BUT I might go look at something tomorrow...

I randomly typed in "Suzuki" on Fresno Craigslist last night, considering I haven't been on in MONTHS, and this popped up: an 88 samurai with a decent looking lift, 5500lb winch and bumper, with a 1.6L 8v motor...for only $2500.  And the two pictures actually show it pretty decent.  Now I know I dont need another one...but damn that looks like an awesome deal...take a look and tell me what you think:
http://fresno.craigslist.org/cto/1264487340.html
My dad and I had 2 samurais a couple years back and never did anything with them, and sold them as-is just as we got them.  One was a 1987 Samurai Special Edition (grey with red stripes and logos), which I understsand now is actually pretty rare, and a 1988 Samurai.  The reason we sold them?  We wanted EFI and didn't want to do our own 1.6 swap.  So a few years later (this April) found my Tracker and got it cause it was EFI and 4x4 and a stick shift...the three main things we wanted.
Looks like this guy did all the hard work and a nice 1.6 swap in his Sammy.  Only $2500.  Damn.  I have no use for it but still want to get it!

heh.  yeah it looks alright....but I drive a Tracker, so I'm a tad biased.  =)  You already did a ton of work on yours....why don't ya use your money to keep working on it, instead of buying another one.  Then you'd have to start the process all over.


still waiting for pics too....   =P

That's the problem, samurai opens up a whole can o' worms.  I'm very happy with the tracker...only a few companies make a limited amount of upgrades for it, which keeps it fairly simple and low-cost.  A Samurai?  Damn, its a lot different.  1.3 or 1.6?  SPUA or SPOA?  GRS I or GRSII?  Fuel tank upgrade?  Seat upgrade?  Do you want 5:1 or 6:1 or 4.89:1 in the t-case?  The options are endless. 
I got my tracker cause it was EFI, manual, and 4x4 and was (is still) in excellent condition and very well maintained by a little old man who towed it behind his RV its whole 76k mile life (or 176k, if the odo rolled over). At least with the tracker I had a few major choices on the suspension, and I chose Calmini because they were the only company that offered a diff drop and redesigned a-arms and full strut, shock, and spring replacement, not to mention all those nice poly bushings everywhere!!!  And upgrades like the steering stabilizer and full skidplates (which I have too!), future upgrades such as the anvil housing, etc.  Samurai has too many possibilities.
On the other hand, it appears nicely built as-is, so it might be damn good functional as it sits.  But yeah I've invested a lot of time and $$$ in my tracker and loving how it is looking so far.  The time is the major investment...and makes it just the more worth it.  The little finishing touches that take so much time are the things that I notice most, like my interior dash panels and the switchboard, etc. since I like to take pride in my work, cause other people see my work, realize I can do stuff...then I can make some extra $$$ on the side doing stuff for other people and making it work and look nice as if it was my own rig.

Lindenmooch, I have a few pictures of my gauge panel in the topic "Help installing oil pressure gauge"
http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=25574.0
Feast your eyes 

man that panel is PIMP!  nice work mate!


I can understand what you're saying about the differences between the samurai and the track/kick.  Lot of options for those little suzuki boxes.  And not many for the Track/kicks.  But I never have any money for upgrades anyway, so the Tracker is just fine for me, hah.

Yeah and I'm loving it right now cause it's fairly simple.  I have put more time and money into this since I got it, than I have in my f/s chevy in the past two years!

Heya maybe someone can help me out here.
Once I get the Tracker driving again, I am going to hook up a winch, try out my lighting, etc etc etc and see how well the alternator performs.  First thing I am going to to, is take it to a local shop (Starr Rebuilders), since they can work wonders and might be able to boost my stock alternator instead of doing an alternator swap. 
Trail Tough makes a lower bracket only...so there's still some work to be done on my part.
Roadless Gear makes a kit...alternator, brackets, belt, pigtail: no guesswork.  This looks very good.
And I just found out Petroworks makes an alternator kit for the 1.6L 8v.  It's a 105amp kit using a newer Delco-Remy from a late model GM truck.  Cost is $250, kinda pricey.
Has anyone tried any of these kits?  Because if my local shop can't do much with my stock one, then a swap is the last option available.
Also, I was looking on Suzuki aftermarket websites for a clutch fan delete kit.  Petroworks sells a flex fan kit.  But ultimately, I want to find a heavy-duty radiator (aluminum?) for my Tracker, and use an electric fan, that way I eliminate the fan drag on the engine. 
Who has installed an electric fan?  I can't find a company that makes a specific kit for a Tracker, but haven't done the research yet with a universal kit.  Hopefully someone else has done this and can tell me what to look for.
Third, how easy is it to install an MSD-6 ignition system on a Tracker 1.6L 8v?  And is there a realistic gain from doing this? A coil is a simple plug-and-play upgrade, but I'm talking about the MSD ignition box system

still waiting for pics too....   =P

Ask and ye shall receive.  It was dark out by the time I remembered, but here's two teaser shots

it looks....brand new.   well....way better than brand new.  it's amazing all the attention to detail and the care you put into this thing.  flawless.

I'll take a few daylight pictures today, so you can see what i did.  As far as attention to detail, that's the most time consuming stuff, and what sets it apart from the rest...and makes me proud of the work I do. 
Like instead of just bolting on the Trail Tough bumpers and the lift, etc...I had the whole suspension stripped, so I rubberized the frame and wheelwellls with undercoating, and painted the front and rear sections of the frame black, since the tube bumpers let the frame show through.  Now everything you see behind the bumpers is all black instead of a dirty white.  I masked a straight line at the back, and painted where the old plastic bumper used to cover...I'll show a pic of this later but I wrapped the black paint around the back corner panels at the bottom.  Looks very nice behind that bumper.
I'll post some daylight pics soon

It looks good.  The back looks kind of empty without a tire hanging out there though. 

For the alternator, are you planning on running a bunch of extra lights?  If it is just for running the winch a good battery may be enough.  I use the stock alternator on my SJ-410 and don't have any problems running the 9000 lb winch on the front of it.

It will be a Warn M8000.  I've already got it for my other trucks, on a portable hitch mount, hence my need for front and rear receiver bumpers. 
Yes, a few sets of Wal-Mart lights.  I picked up 5 sets of 55w halogens.  Very rarely will ALL FIVE sets be on at once, but I want the capacity for it, still.  Mostly 3 to 4 sets will be on together.  All five if nobody is traveling behind me (backup lights).  I'm used to driving "lead" when my dad is towing our toyhauler in the mountains...since my half-ton chevy is smaller and I can warn people ahead that there is a trailer behind me.
The spare tire carrier I removed just a few days ago temporarily; my family and I kept bumping the wheel lugs and snagging our clothing on it in the driveway while I'm working on it.  It goes back on once it's driving again.

Looks good!  Are you going to repaint the loud Calmini parts black too?

Nope it's a pretty good powdercoating job so why change it?  Some people have been disappointed with Calmini apparently, but so far I haven't had a problem with them one bit.  They supplied a great product, I ordered through a distributor that allowed me to get it at a great price, and the few questions I have had to call Calmini's tech dept have been answered with respect and were very helpful.  So I, personally, at this point in time, like the company and the service I have received.
Besides, the tracker might not be white for too long... I sure do like OD green

Nope it's a pretty good powdercoating job so why change it?  Some people have been disappointed with Calmini apparently, but so far I haven't had a problem with them one bit.  They supplied a great product, I ordered through a distributor that allowed me to get it at a great price, and the few questions I have had to call Calmini's tech dept have been answered with respect and were very helpful.  So I, personally, at this point in time, like the company and the service I have received.
Besides, the tracker might not be white for too long... I sure do like OD green

Oh, I was just sure with all your attention to detail that you wouldn't leave such an unmatched look to it!  But if you like it, that's all that matters!

Oh, I was just sure with all your attention to detail that you wouldn't leave such an unmatched look to it!  But if you like it, that's all that matters!

Well if I was THAT obsessive-compulsive, then I'd have to paint my gold skidplates black too!  Those will be going on as soon as all the gear fluids are changed out.  Probably monday it is going into a shop to change the water pump and timing chain, flush coolant, flush brake system, change oil and filter and change the 4 gearbox oils.  General maintenance.  That way everything has "0" miles on it so I can keep track of maintenance