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Message started by babyhog on 01/06/12 at 08:20:08

Title: My latest Suzuki
Post by babyhog on 01/06/12 at 08:20:08

1988 Samurai. Got it to troll around in the woods at our camp. Cheaper than a side by side!

Still a work in progress, we are going to fabricate a front bumper to put a winch on it... A few minor things to fix, but I think it will serve its purpose quite well.

Anybody else got one of these little jewels?

When we got it:
http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/babyhog/Samurai/temporary-9.jpg

Brought it home and basically disassembled it,
fixed some rust spots (not bad for an '88!), under-coated it, and painted it with bedliner!
http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/babyhog/Samurai/temporary-3.jpg

And I drove it to work today!
http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/babyhog/Samurai/temporary-7.jpg

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by bill67 on 01/06/12 at 08:37:30

Looks good,You guys have got a lot of energy.

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 01/06/12 at 09:09:17

It is a standard trans, right? I knew a guy who drove one for years, IDK how many miles he had on it when some moron crashed it,.He replaced the clutch once, he was laughing at how tiny it was & how long it lasted, & that it held the loads. Fine little vehicle & a winch is a great idea.

You guys do seem to live a great life,, may your health always be good.

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by RidgeRunner13 on 01/06/12 at 09:19:41

Cool little ride! All the ones around here rusted away years ago.

Transfer cases are pretty weak. I rebuilt several when they were popular here. Other than that I saw few problems with them. 8-)

At least the transfer case is independent from the transmission. In one case, I took the transfer case out & had a driveshaft made so the owner could use it around town. He tore up 3 t/cs & gave up on them, but liked it for running errands. ;D

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by Serowbot on 01/06/12 at 09:25:21

Where you been, Piglet?... Missed ya...

Cute Tonka... :-?...

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by Boule’tard on 01/06/12 at 09:29:06

Well that is two dollops of kickass with a sprinkle of awesome on the side. I remember when they first came out, it was the first vehicle Consumer Reports got their panties in a bunch about.. OMG they can FLIP!!

..so to rile up the nannies they must have done something right.. ;)

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by babyhog on 01/06/12 at 11:24:40

Yep, standard transmission, 5 speed. The guy we bought it from was the 2nd owner, had gotten it from his uncle who bought it new. The nephew just used it on his farm property, taking grandkids on rides on the logging roads. It had about 86,000 miles when he got it about 6 years ago and he never had it out on the main roads. The speedo isn't working now, so don't know true mileage, but its low for an 88. These things must have a great attraction to rust, because the majority of the ones we looked at were rusty. This one had been garaged for part of its life, so it wasn't too terrible.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Work has been a bear, and the craziness isn't over yet. But since I drove the little beast today, I had to post a pic. I still check in fairly often, just don't have time to post much.

Hopefully we get the winch put on before I learn if they are easy to FLIP! :o

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by bill67 on 01/06/12 at 11:37:50

As long as you don't go around corners you probably want have to worry about flipping it. ;)

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 01/07/12 at 07:32:39

Ospho is your rust fighting friend, dont buy the gel,,
YOuve already Learned the are easy to flip.
Dont prove it.

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by Boofer on 01/09/12 at 16:04:56

bh, I was thinking of going with one for my daughter, 'cause they are cute. But they are not much in a wreck, so I guess not. Here in the Southeast they start around $3000 in about any condition so long as they are running. I've always like the look of the little fellers. Good catch. Be sure to pick it up and shake it...could be full of loose change. ;)

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by arteacher on 01/09/12 at 16:23:38

I think you can get spacers that stick the wheels out further to help with their tendency to flip.

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by Boofer on 01/09/12 at 20:10:07

bh, I don't believe they turn over any easier than your average Explorer or Jeep CJ, but they are certainly not as stable as a Lexus. I personally don't believe in spacers because of more stress on the axle and spindle bearings. Still, a great little find. Three cylinder or four? They did come out with three cylinders early on? And Harbor Freight supposedly has a winch voted "Best Buy" or something in a 4 wheel magazine. I think it was about $60.

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by Bubba on 01/10/12 at 07:59:42

My sister-in-law had one for years. Used to to crawl around her Dad's farm in Missouri. That thing could climb a tree!

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by PerrydaSavage on 01/11/12 at 03:21:57

Kewl!! Love those old Samurai's ... would love to find one in mint condition!

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by arteacher on 01/11/12 at 05:23:29

6845454C4F582A0 wrote:

They do turn over easier than Jeeps and the like. If you look at the old Jeeps the wheels were right inside the body work. They had roll-over problems as well. Their solution was to widen the track with wider axles and add the little fenders to the sides.
A lot of 4WD guys use spacers to get more room for the big tires to turn, and to make their rides more stable.
And don't cheap out on the winch- it will fail when you need it most. (don't ask how I learned this).

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by Boofer on 01/11/12 at 20:07:36

arteacher, I agree about not "cheaping out" on the winch. However babyhog is a savvy girl who has good skills. I recommend stuff sometimes including price and my experience with said stuff, if any. The Harbor Freight winch was highlighted in my monthly catalog and had an endorsement by some 4 wheeler magazine. I think they like it for a low price winch. It's up to her to decide, as always. :)

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by bikertrash on 01/11/12 at 20:34:59

Painted with bedliner--outstanding. Reminds me of being in college and helping my buddy paint his '55 ford pick-up with a can of white latex house paint and a couple of rollers after consuming most of a 12 pack of budweisers . . .

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 01/12/12 at 06:10:45

I trust the decision to paint that poor truck had been made prior to the beer drinking.

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by babyhog on 01/12/12 at 18:29:51

Boof, we actually looked hard at the winches at HF. Ended up being the brother-in-law's birthday and they bought him one for his rhino so we held off (check his out before spending our money lol) Turns out my husband was fairly impressed with it. They didnt buy the smallest cheapest one, I think they went with the 3000# one, hubby was wanting the 5-6000# one. But I also work for a distributor of a big brand (Mile Marker) so I might end up getting one thru work. He also spotted one at Tractor Supply that we want to investigate further. So I'll let ya know where we end up.

We got that little jewel for $1200! Looked at a few in the $2-3000 range that were much worse overall, so we snatched this one. I'm in the process of making a panel with vinyl window and a tonneau cover. Will post some pics when I get them uploaded. Had to order some fasteners which should be in tomorrow.

I do like the bedliner paint, but we are also considering adding a little camo
. Whatcha think?

*edit -forgot to say it's the 1.3 liter 4 cylinder. I'm not sure about 3 cylinder models.

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by Boofer on 01/12/12 at 20:17:46

bh, for those who are interested (or not) I looked up the history of Suzuki cars, They made a hatchback with the three cyl in it called the Sprint. Then came the Swift. Suzukis were made all over the world. Yours may have been made in Canada. Or Japan, or Korea, or about five other countries. The tip over controversy was brought on when Cosumer Reports, I believe, allegedly rigged a test to cause the Samauri to be easier to tip. Of course, being narrow like the jeeps, they are not as stable as a wider car. And horsepower ranged from 60 to 120 as years went by. $1200 is a steal. But you know that. Enjoy.

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by babyhog on 01/13/12 at 08:23:24

Here's my little back panel. Its not secured because I was just marking where to put the velcro. The tonneau will fasten right about where the bottom of those side flaps are. The flaps on the side wrap around the roll bars and will velcro tight. The flap on top goes all the way across and will either velcro or snap. Not sure which way I'm going with that yet. It fits tight between the roll bar and the roof frame anyway.

And I'm not going for "air-tight" or to totally seal out the weather. Just something to help keep in the heat on cold days.
http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/babyhog/Samurai/temporary-10.jpg

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 01/13/12 at 08:28:48

I just get all excited when I see someone do something like thaT..Thats solving problems AND savin $$$$ doin it..
What kinda sewin machine do you have?

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by babyhog on 01/13/12 at 08:47:47

504F494E53546555655D4F43083A0 wrote:

I just get all excited when I see someone do something like thaT..Thats solving problems AND savin $$$$ doin it..
What kinda sewin machine do you have?

:) Thanks! Definitely saving money. Those little boogers are expensive. A few good looks at them and I said "I can make that!"

I had a "Montgomery Ward" branded machine made by Brother for over 20 years. Cheap and I got alot of miles out of it. About 2 or 3 years ago, I bought a new Singer Athena for about $300. Its not a high dollar machine, but I've been pleased enough with it. (My mother sews all the time and has a $5,000 Bernina!... ouch!)

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by built2last66 on 01/13/12 at 08:57:29

Babyhog, you should go ahead and try to get it sealed since you've come that far.. my girlfriend has a rag top VW that leaks water and won't keep heat or AC in and it's awful windy when driving down the freeway :D

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by arteacher on 01/13/12 at 12:44:27

I do a little sewing myself, mostly to make bags for my camera stuff, out of leather and canvas. I found an older White machine in the garbage, cleaned it up, and made a base for it. It is a very simple machine dating from the '50s I think, but will sew 4 thicknesses of canvas easily.

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by babyhog on 02/16/12 at 16:57:15

Well, I finally got around to making the tonneau cover for my Samurai. I think it turned out pretty good. Regular snaps down the sides (original snap hardware on the vehicle) and "lift-the-dot" fasteners on the tailgate. I sewed a sleeve and slid in a curtain rod that rests against the roll bar on each side to keep it taut. I haven't fastened the 2 pieces together, debating how to best accomplish that. Maybe 2 seperate rods or maybe alternating tabs on each piece, weaving the rod through both, or maybe just velcro them together... Velcro sounds the easiest...

http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/babyhog/Samurai/temporary-11.jpg

Oh, and my poor little S40 is under the tarp in the background... :(
http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/babyhog/Samurai/temporary-14.jpg

Title: Re: My latest Suzuki
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 02/17/12 at 10:30:40

Piglet, If I was trying to close that off Id make a strip that went where I wanted it & then slap velcro on it,