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Newb to Sidekicks

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Newb to Sidekicks
« on: January 03, 2011, 11:05:59 AM »
ok, I've built many Chevys into beasts, 1 ton K5 blazer, a 1 Ton Suburban etc etc.  I know about fullsize Chevys..........I'm getting a 92 or 93 4 door JLX Sidekick given to me and I think I want to build it.  I want to SAS it definetely but what axles are easiest to swap in?  I'm going to research this site heavily and read what I can.  What drivetrain will this sidekick I'm getting have in it?  is it coil sprung on front and rear?  Are the 1.6 motors tough?.  I know NOTHING about sidekicks.  I did mildly build a samurai and it was fun, but it already had solid axles on it, I DID not like the 1.3 motor however.

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Offline mike5721947

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Re: Newb to Sidekicks
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2011, 01:55:47 PM »
simple searches or even looking through forums work wonders.

but heres the info your wanting.

a front sami axle is the EASIEST to swap. BUT it needs wheel spacers to be the proper width to match the rear.

a SET of toyota axles is a bit harder as both front and rear have to be swapped and scavanged from vehicles (85 or pre front axle and usually 86 newer rear) although alot of suspension work is needed as your switching either the axles to coil suspension or sidekick to leafs

sidekicks are independent front suspension with a solid rear with all corners coil sprung

92 plus 4 door sidekicks should have the more powerful 1.6L 16V motor. these 1.6's are pretty strong, with limited power and torque they push these little rigs alot of places guys dont see possible. low gearing and high rpm makes up for the limited torque.

with a bit of work these sidekicks can really make you never want to go back to a fullsize rig. with less money, less work, and some good driving they WOOP the full sizes in alot of terrain (ive passed 3 full sizes on some muddy trail in my sidekick. and would have been keeping up with some 1 ton chevys on 40's if i had my mud tires and 3" lift at the time)
1990 Suzuki sidekick 2Dr Conv.
385,000 km and still going strong.
31" kumhos 3inchs of lift.

Re: Newb to Sidekicks
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2011, 02:56:15 PM »
I know the search function works but the only internet I have is at work so I dont have time to sit and search for hours piecing together the info I need.  Ona  side note thank you very much for the info, it is appreciated!!. :)

Re: Newb to Sidekicks
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2011, 03:06:00 PM »
Ok, so a sammi front axle would have to be geared to match my sidekick rear axle ratio.  I would also have to weld a coil bucket mount on the sammi axle if I wanted to keep coils in front(prefered). What coils should I run to achieve lift.........I'm guessing I can buy aftermarket lift coils or is there a coil from another stock vehicle that can be used to achieve lift?.  I want to run 33's and have NO PROBLEM busting out the Plasma cutter and sawzall.  I ran 42" swampers on my K5 with only 5" of lift.  Will a stock sidekick rear axle handle a 33" tire? I dont wanna run through shafts every trip?. 

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Offline mike5721947

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Re: Newb to Sidekicks
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2011, 05:15:12 PM »
the sami axles take 31's. you have to be nice to them with 33's
with the sidekick rear axle it is usually geared 5.12 you can swap the gears from the front sidekick axle into the samurai axles to get the gearing right.

if you want to go 33's and plan to wheel it hard go yota axles. almost all the SAS sidekicks run the larger toyota axles for the added beef.
1990 Suzuki sidekick 2Dr Conv.
385,000 km and still going strong.
31" kumhos 3inchs of lift.

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Offline Drone637

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Re: Newb to Sidekicks
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2011, 12:21:47 AM »
I'm with Mike, for 33-35" tires you should probably go straight to Toyota if you want to be able to bounce off things and not worry about breakage.  A little more work but if your not a stranger to a shop you should be able to put it in.

If you decide to stay pure Suzuki I would pick up some heavy duty front axles from Trail Tough for the Samurai axles.

The rear axles should handle 33" tires.  There is one guy who runs down in Johnson Valley with 35" tires, all stock hardware and lots of fender trimming.

What do you plan on using the Tracker for?
96 Geo Tracker, x-SJ-410,  x-White Rabbit, x-Project Trouble
Crawlers NorthWest
x-Trouble Racing