The 1.3L 13B rotary engine is one of the most incredible feats of modern engineering, with Mazda staying loyal to the masterpiece for over thirty years.

There’s no question that the 13B was at the forefront of Mazda’s rotary loyalty, and we’re going to explore everything you could need to know about the insane powerplant.

Thanks to the rotary’s design, these compact engines can fit into the smallest engine bays and are capable of producing a mighty punch, making them immensely popular with tuners across the globe.

This particular rotary engine was swapped into this Suzuki Samurai and puts out 450-horsepower. To reach that sort of horsepower, a Precision Turbo 76/75 unit with a 66-mm wastegate to regulate boost was used. The large turbo hangs off of a custom manifold which he created himself and further tested his fabrication skills—something he’d been looking forward to ever since convincing himself to tackle this project.

Calling the shots as this reimagined Samurai belts out seven times its original output is a programmable FuelTech FT400 EFI system. A do-it-all management system that includes the touchscreen digital dash you see covering the stock gauge cluster, the FT400 offers active traction control, data logging, sequential injection and much more. The modern addition calls the shots as a set of 1,000- and 2,000-cc injectors from Injector Dynamics are tasked with delivering 450 horsepower worth of fuel.

The Samurai also uses the Mazda RX7’s manual transmission. An aggressive 6-puck clutch is enlisted and has successfully held the massive power increase.

The exterior is as simple as it gets, sporting a custom fiberglass grille cover that adds an angry unibrow just above the headlights and a rear seat delete. Take a step around to the passenger side, however, and you’re met by a massive 4-inch exhaust exit and you quickly realize that things between Marvin and his Suzuki got pretty serious.

Video:

Photos:

Click the photos to enlarge.

Dave Chappelle and Fred Williams from Dirt Every Day set out to take a Suzuki Samurai and turn it in to a rock crawling pickup.

They started with a Suzuki Samurai that already had Toyota axles swapped in, Jeep leaf springs, and lower transfer case gears.

They cut the back half of the body off, lengthened the frame, and built a custom 4-foot bed.

They also welded together a pre-cut bumper kit for the front of the Samurai, and added a Mile Marker winch.

Links:

(20+) Dirt Every Day | Facebook

Auto TV Shows on MotorTrend (motortrendondemand.com)

Video:

More Photos:

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This is an old build, but it’s still pretty cool. The owner of this rig was looking to use his Suzuki Samurai for a camping and adventure vehicle, not as an off-road trail rig.

He cut the entire body off behind the seats….

And then made a ‘tub’ out of fiberglass. The walls of the camper are made out of 2-inch foam panels sandwiched in fiberglass/epoxy. A lot of fiberglass, Bondo, and sanding went in to making the body and fender flares.

The passenger side of the camper received a 15″ x 24″ slider window, and there’s a 15″ x 24″ non-slider in the back door.

The inside uses some leftover Pergo flooring and even has a porta-potty. The walls are covered in carpeting. The roof is designed to pop up for more room like shown in the diagram in the photos below.

A trip to Low Range Offroad was made to pick up new shackles, leaf springs, and a pan hard bar. It all makes room for the Samurai’s 31-inch tires. It also gets a boost in performance thanks to 4.56 gears and 4:1 transfer case gears.

The owner found some 1999 Vitara hubs at a pick and pull, and used the low profile hubs to keep the axle/hub locked all the times. The lower profile also allows you to fit the track over the hub.

Speaking of tracks, it has a set of Tatou tracks to get it through the snow in the winter time.

The owner has since moved up to a full-size truck with a slide in truck camper, but this old Samurai is still pretty cool. It would be cool to see other examples of Samurai campers.

More Photos:

Click to enlarge.

Resource:

See the Suzuki Samurai Custom Camper Build thread.

It’s great to see women active in the sport of off-roading. Especially when they have the skills to build and maintain their own rigs. Amber Turner is one of those women.

“Learning to wrench, wheel and weld are three skills most women don’t have, and women who have this knowledge are in demand, especially in the skilled trades” says Amber. Amber caught the off-road bug in 2011 after her father took the family to the Marlin Crawler Roundup in his mildly built Toyota Pickup. She bought her Samurai the next year, and started building it with her fiance’ (now husband). She took a welding class at a community college in order to fabricate her first set of rock sliders, which evolved into a welding career.

Amber’s Samurai isn’t the biggest, but it makes it places that vehicles with more modifications and bigger tires struggle on. And she’s by no means afraid to wheel it.

Amber has been a volunteer at every King of the Hammers since 2014, and volunteered or competed in several other events over the years such as W.E. Rock, Supercrawl, and Nor Cal Rock Races. Because she’s not happy sitting on the side lines, participation is the only option. In fact, she earned second place in her first-ever rock crawling competition, at the Team Series Rock Crawl & Mud Drags, in Oroville, California.

As her experience has grown, she has competed in the 4600 stock class in the Every Man Challenge, as well as the grueling King of The Hammers.

Amber also coordinates a small event called Zukicon on the Rubicon, a 3-day trail ride that encourages Suzuki owners from all over North America to experience the legendary Rubicon Trail for themselves.

Amber had the opportunity to meet Jessie Combs in 2014 and says that “I wouldn’t have ever even considered entering the Every Man Challenge if it hadn’t been for her. So, if there’s ever doubt in your mind that you can’t do something, I want you to know that you absolutely can.”

Samurai Specs:

• 1988 Suzuki Samurai
• Stock Axles
• Stock Engine & Transmission
• 6.5:1 Gears In Stock Transfer Case
• Bilstein 5125 Shocks
• 31-Inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claw TTC Tires
• Free Aluminum Wheels
• Beard Seat

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/daburrs/

https://www.facebook.com/TwoStoneRacing/

More Photos:

Click the photos to enlarge.

This awesome Samurai was built by Joshua Hardy and competed in the 2014 Top Truck Challenge.

The first Four Wheeler Top Truck Challenge took place in 1993, and the event, also called TTC, was held annually at the Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area near Hollister, California. The last Top Truck Challenge was held in June, 2015. The original concept was to test the engineering capabilities of 4×4 vehicles, and it remained that way through its 23-year history, inviting readers “who own ‘the world’s best four wheeler’ to put up or shut up.

Joshua built the rig’s frame using 2×4-inch steel tubing, and the rig has a 121-inch wheelbase. He also built the exocage with the support of House of Diesel owner Chris Smith. Joshua reports he used 160 feet of DOM tubing to construct the exocage. One of the many unique features of the rig is a trick mounting system that allows a cradle-mounted winch to be mounted on the front of the rig at the same time as the permanently mounted 8,000-pound front winch. The result is that Joshua has an easily accessible backup winch. A set of 46-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claw TTC tires are mounted to homebuilt 20×11 beadlock wheels. Joshua procured the Hunter Green paint from his local hardware store and painted the rig himself.

Keeping with his low-buck, do-it-yourself theme, Joshua installed a “swap meet” three-spoke steering wheel with quick release, a custom center console (with help from friend Jared Bishop), and some O’Reilly gauges. Interior door panels? Don’t need ‘em. Steering column cover? Nope. The cargo area of the rig holds a variety of things including the battery, a Kenwood head unit, Jensen speakers, Off Road Recovery-supplied recovery rope, and a compressed air tank that is charged by a converted engine-driven A/C compressor.

Nestled under the hood is a TBI Chevy 350ci V-8 with a Comp Cams camshaft. A custom air intake helps the engine inhale freely, and a pair of headers feeding a single exhaust (bent by Hollister Muffler) helps the engine exhale. A Griffin radiator with three electric fans (two pull and one pushes) keep the powerplant cool most of the time (more on that next month). Joshua used a wiring harness from a 1989 Chevy 1500 and a Caterpillar battery to handle electrical duties. Power is transferred through a TH400 transmission with custom valving. The tranny is helped by a custom cooler with electric fan and a Pontiac Firebird shifter to select gearing.

The rig’s 3.8:1 Atlas T-case is well protected by a custom skidplate, and power is carried to the axles via a pair of South Bay Driveline-made driveshafts. Out back is a 2-1/2 ton Rockwell axle and it sports a Mudpro Metalworks Mohawk pan, welded spider gears, and a pinion brake that uses the same components as the front brake. The rear suspension links are made from DOM tubing and each link is fitted with a pair of spherical rod ends. Knight Stalker 18-inch-travel remote-reservoir nitrogen shocks and 4-inch-travel F-O-A 2.5 bumpstops round out the suspension mods.

A beefy Rockwell 2-1/2 ton axle resides up front and sports a Mudpro Metalworks Mohawk pan, hardened axleshafts, and welded spider gears. Braking is handled by a pinion brake that includes a Mazda rotor, Toyota caliper, custom Rossie’s-bent brake lines, and Mudpro Metalworks Horseshoe pinion brake bracket. The pinion brake is protected by a custom three-point cage that is welded to the axlehousing. Joshua fabbed up the steering system and it includes a Mudpro Metalworks steering reinforcement kit, Trail-Gear double-ended ram and hoses, orbiter valve “from an old forklift,” custom cooler, and a large-capacity reservoir. The front suspension began life as a Trail-Gear three-link system, but Joshua converted it to a four-link system, and it has mostly Trail-Gear spherical rod ends. Other suspension components include 18-inch-travel F-O-A remote-reservoir coilovers and 4-inch-travel F-O-A 2.5 bumpstops. A center-mounted chain and a pair of limit straps are used to control suspension downtravel.

The Details:

Owner: Joshua Hardy/Hollister, California
Vehicle model: 1988 Suzuki Samurai
Engine: Chevy 350ci V-8
Transmission: TH400
Transfer case(s): Advance Adapters Atlas II, 3.8:1
Suspension (f/r): Four-link, F-O-A 18-in-travel remote-reservoir coilovers, 4-in-travel F-O-A 2.5 bumpstops, limit straps/four-link, Knight Stalker remote-reservoir nitrogen shocks, 4-in-travel F-O-A 2.5 bumpstops
Axles (f/r): 2-1/2 ton Rockwell, Mudpro Metalworks Mohawk pan and steering reinforcement kit, welded spider gears/2-1/2 ton Rockwell, Mudpro Metalworks Mohawk pan, welded spider gears
Axle ratio: 6.72:1
Wheels: 20×11 homebuilt beadlock
Tires: 19.5/46-20LT Mickey Thompson Baja Claw

Photos:

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After Mike Harris first bought this Suzuki Samurai, he discovered that it had a dark secret. “It looked perfect when I bought it,” Mike recalls. “People kept saying how nice and clean and rust-free it was. But then I started doing a lot of off-roading, and I was finding that every time I took it off-road I was leaving bits of it behind!”

As it turned out, Mike’s Samurai wasn’t as rust free as he thought. Someone had done a lot of bodywork on it, and the body was loaded with body filler. Mike continued modifying the Sami for a while, but finally decided that he had to deal with the rust issue. Mike collected the replacement panels that he would need, and then had the Samurai blasted to remove all of the rust and filler. Mike said that lumps were coming out all over the place from the process.

What he got back looked pretty hair-raising. But however crinkly, hole-shot or just plain not there it was, at least it was made of metal, not filler. And so, two years after he first bought the Suzuki, the project could really begin.

Obviously, it started with welding. Lots and lots and lots of endless, soul-destroying welding of the sort that would make a grown man cry. Mike was barely out of school at this point, so you’ve got to hand it to him for not giving up. “Fortunately, I hadn’t discovered beer and women by that point!” he says now…

Mike buys and sells bits from old Suzuki’s as a sideline, but even then it took a while to come by everything he needed. Still, the end result was a vehicle that combines the shell, chassis and rear door of the original, with the front end, doors, hood, fuel tank, wheel arches, grille and dashboard from a 1995 Samurai. Sorted. All he had to do now was, er, paint it.

When it came to building it back up, he had a plan. A plan involving some real lift, stacks of travel, and axles that weren’t going to put up the white flag on the first rough trail.

Mike lucked out on a set of Interco Boggers that he found on ebay.

This build may have been done at home in Mike’s spare time, but this was by no means a cheap build.

You don’t stuff your axles with Lock-Rights and 26-spline Rock Assault chromoly halfshafts and CVs without putting your hand in your pocket, for example, and nor do you come back from Rob Storr’s with a high-steer kit and fully floating back end conversion.

Further extreme shopping yielded axle trusses, diff guards and SPOA saddles from Off Road Armoury, a Muddy Zook adaptor plate for the 16-valve Vitara engine Mike was using, a Rockwatt Rock Bucket, Trail Gear Bone Shackles and Missing Links for the front suspension and a Granite Bashers DIY front bumper kit.

Mike went through various phases of trying to decide how he wanted the bumper to look, before cutting off a lot of metal in the upper part of it and trying to line it up visually with the roll cage. He went through a lot of cable ties during this part of his life, but finally got it the way he wanted and was able to move on to details like getting the engine to run.

Mike swapped in a Vitara engine, but had to spend hours of endless painstaking fault tracing to get the engine to stay running. Afterwards, his faith in multi-point systems was pretty much shot. ‘Far too complicated! Give me something simple any day…’.

Another teeth-gnashing moment came courtesy of the Toyota Land Cruiser driveshafts he was modifying to work with the Suzuki transmission and axles. “I’ve got SJ axles, so of course I had some SJ differential flanges machined up to fit the driveshafts. But then I remembered that I’m running Vitara differentials! The thread pitch on the splines is different, so the whole job had to get done again.”

This counts as nothing more than one of those ‘doh!’ moments that happen to us all from time to time, but it does point up an important truth about projects like this.

“Everything you work on is different,” explains Mike. “That’s what happens when you modify everything, of course. All the silly little things that would take a few minutes if it was all standard take hours instead. Mounting the power steering reservoir, for example – that ended up taking me an hour and a half!”

This perhaps begins to illustrate why the build took so long, but in truth that was really because Mike was only ever able to do it in his spare time while things like going to college and earning the money to pay for it got in the way (they do that). There was an element of finding his way as he went along, too – not in terms of workshop skills, though he does say that when you’re faced with what he had to take on in the early days of the project, “you learn to weld pretty quick,” but with the details of the way the truck came together.

Overall, the Samurai turned out great, and will likely be an inspiration for others to follow.

Nice job Mike!

Photos:

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When you’ve looked at a lot of off-road Suzuki Samurai’s, it’s nice to see something that’s clean, polished, and in beautiful shape.

Here’s a beautiful 1988 Samurai for your viewing pleasure. It might not be a practical trail rig, but I bet it would be fun to cruise around town in on a Saturday night!

Specifications:

• Two time World of Wheels winner
• Built by Keith Boeldt, Sr. who owned it for 20 years
• 5 years, over 1,000 hours and $30,000 for the build
• Chevy 350/400 HP small block engine
• Keith Black Hypereutectic, harden push rod and main cap
• Edelbrock Victor Jr. aluminum intake
• Holley double pumper carburetor
• Flowmaster mufflers
• Turbo 350 transmission
• Shift kit with B&M shifter
• Modified Dana 60 rear end
• Dana 44 front end
• Warn hubs & Detroit lockers
• Powder coated suspension
• Super Swamper tires
• Custom cowl hood
• KC lights and billet grille
• On board air compressor
• AM/FM/CD Pioneer sound system
• 40 channel CB radio
• High lift jack
• High torque mini starter
• Optima Yellow top battery
• Corvette centerflow exhaust manifold
• Amigo power steering box with GM pump

More Photos:

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A customer named Terry McGinnis started this project in 2009. It was purchased from the previous owner for $400 after it had an engine fire. Terry decided to create the ultimate rock crawler. Receipts show that this 1987 “Sammy” has had about $25,000 worth of parts and labor not including the cost of the engine. transmission. seats and tires. The suspension is a Trail-Tough Trail Slayer Kit that was purchased from Low Range Off-Road. The power train has been enhanced with a 2.0L Geo Tracker fuel injected engine. 3-speed automatic transmission and a Low Range Built 6.5 Samurai transfer case with a Trail-Tough rear driveline disconnect. ARB Air Lockers. front and rear in Toyota Axles. finish out the drive train modification.

The body has been fitted with a custom tube front clip. custom bolt in roll cage and PRP seats. Everything; roll cage. frame. front and rear axles. etc. have been fully powder coated in a chrome-­‐like silver color. The modified body has been painted with a custom blue paint.

Sadly. Terry died of colon cancer in 2010 and the project sat dormant. in a garage. until mid 2013 at which time his wife decided to sell it. Low Range Off-Road purchased the project to finish and sell.

This is a Competition ready rig if that’s what you want or it can just be your trail rig. Point it at any obstacle and you will not be disappointed.

This is an awesome rig!

Specifications:

• 2. 0L 1999 Tracker Engine (Base 127HP @ 6000 rpm) with OBD2 Connection
• Header type Exhaust Manifold with Heat Wrap
• 3 Speed Tracker Automatic Transmission with 15″ inch Rear mounted Heat Sync Cooler
• TT Automatic conversion kit
• Larger Tracker Brake Pedal
• 6. 5:1 Low Range Off-Road Built Samurai Transfercase
• Evil Twin – Twin Stick Conversion for 2 Wheel Drive Low and True Neutral
• Hi-Low and 2-4 Low Range Aluminum shifter knobs
• Calmini HD Tcase Cradle
• Trail Tough Rear Driveline Disconnect to allow “Front Digs”
• Warn 9. 0RC 9000 Competition Series Winch
• HD 1310 U-joint Drivelines
• Toyota Axle Housings Front and Rear with Diff Caps and Steering Stop Gussets
• Hi-Pinion Front 3RD with 5. 29 Trail-Creeper 5. 29 Gears and ARB Air Locker
• 4cyl Rear 3RD with 5. 29 Trail-Creeper 5. 29 Gears and ARB Air Locker
• ARB CKSA12 Air compressor
• Aluminum Single Core Oversized Radiator
• 13 inch Thermostatically Controlled Electric Fan w/ Dash mounted cutoff switch
• Sidekick Power Steering Gear Box tapped for Hydro Assist
• PSC 6″x1. 5” Hydro Assist Ram
• PSC Aluminum Power Steering Reservoir
• 15 inch Heat Sync Power Steering Cooler
• Grant 860 Satin Silver Steering wheel
• PRP “Roadster” Bucket seats
• Corbeau 3 inch 5 point Harnesses
• Blue Gauge Face covers with LED Light Conversion
• LED Front and Rear markers and blinkers
• LED short distance driving headlights
• LED long distance windshield mounted off road lights mounted on Sky windshield light brackets
• Optima Yellow Top Series Battery
• Low Range Off-Road ABS Interior Door Panels
• Low Range Off-Road Aluminum Inside and Outside Door Handles
• All New Door and Window Weather Stripping
• New side mirrors
• 37″ Goodyear MTR tires
• ProComp Aluminum Wheels with Custom Blue Powder-coated Suzuki “S” Rings
• Longfield 30 Spline Front Axle Shafts
• Rear Low Range Off-Road Disk brake kit
• Vented front rotors with V6 Calipers
• Trail Tough Trail-Slayer Coil Spring Suspension with 4 link rear. 3 link front
• Poly Windshield
• Low Range Windshield Wiper Brace
• Low Range Cowl Fresh Air Intake Scoop
• 10W LED Rock lights at each corner
• Blue LED Under Glow Strips
• Fully Custom Build Bolt in Roll Cage with Frame Tie-Ins
• Fully Custom Front Tube Clip
• Fastback Bikini Top
• Trail Tough Fiberglass Tub Cap
• Fully Custom Rear Luggage Rack
• 42” Hi-Lift Jack with Adjustable Aluminum Tube Mounts and Handle Keeper
• Fully Custom Bent “Boat Side” Sliders
• Subaru Upgrade Brake Master Cylinder
• Complete Frame. Links. Axles. and Cage was Fully Powder coated Satin Grey
• Body was Professionally Painted
• ZNO Billet Aluminum Removable Door Hinges
• Poly Body Mount Kit
• Stainless Steel Brake Lines
• DGI Steel Radio Box with 2 12V Power Sockets
• Sony Xplod CDX-GT56UIW w/ USB & AUX inputs. Detachable Face CD/MP3 Player
• Low Range Off-Road Adjustable Quick Removal Door Strap Kit
• Custom Switch Panel with Fan Cuttoff. Windshield Lights. Rock Lights. and Under glow Switches (still room for 2 more switches)

Measurements:

• Center Frame Height – 19. 5”
• Wheel Base – 100”
• Total Length – 136”
• Total Width – 70”
• Total Height – 74”
• Diff Clearance – 12”
• Tire Diameter – 36”
• Front Frame Height – 27. 75”

Photos:

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In the world of Suzuki Samurais, there isn’t a bigger name than Tim Hardy. He didn’t receive that title by building the most over-the-top ‘Zuks, but rather by taking moderately, and often cleverly, built-ones and doing amazing feats. He is known for showing us the first ‘virtual lift’ by fitting 35-inch tires on a Samurai by cutting and moving the wheel openings up higher on the body line. He has also been known to ‘cut’ his own gears in his shop at home using a standard cutoff wheel. He is also the one that first used a gear reduction driveshaft made from a forklift unit to drop his gear ratio from the transmission to the transfer case. He is likely one of the smartest and most inventive problem solvers on the planet, and a downright nice guy. He’s been a long-time Top Truck Challenge judge and continues to be a top-notch wheelman.

If you’ve seen any coverage of 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazines ‘Ultimate Adventure’, then you’ve likely seen this beat up red Samurai. In fact, Tim Hardy has been in the following Ultimate Adventures:

• 2004 – 1988 Red Suzuki Samurai
• 2005 – 1988 Red Suzuki Samurai
• 2006 – 1988 Red Suzuki Samurai
• 2007 – 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara
• 2008 – 1988 Red Suzuki Samurai
• 2009 – 1987 Blue Suzuki Samurai
• 2010 – 1988 Red Suzuki Samurai
• 2011 – 1987 Blue Suzuki Samurai
• 2012 – 1988 Red Suzuki Samurai
• 2013 – 1987 Blue Suzuki Samurai
• 2014 – 1988 Red Suzuki Samurai
• 2015 – 1988 Red Suzuki Samurai

But before the Ultimate Adventure, Tim participated in the 1995 Top Truck Challenge (TTC) in his Suzuki Samurai. He wowed judges and competitors alike with his 1987 Samurai and matching trailer, which made events like the Tank Trap and Mud Pit look easy. Tim went on to become a TTC judge.

According to Fourwheeler Magazine:

For Top Truck 1995, our third attempt to find the best 4x4s in the country, we had a late cancellation and needed to find a 10th contestant. Our feature editors had seen an amazing Samurai crawling the rock trails of the southwest and invited Tim Hardy to join our party. As far as Samurai builders go, it’s tough to top Tim.

Although the motor remains stock, Tim built his own 4.6:1 Rock Lobster transfer case and unique 3:1 underdrive that combined with the 5.12:1 axle gears to give him 90:1 gearing. Now, to the naked eye, the axles on Tim’s ride seem like stock Suzi parts. However, in an effort to create the ultimate in durability, Tim used everything from Mustang 5.0 axleshafts and Subaru Birfields to (and we’re not making this up) his own cable locker for both diffs to build his axles.

At the Engineering judging, we marveled at Tim’s front-wheel center caps that locked his hubs with one twist. They’re also waterproof. To get an idea of how meticulous Tim is with his buildups, consider that his front-axle skidplate is 53 pieces of aluminum welded together and polished on both sides.

A spring-over using a combination of Samurai springs and Nitro Cell shocks provide elevation for the 35-inch Yoko Mud Diggers.

Just in case you’re wondering, Tim towed that trailer (equipped with hydraulic disc brakes) through every event at TTC that year and ended up coming in Second Place overall.

When Tim built his Samurai it was a head of its time. Lower than most, wide for its size, and light. While guys continue to build over the top vehicles with Huge axles, Tim still hangs with guys in his Samurai with a Suzuki engine and axles. He’s been known to drive his Samurai great distances to wheel it, when others haul their rigs on trailers. If it breaks, he just fixes it and continues on. There’s no spot tight enough to phase Tim. Places that would scare a normal person to even walk through, are par for the course for the guru himself.

Probably the most impressive thing isn’t all the unique things he fabbed on his Samurai, even though he built parts well before companies offered them, but the fact that he has wheeled the red Samurai so hard for so many years, and he’s still wheeling it! How many people do you know that have taken such a basic rig and accumulated so many hard core trail miles, and continue to beat on it many years later. I mean, this guy built a hardcore Samurai and placed 2nd in the 1995 Top Truck Challenge. Where were you in 1995?

Tim Hardy’s Suzuki’s:

Red 1988 Suzuki Samurai:

Tires/Wheels: 35-inch BFG Krawlers/15-inch aluminum American Racing

Steering: Toyota steering box, S-link

Front suspension: Rear leaf springs, shackle reversal, 3-1/2 inch frame extension, narrowed track, moved 1-1/2 inches forward

Rear suspension: Quarter-eliptic leaves, moved 1-1/2 inches forward

Front drivetrain: Stock housing, Detroit EZ Locker, 5.12 (Sidekick) gears, LAC Birfields, Dutchman inner axles, Tim Hardy-made 26-spline outer shafts

Rear drivetrain: Sidekick center section, EZ Locker with Ford side gears, 31-spline Ford axles

Driveshafts: Custom 82AC Birfield with chromoly shaft

Tranny: Stock five-speed

Transfer case(s)/ratio(s)/other mods: 4:1 Hardy-made

Engine/Mods: 1.3L, match-ported carb, intake, and head

Bumpers/rails/rollcage: 1-1/2 inch and 2-inch 0.120-wall tube

Winch: Warn 5000

(Just how long has Tim wheeled this Samurai….)

Blue 1988 Suzuki Samurai

Engine: Stock

Transmission: 5-speed

Transfer Case: Stock with a custom low-range gearset

Axles: EZ Locker, 5.12 gears

Springs & Such: Spring-over with Rancho shocks

Tires & Wheels: 35-inch BFG M-Ts custom grooved on 15-inch aluminum wheels

Other: Custom Samurai trailer on 35’s that hauls enough spare parts to build an additional Samurai

2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara:

Engine: 2.5L V-6

Transmission: Factory five-speed

Transfer Case: Samurai 2.1 case mated to the factory case

Front Axle: Factory housing with modified stock air locker, 5.12 gears

Rear Axle: Factory with custom side gear and 31-spline axleshafts, Detroit EZ Locker, 5.12 gears

Steering: Factory

Suspension: Custom 5.5-inch lift

Tires & Wheels: 35-inch BFG Baja T/A on 15x10s

Other Stuff: Warn 6,000-pound winch, custom front bumper and sliders

A Few Notes on Past Parts:

Gears: Tim uses 5.12 Sidekick gears (common now, but pretty well revolutionary when he built his).

Rear Axle: The rear axle was made from a Sidekick center section that used Ford side gears and axle shafts from a Ford Mustang.

Front Axle: The front axle had Subaru Birfields, and Tim also used the Subaru Birfield joints on the driveshafts instead of U joints.

Cable Locker: Tim use to run his own custom built cable actuated locker

Underdrive: Tim Hardy used a 3:1 underdrive using a planetary set that took the place of the driveshaft between the transmission and transfer case. However, there was no way to shift it out, so he had to install it at the trail head and take it out before hitting the road again. The underdrive was basically made up from a planetary output from a forklift axle. Once installed, it basically gave you a lower crawling ratio similar to having a dual transfer case setup.

So, if you’re running a stock transfer case and 5.12 gears you get

1st Gear = 3.652
Stock X-Fer Case = 2.268
Stock Ring & Pinon = 5.12

Stock Samurai Low Range

3.652 x 2.268 x 5.12=50.11 final ratio

Samurai Low Range with Tim’s Under Drive = 3.1

3.652 x 3.1 x 2.268 x 5.12=131.46 final ratio. That’s a huge jump and enough gearing to turn those 35-inch tires on the trail.

(Tim Hardy – Suzuki Samurai Guru)

Video:

Here’s an interview with Tim Hardy….

Photos:

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Ready for winter?

You would be if you had this 1987 Suzuki Samurai on tracks! This Samurai has definitely proven itself in the Teton Mountains of Wyoming and the eastern Idaho area

The Samurai features Camoplast Tatou 4s tracks on custom mounts, and a Rocky Tops fiberglass top for winter time fun.

Power comes from a 1.6L engine swapped in with a Trail Tough conversion kit. The rear axle was upgraded to a Trail Tough heavy duty rear end, and the front and rear axles have upgraded gears and Detroit Lockers.

The rear axle was upgraded to disc brakes, and the front uses wilwood disc brakes and calipers.

The Samurai rides on a Rocky Road 6-inch suspension system that uses links and coils instead of leaf springs. When there’s no snow, the Samurai uses 33/15.50 Toyo Open Country MT’s on 15×10 ION aluminum alloy wheels.

Other bolt on’s include Trail Tough front and rear tubular bumpers, and a Thule roof rack with off-road lights.

Specifications:

• 1.6L engine swap
• 3-core radiator
• Power steering
• Trail Tough heavy duty rear axle
• Rear disc brakes
• Detroit Lockers
• Warn Hubs
• Camoplast Tatou 4s tracks / 33/15.50 Toyo Open Country MT’s on 15×10 ION aluminum alloy wheels
• Rocky Tops Fiberglass top
• Thule Rack and cargo basket
• Pioneer stereo system
• 100-amp alternator
• Tuffy locking security console
• Grant GT steering wheel
• Receiver mounted 10,000 lb winch

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