Body Lift for 1.6 Conversion

[Bulvii]

G'day Lads

After a fair bit of reading i've taken the leap to doing a 1.6 conversion on my 94 Sami - the 1.6 is off getting cleaned up right now, and will be ready to install in about a week.

My only question is regarding clearance for the bigger engine. The bloke that's doing the conversion for me has said that as i don't have any extra lift on the car (other than 28" tyres), he'll need to raise the back of the hood approx 1-1.5", otherwise it won't close properly.

While this does sound correct, i don't like the idea of lifting the hood up so i'm wondering about doing a simple body lift instead, as i've been considering all new leafs and shocks anyway.

I'm in Aus and will most likely go with TJM gear as they seem to have a good rep, offer a 3 year/50k warrenty, and have really good customer service - but i don't quite understand how adding a body lift will give the engine clearance from the hood.. ?

Correct me if i'm wrong, but a simple 2" lift would be done via a larger shackle where the leaf connects to the body of he car right? But the engine is still using the same mounts, and therefor still sits the same distance from the hood!

Could someone clear this up for me?

Also with the type of driving that i do, i don't really need any extra clearance - what i have now with the 28" tyres is working fine, i just figure it might be an easy upgrade to be done with new suspension provided that it's not going to disadvantage me in anyway...

[Billjohn]

When tossing in a 1.6, the air inlet tube will hit the hood in a stock body setup. The mechanic is talking about adding a body lift. This raises the body up off the frame. The engine is attached to the frame via the engine mounts. So lifting the body lifts the hood up off the engine... Makes sense?

{Correct me if i'm wrong, but a simple 2" lift would be done via a larger shackle where the leaf connects to the body of he car right?}
A shackle lift movesthe frame up off the suspension. The frame (engine mounts) to body distance stays the same.

This body lift is one alternative, but if you do it try to keep it to as little as possible and make sure the body lift addresses ALL 22 points where the body is supported by the frame (a key point most cheap lifts do not do).

I have done a few 1.6 swaps... but the most I have had to do for clearance is just adding a taller bushing to the front body mounts that are beneath the headlights. This is a trick I learned from Brent at Trail Tough. It works very well.

One thing to ask your mechanic is how he will address the oil pan/front axle clearance, since you don't seem to have any additional suspension lift. Mention that to him and then watch him tilt his head, look at the pan differences, and then slap his forhead...
(you can use a 1.3 pan with a little rework)

[Bulvii]

Awesome thanks for the reply, Bill.

That makes it a lot clearer now, and i spoke to the guys at TJM yesterday re. replacing my suspension and they also helped clarify the different between a body and suspension lift.

The car came with OME leaf springs which appear to have been on there for a while and are pretty flat, so i've ordered all new TJM shocks & leafs which i'm told will give a 2" lift on top of any lift i gain from having "round" leafs again, so i may get 3+ inches out of it.

Will that 2" lift be enough to remove concern of the oil pan hitting anything?


**Edit: Also, with the engine sitting a bit higher: I had a friend suggest some kind of scoop on the hood rather than raising the hood at the back, or raising the body.. Is this viable? Has anyone seen it or something similar done before?

[Billjohn]

These rigs are very lightweight (as if you hadn't noticed). And because of that, the stock Suzuki springs are designed to ride almost flat. Many folks that have had other leaf sprung vehicles figure that the flat springs are just worn out, and that isn't the case. This is why lifted springs always seem to be a rougher ride.

The lifted springs will give you enough room for the pan.

[Billjohn]

Originally Posted by Bulvii

**Edit: Also, with the engine sitting a bit higher: I had a friend suggest some kind of scoop on the hood rather than raising the hood at the back, or raising the body.. Is this viable? Has anyone seen it or something similar done before?

Try the taller front bushing first... the definate lack of horsepower tends to make a hood scoop into more of a joke than it's worth.

Here is a pick from above looking down where the body bolt came out. You can see the bushing just beneath the opening. You have to pull the grill to get to these bolts.

[Bulvii]

Wow ok, so just literally those two points (one on either side) raised with a 1" spacer and the job is done?

Does this put any extra or weird strain on the body?

[Billjohn]

Originally Posted by Bulvii

Wow ok, so just literally those two points (one on either side) raised with a 1" spacer and the job is done?

Does this put any extra or weird strain on the body?

Yes. And not much at all. Check out the swap kit from www.trailtough.com, they include the bushing with their kit.

[Rhinoman]

Originally Posted by Billjohn

These rigs are very lightweight (as if you hadn't noticed). And because of that, the stock Suzuki springs are designed to ride almost flat. Many folks that have had other leaf sprung vehicles figure that the flat springs are just worn out, and that isn't the case. This is why lifted springs always seem to be a rougher ride.
The lifted springs will give you enough room for the pan.

With the shackles at the front, the springs should be flat. When they compress they effectively become shorter causing the axle to move backwards. If the springs are arched then the axle will try to move forwards when you hit a bump, this creates a bad ride.
My Vit is a 1.6 8V, the bonnet scoop is factory.

[my996duc1]

Petroworks did my conversion to a 1.6 16v in my 1987 tintop. No body lift needed at all and everything fits and clears just fine. Maybe it is different than the 1994 or maybe they just didn't tell me about that part of the conversion.

Might try giving Petroworks a call to see how they make it fit. They have always been super helpful with questions even before I became a customer.

PetroWorks

Good luck with the conversion. It will really wake up the Sammi.

[Rhinoman]

The Petroworks kit includes new engine mounts that lower the engine and allow it to clear the hood. The downside is that the clearance to the axle is reduced further, not a problem if you have enough of a lift.