How about both Comfort & Capability in just one Jimny

Hello everyone,

My name's George and I'm from the Balkans - Bulgaria.

Like so many others, I have been digging through BigJimny (silently ) to gather information on how to build my Jimny.

3 years later (better late than never), I now decided it is time to share the story of the blue princess.

I will start with a travel back in time to share with you the progress till now before continuing with present days and future mods.

I all started with a road trip across the country to find the best one available. After many horrors such as this one:



or this one:



I finally found what I was looking for



I used the occasion of this improvised road trip to take a little detour on the way back and check if there is any snow left in the mountains



and other remains as well (Roman this time )



Before going back to the format love - the V6 2.0 Vitara soon to be replaced with its solid axle version - the Jimny.

Hi George, Nice story and Great photos... I am also new to Jimnys and they become a labour of Love! Land Rover made a Huge mistake with stopping the Defender (the new one is just another school run vehicle) They should have made a small Utility vehicle, simple & cheap to maintain....
Gaz

Thanks:)
Shame for the Defender, yes... Jimny remains one of the few available options when we are looking for a 4x4 with 2 live axles.

So starting with the easy stuff: brakes, oils, filters...
Central locking system



Imported from Italy... hm someone there has been messing around - the airbag is disconnected and the horn is not working, some cables are also sticking out.



Window dimming film with UV protection





That's for starters

Now this puzzle needs to find its place on the Jimny



+4 inch suspension lift, including, ProComp shocks, springs, extended brake lines, castor corrected bushes, steering damper, and while we are at it - a snorkel.
Fun fact, ordering from across Europe (including delivery) is still cheaper than buying from our local greedy merchants in Bulgaria.

Looking good:



Before:



And after:



Yep, I know, looks funny with the stock tires.
I took these 30'' tires (used to be muddies) and -30 wheels from a friend as a temporary solution until I can get a set myself.

Hi George,
Welcome to the forum and keep the photos coming, I do enjoy a build story.
Somehow missed your first post so sorry for the late hello.
Mike

Nice work, definitely looks better with the bigger tyres. I have just fitted a 40mm lift and it feel so much taller, you must feel like you are up.wirh the gods on a 4" lift. Keep up the good work.

I have to say it certainly looks cool up there. Only thing is from what I have read on here and elsewhere I am not sure that a 4 inch procomp lift is going to satisfy your requirements of comfort and capability as that have a fairly well deserved reputation for being very stiff and bouncy.

Looking good!

Does your steering feel light and not self centre? If so you need proper castor correction arms as I don't think the bushes will give enough correction.

Blue is a good colour on the Jimny!

What's next?

Kirkynut

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone

Soeley, I wouldn't say the 4 inch lift is like being "up with the gods" but I do feel up with the bus drivers haha, the same height as them when we look at each other on the traffic lights.

kirkynut, it is said that the castor corrected bushes compensate for up to 2 inches of lift but it is still better than making no correction at all. The new radius arms were too damn expensive for me at that stage.

Besides, I had a more pressing matter to address at that moment.
The 30'' tires were rubbing everywhere and I could barely get out of the garage.
It mainly rubbed here:



I undertook some quick trimming procedures



and these large gaps opened up at the front, which would be difficult to clean...
Do you have any solution for this?



In the end, the Jimny parted with this much metal:



The final result - much better

You've done a nice job their
If you would have fitted +4 arms only the front bumper would have needed a trim
I have +3 arms on 2" lift and my wheel base is 1" longer than standard

Thanks mate
Well, I didn't know that but it makes sense - the axle should move forward as a result of the new radius arms (if I had any ) but with how much, would it have been enough to clear 30s?
What size are your tires?