Suzuki Jimny
My 1989 Suzuki Jimny JA71 that was imported form Japan is my daily driver car. It has a 3 cylinder 543cc engine with turbo.
I drove Jimnys back in Ireland, and always loved them. When I came tot he US I decided to get one, and found this little RHD JDM gem!
I decided to do everything, from building my own custom dash board, to rebuilding the transmission, engine and just about everything else.
So far it has been very reliable and a huge amount of fun. It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Although, sometimes the smile fades slightly on the highway…
This trail ended with a puddle that not even this off-road beast could cross…
Rebuilding the gearbox
Failing bearings in the gearbox warranted opening it up to replace them. I was fairly sure it was the cage bearing on 4th gear (where the output shaft penetrates the input shaft). But Seeing as I was going to open it up, I decided to replace all bearings and synchros.
The hardest part of this project was finding all the parts, each bearing needed to be purchased individually, as I could not find a complete kit that was guaranteed to fit this unique gearbox.
Rebuilding the Engine
I had a couple of small problems with the engine, a misfire that was solved by cleaning the injectors and a failing thermostat that I replaced to name jest a couple. I considered the amount of oil it was burning to be a slightly bigger issue.
I decided that it would be fun to rebuild the engine and see if replacing the rings and valve guide seals would help with that. So I set to work and took the engine out with the help of a friend. We put my engine in the trunk of his car and took it with us, along with all my tools, on our Christmas vacation. It was the best Christmas ever! I stayed in the basement for two days, cleaning every little part with a toothbrush.
Rebuilding the Transfer Case
When it came to rebuilding the transfer case, I decided to replace the stock JA71 gears with Samurai gears. I acquired a US market transfer case and removed the gears (I couldn’t just use that transfer case, as the Samurai differential has a different ratio to the Jimny, so my speedometer gearing would have been incorrect).
I rebuilt my transfer case using the Samurai gears and a full set of bearings. The first time I reassembled it, there was excessive noise that I attributed to imprecise shimming. I opened it up again and shimmed it correctly. It runs smooth and quiet now.
Custom Dash
One thing I have always wanted was a custom dash. I decided to go for it. I pulled out the dash and made a custom one. I added space for plenty of gauges and made it easy to take apart as needed. Hopefully some say I’ll fully finish it, with trim around the vents, etc.
Other Projects
Some of the other bits and pieces I worked on include a tow hitch, doing the brakes, windshield seals, fixing rust and some electrical stuff. There is plenty more, but I cant remember, or never took pictures.
