[Andygoodbloke]

Hi All
I'm Andy from Christchurch New Zealand - where the best League players come from
I am looking at importing a Suzuki Jimny from Japan and have questions about parts / running gear.

I am looking at about a 2004 model and the 660cc turbo models are really cheap.($500NZD) How different are the running gear between the 1300cc and the 660cc, I'm hoping the transfer cases are the same/ strong enough - I would go later but the emission laws say they don't count if the vehicle is over 20 years old.

Could you get away with a motor swap or would everything from axels, diffs, diff heads, transfer cases, gear box and motor need to be changed?

If I did swap I would look to the 1600cc motor out of a Vitara/ Escado, and could you take the motor, box, trans case. diffs, axels and simply swap them onto the smaller Jimny body? Would you need to?

I am assuming the smaller 660cc motor has different gear ratios for the smaller motor

Can some one point me in the right direction of where to get this information, or advise through experience, after all I put a 1300 Suzuki motor and a 5 speed box into a SJ410 but that was many years ago, hence wanting a new Suzuki for a toy.

[Gwagensteve]

Why bother with all the hassle? The 660 cars are cool and quite substantially different to the "wide" models. Spend the $500 and enjoy it for what it is - a light, fun Jimny that makes amusing noises and has quite a lot of tuning potential

660 cars have different body pressings, engine mounts, transmission crossmember, axle housings, diff ratios and front diff (it's alloy), all gear ratios are wildly different. From memory they have electric power steering (column mounted) too.

a 2004 Jimny will have an M series motor, not G. if you find the complete running gear from an M series jimmy to swap in that pretty much means you're starting with two complete cars to end up with one, with a lot of faff and labour to end up with something Suzuki already built.

[Andygoodbloke]

Thank you Gwagonsteve
Yes you are correct they are fine vehicles, the 660's but why do people change from 1300 to 1600?
The donor vehicle would need to donate a lot of parts and you are right, just get the standard bigger engine one.

I will keep looking for the 1300 one from 2004 or earlier and see what they sell for in Japanese auctions. If not worth paying the $6000NZD to get it here will just save more and get one here which is not turning into rust flakes or been taken off the road and bashed with no straight panel on it
Thanks
Andy

[sideways]

I'd agree with Steve. The 660 variants are so different they're more like a different model on the same platform. For 2003 era they share the transfer case and tailshafts but all the rest of the mechanicals are different.

You can totally put a G16b and gearbox from an Escudo in but there will be quite some work in it, it's not going to be simple like putting a G13a in an SJ40. Custom mounts, jackshaft, adapt shifter, cut/shut a sierra or jimny sump. I don't know if the Escudo intake manifold clears the jimny bonnet, I wouldn't think so. Jimny intake manifolds are pretty rare and can you make the G16b computer work with it? Anything is possible.

For the diffs you'd be best off finding a pair of widetrack jimny diffs or just living with it being narrow track. You can make an escudo back diff fit but it's going to be a lot of compromising/custom work.

If you wanted to go to an M1xa like a same year widetrack jimny would have then you really need a donor jimny, you need so many jimny parts it would be uneconomical to buy (say) a swift M15a and put that in. You still need a jimny sump, manifolds, coolant pipes, flywheel, gearbox and jackshaft + much more.

Compared to a widetrack 1300 a 2003 660 jimny has a smaller/different ratio gearbox, same transfer (inc ratios) and lower diff ratios (5.375 vs 4.1).

[Andygoodbloke]

In conclusion.
I did not purchase a Jimny, of either motor size, I found locally a project. I am purchasing a 1989 Samurai with a 1300 5 speed manual. It is currently an unfinished project.

The left hand side has a little rust in the usual places, above the rear window in the centre pillar and sill however the rust which was in the front guards has been replaced with a complete new front end panels imported from the USA, which will need painting and attaching, but to do that the bull bars at the front will have to be removed, plus anything which attaches to the front guard/wings/front grill. The springs, and suspension were replaced and never used, so still in new condition, front brake pads need re attaching and plumbing in, plus a rear bumper including lights then tidy and paint.

So if I add the new front body sections first it will give me the metal needed to fix the cancer holes,To future proof this from happening again do people add breather vents, or drain pipes? is it condensation which causes the rust? - how do I prevent it coming back? then brakes, bumper, paint then make it look pretty.

So far.