How it all got started: I was living in Jefferson City, MO renting a house from Dad. The conditions were simple, pay him rent. When he sells the house, he’ll pay me back. Well if ya know my old man ….. I get a call from Dad one afternoon.
“Didn’t you always want a long bed Jeep thing?” he said.
“A CJ8? Yeah, but I’m kinda picky about what I’m looking for.” I reply.
“What about a Samurai instead of rent repayment?”
The sickness begins:
Running it as a daily driver was well and good, for a while. But you can’t have a rig like this and not take it out in a mud hole or climb some rocks right? Well that was well and good in theory, but rolling stock makes mud and rocks a lot more challenging. So I started to hit some forums, KC Zuks, Zuks of KC, Zuwharie, to name a few. I also started making my ideal end state, goals, objectives for this little tinker can. What I came up with was a DD/mild trail rig that I and the wife could take camping.
Here come some mods: What to do? What to do?
First issue - After driving it up and down state and interstates for six months it was obvious, power would become an issue. How to make more power out of this 1.3 liter engine? Air filter, exhaust header were already done. Next steps could be cam, pistons, bore, balance, or just a bigger engine. Those all were more mechanically involved than what I could handle in my garage. Power will have to wait.
Issue number two - The stock wheels and tires SUCKED in mud and on rocks. Tires came via Craig’s List. Bought a set of wheels and tires that I knew wouldn’t fit but they were in great shape and priced great. I traded the wheels for another set of new wheels. I sold the tires for enough cash to buy 5 tires and one matching wheel. After the horse trading I was out $100.00 for a set of 5 15x8, 5 lug on 5.5” aluminum wheels and 30”x9.5” mud tires. I have bigger tires but they would not fit under stock ride height. They will have to sit in the corner and wait for lift to happen. What about that power thing?
Third issue - Now I have bigger tires doing absolutely no frigging good stacked in a corner. So a lift was needed. After doing some looking around I quickly found that there was a TON of options available for the Samurai. Most all are pretty straight forward. The more involved lifts were out of my price range. I settled on a 3.5”, shackle reverse lift.
Back to the first issue of power. After tires and lift, it was all this little tinker can could do to move down the road. I had to do something, quickly. I decided to go the engine route. I chose a 1.6L 16v engine to stuff in there. I was a bit worried about oil pan clearance and the front axle but that was an issue that could be fixed with a bump stop.
After all that I had my DD/mild trail rig that I and the wife could take camping. I’m still not satisfied. It needs ……. Gears!!! I don’t care where, transfer case, axle. It needs gears! I ended up with two sets somehow. A 4.16 set of gears already in a case and a 6.5 set of gears without a case.
AHHHhhhhh. That is sooo much better. NOW I have my DD/mild trail rig that I and the wife could take camping. I think. I, I, I need traction!!!!!! More traction! Spartan locker in the rear. Yeah. That’s what I’m missing.
I’ve ran this rig like this for about three years now, accumulated/sold other Samurais, parts, pieces and a lot of ideas. Right now I’m sitting on a 1999 Tracker 1.6 liter engine, 5sp trans, T-case, wiring harness, brain box, dash cluster, 2 front axles/1 rear axle from a 1978/9 Toyota Land Cruiser, mechanical Ausi lockers for the thirds and three Samurai transfer cases (stock, 4.16 and 6.5 gear sets).
Danger! Danger!: I’ve decided the endstate, really isn’t the endstate that …. Who am I kidding? Bigger, better, faster, MORE!!!!!!! So what I’m toying with is a 4 link rear pushed back 7”-10”, three link front pushed forward 3”-5”, belly between 20” and 22” up while sitting on 35”-38” tires. Don’t know if I’m going to run coils or air/nitrogen on the corners. I cannot start this project until after 16 September 2013. That provides plenty of time for me to do some geometry, gather parts, tear into the Samurai and change everything, Dam this is a sickness! I need help (no, not really).
“Didn’t you always want a long bed Jeep thing?” he said.
“A CJ8? Yeah, but I’m kinda picky about what I’m looking for.” I reply.
“What about a Samurai instead of rent repayment?”
The sickness begins:
Running it as a daily driver was well and good, for a while. But you can’t have a rig like this and not take it out in a mud hole or climb some rocks right? Well that was well and good in theory, but rolling stock makes mud and rocks a lot more challenging. So I started to hit some forums, KC Zuks, Zuks of KC, Zuwharie, to name a few. I also started making my ideal end state, goals, objectives for this little tinker can. What I came up with was a DD/mild trail rig that I and the wife could take camping.
Here come some mods: What to do? What to do?
First issue - After driving it up and down state and interstates for six months it was obvious, power would become an issue. How to make more power out of this 1.3 liter engine? Air filter, exhaust header were already done. Next steps could be cam, pistons, bore, balance, or just a bigger engine. Those all were more mechanically involved than what I could handle in my garage. Power will have to wait.
Issue number two - The stock wheels and tires SUCKED in mud and on rocks. Tires came via Craig’s List. Bought a set of wheels and tires that I knew wouldn’t fit but they were in great shape and priced great. I traded the wheels for another set of new wheels. I sold the tires for enough cash to buy 5 tires and one matching wheel. After the horse trading I was out $100.00 for a set of 5 15x8, 5 lug on 5.5” aluminum wheels and 30”x9.5” mud tires. I have bigger tires but they would not fit under stock ride height. They will have to sit in the corner and wait for lift to happen. What about that power thing?
Third issue - Now I have bigger tires doing absolutely no frigging good stacked in a corner. So a lift was needed. After doing some looking around I quickly found that there was a TON of options available for the Samurai. Most all are pretty straight forward. The more involved lifts were out of my price range. I settled on a 3.5”, shackle reverse lift.
Back to the first issue of power. After tires and lift, it was all this little tinker can could do to move down the road. I had to do something, quickly. I decided to go the engine route. I chose a 1.6L 16v engine to stuff in there. I was a bit worried about oil pan clearance and the front axle but that was an issue that could be fixed with a bump stop.
After all that I had my DD/mild trail rig that I and the wife could take camping. I’m still not satisfied. It needs ……. Gears!!! I don’t care where, transfer case, axle. It needs gears! I ended up with two sets somehow. A 4.16 set of gears already in a case and a 6.5 set of gears without a case.
AHHHhhhhh. That is sooo much better. NOW I have my DD/mild trail rig that I and the wife could take camping. I think. I, I, I need traction!!!!!! More traction! Spartan locker in the rear. Yeah. That’s what I’m missing.
I’ve ran this rig like this for about three years now, accumulated/sold other Samurais, parts, pieces and a lot of ideas. Right now I’m sitting on a 1999 Tracker 1.6 liter engine, 5sp trans, T-case, wiring harness, brain box, dash cluster, 2 front axles/1 rear axle from a 1978/9 Toyota Land Cruiser, mechanical Ausi lockers for the thirds and three Samurai transfer cases (stock, 4.16 and 6.5 gear sets).
Danger! Danger!: I’ve decided the endstate, really isn’t the endstate that …. Who am I kidding? Bigger, better, faster, MORE!!!!!!! So what I’m toying with is a 4 link rear pushed back 7”-10”, three link front pushed forward 3”-5”, belly between 20” and 22” up while sitting on 35”-38” tires. Don’t know if I’m going to run coils or air/nitrogen on the corners. I cannot start this project until after 16 September 2013. That provides plenty of time for me to do some geometry, gather parts, tear into the Samurai and change everything, Dam this is a sickness! I need help (no, not really).