1985 Suzuki Mighty Boy SS40T from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

Relatively nothing.

Engine has been fully rebuilt, although the transmission is the original, with no work done to it. When tightening the head bolts for the 1000km service the mechanic (who normally works on Volvos and who I had to pay to complete this service for me for warranty purposes) encountered a little trouble getting the rocker cover gasket to seal properly. The original F5A engine had a plain rocker cover gasket with no tabs or any description to secure it in place. Unless properly attached with some sort of gasket sealant and given plenty of time to cure, the gasket has a tendency to buckle inwards and leak oil over the inlet and exhaust manifold. Later revisions of the engine had 6 slots cut into the rocker cover so that moulded tabs in the gasket could ensure it does not buckle inward. I simply chased up a later model gasket and ground the slots into my rocker cover - problem solved.

Aside from that slight irritation, everything has, and still is, running beautifully. :)

This is not a car that I would recommend to anybody with any large interest in comfort and performance. However, for those of you who are interested in a real head turner and aren't phased by a mildly rough ride, then this could be the car for you.

I have driven many cars ranging from European to Asian, off-roader's and strictly street cars, and I can safely say that I have never felt a greater joy driving any of them than I have felt in my Suzuki MightyBoy Ute.

As a city commuter I find the car is perfect. Yes, it IS slow to accelerate, particularly if you drive the 2-speed Automatic, as I do. Providing you are driving on relatively flat terrain, however, the car keeps up admirably given it's huge power disadvantage, with good cruising potential at and around 85km/h. Long trips can be a little bit of a hassle - I'm generally not prepared to drive mine any faster than 90km/h on the highway as it is inefficient and fairly hard on the car.

But getting away from the more mundane driving patterns we all know, the MightyBoy can be a bucket of fun on tight city streets. The cornering potential of the car is great, and when driving on tight roads it can feel a lot faster than it really is. The standard brakes are impressive, too, as if they are in good condition they can easily lock the wheels at high speeds and handle a fair bit of braking before you start to suffer from fade. One should always bear in mind, though, that this is dependant on the pads your car is running. You are best to get your discs re-machined if they have any grooves in them, and then fit performance pads like the Bendix Metal King or similiar.

I love this car, and I would recommend a drive to anybody who is interested in a little bit of fun. The MightyBoy often receives extremely harsh reviews for it rough ride, lack of power, and build quality, but the majority of these reviewers, I feel, are lacking perspective. Consider the fact that, brand new, the car sold for only $6000AU in Australia in 1985. The car was an afterthought, essentially being a cut-down Suzuki Hatch. The engine is under a hell of a lot of stress to try and push the weight of the car an it's passengers, and given the abuse they receive, they are incredibly reliable. The average life of the engine is about 150,00kms, but we must remember that this is with your average driver, who never warms the car up correctly, runs poor quality motor oil and fuel, and more than likely never does a service until they have breached 10,000kms.

My advice to you, should you acquire a MightyBoy is:

* Do a complete rebuild of the engine the first chance that you get.

* Run the engine in on a good quality mineral-based, non-friction modified oil for the first 1000kms.

* From your 1000km service onwards, never run anything, but pure synthetic motor and transmission oils. I personally prefer Mobil 1 5W-50. People get the dirts when they see the price of the oil, but remember that your sump has a capacity of under 2.5 Litres. I work in automotive retail and I am able to acquire Mobil 1 @ $40AU a bottle, when then works out to only be $20 an oil change: less than the cost of a much lower grade premium mineral oil in your average car.

* ALWAYS change your oil and oil filter at 5000kms. Even synthetic motor oil starts to break down at around 4000-4500kms. Most oil filters start to clog at 4000kms, too. NEVER go 10,000kms without changing your oil and filters.

* Always run brand-name fuels like BP, Shell & Mobil. NEVER run discount fuels. Come on, you can afford it in a car that only costs $20AU to fill!

* Always allow the car to idle 1-2 minutes before you commence driving on a cold start - the majority of your engine wear occurs in the first 15 minutes, don't be at all tempted to blat it!

* Pamper the car STUPID and I guarantee it will provide you with nothing but satisfaction and memories that you will cherish. These are wonderful little cars that are often misunderstood, and with just a little bit of understanding, you too can enjoy this kind of relationship with one of the quirkier cars to drive on our roads. :)

I totally agree. Once you have driven this little car your hooked. When I got mine it would not do more than 60kph, I narrowed it down to the secondary valve on the carby. But whilst revving it to check its operation it kind of broke the engine, the cure was to fit a 800cc motor from the wreckers it was a straight forward swap minus the drivers side mounting. Result I was hooked. I use the car daily for work a round trip off 180 kms per day all highway sitting on a speed of around 95 kph. It has never let me down. With petrol consumption a little over 6lts per 100kms and 1 lt of oil every 600kms.She saves me heaps too. regards Andy.

Are you joking? Suzuki Mighty boys arn't a performance car ill give you that, but they are the most unique car you will find and you need your head checked if you wouldn't want one.

Mate you have shown me the light. I've always dreamed of getting a mighty boy, but never thought there was others out there. I'm now going to join the party! I just gotta find one... there so dam hard to come across... would it be to hard to fit a bigger engine into one? If so what sort of engine? REAL AUSSIES DRIVE UTES!

It is not to hard to "stick" a bigger motor in a mighty boy, but make sure you make a choice that does not need a bigger radiator because I have found that once you have changed the mounts of the radiator you need to make them out of something like carbon fiber because they just keep falling off. My mighty boy has a rotary turbo, and I have to tell you that it can hammer. There is something about the sound of a rotary that just makes you "feel good".

Any way if you ask me a mighty boy is the best head turner that I have come across so far

MIGHT BOY ALL THE WAY.

Hi.

I've recently inherited a Mighty Boy Ute from my late father, and I thought it was a bit of a joke when I saw it for the first time. Having finished the project off and registering it, now I know different. It's a tad slow with the original f5A 543cc motor and 4spd manual, but it's really cheap on fuel, and easy to park. Perfect for my g/f to drive to Uni!

It handles like a go kart, and you get looks from everyone when you drive it. My EB GT mock up doesn't turn as many heads as my Mighty Boy, the GT has the big body kit, tinted windows, rather large 17x8 polished mags and large 235/45 tyres. There isn't really anything impressive about the Ute, it's completly stock standard currently! Only car I own that's a stocker! I do plan on making my own extractors and possibly fitting a cold air intake, maybe give it a few more KW and a little more go.

Hi.

I've just stumbled upon this survey on the mighty boy, a couple of years after posting that I have inherited a little mighty boy.

Well, the engine eventually expired, so I did as a few other's have done, fit up the F8b 800cc engine from a Suzuki Hatch / Alto. Man, it goes rather well with the 800 under the hood, much more fun to drive than before!

If anyone is thinking about getting a mighty boy, as long as you're a home mechanic or willing to learn, definatly get one. Very fun car, very cheap to run, altho some parts are hard to get, if you search around you can substitute parts from other cars to keep it running. But that's half the fun of owning & driving such a unique vehicle.

Cheers.

Mighty boys rule... I got myself one.. painted it yellow, put stratos bucket seats in it... but not before I got them reupholstered in black and blue leather, 5 speaker fusion sound system with 500 watt sub in the back, put 800 engine in it, hard cover for the back, put 14" wheels on the baby... gauges in side with leather steer wheel, and hand built center console, 2.5 " exhaust system... and made an alloy tail gate too.... and in case you were thinking... I do own a garage. It cost me nothing to do the jobs.

Lee

spinballwizzer@optusnet.com.au if you want pics

Hi, I am wondering if anybody has any ideas on how to give my Mighty Boy a little more power?

I've got a spare engine for it, but I'm not sure if I want to turbo charge it or supercharge it? I have been told supercharging it was impossible.

The original engine that is in it has only done just over 100000kms, and I have a lot of trouble trying to start it in the morning, but I don't see anything wrong with it. I've had it in to mechanics, and they say there is nothing wrong with it, but I feel as though there is.

It becomes hard to start in the mornings, and it is really gutless going up hills. I have trouble on the highway trying to pull out at 110kph.

If anybody has any suggestions or know how I can fix all this, please send me an email at demondstone@hotmail.com

Thanks from COZZA

They're a good car to drive around on the farm.