My VG30-Powered Samurai

[iniazy]

Hello guys,

would like to share with you my VG30-powered Suzuki Samurai.

My name is Ibrahim, I live in Saudi Arabia. I bought a Suzuki Samurai several years ago, and have since been working on it for off-road performance, from suspension lifts and what have you.

Here's a picture of my Samurai:



A small video of it back then:


So, the time came to do an engine swap. My choice was to put in a VG30S engine from a Nissan Cedric. A very compact engine that fits snugly into the Suzuki's engine bay. Also is a popular swap in our region. This version of the VG30 is exactly the same as the VG30i, except that it comes carburetted from the factory. The only difference is in the intake manifold.

I will not go into too much details on getting the engine to fit, but I'll post some pictures:

The 89 Cedric which I pulled the engine from:


The engine is then mated to a Nissan 200L transmission. This transmission has the same internal parts, but it is much shorter, suitable for the little Samurai. However, the bell housing doesn't match that of the VG30, so I had to use the VG30 bell housing, which bolts right on to the 200L transmission.

The 200L transmission standard:


And converted to fit the VG30:


Mated to the VG30:


The combo is quite compact, excellent for the Suzuki's short body.

Dropping her into the Zuk:


That's me, back in 2012 when I had long hair.

So the engine fitted, without doing any modifications to the Zuk's frame!
http://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz15 ... C_0251.jpg

Tight fit, using a very slim FlexiLite electric fan:


Tranny shifter, fitting nicely. Closed off the old transmission shifter hole:


The swap turned out to be very good. Unfortunately, the engine was very old, and it overheated like hell. So it was time to do a rebuild, clean up of the engine bay, painting it. And this is what this thread is all about.

Here's a complete build thread, for more details on the build:
http://www.zukikrawlers.com/showthread.php?t=46847

Next, I will show you my rebuild progress.

[two_68_510s]

Howdy,
That unit looks like it has seen it share of dessert from all the dust.

Sounds like a sprightly combination!

[okayfine]

That's an amazingly-short transmission! I'm surprised it'll put up with a VG, but that really helps your swap along.

With that front bumper, I think you've doubled your approach angle

[iniazy]

Howdy,
That unit looks like it has seen it share of dessert from all the dust.

Sounds like a sprightly combination!

Yeah. That's pretty much how all our used engines look like. They don't get better than that.

That's an amazingly-short transmission! I'm surprised it'll put up with a VG, but that really helps your swap along.

With that front bumper, I think you've doubled your approach angle

Well you know it is actually the same transmission used in the Cedric; the difference is that the Cedric transmission has much longer rods to reach the right position in the cabin. So it should be able to handle the VG30.

[510rob]

That truck looks like it is a lot of fun to drive! Nice job!

[iniazy]

Well I can't tell yet, cuz there ain't no engine yet

Ok, so here I go pulling the engine out in preparation for rebuilding it:


on the engine stand:


Timing belt cover off:


Coolant galleries so filthy and filled with what I think is dry engine oil:




Taking the valve cover off reveals a nice set of rocker arms and hydraulic valve lifters:


Looked so good, after looking at all that dirt covering the engine. The intake manifold gasket has clearly been removed and replaced without changing the gasket in the history of the engine, and I suspect the water has been leaking out of the gasket and into the intake. Horrible condition.

Took the heads off, and that's how the engine face looked like



The water galleries were all blocked with filth:


Factory carburetor needs a lot of work.


Flipped the engine over to remove the oil pan:


Oil pump covered in filth:


The crank shaft and connecting rods seemed to be in exceptionally good condition:



Engine stripped down to the bones:


So next is to work every part separately to clean it up and rebuild with all new parts.

[Byron510]

I love your machine, and I echo Julian's comment about that insanely short transmission.

Keep us posted for sure.

Byron

[iniazy]

So I start cleaning up the engine:

Engine head work, took it to a reputable machine shop and now it looks like this:


From the bottom:


After assembly:


Then I took the engine block to a reputable machine shop to inspect it, and they confirmed that the block is good and doesn't need to be machined or honed. So, I cleaned up the face:


Then closed off all water galleries with duct tape:


Got some acidic drain cleaner and poured it into the main coolant passage:


Left it for half an hour, then poured it out and rinsed the inside of the engine with water. That got out a lot of gunk from in there.

Today I removed all the freeze plugs:


Got me some new ones:


Then I thoroughly rinsed the inside of the block with water through the freeze plugs holes, then left them to dry with a fan:

[iniazy]

I bought a master rebuild kit from Mizumo Auto, via E-bay:


The kit comes with practically everything, apart from free plugs. All gaskets, new pistons, new piston rings, new oil pump, valve seals, and a whole bunch of O-rings and seals. Very reasonably priced, only $ 270. And the quality of the stuff look like top notch.

I flat-towed my Suzuki to a body shop of a friend of mine, to paint the engine bay and close off my hood opening (I had a tall carburetor with the Suzuki engine).


Yes, the white car is my daily driver Toyota. I got a Toyota, a Nissan Engine, and a Suzuki.

Removed all wires and hoses from inside the engine bay to prepare it for the paint job:


Hood opening getting closed off:

[S15DET]

Very cool! Great project. Looking forward to more.

[iniazy]

I was invited by a friend to a private garage where they had a sand blasting machine. So I took the opportunity and went there and got all my parts sparkling clean, and I sanded off all the paint from the valve covers:



The intake manifold became like new:



Only the water ports in the intake manifold seemed completely deformed. So I took it to a machine shop to fix it and return it to the original shape. I'm still waiting for it to come back.

Then I painted them. Primer on the intake (which is the Samurai original intake pipe):


Then put the final heat resistant flat black coat, here's the oil pan:


Then painted all the brackets and what have you:


I got my carburetor rebuilt at a carb specialist:


And today I started wire-brushing my engine block preparing it for painting.

To be continued.

[datzenmike]

I love your machine, and I echo Julian's comment about that insanely short transmission.

Keep us posted for sure.

Byron

Here they are called an FS5W71B or just 71B. The one you have was a shorty used in some models of the 720 truck (likely king cabs or long wheelbase) I have one from a 4x4 but they were in 2wd also.


Intake look wider than our two barrels..




Very interesting looking carb. Must be large enough for 3 liter motor.

[iniazy]

Yes that's exactly the same transmission. I swapped the bell housing for the vg30 unit which slips right on to the said transmission.

I believe the intake manifold is the same size as yours. Many people pick up a JDM vg30 with sequential fuel injection and just put on the Cedric manifold and carburetor.

The carb is definitely enough because it is the one that came with it from the factory.

I love your machine, and I echo Julian's comment about that insanely short transmission.

Keep us posted for sure.

Byron

Here they are called an FS5W71B or just 71B. The one you have was a shorty used in some models of the 720 truck (likely king cabs or long wheelbase) I have one from a 4x4 but they were in 2wd also.


Intake look wider than our two barrels..




Very interesting looking carb. Must be large enough for 3 liter motor.

[iniazy]

Ok, time for an update.

I did a thorough clean up of the engine using petrol:




Then masked it with masking tape to pain it:


Painted it with high temperature paint:




In the mean time, I got my intake manifold back from the machine shop, with the water ports all fixed up:


Then finally started reassembling the engine. Crank shaft installed and measured the main bearings clearance using plastigauge:


Squished plastigauge:


Clearance was .076, which was in line with factory specifications:


The rest of the bearings were all also within factory specs.

[iniazy]

Assembled the pistons, piston rings and connecting rods:


Installed them into the engine:


Then torqued them down to spec:


Fully assembled pistons:


Installed the oil pump and rear crank shaft seal:


Installed the oil pan gaskets and oil pan:


A comparison between the old and new oil pumps:


And my valve covers should come back tomorrow from the chrome shop.