hey guys, i'm a new sammie addict in anchorage alaska and recently purchased 2 sammies to use as project / parts vehicles and discovered that one of them is actually an  '84 sj410.....it is the one i had planned on using as the project sammie and i was wondering about how rare these are....more specifically, would it be better to get another project and leave this intact for sj410 enthusiasts and try and get a later model for my mods or does it really matter? i don't mind the effort to trade for/buy a new sammie if it preserves something hard to find ...sorry if this topic has been dealt with before but i couldnt find anything in my search..

wow I can't belive noone has responed to this, I wish I knew im not very familiar with them, I have owned 2 88 samis 2 86 samis and an 87 not to mention prolly bout 4 or 5 sidekicks and now my econd tracker yet I've never came across one sorry I hope some one has some light to shed on this for ya!

I won't pretend to be an expert on SJ410s, but I will tell you what I know. They definitely are more rare than a Samurai because they were never sold in the U.S. only in Canada. The last SJ were the 85s and they were SJ413s with 1.3liter motors.I own 2 SJs and 83 tin top and 84 convert.They only have a 1 liter motor but the t-cases have a little lower gear in both ranges and the differentials have 4.10 gears versus the Sammis 3.73. The SJs didn't have a sway bar and sit higher stock than a Samurai.The differentials have smaller gears than a Samurai and aren't as strong and are 3" narrower.Also the leaf springs on a SJ are in line with the frame 3" narrower than a Sammi this may become a problem if you want to use the SJ to make a modified rig. Also the SJ t-cases may not accept the aftermarket low gear sets. I haven't got a definite answer on that question yet. As far as not wanting to modify one and leave it intact for someone, it depends how good the body is. If it is rusty like my two I wouldn't worry about modifying it depending what you want to use it for. A samurai has stronger components and better motor so it would be a better starting point..I am taking the full powertrain out of my 87 Samurai and installing it in my 83 tin top.The 87 is getting a full Toyota powertrain. I know what you mean about being a Sammie addict, I've got the disease bad.Keep us up to date on your project and happy Zukin'
John

It depends on what your plans are. If you want to swap in a 1.6 then it is easier to start with a 1.3 but it can still be done with a 1.0 and by the way, the trans tunnel is narrower.

What is cool is running widetrack diffs from a Sammi on the narrowtrack spring spacing 

If you have a 1.0 t-case that has the 4wd light then you can swap in crawler gears but you can't do this if it is the earlier version but both have 1.590 high range.

The 1.0 grille is 

We had a lot of 410s over here. We also got a 5sp gearbox on Spanish built models. Post 85 models have a different chassis and the wider transmission tunnel of the Sammy. The Sammy has more breakover clearance, if you closely you'll see that the early 410 frame sits lower in the middle.
Those people that I know of that have run the Sammy axles have moved the spring locations outwards because they are prone to bending axles otherwise.

thanks for the input guys, I just didnt know much about sj's and didn't want to "destroy" someone else's treasure when all i wanted was a good off road rig......i was into VW's for awhile and know its sad to see a rare model (oval converted to a baja and rolled etc) chopped up and destroyed by someone who doesn't know or care...

What is cool is running widetrack diffs from a Sammi on the narrowtrack spring spacing 

The 1.0 grille is 

Yea, the widetrack axles on the narrow track springs is only fun the first time you have to re-weld all the spring perches.  Not the second and third... 

The SJ-410 also has a 10% reduction in low over the stock Sammy case as well, but 1st gear has a higher ratio to balance it out a bit. 

SJ410 are pretty rare in America, but no one's going to cry if you cut it up and customize them. The "long bed" versions are even more rare, and we love to see them lifted & used. Then again - this IS a 4wd / mod friendly site - I don't really think anyone's interested in restoring to 100% factory here. The transfer case (for lower gears), side mirrors (location allow for door-off conversion) and grill (for looks) are canabolized by the Samurai guys all the time 


I have an '83 "mystery box' SJ410. It's been lifted (SPOA), 31" tires, and 1.3L engine. According to the "ref" sticker the donor is from an '86. I was wondering if I had some kinda gearing reduction. There's for sure a power loss with the 31"ers (I've owned two sammi's before), but it goes freeway speeds (70MPH) without too much issue, so there has to be SOMETHING going on. Perhaps the SJ410 diffs handle the larger tires better?

SJ410 are pretty rare in America, but no one's going to cry if you cut it up and customize them. The "long bed" versions are even more rare, and we love to see them lifted & used. Then again - this IS a 4wd / mod friendly site - I don't really think anyone's interested in restoring to 100% factory here. The transfer case (for lower gears), side mirrors (location allow for door-off conversion) and grill (for looks) are canabolized by the Samurai guys all the time 


I have an '83 "mystery box' SJ410. It's been lifted (SPOA), 31" tires, and 1.3L engine. According to the "ref" sticker the donor is from an '86. I was wondering if I had some kinda gearing reduction. There's for sure a power loss with the 31"ers (I've owned two sammi's before), but it goes freeway speeds (70MPH) without too much issue, so there has to be SOMETHING going on. Perhaps the SJ410 diffs handle the larger tires better?

410 diffs and tcase are lower ratios than the Samurai.

The 1.0 has a 4.11 R&P compared to the 3.7 or 3.9 of the Sammi. You can also swap in R&P's from the LJ's for even more if you want. The t-case has a 1.590:1 high range and a 2.716 low range in the early 1.0 and 1.580:1 high range and 2.511 low range in the later 1.0.

thanks guys i appreciate the feedback. (and the info on gearing etc )