While cruzing Yahoo.jp I had this crazy idea pop into my head: Ever heard of the Suzuki Jimny Mini SUV? Well it has a straight axle up front and it's pretty narrow just like a Carry. If the width of the front axle was the same from hub to hub would it not make a great donor axle? This is my concept - Jimny axles front and rear sitting on long coil springs with some kind of custom four link suspension. Something like a 12" lift or so to get some articulation going - wait it gets better. I also discovered they make all kinds of cool parts for the Jimny - how about a 4:1 ultra low range transfer case and full lockers for front and rear diffs. With the new transfer case it would be possible to run much bigger 14" LT truck tires off road only as with the gearing it probably wouldn't make it to 30mph. or either way it would be interesting
the first day i had my truck my buddy was trying talk me into doing something along those lines... mostly using mid 90's toyota 4x4 pick up running gear so it would have a wider stance and be set up for more of a rock crawler.
With the rear axle gearing being so low on these trucks I was forced to throw away any thoughts about doing an axle swap. Unless you use a 2WD tranny with a ultralow divorced transfer case. I'm also not sure of the front driveshaft not being stationary after a SAS. It looks like it would work but it wasn't made to move with the axle. -Greg
Wasn't the Jimny at one time, if not still, a kei-class vehicle with an engine in the same size range? That would suggest an axle ratio in the same range. I think that vehicle has bigger diameter wheels, so even if it had an engine in the 1-litre class, it probably still has an axle ratio in the same range. It sure would be nice if there was a handy reference somewhere that gave the gearbox and final drive ratios of everything out there.
There are a couple different sized Jimnys. The Kei car version is the one he's talking about. http://db.datanext.co.jp/4DCGI/WEB_...=Non&Town=Non&ST=M&CarCode=1404-120080711-502 It's roughly the same size, and on occasion, uses the same parts. I just replaced the alternator on my Carry from a 12valve turbo 660 Jimny in the junkyard ($40). The Pajero, (or Montero in the US) also has a Kei version.. http://db.datanext.co.jp/4DCGI/WEB_...=Non&Town=Non&ST=G&CarCode=1192-120071020-006 It's a good idea..Jimnys are a good source of 4wd parts, and they are pretty common now.
This is a highly complex project. Unless you have a truck load of money, and/or skills and tools, it should be approached with extreme caution. When I was a kid, one of my freinds was constantly coming up with ideas on how to make his cars better. He had a perfectly good, 1972, Datsun 240Z, solid factory straight six, and a five speed. Reasonable quick, fast, and agile. He bought a 1970 Dodge Demon with the 340 and four speed. Decided the Demon should have a Big block 440 in it. Went to the wrecking yard and bought a 440, and proceeded to pull the small block out of the Demon, and weld in the mounts for the 440, and get it in the car. But couldn’t figure out the exhaust, and bugged up structural stuuf trying to. Then he decided that he ought to put the Chrysler small block in the 240Z. With my help we got it and the 4-speed in there, hooked up and running. I less than a month he blew up the rear differential. Decided te solution was the independent suspension from a Corvette. Started looking around wrecking yards for a totaled vette. Decided that the straight six form the 240Z should go into a Datsun Pickup, and we got it in there, but he could never figure out the drive shaft. Meantime he is borrowing his Moms car to commute to work. He finally buys a. Commuter car, to commute in because his mom wanted her car back. His folks bought twenty acres in Chloride Arizona, and he drug all the carcasses over there to rot in the sun. And proceeded to half way do poorly thought through mods to classic vehicles, and mess them up. I had to help clean out his place inVegas after he died. Twenty or thirty vehicles he had started to modify, and run out of the skills, and resources to finish. Very few have those skills or resources. For starters, I think that the Jimny engine is set higher, upright as opposed to on its side, and forward from where it is in a minitruck. And to get it and the transmission in there will probably mean cutting, and loosing at least some of the bed. With the right skills, you could probably find an 80s Toyota Hilux, and with a few mods put the entire running gear, under a minitruck, if you don’t mind the wheels poking out. And, if that bothers you the axles can be shortened and the spring perches all cut off and relocated. You might even be able to find suitable spring perches to weld onto the axle tubes after you cut and grind the old ones. And it isn’t really hard to relocate things on the frame. Need higher numeric gears for the axles for a Jimny? There are guys out there who could take your existing ring and pinyon gears, do the take offs, design what you want, and make it on a CNC. Just a matter of how much time and money you have. The question is do you have the knowledge, skills, and resources to do the work, or to pay someone else to do it for you.
