There have been no significant changes to Sammie since the gauge changes late last year.. but that is all about to change. I have all of the parts on hand for three big modifications, and work has started now that Sammie is in hibernation for the winter:
First: OEM Oil Cooler. All of the Supercharged Sambars with automatic transmissions, and all of the Supercharged Akabou vehicles regardless of transmission type have a small water-cooled heat exchanger for the oil. It is similar to that on the EJ and EZ engines, just smaller. It does require changing out the Thermostat housing, and one of the long metal pipes heading up to the radiator to plumb it in, but it will be a good way to keep the oil temperatures down. I have only installed the heat exchanger itself so far, but the rest is coming soon.
Second: The 1998-2012 Supercharged Akabou engines had smaller, lighter, and forged pistons. The Akabou and JA vehicles from the same time period also had different "heavy duty" rings. I found a few people in Japan who have replaced their Pistons and Rings with these versions and report a slight compression increase (due to a different chamber shape), and a 20% fuel economy increase! In the meantime, here is a picture of a new piston next to the one that was damaged back in 2017.
Third: Many versions of the Sambar had Electric Power Steering available. I have all of the parts to add this to my truck, but I will need to figure out the wiring. Out of the 15 or so wires needed, one of them is not on my particular diagrams. My dash is currently removed and the parts are mounted, but no work will finish until I can figure out that last wire.
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