Hey how is it going I have an 87 tin top that I have in the 4 sale section but I am considering just building it up since I have been looking around on this web sight   I was wondering how much a person would have to put into one to make it a real good trail/rock crawler.  I do not have a clue on the suspension (what to do or should I try to get yota axles or leave stock ones in  I was wanting to spool the rear and put a locker up front and leave the 1.3L in it and gear it down any help would be appreciated as I try and decide what I am going to do  Thanks Gary

I dont think that is a bad Idea at all. I would definetly go with a spool in the rear and lockrite or similar up front, depending on your foot you can have a lot of fun with 31's especially if you dont abuse it to much, a good t-case rebuild will net you the gearing, and as far as suspension it always costs more than on paper, but a good spoa set up will let you roam where you want.

Thanks now I just need to decide if I want too keep it or sell it   

What it will cost depends on.......how resourceful you are.......how lucky you are at finding good deals....and how good you are at fabbing stuff.
I have under $2500 in my samurai (that includes the initial purchase cost and the cost of the "donor" samurai, and every last nut and bolt I've bought for it), and it does pretty good, I think.
Here is my laundry list of mods, for my '87.......

Drivetrain
1991 Suzuki Samurai 1.3L EFI engine with custom engine mounts and wiring harness
1990 Geo Tracker 5 speed transmission with Samurai engine adapters
1993 Geo Tracker transfer case-modified to mate to the Samurai transfer case (kicker 3)
1987 Suzuki Samurai transfer case with twin-sticks and reinforced mounting arms


Front axle
Geo Tracker/Suzuki Sidekick 5.125 front axle gears
Rear Suzuki Samurai custom leaf packs with 2 1/4" longer shackles
Leaf spring relocation brackets and modified spring perches and plates
Longer brakelines from a Nissan 300ZX
Ford Ranger rear shocks
Ford F-250 front shock towers
2" extended bumpstops

Rear axle
Stock Suzuki Samurai
Geo Tracker/Suzuki Sidekick 5.125 front axle gears
Heep Wrangler (YJ) front leaf springs with YJ shackles
Ford Ranger rear shocks
Custom shock relocation bracket for top of shocks
Weld-on lower shock mounts on the axle
Lock-Right locker
1" extended bumpstops


Armor/Protection
1/4" steel gas tank skid
1/4" steel Samurai transfer case skid/bucket
1/4" steel front and rear bumpers
1/4" steel front differential cap

Other modifications and add-ons
Custom grooved 31x10.50-15 BFG M/Ts
15x7 steel wheels painted flat black
Geo Metro 55 amp alternator
Geo Tracker water pump pulley
Geo Tracker modified dual row crank pulley
Geo Tracker power steering and custom swap kit
Ford Explorer power steering cooler
Geo Tracker steering wheel
Geo Metro aluminum valve cover
Suzuki Sidekick flywheel and clutch
Geo Tracker starter
Transmission tunnel widened for Tracker transmission and transfer case clearance
Original gas tank modified for Geo Tracker in-tank electric fuel pump
2001 Plymouth Neon bucket seats with Samurai seat tracks
Stainless steel inner door panels
Bedliner coated interior
Snow camo paint (spray can)
Spare tire extension with dual-switched back-up light
Raider oil pressure/inclinometer/voltmeter assembly
8000 lb. Winch with internal and external control switches
Custom body panels, front floor boards, and rear fenderwells
Uniden 40 channel Pro 520XL CB
SJ410 rear axle bearing retainers
Virtual lift
Clicky starter fix

I did all the fabrication work, made all the various swap/conversion kits, did all the installation.
The only thing I had someone else do was weld the tracker tcase, once I modified it (I have no way to weld aluminum).

You don't need to do everything I have, to have a good wheeler, though......throw some YJ springs on it, leave it spring under, lock at least the rear axle, put in either some 5.12 axle gears or 4:1 tcase gears, throw some 31s on it, and it will impress you (and others) on where it will go and what it will do.

Thanks again 

You know you want to keep it............

Before you can get an informed answer, we need to know more about what you want.  Do you want an off-road only build?  Do you want a rig that you can drive to the trails, or are you going to tow it there?  Are you going to use it as a daily driver too?  Do you have deep pockets?  It will soak up as much cash as you want to throw at it.  Do you have empty pockets?  There are things that you can do on-the-cheap to make your Zuk more trail-worthy.

If you're like most of us, you're somewhere in between.  Most owners improve their Zuk one step at a time as cash allows.  So, what kind of a rig do you want?