You need to define "killing" with the Track/Kick
market, selling ohh lets see make up some #s
lets say 100 kits/year, and then you develop a
kit for a Ford F-150 that sells like 10,000 kits/year
No wonder nobody main stream, like Rancho, or
Fab-Tech or whatever, makes Track/Kick kits, there
just isn't the big money in it to justify tyeing up a line
or a few workers to produce, when the same workers
can help keep up with demand for the Ford/Chevy/Dodge
crowd, who willingly drop 10,000 grand into a $40,000
truck and are happy to look b!tchen doing it
The only people that are willing to stick their necks
out are the diehards like us, Eric for one has to be the
best friend Suzuki ever had, he puts time, energy and
Lord knows how much money he throws at this web
site, server costs, even the bandwidth is expensive
if you get into it, and he does this for the sport, puts
on the ZW feed in Moab, gives away stickers and stuff
Total Thanks to Eric and the diehard people that keep
this section of the sport alive, I scoured the net before
I found a home to read and share ideas with other like
minded people like myself, Thanks to Eric, I have a new
group of friends
Thank's Again to Eric,
God Speed The Evil Seed
Wild
PARTS FROM VENDOR:
1. links 3 0r 4 link
2. steering linkage ,upper, with one joint for steeringbox drop pitman arm say 3"
3. slip yoke elminators ( or recomend an easy t-case swap)
4. coilsprings and mounting purches ,ready to weld and use  stock springs or calmini 3" lift springs
5. should clear 35" to 38" tires
6. detaled instructions for the axle u choose should be atleast 3 axles that will fit by adjusting rim backspacing
7. OPTIONAL: to adjust track length
PARTS FROM US:
1. axle CJ dana 30, toyota, old Ford Rnager, Bronco 60's modle dana 44
2. coilovers my be an option $$$
3. drive shafts C.V. would be a good idea
4. joint from upper steering link to axle
5. rims and tires
oh what about the rear new links for the rear and atleast 5"s of lift
the only axle that has a close enough gear ratio is a toyota you can have the rest custome cut but that runs from $275 to $500
Check out this link. Here is what you would like Calmini to build for less than $2500. This is a Jeep kit that Full traction cannot keep in stock. [url]http://full-traction.com/detail.php?MODELID=3&MAKEID=1&TYPEID=1&PRODUCTID=86&NOTES=9,10,34[/url]
Anybody want to guess what it sells for?
Mike
I watched a certain trackick wheel thru UA on Ifs and it held up as well as the Jeeps.
Well in theres is a company doing an SAS for SideKicks to fit toyota axles.(TrailTough)
Wouldn't that be exceptable?
They supply the parts and all you have to do is supply the axles.
This is the kit I'm hoping to get for my B-day in Feb ;D
Steve mentioned everone that wants this needs to show more interest and call in and email the sales office.
Toyota doesnt make 5.83 gears, and Im pretty sure Dana 44 doesnt either. 35 inch tires and 5.12 gears are just not gonna cut it. :-/
5.71's. Some question their strength but Rockrat runs 'em in his rig, so they should be ok.
You can get 5.38 gears and something close to 5.83's (I don't think it's QUITE that low, but close) in yota PU axles.
with all these axles you guys are talking about arn't the axle tube diameters going to differ?
stu
with all these axles you guys are talking about arn't the axle tube diameters going to differ?mini-truck and FJ axles tubes are 3" diameters. Not sure of Dana's.
stu
If you wanna drop $2500 to get a solid axle Zuk, just buy yourself a sammi and call it a day.  Then you've got two zuks for the price of one.  Lack of interest my eye.  Lack of interest in your price tag, Calmini
 Lack of interest in your price tag, CalminiBack to what was stated before, $2500 ISN'T a lot of cash for it. I just spent more that that on a RE LA lift for the TJ, and they are selling that lift by the boatload. So, RE is making their money back from jigs and r & d, etc. Calmini will not sell as many SAS kits so they need to sell the kit for enough money to make it profitable, that is why it will NEVER come to fruition, it won't be financially prudent on their part.
 So I knew this winter was going to see a new rear end.  One that will (hopefully) never brake.Je4sus, make sure I'm never in front of you, you may need to stop eventually at one time or another... ;D
Even home brew SAS, the cheap way, is going to cost 3-5 thousand using as much Suzuki stuff as you can...
~Nate
Je4sus, make sure I'm never in front of you, you may need to stop eventually at one time or another... ;D
??? ??? ???
Brian
You typed never brakes, not never breaks ;)
I disagree :-/ ÂÂ
But comparing a barely legal trailer Queen Back woods beater to a Cross Country daily driver is apples to oranges. ÂÂ
ÂÂ
The SAS kick yall have built looks top notch.  I like it alot but the build is more then I can afford.   ÂÂ
 I think I can do a SAS on a GV XL-7 with Toyota's for less then 1k.  Maybe less then $600 If I can find donor arms.   But maybe I'm just CHEAP...
Scanning the Salvage for an XL-7....
How???? Do you already have the TOY axles sitting there, or a doner truck sitting there to rob the axles from?
    Yes & Yes  But I can usually buy the matched set for about $200 - $300.  Every now and then the whole truck for $100.
Daily driver set up, or trailered trail beater?
Beater Ofcourse..  I dd a stocker, Not impressing anyone but myself at 75 MPH on the HWY in a Big truck.  For me DD'ing a stocker makes the most sense since my drive is 98% HWY |removethispart|@ 70+. ÂÂ
Maybe I just need a lesson in el-cheapo conversions.
Yes,  A friend of mine is Driving a SPOA sammy on 38's with a 16v conversion + full width kick rear (5.13:1's) and less then $500 in the whole set up.  I'm learning by watching him....  He scored a totaled 4dr kick from a guy in the salvage yard parking lot for $100.  Yard would only give him $75...  He did the wiring harness in a week, laid it all out on the pool table...
But even for a trail beater that will never see asphalt, $600. You could not even get a doner truck around here for that. Tell me how. I've got a 2wd tracker I would like to beat the hell out of ;D ÂÂ
I've got a $200 2wd Kick that needs a Beat'n too.
(http://photos.zuwharrie.com/users/whitfimb/95tracker1.jpg)
Mainly it's by searching out and buying stuff like this
(http://photos.zuwharrie.com/users/whitfimb/Burntoy1.jpg)
Sold the engine and trans for $450... kept the rear, and  front bumper, lockouts and  a few other pieces.
You have to buy stuff when the people who own it no longer want it.  Just get it out of their way.  Being too close to the big city helps ALOT.
Wrecker lots and Abandond vehicle auctions are usually a sure bet, I get most of mine thru the Bargin Trader.
My parts list for the 4-dr of things I bought that I can recall... ÂÂ
Lower A-arms Used (My busings were frozen) $40.
Heavy wall Headder collectors (strut spacer) <$20
Explorer Springs +2" used $75 shipped
XJ front Coils used  free
Jeep 2" spring spacer  $30 shipped
Drive shaft spacer Rear $30
Rear Shocks free Take offs.
Body lift (Sky Mfg 2") $100 shipped ÂÂ
Steel was free scrap...
                    Total:  $295 ÂÂ
I'll probally spend that again just on making the steering where I can be comfortable with it's durability and safety on the road. ÂÂ
Their could be a few misc things I'm forgetting like tires & wheels, T-case gears, Rocker skids, ect... but they are not part of the lift... ÂÂ
The Kick frame front section in my pictures was used for indoor suspension design & mock up. I returned it in less the 30 days for a full refund.
im gona have to agree w whitfield, its not that expensive, i picked a toy front axel friday,$250, a pair is $400, but i had a rear. ring and pinions $119.oo,locker $190. shocks $40 a piece ,coil springs$65 a piece. dom tube $5.00 a foot. its really not that bad ,and what all you guys arnt realising is your rig will be built buy you,shur you will have to do some R&D but thats the fun part, you,not someone else built your rig you will know everything about it,if anything breaks,you can fix it,if you dont like somthing about it ,you can change it,you will know the weak links and the strong ones. and the satisfaction of building somthing unique is ossem ,especally if it works really well! the hard part is stripping the ifs stuff the rest just comes together
The point is that when you are gathering
parts and doing the SAS yourself, you can
look for deals, but when you are putting
together a kit, you need to have some sort
of uniformity to the parts, and that requires
sourcing from a supplier that is going to
cost more than a $200 burnt out truck, an
engineered kit is just going to cost more,
no way around it.
Wild
im gona have to agree w whitfield, its not that expensive, i picked a toy front axel friday,$250, a pair is $400, but i had a rear. ring and pinions $119.oo,locker $190. shocks $40 a piece ,coil springs$65 a piece. dom tube $5.00 a foot. its really not that bad ,and what all you guys arnt realising is your rig will be built buy you,shur you will have to do some R&D but thats the fun part, you,not someone else built your rig you will know everything about it,if anything breaks,you can fix it,if you dont like somthing about it ,you can change it,you will know the weak links and the strong ones. and the satisfaction of building somthing unique is ossem ,especally if it works really well! the hard part is stripping the ifs stuff the rest just comes together
Liability make it to risky.  Turning stuff out in your garage is one thing, but selling it is a whole nother Cooler O worms.. ÂÂ
I'm sure you already know this, but make damn shre your well insured if you make a run of your parts to sale, one bad weld by some DA that should of never been working on a suspension and they will be looking to blame you >:(
I feel that a SPOA Style (Simple & Cheap) kit for the Kick is what is needed to incresase the popularity and demand for more after market support.
I think it would help attract those that must have a SAS. But these rides have blown up over the past few years and they seem to keep growing in populatity ;D
All of you that live in the US are very lucky cause you can find cheap parts,mainly used ones.For example ,here its impossible to find used YJ leafsor coils ,or other useful SAS parts believe it or not.Here the 60% of the 4x4 's are IFS pick up trucks (Nissan-Toyotas-Mitsubishi) ,the next 30% are Suzuki's (Sammys and Sidekicks)and the rest 10% are Jeep,Kia,Mazda, Toyotas,e.t.c The Jeeps here are considered to be luxury trucks(and they are expensive to buy) somewhow,95% of them never touth mud or rocks .Sad heh......They dont have damages ,so no used parts......
Anyway ,it makes me wonder the prices that some of you mention,very cheap indeed.But on the other hand,my truck is a daily driver,I want to put the best parts in it.I cant do it that cheap.And she will have to pass the MOT also.
Yes I could get a Sammy and with half the money I invested on the Sidekick,I could make it a monster.But its too small for me and I like the Sidekick more. .Also ,about the prices I mentioned above,have in mind that the customs duties for importing parts from US are almost 50% added on their cost,not to mention shipping >:(
But ,I m staying with the Kick.expensive or not.I just love it very much I guess ;D
You proved my point perfectly ;D. You are getting awesome prices on your parts, designing and welding in everything your self and with out considering any extras you are already up to;
Axle+ 400 /pair
R&P 119 x 2 = 238
Locker 190 x 2 = 380
Shocks 40 x 4 = 160
Coils 65 x 4 = 260
Already up to $1438 with no shock mounts built, not brakes mated to your Zuk stuff, so shop suplies, no time alloted, etc..... We all know that the major costs when fabbing something your self is all of the little stuff you dont expect. (Crush sleeves, carrier bearings/races, axle bearing/races, brake pads, parts, etc.....)
I think it is cool as hell to build your own stuff, but to compare a I can do it myself $600 job to a Off the shelf ready to bolt on tried and tested kit is completely un reasonable.
Still back to my original conclusion that It may be able to be done cheap, but not that cheap.
Zig
Sorry about the([url]http://wegotmud.com/forum/Smileys/default/offtopic.gif[/url]) been drinking to many ([url]http://wegotmud.com/forum/Smileys/default/m43_sm.gif[/url]).  Link brought me to middle of topic and really didnt read.  Just saw the Tracker and got pumped up!  Tell you the truth by the time I got done with post I thought I was on a differant web site.
Sorry Todd.
Cool Vid too. Love watching a Sami slow ride through the deep stuff while the full size hammer down because theyre skeerrttt ;D
sweetness!  those are some great vids!
stu
I know from a VERY reliable source that CALMINI are still doing a SAS kit but it has to be 100% before release - from a commercial point of view you will all agree that this makes sense.I agree with this, this is something that needs to be tested fully. You wouldn't want to release a new product and have it fail in any way.