88 Suzuki Samurai Build 5//11

[ExpeditionBound]

New member to Expedition Portal. Been waiting couple years for a worthy rig to post, i've had a couple trucks and 4x4 van but all were vehicles I built and sold.
Bought a samurai while ago..been chipping away at the build since late February.
My build is kinda all over the map...but as the pics progress hopefully u can follow.
Anyhow here goes the pics kinda narrated.

This is when we first fell in love.

I had to ditch the stock steering stabilizer setup. The death wobble and wandering was no good for 40 mile a day 6 days a week.
Not my pic but comparison of stock to aftermarket.

Calmini Drop Pitman Arm and Steering Stabilizer Upgrade. No more death wobble!!!:ylsmoke: Please disregard the upside down sticker.

Lights were in order as im afraid of logging roads in the dark. Calmini light tabs and ProComp 8" 100watt spots.
FYI...suzuki put directional windshield mount screws...8 hour removal project. Not cool.

 

[ExpeditionBound]

So I had a StowMaster 5000 tow behind setup on front of samurai.

I drive 40 miles round trip 6 days a week.
All together the removable tow bar and frame mounted bumper was making me the SlowMaster (haha).
All together the setup weighed roughy 80lbs.

I put a craigslist ad looking for a fabricator to build me a bumper. Being very weight conscious i couldnt find any bumpers that suited my needs.

My sami is built for 80% daily driver and 15% logging roads and 5% gnarly trails. I dont need a 70lb 1/4 inch steel bumper to hit rocks 10mph with.

I got a response from Wes, an offroad fabricator out of Rochester, Wa...so I met up with him at his shop and was immediately blown away by his fab work.
Beautiful YJs 4 linked with coilovers!
Exo caged turbo toyota tacoma, linked, coiled and ready for BIG rocks!
It was like an amusement park i must say.

I gave him my basic vision of what i was looking for and dropped the samurai off for a makeover.

Most important things i wanted in a new bumper were LIGHTWEIGHT, grill protection, compatible with branch guide-wires and roof rack, winch ready, and LIGHTWEIGHT
So a couple days later i threw my stock bumper to the wind and left my sami in Wes' hands.

I bought a Superwinch Terra 45 series with sythetic rope that i left with my rig. He fabbed up a super trick winch mount and cradle on his magic CAD/Plasma Table.

The winch mounted up like a dream.

 

[ExpeditionBound]

The pics are of my garage by the way. NOT his magical domain comparable to Narnia.
The bumper came out looking like something better than i could ever describe.

Wes talked me into building the bumper into a 2 piece setup.
Keeping the winch and bumper shell seperate would make working on front end way less tricky not having a winch attached to bumper.
In 5 minutes the shell can be pulled off if need be. Leaving the winch wired up and mounted.

I opted to paint it myself tho and was giddy and couldnt wait to mount it up.

 

[ExpeditionBound]

Ever since Ive been reading through countless build threads and magazines I have seen guys flex testing their trucks with forklifts.
With a brand new fork lift at work an after work flex test session was a check on my to-do-list

Not too shabby for stock springs and 30 inch tires.

Not much compared to my buddys TJ with 2.5" lift and 33s.

So wrapping up the build on mostly the front end of the samurai I took it on a little trip to the backyard in capital forest on Weds 5/4/11
More pics will follow of day trips that went on while building since Feb.

Trail-side fire with beer and brats. Dog is enjoying a delicious pig ear.

Great pic of Mt. Rainier in the Distance while heading back to town and another week slaving away at the salt mine :victory:

 

[Bigfoot1963]

Nice build, I need to find a hardtop For my '86. Really like that bumper.

 

[theicecreampeople]

looks great ,the bumper rocks ...love these things ..when i was younger we took my buddies everywhere ,i mean everywhere ..once we got stuck in soft sand ,a few of us just picked it up ..lol..very cool rig

 

[Sebas]

Your Sami looks great and very clean! :smiley_drive:

do you have a more shots of the rear window?? mine is broken and need ideas

:sombrero:


Greetings

 

[ExpeditionBound]

Last night i threw 2 more lights on the front of samurai.
Pair of 5 inch ProComp 55 watt lights that I will keep the covers off at all times.

Washington state you can only have 2 spotlights with covers off if they are below the windshield.

I usually put low watt spots on the front bumper due to:
rocks,
inexpensive to replace at $20ish each,
if youre cruising backcountry roads with them on and come around corner and meet a car they wont think theyre being abducted and swerve into the light.

I ran into a major snag putting the second light on.
Dead drill and no charger!!! I couldnt stand not completing project so dug around wire scrap box and built this.

10ft of cord will reach pretty far if i need a trail drill or another driver does. I used some mini clamps for battery terminals that i can extend another 10ft with my jumper cables.

Success! 2 more lights to help with my "feeeaarrrr of the dark!!" Bruce Dickinson knows what im talkin aboutl

 

[ExpeditionBound]

Your Sami looks great and very clean! :smiley_drive:

do you have a more shots of the rear window?? mine is broken and need ideas

:sombrero:


Greetings

Bummer. I could take some pics sometime...
So your back window is broken or whole hatch?
If its window...make a pattern and buy some lexan or poly and pop rivit it together.
Kinda case by case dilemma.

 

[Sebas]

Bummer. I could take some pics sometime...
So your back window is broken or whole hatch?
If its window...make a pattern and buy some lexan or poly and pop rivit it together.
Kinda case by case dilemma.

thanks, my rear window broken before i buying the sami, and have a "homemade" rear windows and was not very well...

 

[ExpeditionBound]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

Again, the build stretches from February to May im just now finding the pictures.

All my offroad and driving experience has led me to be a strong believer in airing down. A couple pounds of air can get you up the trail or be the fail.

4/9/11
I bought a SmittyBuilt 12v air compressor for under $100. Its 150psi rated and should work fine without a tank for up to 35 inch tires.
I mounted it on drivers side fenderwell and hardwired it to the battery terminals.

The air down test worked great. I think it claimed to be able to air a 33" tire from 15psi to 25psi in 2 minutes, but i've only been able to do my 30" tires in 4 mins each.
33x10.50 Toyo MTs take even longer.

Overall this is the most useful addition to my tool kit.
I appreciate but rarely use my Winch, Snatch Block, Axe, Shovel, Lights...But I use air almost every day trip.

This pic is upside down sorry.

I run 25psi on highway everyday, when i reach gravel on backroads i immediately air down to 15psi. Worlds of difference!

 

[ExpeditionBound]

After installing the air compressor a day trip was in order.

4/16/11
The Olympic National Forest is fairly close to home. So we loaded up and headed for the hills to find some April snow.

Roughly 3 hour drive till we hit the snowline at around 1500ft

The struggle through deep soft snow began at around 2200ft.

Aired down to 12psi. Pushed ahead alternating vehicles to plow the way.
My buddy's TJ on 33x11.50 Toyo MTs was a powerhouse compared to my Sami but the struggle was shared.

The snow was the heaviest slush snow i've seen in a while.
In washington the term "Cascade Concrete" floats around as the term for type of snow we get here.

We struggle for hour or so through the snow and finally bailed on that side of the mountain.
We took another road and to the South side of the mountain I believe called Rock Peak.
More success on this side.

A great reward to an early morning battle with deep snow and hungry stomaches.

 

[ExpeditionBound]

On the way down the mountain we ran into this herd of Roosevelt Elk. The lead cow led the troops across the snow melt of the Skokomish River.

 

[sross]

I like that bumper a lot. I'm kind of regretting not getting the grill guard set up with mine...

 

[ExpeditionBound]

I like that bumper a lot. I'm kind of regretting not getting the grill guard set up with mine...

I hear ya. Theres still time to add guards. They just saved my butt today!

I just got back from a cruise in Capital Forest..Lots of logging road cruising.
Found some decommissioned forest roads from the 1970s. Alder trees growing everywhere in the center of the old road, the sides, etc.
The quads did a great job weaving the trees but it was a brutal labyrinth for the samurai.

I put the bumper to the test in some tight spots bouncing off some alders.
I also tested the winch out today! Popped my sythetic rope cherry!

During the decommission of these roads they also removed all bridges and culverts. It was a 4 mile trail that the quads had been eating up but big enough for a samurai or jeep.

Some pics of the cruise.