[DaveA]

I purchased a 1990 Suzuki Sierra SWB 1.3 Soft Top last weekend and I'm a bit confused as to the correct model designation.

There's a lot of mentions here about the SJ413, but the build plate on mine says SJ70.

Are "SJ413" and "SJ70" interchangeable or are they different? I only ask because when I'm looking at parts and manuals, I want to ensure I specify the correct model.

Cheers!
DaveA

[Gwagensteve]

All SJ70's are SJ413's.
Not all SJ413's are SJ70's.

SJ413 refers to a 1.3 litre Sierra.

SJ70 designates a "wide track" model from late 1988 onwards.

There were a small number of "wide track" SJ50 models manufactured in late 1987 through to late 1988. They have some small differences. They're still SJ413's though.

[DaveA]

Thanks mate, that clears it up nicely!

I needed to order a Workshop Manual online & wasn't sure I was purchasing the right one!

[sideways]

Suzuki used 2 naming conventions over the years. One is more vague than the other.

SJ413 refers to the family of car and what engine it has.

SJ = Sierra 4 = 4 cylinder and 13 = 1.3l engine.

This can be a little confusing as it covers a zillion different models (SJ50, SJ70, SJ80) but it just means 1.3 sierra. As further examples, an SJ410 is a 1.0l sierra, an SN413 is a Jimny and a SV620 is a widebody Vitara with the 2.0l V6

SJ70 is much more specific. We use this to refer to widetrack, leaf sprung sierras. As Steve says there were WT SJ50 models, suzuki actually changed to SJ70 when they moved on to the 1298cc engine.

So the timeline of Sierras in australia goes

SJ40 = 1L sierra, 1981 to 87. All Narrow track. There's 3 generations of these but it's not spelled out in the model code
SJ50 = 1.3. 11/1984 to 88. NT until 88 then they changed to WT(though a few forum members have come across 1987 ones over the years. 1324cc engine
SJ70 = 1.3 88-96. all WT, 1298cc engine
SJ80 = coil sprung model 96-98

There's also letters that get added to the end of the model code to specify the body style, though this generally isn't used outside of LJ and SJ40 world.

Q=softtop with full steel doors. eg SJ40Q
V=hardtop eg SJ70v (stands for van)
1=LWB eg SJ41. confusingly they dropped this for the SJ50 model.
T or K represent a trayback. eg SJ41K or SJ50T

[DaveA]

That's excellent info - thanks for that!

So, my little Zook is an SJ70Q (1990, 1.3, SWB, WT, Soft top, full metal doors)?

[Gwagensteve]

Yes, but as Sideways points out, nobody really uses the letter designator for the later models.

Quote:

1=LWB e.g. SJ41. confusingly they dropped this for the SJ50 model.

Not true Sideways. My 1986 LWB styleside has SJ51 on the build plate.

I also believe the LWB WT's are SJ51's.

Steve.

[sideways]

Ah yes, they dropped it for the trayback. The longbody stayed 51.

Dave that's right but I think Suzuki had dropped the Q by the time they got to SJ70 as there was no half canvas door option anymore (which just had no letter). I've never seen any official literature for it anyway. They still had V for hardtops.

[ZUZUKI]

Some of the initial 2 letters of the code used to make some sense as well, or maybe it's just a coincidence, as other Suzuki models are harder to decipher.
Not sure what LJ stands for, but SJ = Suzuki Jimny I believe that in Japan, what we know as a Sierra, has always been called a Jinmy - just to be confusing, which is why the later Jimnys have been badged "Jimny Sierra"
SV = Suzuki Vitara
MG410 = Maruti Gypsy 4cyl, 1.0litre - the LWB utes out of India in the 1990s, most often cut down to tray backs for the farmer market.

Rgs, Michael

[Technotron101]

LJ stands for Light Jeep, as it was initially a smaller version of the willys.

SJ stands for Suzuki Jeep, as it was their later derivation of the model.

[fordem]

ZUZUKI wrote:

SV = Suzuki Vitara

I could see how you got here if the first generation of the Vitara was the SV, unfortunately it wasn't, it was the SE, - SE, SV and SQ series have all carried the Vitara badge, and there's still another generation of Vitaras that I haven't mentioned because I don't know the designation.

Maybe SE was Suzuki Escudo, but then, SE, SV, SQ, JA, JB & JT have all worn the Escudo badge.

----

Oops - I forgot the X-90 - that one is an SZ...

[Gwagensteve]

I think searching for meaning in model designations might be a bit futile. Let's just assume they're random - it doesn't matter so long as we know what model we're talking about. Otherwise we might start assuming the VC commodore was so named because it was Very Cool

[watermouse]

SQ = Slightly Queer

[fordem]

Gwagensteve wrote:

I think searching for meaning in model designations might be a bit futile. Let's just assume they're random - it doesn't matter so long as we know what model we're talking about.

I don't think they are random Steve, from the way the second character changes I suspect there may be a alpha sequence - they start at SA (early Swifts) and followed that with SB & SD (early Altos), some combinations are missing, for example SC, maybe that model never made it off the drawing board...

Anyone want to guess at what the SX4's designation is?

[sideways]

That's the best theory I've ever heard fordem. I think the J in SJ or LJ is no accident whether it stands for jeep, Jimny or otherwise.

I'd be interested to see all the ones that never got to production. What ever happened to the SJ60?

Early Suzukis start with L and IMO they really are a different sort of vehicle to "S". They're soley JDM focused and there's a whole lot more pride in them. Things like having the Suzuki S on the head of bolts, needlessly complex/super smooth castings and just generally quirky car design. I reckon Suzuki moved to the S designation when they started building cars to really take on the world market and ratcheted back that manufacturing pride to be competitive.

There was an SC, the SC100 Whizzkid. Very high up in the list of cars I must own one day.

[rob_macca67]

ZUZUKI wrote:

Some of the initial 2 letters of the code used to make some sense as well, or maybe it's just a coincidence, as other Suzuki models are harder to decipher.
Not sure what LJ stands for, but SJ = Suzuki Jimny I believe that in Japan, what we know as a Sierra, has always been called a Jinmy - just to be confusing, which is why the later Jimnys have been badged "Jimny Sierra"
SV = Suzuki Vitara
MG410 = Maruti Gypsy 4cyl, 1.0litre - the LWB utes out of India in the 1990s, most often cut down to tray backs for the farmer market.

Rgs, Michael

Bringing up an old post...

"MG410 = Maruti Gypsy 4cyl, 1.0litre - the LWB utes out of India in the 1990s, most often cut down to tray backs for the farmer market." - ARE THESE WT's or NT's? I assume W/T's...

[sideways]

1990-1993 MG410 were NT with 6.5" diffs.

1993-2000 MG410 were WT with 7" diffs.

The easy way to tell the difference is NTs have little black plastic flares and WTs have body colour steel flares.

[Andygoodbloke]

"LJ stands for, but SJ = Suzuki Jimny I believe that in Japan,"

These names were developed for the US market and basically the first being the LJ stands for Little Jeep, the following SJ is Small Jeep or also Suzuki Jeep and the first 2 models being the SJ410 meant 4 cylinder 1 litre, followed by the SJ413 being 4 cylinder 1.3 motor, then later models had later numbers.

The Jimny name comes from the Phillipines which is what they called the Suzuki Jeeps and the name caught the attention of the Suzuki marketing department. The model names is where it gets confusing with a Samurai being a Sierra and every country it seems having their own name for each model, along with the Indians making them under their own name after production finished with Suzuki

[Gwagensteve]

Do you have a source for that theory about the Phillipines? It sounds a bit USA-centric, I've never heard it before and I can't find reference to it anywhere.

My quick research indicates Suzuki began referring to the LJ10 as a "Jimny" in 1970 when launched so it seems unlikely the local Philippine marketing department would have had much influence. Suzuki didn't have a corporate presence in the Philippines until 1985 so distribution would have been handled by a local agent in a similar way to the mess we had in Australia.

LJ existed as a model designator well before Suzuki considered the US market. I recall reading Suzuki had a crack at the US market in the mid seventies and badged the LJ "Brute" but I think only tiny numbers were sold. Note, that the LJ80 was locally badged "stockman" to differentiate it from the LJ50 - again, nothing to do with Japan.

Philippino vernacular has turned Jeep into "Jeepney" for their locally produced public minibus service originally based on stretched surplus flat fender Jeeps. I'm not aware of a connection to Suzuki.

Existing trademarks are why the car wasn't sold everywhere with the same name. In the US GM had the trademark for "Sierra" (GMC Pickup) and in Europe (and a lot of the rest of the world) Ford owned the right to Sierra, the replacement for the Cortina.

Also, licence production outside of Japan complicates matters.
Santana in Spain manufactured Sierras under license with local modifications, as did Maruti in India, and they were free to badge them as appropriate for the local market. ("Gypsy" wouldn't be culturally acceptable in Europe, for example, but it's what Maruti chose) the Thai LWB's with local cab conversions are badged "Caribbean"

Mostly, It appears that Jimny was a mishearing of "Jimmy" apparently by a Suzuki executive visiting Scotland. (ironically, GMC's version of the Chevy Blazer was called the "Jimmy"so that would have shut "Jimmy" out of the US market) The fact it's also shared with Jimny Cricket is a lovely example of how the Japanese language loves a both a portmanteau, some cultural appropriation and a sprinkling of Kawaii. (also see, famously, the Mitsubishi "Starion" - they have form for this.)

Note - WT Sierras were generally marketed as "Jimny Wide" in Japan to differentiate them from the Kei versions.

[Andygoodbloke]

[quote="Gwagensteve"]Do you have a source for that theory about the Phillipines?
Philippino vernacular has turned Jeep into "Jeepney" for their locally produced public minibus service originally based on stretched surplus flat fender Jeeps. I'm not aware of a connection to Suzuki.

Steve Jeepney is where the name Jimny came from, as it is a close name by another company.

You answered your own arguement

[Gwagensteve]

Do you have a source for the theory? I can’t find any reference to it, but the misspelling of “jimmy”,( Scottish slang for a friend/companion) is referenced commonly.

I’m not discounting that the link to jeepney is real, I’m just asking for a source, I assume you read or heard it somewhere?