iamlewisdean
Newbie
Hello friends
I am looking to seek some guidance on restoring my suzuki jimny lj80 1980. I live in bali indonesia so parts and labour is cheap but there is a huge communication barrier with any decent mechanic, so any advice on any of the following hurdles i may encounter would be greatly appreciated.
My goal here is to keep my classic jimny shell, but make the car as strong fast and reliable as possible whilst not breaking the bank, i want to eliminate all rattles and noises if possible, fix all possible leaks make everything bolted down for off roading, a strong reliable day to day car i can travel indonesia in, i will fix a pop up tent in the back for camping.
PLEASE INCLUDE AS MUCH INFO AS YOU CAN I AM A JEEP LOVER BUT MY KNOWLEDGE ON ENGINES IS POOR
• Before i even think about spending money on this project i want to know if i can increase security, i can currently take my keys out my ignition and the engine still runs, i’m pretty sure any suzuki key could start my car, so can i replace the ignition and up the security ? if so how what model ignition would i need etc ?
• I have read that the grand swift 1.6 is the best engine upgrade, a problem i may have with this is a mechanic already told me the fan is too small and there is no room to install a bigger fan, is there way to move things around to make room for a bigger fan ? i’m presuming i’ll need a bigger radiator also ? the engine currently is katana 1000cc, also is it possible to install a grand swift automatic transmission? or is that not possible with 2x4 ? What would be the best year engine to get ? obviously newer the better but on a budget what year would be a strong reliable model ? Is there any other improvements i can make to the engine or will the 1.6 be enough ? is there any mandatory changes i will need for the bigger engine like air filter spark plugs radiator etc ?
• I want to change the shock absorbers so i can cruise over holes and rough terrain, would like to raise the height of the car to allow more space for bigger tyres, will i also be better bringing the wheel base out a bit for more stability with the extra power and off roading ? Please can you reccomend a brand or type of shock absorber suspension system thay will do the job?
•I want to make the paint last as long as possible im thinking of some kind of under body protector like wire mesh or sheet metal to cover the under body and petrol tank from bouncing rock, also would cover the floor of the footwell and floor of the boot space with this, can you reccomend some flexible protection material for this ?
•I will need to replace the battery as the one i have gives me problems and i plan to add aircon and some led lights what size would do the job ?
Here is my list of things for the restoration project, please offer any advice possible:
• FRAME RESTORE AND REPAINT
•COVER ALL HOLES AND CRACKS IN BODY - DOOR HINGES DOOR SEAKS WINDOW SEALS
•CLOSE OFF BADK SECTION INTO PIK UP STYLE (CURRENTLY OPEN SPACE)
•ROLL CAGE
•UNDER BODY AND PETROL TANK PROTECTOR
•SHOCK ABSORBERS SUSPENSION SYSTEM HIGHER JEEP WIDER WHEEL BASE
•IGNITION REPLACE SECURITY
•CHANGE DRUM BREAKS TO DISCS
•CHANGE TO AUTO OR SHORTEN TRANSMISSION RANGE FOR FASTER CHANGE
•REPLACE 2 SEATS TO 1 LONG SEAT MAKE LOWER IF POSSIBLE FOR MORE HEAD ROOM
•NEW BATTERY
•AIRCON
•DIGITAL CLOCKS
•LED LIGHTS HEAD - FOG - UNDER
•NEW TYRES AND WHEELS
•ROOF RACK - TENT - SPARE TYRE STORAGE
•PLAIN BACK GRILL DEBADGE
•NEW SMALLER BUMPERS
•NEW WHINCH
•NEW BONNET CLIPS
•GLASS WINDOWS (CURRENTLY PLASTIC ANS NOIDY)
•ENGINE UPGRADE
•EXHAUST (SOUND PERFORMANCE AND LOOK)
•IMPROVE POWER STEERING
Will sell the parts i plan to replace to pay for some of the work, if this was your project what would you do first and last what is the most cost affective and time affective way to carry out this project ? Is there also anything else i should replace that i do not know about ? With the increase of power ans shock absorbers surely everything must change to suit ?
Thank you for taking your time to read this and i hope you can find the time to respond and offer guidance.
Hope tp hear from you soon, have a great day !
Lewis
I am looking to seek some guidance on restoring my suzuki jimny lj80 1980. I live in bali indonesia so parts and labour is cheap but there is a huge communication barrier with any decent mechanic, so any advice on any of the following hurdles i may encounter would be greatly appreciated.
My goal here is to keep my classic jimny shell, but make the car as strong fast and reliable as possible whilst not breaking the bank, i want to eliminate all rattles and noises if possible, fix all possible leaks make everything bolted down for off roading, a strong reliable day to day car i can travel indonesia in, i will fix a pop up tent in the back for camping.
PLEASE INCLUDE AS MUCH INFO AS YOU CAN I AM A JEEP LOVER BUT MY KNOWLEDGE ON ENGINES IS POOR
• Before i even think about spending money on this project i want to know if i can increase security, i can currently take my keys out my ignition and the engine still runs, i’m pretty sure any suzuki key could start my car, so can i replace the ignition and up the security ? if so how what model ignition would i need etc ?
• I have read that the grand swift 1.6 is the best engine upgrade, a problem i may have with this is a mechanic already told me the fan is too small and there is no room to install a bigger fan, is there way to move things around to make room for a bigger fan ? i’m presuming i’ll need a bigger radiator also ? the engine currently is katana 1000cc, also is it possible to install a grand swift automatic transmission? or is that not possible with 2x4 ? What would be the best year engine to get ? obviously newer the better but on a budget what year would be a strong reliable model ? Is there any other improvements i can make to the engine or will the 1.6 be enough ? is there any mandatory changes i will need for the bigger engine like air filter spark plugs radiator etc ?
• I want to change the shock absorbers so i can cruise over holes and rough terrain, would like to raise the height of the car to allow more space for bigger tyres, will i also be better bringing the wheel base out a bit for more stability with the extra power and off roading ? Please can you reccomend a brand or type of shock absorber suspension system thay will do the job?
•I want to make the paint last as long as possible im thinking of some kind of under body protector like wire mesh or sheet metal to cover the under body and petrol tank from bouncing rock, also would cover the floor of the footwell and floor of the boot space with this, can you reccomend some flexible protection material for this ?
•I will need to replace the battery as the one i have gives me problems and i plan to add aircon and some led lights what size would do the job ?
Here is my list of things for the restoration project, please offer any advice possible:
• FRAME RESTORE AND REPAINT
•COVER ALL HOLES AND CRACKS IN BODY - DOOR HINGES DOOR SEAKS WINDOW SEALS
•CLOSE OFF BADK SECTION INTO PIK UP STYLE (CURRENTLY OPEN SPACE)
•ROLL CAGE
•UNDER BODY AND PETROL TANK PROTECTOR
•SHOCK ABSORBERS SUSPENSION SYSTEM HIGHER JEEP WIDER WHEEL BASE
•IGNITION REPLACE SECURITY
•CHANGE DRUM BREAKS TO DISCS
•CHANGE TO AUTO OR SHORTEN TRANSMISSION RANGE FOR FASTER CHANGE
•REPLACE 2 SEATS TO 1 LONG SEAT MAKE LOWER IF POSSIBLE FOR MORE HEAD ROOM
•NEW BATTERY
•AIRCON
•DIGITAL CLOCKS
•LED LIGHTS HEAD - FOG - UNDER
•NEW TYRES AND WHEELS
•ROOF RACK - TENT - SPARE TYRE STORAGE
•PLAIN BACK GRILL DEBADGE
•NEW SMALLER BUMPERS
•NEW WHINCH
•NEW BONNET CLIPS
•GLASS WINDOWS (CURRENTLY PLASTIC ANS NOIDY)
•ENGINE UPGRADE
•EXHAUST (SOUND PERFORMANCE AND LOOK)
•IMPROVE POWER STEERING
Will sell the parts i plan to replace to pay for some of the work, if this was your project what would you do first and last what is the most cost affective and time affective way to carry out this project ? Is there also anything else i should replace that i do not know about ? With the increase of power ans shock absorbers surely everything must change to suit ?
Thank you for taking your time to read this and i hope you can find the time to respond and offer guidance.
Hope tp hear from you soon, have a great day !
Lewis
