Looking for a Samurai-Questions

[Heady Expedition]

So I had a Jeep Cherokee XJ and a Land Rover Discovery, but I want something more economical and easy to work on. I think the Samurai is right way to go for that. I don't really know much about them. What should I look for when checking one out to buy? Good things? Bad things? Cost? Unmolested? Lifts? I want to eventually just have something to explore back roads and beaches with. 31" tires tops probably. This won't be for a full expedition, but will probably be a daily driver. Thanks!

[Bigfoot1963]

To run 31's on a Samurai, It has to be modified from stock quite extensively. 3 to 4 inches of lift, extended brake lines, extended drive lines, different rims with less offset, change in gearing, ect. Not to mention the ride in a Samurai isnt the greatest. They are great little rigs, but as a daily driver, I would look for something a bit longer and would take less modification to get you where you want to be. JMHO, btw, I own one, and to run 30's I had to do a lot of mods. I still need to regear it to be able to use 5th gear effectively.

[hks3sgte]

lovely cars. I would probably keep it stock.

[zukrider]

not totaly true. you can fit 31's with a virtual lift. but you do need offset wheels for a better track. for what you desire, i would go with 15x8 with 2.5" backspace rims. bout $260-300. for 31's, i love 4.9 t-case gears, which require a good cradle. $5-600 for gears, $190 for cradle. leave it open front and back, go with either a 3" spring under lift, or stock springs sprung over. or, and best ride by far, go with yj springs.

see this for SPOA http://www.zukikrawlers.com/showthread.php?t=174 this is a GREAT write up, and very identical to my typical budget lifted sami.

ive had 9 now, and built lots of different ways. EFI is a great upgrade. if you can find one with it stock, 90+, or already swapped in.

here is my last budget lift with 33-1050-15.
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[zukrider]

oh, and doors are over rated!

[sross]

If you live in a city like me and have to parallel park everywhere the Sami is a great car. I hate driving on the hi way though. The ome lift is a big improvement for the ride and 235/75's make it look and perform really well. Parts are cheap and it is super easy to work on. I have the engine out of mine while I rebuild engine #2 and miss driving it. I do have another car for when I have to leave town though.

[rxinhed]

One of my friends used an '87 Samurai as a work vehicle from 1988 to 2009, then was retired with 465,000 documented chassis miles on 3 engines and two transmissions. The reason for retirement was a bad cat, rotten floor boards, metal fatigue to the body sheetmetal (doors falling off), and the left rear spring eye had worn through.

Use of Tim's Sami ranged from highway to 'offroading' on earthwork / mass grading projects.

[rxinhed]

Try this one in the Expo classys:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...intop-for-sale

[CYi5]

One of my friends used an '87 Samurai as a work vehicle from 1988 to 2009, then was retired with 465,000 documented chassis miles on 3 engines and two transmissions. The reason for retirement was a bad cat, rotten floor boards, metal fatigue to the body sheetmetal (doors falling off), and the left rear spring eye had worn through.

Use of Tim's Sami ranged from highway to 'offroading' on earthwork / mass grading projects.

What kind of work uses a samurai as a fleet vehicle? lol...but really...serious question, i'm curious.

They are super easy vehicles to work on, you really can't get much simpler. I love the fact that I can pull the transmission using only my arms; components are that small and light. I would love to feel the ride differences between stock, OME, and YJ setups. Mine is a SPOA with YJ's and I still consider it rough, though everyone says it's the Cadillac of Suzuki suspensions.

[rxinhed]

When the housing industry was still good locally, our work included mass grading in valley and hillside settings. The observation and testing of earth fills occupied much time and put many miles on Tim's Sami over those 22 years.