Grand Vitara Cold Air Intake (remove resonator?)

[dan_2k_uk]

Short stroke wide cylinder engines with large valves (eg S2000) find it easy to get air through the head so the filter will restrict it.

Comparitively longer stroke smaller cylinder diameter engines with smaller valves will usually be restricted at the head and I would guess it would do nothing but look shiney.

If it makes you happy do it but don't expect much or anything at all in terms of performance.

[Anton]

I would never work in a back street garage after what they've done to my dads previous cars and now mine...

My gf has a university degree, she's an amazing illustrator, graphical designer, artist and photographer. She speaks 4 languages. She has an amazing portfolio of work for each of the above types of work. But she works in Primark.

She's about to start an unpaid internship at a graphical design firm. Perhaps you should consider doing something similar to give you a leg up on the jobs market - there's bugger all else you can do if you don't want to work at Primark, mate. That's the UK job market now - no experience, no job. No job, no experience.

My GF has decades of experience, but all of it in other countries (Romania and Italy) so she's having to start at the bottom and work her way up again. I'm afraid that if you want to use your qualification, you're going to have to really work hard just to get the opportunity to work at all!

Oh, and as for getting a 5% gain, the S2000 was the *only* car that saw increases. Low tuned engines, when they've tested them, get losses, high tune engines get small losses, no gains or tiny gains. One single case of one particular car getting gains does not a good case make. And you need about 10% increase for it to be noticeable when you drive.

Maybe it'd help with the exhaust, and with porting/polishing/flowing/ECU remapping. But I just don't think you'll get gains with it otherwise. Exhaust on it's own *might* work, but often with exhausts what you gain in one part of the rev range, you lose elsewhere as the system is now "tuned" for high RPM's, so you don't get the scavenger effect at low RPM's and you lose low down efficiency/torque.

Which is the opposite of what a caravan towing vehicle wants.

If you want to do it for fun, as Dan says, go for it. But the moment you mentioned making money from it - DING DING DING! Alarm bells!

We're not trying to be downers, mate, just give you realistic advice. The evidence that it's not a good idea is out there, if you ignore that for one isolated case where it made (still relatively insignificant, and probably undetectable from the driver's seat) gains, then we're just going to try to put your feet back on the ground, and only because we all like you.

If your name was Ollie, we'd have shot you by now. And burned the evidence.

[ScottieJ]

I'm confused? if you are a trained mechanic why do you keep paying people to fix your GV

[kiwizook]

I was thinking what scottie was thinking too?

and I also see I'm not the only one watching mcm, they're actually a pretty realistic, and really good show!

[Jay18]

I was going to do my timing chain myself, but I wanted a garage to do it just incase anything went wrong... But it did, and I'm still waiting for my refund from them, now I do wish I done it myself...

If I had the space and the money I'd buy another SJ, strip it right down to the bare chassis and body and rebuild it right back up all cleaned up and painted, but because I'm in a dead end temporary job I can't afford to do that, I'm going to apply to suzuki for a job again, hopefully I can get into a main dealer of some sort, in suzuki they seem very professional about their work, not like the back street garages here that just want to rip everyone off and do shoddy work...

I can see what you all mean, no one really want performance parts for a suzuki 4x4 I just thought it's something no major company does, I gues there is a reason why, I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do with my life this year and get into a career instead of a dead end job...

It's good to know people like me here anyway, I do try to help people and I got a lot of help with my SJ

[Anton]

You did a bang up job with the caravan - where did you work on it? Could you maybe get another junker for pennies, do it up and make a few quid so you can afford to get an SJ to do up and make a few more quid?

[Jay18]

Thanks! I am proud of the caravan, but I will be selling it this year to get a bigger one, probably do the same again, but something cheap(ish) and tidy it up, think I'm likely to make a loss on it really, and not sure about making money on an SJ, I won't but cheap SJ's to make quick money on by selling a wreck, I'd want to sell it in a good condition so I think it would be a loss...

[Anton]

If you buy an SJ to do it up, just make sure it's safe, concentrate on making it look *GOOD* (cut out rust, weld in new metal etc, then tart it up, paint it, clean it, new carpets/door cards etc) make sure the electrics etc work, window winders work, and you should make a profit. Non-MOT SJ's can go for a song, but with an MOT you can get a grand or more - if it's tidy, you can get £1200+ for an SJ.

Mine cost me £175. If I tarted up the bodywork, I could probably get £1200 for it.

Look at what Scottie's doing with the white one, and what Mike did with his white one. Look at Donkeychomp's LJ's (and the other vehicles he's done up). If you buy something that is more work than it's worth, then either sell it on for what you bought it for (or a small profit if you can) or if it's too far gone to save, break it and sell the parts for a profit, then weigh in the carcass.

Several people on here have done it, and proven that it's economically worthwhile, so mate - get yourself organised and do it!

You've got the expertise you need here if you're willing to be humble and ask for it (and not be a wOllie about it- truly listen to what people have to say). If you're ever stuck, we'll help you out, we always do.

But again, I would urge you to go down to every reputable garage you can find and ask if you can have a shift or two of unpaid work for a while. Including the Suzi dealer you were talking about, but also talk to any and every dealership (even LR) that does mechanicals, and every garage, every halfrauds MOT centre, every decent mobile mechanic.

The economy is picking up, there are more jobs out there (or so we're told) so now is the time to be showing the world that you have the drive and initiative that businesses need. A couple of months of unpaid work more often than not leads to paying work (even if it's just an ultra low paid internship that leads to a proper job).

I've done it, I worked unpaid for 9 months recently just to keep from having a hole in my CV while I was ill, at the British Heart Foundation in Old Kent Road. I had fun and made contacts, and kept myself useful. Dude, do the same!!! Seriously! Bosses love to see proactive young go-getters on the other side of the table when they're conducting interviews.

[Jay18]

I know I could do up am SJ as I had a 1987 SJ410 VBJA and that was sitting in someone's garden for 10 years before I got it, I spent two years doing it up as I was low on funds so it took a while to get the bits together, but I've learnt a lot about SJ's and I know a few things I could of done to make it easier to do and a bit cheaper...

I might have to keep an eye out for one and give it a go, see if I can do some light restoration on one and sell it for profit, if I can resist the urge to keep it and take it to Wigan pay and play haha..

[Anton]

I keep seeing jimny's with dead engines or other relatively minor problems coming up on gumtree cheap.

Maybe don't just look for SJ's? I'm no expert, though!