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Starting a new project... pics

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Offline Digger

  • 1991
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  • 1996 Suzuki X-90 4X4
Starting a new project... pics
« on: September 17, 2005, 08:23:08 PM »
I'm starting a new project. I'm going to be trying to keep costs down(especially since I anit rich! ;)) and I'm going to try to keep track of the budget in case(miraculuosly) the budget is worthy of bragging about when I'm done. ;D

Here we go...

My neighbor came over to me a couple months ago and told me about an unloved, neglected 4 door kick that his wife's aunt owned. He said it was just falling apart in the woods next to their abandoned trailer. He said that she needed money and told him to sell it to the junkyard. The junkyard offered him $75 for it, so he thought he'd ask me if I was interested since it looked like a lot of the parts would interchange with my 2 door. I went up to look at it and this is what I saw:



It had 53k on the odometer and a 16 valve under the hood... The story goes that she bought it a few years ago, paid $5-6 grand for it, drove it for a couple years until the ECM went bad. They couldn't find an ECM for under $800, so they pushed it aside and ignored it. Then they moved away, leaving it behind. Some of the parts had been stripped off of it, like wheels, tires, battery, starter, alternator, belts, radio, speakers, etc... But I said sure, I'll give you $75 for it! ;D ;D ;D
« Last Edit: September 17, 2005, 08:30:25 PM by Digger »
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Had a cool sig pic till I changed the text... sigh...
90 Tracker: "Silver", 2" BL, 1-1/2" Coil Spacers, Strut mount flip, Calmini Header, Winch, 31" Swamper radials, Sold.
98 Suzuki X-90: Calmini 2" Sus, 1-1/4" whl spcrs, 2" Exhaust, Cobra Safari Bar, Neon, Sold.
96 Suzuki X-90: Mostly stock daily driver(for now)
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Offline explosivo

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Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2005, 08:28:29 PM »
Quote from: Digger on September 17, 2005, 08:23:08 PM
I'm starting a new project. I'm going to be trying to keep costs down(especially since I anit rich! ;)) and I'm going to try to keep track of the budget in case(miraculuosly) the budget is worthy of bragging about when I'm done. ;D
Gonna post pics?
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"Its a ZUKI thing. Doing more with less than less with more." -- HotRod
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Offline Digger

  • 1991
  • 1
  • Gender: Male
  • 1996 Suzuki X-90 4X4
Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2005, 08:43:41 PM »
Sorry, I accidentally hit post reply before I was finished! LOL! :-[

Anyways, I called my friend up and he brought down the tow dolly and a set of stock rims/tires from his sammy and I temporarily borrowed the lug nuts and brake drum nuts from Silver and we went and picked it up. With a little wipe-down during some rain, it didn't look half-bad:



My original plan was to use some of the parts myself and part out the rest. While this was underway, the rear hatch was sold as well as the engine and various other pieces here and there. Then it sat like this for a few days:

(I still have the front clip minus the headlights, it was just removed to facilitate the engine removal)

Terminal rust cancer and damage to the Goblin's frame presented itself during the very next trail ride, and a plan was hatched to save Goblin's life! The more we looked at the frame of the Goblin, the more it became clear that repairing it would be more work than modifying the 4 door's frame. Out came the wrenches again and within an hour we were up to this:

(nice body hoist, huh? ;))



We rolled the frame over next to the Goblin to compare it:

This one shows the difference in wheelbase:
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Had a cool sig pic till I changed the text... sigh...
90 Tracker: "Silver", 2" BL, 1-1/2" Coil Spacers, Strut mount flip, Calmini Header, Winch, 31" Swamper radials, Sold.
98 Suzuki X-90: Calmini 2" Sus, 1-1/4" whl spcrs, 2" Exhaust, Cobra Safari Bar, Neon, Sold.
96 Suzuki X-90: Mostly stock daily driver(for now)
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Offline Dihnekis

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Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2005, 08:51:11 PM »
Damn, I wish I could find someone to sell me a dead trackick for $75, would make getting a hold of a tranny and tcase a lot easier.
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1988 Suzuki Samurai

31" BFGs, SPOA, 5.14 Calmini Tcase gears, DOM cage, rock sliders, spidertrax wheels

1.6L, header, and 2" flowmaster exhaust coming soon
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Offline locjaw

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Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2005, 09:03:01 PM »
please tell me you are going to leave the long wheelbase and make a 2 dr long wheel base, cause that would be BITCHIN ;)
jason
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1995 Sidekick SAS'd "Trail Slayer"
1993 4 door lifted "Road Warrior"
1995 4 door stocker "CreamPuff"
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Offline Digger

  • 1991
  • 1
  • Gender: Male
  • 1996 Suzuki X-90 4X4
Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2005, 09:06:31 PM »
Next we stripped the tranny, T-case, exhaust and fuel tank out of the frame and strapped it back onto the dolly for the trip to my feind's shop. Along the way a quick stop at a coin-op car wash got it nicely cleaned and ready for some work to be done to it. It was dark by this point, so no pics of the washed frame. The plan is to take this un-bent, un-damaged frame and while the body is off, reinforce it for offroading. Strengthening the strut towers and a-arm mounts as well as the rear lower control arm mounts and other places here and there like the idler arm mount and the front and rear crossmember/bulkheads...

While all of this was underway, I started comparing the overall condition of both the Goblin's body and the 4 door's body and it was evident that once we tried to remove the Goblin's body from it's frame, there wouldn't be much left to move to the new frame :-\. There were several rust holes in the floor, the rockers are pretty much gone as well as the metal below the tail lights and the sides have been pretty well crushed in. There's not a straight panel left on the entire trucklet except for maybe the top of the targa section! :P None of the doors close right, either. But one thing it's got going for it: the thing runs excellently! No smoke, doesn't use oil, gears shift smooth... So guess what engine and drivetrain I'm using for my project? ;) Anyways, the 4 door's body is in much better condition with a lot less rust. But I don't want a 4 door! ::) I like my 2 door soft top for running around in the woods! Oh well... something will just have to be done about that, but first the donor body must be stripped completely bare for minor rust repair and bedliner application. Ever see a completely empty 4 door before?



And now for a quick budget update. Total cost of the 4 door: $75. Total from sold parts so far: $450. So I'm actually $375 ahead right now and there's still a bunch of parts I wont be using that I can sell(like the tranny and T-case).

Well, that's where the project is at so far. I will add more pics as it progresses.  ;D :D ;) 8)

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Had a cool sig pic till I changed the text... sigh...
90 Tracker: "Silver", 2" BL, 1-1/2" Coil Spacers, Strut mount flip, Calmini Header, Winch, 31" Swamper radials, Sold.
98 Suzuki X-90: Calmini 2" Sus, 1-1/4" whl spcrs, 2" Exhaust, Cobra Safari Bar, Neon, Sold.
96 Suzuki X-90: Mostly stock daily driver(for now)
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Offline Digger

  • 1991
  • 1
  • Gender: Male
  • 1996 Suzuki X-90 4X4
Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2005, 09:16:06 PM »
Quote from: locjaw on September 17, 2005, 09:03:01 PM
please tell me you are going to leave the long wheelbase and make a 2 dr long wheel base, cause that would be BITCHIN ;)
jason

Hmmm... A Sidekick Unlimited, eh? Interesting... what other ideas does anybody have for this thing? It's up in the air right now. We have a sammy for parts, just bought an LJ and even have a Fiero in good condition we could play with, so we're not sure just what we're going to do yet, but whatever we decide, it will definately be one-of-a-kind! LOL! ;)
Logged
Had a cool sig pic till I changed the text... sigh...
90 Tracker: "Silver", 2" BL, 1-1/2" Coil Spacers, Strut mount flip, Calmini Header, Winch, 31" Swamper radials, Sold.
98 Suzuki X-90: Calmini 2" Sus, 1-1/4" whl spcrs, 2" Exhaust, Cobra Safari Bar, Neon, Sold.
96 Suzuki X-90: Mostly stock daily driver(for now)
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Offline Dihnekis

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Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2005, 09:25:08 PM »
Check your PMs!
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1988 Suzuki Samurai

31" BFGs, SPOA, 5.14 Calmini Tcase gears, DOM cage, rock sliders, spidertrax wheels

1.6L, header, and 2" flowmaster exhaust coming soon
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Offline ack

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Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2005, 09:48:42 PM »
How about welding the rear doors shut, cutting the roof off about 4 inches behind the front edge of the rear door down to the bottom of the windows?

A rollbar, a sheetmetal back wall, a fabbed tailgate and you have a longbed Kick PU! 

Or, cut off the back, install a cab wall, rollbar  and whatever else you want!

I drove my '96 Tracker two door on the interstate today for the first time after driving my '93 Sidekick 4-door for a month.  Wow! What an improved ride!  Imagine the bigger improvement with everything in the back gone...

Keep posting pics!
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Ack

'88 Samurai, '88.5 Samurai TT, '11 Ford Transit Connect XLT
Ack's FAQ  http://www.acksfaq.com
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Offline 1bigtracker

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Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2005, 09:59:27 PM »
ok, here iis what i've been planing on doing to one, i just haven't mesured it yet to see if it will work.

take the 4 door body, t=cut the solf top section off a 2 door body, put it in place of the rear section of the 4 door, the to finsh it off, take the top that goes over the drivers head and put that peace on also so you have a convertable 4 door!

but thats just me. ;D

Stu
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Offline Dihnekis

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Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2005, 10:01:04 PM »
Quote from: 1bigtracker on September 17, 2005, 09:59:27 PM
ok, here iis what i've been planing on doing to one, i just haven't mesured it yet to see if it will work.

take the 4 door body, t=cut the solf top section off a 2 door body, put it in place of the rear section of the 4 door, the to finsh it off, take the top that goes over the drivers head and put that peace on also so you have a convertable 4 door!

but thats just me. ;D

Stu

My head hurts just thinking about that.
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1988 Suzuki Samurai

31" BFGs, SPOA, 5.14 Calmini Tcase gears, DOM cage, rock sliders, spidertrax wheels

1.6L, header, and 2" flowmaster exhaust coming soon
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Offline Digger

  • 1991
  • 1
  • Gender: Male
  • 1996 Suzuki X-90 4X4
Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2005, 10:07:24 PM »
Sort of like a 4 door Amigo like thing, huh? :)
Logged
Had a cool sig pic till I changed the text... sigh...
90 Tracker: "Silver", 2" BL, 1-1/2" Coil Spacers, Strut mount flip, Calmini Header, Winch, 31" Swamper radials, Sold.
98 Suzuki X-90: Calmini 2" Sus, 1-1/4" whl spcrs, 2" Exhaust, Cobra Safari Bar, Neon, Sold.
96 Suzuki X-90: Mostly stock daily driver(for now)
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mudfkr

Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2005, 10:44:23 PM »
Your the kind of neighbor I need, at least we'd have a common interest and would complain about he amount of dead zooks in each others yard  ;D ;D ;D
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Offline whitfield

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Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2005, 03:07:21 AM »
Quote from: ack on September 17, 2005, 09:48:42 PM
How about welding the rear doors shut, cutting the roof off about 4 inches behind the front edge of the rear door down to the bottom of the windows?

A rollbar, a sheetmetal back wall, a fabbed tailgate and you have a longbed Kick PU! 

Keep posting pics!


Hey !   A Pick-up,   :o 

That's my ideia but use the factory 4-dr gate for the back wall, and use a conv gate for the back tail gate.   I'd trim the bed lines down lower then the window, I'd go to the line just above the door handles and lay sheetmetal over the door seams for a smooth body.   Leave the sheet metal just a few inches over the top bed wall body line.  Place some angle iron behind the line and hammer the sheet metal over to make the edge, Cap it with some diamond bed rail caps and line the inside with aluminum sheet or diamond aluminum.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2005, 03:21:08 AM by whitfield »
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Offline 1bigtracker

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Re: Starting a new project... pics
« Reply #14 on: September 18, 2005, 06:13:04 AM »
Quote from: Digger on September 17, 2005, 10:07:24 PM
Sort of like a 4 door Amigo like thing, huh? :)
well i drive my 4 door daily, and its my first street driven car/truck.  i have never driven a convertable daliy or even had one that the top sealed fully(2 door is a rollover, but its getter better right now) so i'm just not sure how i would like it.  its just an idea(among many others) floating around in my head.  but cut that thing up, i don't think i've ever seen one with the back cut off or anything, so you might be the first.(i'm talking 4 door, not weisles(sp) rig)

Stu
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