I may have a good line on a 96 (he thinks) Sidekick Sport. The rig looks to be in good shape besides the blown motor. Any pros/cons to the Sport model over the JX 2 door?. I know they are wider and heavier and this would be the first 4 dr Kick I have owned so that would be cool. Does that model still have the 1.6L?

Thanks,
Zig

I believe it should have the 1.8 in it.  I love my 97 sport I have had 3 suzukis now a 99 tracker a 03 grand vitara and the sport of them the sport is my favorite it seems more solid than the others and has plenty of power. mine is stock and I have had it in some crazy places.  The only issues are that they are wider by a few inches (I have not verified this) so there are fewer parts such as lifts, skidplates and such than there are for the standard model, also the 1.8 has fewer parts floating around.  that being said I will would not trade mine at all and I plan on getting another sport for the wife to play with so yeah i like it.  as a plus when you fold the rear sear down you do get alot of space for cargo.  hope that helps.

carl

How does the sports ride compare to a 2 door?  What kind of lift do you have on it?  Any other comparisons you can offer?

Keith,

no lift yet maybe in July when i get back stateside for R/R I am looking at the rockyroad body lift, they show it on a sport and it looks sharp.  I really can't comment on a two door as all of mine have been 4 doors I have a litter of kids to haul around so I always go for 4 doors.  I think the ride is good,  it is my daily driver so I spend about 2-2 1/2 hours a day in it and I dont mind at all.  I love the low gears, I was out on the fireroads in the olympic national forest and had a pair of jeeps pull over to ask me how i had got up there, should have seen there face when they found out we had just pulled over to finally lock the hubs in.  howerver on trips to portland I get up to 70 and 75 with no trouble and can carry right along with the flow of traffic. I have 200,000 plus on mine and it is still going strong.  I pull a 4x8 utility trailer full of caming gear and fire wood up those same roads for hunting season and have no problems.    also I get somewhere between 25-35 miles a gallon depending on how I drive and if I am towing.  I know that is going to drop some with the bigger tires but it will still be good.  I realy cant think of what else I can compare it to, other to say I would rather ride in it than the wifes mini van   hope this ramble helps.

carl

My "significant other" has a 4-door 4wd '96 Sport - which I am responsible for maintaining...

'96 Sports have:

1.8 engines
Wider frames/bodies
Forged a-arms
Manual transmissions are geared slightly different than the normal TracKick although they are the same box with a different bellhousing.  Hers has a replacement standard trackick transmission and the engine runs at a little higher RPM than normal.
The clutch is hydraulically acutated.

Getting a replacement 1.8 will be tough.  I think that the 2.0 is from the same family and will bolt right up.  That would be a question for Sean DeVinney at aftermarket4x4.com

I hope that this helps!

Actually, they are the same trannys as used on the normal trackicks.  Just the bellhousing is different because of the hydro clutch.
Bodies are the same width, from what I remember.  The rear door, windshield, and hood are the same as the other trackicks......so if they are wider, it has to be in the fenders and/or lower tub.

The chassis is 60mm wider. Standard Kick suspension kits and bodylifts work on them with the exception of the Calmini diff drop brackets due the chassis width but they can be modified to work.

The 2.0 and 2.3 J series engines will swap in to replace the 1.8 and you can also swap in the GV V6 engine and trans as well if desired with the appropriate Factory engine mounts as the Sport was sold in other markets with a 2.0 V6.

The ride is better than a swb due to the longer wheelbase and they also have a larger gas tank.

Thanks for the information... I will post up some pics if this goes through.

Zig