BerryBlonde
Well-known member
How does it feel being honored along with the past winners?
You mean this wasn't a mistake?!? Really? It's not just a big joke on me that the other 10,000+ members got in their PM ??
Gee; I'm getting a little misty...
Kidding aside; it's a great opportunity to share my enthusiasm for the these vehicles, this website, the events, the PEOPLE!
It feels great to be a recognized slacker...guess I have to post a build thread for "The Hackinator DS" !
So tell us about you. Who are you, where do you live, and what do you do for a living?
Well, guess I'm a Yankee to most of y'all; born here in NNJ and now living in NW NNJ, in the Highlands, a protected area...fairly rural.
It's ME!
...in front of old Leyland bus. Valetta, Malta.
I live here 'on the mountain' with my best friend, truly my better half, my wife, Alexandra, and our two parrots, Jammy and Ziggy.
my wife, Alex, Jammy the double-yellowhead amazon, Ziggy the green cheek conure
Some good trail riding w/in 10 minutes from the house; lots of open space....
I have a company called East Coast, Ltd. that provides marine services to marinas in the Tri-State area, including, but not limited to:
Canvas covers and enclosures (shameless plug: Soon to offer "JK-Line" bimini, safari, and / or combo w/ windjammer & tonneau for Samurai)
rigging
seasonal shrink wrap
yacht delivery service.
I have navigated up and down the ICW several times/sections, as well as sailed to Bermuda (twice)...my last delivery took me from Las Palmas, Spain, to Valetta, Malta, to Greek islands, ending in Gocek, Turkey.
Currently in the que is a delivery from Washington State to east coast Florida via Panama Canal- hope to get the gig!
Tell us a bit about your family.
We both have a 'small' immediate family; my Mom is still in the house my brother and I grew up in, and my Father is deceased...Brother w/son (my nephew) in Cali.
My wife's family is in Montreal; she is French/Canadian, and speaks French fluently (when I beg, she will say, 'get naked for me, Cowboy' in French and it sounds SO GOOD!) .
TMI ? lol
How did you get started in Suzuki?s?
..as a kid 'back in the day'(read: mid 70's) when everyone wore denim jackets w/painted back panels, mine had the big "S" Suzuki logo..things you remember, eh?
In the Great Eighties, I had always wanted one, but never got around to it...in between, I had a first gen bronco, then did some Fiats, a 944, a Vanagon Syncro, a Type 3, etc...so I always was one fo the 'oddball' vehicles.
At the beginning of '09, started looking and by April, came across this BBS and joined just to send a PM to a seller, a long time respected member, former admin and mod, sammi_davis...I sent a three word message- 'I'll take it' and we started the logistics dance as I was 8 hours away from where the rig was and the seller was forever on the road w/work assignments... all worked out even better than advertised.
After all this I realize I bought a new JLX 4dr in '95, and own a 07' Suzuki Eiger ATV.
How long did it take you to build your Zuk to what it is today?
A few months; on-off; things always take longer than planned. But it goes w/o saying, you are never really done...
Any changes in store for your rig?
Yepper; still going to install the 4.62's I recently acquired, finish sliders, rear bumper, pan hard, trac bar, paint...etc.
If you could have anybody else?s Zuk, who?s would it be and why?
bama zuk's rig....
so I could dismantle and re-assemble PROPERLY...
(only thing he got right there is the 'truck balls' on his rear bumper..
)
...j/k Richard!
Actually; I don't 'want' for anything right know...still not finished w/this iteration...two trackicks out back as well.
In the future, I would like to buy a LWB or stretch wheelbase on this one.
What has been your best wheeling adventure?
A friend swapped cars w/his buddy for a weekend, and we ended up w/a Toy p-up. Took it to VT on some abandoned logging roads with deep frozen puddles- because they were froze, you could not test depth. Because the trail was narrow; no way to turn around, so on we blazed through hood deep mud/water with 3" ice slabs on top, alone, no recovery gear, middle of nowhere---you know, the things you do when you are young and don't think!
"Real men don't turn back!" -- was the phrase we coined after that.
If you could go to any place in the world to wheel, where would that be?
Australia or Borneo; both really primitive outback type situation, with just locals in the bush...
or Moab; been several times, but not for wheeling.
Who are you closest to in the Zuwharrie community?
I love you all; dahlings!
I have made a few friends; for shure, and hope I don't forget anyone, but I would like to thank/acknowledge redibull, whitfield, bama zuk, jerseyzuks, fartbox, lbarr2002, durnzuki, & Dylan, sammi_davis, bentparts, skyman, apex4x4, slozukimc, for their support, knowledge, and friendliness.
It was also fun to meet surly, paxtylzuk and hubby, and their group out on the trail at Uwharrie...
(Not sure who nominated me; pm and I'll send out the $$$ !)
I look forward to meeting more members whenever possible.
What other toys/hobbies do you put a lot of time into?
I am an amateur musician; sing & play guitar w/some friends with an occasional gig here and there.
Avid golfer, the most humbling game you will play.
I enjoy riding jet ski in the surf line, and I also kite surf when in OBX
Snowboard in the winter.
Not much time for anything else after all that. And the Zuk.
What is it about the Zuwharrie.com BBS that brings you back for more?
I am OCD; so it's EASY to keep coming here! lol
The tech, the folks I've met, and of course, the events.
I frequent some other boards, but I like the friendly vibe here most.
What about the Zuwharrie Event would you like to see changed?
Dunno; works pretty good as-is...
I DO think there could be a 'meet and greet' hour where those so inclined could put on a name badge sticker w/their screen name and we could mingle, putting names to faces.
Maybe a central 'whiteboard' where messages can be posted, ie, the group camp schedule, messages to each other, lost items, parts needed to repair/continue wheeling, etc.
Contact Information:
Name: John Kozusko
Zuwharrie user name: ecoast
Nickname: Captain F*cko, Johnny K, JK, hey you, etc..
Email: john@eastcoastcanvas.com
Main Vehicle Specs:
Year: 1986
Make: Suzuki
Model: Samurai
Color: Dead Grey
Driveline: 1.6 8v, 4.16 TC, locked rear, 3.73 (soon to ne 4.62) diy fabbed front shaft; x-member clearanced w./plasma cutter, 1 one inch spacer in rear shaft, stock axles
Steering:
diy merc arm on passenger side wth drag link fabbed from two stock draglinks; added trackick PS w/cooler (changing to Sky OTT2)
Suspension: YJ's on sky kit; front moved 1" forward, procomp 3000 shocks, diy lower mounts f/r, ZOR small hoops front upper, OE rear upper, extended SS brakelines
Tires/Wheels :
31x10.50 Cooper STT Mud Terrain on 3.5" BS on aluminum or
33x 10.50 BFG KMS Mud Terrain on steel
Armor : Trailtough full belly skid (FREE for being at Zu event and winning raffle!), diy 1x3 tube sliders, ZOR Subspeed center section winch mount
Interior : Cavalier seats, $50 'Big W' am/fm/cd/usb, midland CB, cheap TomTom in hole where clock goes, diy stitched, bound, carbon fiber vinyl panels, diy "JK-Line" Bimini
Exterior : Removable door mod, mirrors relocated from doors to body, ZOR Subspeed front bumper/winch mount
Recovery gear :Warn; jerkstrap, tree saver to hard points on rig
Best Modification: PS and YJ's
Worse Modification: n/a
Future Mods: 4.62 gears, diy safari, diy bimini/windjammer/tonneau cover, pan hard, trackbar, diy half doors, diy soft doors, paint, rear bumper, cage...etc!
Other Clubs: HeMan Woman Haters, of course.
Comments:
These old rigs are SO much fun; easy to work on, reasonable availability, and there is a huge community as far as tech goes, so there is no need to 're-invent the wheel'...one can just use sites like this to answer build questions, save money, save mistakes/time, and even get deals on used parts, or in my case, the entire rig!
SO PLEASE:
Support your BBS; give back...make the $20 dollar donation to become 'Zu Crew' for a year; if you get one tech question answered it MUST be worth 20 bucks in the time it saves you from doing it wrong or having to do it twice, plus you get FREE HOSTING for all your pics as well as a gallery to organize them.
Peace to all; take care of each other, and THANKS!
See you on the trail.
John
ps- I will now bask in all my Z.O.O.M. glory; please avert your eyes... 8)
You mean this wasn't a mistake?!? Really? It's not just a big joke on me that the other 10,000+ members got in their PM ??
Gee; I'm getting a little misty...
Kidding aside; it's a great opportunity to share my enthusiasm for the these vehicles, this website, the events, the PEOPLE!
It feels great to be a recognized slacker...guess I have to post a build thread for "The Hackinator DS" !
So tell us about you. Who are you, where do you live, and what do you do for a living?
Well, guess I'm a Yankee to most of y'all; born here in NNJ and now living in NW NNJ, in the Highlands, a protected area...fairly rural.
It's ME!
...in front of old Leyland bus. Valetta, Malta.
I live here 'on the mountain' with my best friend, truly my better half, my wife, Alexandra, and our two parrots, Jammy and Ziggy.
my wife, Alex, Jammy the double-yellowhead amazon, Ziggy the green cheek conure
Some good trail riding w/in 10 minutes from the house; lots of open space....
I have a company called East Coast, Ltd. that provides marine services to marinas in the Tri-State area, including, but not limited to:
Canvas covers and enclosures (shameless plug: Soon to offer "JK-Line" bimini, safari, and / or combo w/ windjammer & tonneau for Samurai)
rigging
seasonal shrink wrap
yacht delivery service.
I have navigated up and down the ICW several times/sections, as well as sailed to Bermuda (twice)...my last delivery took me from Las Palmas, Spain, to Valetta, Malta, to Greek islands, ending in Gocek, Turkey.
Currently in the que is a delivery from Washington State to east coast Florida via Panama Canal- hope to get the gig!
Tell us a bit about your family.
We both have a 'small' immediate family; my Mom is still in the house my brother and I grew up in, and my Father is deceased...Brother w/son (my nephew) in Cali.
My wife's family is in Montreal; she is French/Canadian, and speaks French fluently (when I beg, she will say, 'get naked for me, Cowboy' in French and it sounds SO GOOD!) .
TMI ? lol
How did you get started in Suzuki?s?
..as a kid 'back in the day'(read: mid 70's) when everyone wore denim jackets w/painted back panels, mine had the big "S" Suzuki logo..things you remember, eh?
In the Great Eighties, I had always wanted one, but never got around to it...in between, I had a first gen bronco, then did some Fiats, a 944, a Vanagon Syncro, a Type 3, etc...so I always was one fo the 'oddball' vehicles.
At the beginning of '09, started looking and by April, came across this BBS and joined just to send a PM to a seller, a long time respected member, former admin and mod, sammi_davis...I sent a three word message- 'I'll take it' and we started the logistics dance as I was 8 hours away from where the rig was and the seller was forever on the road w/work assignments... all worked out even better than advertised.
After all this I realize I bought a new JLX 4dr in '95, and own a 07' Suzuki Eiger ATV.
How long did it take you to build your Zuk to what it is today?
A few months; on-off; things always take longer than planned. But it goes w/o saying, you are never really done...
Any changes in store for your rig?
Yepper; still going to install the 4.62's I recently acquired, finish sliders, rear bumper, pan hard, trac bar, paint...etc.
If you could have anybody else?s Zuk, who?s would it be and why?
bama zuk's rig....
so I could dismantle and re-assemble PROPERLY...
(only thing he got right there is the 'truck balls' on his rear bumper..
)...j/k Richard!
Actually; I don't 'want' for anything right know...still not finished w/this iteration...two trackicks out back as well.
In the future, I would like to buy a LWB or stretch wheelbase on this one.
What has been your best wheeling adventure?
A friend swapped cars w/his buddy for a weekend, and we ended up w/a Toy p-up. Took it to VT on some abandoned logging roads with deep frozen puddles- because they were froze, you could not test depth. Because the trail was narrow; no way to turn around, so on we blazed through hood deep mud/water with 3" ice slabs on top, alone, no recovery gear, middle of nowhere---you know, the things you do when you are young and don't think!
"Real men don't turn back!" -- was the phrase we coined after that.
If you could go to any place in the world to wheel, where would that be?
Australia or Borneo; both really primitive outback type situation, with just locals in the bush...
or Moab; been several times, but not for wheeling.
Who are you closest to in the Zuwharrie community?
I love you all; dahlings!
I have made a few friends; for shure, and hope I don't forget anyone, but I would like to thank/acknowledge redibull, whitfield, bama zuk, jerseyzuks, fartbox, lbarr2002, durnzuki, & Dylan, sammi_davis, bentparts, skyman, apex4x4, slozukimc, for their support, knowledge, and friendliness.
It was also fun to meet surly, paxtylzuk and hubby, and their group out on the trail at Uwharrie...
(Not sure who nominated me; pm and I'll send out the $$$ !)
I look forward to meeting more members whenever possible.
What other toys/hobbies do you put a lot of time into?
I am an amateur musician; sing & play guitar w/some friends with an occasional gig here and there.
Avid golfer, the most humbling game you will play.
I enjoy riding jet ski in the surf line, and I also kite surf when in OBX
Snowboard in the winter.
Not much time for anything else after all that. And the Zuk.
What is it about the Zuwharrie.com BBS that brings you back for more?
I am OCD; so it's EASY to keep coming here! lol
The tech, the folks I've met, and of course, the events.
I frequent some other boards, but I like the friendly vibe here most.
What about the Zuwharrie Event would you like to see changed?
Dunno; works pretty good as-is...
I DO think there could be a 'meet and greet' hour where those so inclined could put on a name badge sticker w/their screen name and we could mingle, putting names to faces.
Maybe a central 'whiteboard' where messages can be posted, ie, the group camp schedule, messages to each other, lost items, parts needed to repair/continue wheeling, etc.
Contact Information:
Name: John Kozusko
Zuwharrie user name: ecoast
Nickname: Captain F*cko, Johnny K, JK, hey you, etc..
Email: john@eastcoastcanvas.com
Main Vehicle Specs:
Year: 1986
Make: Suzuki
Model: Samurai
Color: Dead Grey
Driveline: 1.6 8v, 4.16 TC, locked rear, 3.73 (soon to ne 4.62) diy fabbed front shaft; x-member clearanced w./plasma cutter, 1 one inch spacer in rear shaft, stock axles
Steering:
diy merc arm on passenger side wth drag link fabbed from two stock draglinks; added trackick PS w/cooler (changing to Sky OTT2)
Suspension: YJ's on sky kit; front moved 1" forward, procomp 3000 shocks, diy lower mounts f/r, ZOR small hoops front upper, OE rear upper, extended SS brakelines
Tires/Wheels :
31x10.50 Cooper STT Mud Terrain on 3.5" BS on aluminum or
33x 10.50 BFG KMS Mud Terrain on steel
Armor : Trailtough full belly skid (FREE for being at Zu event and winning raffle!), diy 1x3 tube sliders, ZOR Subspeed center section winch mount
Interior : Cavalier seats, $50 'Big W' am/fm/cd/usb, midland CB, cheap TomTom in hole where clock goes, diy stitched, bound, carbon fiber vinyl panels, diy "JK-Line" Bimini
Exterior : Removable door mod, mirrors relocated from doors to body, ZOR Subspeed front bumper/winch mount
Recovery gear :Warn; jerkstrap, tree saver to hard points on rig
Best Modification: PS and YJ's
Worse Modification: n/a
Future Mods: 4.62 gears, diy safari, diy bimini/windjammer/tonneau cover, pan hard, trackbar, diy half doors, diy soft doors, paint, rear bumper, cage...etc!
Other Clubs: HeMan Woman Haters, of course.
Comments:
These old rigs are SO much fun; easy to work on, reasonable availability, and there is a huge community as far as tech goes, so there is no need to 're-invent the wheel'...one can just use sites like this to answer build questions, save money, save mistakes/time, and even get deals on used parts, or in my case, the entire rig!
SO PLEASE:
Support your BBS; give back...make the $20 dollar donation to become 'Zu Crew' for a year; if you get one tech question answered it MUST be worth 20 bucks in the time it saves you from doing it wrong or having to do it twice, plus you get FREE HOSTING for all your pics as well as a gallery to organize them.
Peace to all; take care of each other, and THANKS!
See you on the trail.
John
ps- I will now bask in all my Z.O.O.M. glory; please avert your eyes... 8)
