Trim and miscellaneous items

[gorkyb]

I'm finishing up some cosmetic and trim work and have a few questions:

1) does anyone know any tricks to get the gas pedal pad on the pedal?, the car had aftermarket pedal pads, I bought an used oem from a junk yard but I can't put it on and I don't want to force it too much.
2) does anyone know where to get weather stripping for the bottom of the window glass? Mine has the felt peeled off and metal is exposed, does that piece help the window glass not to shake while window is half way down and going high speeds?
3) has anyone fitted an aftermarket radio (single din size) in the place of the factory radio? My aftermarket Sony has that surrounding molding (front fascia that fits the perimeter of the radio) and it does not fit width wise, for now I pulled radio forward so radio trim sits on top of bezel oem trim. Before I cut it to recess it I was wondering if you have any ideas.
4) when you jack up your kick where exactly do you position the jack? Last mechanic I took the car to put it under the rockers and bent them up, not passenger door scrapes when opening or closing (the plastic side skirt is deformed since rocker panel is bent). I'm using the frame now but I was wondering if there is supposed to be a reinforced part on the body where one can hack the car up
5) summer is almost here, we go every week to the beach (huge parking lot with hundreds of people) I'd feel better if I could put a hidden ignition toggle switch or something like that, what is the simplest and least invasive option to do this?
6) when I bought the car it was lowered (the so called lowering springs) I'd like to put back oem size springs but it would make the car look very stupid since it has low profile tires on (get the picture? Huge space between the tire and wheel well) and the tires still have more than 65% left on them. What is the formula or rule of the relationship on length of strut and length of coil spring? Right now if I jack car up springs fall off since shocks are too long for springs. I'm just curious, I know the right thing to so is to put it back stock to avoid all sorts of problems with suspension and drivetrain.
7) someone I know has a lot of 2" stainless steel pipe left over being unused. Is this something I could use to make my own exhaust? Mine is very deteriorated and I'd like to have one ready and I'd like to start making it before the available material is given to someone else or scrapped, plus I can practice my welding.

Just a few questions if you guys have time to pitch in some knowledge and opinions.

Thank you
Gorky

[fixkick]

1.Heat rubber in hot water, then use soapy hot water to install
2a: inner or outer scraper, the outters are hard to find, it took me looking at many suzuki dealers to find it. there was one aftermarket supplier too but that too has hard to source.
2b: sure the guides all , stop rattles,as does all inner and outer scrapers. i have the p/n, , will get.
3: custom metal work. suzuki is non DIN.
4:the Suzuki has sep. frame and body, do not ever jack on the body, , frame and rear axle ok. never track rods , front cross member ok.
5: the best is , a fuel pump cut out switch. the left rear ground, is inviting...
6: unknown. Lots of folks put in 4door springs, in the 2door, and have 2 door springs laying around , useless.
7: SST rod. (nickle steel rod)

[TRACKERHACKER]

I still Have that littlle over 1/8th in. gap. I've had no luck with that finishing trim. I've ruined a couple in past trying for perfect fit. I have also done what you did pulling it forward ,but didnt like how it looked . I put jack under frame or carefully under center of differential, under A arms in front. I am not sure if this is the preferred or recommended spot for Sidekick-Trackers, but thats how I lift. This kill switch was pretty cool .I had a friend who put a toggle in wheel well, fairly easy to get at. The cool thing he did was put threads on the (the part you flick on and off ) and then screwed on a couple of rusty looking nuts with enough room for switch to move. A couple of times he asked friends to find it . He even told them it was in wheel well. Nobody could find it. It just looked like it was part if car.

[gorkyb]

- ouch! just found the outer window glass scraper for driver side on Southwest Suzuki, $90, I will have to do without it. There's a lot of shaking on the window when going on the highway and half way down, also the last inch or so is very hard cranking up, I'm going to take the panel off today and find out what's going on in there.
- I'll just leave the stereo the way it is then. It doesn't bother me, I see what you say TRACKERHACKER, I was fearing the same, not making a perfect cut on the plastic trim and leaving a gap there. Not big deal.
- Can't wait to try fitting that pad on the pedal with the hot water.
- Ground wire on left tail lamp does look tempting, so easy to get at. I'd hate to cut FP power (pink wire I'm assuming)
- I'll leave the springs alone until those tires wear out enough to buy another set.
- fixkick, I read your exhaust modification page, it sounds like 2" should still make enough back-pressure for the exhaust system. They just opened up the first Pep Boys Speed Shop in Long Island, they have nice miscellaneous items, like those weld on two bolt flanges for custom exhaust fabrication. I know you can find them online but since I've never used them before, it's nice to see them in person and understand how they work. My goal is not to make noise with the exhaust, but rather to build something efficient and durable, any power gain (if there'd be any) is just indulgence.
- Do you know exactly how to size and order those small vacuum hose coming off the plenum to the vsv? I can try sizing one but if any of you know exactly how to order it I figured it'd save me making mistakes when ordering.

[fixkick]

yes, all trim parts are expensive. on this car, and very poor after market support. (horrid)

best chance, is to find A/M trim. is to ask any body shop, they know all the A/M makers and catalogs.
the backpressure (1st level) is the cat, if no cat then its the muff. (running a muff?)
the EFI will go nuts with open headers... it's tuned for s certain amount of back pressure called VE (volumetric, efficiency)

the most important factor in exh is not backpressure but its velocity. if you lower that too much, bad things happen'
the exh, moving fast, sucks out all the exhaust in the combustion chamber at valve over lap time.
"(and object, in motion (or gas) tends to stay in motion....)" this fact is used to a very great extent, in EFI design.
Called Exhaust Scavenging.. just dont mess that up. and all will be ok,
No CAT , kills the EGR. up to 1999. (and never on SPORT 1.8L) before 99.

the kill switch out side needs to be 100 % water proof or will fail fast. (there are Mil surplus sw, water and explosion proof, that work)
my favorite trick, is a hidden magnetic switch. (done right, near impossible to find , casual looking)


g402 (on a 2 door only)
unscrew this, and put any switch , between it and ground. there.
this kills the fuel pump and fuel gauge.
far better to do that than mess with ECU, Dizzy or other critical ECU , EFI primary functions.
the pump is safely down stream from the ECU buffered by a nice safe relay.
you could put a switch that opens the ground side of the Fuel pump relay.

no cuts, just make a big lug to small adapter here.




id not cut my FP relay wires but if you must here it is
91+



96+ (put a switch in series (SPST) with black-white (12v) or the Pink-black (pump drive) (after horror, cutting said wire)

[gorkyb]

Running exhaust with cat and muffler. So my plan is to run my stock exhaust manifold (which I welded on the 4th pipe-let's see how long that lasts) then stock down pipe to flex pipe, continued by CAT and exiting the CAT I can use the scrap 2" stainless steel to the muffler and then to the end of tail pipe.

So I'll slide a round connector between G402 and the body so it interrupts the ground connection. That sounds easy enough. I'll install the switch inside the cabin, well hidden. My brother's corolla has a kill switch wire into the windshield wipers handle, so his car only starts with the wipers on the first position. fixkick, can you educate me briefly on why a magnetic switch is your preference over a regular toggle switch?

It's finally 70 degrees up here, I'm taking the top down today.

[gorkyb]

I thought I'd share a picture of the Tracker with you guys.

[TRACKERHACKER]

Looks Good

[fixkick]

looks nice, and runs much better too. thanks for sharing

[gorkyb]

Thanks, you all know how much time I've put into this car, it's time to enjoy it and give it the proper on-schedule maintenance.

(fingers crossed nothing else breaks)