Hi all,

So I bought myself a Samurai.  I'm guessing I must be crazy as I have read about some awesome builds that all of you have done.  I guess the biggest reason is; my brother bought a new JK Unlimited Rubicon last year.  We took it to Moab to visit our Mom and Grandparents this summer, and I sure forgot how much fun it was to wheel.  My brother and I are over 40, but at very different places in our lives.  My three kids are: a freshman in college, a senior in HS and a junior in HS.  His kids are both younger than 5 years old.  So for me, I didn't want a $50k Jeep sitting in my garage that doesn't get driven much; thats how I landed on the Sami.

Here is how she sat when I brought her home and parked it in my third stall next to the wifes Lexus.




Here is the good so far:  It has a great looking front clip, a strong running motor and a decent looking dash.
The bad is basically some really crappy original seats, a lot of dings and dents in the doors and tub.  By the way, there was a really bad top that came with it.
The ugly is some rust in the rear floor boards, rust in the bed and some on the outer body.  I'm not even sure how much there is at this time.  Here are a couple of shots of the floor/bed after I have started the clean up:



So far I have pulled the seats out and replaced them.  I have also stripped out the carpet and thrown it away along with the top.  I have chipped all of the asphalt insulation off of the floor to assess the damage. 

I have also took the grill off and plastidipped it and replaced the headlights with Truck-lites new LED drop-ins.

I have also purchased new seats from Corbeau.  They are Moab reclining seats.  I have the fronts mounted.

I have a OME YJ Jeepeater SPUA lift coming from RR.  Once that is installed, I can fit the new wheels and tires.

I should have new Shrockworks bumpers sometime next month along with the tank skid plate.  I already have a new t-case going in soon with 6.5:1 gears and a Mighty Kong mount/skid.  Hi mounted rock sliders from RR are also on the way.

Before I get too far into the project, how much rust is too much to deal with?  Every time I find another spot where it looks questionable, I find my self dreaming of an aluminum tub.  Budget is unfortunatly a concern as I really wanted to cap the build at $6k.  Yeah, that has come and gone so I'm already above budget and I still have to buy a new top, and get some body work done.

It should be interesting. 

Rob

Could I get that "crappy" back seat,please,before you throw it out???Please?

It was a busy weekend with the Sami.  I got most of the dash out.  I'm trying to get down to the heater core so I can clean it up and then reassembly can start.


I have also been cleaning out all of the venting tubes for the HVAC system:


I worked on replacing the t-case this weekend.  I broke one t-case mount so I can't put it back togeather until I get a new one.  6.5:1 gears will just about compensate for my 32"MTR/k.


It has been over 20 years since I turned wrenches like this on anything.  I can tell you that for those of you that truly enjoy it, I think there is something wrong with you!  Just about every knuckle has the skin knocked off, I have cuts everywhere and I forgot how hard it was to get 20year old gunk out from under your nails.  Did I mention that I truely hate the smell of 80/90 weight oil?  Still, I did have some fun.  Every time I would actually figure something out was a good moment.  Breaking off bolts and stripping screw heads sucked.  Did Suzuki not understand that bolts would be better than screws for stuff?

My son is going to help me this week when he has some free time.  This should help speed things along.
Rob

Looking good Rob. OME Lift is going to be nice. Make sure you post some pics when you get it done.

Yes, I would like to see pics after OME lift, very interested in this setup!  Thanks and good luck!

Hi all,

New goodies got delivered today.  Rockrails and OME lifted YJ springs.  Let the fun begin!





Rob

Nice!  Cant wait to see how it looks lifted.  I have YJ lifted springs on my unit right now and it is REALLY tall. 

I'm doing SPUA so I hope that it isn't crazy tall.  I just want enough room to clear the tires on and off road.

Got most of the dash back in and the t-case/mighty kong are mounted up again. 

Rob

Hi all,

So, I got the starting issue fixed.  Thanks for all your help.  It was those two wires and my son and I just put the relay back in to test it and its all good.  Starts and runs like it used to.

I have the dash completly reasembled at this point.  Even the passanger side shelf  is back in place.


I put my new top on for a test.  I guess I will be needing it by the end of the week anyway.  Its suppose to get colder again toward the end of the week.  Its a Rampage top with tinted windows and all the windows zip off/out for just having the top on.  Here is a shot in the garage with it on.



So question for you guys.  I have Shrockworks bumpers on the way.  The rear bumper has the tire carrier, so I removed the stock one.  What to you guys do with the cut outs in the top for this?


I also have another question.  I got a replacement t-case from one of the vendors with 6.5 gears and updated output shaft already installed.  All I had to do was bolt it to the Kong and install it.  I purchased some 80/90 weight oil and pit in the case.  the manual said .8 US liters.  I may have put in a bit too much, but the bottle I had only had 946ML and I had some left, so it couldn't have been much.  It never ran out of anywhere, so I guess I'm good.  What I do have a question about is the gear noise.  This is crazy and can be heard at any speed over 25mph.  Cruising, accelerating and of course it changes pitch for deacceleration.  Is it normal to have some gear noise initially and then it will go away?  I don't think I could drive this on the Hwy for long before my ears would ring.

Here are a couple of pictures of the t-case and MightyKong installed.





Thanks,

Rob

I also for got to mention I have my windshield fold down kit on, new side mirrors, and new removable door straps.  Still working on tidying up the inside,  I hope to have the floors fixed and then lined with something before winter hits.  Its also nice to have a working heater again.  The switch was very dirty and after a god cleaning its all better.

Rpb

Looking good Rob,

How are you making out with the noisy tcase gears?

I was just going through your pics again and thought that I would turn you on to a couple of products I use to deaden the rust.

Ospho is what I use first. This can be wiped on and wiped back off to apply it. It neutralizes the rust and turns the area that was treated a lite gray color.This can be purchased at an auto paint store.

POR50 is a coat of rust prohibitory paint that I use over the Ospho after the cure time. Then you can prime and paint. This can be bought on ebay in the smaller pint cans since it is very hard to reuse the can once it has been opened.


Hope this helps

Terry

Thanks Terry.

I contacted the vendor and they are shipping out a new t-case for me.  It's crazy loud and they didn't even blink when I told them it was making dogs and old people on the sidewalks cover thier ears.

Thanks on the tips for rust.  I'm going to have a budy help me cut it out and weld in good metal.  Then I will make sure to cover everything I can. 

Still waiting on Shrockworks to get my bumpers done.  Ordered on the 13th of last month and haven't seen them yet.

Rob

Rob

Hold in there on the Shrockworks bumper they make some good stuff. It took a couple of months if I remember correctly to get my front one.

Word of advise when buying parts. When ordering your parts, just let them know that you will cancel the order if they don't give it to you when they say. Make sure that you get this conformation by email. This way they know they will have to get it to you on time.

Have had to do this a couple of times and my credit card company has no problem taking care of the dispute.

Sure would like to pull that tcase down to see what they forgot to put back in there to make that much noise. Seem to remember that you got the 6.5 gears. Maybe they didn't relieve the case enough. Glad that they are taking care of it for you.

Terry

Hi Guys,

I'm getting closer to being able to drive the Sami every day.  I'm just about finished with the lift.  Then I just need to take the old flares off and work on getting the Bushwackers on.  Sliders should be done at the same time.  The obligatory pictures for your amusement:





Rob