Hi everyone, I'm new here. This build isn't really inline with the theme here but as a certified car addict I think you guys can best understand the constant call of the project. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I didn't really intend to do a build thread so I haven't got enough history, but I'll keep a better log moving forward.
Here is the obiligatory trailer home picture of the project:
I don't think this will be common in the US so let me explain what is going on here. It's a Maruti Sierra. Maruti manufacture a bunch of the old Suzuki models out of India (and currently manufacture the new Jimny's amongst other cars). The Sierra/Samurai/Sanata patterns were first passed over in the late 80's. Maruti have taken the standard long wheel base Sierra, removed the back of the tub, installed the fiberglass roof and installed the alloy tray. They utilise the Suzuki F10a engine (1L), 4 speed gearbox and are basically late 1L model (SJ410) spec with the plastic dash, enlarged trans tunnel, etc. This one is on the rarer end of the spectrum as it is a mismatch of 1.3L (SJ413) spec as it has the wide track axles, metal flares, wide track chassis suspension spacing, has the handbrake on the back axle rather than transfer, 1L brake master and no booster. Basically this thing used up a bit of everything but the only unique part is the roof.
All cleaned up and ready for the shed:
When I purchased it the 1L and 4 speed manual were sitting in the tray which honestly, saved me a job getting it out. As soon as it was clean it went into the shed and the front got stripped back for surgery.
The motor going in here is from a Suzuki Baleno. It's a G16B, 1.6L somewhere around 97hp coil pack engine. In my opinion, this is the best engine to install into a Sierra. The coil pack ignition is a decent step up from the Vitara (Sidekick) distributor. The inlet manifold is shared with the later JB23 Jimny is a lot lower than the equivalent Vitara manifold which can prevent the use of a body lift (yay!). Lastly, the coolant flow on the Baleno is better suited the heater and coolant flow on the Sierra. Not sure if you got the Baleno? Generic web pic as an example:
A lot of Vitara motors run fine in a Vitara for many years before being swapped into a Sierra and very soon thereafter have a cracked head. The Vitara/Kick setup requires the bypassing of the heater core or rigging the heater tap open to allow constant flow otherwise the back of the head becomes a no flow region and the alloy head fails.
My particular motor came out of a wreck that I bought from the insurance auctions. It did have a front end impact and I'm hoping that it doesn't come back to bite me once it is running. I ran it whilst in the wreck and it sounded healthy but it was only a short run before stripping from the car as the radiator was damaged. I've put a new timing belt and thermostat on it, I'll update the water pump if/when the car is running in the Sierra. This is where I started to run into the challenge of swapping into a 1L spec car rather than 1.3L. This isn't exhaustive but if doing this you'll need: 1.3L sump, 1.3L water pump piping, 1.3L chassis mounts, 1.3L swift thermostat housing (it turns it side on rather than through the firewall), 1.3L flywheel and clutch, 1.3 radiator and cowl, 5 speed manual and a new header. There's still all the stuff you'd need converting a car carby to fuel injected (pump, hose, ecu, wiring, etc.)
First time trying to put it in the car highlighted a few challenges:
The way I researched this would work is that I would install the 5 speed first which would then inform me of where the 1.3L engine mounts would need to go. But the thermostat housing is hard up against the firewall and everything just looks way too tight. Bit of soul searching identified that the gearbox mount is about 20mm further back on the Maruti than a Sierra, so I made up an adapter moving the gearbox 20mm forward. This got the engine in a happy place, and I could weld the engine mounts in place.
Bad picture but there is clearance!
Not before taking off the power steering pump (JB23 Jimny) because it wanted to occupy the same space as the 1L radiator mount (add that to list of stuff to steal from a 1.3L if you care about PS). Annnnnd done!
Ignore the wiring, still trimming out circuits that aren't required on the engine loom.
At this point I was feeling good about heading in the right direction and not requiring a heap more work before having a running car when guess what? Scope creep! I'm browsing marketplace and a Vitara is being wrecked close by for reasonably cheap money with a cracked G16b but with the AW4 auto 4 speed gearbox. I message the guy asking for the box, wiring, TCM, etc. and he basically says take the lot for half the price of the gearbox. Side quest!
Vitara shows up in driveway, sold enough parts off it to recoup the funds, kept the wheels because they're cool and rob a few additional parts off it that may come in handy. Chop the rest up and take it to the local metal recyclers.
About now in the order of the build my wife is about to have our second child and the build hit a long pause. 6 months on we're hitting our new normal and the shed isn't a banished land anymore so I have been able to do a bit more. I haven't had the motivation to take the engine back out to install the auto so I started working on a couple less common modifications instead.
As I mentioned earlier, the Maruti comes with no booster, just a master cylinder. It has the normal solid front discs and drum rears that you'd expect on your Samurai's but I've never loved the feel of unboosted brakes when driving a car on the road. Can't be too hard to get a booster on there if the Suzuki models have a booster right? Well....
The first problem is that the master cyl only has two fasteners through the firewall and they're studs from the pedal box compared to Suzuki boosters which have 4 studs in the back of the booster which is fastened from inside the car. What's in the parts pile? The Vitara pedal box! But it won't work either. The hole in the end of the pedal box is a lot larger due to the boss on the booster being larger and possibly most importantly it's around 100mm too long. So it won't work but does it have good parts? Yes! The Kick brake pedal has a bush and sleeve in it with a bolt suitable for just the length of the pedal box and has a 4 pin brake switch (for letting the TCM know you're braking) compared to the Sierra brake pedal which is obviously a manual brake pedal, has a bush with no sleeve and mine is worn out, has a very long bolt so the clutch pedal can be bolted on and has a 2 pin brake switch. So now we have some bits we want to use but neither is the solution we're after.
Vitara versus Maruti pedal box:
Enter another parts car:
This is your standard 1.3L rust bucket, photo in PO's yard. It is what we call a wide track, this one is evidently a crossover year car (1988) because the flares are plastic rather than metal, but will consistently resemble a late model Sierra (carby only here in Aus). This car was originally purchased because I want the 1.3L front end on the Maruti. I want the bulged bonnet and plastic grille, specifically the SJ70 grille, I'll get to that much later. For now though, we can grab other parts before it meets the same fate as the Vitara did. Enter the third pedal box! Is this a goldilocks solution? ... No. Why not? It has the same bolt spacing and PCD as the Kick pedal box, it has the same length as the Maruti one. For the sake of installing the brake booster, it is the right solution but now we're complicating things and wanting the auto pedal. The auto pedal impacts the brake switch braket. Quick measurement identifies that the spacing between the pedal and the switch is closer on the 1.3L box than the 1.6L box. So the upcoming job is to make the 1.3L pedal box the perfect combination which will be 1.6L pedal, 1.6L brake switch, bolted through the firewall to a 1.6L booster with the TCM mounts reinstalled (just captive nuts as per the Kick configuration). Then we'll deal with the interferences caused by the booster, but that's future Kigle's problem.
I didn't have any gas for the MIG so I didn't want to start swapping so I moved onto the next modification; the steering column. Now as a fan of Suzuki's in general you would be mistaken to assume that I actually fit in small cars. I'm a little over 6 foot, it's not the worst fit but it could be better. Part of the reason I'm in this whole mess of incompatibility with the Maruti is for that extra 200mm of cab space that doesn't exist in the tin top utes. Sierra's have a very hard, skinny, large diameter wheel that I generally struggle to get my legs under without causing a bruise on the top of my shin just under my knee. Always happens and it gets worse the higher the car gets. In addition, when driving sand trails I like for my hand to rest on the door to steady out the rocking but the ergonomics just aren't right.
How do we make this better? Vitara's have an adjustable column. Let's see how that plays in with everything else. I don't have a good picture here, but believe me, it's too long. Much like the pedal box the vitara in dash set up is about 100mm deeper so the column is that much longer too. Damn. Luckily, it's a collapsing shaft! Out comes the hammer, a piece of pipe and a vice, tap tap tap and the column is now the right length. Bolts right up to the firewall and into the 1.3L pedal box. Perfect. It does introduce new problems I haven't resolved yet, I'm not sure if I can use the Sierra combination switch, I know I will have to use the Vitara ignition switch and it may mean I'll be fabbing a little cover to complete the dash because of the hodge podge componentry but that's another future Kigle's problem. Here's the up and down position, some minor interference that I'll deal with and the Baleno steering wheel cover (much smaller and fatter).
Sorry for the ginormous post when all you've got to see is an engine that needs to come back out and a half finished steering column and pedal box change, exciting stuff! I've been building/driving/destroying Suzuki Sierra's for the past 15+ years. Over that time I've had more than I can count but they've all been some compromise against my version of the best Sierra I can build. The aim of this one is to pull all that learning into a single build and have all of the things that I think actually add to the build and none of the things that I've learnt detract from performance. Follow along as I try to incorporate a hell of a lot of OEM parts through the parts bin to make this as good as it can be.
