I bought a 1998 Sambar Dump that still has the carb ks4 with no AC. Seeing as parts are plentiful here, what advice would you give on things that should be replaced here? I’ve found EN07Y completely rebuilt for about 1200 US and an ECU and electric fuel pump for about 100$ for both. AC compressor and all the lines for about 350$ US. Those are the only things I am thinking of replacing thus far, not sure if I will need anything else when I do the engine swap but I am sure that will be a later post.
Check the brakes including the soft lines, clutch etc. Extra switches, there are half a dozen places on my Hijet’s dash for factory switches, and when I was accessorizing it, having extra switches that actually fit in the spots available and look stock, would have been really nice. With used switches at $25 to$30 plus shipping on eBay or from vendors in Japan, the stock ones were cost prohibitive. I’m not sure what all wears on the Sambars. Hopefully some Subie owners will chime in with some more suggestions.
There are a large number of differences between the Supercharged Sambars and the carbed models. The entire wiring system, the whole cooling system (pipes, hoses, radiator, fan), and the fuel system are all different. The SC transmission has a different final drive than the carby models... it will work, but it will be spinning faster than if it had the correct transmission. The rebuilt engines also tend to not have the fuel rail, intake manifold, throttle body, or the supercharger itself. You also would need to source all of the sensors specific to the SC models, all of which are discontinued now The AC is also a big job. You need the condenser assembly, the evaporator assembly, the smaller glovebox that makes room for the evaporator, and the AC computer and relays.. The computer is different between Carb and EFI/SC models too. Honestly, it is probably a better idea to find a SC truck, and swap the dump assembly onto it. It would be a far easier job than trying to source all of the SC parts and swapping them in.
I paid 38,000 yen to have fresh tires put on mine before it left Japan, a little under $300USD at the time. Options in the US are pretty limited if you just want something stock, and you'll pay dearly for anything you have to import. Seemed like money well spent to me.
great info so far yall, thank you for you time in posting. Is the SC truck that much better? i feel like it is but haven't driven one so hard to say right now. I have a year and a half left in Japan, but thinking to when i go back stateside, Im sure parts are much harder to find for the SC than the NA. But Im thinking it is worth the trouble. My wife has the turbo mira gino and it is substantially better than the NA mira gino.
The SC model shares more parts with the 6th gen (1999-2012) Sambar since they are both EFI, so parts are still somewhat available for them. The carb specific parts are starting to dry up since the model was discontinued back in 1998. The SC model has slightly more HP, but mostly has more torque and a flatter torque curve that comes on much earlier than the carb model. That would help when actually carrying stuff, or when it comes to "passing power"..but the gearing is so short on both the carb and SC models that your top speed is going to be in the 100km/h range no matter what.
You sir are a guru for Sambar knowledge. I am going to scrap my idea of buying a crate super charged engine for this one and be on the lookout for a deal on a super charged on. I am really not a fan of Carb engines. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
