Hey everybody im Eddie from Delaware.  I used to have a tj wrangler with BDS long arm kit detroit locked rear and 33s about 13 years ago that i wheeled and played hard in.  Recently iv started looking into side by sides to use for a mix of hunting use plow duty and playing on the weekends.  But the price of these machines has kindof turned me off and it scares me to death to buy someone elses used junk.  So i have started looking into building a tracker.  The build would start slow with likely just a rear locker and wack the fenders enough to get some kind of tire under the little fella but eventually i would like to build a pretty nasty tube buggy.  I am a welder by trade so that part doesnt really scare me.  Is there any kind of long travel set up for the IFS that runs fox coil overs or something?  Im not a hard core rock crawler and most of my playing would be on fire roads and fast woods trails with the occasional trip to Hatfield and McCoy or similar.  I here there is a guy named Mike that has the front ifs figured out pretty good but havent been able to find any products or a way to contact him?  goal is to keep the buggy as close to 2000 lbs as i can and stay close to 60 inch width as i can and have a fun buggy i can ride fast paced trails and occasional rock duty without spending 20K.  Should i just ditch the ifs and do a sfa swap?  what year trackers should i be looking for?  i plan on running a 33" tire max so what gearing options do i have?  Thanks for your guys help and sorry for the long post.   

Need help fellas before i screw up and buy something i dont want.  Got a lead on a 01 tracker 4 door for 300 bucks.  Think it has a broke timing chain.  Can i make the ifs work in this or is it completely different than the first gens??  I noticed there arent near as many after market goodies for the second gen

I think you're going to need to spend a lot more time searching & reading.

An 01 Tracker can have one of three different engines, a 1.6 or 2.0 liter inline four, or a 2.5 liter V6, the 1.6 uses a timing belt, the 2.0 & 2.5 have timing chains, so you're looking at either the 2.0 or 2.5 - and you don't want to buy one with a broken timing chain, because the next thing you'll be doing is buying a replacement engine.  The IFS on a second gen is similar but not identical to that on a first gen, and you're correct, there are more modification options for the first gens.  I'm not aware of any long travel kits for the front end, I'm inclined to say it's not that easy to do with IFS, especially when you have

The Mike you're asking about is most likely Mike Hagen, I'm not aware that he offers any products, but most of his work is documented in these forums - use the search function and keyword hagen

Thanks for your help.  Iv been trying to find out as much as i can when i get the time to do research.  I know the motor is more than likely toast with the broken timing chain. Im sure at the very least theres some bent valves.  Doesnt really bother me too much as i was kindof planning to do a motor swap eventually anyway. But i think im going to go a different route entirely now.  Theres a serious lack of first gen trackers for sale around me and the ones that are for sale ar a couple grand to high in my opinion or they are wrecked parts vehicles.  Plenty of second gens though.  I think im gonna save myself the headache and just buy a rzr lol