My Suzy yesterday morning while moose hunting. I hesitated about 1.5 seconds to decide to shoot this small buck: hmmm... empty freezer, one day to hunt, tag in pocket, no brainer. It started an icy rain awhile later and turned the roads to slick gumbo, which the Suzuki handled well.
And while we are at it, here is another after the Suzi slid backwards 46 feet on ice I when I misjudged. Frozen waterfall had a film of water on the surface where it spread over the road. 300 foot drop on the down side. Predator hunting in coastal winter. The ice formed a speed bump that I eased into too slowly and then the vehicle started sliding backwards. I thought it was going to bash the rear corner of the rig against the cliff but stopped moving about a foot before impact. Fun rigs. Quad with a heater.
Last edited by Okanagan; 10/14/12. Reason: corrected detail
I'm looking for my 5th Samurai. My brother sold his to buy an old Land Cruiser,1969. He is regretting it and will get rid of it for another Samurai.Installed larger narrow tires, lower transfer case gears, and modified the door hinges to be able to quickly remove the doors. I modified the shifter as they are bad about hanging in gear when old and worn. Only time it left anybody stuck was with one of my Nephews. He was about a mile from camp in a huge mud hole. Said he put it in 4WD and it wouldn't go. He walked through the mud and cold for the mile back to camp. He was cussing the Samurai! We went with another 4wd and a winch to get it. Guess what? He hadn't locked the hubs in. I locked the hubs and drove it back to camp. We only have one in our camp now. We have a very low mileage Vietnam era Jeep and it is a pos. It has a V6 Buick motor and 3 speed standard. Idling in low gear is about 25 miles an hour, the steering effort is for a weight lifter, no provisions for doors, and he can only find a bikini top on it. It does have a wonderful winch that is driven by the PTO.
thanks for the link (and spending more money). I have a locker kit yet to be installed for my '78 F150.
I had already looked around the net and found that the 205's can be replaced with 235's with no modification or cutting. Much more mfg's and tread styles in that size.
Yep, size 205 came on my '97 and I switched to 235's which are on it now. Any larger would require lifting etc. FWIW I tried a really aggressive tread in 235 and the slightly wider extended corners on the tread would hit the frame slightly at max wheel turn. I went to a tread not much more than all season, and with that tread the 235's would not touch the frame on tight turns. 235's give me a little more ground clearance and plenty of traction for what I do.
nice to know there are some experts here to turn to as the project progresses. The smiles on the wife and 8 year-old daughter were priceless when this came home; I'm guessing fun will be had by all.
Before I finally found a complete extra set of used rims for my kick, I was actually looking for some 16" rims from the newer Suzy's so better tire selection and types would be at my disposal such as AT's with more sidewall ply's/ratings and the ability to get 80 and 85 series heights without going wider. I was hoping to get 215/80/'16's without need for a lift kit but after the deal on factory rims came along, I aborted the plan.
Fun little buggies. I can take mine where I wouldn't dare take my full sized P/U because if I end up in a bind, I can usually turn around instead of driving backwards for miles...
Interesting thread. I was at Sportsman's Warehouse yesterday after church to pick up a few things I needed. Parked in the lot was a very cherry metallic charcoal 87 Samurai with a for sale sign on it. I bought it. Right now it just has a bikini top right now so I'll have to chase down a top. Guy has put some money into it and I'll probably put some more into it as well. I hd a new one back in 87 and made the mistake of selling it in 93 when I bought my 93 Toyota 4x4. darn good truck but sold it to my Grandson and bought another Toyota 4x4, a 4 door model that just seems to be too low for serious off roading. My wife was with me when we spotted it and she said buy it, I like it. Got to love that woman, a real keeper. Paul B.
Our forefathers did not politely protest the British.They did not vote them out of office, nor did they impeach the king,march on the capitol or ask permission for their rights. ----------------They just shot them. MOLON LABE
That's not a tippy canoe on top. The tippy canoe was the driver. Me! The Sidekick just rested there for the night and I stayed in a nearby camp until morning where we went into town to hire a wrecker to pull it out. I still drive this as a second vehicle.
Damned logging trucks had made a curve very treacherous by causing a substantial amount of loose golf ball sized gravel and rocks to be sitting near the right side of the left turning banked curve. I turned the wheel but it was if I was on ice. Brakes were useless on those 'marbles' as well.
Being more than half blinded by the setting sun on the horizon, speed and road conditions, plus a few beers (a number of times in a row) added up to making a strange way to park your ride for the night. By the time the glare was gone, I saw the curve and realized the conditions, it was too late! If I had gone in the ditch a mere 10 feet sooner/closer, I would have flipped it into a brook and just about submerged the whole vehicle. Under those branches to the right lies a huge pool of water. The branches are remnants of a deconstructed beaver dam.
I love this pic of your Suzi knowing that it has run over an old beaver dam and stopped with a pond just beyond! Thank God for brush that has stopped my progress in the wrong direction sometimes. With my first small Suzi which preceded the Samurai, we slid off of a steep muddy skidder trail and every breath made it slide farther down the top of a 400 foot steep slope. Three of us were elk hunting and we simply picked up one end by the bumper and lifted it back on the road.
The engine runs in amazingly deep water also, stock, without a snorkel. I did some unintentional testing of that.
Finally found a decent Sami and picked it up today. Got the original 1.3 in it with 81,000 miles. Everything is smooth and it runs out great. It needs tires, seems like every single one of these things have bald ass tires on them. It does have a header on it, I laughed, who puts a header on a 60hp engine, lol.
And if this thread doesn't already have everyone getting horned up about a Sammy, consider this:
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. --Winston Churchill
We use one our lease. Added some snow tires via eBay, changed the fluids, tuned, and added a battery disconnect. Added an ATV trailer hitch rack, carries deer, firewood and us with ease. Much cheaper than a UTV.
Had a hard top, soft top, and a side kick. The sidekick auto tranny got sloppy, needs to warm up to shift smooth now. Still drives fine after that. Much nicer ride than the Sammy.
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The Sidekick just rested there for the night and I stayed in a nearby camp until morning where we went into town to hire a wrecker to pull it out. I still drive this as a second vehicle.![[Linked Image]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/M99ER/IMG_0402.jpg)
I did some unintentional testing of that. 
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