I usually spend all my time with the 4 diesels, but have the two Suzuki projects that I'm trying to get back to.  I picked up this Samurai from a friend of my brother (who bought it around 94 and later sold it to this friend).  Got it for $200, dropped a battery in it and swapped out the fan clutch from one of the two parts trucks (second 89 Sidekick and 93 Tracker) and started driving it.  It has about 130k on it now and I put a weber 2bbl / header on it back some time around 95 so he could tow his jet ski.

How it looked when I picked it up:


Add-a-leafs, home made bumper and 31's:


Subaru WRX seats (dirt cheap find on ebay):


I ran it this way for a while until the motor started overheating.  I finally had time to start the motor swap.  Already had the 1.6 sitting around and bought a swap kit a couple years ago.

Old motor out:


Need to take some pics of the latest work.  I tore down the 1.6 since it had been sitting for years.  It's out of a wrecked (on a test drive at a used car dealer) 93 tracker that I picked up for the doors.  Not sure how every body panel but the doors was trashed, but for $350 I couldn't turn it down - needed the doors for my Sidekick



Anyway, the 1.6 got a little water in one cylinder while sitting so I popped the head, pulled all 4 pistons and gave it a quick home.  Need to order rings and a gasket kit and it'll be ready to go in.

Prepped the trans for the swap kit.  Not sure why the instructions say to countersink one of the holes from the back.  I didn't pull the trans and everything seems just fine.  Broke a bolt removing the old motor mount from the 1.6.  What a PITA...  got it out and both mounts installed.

Spent the next couple hours pulling the rings and decarboning the pistons.  Wow...  I'm sure glad I decided to pull them out.  The Tracker I picked up for parts was wrecked on a test drive at a used car lot so it probably ran just fine - however many years ago that was.  Sitting around all this time didn't help any.  One ring had to be removed in 5 pieces.  3 pistons are all cleaned and ready to go.  Full upper+lower gasket kit and a set of rings are on order.  Just need to make a shopping list of everything else I need (clutch for one).  Of course I forgot to take pics while I was working.  Two 4 day weekends in a row coming up, so hopefully things keep progressing.

You'd think with a 4 day weekend I'd have gotten more done, but all I managed to do was clean the 4th piston.  At least the clutch kit arrived.  Spend the whole weekend working on everybody's cars but my own.  Timing belt, oil pan gasket, and distributor oring on a Camry, Motor mount, radiator hose and oil change on a Pacifica and 2 ball joints and a sway bar end link on a Ranger.  Couldn't get to the brakes on the Durango...

Here's the Samurai parked even with my other truck:


Pistons all cleaned up:


1.3 and 1.6 on stands (plus a 302 on a stand and a VW 'thing' 1600 in the background)

Looks like a fun couple of projects. 

Looks like a fun couple of projects. 

Too many projects, unfortunately!  I try not to look for new ones, but they seem to find me.  I really hope to get the Sidekick together this spring.  Trying to decide on a motor for it even though there's nothing really wrong with the 1.6.  Originally wanted to do an aluminum V6, but leaning more towards a TDI since I already have two of them.  More hp, way more torque and great MPG.

I have the new rings sitting here and I should be able to install them tomorrow.  Have to grab some degreaser to clean up the block - maybe a coat of paint.  Did the valve cover last weekend in a real nice blue anodized look paint.

Cleaned, degreased and painted the block and oil pan with hammer-tone silver.  Also managed to put in 2 of the pistons.  Had to run over to a friends after that - their 15 year old son pulled all the ignition wires off of his truck not realizing they needed to be in a certain spot.

I think it's ready to go back in.  Time to do some double-checking and roll it into the garage.  With any luck it'll run as good as it looks.  If not, I'll pull the 1.6 out of my Sidekick and drop it in instead.

Bolted it in for the most part.  One motor mount was broken and I didn't realize it wasn't the same as the Tracker one.  Ordered it along with a lower radiator hose.  Got the electric fuel pump mounted and plumbed and picked up the connectors I need to wire it in.  I kept forgetting about the starter sitting in the crate in storage.  Grabbed it so hopefully this weekend everything will come together.

Seats look killer in there.you do any mods to make fit? Or did they just bolt in smooth

They went in pretty easily.  A little bending of some brackets and a bit of welding was all it took.  I'll take some better pictures of how they are mounted.  The only thing I don't like is that the driver's seat is a little high because of the factory mounts being higher than the passenger side.  I've been thinking of cutting it out and remounting them.

I was a bit worried about setting off the side airbags while I was welding the seats.  Just made sure they weren't pointed at me.

First attempt to start it yesterday - didn't fire.  Even though I checked that I had it at TDC it wasn't on the compression stroke.  Pulled it, dropped in correctly and it immediately fired and idled perfectly.

Next headaches...  since the 1.6 is taller, I can't close the hood without putting the air filter stud through the sheet metal.  Time to cut a hole for a hood scoop or a "power bulge"   or maybe just whack it with a hammer...

Second.  Same issue with engine height - exhaust doesn't fit any more.  Header is in, but the muffler won't clear.  Need to extend the transition piece.

Here are the pics I mentioned earlier showing the modifications to get the WRX seats installed.  I tried to limit how much I cut the seats, but did bend the tabs and welded on some plate for mounting.

Front of driver's seat (just bent the tabs at a 90)


Rear of driver's: welded a tab and left the original section



The passenger side I just bent the tabs flat and drilled new holes where they didn't line up.