Allen from Goose Creek, SC

#1
Hey all, I'm fairly new to 4 wheeling. I picked up a 88 Tin Top Samurai a month ago and am outfitting it for camping and exploring.

At her best:

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At her dirtiest.

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Looking forward to meeting some of y'all on the trails. If you see me on the road, give me a shout on CB Ch 19.
 
#8
Thats a clean rig. Whats under the hood?
It has the 1.6 Tracker engine conversion, so it's only marginally under-powered rather than grossly under-powered.

It came with a pile of parts to be installed. This weekend it's going under the knife for the 5.13/1 differentials, Spartan Locker, Front shock towers, rear shock mount and YJ spring conversion with missing links. While I'm in there, I'm going to do the front universals. I'm getting that tell tail vibration when the front hubs are locked. Should be a fun weekend.

The gears should help the lack of power some, the rest of it will make it ride, drive and flex better. Big change from sports cars. I'm used to making things stiff, not soft. :grin:
 
#11
8 valve or 16? And does it have tcase gears?
8 valve and stock gears in the diffs and the transfer. I got an extra set of 3rd members with 5:13 gears. I'm going to go through them, put a Spartan in the front, and try to get them installed this weekend. That should help my gearing problem without making it totally useless on the highway.
 

LBarr2002

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#12
What size tires are on it? And are the axles stock? I know you already have the axle gears, but case gears would help you out some in high range for the road and be much lower in low. Also, stock 3.73 ring and pinion is much stronger than 5.13. My dad ran 5.38s in Sami axles and broke gears several times.

The 8v is a torquey little motor.
 
#13
What size tires are on it? And are the axles stock? I know you already have the axle gears, but case gears would help you out some in high range for the road and be much lower in low. Also, stock 3.73 ring and pinion is much stronger than 5.13. My dad ran 5.38s in Sami axles and broke gears several times.

The 8v is a torquey little motor.
I think he drives it more on the street and 3.73's probably don't pull worth a sheet on the road in 1:1.
 
#14
It has 33"s on it and 5th is basically useless with stock gearing. According to Zuwharrie's gearing chart, the 5:13s should give me a 3200rpm cruise at 55 and give me back a little better low range. It does see a fair amount of asphalt on the way to the National Forest and other places. I'm going to be keeping this reasonable streetable, even to the point of putting A/C back in it. I'm getting too old to want to deal with the heat when I don't have to.
 

LBarr2002

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#15
I think he drives it more on the street and 3.73's probably don't pull worth a sheet on the road in 1:1.
Sami cases are not 1:1 in high, and gearing them reduces your high range and low range. Dad's has stock 4.10 yota axles and 6.5:1 case and is as low as mine with 5.89's and 4.9 case.

A 6.5 gear set reduces your high range by 20%, basically the same as going from 3.73's to 4.56's in the axles, and it gives you 187% reduction in Low.

Stock sami case is 1.409:1 in high and 2.268:1 in low.
 
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