By the way , I guess I should mention that the caster angle on the front end is within stock specs.
This is critical when setting up an axle.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCOMSTANCES ROTATE THE FRONT AXLE away from the stock camber specs.
 The rear is a different story and is dependent on the style drive line one decides to use.
If running a Cardin joint drive line , pitch the pinion flange  up. If running a non Cardin drive line , keep the pinion flange and the output from the T-case parallel.
 I ran a non Cardin shaft for a couple of years with no bad vibes. I now , however , run a Toyota Cardin rear drive line in the wee beasty....

 It was now time to address the total lack of power that the 1300 Zuke motor is famous for.
After rebuilding not 1 but 2 1300 Samurai engines . The first stock and the second with a mild cam , flat top pistons and some creative port work . I was ready to experiment.
 Starting with the stock motor I swapped out the Hitachi carb with a Toyota 2 TC carb.
Ran the stock exhaust manifold and a 2" exhaust through a Flow Master.
 The engine ran great , the carb was flawless in every way. ( I highly recommend this conversion when running the 1300 ).
 I ran this set up for a couple of months using a 6.4:1 re geared T case and 33" tires.
I was less than pleased with the results.
 I then swapped in the second motor. Same carb , exhaust and gearing. Still not happy. But it was a distinct improvement.
 

 The problem wasn't just the lack of HP but mainly the lack of torque.
The damn little things just won't crawl.
 As is often stated " there is no replacement for displacement " or " go big or go home" as I like to say...( with in reason )........
 I decided that the 1300 had to go.
 Now, the Suzuki 1600 conversion that is so popular may be fine for most.
Not me.
The 1600 Zuke suffers from a stress cracking problem that I did not want anything to do with . And ( IMHO ) is still to small an engine.
I also didn't see the need for the added complexity and cost of an EFI motor.
Didn't want to ruin the balance of the rig by hanging a 600 lb V-6 under the hood.
 I decided a 2 liter was the perfect size for my needs.
 As I have zero experience with the Suzuki 2 liter , the Toyota is just to damn long and I am proficient at all things Datsun. The die was cast.....
 I opted for an L-20B Datsun engine.
Advantages are:
Iron block ( no stress cracks )
110 HP ( Stock ) and 112 lbs of torque.
5 main bearings ( larger bearings than a big block Chevy ).
 Legendary reliability.
And massive amounts of high performance parts availability and support.
 Plus the damn thing fits under the hood of a Samurai like a glove.

 As I am predictable I opted to build 2 L-20B's for this conversion.
The first is fairly stock.
Stock bottom end with an A-87 closed chambered head , stock L-20B cam,
a SSS 1800 cast iron header , mild porting , match box dizzy and a stock intake manifold with a  Holly economaster  5150 carburetor.

 The second motor is:
  30 over, flat top piston , heavily ported A 87 close chambered big valve head , 580 lift with 320 duration cam ,
Same SSS 1800 iron header (ported ), Mallory Dizzy , Cannon twin carb manifold with a pair of Dellorto 40mm DRLA carbs.
 
 For the tranny  I opted for a Datsun drop pan 4 speed. It's nearly bomb proof and the right length for the job.

I prepped the set up with a 260Z ( 2+2 ) clutch pack as it is the strongest factory clutch ever offered by Datsun.


 

 I'll get into the engine conversion and install later .
I have to go now.....

Am I jumping the gun on the story line... or have you ever run the .30 over engine?

Thanks for the reruns.  Yours is, most likely, my favorite Samurai build.

Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk

 Thanks for the responses and kind words guys .

Am I jumping the gun on the story line... or have you ever run the .30 over engine?

  I haven't seen the need to install the second motor yet.
It still sits crated in the back of the shop.
 If we get a bunch of snow this year I just might swap it in though . The added spool would be a blast...
More on that later...
 
 The install:
 The L-20B swap requires a motor mount conversion ( 1/4" x 2 x 4" flat bar ) hung from the stock Zuke motor mount
locations.
This dropped the engine down the  2" needed for clearance. I then was able to use the stock Datsun motor mounts.
 I then fabed up a transmission mount from a 1" x 1" x 3" block of UHMW.
The fit is perfect. Even the stock heater hose location is a direct fit.

Mating the transmission to the T-case is accomplished by running the rear yoke from the Zuke intermediate shaft
to a Datsun    tail shaft slip yoke.
This is made simple due to the fact that Datsun and Suzuki run the same U- joint.
 Alignment is critical here. Before finalizing the motor mount adapters ( finish welding ) make sure that your transmission and T-case are aligned perfectly.
 The shifter location will be 4" to the rear of the stock Zuke's , so the tunnel will need to be cut . and the T-case shifter will need to be bent to the rear 45 degrees.
I then fabed up a 6" longer shifter for the Datsun transmission . A new cover for the tunnel and the Tranny was in.

 The Datsun transmission uses a hydraulic clutch ( not a bad thing ) so ( I recommend ) the fire wall will need to be re-enforced!!!!!! Assk me why....
 This is pretty simple. A 12" x 6" x .250 aluminum plate sandwiched from the inside of the fire wall is what I used to re enforce the wall. 
I then modified the stock Zuke clutch arm to except the clevis from the Datsun master. Re installed the arm then transferred that location to the fire wall.
 A 1" hole saw was used to cut through the sandwiched fire wall then a couple of 1/4" holes for the studs mounted in the 1976 Datsun 620 master cylinder .
 I then fabed up a set of hard lines that run across the fire wall paralleling the stock brake lines.
The slave cylinder ( a 1972 Datsun 510 short cylinder ) was attached to this hard line with a stock Datsun 620 clutch soft line.

 (HIND SIGHT ) :
if I was to do this again I'd fab a new clutch arm from scratch. The Zuke arm is a bit week and is prone to bending . At some point I will be forced to do just that.

 

More:

 I then ran a direct drive 14" fan mated to a 1970 521 L-16 water pump.
By using this set up I was able to use the STOCK SAMURAI radiator........
 I simply dropped the radiator down 3" with a set of simple 1" angle iron brackets , modified the stock Zuke fan shroud to clear the big fan.
 She runs nice and cool all the time.
I should add that the stock oil filter location on the L-20B is less than desirable . I corrected this with a filter relocation kit from NAPA Auto Parts.
 This will also make adding an oil cooler very easy  if you should feel the need.

 This conversion is the bees knees. Tons of low end torque and ample top end hp.
I ended up swapping the stock geared t-case back into the rig as the new engine pulls the gears fine.
 The cold air intake was assembled from off the shelf parts found at O'reilly Auto Parts.
 The one glairing problem I had was that all three of my T-cases have bad speedo drive gears .
Rather than repair all of the T-cases I thought I'd kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
 Navigation and speedometer....

 Now back to a question asked earlier:
As the #1 engine has worked so well for the past 3 years I have not felt the need to swap it out for engine #2.
 I will say this though . When I do , it will require an extreme running gear upgrade.
The set up I am running now is IMHO stressing the axles as far as I dare.
 After grenading a set of mollies and a mini spool I dropped my tire size to 31" and went to a Spartan locker in the rear. It's just barely holding together.
 With this in mind I have prepped a new set of axles and T-case for the swap .
At some point in the future I am sure that they will find there way into the Zuke.
Dana super 30 high steer front axle with an OX locker - 4:27 gears , 50" .
Dana 44 rear , Ox locker , 4:27 gears , 50" .
Dana 20 divorced T-case with an Advanced Adapters terra low kit , twin sticked..
 For now all of this stuff is on the shelf.
I may build up a long wheelbase Samurai just to have a home for the running gear. Time will tell.

 Back to the build:

 I now was ready to address the rather poor brakes the Samurai is known for.
I think they were designed by a monkey.
 The Subaru Impreza big bore master cylinder ( if my memory serves me correctly ) the 1 1/8" was the obvious way to go.
 I coupled this to an adjustable proportioning valve ( mounted to the fire wall ) through all new lines.
The double line rear brake system was scraped in lue of a single line system with an in line check valve. Similar to a Chevrolet braking system.
 The brakes can now be bled easily and work flawlessly.

 I then upgraded the steering to power using a Side Kick pump and box.
I had to machine my own drop pitman arm to get the exact drop I needed.
 I have no pics of the pitman , but I will add them later.
I used engine #2 to pattern and fab the power steering pump mount.
While I was at it I also fabed a mount for the Toyota pump from an 85 Fore Runner.
 The problem ( not for me ) that one will run into with this system is the need for a "V" belt pulley on the pump.
I found that the stock serpentine pulley ( Suzuki ) has enough meet on the bone to re machine it into a "V" belt pulley. So that's what I did.

 It was then time to clean up the interior of the Zuke.
Replaced all of the inner panels with 1/8" aluminum. Replaced the seats with low back racing seats ( a mistake )
Added a nice stereo , a full set of mini gauges , a rear wiper system and rear defogger .

 I am overlooking a tone of things that were done to this Samurai .
The reality is that the only unmolested parts on this rig are the windows , the steering wheel and window cranks.
 If you want more in-depth details concerning any part of this build, please ask.

 Currently it sits on a new set of BFG KM2 MT's 31 x 10 x 15 , stock gears ,125 hp 150 fpt.
25 mpg ( average ) and has a little over 20,000 miles on the build.
 It is not only my DD but also my trail rig of choice. ( I do have options ).

 I hope you enjoyed this re write of an old build . If not ------ I'm sorry......
I will update as things progress.

 Just a few more