87 Suzuki Samurai

Flashboiler. Well.... The FSM has been pretty handy to have on hand. I'm still considering it.
Seems very economical to do it myself.


Did a little bit more maintenance today. Whoever owned this Samurai before me swapped the oil switch out with a oil pressure gauge. I'll have to get another switch to replace it but in the meantime the oil pressure gauge install they did was not up to par.


The tubing is broke or the this fitting is leaking. I think I may have been losing a bit of oil through here because my Samurai never left wet spots anymore so I think it was just squirting out while I was driving.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/oil-pressure-gauge-fitting.jpg[/IMG]


They ran the line to the gauge right through the firewall without using a grommet or anything.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/oil-pressure-gauge-tubing-firewall.jpg[/IMG]


I had mentioned that I had needed to replace my starter. I was hoping this wasn't the case so I first tried my own clicky starter fix. Apparently the starter is powered straight through the ignition switch unlike most other vehicles who do this through a relay. A fix is to add a relay in place of the starter wiring so that the ignition is powering the relay and the relay is relaying power straight from the battery to the starter. This didn't solve my poor starting problem but I think it was a good addition none the less.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/clicky-starter-relay.jpg[/IMG]


Installing the new starter was pretty easy. Just remove the air box to get better access.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/starter.jpg[/IMG]


At some point in the last few weeks I cleaned out all of the dead leaves sitting in the heater vent box. I used a conduit plug to plug up the hole. My vents still blow out some leaves every now and then but I can live with it for a while. I'm told to get great results I have to remove the entire dash and clean everything out with a pressure washer.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/heater-vent-cleanout.jpg[/IMG]


I was doing some cleaning last weekend and wanted to get underneath the rear seat just to see what was under there. I removed the drivers side bolt with no issues but as soon as I cranked on the passenger side bolt the head broke clean off. I attempted to drill out the broken thread and tried to use some extractors to remove it but didn't have any luck. It was rusted in there extremely bad I guess.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rear-seat-broken-bolt.jpg[/IMG]




Unfortunately I broke the nut off the body while trying to free those threads. I had to drill through a crossmember on the bottom of the Samurai so that I could add a nut from the bottom. I used a holesaw for this.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rear-seat-broken-nut.jpg[/IMG]


On top of that I discovered that I did have a bit of rust to deal with after all. I'll have to repair this rusted hole before winter. It's behind the rear drivers side wheel well.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rear-drivers-side-wheelwell-rust.jpg[/IMG]

Been pretty busy, looking good

I made the hole in my plenum under the heater core (on the driver side). it was plugged up under it and was stopping the air flow. Also check the other side on the blend door. Sometimes they get to where they wont seal when in the open/closed, heat/defrost settings. I just tied mine into the defrost setting and left it.

I cut a similar hole and vacuumed out all kinds of stuff... Thought I did good, then it used the shop vac and at the same time blew below with an air nozzle and got way more out. Heater worked much better after that.

replace the transfer case in mine today...

Well I've been doing a few things hereand there to the Samurai since the last post.


I had to replace my window cranks a fewmonths ago but the new cheap Amazon ones I bought broke after about amonth. The tabs on the knob broke off after regular use. I used a1/2-13 bolt to repair them. Nothing fancy. Just a button head boltand a jam nut with red loctite.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/071.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/072.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/073.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/070.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/075.JPG[/IMG]


This has been working great and Iexpect it to be a permanent repair.


So I decided to take the Samurai and my2 year old daughter on their first camping trip. Me, Adam and Aarondecided to go run the Jenny Creek trail and camp at Jenny Lake thislast Saturday.


I've been wanting to keep a FireExtinguisher in the Samurai for a while. The seals on the front axleof my old TJ caught on fire once (I suppose that happens when youstrip all the teeth off the pinion gear and try driving it down thehigh at 55mph). and I was glad to have a fire extinguisher with methen to put out the flames. I optioned a bunch of spots for thischeapy $20 extinguisher from Home Depot before deciding on the targabar. It's actually not a bad spot and I don't hit my head on itunless I'm contorting myself weird to look back.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/129.JPG[/IMG]


Also for this trip I didn't want tofight over the cigarette lighter USB charger with my girlfriend so Idecided to install another one. I've had a couple marine cigarettelighters sitting in an old junk box for about 10 years now so Idecided to put one to use. Space is cramped inside the Samurai but Ifound a good spot for it on the rear passenger side of the radio boxwhere my cheap amp and CB Radio are.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/131.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/130.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/006.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/007.JPG[/IMG]

I've been liking to keep a 5qt jug of oil with me under the hood with a funnel because this Samurai is drinking oil. Not as bad since I fixed the poorly installed oil pressure fittings but still. For the camping trip I stored some extra stuff under the hood as well. Some miscellaneous hardware and fittings as well as some gear oil.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/171.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/172.JPG[/IMG]


I always like to have some tools with me in any vehicle I own but I've been shuttling my standard tool bag too and from work for working on the Samurai and it's rather large.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/180.JPG[/IMG]


I picked up a tool roll from Amazon for the trip as well because I really wanted to save space inside the Samurai.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/178.JPG[/IMG]


I strapped a multimeter to it in case I needed to diagnose an electrical issue.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/177.JPG[/IMG]




My battery was giving me some trouble a couple of weeks ago and I finally had to replace it. I used a cheap Duralast battery from Autozone and finally got a universal battery hold down to keep it from bouncing up and into the hood. I had to drill an extra hole into the battery tray for one of the retaining rods.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/170.JPG[/IMG]




The trip went extremely well and I ended up having enough room for everything. We picked up one of those fancy Yeti coolers last minute before the trip since every other cooler we had and could borrow did not fit on the seat next to my daughters car seat well enough. The Yeti roadie was PERFECT! and it kept ice extremely well and I expect to get years of use out of it. I would have preferred to save a bunch of money by going with the RTIC coolers but they're on pre-order and I have no idea where to source them locally.


We ended up strapping the sleeping bags and pads to the spare tire with some straps.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/140.JPG[/IMG]


This worked out extremely well.


The trip was really fun and I have to say that the Samurai did well and it continues to impress me. I am a bit disappointed with the lack of crawl ratio though and I'm adding T-Case gears to my list of must-do up there with the engine rebuild. I had to floor the gas peddle in the 1st gear low range to make it up the rock gardens on Jenny Creek and my girlfriend did bump her head once or twice.....


I haven't done much to the Samurai since the last trip but I did attempt to fix my drooping passenger side mirror with a neoprene gasket between the ball and the mount.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/185.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/186.JPG[/IMG]




Since the camping trip, which was only 1 night and by no means the epic trip I have been wanting to do by the way, I've been more or less set on having a roof rack and decided to make one. I picked up a bender and a couple of stick of 3/4" EMT conduit. I'm not done yet but I will definitely post when I am.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/012.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/016.JPG[/IMG]




That's about it for now.

Dang it, I have 3/4 emt you could of had.
Your welcome to use the hitch storage anytime I don't need it. In about 2 month We are teaching engine performance, let me know if you want to bring it in they can do commpersion, leak down test for you.

Nice progress and it looks like the camping trip was a blast!

I've gotten some things done here and there. The Samurai doesn't seem to be drinking oil since I fixed the pressure gauge lines.


I've been working on the roof rack every weekend. I think I've finally settled on some mounting methods for it.


I had Joe (Zukrider) do weld the main hoops for me since I had no experience welding myself at the time. These are the main part of the rack and I wanted these welds to be solidly done. Huge thanks to him for doing the welding.


I picked up a cheap tubing notcher from Harbor Freight. I picked up the holesaw from home depot.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/044.JPG[/IMG]


I cut a couple of more pieces of conduit that will support the second hoop above the lower. I wanted a 4" gap between the hoops. In retrospect I should have done something shorter, like maybe 2".


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/045_2.JPG[/IMG]




I did a mockup to get a feel for what it would be like all welded together.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/052.JPG[/IMG]


Did another sitting on top of the samurai.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/054.JPG[/IMG]


I got the posts welded all by myself! Been playing around with a 115v welder that my brother in law has. No gas, but some of the welds look ok.


I got the slats cut and notched last week and got them welded up this Saturday.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/011.JPG[/IMG]
(There's a recall on the iPhone camera's and mine has been going bad.)




I was checking out the space and my daughter decided to crawl into the cooler.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/033.JPG[/IMG]


I still need to weld the top hoop to the posts but the base of the rack is more or less completed.


I've made some bracketry from aluminum to support the rack that doesn't interfere with the soft top and doesn't require me to drill into the body anywhere.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/001_2.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/002.JPG[/IMG]


(I'll try to fix these squashed pics soon)


There was some black trim on the bottom portion of the targa that I replaced with some 1x1/4" aluminum to tie the roof rack support to. This will simply keep the bracket from swinging and chewing away the paint on the targa and isn't intended to support any weight. It's attached with stainless steel sheet metal screws.


I made the window frame brackets a couple of weeks ago. The pictures speak for themselves in how the bracket works. I plan on running a length of conduit from the window frame to the targa brackets.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/043.JPG[/IMG]


Threw the rack on top of the Samurai again to get an idea of how it'll look.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/004.JPG[/IMG]


I'll leave this post with a teaser of some other things I have planned.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/008.JPG[/IMG]

Nice Work looks like you'll have doubled the storage capacity of the Samurai !

Nice !!

Obviously well thought out. EMT is cheap and will be plenty strong if put together properly with enough support etc. Looks GREAT on there too. What size does that notcher go to on the pipe?

I've been using a 7/8" holesaw. It's ok. The OD of the conduit is about 15/16".

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Looks good! I like the ingenuity in building your own rack!

:thumb: Well done!

[QUOTE=DETN8R;293947]

[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/011.JPG[/IMG][/QUOTE]

I like this photo the best!

Seriously though, looking good!

A tip for making the HF notcher last a little longer is to weld end caps onto both ends of the upper tubing mount. May not help for long, but will help with accuracy and strength in the mean time.

I'm not sure if I understand you.
End caps on the notcher?

Thanks again for the replies. I'll post another update soon

Don't have much time to search, but there are a ton of different mods people have come up with to improve on the HF notcher. Here is a quick very basic video showing something like what I was referring to. First one I came across, so if it sucks, I apologize in advance.

[video=youtube;Ty915Z0GrJo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty915Z0GrJo[/video]

So I know a post got lost in the weirdness that happened yesterday morning. I did replace my copper tubing oil pressure line, I'm not sure why I neglected to mention that but I swapped it for a nylon line. Still not the best material but I am carrying spare copper line if I need to perform a trail repair.

That spacer for the harbor freight notcher would help and I may add it in the future. For now I can deal with the offset notches and I don't have any immediate plans to use it for more than a few more pieces I need to make for the roof rack.

Just wanted to do a quick update tonight. I got some of the brackets made for the roof rack. I bent the two rear targa brackets to fit properly. I still need to bolt everything together.

We also just got our first snow here so I'm going to try to get this done quickly. I hope to have everything done on Saturday or Sunday.

I got the window frame supports done. They'll run back to the targa brackets and support the roof rack basket in the front.


Here is the rook racked mocked together.

[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/035.JPG[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/037.JPG[/IMG]

This is going to be another brief update.


I got the roof rack done!! I tried to use stainless steel hardware wherever possible. I'll upgrade the home depot u-bolts to stainless later. For now they're zinc.


The roof rack supported my weight, which is about 200lb's, with no issues. It doesn't vibrate or shake when driving down the highway either.


Final Mockup
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rack1.JPG[/img]


Held me, so it must be good right?
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rack2.JPG[/img]


Welding the window frame brackets.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rack3.JPG[/img]


The targa brackets I bent using a vise and hammer. Mounted them to the aluminum brackets with two 5/16-18 bolts on each side.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rack5.JPG[/img]


[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rack4.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rack6.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/rack7.JPG[/img]


I hope to do some winter camping soon to test it out. I may want to add some additional slats to the rack since balancing stuff might be tricky.


This rack is in no way square and it does sit a tiny bit off center.

Looks Good Nice Work !

Good job Fred, it looks great ! Your Gona have to load up Ada's power wheels and come over and cruise around with Aden

[QUOTE=94ToyBear;294613]Good job Fred, it looks great ! Your Gona have to load up Ada's power wheels and come over and cruise around with Aden[/QUOTE]
Haha. Now I can!


Thanks EKXJ87!

I got a few other things done yesterday.
I installed the vent tube (Venturi Nozzle) into my carburetor. My original carburetor had this already installed but the one I got from Joe didn't.
I have been experiencing some hesitation when the engine is cold driving around and this seems to have greatly alleviated it.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2015-11-11_10-512.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2015-11-11_10-513.JPG[/IMG]




I installed some quick fist clamps onto the roof rack support at the recommendation of my nephew, which I thought was a brilliant idea!.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2015-11-11_10-511.JPG[/IMG]


This should work out nicely for snow wheeling. Unfortunately the door just barely hits the shovel. I'll have to figure out a fix for it or just live with it. We'll see...

It's been a while since I last updated this thread. I haven't done much to the Samurai but I've settled on a few things.


I'm really considering the 1.6L swap. Right now I'm probably going to buy a re-manufactured engine from ZOR (Zuks Off Road) since Myron is so highly recommended. While I'm at it I'll probably get his Transfercase Cradle as well. Considering T-Case gears but I'd like to get the swap done in a weekend. Whether or not that's possible, I don't know.


One thing I've hated about my soft top is the zipper pulls on the rear window. I finally added some paracord pulls to the zippers to make unzipping it a lot easier. I'll swap out this soft top soon with a rampage top with removable side windows soon.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-07-2.JPG[/IMG]


I've also replaced the door hinge screws with stainless socket cap screws because I think they loosen up over time and the doors droop.


I've really liked having my Ram Mount for my iPhone 6 plus but I broke my screen a few months ago and decided to get a fancy huge case for it. My new case did not fit in Ram Mount's Phablet holder, which was the holder for iPhone 6 plus phones with a case.
I decided to make my own. I purchased a cheap replacement belt clip and a new ball mount for the otterbox defender case and ripped off of the belt clip portion and used a utility knife blade to remove the molding.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-07-4.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-07-5.JPG[/IMG]


I drilled four new holes and countersunk them and I had a new phone mount in minutes.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-07-7.JPG[/IMG]


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-07-8.JPG[/IMG]


Adam lit a fire under my butt with his new tire carrier and gave me a few parts to get me started on my own. He gave me this hitch and a hub for a spindle.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-07-3.JPG[/IMG]


I've gotten all the parts if I'm not mistaken. I got some 2" square tubing and some angle to make the brackets. I picked up this latch off Amazon.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-07-9.JPG[/IMG]


I got some tail lights from harbor freight today but I'm not sure if they'll work so I may return them. I removed the rear bumper to see how things were attached and to get a feel for the wiring.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-34-2.JPG[/IMG]


I cut the two brackets for the frame out of some 3/8 angle I picked up from the drop off scrap pile at Altitude Steel here in denver.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-34-3.JPG[/IMG]


The simplicity of the mounting is what sold me on building my own tire carrier. The angle iron will bolt to the frame on two bolts on each side.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-02_17-34-1.JPG[/IMG]




Next paycheck I may purchase a chop saw to make building this a little easier.




My samurai is just about to roll over 100,00 miles soon so I've changed the oil and the fuel filter again to start this year off right.

The 1.6l is a good place to start. The 2.2l is becoms a popular swap as well.
More power!
The t case swap is farly easy. There is one small neddle bearing to push into the case its a PITA.

Miron is a way cool dude to keep intouch with about your little sami.
As for engine look into JDM engines.
You get low low mileage engines from japan for $850.
All you need to do is swap the intake for the emmissions crap.
Over there they pull cars apart much sooner than we do.
They have safety standards that are nuts.....
Like retro fitting an older car to met new standards...
Thus they replace the car.
Hell most the JDM engines have just one or 2 oil changes on them as there oils are far cleaner and higher standars than ours.

Making great progress! If you think you won't be able to do the t-case upgrade in a weekend, consider getting a used t-case to build in advance. Then you can just swap it out.

[quote=dieseldoc;296235]The 1.6l is a good place to start. The 2.2l is becoms a popular swap as well.
More power!
The t case swap is farly easy. There is one small neddle bearing to push into the case its a PITA.

Miron is a way cool dude to keep intouch with about your little sami.
As for engine look into JDM engines.
You get low low mileage engines from japan for $850.
All you need to do is swap the intake for the emmissions crap.
Over there they pull cars apart much sooner than we do.
They have safety standards that are nuts.....
Like retro fitting an older car to met new standards...
Thus they replace the car.
Hell most the JDM engines have just one or 2 oil changes on them as there oils are far cleaner and higher standars than ours.[/quote]

I'll look into it. My main reason for choosing ZOR is just that I want to get everything at one place. I don't want to hunt around for parts everywhere. I haven't found too many other kits for engines other than suzuki engines. I don't have the skills to fabricate motor mounts or transmission adapter plates.



Patrolman - If I come across a cheap one.

Here is a pic of my 1994, 1.6 MPFI I took out of a Sidekick, in my 87 Samurai....
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/BLOODBANE81230/Sami%20Build/DSC03035_zps5ab139f0.jpg[/IMG]
I bought the whole car (sidekick) and took all the parts I needed (power steering box and pump, wiring harness/ECU and engine). I sent the harness to MYron at ZOR, and he cut it down to a three wire hook up to the stock Samurai harness (I had to add a VSS (from the sidekick) and it fired on the first try (I also had the 1.6 rebuilt before I put it in). The conversion kit I got from TrailTough (their motor mounts sits the engine low enough to shut the hood and no body lift required, but My's motor mounts will do the same). I also added a stage 3 clutch while I was in there.
Mine also has the 6.5:1 Transfer case.....
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/BLOODBANE81230/Sami%20Build/DSC01768.jpg[/IMG]
The black tubing is Myrons (ZOR) "Snatch" cradle. The low range is so severe in these cases, they will rip out your stock T-case arms (if you go this route, get one of the cradles that are out there, trust me). I still run the 3:73's in the axles, but with this case and 32's it runs pretty darn good and crawls great. I have a set of scout D44's, that Im thinking of running, if they dont go into my 86 (buggy). I did all these mods (including the 6" SPOA lift) in my garage.
Keep up the hard work, they are great little rigs and are simple to work on.....

I hear ya. the case you can get built as a drop in, the send your case for the core. 1300 if I remember right for the 6.5:1
the engine is just a sudjestion to save some coun.

Swapping the gears in the T-Case doesn't seem too daunting. I've rebuilt the np231 t-case in my old TJ before. (Granted Adam was helping me and did most of the work).

I don't have the space to store a complete other vehicle to do the swap. I feel like I could probably modify the engine harness myself if I had to. I certainly think I can add the vss switch to the cluster myself.

Does the 1.6 swap require a new radiator?

Great looking setup Bloodbane! I really need to get out wheeling with some other Samurai's.

back when I was parting out a 57 willies pick up a guy can ad got the T case from me, I think I recall it being a dana 18 or 15( if there is such a thing as a 15).
he said he said h was going to use it on his Suzuki. I don't know what his whole se up was, considering it was all stock or mostly stock is this something to look in too??

[URL]http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/transfer-case-dana-spicer-18/[/URL]


from the looks of it my truck I parted out would have had the better of the dana 18's

[QUOTE=DETN8R;296282]Swapping the gears in the T-Case doesn't seem too daunting. I've rebuilt the np231 t-case in my old TJ before. (Granted Adam was helping me and did most of the work).

I don't have the space to store a complete other vehicle to do the swap. I feel like I could probably modify the engine harness myself if I had to. I certainly think I can add the vss switch to the cluster myself.

Does the 1.6 swap require a new radiator?

Great looking setup Bloodbane! I really need to get out wheeling with some other Samurai's.[/QUOTE]
Some guys get by with the stock Samurai radiator. I went with the genesis aluminum. 100.00 and bolt in stock location. I have never ran over the 190 (normal) mark. Even crawling around in the middle of summer.

as far as the T-case goes, for the 6.5:1 gears you have to clean the inner case up (grind some out). The gears will bind on the case otherwise. I went with a total rebuilt case from Low Range (LROR) in mine. Parts were almost as much (new bearings and seals, upgraded shafts and gears all together), and I got everything bolt in this way. I traded my stock case to Myron (ZOR) for the wire harness mods. If you deal with him, he will walk you through installing everything if you run into trouble.

Finally talked to Myron about his prices for an engine and everything for the swap. Might be a little over my budget if I go that route.... Considering other options now.

Have a tiny update this week. I purchased the snatch from ZOR and it should be arriving today!!


I've been trying to find time to work on the rear bumper/tire carrier but it's been hard, as anyone with a toddler can relate. I did get a little bit done. I got the upper brackets made.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-20_00-32-1.JPG[/IMG]


I had to abandon the idea to reuse the hitch that Adam had given me. It's 5 inches too short for the spindle to clear the tailgate. I happened to find a nice 4x4x3/16 piece of square tubing at the local steel yard that'll be perfect.
I also abandoned the idea to use the axle hub as well. The shape of this particular hub was awkward and the spindle I picked up has an easier surface to weld to.


I also picked up a chop saw. That sure made cutting steel easier!
In addition to the other tools I've bought I also picked up an assortment of hole saws.


I realized that before I can get the new bumper installed I really need to get all my tail lights sorted out. I picked up some oval led tail/turn/stop lights from harbor freight and a trailer light adapter. I also picked up the LED relay for the turn signals so I don't have any issues with running LED tail lights.


[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2016/2016-01-20_00-32-2.JPG[/IMG]


This cardboard test I did made me realize I needed yet more hole saws.


Just need time to get things finished.

I just happened to stumble on this Samurai rear bumper. Might give you some good ideas.

[url]https://denver.craigslist.org/pts/5388735648.html[/url]

Thanks. I've been looking at tons of other tire carrier designs as well. That one on craigslist looks pretty good an I may steal the dual swing idea from it.
I got my transfercase cradle (Snatch) from ZOR in today. Looks great. I'll probably end up getting that panty liner bracket from his as well. I'll try to get it painted soon.

Myron mentioned something to me about the 1.6L swap that stood out. He mentioned that the engine sits about an inch above the front axle. Thinking I should spend some money on a lift and transfercase gears first.. Any input?

The 1.3 is only rated at 65hp and almost any increase in tire will really kill you on the highway, so figure the engine swap or gear your transfer case and then go with the lift/tires. I put my lift on first (6" SPOA) and 32's and arounds town it did alright, but I never traveled any distance outside of town. Then I geared the case (6.5:1) and it really woke the Samurai up. My 1.3 went downhill so instead of rebuilding it, I did the 1.6 MPFI swap (rebuilt the 1.6 while it was out). Mine will run 65mph all day long now and only the steep hills kill the 5th gear on the highway.

If I remember correct, you can take the oil pan off the 1.3 and use it on the 1.6 for some clearance (I remember reading something on this somewhere, but I could be way off)