87 samurai

Mr. Chaos

Active Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2011
Location
Asheville/Waynesville
I have been looking for a winter driver/off road toy for a while now and picked one up today.
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What I know it has:

Warn Winch with hitches front and rear with winch connectors

5 new 31x9.50x15 Interco TSL Super Swamper Radials($$$$ worth of tires)

Dual Battery set up

Webber carb

Rally Tops Sport hard top.


What the seller claims it has:

Transfer case gears

Detroit style lockers front and rear

What It needs:

Clutch cable adjustment badly

Shifter bushings as I shouldn't have a foot of shifter movement in gear

Power steering. OMFG so heavy

Fix rear hardtop lock
 
Nice Samurai!

Sidekick power steering box and pump mounted on Petroworks wedge bracket.
 
nice Zuk!!
 
that thing is clean, id love to have one like that for a daily driver
 
Order the power steering kit while you're at it and buy my Sidekick PS setup!

That's clean! It's about got the perfect stance for wheeling around here, IMO. I wheeled mine at stock height for years. A couple inches of lift and 31s make for a happy beast! You can get lighter springs or possibly modify yours for less money. I'd also ditch the stock bumpers and buy something from Zuksoffroad or have somebody custom build something. That winch is going to be an anchor hanging out there like Bubba Gump's lower lip. A good set of rockers and a little tasteful body modification and you'd have a really nice, reliable rig on your hands.

Oh, and ditch the Weber as soon as you learn to hate it. The My-Side is a fantastic setup for a carb, probably the best out there. A Tracker fuel injection system is also a great option, but much more involved.
 
Ok I measured rocker height and it is 22 inches to the ground, stock is 14 inches. I have 31 inch tires that measure to 30.5 inches and the stock tires measure 26 inches so that gives me 3.5 inches of suspension lift.

There is clearly an adapter plate and with the block numbers it looks like it is a 97 1.6 block with what I assume is a 1.3 head. It has a plastic timing cover as well.

Here are some pics of the engine bay.

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and some interior pics

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That actually looks like a pretty nice rig! There's a lot that I'd do over time just to make it more comfortable/dependable, but it's a nice setup. I'm not so sure about the rear-mounted battery. It's a nice box, but those exposed cables leave a lot to be desired. I'm not sure the 2nd battery is even necessary, really. You could get by with the one. You're probably rarely going to have to make a long pull with that winch. Upgrading to a 105A GM alternator would probably be a more effective charging system upgrade.

Who did you buy it off of? That gun mount looks familiar. I think I saw the build on that years ago on Zuwharrie. I think somebody was producing one for a while, too. I'm just wondering if there is a build thread or some information about it over there.
 
It was for sale on consignment at a little car dealer in Maggie Valley for the dealers friend who is like 80 and got it from his cousin. The gun rack is welded to the floor :confused:. it rides like a shopping cart so YJ's are in the future to soften it up.

I am thinking of swapping a 16v head and efi next year since the block is for a 16v already and power steering.
 
Sounds like a good plan. My Weber was worked over by a specialist, and it was nothing but a disappointment off-road. Good power on-road, but not worth the trade-off.
 
I cleaned out the vents today since a small creature seemed to have been living in them at some point. I also cleaned the area above the heater core out as well. I bought a fire extinguisher and shovel for it as well. I tried to get the locking hitch pin off of the winch on the front and that failed since i couldnt get the sawzall at an angle where I could cut it off, I hope I dont have to use the hack saw to do it.
 
I got it with the sawzall but it was at a stupid angle since the winch/bull bar were in the way. The winch needs new cable but that is a 1st of the year purchase. I am likely also going to get a bumper.
 
I've got two sets of brand new cable/roller hawse; would do you one for $50 shipped if you need it, lmk...
 
The clutch cable could have a rusted casing allowing it to kink. Make sure it's a smooth loop.
The shift lever slop isn't bushings , it's a lost, broken, or wornout shifter bolt. (if you're on zuwharrie, search for it there)
There's nothing wrong with a Weber carb. I love mine. In fact, for a majority of street use, it one of the better options (imho).
Loose the factory airbox and fab on a regular 9" or so round air filter. The Weber is an air hog. It will make a noticable difference.


Matt
 
I already have the low range off-road shifter bushing/bolt/tcase sheet sitting next to me as I was planning to do it tomorrow anyway. I am hoping it is the clutch cable but planning for if the clutch is toast.

I will loose the factory air box as it is really ugly as well.

The 1st priority after the clutch/clutch cable will be the power steering.
 
Shouldn't hurt too bad. The $90 Exedy eBay clutch is great in these, and it's about the easiest clutch you could hope to do. If I was determined, I could probably pull a Sammi in, swap clutches, and drive it out in 3 hours.
 
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