Suzuki Samurai

[Skipholiday]

I need the rear on mine locked. I had heard of the aussie lockers but no 1st hand experience. I like that you don't have to engage them~!

Since I hardly ever drive on the road, I had a friend weld the rear when installing 5.29 gears. The front has an Aussie locker. I have an extra Samurai rear end with a lock-right in it. I would not put a locker in front unless you get power steering. If you ever go with bigger tires, the best money spent is lower gears in the t-case. Out in the yard, in 4low 1st gear, I can get out and walk circles around mine.

 

[alchemysa]

Over here they are called Sierras. Mine's an 89. I keep it at our beach shack. (A neighbour there also has one - a mean looking, jacked up, soft top). These are near perfect for beach driving. Never gets bogged. Launches a 15ft fibreglass boat off the beach just fine. Original wheels were just a bit skinny and it struggled in really soft sand. I fitted 15" F-100 rims I got from a wreckers. The tyres were off my 91 Mitsubushi Pajero. (I think you call 'em Montereys). These wheels will float over anything, but the speed limit is about 35 - 40 mph before the wobble gets so bad the car is seriously uncontrollable. These things definitely do not like going fast in wide wheels. I had to weld some extensions to the bumper mounts to move it about 3" forward. (Not shown in these pics). Now I only get occassional rubbing on a guard when i hit a bump if I'm turning. One day I'll jack it up an inch or two, That should eliminate any rubbing. Very few mechanical problems. Its done a LOT of miles so now i use the oil that reduces smoking. I've replaced one alternator that was squealing. The replacement is now doing the same so I'll have to give it a good grease-up soon. Sealed beam headlights blew regularly so I fitted a couple of spotlights to the bumper instead. The transfer lever got stuck in neutral once. This is not an uncommon problem. Its easily unlocked by briefly removing the lever. (Sing out if you want to know how). The channel that retains the plastic mouldings along the side is a real rust trap. I removed mine by grinding through the spot welds that hold it on. Be generous with water dispersant spray under the bonnet. Check and clean the clip connecters near the coil and mounted on the firewall. Dirty ones can stop you dead.

The only complaint I have is that 1st gear in low range is too high for such a low powered donk. Its difficult to get over rocks smoothly. I would love a set of crawler gears!

Ah... I see RollTideRam has covered some of these points too. Have fun!

 

[dfkrug]

is he gonna deck it out like these??
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/atvs-utility-vehicles/104722-some-mini-truck-videos-pretty.html

No mods....the only thing he would like is a hyd dump bed. The carry
is very capable and can drive highway speeds.

(BTW, I can not see Youtube videos as there is no broadband
internet access where I live.)

 

[RollTideRam]

I like that hardtop model. I had one but sold it. Could have bought it back later, but my son was on the way and I let it go. JC

 

[alchemysa]

I like that hardtop model. I had one but sold it. Could have bought it back later, but my son was on the way and I let it go. JC

I've always found that convertibles are a great idea while youre standing still. Once you get moving ... not so pleasant. But on a perfect day nothing beats em'.

But I like this hardtop. Its warmer, everything stays dry, I dont have to keep it undercover and its more secure. Second hand hardtops are about half the price of the soft top models too.

 

[nessmuk53]

Just found this thread and boy does it bring back memories. I had a Suzuki SJ410 (forerunner of the Samurai) for years. It had a one liter engine but could climb the walls. Very easy to work on too. Put 128,000 miles on it and then sold it. Only vehicle I wish I still had

Bob Smith
Charlottesville VA

 

[slowzuki]

As you can guess from my user name I've got three of them and parts of several more. Love the things. Not much money to get them places you usually need a 4 wheeler to get.

I did put of multilink suspension front and rear on one of mine with airbags etc but I lost my safety inspection when I did that, thats prolly my biggest regret with mine. I picked up a set of old man emu springs to get it back closer to stock so I can get it safetied and on the road again.

Currently our daily driver is a 96 Tracker/Sidekick with the 16 V. Its getting pretty rusty so I'm eyeing that engine!

 

[dfkrug]

I did put of multilink suspension front and rear on one of mine with airbags etc but I lost my safety inspection when I did that, thats prolly my biggest regret with mine. I picked up a set of old man emu springs to get it back closer to stock so I can get it safetied and on the road again.

You replaced the rear leaf springs with coils and links? Were you trying to
get a softer ride? I gather you had a later one with ind frt susp on that
one?

How does the safety insp in Canada work?

 

[Skipholiday]

I need to build some rocker panel guards for mine.
I was looking at these:

They seem simple.
I've seen some like these with round bar added for extra protection.

These really look nice.

After the rocker panels are protected I need to build a front and rear bumper.

I'm trying to keep mine as compact as possible.
Small and bulletproof is the plan.

The stock size is perfect for fitting on the same trails as my XUV.

 

[slowzuki]

Nope, solid axle samurai with leafs was converted, didn't get the toyota axles I bought installed before taking it off the road. Was after more articulation and better ride both.

Each province has their own system with Alberta and Quebec having none except when you buy a vehicle. In my province, any rust holes, alterations to the suspension or brakes, missing rear wiper etc will fail your inspection. In practice it is meant to keep good brakes and steering on vehicles but in reality mechanics use it to drum up work for themselves. Failing a car with an optional wiper because the wiper motor is broken? You can't even just take the wiper arm off to make it look like the models with no wiper.

You replaced the rear leaf springs with coils and links? Were you trying to
get a softer ride? I gather you had a later one with ind frt susp on that
one?

How does the safety insp in Canada work?

 

[RollTideRam]

Skip the Shrockworks are the best I have seen. I have a set built like those in your second picture minus the extra tubing. The extra would make for a good step, but yours is not high off the ground. Mine are built with a heavy square tubing and are strong enough to use with a high lift jack. Like I said earlier my father looked at mine and made his. They are simple. JC

 

[Skipholiday]

The shockworks are $308.45 shipped.
The ones like yours are $296.18 shipped.
I need a welder. But for the money I may just buy a set.

Any suggestions on the bumpers?

Thanks

Terry~!

 

[RollTideRam]

I bought bumpers from Rocky-Road. I don't recommend them mainly for their service. Again my father made his bumpers, but not quite like mine. I have not kept up with the Suzuki crowd since my 2 year old was born, but used to, Shrockworks would offer a discount when buying more than one item. He has nice bumpers also. TrailTough also has some good stuff. For some reason I was thinking you had a welder. My father has made a few sets for other friends of mine, but he is 72 and not doing great right now. JC

 

[alchemysa]

Any suggestions on the bumpers?

Thanks

Terry~!

I just got a couple of pieces of flat plate about 6''x3'' and welded them to the bumper mounts on the chassis. Then i drilled them to match the holes in the bumper. This made the bumper stick out about 3 inches but it looks quite ordinary actually. Doesn't look weird at all... especially with a couple of cheap spotties mounted on as well. The extra 3" even gives you a nice ledge to park your backside on when youre fishing. As I recall, it could probably even be done without welding anything, just by bolting the bumper extensions to the car. I also used the angle grinder to cut some metal from the chassis bumper mount to give the tyres a bit more room. All up it was pretty easy and cost me absolutely nothing. I'll take a pic next time I'm with the car. (Its 300ks away).

 

[OKnewguy]

This is an interesting thread, just by coincidence in the current Petterson 4x4 offroading mag they are building up a sammy to compete against an rhino.
They are using one of their cheap truck challenge trucks, here is a link to the original article on the truck when it was the cheap truck challenge. 1991 Suzuki Samurai 4x4 - Cheap Truck Challenge - 4Wheel & Off-Road Magazine
I bet they will have the article on the competition between the rhino online in in a couple of months.
Dave

 

[RollTideRam]

I read the article last week. I still don't see how they have 10k in a Samurai. I remember something like $1200 for shocks. JC

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

some people like to put money into thier toys.

 

[Skipholiday]

The budget for this build was $1500. The shocks were $20 a piece.

The goal was to build a cheap light duty off road/rock crawler.

 

[dfkrug]

This is an interesting thread, just by coincidence in the current Petterson 4x4 offroading mag they are building up a sammy to compete against an rhino.
They are using one of their cheap truck challenge trucks, here is a link to the original article on the truck when it was the cheap truck challenge. 1991 Suzuki Samurai 4x4 - Cheap Truck Challenge - 4Wheel & Off-Road Magazine
I bet they will have the article on the competition between the rhino online in in a couple of months.
Dave

Interesting article. Thx for posting. If I get a fuelie Sami , I will look for that
capacitor problem. The 91 in the article is just a thottle body FI system,
not the more desireable port FI 1.6.

My own 1988 project vehicle was a tintop and cost $500, plus $200 CA state
penalties for expired registration. I scrapped the top and sold the parts I
did not want for a total of $350, so that helps. With my full frame-mounted
roll cage, my total vehicle weight is only 1250# so far. With the body off,
the tiny Xfer case and trans are super-easy to remove. Very nice rust-free
box tubing frame, too. I am using new tractor suspension seats since the
pan is welded to the frame.

 

[alchemysa]

The 91 in the article is just a thottle body FI system,
.

THROTTLE BODY FI systems. What a joke they were! Maximum complications for a minimal improvement over a standard carb. How many cars are in the scrap yard now thanks to stuffed throttle body electronics.