Hello all,

I have been looking for some info here on a new project.  I have a 1995 Sidekick JLX 4 Door that I would like to turn into a project. It has 180K miles and is still running well.  I am a little concerned because the 4x4 will not engage in either low or hight (just found this out on the OKC ice saturday).  Also, it is shifting very hard from 1st to second (auto).  Other than that it has been a great little daily driver that my father has been using.  I owned it in college and took it wheeling daily in Colorado when I lived there one summer.  I have made the alpine loop about 20 times in that thing. The only mod I made was a roof rack and the skid plate that I bought from the dealer when I bought it.

The first thing I would like to do is lift it.  I have not found many other options aside from the Calmini lift kit.  Do any of you know where I can look for a 3" suspension kit?

Next I would like to get some tires and wheels.  I do not plan on doing a body lift and don't want to get the tires so big that it won't move out of its own way.

Then I would like to replace the front and rear bumpers.  Again, Calmini is the only place I have found anything viable.

On the tranny, would any of you suggest replacing it with a manual?  If so, is it hard to do and expensive?

From experience, can you tell me what is the most common problem or failure with these little rigs?  I would like to be prepared and maybe upgrade if needed. 

Thanks in advance for your input!

DD

The first thing you should do is get it running/driving properly ... llift + tires + etc mean nothing if the rig won't function properly.

Also, keep the auto (a swap to a manual is a HUGE job). If the auto is toast, then find a replacement.

i was afraid of that... i guess Ill roll the auto till it dies and then figure it out... any cures or known causes for hard shifting?

I picked up a '95 a month ago that shifts really hard from 1st to 2nd also. I was told that it is normal.

I still don't think it is normal to shift that hard myself.

You can adjust the vacuum modulator to change how hard it shifts.  Might be in need of replacement all together.

Lil Red, where can I find info on how to do that... is it in Chilton's?  Is the transfer case vacuum assisted? could that be the problem there?

I just realized you probably have the 4 speed auto since its a 4 door.  I'm not sure if it has a vacuum modulator valve.  But if its the 3 speed, here's a link to trans. info http://www.avalonforest.com/geo/misc/TransDiag.pdf

3" lift: www.boondoxmotorsports.com

I believe there is a 3 or 3.5" kit from zukination as well

www.zukination.com

TrailTough and Shrockworks make nice bumpers.

www.trailtough.com
www.shrockworks.com

From what I hear, the most common failures are the front diff exploding due to it being an aluminum casing. This usually only happens when running tires bigger than 31 inches though, and people have been known to run tires as big as 34 inches without snapping anything. It all depends how you drive. The other thing is the idler arm. It's pretty wimpy so you might want to beef up the mount and see how it goes. If you bent or break the idler arm you can replace it with Sky's beefy unit.

Thank you! That is EXACTLY the kind of info I was after.  I spent a fair amount of time reading old threads the last couple of days and that has also helped.  The thing I just cannot decide on is whether to go all susp lift and no body (this is where I started, thinking body lift = bad/ugly) or a cheaper susp lift like coil spacers and a 2" body lift.  I don't want to run tires bigger than 31, so that makes me feel good. Thanks again!

I have a 1.5" suspension lift and a 2" body lift on my Sidekick. It looks and wheels well with 30x9.5 tires on modified F-150 rims.







Cheers

97 4dr
ShrockWorks front Winch Bumper (it rocks)
Calmini 3"inch suspension lift
Homemade 3 1/2"inch body lift
32/11.5x15 BFG M/Ts

Or 32/10.50 SuperSwamper radials


BTW: front fenders trimmed back ,like, 4 inches.

mallard75,

Check out the following link for a cost effective 3" lift using OME stuff:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=444978

I've got all the same parts with a 1" coil spacer for the rear for my 93 'Kick, I just have to find time to install them at this point.

He's also got some additional info in a couple threads on a different Suzuki forum.

http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/content/topic,64158.15.html

Good luck!!

Hey Hot Rod, tell me about your fender flares... I like them!!!!

Hey Hot Rod, tell me about your fender flares... I like them!!!!

JC Whitney 3"inch Heavy Duty with/out the wire.
Used self tapping screws to install.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2008750/p-2008750/N-111+10714+600013139/c-10614

Man those sure look good!  Did you have to adjust the bumper for the body lift or is it made for it?