Spring is here which means i can wrench on the sammy again, it lasted the winter without breaking anything or having any problems, so i have money for upgrades    some specs for starters, right now its nearly stock, its set-up spoa with stock springs and shocks, 235's, a pony carb, accel ignition, calmini header, 2 1/4 exhaust,neon srt4 seats and a breeze high steer kit.
edit: Warn hubs and home made bumpers/rocker skids and a tank skid too. and driveshaft spacers when i did the spoa.

I know i want the rear end locked. I'm thinking a mini spool, its cheap, reliable, predictable and easy. It is my DD, although i usually ride my bike so it doesn't get driven everyday, And i can deal with power slides and i know how to keep my foot off the throttle...if i ever wanted to. I'm think im going to leave the front open for now, unless you guys convince me other wise.I am going to run my 25's till they are bald, then probably get some 31's.  opinions?

As far as suspension goes, Im Ok with the spoa, but i would like a bit smoother of a ride, I was tossing around the idea of going Spua with yj's. I believe i will have enough room for 31's with that set-up, using lifted yj's if i need to.  The current set-up is much taller than i need, I'd like to keep the COG low, and i don't intend on running bigger than 31's. the added flex would be nice too, although i usually mud/trail, i don't need lots of flex. I'm fairly confident that i can build my own kit Vs. buying one. The only catch is then i have the breeze high steer with i don't think i need, and i would loose a bit of ground clearance with the springs under the axle and it sitting lower.  i thought of shackle reverse, but i don't like the big hounds teeth in the front. Any thing i missed? other set-ups that might work better?

If i do go 31's, would 4:62 R/P out of a track/kick be the best way to go? my transfer case is getting fairly tired, so a rebuilt t-case with gears might be an idea, although it would cost more, Correct?

And lastly, i'm going to make my own interior, using some sheet plastic i found at princess. and probably outdoor carpet for the floor. What have you guys found that works well for insulation? It needs to be something that won't stay wet for long and won't get moldy, that's why the interior came out in the first place. I just want to retain a bit off heat and reduce some of the noise so i can hold a convo under 80 Km/h and listen to my radio. its a soft top, btw.

If there is anything i should do before any of this, tell me. thanks in advance.
i did search btw, but i didn't find much conclusive... im sort of a newb in this forum too...

pics fo' clicksssssss

Nice rig Luc, you should have no problem fitting 31"s under your rig as it is currently set up, except for the rear of fenders may need a little trimming, the added height of a 31" tire should smooth out the ride a bit so long as you dont inflate the tires to max specs.

As for gears, depends on your skill set, if you can do a gear swap yourself you could save some $$$ over a T/C that has been rebuilt and has lower gears installed. I think you have to modify the front TrackKick ring gear to fit your Sammi 3rd member, someone here can probably correct me. If I could do it all over again I would have done a 6.5 T/C and let it be at that.

As for a spool or locker, seems everyone has their own preference, I went with a Lock Right E-Z locker for mine and they work great, although they can pop and ping every so often. Again this is just my opinion and many will follow mine.

Good Luck
Norcal

For your interior I would go with a rhino lining style. Cleans easy and should insulate some.

A 5.8 might be low enough if your only going for 31" tires.  It also depends on how many hills you climb on a regular basis.  But if you still have snow on the ground, there are probably a few hills in your area. 

I agree with the Rhino/Herculiner for the interior.  Looks great, doesn't mold up.  For a normal road rig I would go with a Lockright over a Spool.  Simply to put less wear on your rear axle, dragging tires across dry pavement is going to eventually break an axle.

For a softer ride, the YJ is a great choice.  I have a Rear spring up front (RUF), and that alone changed the behavior completely.  You also shouldn't count out what a nice pair of shocks will do for the ride.  But it will never match an extended cab pickup, we just don't have the wheelbase. 

I live in wpg manitoba, famous for being flat and cold. haha

i guess a lockrite might be a better choice, but the idea of ti popping ratcheting and grinding and shit just kind of scares me. Bedliner may be an option, but for -35C days in the winter i don't think it will do much. maybe i'll do that with dynamat or some cheap rip off over top.