There was a good thread on this, but it was lost in the move.
I will detail what I know about putting together a budget buildup on the 98-01 North American 1.3/16V, and if anybody has any input, or knows any tricks, please post them up.
This is a 16V SOHC motor with lower compression, a very mild cam, lousy exhaust manifold, and tiny little throttle body.
As choked up as it is, it still goes pretty good, and gets great gas mileage.
These are very durable motors, and as far as I know, have no serious weaknesses.
Kris' write up for his 99 is here
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=25113&start=0The stock breather is very restrictive. You can replace the stock paper filter with a K&N, and leave the lid off (I think it's the same part # as the GT), or you can install a home made warm air/cold air intake. A cone type filter is highly recommended.
Kris' excellent write up on installing a home made cold air setup
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=25955You can also get a piece of 2 1/2" exhaust tuning, have it bent, and run it out behind the front bumper.
I was lazy and just stuck a 2 1/2" cone filter on the end of the flex tubing.
A piece of 2 1/2" exhaust tube stuffed inside the rubber expanded it to just the right size.
If all you can find is a 3" filter, the exhaust shop can expand one end of a piece of 2 1/2" exhaust tube to make a 2 1/2"-3" adaptor for a few bucks.
The stock throttle body is only 40 mm. You can find a bolt on 45 mm TB from a 1.6 Suzuki Esteem. A few minor adjustments are required, but it is essentially a bolt on.
This makes a big difference in mid-to upper RPM power.
This is a bored TB with a GT 45 mm plate, but the OEM from the 1.6 is a better solution
The next thing that needs to be addressed is the exhaust.
The stock exhaust manifold is a pretty standard, pretty lousy setup. The 01 car even has a precat at the bottom. Not exactly ideal for flow.
You have 3 choices here.
Use a 4-2-1 manifold and down pipe from a 1.6 Swift sedan (Canada only car)
Use a mildly modified GT manifold and down pipe, or
Use a GT header modified to fit the same as the manifold.
The 1.6 manifold is a bolt on solution. The down pipe might need to be shortened 25 mm (the 1.6 block is 25 mm taller). The port spacing is the same between the DOHC, and SOHC motors, so the only mods required to the GT manifolds, is to grind out a few mounting holes, and make up a few holding tabs where bolt holes do not exist. Not a bad job.
Here is a pic of the stock manifold, and a 1.6 manifold.
If I recall, after 99, the stock manifold has a pre-cat in it, and is even more restrictive.
It's a huge difference, and a very well advised installation.
For simplicity, the 1.6 manifold is the way to go (if you can find one). For pure performance, the GT parts are better. The GT manifold port sizes are 2 mm larger than that of the 1.6 SOHC.
The stock cat can be reused, but a free flowing aftermarket cat is good, too. I recommend a 2" exhaust from front to back. I like a glasspack under the car, where the resonator would go, and a small free flowing muffler at the back. This will be a quiet setup.
The stock cam is very, very mild, and has only 184 degrees duration at .050". This is a good economy cam, but not a performance cam. I have grinds for these cars similar in duration to the Swift GT cams (or hotter), but this should be your last mod, after everything else mentioned.
Once you've done all these, your car will be as close to a stock Swift GT in performance as you're going to get on a budget, and a lot of fun. It will be a completely different animal.
What you will want to do next is find a 4.10, or 4.39 trans to put you into the meat of the powerband, and bring the gears a little closer together. Since it has a low 6500 redline, I think a 4.10-1 is better for daily driving, but from a pure performance standpoint, you can't beat the 4.39-1 final drive, especially since the 95+ cars are a few hundred pounds heavier. If you choose the 4.39, a little more rubber to fill out the wheel wells will help your RPM on the hwy.
The last, and probably most important mod for any of the Swifts, is to shed weight. Get rid of as many unnecessary pounds as possible. You'll be surprised at how much difference as little as 35 lbs can make, and the rear seats, jack, and spare probably weigh 100 lbs.
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