[timmyd112]

Hi,
I'm looking at downgrading from my Sierra to a 1996 SV Vitara 4d V6 I have found one cheap. I have a few questions on what mods are needed and easy to do to make this semi capable for medium tracks to hard tracks? (Not difficult).
What tyres and what rims if needed?
What lift? A body lift or do I need to do a 3inch snake racing lift
And gearing a problem?

Lastly is the V6 a reliable engine?

Cheers

[Gwagensteve]

I’ve had a fair bit to do with building vitaras for moderate to difficult terrain, I’ll reply in more detail later.

It’s a substantial amount of work and money to build an SV vitara for difficult terrain.
You’re stuck on 16” rims due to brake clearance.
You’ll need a full suite of front diff strengthening (steel housings, 26 spline axles etc) stubby shaft mod etc.
regearing to 5.12 will help offset bigger tyres on road. Off road gearing options aren’t ideal. Reduction gears do not suit the 2.0 manual, I believe they work with the auto. They are very low though. The reduction is too much for anything other than very technical work.

We found a blend of calmini parts and OME struts gave the best suspension performance. Be wary of pulling the CV’s apart on full droop/full lock.

Body lift can be helpful but the big clearance issue is around the rear doors and wheel arch. Even with a 2” BL and 32” tyres this area has to be heavily hammered for clearance.

Tyre choice is up to you based on terrain.

No, the v6 is not especially reliable. Timing chain tensioners are the big problem. Quite a big job to do, but they’re a high revving complex engine in a heavy body that’s working hard to move the weight around plus being 27 years old. Expect issues.

[timmyd112]

Ok thanks, so next question is,

Would I be better to find the older 1.6 Vitara 4door? Or a newer 200 Grand vitara? Or not even get a Suzuki? I like a cheap easy to fix car like the Sierra was. I am quite experienced in working on cars so changing diffs etc is something I can do

[Gwagensteve]

All the same issues are present with the 1.6, except they are harder to gear for road use as they already run 5.12’s add to that LWB 1.6’s aren’t all that powerful and often getting a bit tired by now.

They can be made to work quite well but it’s a lot of work and requires hard to find parts and some custom work. It’s also worth considering that vitaras are quite wide, especially at the sills, and this makes them surprisingly bulky to drive in technical terrain. They are basically land cruiser width.

I was involved with building all styles. They are not a logical progression from a Sierra in my opinion- they’re a completely different vehicle. Whilst I quite like the look of them and they’re quite practical they are just a bit too light duty and vulnerable for difficult terrain in my opinion. Even Phil’s Velma, which is a completely custom build (suspension axles etc) and very very capable is vulnerable because of how bulky the body is- it’s on its third shell because it doesn’t really fit in hard tracks, at least in Victoria.

[timmyd112]

No worries thanks for that. Good food for thought. I guess I might have to move into something else like a jeep or Toyota.

[fordem]

There's a 3.0:1 gear reduction set available now that should work in all of the first & second gen transfer cases - if I recall correctly, it uses the original input gear which was the stumbling block with the V6 manual transmission models.

https://trailtough.com/product/trail-sa ... ase-gears/

The link doesn't mention the SV series specifically because the SV620 wasn't offered in the US.

[timmyd112]

That's ok. I'm now looking at a 1.6l Vitara. Seems it is a better starting base.

[Polar_Bear]

I wouldnt consider a 1.6 to be a better starting base, and not really any different to building a sv620. Have a look at Atari's Blagon build, which I bought off him a few years ago. They are obviously not as simple as a sierra but i wouldnt call the h series unreliable, as long as the servicing has been kept up. We dont get the hard tracks here in SA as you have over there

[timmyd112]

So I'm still looking around and didn't buy the cheap SV Vitara. But I have seen a super clean se416 4dr Vitara with 200,000 with a head all redone professionally and comes with a rwc. Now I'm very much considering this even after all the information given to me. I'm not worried about driving sloe in hi range with limited power.
I have also found another one with the auto? A 1993 lwb. Is that the 4 speed?

Lastly if I purchased a SWB Vitara with all the mods including lockers fairly cheap. Could I transfer the gear over to a lwb and vice versa then sell the SWB off again?

Regards,

Tim

[Gwagensteve]

All LWB vitaras and 4 speed auto. The auto is very helpful in “smudging” the effect of taller tyres on road as the converter will unlock and bump revs which helps maintain road speed.

Autos are also massively superior off road, so much so that a manual needs about twice the gearing reduction and a line lock to be anywhere near as drivable as an auto off road.

Yes, driveline and suspension parts will swap between SWB and LWB.

[timmyd112]

Thanks, looks like I will try to get the auto unless a really good deal pops up.
Thanks for the reply

[Sausager]

Gwagensteve wrote:

All LWB vitaras and 4 speed auto. The auto is very helpful in “smudging” the effect of taller tyres on road as the converter will unlock and bump revs which helps maintain road speed.

Autos are also massively superior off road, so much so that a manual needs about twice the gearing reduction and a line lock to be anywhere near as drivable as an auto off road.

Yes, driveline and suspension parts will swap between SWB and LWB.

To be pedantic, what Steve meant was "all LWB auto vitaras are 4-speed"

[timmyd112]

So the parts car I have has a 3inch calmini lift in it. What parts from that should I use? I'm hearing a lot of things on here about mis matching suspension and just want a simple answer on the 3inch lift from calmini. And what I need to make it work it's best? Will I need a body lift as well to fit 31s cause that's what everyone is saying?

[Gwagensteve]

Diff drop brackets and front arms are the useful items. Springs are great if your car is light enough. Struts and shocks are garbage

[shakes]

timmyd112 wrote:

So the parts car I have has a 3inch calmini lift in it. What parts from that should I use? I'm hearing a lot of things on here about mis matching suspension and just want a simple answer on the 3inch lift from calmini. And what I need to make it work it's best? Will I need a body lift as well to fit 31s cause that's what everyone is saying?

No you don't need a body lift.

You will need ~ 50mm of bump stop rear and 30mm front and some grinding and hammering.
After market arms help alot.

Gearing on 31's sucks if you like technical or steeper stuff, factor in some transfer gears.

[timmyd112]

So the calmini lift in my understanding has the aftermarket control arms already?? I think. And I might need camber bolts?
And the parts car has reduction gears in the transfer already. I assume the manual to automatic ran the same transfer??