Tubbed V8-Swapped Suzuki Swift Is Coming To Party At The Nats!

Building a car that stands out these days isn’t easy, but Parkes local Jack Mill might have hit the nail on the head with his tubbed and LS-swapped Suzuki Swift! Far too humble to admit that he’s done most of the work himself, the Auto Electrician and Mechanic by trade reveals with a chuckle that the vehicle is causing a bit of a stir online, sweeping through social media in a nearly-finished state as Jack prepares to debut the car at Summernats in January! 

“I had the ‘ADHD’ VS ute and I loved that car. It was a real party car but after getting over 150 sets of tyres off in it I wanted something a bit different - something smaller with a better power to weight ratio, something a bit more out there,” explains Jack of how he settled on the Suzuki Swift for his next build.

“I was looking at Barina Sparks but I couldn’t go past the body shape of the Swifts. I paid $600 for this one running and driving but she was rough, it was destined to be a derby car,” he explains.

Jack proceeded to cut every part of the car either up or off. “The only thing that hasn’t been changed is the exterior sheet metal and the dash, but it’s got a new firewall, new floors, trans tunnel and tubs,” he details of the extensive metal work.

Fitting the LS engine was a matter of transplanting an entire VT Commodore K frame and front suspension, mated to a custom tube front end that Jack built for the car. A tough auto sits in front of a 9 inch diff making this rowdy little party car a tough bugger to boot.

“The only thing I didn’t do myself was the paint and panel. My older brother Ricky is in the trade so he showed me a few tips and helped me get such a good finish,” says Jack, who’s adamant that the Swift was always destined to be repainted in its iconic bright yellow factory paint.

“Down the line it might get blown injected, but for the next Nats I’m thinking about building a tough N/A engine for it - something that’ll rev to the moon and just let it party!”