Yes.

DannyL
Pony Express
Updated site 17 Jan 2001
http://www.partszuki.homestead.com

 

Well Well Well, I just happen to be living in Lawrence Mass with three sammis, one that i consider mine and that is a hardtop like yours. ( The other is my girls and the third is a complete parts rig minus a shifter and a seatbelt and oh yeah an engine) I would say the first answer about the 88.5 is do you have square or round air vents? Square=88.5 round=pre88 As for tires, put a shackle lift on and go 29's for the winter, you need to do no other mods but pound down the ridges on the inside of your fender wells and trim the bumper ears on the inside. Give me a call and ill come over and help out when i can, e mail me off my profile to contact me. Lots you can do, and it just happens we ( the New england suzuki association) are getting together on the 24th of this month. So you should try to be there and meet everyone if you can, a great supportive and informational group. Plus you get to rub shoulders with God like fabricators and shop owners. I am more like God Jr. ......I get coffee and stuff........But i can fabricate with the worst of them.

Lifted springs suck for ride quality. Well short wheel base sucks for ride quality and thats that. To get more umph out of your engine we can do a compression test so you dont un neccisarily rebuild your engine. A header and a pony carb with a high flow cat should do nicely, or if you can locate a wrecked tracker or sidekick that has a 1600 engine in it for cheap that is a very nice and easy upgrade. Again call me and we can talk. My regards, Max

Just one more of the elite Samurai!/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif External cage on a hardtop, x8ki wrn winch, M/L's,pny crb,98amp alt,32's, lckd f/r,

 

The answer is still YES!!!

DannyL
Pony Express
Updated site 17 Jan 2001
http://www.partszuki.homestead.com

 

Welcome daxe. I use my Zuke as a daily driver and and have a SR and 235 MT's and think its a pretty good setup. I also don't do any hardcore 4-wheeling and our Zuke was bought in '87 so my Wife, a visiting nurse at that time, could get in and out of peoples driveways in Northern Fairfield County CT in the snow. I was also going to go with the shackle lift but was a little worried about the handling and shims and all and was then offered the SR from a friend so I bought that instead. Much better ride. You have come to the right place with your questions though. These guys are great. And Danny the answer is? Jim

http://sites.netscape.net/riodiusa

 

Well don't put lockers in unless you are a hardcore 4x4 er.. they suck on the road in icy conditions.
once it gets to be more than 4" of snow they help. Go with a studded snow tire all the way around.
that will handle most of your needs. (Including some Ice) A 215x75-15 would do well. Shackle reverse
is nice fo a basic lift, But unless you want to run it off-road I wouldn't, Unless you need that Bad boy
look of bigger tires. But then you screw your gearing up, and if you live in the hills thats bad.
(I live in western Mass BTW) I had great luck with the directional Goodyear snowies untill I modified
myself out of them. (Now on 31's going to 33's) The thing you should realize is hanging around here
is bad for making want to do more mods........ Good luck and welcome!

Glenn Loud
87' Zook Spoa, 31's, 4.16 tcase, Camo,Header,2"exhuast, Cam.
Locked both ends, 8klb winch, Snorkel -Wildweasel2
NE4WI- club

 

Welcome Daxe, Nice looking hard top you have there. The differences between the early 88 and the 88.5 are mostly cosmetic. It looks to me like you have an 88.5. Another simple way to tell the difference is if the radio is hanging below the dash in a box (88) or in the dash (88.5). You said "the most cost effective way" to get the extra clearance. That would be a body lift. Very inexpensive and takes an hour to put on. A 2" body lift and larger dedicated snow tires would go along way toward making it "unstoppable in the snow" and you would incur no further headaches. If MA does no open the hood during inspection a weber can pass. You will regret not holding on to the wrecked tracker. It would have been a nice simple engine conversion for you. A limited-slip in the rear is kind of pricey but a lot easier on a street only zuk. Best of luck to you with your new purchase.

Scott Whitmore
"Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality." Dalai Lama

 

If I'm not mistaken didn't the 88.5 have a different 5th gear. I know it had softer springs. Jim

http://sites.netscape.net/riodiusa

 

>>I just happen to be living in Lawrence Mass

I'm over at the other end of the people's republic of Mass. Huntington, to be exact.

> Square=88.5 round=pre88

They're square. I guess I get the 88.5 designation, then.

>>As for tires, put a shackle lift on and go 29's for the winter

I'm collecting votes. One vote for the shackle lift. Doesn't Mass have a 2" maximum for shackle lifts?

>you need to do no other mods but pound down the ridges on the inside of your fender wells and trim the bumper ears on the inside.

That's the kind of mods I can do. Pounding on things until they bend and chopping stuff off. Cool.

>>it just happens we ( the New england suzuki association) are getting together on the 24th of this month.

I didn't even know there was such a thing. Is there a website for this bunch? I will definitely try to make the 24th meeting. Sounds like fun.

>>Lifted springs suck for ride quality. Well short wheel base sucks for ride quality and thats that.

Yeah, I wasn't thinking I was going to end up with a pillow-soft ride. My daily driver is a Dodge Neon ACR with Konis cranked all the way up, so I know the drill.

>> To get more umph out of your engine we can do a compression test so you dont un neccisarily rebuild your engine.

It runs nice and doesn't burn oil or anything, but starts to run into a wall at around 50-55 mph in 5th gear. I doubt it needs a rebuild real soon, but it definitely needs more oomph.

>> A header and a pony carb with a high flow cat should do nicely, or if you can locate a wrecked tracker or sidekick that has a 1600 engine in it for cheap that is a very nice and easy upgrade.

That was what I was thinking. Before I go pouring 1000$ into mods for the 1.3 I might as well try and find a usable 1.6. Dang..if I only still had that Tracker...(7-8 years ago)

Thanks, Max!

~daxe

 

>>>Welcome daxe.

Thanks! nice bunch of folks in here.

>> I use my Zuke as a daily driver and and have a SR and 235 MT's and think its a pretty good setup.

Sounds nice. Effective and conservative at the same time.

>> I was also going to go with the shackle lift but was a little worried about the handling and shims and all

I have to get over the notion that he thing is going to fall over every time I turn the steering wheel. Its not because of the media saying they were tippy or anything, I am just coming out of a very low automobile with 0% body lean and going into a tall little truck. I need to ride with someone who can drive one of these and see what it does WITHOUT falling over. Of course When I hear shackle lift, I think "more rickety and top heavy". I remember what putting extended shackles on did to my 68 Dart Convertible (in 1978) -- turned the back end into a wallowing monster.

~daxe

 

hey Tim, can you post a clickable link to the New England BBS for daxe, I'm not sure how to make it clickable

 

>>Well don't put lockers in unless you are a hardcore 4x4 er.. they suck on the road in icy conditions.

Whew!! There's 600$ I don't have to spend...

>>Go with a studded snow tire all the way around.

Good idea. I love my dedicated winter tires (blizzak ws-50s) but studded ones are just that much better.

> Shackle reverse
is nice fo a basic lift, But unless you want to run it off-road I wouldn't, Unless you need that Bad boy
look of bigger tires.

It does look cool, but I don't knkow if it makes any sense. Not that everything I do makes sense. Come to think of it..sense has very little to do with most of what I do.

>> But then you screw your gearing up, and if you live in the hills thats bad.

That's what I was afraid of. My street is unpaved and VERY steep at the beginning. All I need is to not even be able to get up my own street.

>>(I live in western Mass BTW)

Me, too! Born and raised. Maybe I've seen your Zuk on the road? I have seen a few since I started looking. One tall black one in the Northampton area, a camo one I saw Yesterday in Hadley (very nicely done) and a couple parked in people's yards in various states of neglect.

>>> The thing you should realize is hanging around here
is bad for making want to do more mods........ Good luck and welcome!

Thanks. I also realize that I love excess and love diving into new hobbies. I say I want it conservative now, but before you know it I'll be the guy with some really ridiculous rig.

~daxe

 

Hey Daxe,
If you are at all interested in a shackle reverse kit (calmini--brand new in box) I know a guy that is selling one cheap down here in So. Cal. I don't think it would be to much to ship. Let me know and I'll get you his info. I'm pretty sure he wants about 150 for it.

"Ahhhh.... He wants to go off-road!!!!" -Ace Ventura
http://suzukisteve.rockcrawler.com

 

>>Welcome Daxe, Nice looking hard top you have there.

Thanks. Bone stock. I just got a tach to put in it, though.

> The differences between the early 88 and the 88.5 are mostly cosmetic. It looks to me like you have an 88.5.

Turns out you are correct.

>>Another simple way to tell the difference is if the radio is hanging below the dash in a box (88) or in the dash (88.5).

It is below the dash, but it is still part of the dash. Or the hole where it goes is, anyway.

>>> You said "the most cost effective way" to get the extra clearance. That would be a body lift. Very inexpensive and takes an hour to put on. A 2" body lift and larger dedicated snow tires would go along way toward making it "unstoppable in the snow" and you would incur no further headaches.

That gives me clearance for bigger tires, thus giving me extra clearance due to the extra tire height. Right?

>If MA does no open the hood during inspection a weber can pass.

They do everything but check the presets on your radio. They open up your hood to do a visual check for smog stuff and to hook up the rpm probe used in conjunction with the tailpipe probe for emissions. Then they put it on a dyno built into the floor and check it throughout the RPM range. Though they only do the emissions stuff every 3 years, you still have to go every year and cough up 29$ for a safety check.

I did overhear a semi-secret when I got my last inspection sticker, though..The guy running the tests said that studded snow tires exempt you from the dyno part. You can also be excused if you ave a full time AWD car (like my wife's Subaru)

>>You will regret not holding on to the wrecked tracker. It would have been a nice simple engine conversion for you.

It had 117K on it (at 1.5 years old) when it got whacked. It even had the original tires! The insurance guy who looked it over checked the odometer (no 100K digit) and wrote it for 17K miles saying it was in good condition! I collected the check, (3600$) paid it off, turned the rest of it into a down payment for a 93 Cavalier Z24 (which I traded for this Zuk) and then sold the wreck for 2500$. Getting 6100$ for a wrecked car with 117K on the odometer when I only paid 9000$ brand new is pretty hard to regret. It would be handy now, though.

>> A limited-slip in the rear is kind of pricey but a lot easier on a street only zuk.

I saw something about a gradual limited slip diff or something a couple days ago? It was in 4x4 and offroading magazine, I think. Kind of a compromise between a full locker and stock. Sounds like a good idea, but maybe just snake oil?

>Best of luck to you with your new purchase.

Thanks. Trade, actually..93 cavalier with 243K miles for an 88.5 Samurai with 86K. Good deal for me!

~daxe

 

I suggest that you get the little vent tube that fits in your stock carb. There is a little plastic restricter device on the vacuum hose to the secondary on the stock carb. Remove that and replace the vacuum hose with one piece or use a coupler. That should fix the "wall" at 50-55 mph and keep you smog legal.

As far as a lift is concerned the cheapest would be the shackles but that will effect your steering, the taller the shackle the more the effect.

As long as you are thinking of springs, you should investigate the Old Man Emu springs. They will give you about 2+" lift and a softer ride. Along with 3/8 lift TT Bone shackles and DT 3000 shocks you should have about as comfortable ride as you can get from the Samurai, which still leave alot to be desired. But after all it is a short wheel base, live axle, leaf sprung vehicle no matter what you do with it.

The above should give you about 3" lift and clear 29.5-30" tall tires after pounding down the fender seam and trimming the bumper mounts. Keep your hubs locked all the time in the winter or get automatic hubs. Get studded snow tires or have your tires siped. Go with 7" wide wheels, to keep the unsprung weight down (alloy if you can afford them). Choose a 2-3" backset on the wheels to give you stability at hiway speeds. Free up the breathing of the little 1.3 with a K&N air filter and if you can afford it, Calmini or the smog legal Doug Thorley header and 2" cat back exhaust. You should give you a good commuter with good offroad capabilities without having to go to extended driveshafts or brake lines.

When you get hooked on offroading you can pop for the GRS I gears for your t-case.

Basically that is what I did with my '86 hardtop with the exception of no GRS I yet. I also ditched the stock steering wheel and got a Grant cushion grip one.

The easiest and best bang for your buck would be the carb vent tube, removing the secondary vacuum restrictor, K&N air filter and installing short shackles to clear taller snow tires. Trail Tough has a bolt on stock exhaust manifold back 2" exhaust including new 2" cat. That would save you the price of a header and still free up the breathing.

Just my opinion. Have fun!

-Farther

 

How bout this, put a spoa on it but don't do the whole suspension. just put on the relocating part for the springs longer brake lines, z-bar for steering and spacer for the drive shaft. you can still run the stock shocks this way and you won't have flew to worry about, that is cheap to do. I just don't like the way body lifts feel by themselves. as for power, header and exhaust, K&N filter charger., you could run 31's real niceley if you have some extra cash toss in a set of backspaced wheels just plain black ones that run for like 65.00 a piece you'll feel more stable on turns I promise.


Driving off-road needs to be done well, like throwing a fly at a rising trout in dark, calm waters. Take pride in the task, and the reward is more than the destination.

 

Randy, I just figured out how to do this last night. Jim
http://bbs.yankee-offroad.com

http://sites.netscape.net/riodiusa

 

check out your converter i have had three of them show up bad in the last year. the element breaks free and works like a check valve. it will limit the top speed bad, yours should do 75 pretty easy if it is on flat ground. later mike

88.5ht,two87s,88.5 spoa,33X12.50,5.12 f&r,rock cage,4.16 T case

 

Yes?

DannyL
Pony Express

http://www.partszuki.homestead.com

 

Hey Daxe I am in Westhampton! Also born and bred.. Lived in Huntington for a few years.
The camo zook you saw was me! Thats the Wildweasel.. I also have 2 stocker softtops.
The fab fest is at my house. email me off list and I will contact you.
Glenn

Glenn Loud
87' Zook Spoa, 31's, 4.16 tcase, Camo,Header,2"exhuast, Cam.
Locked both ends, 8klb winch, Snorkel -Wildweasel2
NE4WI- club

 

Thanks Jim, you a member of that list yet. It needs more people! You goin' to Glenns?

 

>>check out your converter i have had three of them show up bad in the last year.

The catalytic converter?

>>the element breaks free and works like a check valve. it will limit the top speed bad, yours should do 75 pretty easy if it is on flat ground.

The way it goes now it feels like it would have a hard time hitting 75 going downhill. It doesn't feel like a tired motor, it's pretty strong in the lower rev range, but really hits that wall in almost every gear, now that I think of it. I don't know what it's turning at that point, that's why I got the tach, but it sure doesn't sound like much over about 4000. It revs real freely, then gets to this point where it just seems to get louder and doesn't gain any more revs. A plugged up converter might be the ticket.

thanks for the tip,

~daxe

 

Check the carb to see if you have the tube fix. Suzuki issued a tech bulletin on it. It is a cheap and easy fix. What you discribed is the classic no tube in the carb problem.

-Farther

 

Randy, I am on the list as redidbull. I'm not sure of Glenns. I have to find out how far he is from me because I have to be some where in the evening on the 24th. Jim

http://sites.netscape.net/riodiusa

 

Oh yea, Ive seen you post there. Glenn is in West Hampton

 

Daxe,
I would suggest the following....

"all terrain" type radials 29"-30" dia. mounted on 15x7 rims
DT shocks 3000 series
a rear locker or limited slip unit
longer shackles

As far as the Weber and emissions go, I'm running a Weber on my 87 with a 1.6. Here in NY, we must go through a dynamic drive loop to test for emissions. With a little tweakin', they can be made to pass the test as long as they don't do a visual as it will automatically fail. My 1.6 also has a Torker cam, no EGR system, Thorley header, 2" exhaust system with a hi-flow cat. By adding a "cocktail mix" of 2 pints of dry gas (iso), and 94 octane gas, it should fare well in the emissions test. I also used Guranteed To Pass additive in the tank before I made my cocktail mix. Make sure all tune up items are in spec, valves adjusted, and the Weber is tuned and you should be safe. I did fiddle with the timing a bit to help out. Hope this helps......


All Good Medicine,
Crow

Creator, everything we do leaves a track. May our tracks be ones we would want you to see and others to follow......