I just went out and bought myself a $600 engine-knocking hunk of lemon. I've dropped $300 so far into a crankshaft kit. When i bought the thing...it had...well, an engine knock in the #2 cylinder, a top off of a pre-95 sidekick..........oh by the way I have a 1995 Suzuki sidekick JX. The interior was missing practically everything but the dash, the speedo don't work, no radio, no glove box, mold everywhere. HOWEVER, the tranny and transfer case work great. Not a lot of leaking anywhere. And almost no rust to be found.
My questions r. I want diamond plate door and interior panels. Is there a company that makes them pre-cut? What modifications has anyone done to this little 1.6L to give it more oomph? How do i get the damn shift knob and boot off??? In regards to lift, I know the rear can be lifted 2" and shocks replaced with those off of a 91 crown vic, but what needs to be done to the front suspension when 1.5" spacers are added? Any secrets on where to find a cheap top? What is everyones take on how this beast handles off-road? Umm...I think that's all the questions i have for now.
I'm in the process of making a appear a little more respectable. It's changing color from Teal green with squiggly stripe to FLAT BLACK> I may just rattle can it. I'm not sure yet. Thanks in advance for the advise.
Hi,and welcome to the forum.
You have just asked enough questions to fill a book , so lets do one thing at a time.
First you have a good body and thats a great big plus.
Now the very first thing is to get your engine running properly.After that things will start to come together in a sort of order.
Once you have it on the road you have to make sure your running gear ,espeasaly the front end is good and tight with no wobble ect. then you can think about lift kit.
Can you see were I'm coming from?
One question and one fix at a time.
As for interier , the sky and imagenation is the limit.
Now about beefing up the engine which in my opnion is the last thing to do. There isn't alot you can really get crazy about and not spend a fortune. Oh yes you can add headers,slight cam,and air supply.Looking at maybe 15-20 horse power. But that should be the last thing to do.
As for off road use , I love it. You can go everywere the big boys can and a few places they can't go.I stongly believe that it is one of the best realistic off road machines you can buy and in the hands of a pro driver it is the best in its class and and even surpass some other classes of 4X4.
Now for the paint. You said you are going to paint it flat black? Do you own a car wash? I have had personal experiances with a flat black paint job and can say with out any reserve Don't Do It. It will never look clean and just parking it in front of the house for a few hours it will look like it needs to be washed again. If you take it off road, any scrape from a branch or a rock will leave a shiny mark which is imposible to remove. After all flat colours normaly can not be buffed out.
I hope I've given you something to think over and about.
Hi,and welcome to the forum.
You have just asked enough questions to fill a book , so lets do one thing at a time.
First you have a good body and thats a great big plus.
Now the very first thing is to get your engine running properly.After that things will start to come together in a sort of order.
Once you have it on the road you have to make sure your running gear ,espeasaly the front end is good and tight with no wobble ect. then you can think about lift kit.
Can you see were I'm coming from?
One question and one fix at a time.
As for interier , the sky and imagenation is the limit.
Now about beefing up the engine which in my opnion is the last thing to do. There isn't alot you can really get crazy about and not spend a fortune. Oh yes you can add headers,slight cam,and air supply.Looking at maybe 15-20 horse power. But that should be the last thing to do.
As for off road use , I love it. You can go everywere the big boys can and a few places they can't go.I stongly believe that it is one of the best realistic off road machines you can buy and in the hands of a pro driver it is the best in its class and and even surpass some other classes of 4X4.
Now for the paint. You said you are going to paint it flat black? Do you own a car wash? I have had personal experiances with a flat black paint job and can say with out any reserve Don't Do It. It will never look clean and just parking it in front of the house for a few hours it will look like it needs to be washed again. If you take it off road, any scrape from a branch or a rock will leave a shiny mark which is imposible to remove. After all flat colours normaly can not be buffed out.
I hope I've given you something to think over and about.
Good luck
Yeah, this ain't my first rodeo. I know i need to get it running first. It drove just fine at highway speeds. I just took it apart to pull the crank and am looking at doing what i can while waiting for the new crank to come in.
See where i'm coming from?
I already have the interior gutted and am in the process of bedlining it. I also figured it wouldn't be too bad to go ahead and get the lift blocks while i've got it up on stands. I'm not dumb to auto maintenance. I'm just ignorant to suzukis. I had a Jeep for the longest time. And I just sold my f-150 for a gas saving sidekick. I've been searching all over for the typical bolt ons for the sidekick and can't seem to find anythign other than OEM. I'm guessing this engine is tilted to the max already. I used to be able to find anytihng under the sun for my jeep but this suzuki doens't seem to have a lot of aftermarket availablity.
As far as the flat black paint goes. I'm not looking for a pretty car. If so i would leave it teal. I had flat black on my truck and it stayed clean enough for my liking. And as far as that scrape and scratch goes....rustoleum. Just mix and roll.
It is good to hear though that it has enough balls to wheel off road. I saw that front axle and cringed. So tiny. I've seen a number of people break the Dana 30 and it's twice the size.
What would ya'll recommend for tire size on this axle? I'm thinking it'll handle 31s ok.
31" wheels are what a lot of people are running with a 1 1/2' front lift and a 2' rear lift. I know it sounds like a mismatch ,but it works.
I personaly want to run and stay stock as much as I can. I like the challange.
You are quite right in sayng that the motor is pretty well maxed out.
And you will soon noticed that your tracker/zuki has a very solid rough ride and thats just the nature of the beast. I have own a couple of trackers/zukis and they grow on you. Thats sayng a lot from an old 1/4 mile driver.
well...my worst fears were confirmed today. I popped off the main bearing between the 1 and 2 cylinder and.........cracked block. So. where would a guy find an engine block in Sumter, SC. not a lot of these machines on the roads down here. They just aren't overcompensated enough. I can find lifted Tacomas and Broncos but no sidekicks.
Don't dispare, These motors have a habit of poping up when you least expect it. There are a number of places on the net that do sell the short block(short block--same as saying stripped block ,just block,no parts atached) I have even seen them on fleabay from time to time at just a couple of hundred bucks. But thats expensive. There are alot of salvage yards that will sell cheap. In fact go back afew pages and you will even see members on this forum selling a used motor.
Update. After much haggling without getting any discount i found a 16v G16 engine at a local junkyard. Problem was it was out of a 1999 Suzuki Esteem. Lucky for me the block and head are the same as mine...the only things different are, Oil pump, camshaft, flywheel adapter, oil pan, intake, exhaust, ...etc. you get the idea. Now that i've nearly completely overhauled the exterior of the engine i ran into a problem. Since the oil pan is backwards i have to use my oil pan. The 99 Esteems have a crankshaft position sensor...my 95 kicker doesn't. This leaves a gap in the pan where oil can blow onto my crankshaft gear and timing belt. My only options are to either get a new oil pump for $120 or weld a peice of metal onto my old oil pan to block that hole off and seal it with gasket stuff. This is a horrible project. I'd much rather be putting a lift on than doing open heart surgery. Btw that engine cost me $648. the old bastard at the junkyard would take just $600 even. He wanted me to pay tax. What's up with people paying taxes all the time??? So now this truck thing is up to $1200 with much left to do cosmetically. I think i got shafted. we'll see.
Update. After much haggling without getting any discount i found a 16v G16 engine at a local junkyard. Problem was it was out of a 1999 Suzuki Esteem. Lucky for me the block and head are the same as mine...the only things different are, Oil pump, camshaft, flywheel adapter, oil pan, intake, exhaust, ...etc. you get the idea. Now that i've nearly completely overhauled the exterior of the engine i ran into a problem. Since the oil pan is backwards i have to use my oil pan. The 99 Esteems have a crankshaft position sensor...my 95 kicker doesn't. This leaves a gap in the pan where oil can blow onto my crankshaft gear and timing belt. My only options are to either get a new oil pump for $120 or weld a peice of metal onto my old oil pan to block that hole off and seal it with gasket stuff. This is a horrible project. I'd much rather be putting a lift on than doing open heart surgery. Btw that engine cost me $648. the old bastard at the junkyard would take just $600 even. He wanted me to pay tax. What's up with people paying taxes all the time??? So now this truck thing is up to $1200 with much left to do cosmetically. I think i got shafted. we'll see.
Does that sound like a run-on sentence to ya'll???
__________________
96 jx 5 speed 1.6 16v "cold" air and try y header, underdrive crank, kawasaki zx6 muzzy muffler, gm alt kit, cam and .020 off head next.
96 2dr geo tracker sport all stock
Well...when it rains it pours. And right now it's pouring antifreeze out of my intake manifold and fumes out of a crack in my exhaust manifold. HOWEVER (comma) IT RUNS!! Extremely rought due to the oil being stored in the #3 and 4 cylinder and the water getting into the #1 from the manifold. But it's alive. 2 weeks after going in for an abdominal transplant. Just a few more tweaks and i'll have a vehicle again. Thanks for all the advice.
I'll post some pics up when she's finished. If anyone really gives a rats.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
New to the Suzuki world...need some advice.
Linear Mode
