Suzuki Club UK

Sjs were built in both Japan and Spain for the British market and sometimes it is essential to know where yours is from when it comes to ordering certain parts for your SJ or sorting out wiring issues.

The following things will determine whether or not your SJ is Spanish or Japanese Built.

Spanish,Japanese

Chassis number, Starts VSE , Starts JSA
Indicators, Stalks on the left, Stalks on the right
Stalks, Square , Round
Reverse lights, One reverse light , Two Reverse Lights
Fog light, One in standard light clusters , Separate to light clusters

If there is anything I've missed then feel free to add it

also on the vin plate of a Spanish model it will say santana landrover

there was something about how many turns of the steering wheel it was lock to lock.

santana plastered across the back is probably spanish

probably worth noting for newbies that a samurai can be built in both spain and japan.

I think the ones called "Samurai Sport" on the logbooks are pretty much all spanish... '91 onwards I think!

get on didn't know my Suzuki was a jap built because it had an Suzuki SJ Santana engine in it before i bought it and always thought it was Santana

twiss wrote:I think the ones called "Samurai Sport" on the logbooks are pretty much all spanish... '91 onwards I think!

I'm pretty certain ALL of the fuel injected 1.3l SJs were called 'Samurai Sport's, though that doesn't mean all Samurai Sports are fuel injected, if that makes sense.

I dont know if it helps but im swapping my 1.3 spanish for a 1.3 jap and noticed the clutch cable bracket on the engine block was 1/2" shorter on the spanish than the jap. The alternator adjustment arm was straight on the spanish and curved on the jap, and the fuel pump out feed was skinny on the jap and thick on the spanish. These may not be actual differences and just coincidence, but there they are.

but which is better? Spanish or Japanese?

I didn't realise mine was Spanish before I bought it because it wasn't obvious in the pictures, I thought it was jap and I was a bit gutted when I found out it wasn't.

in my opinion Spanish ones seem to rust less but the build quality isn't as good, and they have more electric issues. anyone agree?

I think its luck of the draw.

My Spanish one has served me very well.

I did have a high tickover issue with the standard carb (but don't they all!) but apart from that its never really let me down.

mk1joe wrote: in my opinion Spanish ones seem to rust less but the build quality isn't as good, and they have more electric issues. anyone agree?

That seems fairly accurate... they do have some stupid things on the spanish ones, like the combined earth for the rear lights that rots away in 10 minutes

I think rust depends on how the vehicle has been treated over the past 20 years!