Hey guys, if you remember my previous thread on buying a sidekick or sammi I am back for more Q's. I did some more reviews on the vehicles and have read on some different sites that they are prone to tipping over, now being that you all have lifted rigs and have altered the center of gravity, how "tippy" would you say your rigs are? Do you think a roll cage would be a wise investment? I have my uncle who can weld so building one wouldn't be a huge problem, just finding accurate plans would be key.

Safety first in my books! I am looking for any opinions, and plans for building an internal cage.

For a cage, what would be some recommendations? ie, where are critical areas of support and what not?

The "tipping over" thing is a well-worn topic around here... long story short, Consumer reports discovered that if you jerked the wheel at speed in a sammy, it would roll over(DUH!). Since then, insurance companies and over protective parents just labelled ALL suzuki SUV's as prone to roll overs without any actual evidence to support it. My 93 Tracker is running 4" of body lift, 1-1/2" of suspension lift and 33" tall tires, all without a swaybar of any kind! It feels just as stable to me as a stock Tracker, even on sharp turns...

As for your cage questions, just be sure to gusset the joints, use seamless DOM tubing(not exhaust pipe) and tie it in to the frame in as many locations as you can for strength...

YOU CAN ROLL ALMOST ANYTHING BY JERKING THE WHEEL AND ROLL IT AT HIGH SPEEDS. LIKE A TOYOTA, FORD, CHEVY, DODGE, SO GET WHAT YOU WANT AND HAVE FUN WITH IT

ROSS

Ah, you have touched a sore nerve, Memphis.

Unfortunately, because Suzuki and Consumer's Union settled out of court on the matter of the Consumer's Report article in (I believe) the July 1988 issue concerning the Samurai's safety ratings, I cannot provide you with the URL Suzuki posted containing the incredibly biased documents, reports and videos (obtained during the Discovery phase of the suit by Suzuki) that they based the claims in the article on.

Perhaps the organization that has a backup of every web page ever created on the Internet has an archive copy of it.

The original website was http://www.suzukivcu.com/ (now a placeholder site) if anyone can figure out how to access the archive of it, that would be nice.

One of the interesting tidbits of information in the findings by Consumer's Union was the fact that two other vehicles tested in the article actually had worse scores BEFORE CU started to play with the testing procedures specifically on the Samurai.  The one I remember was the     Ford Bronco II.  (BTW, the Sidekick/Tracker was not even on the market at the time, so the testing - valid or invalid - does not apply to that vehicle.

As others have said, any vehicle, when driven recklessly, will fall over.

Since Consumer's Union decided to play fast and loose with the way they test SUVs in the Samurai article, they have cast an unsupportable bias against SUVs in the minds of consumers.  Those familiar with the Suzuki vs Consumer's Union case now put zero faith in anything Consumer's Union publishes.

Buy whatever vehicle you want and drive it sensibly.  I have an '88 Samurai with a 4.5" Breeze SPOA that I drive on the Interstate every day at 60-65 MPH with no handling problems -- mainly because I drive defensively and with common sense.

thats good to hear! I guess it all boils down to common sense... hit the animal! LOL no fast manuvers.

I just heard the S-10 Blazer was pegged as the most roll-prone vehicle.  RealRedWagon and I were discussing it the other day.  This thread just made me put 2+2 together.  Zuks aren't the "rollover" rigs that everyone talks about anymore!  Thank you 2WD S-10 Blazer for taking the label.  Remember, when you do lift a sammi, you do change the COG, but you also change the stance.  33x12.5's on offset wheels make a lot bigger footprint and wider stance than those plain old 205's.  Next on Consumer Reports list...lawn mowers..."I was a mowin' mah lawn at about 35-40mph when ahz dropped mah can o' Schlitz.  Ahz turns real quick like to gets it and the nex thing ah knows, the Deere's trimmin' mah mullet.  Deez her lawn mowas iz unsafelike."

LOL!! Thanks for your view on teh subject lawdog. You make a great hick lmfao  . I can't wait to buy one of these trucks. I am just not looking forward to the samurai's 64hp beast of a power plant. What else can be done (performance wise) to the engine besides swapping the 1.3 for a 1.6....

INext on Consumer Reports list...lawn mowers..."I was a mowin' mah lawn at about 35-40mph when ahz dropped mah can o' Schlitz.  Ahz turns real quick like to gets it and the nex thing ah knows, the Deere's trimmin' mah mullet.  Deez her lawn mowas iz unsafelike."

I have found a Sammi for $550 CANADIAN!!!!! I am calling the guy today and seeing what I can swing. Hopefully its not a big piece of shit.... maybe I can joo him down to $400

Says it's an 82' SJ410, but the picture clearly indicates a Samurai.... sammi's came out in 86' though so does an SJ410 look like a samurai? Low ass milage too, 95k

The Plan:

Purchase el Bush Beater
[Save Money for]
SPOA
Drop Draglink Steering
31" Tires

I think I am looking at about $900-$1100 including vehicle cost. I wonder what my insurance will be oO!!!

A SJ-410 is very similar to the Samurai (AKA SJ-413).

The biggest difference is the grille, the transfer case gearing and the 1 liter engine (the "10" part of the 410).

If you are in the western part of Canada, try Hawks Strictly Suzuki in Oregon for spare parts.  Actually, Hawks is the best  Suzuki parts source in North America IMHO...

Okay guys, here is the deal... He has 4 of these trucks, I can take the whole lot for $1100, 1 runs but it is smoking, he says it needs new rings and they only cost $113 (my friend just priced them out for me)

Now, how much work am I getting into by just replacing rings? What else will have to be done because it won't be as simple as popping in the rings and off I go. What else will I have to do?

The rest are parts trucks, there is one rig that was running two years ago, but it needs a new head gasket... my buddy said to get one it would cost me $250, the guy that owns these said that the truck was running great before the gasket blew....

I really don't know what to do but this sounds like a hella good deal except for the additional labour costs and I don't know how much they will be. Please help a fellow zuker!!!

Try and poke around for a 1.6 8V to swap in instead of rebuilding the 1.3.  The swap isn't that difficult.  You could do a 16V too, but it's more complicated.  If you don't feel up to it and are in CA close to Buffalo, NY I have a 1.3 you could drop in for cheap $.

Okay guys, here is the deal... He has 4 of these trucks, I can take the whole lot for $1100, 1 runs but it is smoking, he says it needs new rings and they only cost $113 (my friend just priced them out for me)

Now, how much work am I getting into by just replacing rings? What else will have to be done because it won't be as simple as popping in the rings and off I go. What else will I have to do?....

The VERY first thing I'd do is MAKE sure they are either SJ-413s or SJ 410s!  One way to tell is to look on the block  on the driver's side at the rear edge next to the bellhousing.  the engine displacement should be cast into it.  If thay all say "998cc" or thereabouts then they are 410s.  If they say "1324" or "1298", then they are Samurais/413s.  The 410 is also easy to spot by it's Jeep (tm) - like grille with vertical slots.

here is a pic I found on the web of a 410:



If they are 410s, you may be able to make some serious inroads in your investment by selling the Transfer Cases.

Replacing the rings is going to require the removal and dissassembly of the engine.  Doing that pretty much opens the task up to rebuilding or replacing the engine.

If this is your first visit to the wonderful world of messing around with vehicles, I'd reccomend just rebuilding it (or buying a rebuild kit and having a local shop do the work.

Again, the first thing I would do is find out if they are all 410s or 413s and then make a call Tuesday morning to Hawks (888-SAMURAI) and find out what a rebuild kit would cost.

All four of them are 410's and I know their potential.....