What a beautiful baby, looks happy in that photo. Looks like your little Samurai is coming along nicely, love your trip report. (to bad about the accident but glade your Ok)
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What a beautiful baby, looks happy in that photo. Looks like your little Samurai is coming along nicely, love your trip report. (to bad about the accident but glade your Ok)
that accident sucks, sorry that happenned. Looks like a lot of good stuff is happenning too! :thumb:
Thanks Guys!
I had been hearing a rattle for a while and I thought I narrowed it down to my fan clutch going bad. I wasn't experiencing any overheating or anything but I decided to swap out my fan in favor of an electric one. I had been following some of the local Zuk guys on a Facebook group and they had posted a nice electric fan setup utilizing the fan from a Kia Spectra. With the rattle really worrying me and $100 gift card to Amazon I ordered the fan and a fan controller from Amazon. I was hoping to get the fan installed in time for a camping trip because I was worried about the rattle..... Turns out that rattle was the loosening frame side bolt from the exhaust manifold to the catalytic converter. I put off installing the electric fan for a week. I decided to go through with the swap because I had purchased the parts and formulated the plan.
The fan fits the stock Samurai radiator almost perfectly.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-24.JPG[/IMG]
The fan has these squarish tabs on the passenger side that fit into some squarish holes in the some brackets I'd need to make. I chose to make them from Aluminum because it would be easier to drill some holes and square them up with a jigsaw and file. I got some brackets from work in the scrap bin to use.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-25.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-21.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-20.JPG[/IMG]
The drivers side mounts were easier. I used a 3/4" wide 1/8" thick piece of flat stock aluminum for the bracket. I was able to use two holes from the original fan shroud mounting bolts.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-19.JPG[/IMG]
I used some 1/2" deep drill bushings as spacers for some bolts to mount the fan to the radiator on the drivers side.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-17.JPG[/IMG]
The fan is a tight fit and I ended up finally removing the hood prop to move the radiator as far forward as I could. I never used the hood prop anyway.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-18.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-16.JPG[/IMG]
In addition to getting this new fan off Amazon I just had to use a plug from a kia because I couldn't stand the thought of using spade connectors to power it. I ran to the junkyard in search of a kia to steal the fan plug/harness from and ended up leaving with a spare kia fan and the harness for it!
I used a hayden fan controller to control the fan. It uses a temperature probe that I conveniently installed into a spare port on the thermostat housing.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-11.JPG[/IMG]
I got it all wired and through it all in front of the battery because I'm a lazy guy.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-14.JPG[/IMG]
Fast forward a week later and I get emissions here in Colorado, and Pass!!
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-1.JPG[/IMG]
They didn't even question the engine swap!
I'm going to the zoo with my kids and notice that my temperature gauge is too hot. My fan didn't kick on. I immediately suspect the fan controller after parking and entering the zoo. After I hotwire the fan and get home I discover that the wire that powers the fan controller itself got smashed between my battery and fender. Kicking myself, I repair the wire and commit to improving the wiring in the area on the coming weekend.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-4.JPG[/IMG]
I used some HDPE (cutting board material from the tailgate table project) to make some mounts for the Sidekick Fuse Block, fan controller and the ARB Compressor Relay.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-2.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-3.JPG[/img]
We've been getting some decent rain here in Colorado lately and the Samurai leaks horribly. I suspect water is getting in under the windshield frame and the door seals leak as well. Either way your feet and knees get wet while driving in a heavy rain. I ordered a new lower windshield seal from Roadless Gear, which was a good 1/4" thicker than the original and I was very hopeful that it would fix the leak.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_10-24-1.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_10-24-2.JPG[/img]
The new door seals were more spongy and thicker than the old ones as well.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-06-14_01-54-7.JPG[/img]
Pretty confident that I won't be getting water in through the door seals anymore but the windshield frame is still leaking...
I got a welder for Fathers day from Abby and decided to start putting it to use. I finally got handles welded to the retaining nut on the tire carrier.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-16.JPG[/IMG]
Now, it's just the cheap Harbor Freight welder but it's a start and I can start joining steel to steel. With that in mind I decided to tackle the rust hole in the back of the Samurai. I cut around the hole with a grinder and a dremel.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-17.JPG[/IMG]
In the process of welding in the patch piece I discovered more rust closer to the side of the tub and hidden underneath the sealant they put over the joints.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-14.JPG[/IMG]
This really had me beating my head against a wall. I was starting to consider just going for the virtual lift and welding in trailer fenders so I could finally clear some bigger tires. The area was too tight to get at with my grinder and the dremel just wasn't the right tool for the job. I purchased a cheap body saw from harbor freight. The tool worked well and I was able to remove even more of the floor the tub behind the wheel well.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-13.JPG[/IMG]
Now I'm honestly not sure how much of this is me being a poor welder or the fact that I have a poor 90 amp welder with no gas and I'm using flux core wire.
I smoothed the welds with a flap disk and slathered everything with some epoxy that Abby just happened to have out as she was building my daughter a bed.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-12.JPG[/IMG]
Sprayed it with black spray paint and called it done.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-11.JPG[/IMG]
With that project done it was time for our 4th of July adventure. I needed to take my kids to meet their Grandpa (my dad) in New Mexico. When I would go visit my dad in New Mexico we would go camping and fishing at Morphy Lake. We loaded the kids in the back of the Samurai and packed up the trailer and set off.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-3.JPG[/IMG]
After having lunch with my Dad in town we set off to find a camp site at the lake much to our disappointment.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-9.JPG[/IMG]
Oh well. We found a campsite nearby down a forest road. We had run into mud our whole way up to the lake and even more up to the campsite.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-8.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-7.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-2.JPG[/IMG]
I had rigged some fishing rods to the roof rack with some zip ties so I suppose some fishing rod holders are in the works soon.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-4.JPG[/IMG]
After doing some camping and fishing and meeting back up with my dad and grandma we headed back home to Colorado. About 20 minutes outside of Las Vegas, New Mexico we ran into trouble with the trailer. One of the tires blew. I guess it didn't like being pulled at 75mph.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-6.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-07-09_00-21-1.JPG[/img]
We had good luck though. The Tractor Supply store just happened to be open on the 4th and my dad was able to bring us two new trailer tires.
The entire trip went well and of course we couldn't help but having one mishap with that blown tire. But the only nagging thing that I disliked about the trip was the soft top flap noise and the HEAT. Unfortunately I couldn't take the doors off with the kids in the back so We had to leave them on which allows the samurai to get pretty warm. I think I need to really work on putting the air conditioning parts together for the Samurai. I really need to get serious about that. And I really want to find a hard top....
Thanks for sharing, I wish I could do more camping than I do, Maybe next summer.
I hear you. We're really making a big push to get out and camp this summer. We spent last summer buying and gathering gear, this summer we're dead set on using it.
So far we have just done day trips. We got the chance to Kayak Rampart Reservoir (wakeless day use lake) a couple Sundays ago was a good day (we got there very early as it gets real crowded). We scooped out the campgrounds as I would like to make a weekend out of our next trip or at least a overnighter like Sunday-Monday as that is our two days off.
Haven't had much time to work on the Samurai. Started a new job recently and my daughter just started school... Priorities.
Some good news though. Someone was throwing away a two piece hard top! So I got one for free. it's the weird one though where it turns the tailgate into full door.
Some glass was broken/missing but you can't beat free!
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-09-17_21-25-10.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-09-17_21-25-11.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-09-17_21-25-12.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-09-17_21-25-13.JPG[/img]
The latches were in bad shape so I sourced some new ones from McMaster Carr.
Part Number is 1864A15
[url]https://www.mcmaster.com/#1864A15[/url]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-09-17_21-25-4.JPG[/img]
I drilled out the old rivets and removed the old latches and riveted on the new ones.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-09-17_21-25-3.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-09-17_21-25-2.JPG[/img]
The rear portion of the top has a longer distance to reach for the latches and I was missing one of them.
So I determined that I can reuse some of the ones I removed from the front portion and make them reach the tub of the samurai using some threaded rod and some coupling nuts made from tee nuts.
For now I will just replace the broken window with acrylic or lexan. Whichever the plastic shop has scrap of. I will also probably replace the rear glass. Currently it is plexi with window tinting. I'm pretty sure at some point it was actually glass . I also need to figure out how to mount it to the tailgate.
[quote=DETN8R;317461]Started a new job recently[/quote]
Hey - Congrats! What doing?
Thanks! I'm doing maintenance at the Amazon building in Aurora. Better Pay. More Days Off.
Cool - more time to spend with family - or work on the sammi - choices choices...
Mostly it's all family time.
Hard to find time to work on the Samurai.
On a side note. I've finally got all new tires on the Samurai. 215/75R15's. BFG All Terrains KO2's.
Had to break down and get some because the rear drivers side tire quit holding air. Thankfully I had the ARB OBA compressor so I always had air.
.
I've been driving with the hard top all this week. Sure was a battle getting here and it looks like we're starting to get some more snow now here in Colorado.
Being that I was able to get the front piece mounted with rivets and the catches from rally tops I intended on doing the same to repair/replace the latches on the rear as well.
I was originally going to just use the rear latches the way they were because most of them were still mounted. I went to do a test install and one of the latches broke. I ordered some new latches and some hardware from McMaster Carr.
I got some M5x0.8 All thread since that's the thread size of the hook latch on the latch. I got some stainless M5x0.8 coupling nuts because they were cheap. I also ordered some new catches from rally tops again.
Another thing that I did that wasn't really in the plan was that instead of rivets for the latches on the rear hard top I used some expanding rubber rivnuts. The same type I used to mount my custom ABS door panels. The hard top did have some metal reinforcing laminated into the fiberglass.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-15.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-14.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-12.JPG[/img]
I did not like the way the hook latch mated into the catches from rally tops.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-13.JPG[/img]
I did discover that the triangle eyebolts from the cheap Amazon latches I bought had the same thread size as the one on the latch.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-9.JPG[/img]
The latches are just made of folded steel. Same for the hook on the latch as well.
This means that the threads weren't perfect and I had to chase all the threads with a tap before it would accept the allthread extensions I had to cut to get the latches to reach the tub of the Samurai.
I drilled a center hole in all of the catches from the cheap Amazon latches so that they could pivot to some degree because the two rearmost latches are angled and I didn't want the headache of trying to mount the catches at the correct angle.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-3.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-2.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-4.JPG[/img]
With the rear piece of the top mounted I had to figure out the mounting for the rear glass. Now this is the most retarded setup I've seen from a hard top company. At least rally tops has some legitimate hinges for their rear glass. The glass had some brackets that attach to the tailgate .... somehow. I've never actually seen it in person and the few pictures I've seen online don't show details.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-09-17_21-25-1.JPG[/img]
I cleaned all the paint and rust of the brackets and repainted them.
I had a plan to mount some flat plate aluminum to the tailgate for the rear glass to bolt to. Me and Abby purchased a bandsaw about a 2 years ago. It's been sitting outside for about a year and I needed to cut some aluminum plate to make the brackets for the rear glass.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-11.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-10.JPG[/img]
I used some more rivnuts to attach the plate to the tailgate. I marked out the material I needed to remove to clear the gasket when the tailgate was closed.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-8.JPG[/img]
The drivers side of the tailgate had a raised section to clear the latch mechanism but I needed the plate to attach on the side to provide stability for the rear glass brackets. The bandsaw sure made easy work of all of this.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-6.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_19-06-7.JPG[/img]
I ended up buying a piece of polycarbonate to replace that rear glass since the tinting on it and yellowing from age made it impossible to see through.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_21-05-2.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_21-05-1.JPG[/img]
So far so good. I'm having some issues with the front top piece sealing against the windshield but my gasket is damaged and trying to source a new one is hard.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-10-27_21-05-3.JPG[/img]
Now hopefully this winter I can source some Air Conditioning parts.
Nice work on the top! The bandsaw certainly makes a lot of jobs easier. Great tool to have.
Good progress!
FWIW: I didn't like surface rust issues on my drill press's machined post. Coating with WD-40 didn't last before rust started again. I gave it one coating - YEARS AGO - with Slick 50's OneLube and it has yet to form surface rust. The table of your band saw might like it too.
I hear they reformulated since then (I had the old "red can") - hopefully the new stuff is as good as the old:
[URL]http://www.slick50store.com/supercharged-one-lube-spray[/URL]
Thanks Jim! I'll give that a try!
Haven't really gotten much done. The new job keeps me pretty occupied. As well as my 10 month old son and 4yr old daughter.
I noticed some cracks under the passenger seat starting to form a couple of weeks ago. I drilled some holes at the ends of the cracks to keep them from growing.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-12-07_21-05-7.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-12-07_21-05-8.JPG[/img]
There are a couple of things I feel contributed to this.
Number 1 - Thirty Year Old Truck
Number 2 - Previous owner installed pipe flange seat risers
Number 3 - Sidekick Seat swap
I used my harbor freight welder to patch up the cracks. It went surprisingly well.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-12-07_21-05-4.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-12-07_21-05-5.JPG[/img]
I sprayed some paint over it and on the underside of the tub and called it finished.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-12-07_21-05-6.JPG[/img]
If I see the cracks opening or new ones forming I'll add some more metal underneath the seat mounts/sliders.
I've been noticing a bit of vibration recently as well. It became especially evident between 15-20mph recently. I had chalked this up to the new tires.
I changed my transmission oil.
I inspected the transmission mount.
And I glanced over at the rear drive shaft and noticed a shiny spot.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-12-07_21-05-3.JPG[/img]
My u-joint was completely destroyed!
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-12-07_21-05-1.JPG[/img]
I've continued to be impressed by this vehicle. Even with this completely destroyed U-Joint the Samurai did 70mph+! The vibration was hardly noticeably above 30mph.
The flanges are pretty well ground in one the forward direction. The remaining u-joint held together well enough to keep my going forward.
I dropped it off at Bill Englewood Driveshaft and he was able to get the flanges swapped out and I had my driveshaft back the next day.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2017-12-07_21-05-2.JPG[/img]
I'm still trying to battle noise inside the Samurai. I picked up some Boom Mat to put in some key areas of the tub to see if it helps. I'll keep you all posted!
I've been battling road noise in the Samurai. I thought that getting the hard top would get the noise down to what I'd consider a reasonable level for the road trips I take with the family.
I started out with purchasing an 8 pack of some 12x12 DEI Boom Mat. DEI states that 100% coverage isn't necessary and that 25%-50% should yeild the same results.
I started by removing the seats and all the carpet. I cleaned the tub of the Samurai with simple green and paper towels.
I put one full sheet under each front seat and in each front floor pan. I put 2.5 sheets underneath the rear seat. I split one sheet and put half on each side of the transmission tunnel.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-18.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-16.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-15.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-14.JPG[/img]
I reinstalled the carpet and drove it for a couple of days. This small amount of boom mat yielded some small but noticable results.
Enough that I felt justified to order another 8 pack of boom mat as well as DEI's Under Carpet Light. A 48"x70" sheet.
I added some more boom mat to each firewall, the top of the transmission tunnel beneath the heaterbox. I added some to the vertical surfaces above each wheel.
I split one sheet between both wheel wells. During this time my daughter was playing with my phone so I did not get many pictures of the added boom mat.
I started cutting the Under Carpet lite, focusing on the front of the samurai. I spend more time in here than my family since I drive it daily.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-12.JPG[/img]
I placed a full sheet inside each door.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-1.JPG[/img]
My daughter also helped me remove the seats this time around. Afterwards she hung around to play on my phone and keep me from taking pictures.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-10.JPG[/img]
I used some cardboard to make a template for the transmission tunnel.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-8.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-9.JPG[/img]
I tried to completely enclose the tranmission/transfercase tunnel with the undercarpert lite.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-7.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-6.JPG[/img]
I had a nice piece leftover that almost covered the rear of the samurai underneath the rear seat so I begin reinstalling the carpet.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-5.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-4.JPG[/img]
After all this work, which wasn't much, this has yielded some significant results. I'm pretty happy with it.
I'm beginning to suspect some more transmission problems. I've been hearing a whine that goes away whenever I press in the clutch. I figured this was the throwout bearing.
Some more knowledgeable folks have said that it's the input bearing so I believe I may be having louder than usual transmission noise.
My EGR Failure code has also been ever present for the last few weeks. I picked up another head because I suspect my headgasket may be failing too. Sweet smelling exhaust...
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-01-09_22-29-19.JPG[/img]
While I had the doors taken apart I decided to try swapping in the window channel from the same 4dr sidekick from the junkyard that I got the head from. It's ok.
You and your daughter have been busy!
When is the trans coming out? Wait for warmer weather?
I'm not really sure. I was lucky enough that someone gave me some new transmission bearings back in August. Though when it comes to tearing into stuff that deep I'm a complete noob. Someone was selling one for $140 a couple weeks ago. I may end up just buying another one.
Sure is looking sharp!! Nice work.
I've got a bit of an update. I was very tentative about going to Easter Jeep Safari this year but I wanted to get some things done just in case.
I was never satisfied with the way I mounted the power steering reservoir.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-37.JPG[/IMG]
I had it mounted above the drivers side fender in front of the air intake. after thinking about it for some time I decided to mount it on the radiator above the power steering box. Unfortunately this meant that I needed to relocate the coolant reservoir/overflow bottle. I don't like committing to mods (in case they don't work) and I love to have options. So I ordered another drivers side radiator mount from Tony with Highway 83 Suzuki.
I cut off the radiator clip and drilled a 1/4" hole through an already existing hole in the metal welded to the back of the radiator clip from the mount. This holed lined up nicely with a hole on the passenger side radiator mount, allowing me to simply bolt this clip to the radiator mount. I attached my coolant reservoir and ran a longer line from the top of the radiator and I was done!
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-41.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-38.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-39.JPG[/IMG]
With the area above the power steering box freed up I was able to begin making a simple bracket to attach the power steering fluid reservoir.
I used a 3/4"x1/8" piece of aluminum flat stock to attach the reservoir to existing holes in the drivers side radiator mount.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-35.JPG[/IMG]
I ran new lines from the bottom of the reservoir to the power steering box and a new line from the return of the pump. I used some spiral wrap around the hoses to keep them from kinking and collapsing by keeping even pressure all around the hoses. This did not work so well when I went to MOAB.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-34.JPG[/IMG]
The new mount fit pretty nice with the air box installed.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-7.JPG[/IMG]
Some time passed before I finally committed to going to Moab. Once we made plans to go I knew I need to get some things done.
When I got the hard top I had to lose the roof rack and my CB Antenna mount. I was skeptical about getting the roof rack back on with the hard top before heading out so I used my time to wrap up other lose ends. My son helped me fabricate a new CB Antenna mount days before heading out. I used some angle iron to make the mount bolt to the old tire carrier mounts.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-23.JPG[/IMG]
I used the bandsaw to trim the excess material and make it look sleek.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-21.JPG[/IMG]
I painted it black with some bedliner. (No Pic at the moment)
Somehow I had KINKED the hose for the windshield wiper fluid again! I fixed this before heading out and modifying the roof rack to fit with the hard top.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-28.JPG[/IMG]
I decided to try using some sugru to seal some holes in the hard top. It worked pretty well. I was afraid it would not cure next to the (vulcanized?) rubber seals on the hard top but it did.
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-22.JPG[/IMG]
I had an idea to raise the rear of the roof rack enough to clear the rear piece of the hard top, which was the reason I removed the roof rack. I had to modify the windshield bracket supports to clear the front piece of the hard top. To raise the rear of the roof rack I drilled one hole on each side to put the u-bolts that support the roof rack higher than the original position. This worked quite well!
[IMG]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-19.JPG[/IMG]
I'll post another update detailing the trip to Moab soon!
With the roof rack mounted it was time to get packing. Like last year we took the car as well. So we were able to split all the gear between the two vehicles.
With the vehicles packed we headed out LATE for Moab/Grand Junction.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-15.JPG[/img]
To supplement the road communications I purchased a couple of Baofeng UV-5R's for the trip. One for the Samurai and one for Abby's car so that we could keep in touch.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-6.JPG[/img]
We stayed at Abby's parents in Grand Junction since we got in so late (1AM).
The next day we grabbed some lunch before heading out to Moab. I left the doors and rear glass at Abby's parents because the weather was warm enough. As soon as we got into Moab I started having trouble shifting. I asked my nephew to drive the Samurai to the gas pump and he was able to back out of the parking spot but could not get it back into 1st.
We went to Kane Creek campground and got a site. After getting camp set up and dinner going me and my nephew Jason got to swapping out the clutch cable with a spare so that we could go wheel Day Canyon with EJS in the morning.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-2.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-14.JPG[/img]
We woke up the next morning and begin heading to the meeting spot for the EJS group running Day Canyon. I guess we were running late because we never saw the group. But on the way to the meeting spot the Samurai was making a squealing noise. We popped the hood and saw that power steering fluid was leaking out of the reservoir. We had to loosen the radiator support when we swapped out the clutch cable and must have caused the power steering hose to kink and fluid started spilling out. This was an easy fix but annoying.
With the group nowhere to be found we decided to the run the trail ourselves.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-13.JPG[/img]
Moab is beautiful and we enjoyed the trail.
Back in camp the kids were having fun playing in all of the dirt at Kane Creek campground.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-11.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-12.JPG[/img]
We returned Easter Sunday, once again running extremely late. We had missed the raffle and all the vendors at EJS but it was a fun trip none the less.
In other news. I've acquired some leaf springs.
I got a set of stock YJ leafs from someone on craigslist a couple months ago.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-44.JPG[/img]
I also picked up some Old Man Emu 2" HD springs as well.
[img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-04-22_21-44-43.JPG[/img]
I don't have the bracketry to run the YJ's but I think I could easily run the OME springs. I'd just need some longer shocks.
I've noticed some pretty bad rust on the exterior of the body underneath the passenger rear fender brackets. I'm almost committed to attempting the virtual lift.
[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]Another update![/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]After MOAB my brakes started grinding pretty bad. This was out of nowhere but not completely unexpected since I have not had to do the brakes since I bought the Samurai in 2015. The rear drum brakes went easy enough. Probably the easiest drum brake job I've ever done.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]The front's were a little harder. I had to drive to two separate auto parts stores to get the pads and the shoes. When I got the tires off and examined one the rotors the passenger side was pretty horrible. Probably the worst rotor I've ever seen.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]I could not find rotors in stock anywhere in town. Finally I gave in and started calling brake shops to get them turned. I got them turned at PepBoys downtown.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]Looked way better after having them turned.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]I knew I'd be doing some extensive mods to the Samurai this year. I started with remounting my turn signals inside the grill and removing the portion of the crossmember that extended from the frame to in front of the tires. I used a pipe cutter to get a straight cut. My son helped out![/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]With that done I decided it was finally time to remove the rear fender flare mounts. One of them was rusted pretty bad and I needed to assess any rust on the body.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="][img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-05-18_16-48-18.JPG[/img][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="][img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-05-18_16-48-19.JPG[/img][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]I was not happy about this.... I expected some surface rust maybe but not gaping holes. This isn't the worst rusted samurai that I've seen but this one was mine.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]I covered the rust with some spraypaint for a week while I thought it over.... [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]Finally I said screw it.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]I picked up some trailer fenders from the trailer supply store in town. I'd go with the virtual lift route.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="][img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-05-18_16-48-17.JPG[/img][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]I picked up a sheet metal nibbler that attaches to my drill, some more sheet metal, a roll on raptor liner kit and committed to completing the drivers side fender first because I'm still not sure how I want to work around the gas filler hose.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="][img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-05-18_16-48-15.JPG[/img][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]Removing the boom mat was a bit of a pain. I found that by balling it up I could stick it to the remaining boom mat on the body and pull it free.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="][img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-05-18_16-48-13.JPG[/img][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]The Samurai is first and foremost my family vehicle. I would need to notch the fender to clear the rear seat.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="][img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-05-18_16-48-11.JPG[/img][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]I busted out my harbor freight welder and cut some sheet metal and got to work.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="][img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-05-18_16-48-10.JPG[/img][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]I used some seam sealer to cover the gaps and seal out the elements. I used some bondo to to fill in my horrible sheet metal welding skills. The Samurai body is PAPER THIN! and I'm not the best welder. I used a orbital sander to smooth the bondo out.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="][img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-05-18_16-48-7.JPG[/img][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]At first I was planning on just mixing up a small amount of the raptor liner so that I could save it. After a while I figured that I would paint the lower part of the drivers side door too. [/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="][img]http://www.detn8r.net/Samurai/2018-05-18_16-48-6.JPG[/img][/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]I sprayed some adhesion promoter on the bare metal parts and rolled on the raptor liner. I couldn't be happier with the results and I can't wait to get the other side done.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]The carpet still mostly fits in the back of the Samurai, the seat still fits. The seatbelt is pretty tight between the wheel well and the seat but still works fine.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#141414][FONT="]Now, I'm driving around with the drivers side done and the passenger side, with the worst rust is still how it was. I'm a little nervous to work around the gas filler and tank but I'll tackle it in a week or two. Not sure when I'll get the front done.[/FONT][/COLOR]
One Year Later: Still haven't done the other side. I've done tons of other stuff in the meantime but not the fender. I'm getting serious this year. I picked up a millermatic 211 and intend to make some decent mods. I'll try to post an update soon.
I'll see if I can get the old images working soon but in the meantime I'll give a run down of what I've done to the Samurai since my last updates. Glad to be back on this forum!
I managed to come across some 85 4Runner Axles with 4.88 Gears, TruTrack Lockers and High Steer
Toyota Drive Shafts - Shortened in the Rear - Lengthened Up Front.
Installed YJ Leaf Springs all around
6.4 to 1 Gears in the transfer case with a ZOR Cradle
35" Bald Tires!
What a beast! The breakover angle on that is nuts.
[QUOTE=speedkills;346737]What a beast! The breakover angle on that is nuts.[/QUOTE]
Yeah. I think I'll even need to push the front axle forward another inch to get a better angle on the front drive shaft. I think its fairly common to stretch the front quite a bit.
Other things I think are worth mentioning. I can still hit 70mph pretty comfortably on the highway too! Getting right around 18mpg still.
In all honesty though. I've only wheeled it one day in Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari last year. I'll be paying close attention to runs for this group to get out and really test it out.
While there is always something that could be tended / fixed / upgraded, is it trail ready (enough) as-is?
[QUOTE=Jim;346740]While there is always something that could be tended / fixed / upgraded, is it trail ready (enough) as-is?[/QUOTE]
It is! I just need to change the T-Case fluid and top off the power steering fluid.
Sammy's are rad. Can't wait to see what you do with it!
Thanks! Yeah. I'm planning on heading out to the Easter Jeep Safari again this year. My family has made that a yearly tradition. I love driving my Samurai around at a Jeep event. (I've got tons of love for Jeeps still)
I should mention the old pictures of this build thread. I've got backups but it looks like I've lost the domain name they were hosted under. I'll look at creating a gallery for them. My hope was to just upload them in the same web address and the old images would just start working again but it's looking like I wont be able to do that until I get the domain again.