I have a 4.4:1 transfer case regear and a rear ARB locker installed in my old vitara/sidekick. I now own a 2001 grand vitara V6 2.5 liter AT, can I just swap the whole transfer case housing/ regear of the sidekick with the grand vitara and the 5.12 rear carrier of the sidekick with the rear grand vitara third member?

To make things more complicated, my sidekick transmission is manual, while the transmission of the grand vitara is automatic. Is the transfer case still interchangeable?

I'm thinking the manual transmissions on the 2nd gen GVs and Trackers are M59s and the auto versions are M41s so the transfer cases aren't interchangeable.  Not sure what model number the earlier manual transmission model numbers were but the manual to the auto thingy is a problem.

YES! You can bolt a 1989-1998 Sidekick/Tracker t-case to a 1999-2002 Grand Vitara Automatic equipped vehicle .

Good luck, Eric

Hi Eric

Thank you for the technical advise. Just let me get this straight. The transfer case assembly of a 1997 Sidekick with manual transmission will fit into a 2001 Grand Vitara V6 with automatic transmission?

Hi Eric

Thank you for the technical advise. Just let me get this straight. The transfer case assembly of a 1997 Sidekick with manual transmission will fit into a 2001 Grand Vitara V6 with automatic transmission?

Yes.

-Eric

Thanks Eric, I will give you an update as soon as I make the transplant. Btw,  I will be also doing an ARB air locker transplant for the rear differential (5.12 gear ratio).

if your gv was a 5 speed, then you would have issues, the t case will bolt to it, but the output spline is different on the tranny.


you will be fine from kick 5 speed to gv auto.

just to confirm what Eric said 


-Lance

Hi Lance

Thank you for the inputs. yes, you are correct, my Sidekick comes with a 5 speed manual transmission while my Grand Vitara has a 4 speed automatic transmission.

You can swap in the Kick 5.12 pig complete, but it does have an ugly upper link mounting boss and the ABS pick-up on it.  If you swap the R&P over to the GV pig, then housing is clean without those problems of the Kick housing.  But that means setting up the pinion depth while the full swap is plug-n-play.