Gen 3 - New tyres / lift / suspension upgrade

www.bigjimny.com/forum/7-jimny-technical...s-rough-guide-thread

I'd suggest make the 30 9.5 tyres work on a 2" lift kit.... No spacers 
And buy a winch and learn self recovery 🙂
 

Hi Labart, yes Im in the Dominican Republic so what cars can be found is limited. Most US made and Japanese / Korean. The Wranger is super common here and the latest genertion is "everywhere". Fortunately the Gen3 Jimny is not all that rare but less than half a dosen for sale in the country. I actually just "lost" the car I expected to buy this week. Was expecting to pick it up around the capital and get the new tires right away as Im in a fairly remote place, and did not expect the normal road tires to last long here with rocks and spiky plants everywhere. Hence the questions about the tyres. Items can be ordered online from the US as long as they are not too costly (import tax is 40% here).

Anyway so now Im back at looking at the few cars that are available for this project. There is one from 2004 with the turbo engine, car looks good but the AI is telling me its got the lowest torque of them all and will struggle more in the hills, not to mention that I always avoid turbo engines on such old cars, even more so in a place where mechanics are unreliable and parts hard to find. The G16A engine is available here to replace at about 1000 USD with or without the gearbox. Mechanics are cheap for doing the grunt part of such a job if needed. I got a large garage where a hired mechanic can work on this, but should I just go for this turbo variant and start with or wait for a more suitable base model?

ChatGTP gave me this advice:

Transmission Input Shaft:
The Jimny gearbox is not bolt-compatible with G13/G16 blocks. 🔧 You’ll need to swap:
Either the engine with its original Samurai gearbox (manual) Or use a custom bellhousing adapter (rare, costly)
Transfer Case: The Jimny’s transfer case is strong and low-geared — keep it. Some people adapt Samurai/Vitara engines to the Jimny transfer + axles.

🧱 Engine Mounts & Fitment:
Engine mounts will need to be custom welded or adapted
Clearance may be tight near the firewall and radiator.
Wiring harness + ECU must match engine (carb = easy, EFI = some wiring work)

Its not a daily driver Im looking for, and not an eternal passion project to mess around with either. So not sure if I just aim to get whatever version I can that is in one piece with a good chassis and expect to swap the engine?

There was a nice top-less Jimny for sale closeby but very rusty and too expensive. Most of the Jimnys here are very nice and clean even with 20 years++

Whats your thoughts?

We didn't get the turbo one here so I don't know enough to comment on swapping the engine on those. That said the gearing is designed to complement the engine and from the Japanese videos I have seen of them off road they seem every bit as capable as any other version so it's possible that an engine swap isn't absolutely necessary?

The turbo has a 660cc engine. So less torque of all of them and its just another think that can fail. And with the heat the turbo struggles more Im told. Another one appeared yesterday with a M13A engine installed.. but it was sold this morning, damn... I see sellers not really knowing what they are sitting on here And some buyers that really do understand this...