Suzuki Club UK

Hello there,

I recently picked up a Suzuki SJ410 as a bit of a project car. It is in decent shape for its age; but there are quite a few areas that need some love. I am hoping to tap into the collective wisdom here to make sure I am on the right track with my plans.

The biggest issue is the bodywork there is rust on the arches; the doors have seen better days, and the floor panels need attention. I am planning to cut out the worst of it and weld in new sections. Does anyone have recommendations for replacement panels or advice on keeping the work as close to original as possible?

The engine runs; but it is rough. It is the stock 970cc; and I am debating whether to rebuild it or swap it for something like the 1.3 from an SJ413. Has anyone here done an engine swap on an SJ410? How tricky is it to match up the wiring and mounts?

Also, I have gone through this post; https://www.suzukiclubuk.co.uk/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?ccsp=124193 which definitely helped me out a lot.

Finally; I want to lift it a bit to make it more capable off road. I have heard mixed opinions on whether to go with a shackle lift or a full suspension upgrade. What is worked best for you? I want to keep the handling manageable on the road but improve ground clearance for greenlaning.

Thanks in advance for your help and assistance.

Welcome.

Scottie on the forum and Mike Harris have spares. I know Scottie has doors.

Shackle lifts are garbage. Always go with a proper, what you need varies depending on the tyre size you want to fit.

Engine wise rebuild it or jump straight to a 1.6 vitara lump. Depending on which 1.6 the wiring varies. Also need a clutch, fly wheel and a gear from a 413. Engine mounts would also be to fab up.

I’ll ping Scottie a message about the doors.

Panels are available from india but are quite pricey. There are some EU parts suppliers for bits, ebay sellers and a few very good (but not the cheapest) american suppliers for aftermarket bits.

Whereabouts are you located?

Big Jimny sell a few genuine suzuki panels for them and floor pans are available from abroad, masterforest sell a lot of panels for them.

Unfortunately I think all my sets of doors have just found new homes, I might have some passenger doors though.

Just skip the 1.3, it’s the same amount of work to fit a 1.6 and the 1.6 is a much better swap. I’d rather keep the 1.0 over a 1.3
Info on the swap can be found here http://forum.suzukiclubuk.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=9512

As Jordi said, don’t fit longer shackles, they do more harm than good on and off-road, get some lift springs if you want some suspension lift, old man emu lift springs are nice.