[mongrel]

Whatta car hahahahaha iv never smiled like that on a test drive..

just picked up a vitara jx(i think) convertable 1993. 1.6 g16a. Little messy but goes good. Its old, 288xxx kms. Came with a coil lift, 31s anna chopped down bullbar and snorkle (on a petrol engine?), bitta rust around lights.

i cant find much info specific to this car, its mostly about sierras. Whats to know? anyone know legal tow weight?

Gona fix it up and go play. Gotta replace the cvs and break pads, fix couple of lights, re attach exhaust.. Rest looks fine but wandering if theres anything thats known for going wrong with age that i should pay special attention to. Im pretty noob to mechanics as well as zooks so any advice is cool.

once i got it all happy runnin gonna put a removable divider between the seats, and a removable window for the roof so i have a lockable space, and to prep for tassies cold winter after the current fires... Yeh. Then make a roof rack.. Maybe roll bars that can hold a roof rack? do you recommend roll bars if gonna go bounce around the bush? then yknow, renovable cage for gettin wood and stuff. Basically make a bunch of different slot ins depending how i need to use the vehicle. Cos gottit to be a daily and a thrasher.

oh and winch. Then trailer. But first the fix. Too hot and smokey to b workin today but hope to have it on the road next week. Any tips etc all b great. Cheers

[ZUZUKI]

Hey Mongrel,
Welcome to Suzuki ownership!!.
Sounds like you're going to have some fun here.
In general, Suzuki Vitaras are well engineered, well made little jiggers, but as you have said, it's old, with 288,XXXkm on it - literally anything could go wrong with it.
We only saw 2 grades / trim levels - the JX is lower spec. JLX got power windows, power mirrors, Power Steering & usually A/C (not always on the soft tops). I believe P/S & A/C could be optioned on a JX.
G16A is carby - not much goes inherently wrong with this version, just age & neglect.
If you had fun on the test drive, I'm tipping it is not the 3speed auto. The manual is robust, but like almost all manuals, syncros wear.
31" tyres won't be legal, probably have to drop down to 235/75R15, or even 215/75R15 if using stock wheels.
Your RWC tester might not like a 'chopped down bullbar' if it has sharp edges.
Snorkel not as critical on a petrol, but still not a bad idea if you do deepish water crossings.
Rust is a big killer of Suzukis - Vitaras are better in this regard than Sierras.
3 areas to pay attention to:
1) Free Wheeling Hubs - often get stuck up due to lack of use / maintenance. often respond to soaking in kero / petrol, cleaning up, lightly greasing (PH grease is good for this) - sometimes the springs break. Not expensive to by new, but the Asian or genuine Vitara versions can be better than many others.
2) Shift lever bushes. These are only a few $$ each to buy, simple to replace, but a pain if the bush crumbles & jams the lever. Change about every 5 years just for piece of mind.
3) Cracks in the firewall around the clutch cable mounting holes - common if a 'heavy duty' clutch has bee fitted. trick to fix nicely. Battery, brake booster & clutch cable out & care you don't set the carby on fire!.
Try to not add too much extra weight , Suzukis work best as a small, light vehicle.
Std 'targa' B pillar bar is not that strong (again, better than a Sierra though!). If you drive where there is the prospect of rolling over, then, yes, a roll bar of some design would be good. Roll bar supporting a roof rack not a bad idea, otherwise, there is not a lot of body to pick up a sturdy rack from.
Rgs, Michael

[mongrel]

Thanks so much for takthe time to reply. Great intro thanks and ill definately follow up your advice. Started workin on it now but immediately got bogged down in trying to get all the lights working with only partial success. No break lights yet and one of the park lights goes on instead of the indicator haha. Might have to wait til the manual i ordered arrives before trying to make sense of all the previous wiring thats been modded in... Ppl be crazy.

Oh, and yes, 5spd manual, no power windows etc. So JX sounds like the one. Does have an AC in it though. So theres some weight i can lose... Got headlights workin, all but one indicator and fixed the battery housing. Should probably actually get the running gear fixed now...

cheers m!

[Brenno]

Dont get rid of your air con!

[Gwagensteve]

I you want to stay with the 31's, you're going to have issues with the gearing. on road, 5th gear will become marginal and off road the gearing will be TERRIBLE. There is no easy fix for this as the model you have already has the shortest readily available diff gears (5.12:1)

Front diff housing strength is marginal, as it's made of alloy. There are well documented upgrades for the front diff housing and axles that improve strength and serviceability.

The G16A is known for cracking the block between the welsh plugs above the starter motor. (driver's side) keep an eye on coolant level and check for leaks.
Check for chassis cracks behind the front strut mount.

Max towing is 750kg I think. personally, I wouldn't want to tow that much with one, especially a carby SWB with taller tyres. I'd try to stay at 3-400kg.

I'd tow a trailer before I put anything on the roof though. Vitaras have some suspension quirks and roof load makes them prone to spinning on road with little warning. Ironically, due to these "quirks" (a steeply inclined roll axis and a very low front roll centre, if you're interested) adding some suspension lift actually improves the feel of the car on road.

If you feel you are likely to put the car into a position it could roll, then sure, a roll bar will be helpful. However, driving with other experienced drivers who can direct and assist you through difficult terrain, and adding parts that allow you to slow down (diff locks, transfer reduction gearing) is a better outcome than compromising the usability of the car. A vitara isn't like a sierra - they're much safer to be in in a rollover, but a rollover will total the car, generally unlike a sierra.

Vitaras are very stable. you'll normally run out of nerves or traction before the car goes over. A good club will help you learn this in a safe environment.

[mongrel]

You guys are great!

would 225 70R15 G tyres fit and be legal? theres some going locally cheap. Seems sensible from what ya'll saying to have some road tyres for dailys and keep the muddies for the weekends and see what they are like with the gears etc.

welsh plugs... Cool ill check, there is a little leak coming from somewhere, not found it yet.

alread came with a coil lift so ill probably not go any higher.

hmm interesting about the roof load thing, i didnt know that. I was keen to have a rack for occassional loads, but mostly so i could have a swag and tarp on the roof for random overnighters until i get a trailer. Ill probably still build something but use it minimistically and with care.

front diff housing? you mean the mods where people are swapping in front diff setups? or a way to make the front cvs less liable to pop? or guards for the running gear in general. Tank plates sound like a must from what iv read.

keep the air con? iv never had aircon... Doesnt it reduce fuel efficiency by like 10% or something mad?

[mongrel]

Brenno wrote:

Dont get rid of your air con!

Hey brenno, you're in hobart? any tips of scrappers that have a lot of zook bits?

[atari4x4]

The vitara is limited to 400kgs braked/unbraked, was the reason why my trailer was so small/light

[ZUZUKI]

There is an aftermarket ratio lower than the stock 5.12:1, but the pinion is tiny & fragile if running 31" tyres, lockers & giving the car a hard time. (5.72:1).
225 width still wants a 6" wide rim - the stock rims are 5.5" but yes, on the right rim, 225/70R15 will be legal.
The G16A seems to be less susceptible to block cracks than the G16B efi version, but still worth a check. There is a water distribution pipe running back along the block from the water pump. This is often a source of leaks, as it is tinny steel & corrodes.
The front diff housing, and the centre are alloy - known weakness - heavy car, big tyres, driving hard & grippy terrain like rock are more likely to break it. An up-grade is available from a SQ Grand Vitara (1998-2005). V6 manuals ran cast iron components, as did late SQ V6 autos, but there is some slight difference with the diff centre mount on the later cars, still swappable though.
A guard for the steering gear is not a bad idea.
A/C does sap a fair bit of power - you haven't got that much to start with. If you really don't value it, then someone else might give you a few $$ for the set up & yes, it will be about 15kg saved.
Rgs, Michael

[TasAlex]

mongrel wrote:

Brenno wrote:

Dont get rid of your air con!

Hey brenno, you're in hobart? any tips of scrappers that have a lot of zook bits?

Look up Brad Walker on Facebook. He has loads of Vitara parts. Based in Howrah.