OK so I'm here, new 89 Sidekick in hand what to do?   So the Sidekicks not really mine it's my moms  heres the story.  My mom has lived in the desert most of her life here in Phoenix.  Thye last few years she has taken care of my grandmother in a town called Clifton AZ.  Well grandma passed and now my mom has some time to herself.  She lives in the rough desert and has Ranch land that her Camry just doesnt traverse too well.  So she had expressed interest in a vehicle that could take her exploring the AZ back roads and her property.  

So then a woman where I work happen to put up for sale her 89 Sidekick ran well and was her daily driver.  she ran into a few money problems and decided to part with it since she has a new Wrangler as well.  

So now we have a good running 89 sidekick with tiny 1.3L engine and good working AC.  
Mom would like to tweak this little car a bit make it her own.  Shes getting a basic paintjob since the paints pretty old and faded but no body damage.  
We were talking and shes open to just making it a better desert offroad rig not a world class Crawler just a great desert rig.  Would it work as is ya probably but my mom likes to make things her own over time.  So give me a list of ideas if you have any.

Maybe engine bolt on items to help the output a bit maybe keep it running cooler anything (we have a small oil drip to deal with also).

Also I think a couple inches lift with slightly taller tires would be good.  but this would all be ongoing over time.  

Tell me this are these simple lifts of spacers and springs adequate or is it better to get a lift that has all new hardware linkages and such?  

So you have an idea now I'd like to see your lists of basics in order of importance.  

Your telling me that no one has .02 cents to throw my way?

If it were my rig, I'd first go with slightly bigger tires, then a mild lift.

You could put some larger tires on it. I run 235/75/15 tires (roughtly 29") on it. Not too big, but a good upgrade from the 205/75/15 stockers.

A 2" lift is a great way to go. Nothing wrong with spacer lifts as they're inexpensive and easy to install, too. You could also go with a 2" spring lift as there are a number of companies making these (BDS, Calmini, Old Man Emu, etc.).

I not all that familiar with the 1.3-liter engine, but assuming it's similar to the engine in the Samurai, there are a host of upgrades you can do to it to make a bit more power, too.

- Andy

Thanks...Any tire suggestions?  Not pure off road but maybe 70/30

Thanks...Any tire suggestions?  Not pure off road but maybe 70/30

Lots of good tires out there. I have BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/As on my rig. If you're doing 70% highway stuff, a good all-terrain tire would probalby be great for you.

- Andy

Actually was thinking the 70 was for the dirt.

I run the Toyo All Terrains and have been really happy with them in the dirt, snow, sand and on the road.  Not the greatest in mud.

With the 1.3L your a bit under-powered compared to the 1.6l but you also have the rare lower gears in your diff, the 5.6x gear set compared to the normal 5.12. 

For the lift best bang vs buck is the spacer lift, but I would recommend going with some OME springs if you can afford it since you will be doing a lot of dirt driving.  The spacers tend to give you a rougher ride then stock.

I didn't know about the extra low gearing in the 1.3 but I can say that I noticed that the gearing in 4L apeared to be quite low.

Of all the ( few ) suggestions above A good set of AT tires in the 225. 75.15 size and small lift 2", are good. The closer it is to stock, the easier it will be to maintain and keep running well. These little rigs are pretty stout stock, so unless your into wrenching a lot, go with the tires, a small lift, and maybe in the future a GOOD rear locker. My 2 cents.

Pretty much exactly what I had in mind.  I like the idea of a good rear locker.  But I would still like to do some basics to get the engine pitting out a bit more.  Thanks for the reply.

These little engines love a 2" exhaust. 

Does that mean you get a noticeable difference on power or does it just sound different?  Also any suggestions for intake changes?  My hose that goes from the filter box to fender well is collapsed and needs some kind of replacement.

There are a few alternatives to the stock airbox and tube, but if your going to be in real dusty conditions the stock airbox with a K+N filter works well. Some guys just chuck the airbox altogether and run a clamp on filter on some kind of tube attached to the intake, but they're not so good at keeping dry in wet conditions and get pretty dirty fast.  A header and 2" exhaust  ( cat included) with a turbo type free flowing muffler combined with the K+N in the airbox will give you better throttle response and a noticeable power increase. For the collapsed tube, I'm sure you can find a good used one in the want ad section.

Running a cone type K&N airfilter without the airbox can make the engine run doggedly during the hot days unless you construct a heat shield to seperate the rad/engine bay heat from being sucked in. And a Outerwear pre-filter will remove all the dust BEFORE it can reach the filter and will not impact the engines power production at all! Just consider the Outerwear prefilter like a condom, it keeps the nasty stuff from touching the important  parts.....LOL

Yea, I need to get a pre-filter on Project Trouble.  That air filter was caked solid with dirt before the end of the race.