was great offroad, went anywhere, and had plenty of grunt for the job. It even floated nice , with its large 3" thick eva rubber wheel flares. was a laugh once floating on a large flooded 4wd wallow hole, sitting on roof for a beer, when a group of land rovers asked if we needed help, and we jumped back inside and did a heap of donuts in reverse to demonstrate how "not stuck" we were. But was a disaster on the road, with its low gearing, and its 315 TA radial tyres following every road ripple, and darting all over on every bump, but sure was good fun. to own overall. I was always wary of the transfer box, after seeing the bicycle size gears in it, but it held up ok while i owned it.

[@michelecrown2426]

I can't believe you drove that thing and it didn't fall apart along the path ;) Good job on getting it running.

[@dougstubbs9637]

Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose, or in case of this poor old Suzi, Rustaway. The bar and roll cage tubing could be handy, though. Cheers.

[@Lex-Hawthorn]

Old engines are a dream to have these days. A bit of bailing twine, some number 8 wire, a hammer and a shifter. Boom it'll work, sure as sh it stinks.. Not like the late models, take a damned Computer tech with you on your holidays or trips, hope you don't fart, in case it blows a capacitor or something.. Love it Marty. Take Care, stay safe, and peace to the Familia.

[@warwickhowland5816]

Learnt to drive in mum's 120Y back in the day when you could rock up and get a full licence on your 15th birthday. How I got to see my 16th birthday is a minor miracle.

[@mick2383]

Hey Marty, Mick here. You have the gifted eye for finding the best treasures. What some people with an untrained eye see as junk you see the possibility of a new life. Good on you mate.

[@Brad.whatthe]

The wheels and tyres are a good bonus, grab the drive train out of it and see how flat you can get it with the dozer

[@brycechessum4684]

I had a 120Y in Tassie for a apple season bit if a dunga but it clocked up 5000kms in 7 weeks with one flat tyre and the airfilter element chucked away, sold it for $500 and a ride to the airport when we left good little bombs, most of them in NZ have been stripped of the drive trains for mini stocks at speedway, the engines are good based on the BMC A series with better breathing heads and more mains good find

[@paulpochan9631]

Nice...!!! Love the "knee action" rear suspension.... and it's NOT a tractor....!!!!

[@alangraham8926]

Well done Marty. Surprised the rear springs never fell out!

[@brysonthor]

Brave man driving that bucket of bolts around hahaha! Love it

[@Knotaro_bot]

what a beast. havent heard one of those running in years. music to my ears

[@jamesrpm3920]

My first car , 1963 Datsun Fairlady , 1300 C.C.. Sold when my father wouldn't let me take it into the mountains snow skiing. Fast forward 25 years later , I have a vacation cabin 400 miles from home . Sitting in the neighbors yard was a Fairlady. It was the one I used to own , Of course I bought it , it's sitting in my barn waiting for the time I can restore it. Know where there are any good 1300 s ? 😁 Thanks for your show , I look forward to ever edition .

[@mathewfranco3211]

I caught myself smiling like 10 times. Thanks mate! From California 😊

[@nikjames2965]

Those A12s were indestructable and used to be plentiful and cheap here in NZ. Looks like yours might be from a GS since it had a twin choke carb and an aftermarket exhaust. Most of them were consumed by speedway cars, so they are quite rare now. They were also popular for repowering Morris Minors - they fitted like a glove, and didn't leak oil! I had the A14 in a Lotus 7 replica, and it would sing to 8000 rpm with twin webers and a big cam

[@gortnewton4765]

Were those A12 engines copied from a British design?

[@birdk3421]

@@gortnewton4765 Although I use the BMC.A series as a reference, it is not a copy.

[@michaelpage7691]

Always press like straight away because I’ve enjoyed everyone of your videos. I’ve had numerous Datsuns and everyone of them ended up up with chewed out heads. The thing is they were incredible motors. Rosie …the ball tearer. 👏😁🇦🇺

[@alanfrazer3291]

I had every confidence that you would get it running. Nice one 👍

[@anthonycowles3153]

I remember the first model with the 3 cylinder 2 stroke , good score .. enjoy the little girl .

[@charliemyres5450]

Check that vacuum advance is working. Nice engine!

[@danbentsen]

My brother's first car was a Datsun 510, he had a friend that rebuilt engines for small imports from japan & england for racing. He had a lot of fun w/510.

[@patring620]

That was really fun to watch. Nice job getting it started. Glad you checked the fluids, mate.

[@leejonesNPT]

The first car my wife and i bought in 1984 was a 1978 Datsun Sunny 120y, my mate had got done for drink driving so couldn’t use it, there was rust everywhere even though it was fairly new, i gave him £25 and a bottle of whisky for it. We kept it for about 3 years until there was literally nothing left of the inner wings to weld to. The engine was still superb, it had never let us down and was a great car apart from the rust. I am pretty sure those engines will carry on no matter how abused they are, built Nissans reputation for reliability on the back of those engines. Pity they are no longer engineered to the same simple standards.

[@donnaml8776]

Amazing! I remember some time ago that you mentioned that you were going to need a new engine for the sawmill. It’s really cool that you found one. I really like that you were able to take this engine and bring it to life again. Rosie is beautiful! She’s happy to get to run around and spend time with you. Enjoyed the video 😄 Have a great weekend.

[@thomasstewart9368]

Nice job + got a little ride in. Gotta love it when ya found that engine. 👍

[@RickRolling-tc7vb]

Hi Rosie! Thanks for that one Marty, an excellent reminder of how we used to make stuff that could be fixed.

[@davidm2645]

Good job Marty! You have saved a quality Japanese engine! Hope it gives you many hours of reliable service on the mill. Good on you!

[@Trey4x4]

Everytime you're uploading these videos of you working on vehicles at your home, I always hear the forest alive in the background... it's so calming and I envy your position on this planet. I'm located in Los Angeles. It's just awesome that I get to get away for a half hour watching a video of someone like you in a special location like this. It really helps some of us city folk scratch that itch we all have.. thank you

[@stepheneddison2335]

Another good one Marty..Like the way you go thru the checklist of items needed to run the old girl.

[@dennisbailey4296]

Those engines are absolutely amazing. My wife-to-be at the time had a little 1200 Datsun with that motor in it and that thing Wouldn't Die it was just amazing just a great-great motor. All the best from Surrey BC Canada

[@billsmith5166]

If you ever take it on a trip, be sure to pack extra springs. Thanks for the video!

[@rodjames8181]

What a beautiful purring sound

[@mg-lz3kk]

Great video...awesome...well spent $50 and another one saved. And the pup in the back seat too!!!

[@silentninjer1]

We used to have some of these in Blighty ……. They lasted about 15 seconds with our climate I hold respect for them though . Good off road

[@richardmiels3402]

Little Datto 120Y takes me well back. All Datsuns were well engineered but like Fiats of that era, one could hear them rust in the garage! That engine is a great find and should help your timber operation for some time. Had an early Sierra traytop with a Toyota Corolla 1300 and 5 speed, a remarkable beach and off road unit which could be lifted arse end by 3 blokes if bogged. Wonderful memories; thanks. From rural South Australia.

[@pantloadd]

You must have the most loving and patient Mrs. in the southern hemisphere! I can not imagine her remaining calm when you say; “I’m off to look at a parts car!” Which always turns into 2 more vehicles to make that and the last 2 whole. Oh, my.

[@Mark_Linford]

A job well done Marty and I'm sure the old Nissan will keep going for more years than any other engine on your property 🙂

[@jmac1099]

Man, that filter housing made a weird noise when you were cleaning it. 😂 That was such a cool vehicle, really to bad that it rusted out that badly, good job saving the motor!

[@elispomalesmorales9662]

Marty, I love your videos so much, that watch then over and over, many times. And I love your dogs very much!

[@byrnebuilds9089]

Changing parts and ripping farts! A fair bit of faith in what initially looked like a lost cause. Love your work Marty

[@VintageTexas59]

Excellent find, those engines ran forever Marty, no CPU or extra trinkets needed. $ 50.00 well spent ! 🤑 Cheers from Texas 🤠

[@OffGridAussiePrepper]

I am surprised u can still get replacement parts for the datsun 120Y motors, and gee u bring back alot of memories when i was 17 and working on cars. I suggest that u stock up b4 parts are not available anymore for WHATEVER reason... points, rotor, coils, 8mm leads, gaskets, water pumps, rings, pistons etc. I do miss the simple stuff in life.

[@alastairduncan1944]

Love the wooden doors haha, at first I was like mate what have you got yourself into now. But new sawmill engine makes a lot more sense

[@VWdude278]

Always good to see a new Marty T video in my feed. The first thing I thought of when I saw this jeep was Ed’s Suzuki, the golden nugget” from Matt’s off Road recovery.

[@railroadman57]

Marty once again you are a master mechanic ! You never cease to amaze us ! Well Done friend !!

[@shuman26V]

Wow, incredible work on this one

[@markplautz6842]

Marty the Miracle Mechanic! Talk about silk purses! Bravo Brother!

[@Bluenoser613]

Love it when someone gets an old engine running like this.

[@Motumatai3]

I owned an LJ50 back in the early 1980's. Fantastic little machine. 530cc 'sewing machine' motor. Did 22mpg whether on the road screaming its guts out at 90kph, or tractoring along in low box. Would go just about anywhere, and if you got stuck it was light enough to be able to use a hayes wire strainer as a hand winch.

[@thomream1888]

With those plywood doors this rig reminds me of something from "Gilligan's Island" TV show.

[@christopherwheeler688]

"She's pretty rough inside". That made me laugh out loud. It's just a collection of rust everywhere you look. Now I know what a 'death trap' looks like. Hats off to you for taking it outside the yard.

[@jesusisGod1434]

You KNOW how I love your adorable distraction videos. ❤

[@ronaldclark2624]

Good Save, thanks for sharing. Ron PTL USA

[@winsurfer123]

A bit of a do-er"-upper! Make magic like you always do. You seem to come through at the best times. Thanks Marty.

[@terryshaw4756]

Oh “ a bit of a dooer uppa”. Joy undefined! Love it

[@GaryT1952]

Was there ever any doubt? When I watched the first walk-around I thought, why? ...Marty was thinking why not? Brilliant as usual!

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Running well! Not blowing blue smoke!

[@chrissmith7655]

Hi Marty, another gem of a story. Many thanks from UK.Keep 'em coming please.

[@t.r.l.4377]

Sad to see this lil things go........they were sadly from production line on rust traps! Seen someone building new full bodys for them complete in fiberglass n aluoy sticks n stuff n u can get them till this day........ ✌️

[@paulsenior18]

Your comment about the Datsun 120Y took me back to 1985. It was one of the 1st company cars I drove when I first passed my driving test. It's worrying how almost 40 years ago, seems like it was yesterday.

[@bin_chicken80]

Proper paddock basher you've scored there Marty. I used to drive a 120y for a job I did years back. It was such a great car and indestructible. Loved that car. Cheers.

[@mike_all_jacks_son]

Thanks for uploading Marty :) Having a bad day and always cheers me up when you upload, gives me something else to think about

[@gwilliammaggs]

Late to the party Marty, I can’t say anything that hasn’t been said already. Love your work ethic and the pup. The engine sounds great and doesn’t smoke. Great content as always, John from Surrey BC Canada 🇨🇦

[@townsville69]

Wish I never sold my Datsun 1000 Fast back. Such fun little cars.