1.6ltr / 16v Conversion
with Bill Johnston

Everyone knows that the stock 1.3ltr engine in a samurai is barely adequate as it comes from the factory, but when you start adding upgrades and heavy off road goodies it gets downright pathetic. The Grey Ghost project truck has had many of these upgrades and the old 1.3ltr engine (although helped along with a header and aftermarket exhaust) was ready for a replacement. Instead of just stopping at the typical 1.6/8v replacement, it was decided to just go the extra mile and replace it with a 1.6/16v model. 

Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...Placing an order with Brent at Trail Tough made lots of goodies appear at our door. A complete 1.6/16v engine, computer and wiring harness, air cleaner, an engine adaptor kit and a bunch of power steering supplies that would allow us to move the PS system that had been installed on the 1.3ltr power plant. 
If you are putting together your own power steering with new parts, check the link for a great deal. Use them with whatever adapter kit you are using.
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Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...First order of business was to get the old tired stock block out of the way. It had really served its owners well but didn't have the power the newest owner was looking for. 
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...Here you can see the header that had been installed years ago. The air heater hose bracket had been welded on to comply with emissions. The power steering unit can be seen (sort of) along with the power steering fluid reservoir. 
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...The engine came out clean in about 30 minutes. We used this time to clean out the engine compartment a little, tying up wires and putting everything in order. 
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...Here you can see Sean Farley (the owner) install the brackets needed for the power steering unit. You can also see that we had already installed the Samurai flywheel and the Petroworks high performance clutch by this time.
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...The engine adapter is a must when mating a Samurai transmission to a larger block (1.6ltr) engine. The upper bolts are in the right position, but the lower bolts are farther apart. You can see where the flush mount bolts go in to hold the adapter to the transmission (close to the opening) and the new bolt holes are seen just outside of them. Click on the photo for a closer look. Although you can normally drop a bare Suzuki block into place with your bare hands, it is not recommended when all the external bits are in place.
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...The hardest part of the whole installation is mating the engine to the transmission. Most of the time it will just slide into place, but only when you have plenty of time to waste and no deadlines. Otherwise it will take lots of wiggling, tugging, pushing and a few choice words. The trick is to get the splines to line up right the first time and then be careful not to just 'stab' it into place. If you are a little off, you can damage the rear main seal and then you have a leak from the word go.
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...Using the Trail Tough engine kit leaves the bottom end of the engine in the same place the original engine sat. Since the 1.6/16v is a taller engine, the front clip would have to be raised just a bit using the included replacement front body bushings. This vehicle has a body lift already though, so we got to skip that part.
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...The stock exhaust manifold comes very close to the frame rail, but surprisingly it cleared it without any additional modifications. The picture on the left is from above looking over the fender, the shot on the right is from the front of the vehicle looking through the power steering hoses.
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...Looks pretty ragged with all the hoses and cables hanging out of the engine compartment, eh? Don't worry, there is a place for everything and everything has a place... patience and a little attention to detail goes a long way.
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...Here is where we build a cool air cleaner out of the bulky box unit that came with the engine. Trail Tough supplied the K&N cone filter along with the stock box. After removing the neck from the box, we also had to remove the sensor that is made into the box. We were careful not to harm the sensor in any way, but the box seems like it got the bad end of the stick. You can see a hole where the sensor used to be (lower left photo). We drilled a hole in the cone filter and then installed the sensor.

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Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...When we added the air cleaner to the engine compartment, we noticed right away that the power steering reservoir would have to find another home. We fabbed up a small bracket to keep the air cleaner just above the stock jack mount on the drivers side inner fender well. There was just enough room to mount the breather without it getting crushed by the hood.
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...The wiring harness and accelerator cable came next. If you are a stickler for neat installations then here is where you can really shine. We found that the new wiring harness could be held along the firewall with zip ties so it would blend in with the stock unit. You just have to pay close attention to leave plenty of 'play' in the cabling so that when the engine moves it will not get torn out. The picture on the right shows the routing of the accelerator cable and the new location of the PS fluid reservoir. It is on a bracket we fabbed to bolt right on the engine block. There wasn't anywhere else to put it. (After testing and then thrashing we found that the vibration of the engine had no ill effects on the system.
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...Here you can see where the new harness is attached along the firewall and then run into the rubber grommet behind the battery. This takes it down to the area where we mounted the new computer. 
Plugging and splicing in all the wires for the computers didn't take very long. When everything was plugged in, we noted how much play we had in the wires and installed the components where they would be least likely to get kicked or damaged. As a matter of fact, you can only see them if you lay your head on the seat. The picture in the lower right shows how hidden they are. 

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Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...This fuel injected engine went into a, 87 Samurai, so an electric fuel pump came in the installation kit. The trick to this installation is all in the mounting... if you don't use the insulation provided, or you tighten it up too much it will be veeeery noisy. We also added a bit of old hose and zip ties to protect the fuel line from scuffing where it came close to the emergency brake cable.
Click through for a closer look...Click through for a closer look...Overall, this was a fairly simple installation. All the hard stuff (wiring mostly) is done for you in the kit. You just have to add the muscle and a little attention to detail when setting everything into place. There are a few other kits out there, but most don't include the wiring harness setup like this one. One last thing, You have to send your gauge cluster back to trail tough so they can make a small electronic change* so that your speedometer will talk to the new ECM (computer). 

*Editors Correction
This change does not recalibrate your speedometer to make up for any gearing or tire size changes.
 

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Component Source:

Trail Tough Products
1031 Narregan St
Medford, OR   97501
1-877-SUZUKIS (789-8547)
info@trailtough.com

08/22/22 14:18:47

 

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