Heya guys, help us out here. It's a lot to read but it's just quite a bit of questions.
This is the rig I'm talking about:
http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/technical-discussion-beginner-repair/loose-steering!/I was working with Buhman yesterday and we rotated the tire while counting driveshaft rotations and figured it has 3.73 axle gears (it made about 1 and 7/8 rotations with one tire left on the ground---open diff).
It's a 1988. I also noticed that it has the newer dash so that means it is an 88.5 model.
Running 31x10.50s with 3.73s (as we figured yesterday), he said he can't hardly get it past 50mph.
I know the 5th gear ratio changed in the Samurais to help with highway gearing, but I couldn't remember the changeover year, is it 88.5 or 90?
He thinks he may have to rebuild the transmission soon, so if he has the earlier model trans, will the newer 5th gear fit in as an upgrade?
Any other upgrades available he should be aware of?
It has about a 2" body lift that looks kind of pieced together (some of it is square tubing, some lift blocks, some rubber bushings, and some are stacks of large washers) with a metal spacer atop the carburetor, and Con-Ferr extended shackles, stock springs, some are worn and have a negative arch, and one is even bent badly (not only backwards arched, but BENT). Removing those lfited shackles should help it steer a lot better (I've always been kind of skeptical of shackle lifts).
I want to figure out the overall shackle lift (I know total lift is 1/2 the shackle's extended length). Can anyone provide the center-to-center measurement of stock shackle length so he can compare it?
So far, the idea is to ditch the stock springs, remove the body lift, and remove the shackles and go from there. Considering: 5" Calmini suspension, 31x10.50s. Should be great for all-around use, on-road, minor trails, and plenty of flex. Also the motor could handle it with maybe some gearing (see below), but I'm thinking it's probably the best size to not affect the durability of the axles. The shackle reversal should give it great on-road handling and having that lift with spring-under configuration should minimize the hassles associated with a spring-over (steering mods, etc.). Also, it's something that is VERY simple for DIY installation. Am I correct...opinions?
I think a 6.5:1 gear would be great with that...a classmate of mine has the 6.5:1 Trail Gear with 31s and he loves it, which leads me to think that it will work great here too, plus gearing a t-case to that ratio will typically be cheaper and easier than trying to find other axle gear ratios. Also depends on that 5th gear ratio, that will affect final drive ratio at highway speeds. I'm thinking the Trail Gear simply because it's local (no shipping) and they have excellent warranty AND customer service, but we're both wondering if there is such a thing as "too much" gearing for a smaller tire. I know there is such a thing but I am trying to think about "final drive ratio" in 5th gear, just so long as the truck can keep a good speed.
What's the best upgraded t-case mount setup, if he gears the t-case? Since I don't know much about the Samurai stuff (since I have a Tracker), I don't shop around a lot of the Samurai aftermarket.
