TeamSwift

hey guys,

i stumbled upon your site while looking for some information to fix the gearbox in my barina and decided to join up!

i am heavily into car audio and have just started up my own shop so most of my cars feature pretty crazy audio setups, the barina is no different but is one of my more subtle systems... im also a big fan of street/track builds and ultimately want to get an EG civic for a weekend track monster but for now the barina will have to do

i cant find a build up section on your forum so i might as well use this thread and start at the start...





i bought the car off of a customer who came in to my work looking to get his radio removed, he was planning to take the car to the wreckers that afternoon as he was going over seas and didnt have time to sell it but after taking the radio out and finding nothing wrong with it i gladly took it off his hands!





the original plan was to clean it up and sell for mucho profit a week or so later but after driving it around for a while i became attached...

the saga continues later when i can be bothered finding more pics lol

sweet! Welcome to the site and forums. You're gonna love it here.

Most of us just post our individual builds on this forum. You can also create a picture gallery and post comments on the pics during the build.

I was in Melbourne/Geelong just last month. Whereabouts in Australia are you?

Glad to hear that you're into mobile audio...maybe you can help me wake up that forum here on this site: viewforum.php?f=13

I look forward to your contributions!

Cheers!

_________________
~the other Ralph~
Certified Suzuki Owner:
MKIII Swift GTi - The Green Destiny!
2010 Suzuki Jimny - The DD Workhorse!

Welcome If you're from Australia, might also want to check out redlinegti.com

_________________
I ride a Honda, but I drive a Suzuki.

99 Honda CB600F Hornet
90 Suzuki Swift 1.6 GLX 4WD

thanks for the warm welcome guys,

Im from South Adelaide (Seaford), im sure i will be spending plenty of time in the mobile audio section!

moving on with the quick overview of my build so far my first mods were to remove the ugly roof racks:


and replace the radio with an Alpine CDA121ei that i got cheap from work, has all the good stuff, ipod control, usb, mp3, cd etc:


i also repainted the windscreen wiper arms and replaced the blades, and gave the car a general cleanup


at this stage i was still planning to sell the car off but the more i drove it the more i liked it so then the mods started... i filled the holes where the roof racks had been and gave it a service


i also replaced the broken factory mirrors with some lightweight chrome ones, after removing the factory ones i traced the shape onto some black plastic that i found in the shed and then screwed the mirrors onto the car:




then there was an SPL competition coming up and the car i usually compete with was out of action so i decided to throw some spare gear into the barina...








i won 1st place in my class with an Epsilon ea5000d amp and a mach 5 audio IXL 18" subwoofer


thats all for now,

thanks for lookin

That's one big ass setup

_________________
I ride a Honda, but I drive a Suzuki.

99 Honda CB600F Hornet
90 Suzuki Swift 1.6 GLX 4WD

Hey guys,



thanks, but its nothing compared to my other cars lol...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHqkYZv3 ... ature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYrz9qYD ... ature=plcp

but anyway back to the barina... after a couple of competitions with that setup i took it all out and lent the car to a friend who didnt really know much about cars and the water pump gave way while they were driving one day and let out all the coolant, they didnt realise and kept driving till the head gasket blew and the motor started burning its own oil, after this i parked it for a few months till i managed to find a parts car to replace the engine:


while the engine was out i siliconed up the engine mounts to stiffen them a bit:


and rewired the alternator and starter motor as the factory wires are tiny and worn out:




then i bought some new wheels as i was sick of the lack of traction the 155/70/13s gave me:


they are 15x5.5 Ronal alloys off a SAAB and i put 195/45/15 tires on , massive difference in traction!

thanks for lookin

continued...

next was another new stereo (this is the current build) this time leaning more towards sound quality than all out loud, first off was to swap my alpine cda121ei to the cda9887 from my other car, then i built some floor pods out of MDF to house 8" midbasses under my legs:




then i started making fiberglass dash pods for fullrange 4"s on the dash:












that is the stage i was up to yesterday, tommorow i will add a couple more layers of fiberglass and wrap them in black vinyl to match the texture of the dash

i also redrilled the bonnet stay hole yesterday as i kept hitting my head on it while working under the bonnet, looks pretty cool i think


thanks for looking, thoughts/suggestions/questions welcome

hey guys,

bit more work done on the dash pods today...

after a couple more layers of fiberglass i put on some body filler and sanded it all down:


then wrapped the front half of the pods in black imitation leather:


and the back half i put some dark grey carpet to stop it squeaking/rattling against the dash and windscreen:


then mounted them in the car with a screw through the little vent that they cover (i can replace the vents if i ever take them out and there is no other damage to the dash)






lots of tuning to be done before its first competition this saturday but so far it sounds pretty good

thanks for lookin

What are you using for midbass and where would you be putting those?

I need some advice on something with my setup...I'll pm you when I get a chance.

_________________
~the other Ralph~
Certified Suzuki Owner:
MKIII Swift GTi - The Green Destiny!
2010 Suzuki Jimny - The DD Workhorse!

man! i haven't seen saab "aztec" wheels in 15 years or more.

i'm personal friends with the designer responsible for those, bjorn envall.

_________________
1991 Blue Geo Metro Convertible highly modified 1.0L Turbo3 5 spd. - 2000 Chevy Metro 1.3L MPFI automatic. - 1991 Red Geo Metro Convertible customized 1.0L 5 spd.

My Turbo3 Project

My Cardomain Page -Ol' Blue

My YouTube Channel

My Photo Gallery

SAAB Sonett II

i currently have Response Papercone 8"s doing mid and sub bass duties in floor pods under my legs (you can just see them in the last pic of my last post)



awesome! a friend of mine is a bit of a saab nut and had them laying around from one of his previous cars and when he heard i was on the lookout for some bigger wheels in 4x114.3 stud pattern he suggested these, i really like the look of them

They are really rare rims nowadays, especially in that condition.

Personally, they aren't MY style for my swift, but let alone for the cool factor, I'd rock them on the occasional meet.

Still waiting for you on the I.C.E thread btw.

_________________
~the other Ralph~
Certified Suzuki Owner:
MKIII Swift GTi - The Green Destiny!
2010 Suzuki Jimny - The DD Workhorse!

cool! i didn't realize they were anything special, i just like the look of them and got them cheap from my friend, good to know they are decent wheels!

there is so much going on in this site its taking me a while to read though everything lol any particular thread you wanted me to look at?

PM sent!

_________________
~the other Ralph~
Certified Suzuki Owner:
MKIII Swift GTi - The Green Destiny!
2010 Suzuki Jimny - The DD Workhorse!

hey guys

i modified my bumper the other day, hopefully it will reduce the amount of drag from the parachute shape it had before... im also planning to add a flat under floor from the rear suspention mounts to the bumper to smooth it out a bit, i may add mini boat tails behind each rear wheel too if i get adventurous enough




test fitted on my parts car:


i also swapped the rear garnish from my swift parts car to the barina to get rid of the ugly badge

before:


after:


ive also been reading up on other aero mods for better economy and a grill block seems pretty popular, however with the weather here i think it would get too hot, would it be worth while doing a partial grill block on the opposite side of the radiator? it would probably be around half of the car blocked off and the other half open to permit airflow to the radiator, worthwhile or not?

thanks for looking

since your handy with fiberglass and you've cut away part of the 'parachute' as you put it, why not fiberglass a rear diffuser? I was actually considering doing one, but it looks like your one step closer to it than me.

_________________
~the other Ralph~
Certified Suzuki Owner:
MKIII Swift GTi - The Green Destiny!
2010 Suzuki Jimny - The DD Workhorse!

thats actually exactly what im planning on doing , but first i want to re route the exhaust so i can do a completely flat floor all the way from the rear control arm mounts to the bumper

heres yesterdays mods though:

first i took the rear springs out of my parts car... sits pretty low with no springs lol!


then i cut a coil off them:


before putting them in the barina:




before:


after:


before:


after:


its a little bit stiffer and handles much better but has highlighted how bad the fronts are in comparison lol, i will do the same to the fronts once i get a spring compressor, i also want to get a rear swaybar as the body roll hasnt improved as much as id hoped

thanks for lookin

Hey guys,

Been a little while since an update, ive been busy

i made a new battery clamp as the offcut of mdf wasnt really cutting it lol:




i aloso removed my bumper mounted indicators and rewired the corner lights to act as indicators:


i used the lamp housings from the tail lights of my parts car to get the right wattage globes to make the indicators flash at the right speed:


voila!


i also replaced my factory steering wheel with a smaller lighter and deeper dish "drift" suede one, much more comfortable to drive now




and then started my grill block for better aerodynamics:




my latest mods have been to lower the front finally... before:


1.25 coils removed:


after:


and finally i added a vacuum/boost gauge (i couldn't find a vac only gauge that was small and black)




my last tank of fuel i did 33mpg without any of these mods so hopefully i can get it closer to the magical 50 mark with these and some driving adjustments

thanks for lookin

Nice steering wheel, how deep is that?

_________________
I ride a Honda, but I drive a Suzuki.

99 Honda CB600F Hornet
90 Suzuki Swift 1.6 GLX 4WD

Havent seen to many eco modders in Australia, so good to see you giving it a go. If you havent already checked look at the ecomodder.com site. They have some excellent examples and lots of tips. As to the body roll, maybe need to upgrade sway bars. Probably isnt one in the rear at all but not hard to get one from a gti wreck with mounts and bushes and fit it all up.

_________________
ET 13.138 at 120.2mph

My apologies in advance, no offense intended, engage sense of humor, take w/grain of salt:

man! i haven't seen anybody call those unique SAAB 99 Turbo alloys "aztec" wheels in 20 years or more. When I met Bjorn Envall in Linkoping wheel design & names never came up, but virtually everyone else I ever met associated w/SAAB always called them Inca wheels. A later SAAB wheel design was called Super Inca.

What I've known since '77 as Inca wheels were my favorite & I collected a set, painted them matching slate gray metallic & put on my '83 900 Turbo. That was when I worked in New Haven & had so many personal friends at SAAB Scania. The wheel design still looks nice, but is a PITA to clean.

http://www.google.com/search?q=saab+inc ... 24&bih=619



Haven't been interested in oversize wheels for my old 3 banger Chevy Metro lately. Concerned jumping from 13" to 15" might make 5th almost useless. Could adjust to speedo error & curious what effect is on MPG? Like Forsa 13" spoke alloys & can't tell if I dislike OEM steel or wheel cover more? Got the impression going to 15" was mostly about appearance? In FL's heavy rains hydroplaning may be an issue. Oversize tires on SAAB Turbo can be.

Have sets of SAAB wheels around to do the drill & give it a try. When I 1st looked at bigger wheels it was in conjunction w/my original interest in Metro. Back then I wanted to try transplanting an old 3 banger Suzuki & 5 speed, OR possibly adapt 1.0L to SAAB transaxle, in classic 2-stroke SAAB body, w/odd OEM wheels. Next to packaging problems, the big difference in tire circumferences, snuffed the idea. When gas 1st hit $4 idea got revisited, shot down again & I adopted my 1st Metro instead.

Toyed w/the idea of making a High MPG Metro & considered tall narrow 15" tires. Think my set of SAAB 15" Ronal Silverspoke alloys (similar to & often misidentified as Minilites) would look great, but bastard tires. Set of SAAB SPG wheels w/nice tires would be easy to do, but can't put Metro wheels on SPG?

Anyone done any weighing? An Inca wheel w/195/65R15 tire sounds a lot heavier than Metro's OEM combo. Maybe a SAAB steel wheel & 155x15 tire?

Agree w/PBC137 "They are really rare rims nowadays". They weren't easy to find during mid 80's when I lived 1/2 way between SAAB HQ in Orange & SAAB parts depot in Wallingford. Took awhile to get a nice used pair, a cosmetically challenged single & a SAAB employee discount NOS to make up set. Correct hub caps must be Hen's Teeth!

Thanks bobo333, hadn't thought vintage SAAB 99/900 wheels might fit Chevy Metro. Can anyone confirm if they're direct fit on Chevy Metro? Also if there's clearance for 195/65R15? Would enjoy reading your fresh impressions of swap to 15".

One thing is for certain, our little cars do look good on 15" wheels & bobo333's car looks fine w/those '77/'78 vintage SAAB 99 Turbo wheels on it.

When I worked in Australia I bought a Citroen GS.

_________________
2000 Chevy Metro 3 cylinder 5 speed 3 door hatch
1998 Chevy Metro 3 cylinder 5 speed 3 door hatch
1998 Chevy Lumina APV
1998 Ford F-150 4X4 XLT
1992 Ford E-150 Club Wagon Chateau
1991 SAAB 900S 5 speed
1987 SAAB 900 Turbo SPG
1985 SAAB 900 Turbo SPG
1974 SAAB Sonett III
1971 SAAB 96 modified to 1980 specs
1966 SAAB 96
1960 SAAB 93F
1958 SAAB 93B
1964 Willys JEEP CJ-5
1954 Willys JEEP M-170 military ambulance
1953 Grumman Kurbside step van

At 195/65r15 your speedo would be off by 8%, my stock 14" wheels have 175/65 on them. To run 15" you need 45-55 rubber with 195, but 45 is still 4% over, 50 is 1% over and 55 is 2% under.

_________________
I ride a Honda, but I drive a Suzuki.

99 Honda CB600F Hornet
90 Suzuki Swift 1.6 GLX 4WD

Thanks guys,



including the boss kit it ended up about 20mm deeper than stock, id like it a bit further out again so im looking at getting a quick release kit to space it out a bit more.

before:


after:




thanks, i havnt seen many either, i have had a look around EM and joined up a couple of weeks ago, lots of good ideas there! i am also on the lookout for a rear swaybar but GTI's are quite rare in wreckers near me so il have to either find a Suzuki specific wrecker or adapt one from another car.



i havnt weighed them but the SAAB wheels are quite light being alloys, they are heavyer than stock but not too much i dont think, also i have 195/45/15 tires so my speedo and gearing isnt out by much either



im not sure if the metro differs from my barina/swift at all but they bolted straight on to my car, the center bore on the SAAB wheels is a bit bigger than the barina hub but if you use standard tapered nuts they center themselves anyway, when i first put them on they had 195/65/15s on them and the only rubbing issues i had were at full lock the front tires would rub the inner guards, that was with the standard ride height. now with the 195/45/15s they dont rub at all even with it 30mm lower all round. I have huge amounts more grip both wet and dry than i did with the factory 155x13s so overall im very happy with the swap

For sway bar PM gtaye, shazlic, DeXtOrAu, Mik3y, CraigGTI79 on redlinegti.com who are all from SA. They can probably tell you where the best spots are for GTi's at wreckers.

_________________
ET 13.138 at 120.2mph

Happened upon a nifty accessory bobo333 might enjoy. My apologies to Bjorn Envall.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Saab-99-Turbo-I ... 3a72001c15

_________________
2000 Chevy Metro 3 cylinder 5 speed 3 door hatch
1998 Chevy Metro 3 cylinder 5 speed 3 door hatch
1998 Chevy Lumina APV
1998 Ford F-150 4X4 XLT
1992 Ford E-150 Club Wagon Chateau
1991 SAAB 900S 5 speed
1987 SAAB 900 Turbo SPG
1985 SAAB 900 Turbo SPG
1974 SAAB Sonett III
1971 SAAB 96 modified to 1980 specs
1966 SAAB 96
1960 SAAB 93F
1958 SAAB 93B
1964 Willys JEEP CJ-5
1954 Willys JEEP M-170 military ambulance
1953 Grumman Kurbside step van