Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I have a 90 sierra softtop that is showing signs of being clapped out. Blow ing smoke after engine braking and the like. It still starts and runs smooth and I can still get her up to around 110 on the flat.

Generally when I go out driving I go out with the MJOC as the other car is a Jeep.

Last weekend there was a steep slick clay hill. Started at the bottom in 2nd low and got some speed up. All was ok until about 2/3rds of the way up the engine speed started to drop to a point where a gear change was the only way out. Managed the change and got to the top. They say to make sure you are in the right gear when you start climbing but 1st low would have been 2 slow or at the redline for the whole hill. The wranglers did the climb in 3rd low.

Will a good rebuilt 1.3L provide more grunt or is the only way to get the grunt to upgrade to a 1.6L. I have been quoted $2000 for a swapped over 1.3L rebuild and $4000 for 1.6L carby with 50mm bodylift. At the moment the car is on 215/75 muds and has a 2" catback exhaust.

I don't want to spend $2000 and only reduce oil consumption. I want a little more power/grunt as well. People have mentioned the use a a vitara carby on a 1.3L with good results.

if ya look round u'll prolly find a 1.3 for something like $300-500 there was a whole pile for sale a month or two ago, lol.

2k does sound like a lot of money for a changeover reco..
If you can afford 2k, buy a cheap used engine for a few hundred, and then spend the rest on a 1lt transfer, some new springs, shocks, welder, gerni, blah blah blah.

just get good at fast gear changes!

If you can, do the conversion (1.6L) yourself, or swap out a newer 1.3L yourself.
save the big $ by doing it yourself. people time is not cheap.

if not, just pay for a straight 1.3l changover. and flog it till it starts to die. then get another one. it will take a while to blow up.
mine would sit on 6500. if I needed mumbo up a steep mudy hill, it was in 3rd or 2nd at 6500, until it started to bog down and a very quick snap into the preceding gear.

note: take it easy till you hit the hill. IE dont hit a hill from flat ground doing 6500 in 3rd, it hurts you and your car!

enjoy
ashley

although you are in melbourne..

i could do a vit 1.6 efi swap..(turnkey) for $3000 to $3200 ...

i would not pay $4000 for a carby job..

The only real half decent thing you could do, is to scrap any 1.3 or 1.6 ideas you have, and drop a 454 in it.

87suzi wrote:The only real half decent thing you could do, is to scrap any 1.3 or 1.6 ideas you have, and drop a 454 in it.

6500 rpm?

Im sorta scared to go above 5000? mine screams at me then, its only about 10K after a rebuild though, does revving them to buggery help more at all?

derelict_frog wrote:does revving them to buggery help more at all?

Nope, but it sure is fun you should be able to rev the carb 1.3 off the tach. EFI models will be rev limited (my 1.6 16v limits at around 7.5 from memory)

Die you little hampsters!!! Mwwaahahahahaaaaaa!!!

Mine starts sounding bad when it gets to around 4k revved hard, mainly in the lower gears. The engine starts screaming and some strange noises start.

Sounds like vibrations or something grinding, doesn't sound good either way. So I generally try to avoid revving it hard up to 4k and rev it harder on low revs then ease it up after 3.5k and change gears around the 4k mark.

I'm kinda hesistant to solve the problem though because I'll probably end up thrashing it if it doesn't sound dodgy. At the moment I can't afford for it to conk out either. Trying to be gentle with it anyway so when I can afford to I'll rebuild it or swap it out.