Hey everyone, this is my first post on the forum.  I have a 94 track that i four wheel pretty hard.  Its all stock except for some 235s on it.  I want to know if I should spend the money on buying bumpers, tires, lift, etc. even though my rig is not in that great condition.  For example, theres no rust on the body but its pretty banged up.  And it looks like the front of the frame where it attatches to the front bumper is rusting sorta bag but theres no holes.  Should i take the money and spend it for it or save it???

If she is running good and you are going to beat her through the woods. I'd say go for it!!!! You can always take all of your aftermarket parts off and put them on your next Sidekick 

I personally would start off with a rear locker then lift, then bumpers. Unless you frequently wheel alone and need a winch on a regular basis, then do the bunper and winch before the lift.

Zig

I'm with Zig on this one. Any $ you spend on it in parts can always be transfered to your next rig. Lifts can be done pretty cheap, search the forum, and there are lots of deals on stuff in the Garage sale area. Good Luck, and Welcome Aboard!

If you wheel hard and don't drop a buck or two, it's just a matter of time until you wish you had.

I don't wheel hard, but in my '96 I got stuck on a stout root sticking up out of the ground.  It was a shot in a million that I crested a rise just right to come down on it.  After trying to just power through it, only to pivot on in it and get nowhere, I found myself in a position where I couldn't even go backward without body damage (which I was a little concerned with at the time) due to a couple nice trees and the fact I was on a "difficult lie", as they'd say in golf.  My buddy couldn't even pull me forward with his built jeep.  Tough little root..

After using a comealong to pull my rear sideways and then backing off it, I could actually take a look at it.  1/2 inch extra clearance would have avoided the whole situation!  I immediately got me some spring spacers. 

But first I took an axe to the root.

I personally would start off with a rear locker then lift, then bumpers. Unless you frequently wheel alone and need a winch on a regular basis, then do the bunper and winch before the lift.

Zig

what exactly does the rear locker do?

A rear locker will drive both of your rear wheels at the same speed when you have the locker engaged. This means that it won't matter if one of your wheels is in the air or in slick mud, both wheels will always turn at the same speed when the diff is locked. This means you will have tons more traction.

If I were you, I would invest in these things in this order:

1) Skid plates because if you don't get this first you will regret it
2) 1.5-3" lift because Sidekicks lack serious ground clearance
3) 29-31" tires because lifted rigs don't look right without tires, plus you get more ground clearance
4)Rock rails if you think you need them...depends on the trails around your area and how hard you want to beat that Kick

A rear locker will drive both of your rear wheels at the same speed when you have the locker engaged. This means that it won't matter if one of your wheels is in the air or in slick mud, both wheels will always turn at the same speed when the diff is locked. This means you will have tons more traction.

If I were you, I would invest in these things in this order:

1) Skid plates because if you don't get this first you will regret it
2) 1.5-3" lift because Sidekicks lack serious ground clearance
3) 29-31" tires because lifted rigs don't look right without tires, plus you get more ground clearance
4)Rock rails if you think you need them...depends on the trails around your area and how hard you want to beat that Kick

All good, but if the budget's gonna stay tight for a couple years (the lifetime of a set of tires), I'd say go tires (instant clearance, and settle for 235/75/15s), skids, lift, rock rails.

My trucks both (the '96 and '03) came with skids but otherwise that's exactly the route I took.   Very pleased.

Look around the site, and zuwharrie.com , people do homemade body lifts, coil spacers ( even plywood ones and shopping cart wheel spacers ) they also sell tires and wheels cheap. Keep your eye on the for sale forums.

I was pretty overwhelmed at first.

After a couple months of reading many threads and asking questions I'm almost ready to start my build. You can spend very little if you are patient and read a lot of threads and do some of the work yourself. Buying good stuff slowly that you could transfer to another trackick is a good idea, or you could very cheaply mod the one you've got until finances allow for a nicer trackick. Some leave em beat up and paint them flat camo or black and take off the fenders and doors. I've seen it all on these sites. Don't have any experience with rust, I'm in Arizona.

Helpfull site for a Budget lift if ya don't have the green.
http://www.granitepath.com/~irving/suzuki/budgetbodylift/index.htm
This is from Nate and Heather Galvins budget lift page.
They have a Killer SAS 4dr