Hey guys - I burned up the clutch on my 88 Samurai last weekend.   I got a clutch kit (including pressure plate, throwout bearing, and clutch disc) along with a new flywheel.   I have been reading up on how to do everything the past couple of days and plan on attempting to do the work this weekend.   

The more I read up the more intimidated I get - I am just looking for any suggestions or tips that might help save me time and headaches.   

Thanks Guys!

I just pulled the full manual from IZOOK, man thats a sweet resource.

I have done a few clutches in a 87 Sammy,
My advice, Pull the engine & tranny hooked together out of the engine compartment with a "Cherry Picker" (shop engine hoist)
Change the Clutch,pressure plate, flywheel, pilot bearing, while it's still hanging on the hook. believe it or not IT"S EASIER to
get the tranny back on now, not in the confined space of the tranny tunnel.

A couple of short cuts,
remove fan clutch from water pump, rest in fan shroud,drop plastic tray under radiator, you can now see the 4 bolts that hold the radiator brkts to the frame (Chalk mark for reassembly), drain the radiator, disconnect radiator hoses at the engine, remove the 4 bolts, pull entire radiator, brkts and fan straight up & out.

Start disconnecting all other hoses & wiring at "Grouping Points" (think like a auto assembly line)
The thing that takes the most time, getting the exhaust flange bolts out. remove shift lever, 2 engine mount bolts,
rear tranny mount bolts, and it should be ready to come out.

Pix show my neighbor helping on the last clutch job.

There are to schools of thought here. Pulling the entire drive unit is definitely one of them.
 It will allow you the luxury of repairing any other deficiencies that your engine / tranny have while it is on the hook.
The Zuke motors are prone to oil leaks....I'm sure you allready knew that...Most are better addressed with the engine out of the rig.
 If all you are interested in is the clutch issue though .I'd just drop the tranny. It can be accomplished in about 3 hours by an accomplished wrench. The transmition is very light ( in comparison to most others)
 There is ample room to work. ( especially if your Zuke is lifted)
No hydraulic lines .
 Its probably the simplest clutch replacement one can do on a 4 wheeled vehicle.
We R&Rd the engine in my Zuke last night ( installed the spare so the main can get a hp injection) took 4 hours total. That's without pulling the tranny.
 Realize that I have done this many times on many different rigs. And have a well equipped shop.




 Don't be intimidated. Next to an older VW bug, it's one of the simplest vehicles ever made to work on....Boxcar

I liked the "Krylon Overhaul" on the spare engine, LOL

CAPT

I went with the underneath route, I have to say the most frustrating time was getting the starter bolts off.  I'll bet I spent 30 minutes cussing at them.  At least now I have the transmission off and can start the clutch repair and put everything back together.  Thanks for all your input guys.

Sorry Capt . NOT a crylon. But a 0 mile compleat rebuild. Flat tops / 30/30 cam / valves / heavy springs /10 under crank /  yota carb conversion. etc etc.
I just love Ford blue. Raw aluminum stains , I like a clean engine bay......Boxcar....

Make sure to check your rear main seal while you have everything off. It's a pretty easy to replace. Did you have to notch the rear transmission mount plate to get the trans out? Mine was a bitch to squeeze out so I now have a nice notch for future removals. and since the trans and x-fer case are out you might want to replace the seals in those also. They are relatively cheap and easy to replace.

Make sure to check your rear main seal while you have everything off. It's a pretty easy to replace. Did you have to notch the rear transmission mount plate to get the trans out? Mine was a bitch to squeeze out so I now have a nice notch for future removals. and since the trans and x-fer case are out you might want to replace the seals in those also. They are relatively cheap and easy to replace.

The rear seal looked good, but looking back I should have probably replaced it while it was out anyway.   I didn't have to notch the mount to remove the transmission.   

Just finished the whole project and it went pretty well i think.  I had the help of a good buddy, and some beer helped along the way too!
Thanks to all for your input.

Make sure to check your rear main seal while you have everything off. It's a pretty easy to replace. Did you have to notch the rear transmission mount plate to get the trans out? Mine was a bitch to squeeze out so I now have a nice notch for future removals. and since the trans and x-fer case are out you might want to replace the seals in those also. They are relatively cheap and easy to replace.

The rear seal looked good, but looking back I should have probably replaced it while it was out anyway.   I didn't have to notch the mount to remove the transmission.   

Just finished the whole project and it went pretty well i think.  I had the help of a good buddy, and some beer helped along the way too!
Thanks to all for your input.

Glad to hear you got it done, I just liked the thread because everyone's like "pull it all out", well I dis mine in the front yard last weekend on ramps and just disconnected the trans from the engine along with the transfer case, slid it back out of the way and so it there on my back in about 4 1/2 hours.