Oliver (1988.5 Suzuki Samurai)

I am documenting the rebirth of my favorite 4X4 at the request of friends and family.  I believe it is their way of keeping my nose to the grinding wheel. So in the following paragraphs I will explain my mission and hopefully keep things organized for myself.

The Name

Every project has to have a name.  I cant call this new 4X4 Sammule because that name should be laid to rest with Sammule, my beloved 1988.5 Samurai JX that took me places all over the mid-west, Texas and Colorado.  18 Years of loyal, reliable, and fun service. May he rest in peace!
 
I have chosen the name of Oliver for this new 1988.5 Samurai JX.  As most of you know, building a 4X4 is expensive.  This project needs financing so I started selling off extra parts, equipment, tools, and my two 1940 Oliver 60 tractors. The Olivers were rescued from a scrapper and I had plans to build one out of the two. I have been a fan of Oliver tractors since I was a small child.

Oliver will be painted with the old Oliver green paint and wear the 2nd generation Oliver decals. The wheels, grill, and top will be black while the suspension components and springs will be red.

The Design and Layout

I need Oliver to be rugged, safe, reliable, light (less then 3000lbs), and easy to maintain. Oliver needs to be flexible but controlled. It needs to easy and comfortable to drive off road and on.  Oliver must have parts that are available everywhere. It needs good ground clearance yet stable with a low center of gravity.

Now that I know what I want it is time to put together the parts list. I shall list the parts below and give a reason for my choice:


v   Axles
1.   Dana 30 front axle from a narrow track Heep CJ with 4340 axles and Spicer 5-760X u-joints and a Lock Right locker.  These axles are plentiful and can be had for next to nothing. With alloy axles and heavy-duty u-joints they will easily handle 33” tires. 1” Wheel spacers are used to set the axle width to 55 inches.

2.   AMC 20 Quadratrac rear axle from a 76-79 CJ7. Now I have no real affection for the offset AMC20 axle and would have preferred an offset Dana 44 from an early CJ5. However the Dana 44 is popular and hard to find.  The offset AMC20 was given to me.  It will have Moser Axles and Lock Right lockers as well. Most people may not know this, but the AMC 20 has a bigger pinion and ring gear then a Dana 44. With some axle gusseting and alloy axles, the AMC20 is stronger. And can easily handle 35” tires.  I am using 2-inch wheel spacers to set the axle width to 54.5 inches.




   

v   Safety and Protection
1.   Internal rollover protection will still rely heavily on the factory roll bar. However, I plan on adding another main hoop for the rear occupant. I will tie the two together with corresponding HREW tubing.  The main hoops will have extra support added to prevent body punch-through but still isolated from the frame. My goal is to have the body and occupant protection isolated from the frame and drive train. For those of you who have seen what happens to vehicles when they roll off a mountain you realize how important it is to shed weight in a roll.  An ideal design is to have the body and frame separate in a very long roll to shed half of the vehicles weight from the occupants.
2.   Vehicle body protection will consist of ¾ and 1 1/4 inch pipe, as it is thicker then 11/2 inch HREW tubing. Pipe and HREW are about the same price but the pipe will resist denting and gouging better. There is some debate about using pipe for cage building. There are different types of pipe. Black gas pipe has to be tested and certified and therefore as strong as standard HREW tubing. Structural pipe isn’t certified and should be used in non-life protecting areas. I will use HREW for the hoops and roof protection because it is about 10% lighter then pipe and I want to keep the center of gravity low. 
 

PARTS LIST
v   Engine, Drive Train, and Gearing
1.   Axle gears will be 4.88:1
2.   Transfer Case will have a 6.5:1 gear set and Rock Road’s sumo t-case mounts.



3.   The transmission will be a stock Samurai 5 speed with Petro-Works dual friction clutch.

4.   The front drive shaft is from the front of Heep Cherokee. It has a Spicer CV with a 1310 Samurai flange at the transfer-case end and Tom Woods super flex 1310 u-joint at the axle end.

5.   The rear shaft is from an Isuzu Rodeo with the Dana 44 rear axle. It will have a Samurai flange and super flex u-joints on the transfer case end and a super flex 1310 at the axle end.
6.   The engine is from a 1991 Geo Tracker. It is the 1600 8V with TBI. It will have a cold air intake and Calmini stainless steel header.  The exhaust will be 2” stainless steel with a simple glass pack muffler.  It is attached to the transmission via a Petro-Works adapter and mounted to the frame with Petro-Works full caption motor mounts.


7.   Fuel will be carried in a converted 10-gallon air tank and pumped via a ford ranger electric fuel pump.

v   Suspension, Steering, Wheels, and Tires
1.   The wheels are stock Heep CJ  15X8 wagon wheels. They were free and I prefer an 8” wheel for the 12.50 width tire because it pulls the sidewalls in and stays on the rim better at lower air pressure.  I have welded the valve stem holes in and re-drilled them just behind the spokes but still accessible for an air chuck.
2.   The tires are 33X12.50X15 Dayton Timberline MT’s that I have used in the past. They are more aggressive then their Firestone Destination MT parents. Same great 3 ply sidewall with rim guards and rap around tread.  They are a true 33 inches tall.  I hope the Firestones work as good since Bridgestone/Firestone discontinued the Timberline MT line. I guess that is why they sold them to me for $140 each. If I had it to do over, I would have bought the Cooper Discoverer STT’s.

3.   The power steering gearbox is from a rear wheel drive Toyota Celica. I made a frame adapter so the gearbox mounts in the stock location. I modified the stock Suzuki 1600 AC/PS mount to accept the Toyota pump. I haven’t heard of anyone doing this and not having the engine installed, there is some question about clearance. I want to keep the AC pump so it can serve as my on board air compressor.  Now to find a drop pitman arm!  [imghttp://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc193/driead/FrontGearbox2.jpg[/img]http://

4.   The shocks that I will be using are Gabriel ULTRA™ Shock Absorbers. They have a load-sensing valve that I am banking on to help with the ride and stability. I am using the G63810 with an 18.5” Collapsed length and a 31.5 extended length. This give me 13” shock travel. The donor vehicle is a 1999 thru 2004 F250/F350 Ford Super Duty 4x4 Rear. These are easy to find and cheap to buy ($25.99 each). So far I think they will work fine.

5.   The front suspension is a 3 link hybrid design. I wanted something more durable then the troublesome and fragile Samurai rear springs that I use to have. They were very flexible but after breaking 5 main springs, I decided a coil spring set up was the answer.  The springs are a shortened set of rear Honda Accord coils. I have shortened them by 2 inches so I could keep the total lift within 6 to 8 inches. The stock Honda spring is 17 inches. The drivers side uses a single lover control are made up of a heavy-duty category 2 farm tractor upper link with 1 inch Heep CJ spring bushings at the frame mount and 2 inch urethane bushings at the axle mount. The passenger side has a “Y” type control arm consisting of a matching control arm to the drivers side with a shorted upper link angling off of the control arm to a upper axle mount.  The total system moves the front axle forward 1.5 inches from its stock location.

6.   A custom panhard rod locates the axle side to side.  I have used farm tractor spherical links before and found them to be very strong but vulnerable to excessive wear if they are neglected. A simple 1/8” hole and a grease gun can make these things last a long time.

 

7.   The rear suspension is a 3-link setup utilizing an “A” arm upper link to locate the axle side to side.  Using the same tractor links and Heep bushings as the front it minimizes the number of extra parts I need to pack with me on the trail. The springs on the rear are again from a Honda Accord. However they are full length to help with articulation.  The shocks will be angled at the top towards the center to help extend their working range. The lower control arms push the axle rearward 6.5 inches giving Oliver an 88” wheelbase.

v   The Parts List
1.   Engine And Drive Train
o   1600CC Suzuki 8 Valve Engine with TBI - Have


o   Sidekick Engine Harness - Have
o   PetroWorks Engine Adapter - Have
o   PetroWorks Engine Mounts -      Have
o   PetroWorks Dual Friction Clutch Kit -   Have
o   Calmini Stainless Steel Tri-Y Header -   Have

o   Stainless Steel Muffler -  Have

o   Aluminum Cold Air Intake Kit   -   Have
o   6.5:1 Transfer Case Kit   -   Have
o   Rocky Road T-Case Mount w/urethane mounts -  Have
o   Heep Cherokee front drive shaft.   -   Have
o   Isuzu Rodeo rear drive shaft   -   Have
o   Samurai to Spice CV drive flange    -   Have
o   Samurai to Spicer 1310 drive flange   - Have
o   Tom Woods Super Flex 1310 u-joints   - Need
2.   Axles, Wheels, and Tires
o   Heep CJ Narrow Track Dana 30 front axle (1970-1981) - Have
1.   Lock Right Locker         - Have
2.   Yukon 4340 Axle kit w/Spicer 5-760X u-joints - Need
3.   US Gear 4.88:1 gear set w/master install kit. - Have
4.   New rotors, pads, hoses, and calipers.   - Need
5.   Warn Premium locking hubs      - Have
6.   1.25” Billet Aluminum Wheel Spacers.   - Have
o   Heep CJ Narrow Track Offset AMC20 axle (1976-1979)   - Have
1.   Lock Right Locker      -   Have
2.   Moser 1 piece forged axles   -   Have
3.   US Gear 4.88:1 gear set w/master install kit. -  Have
4.   New drums, Shoes, hoses, hardware, and slave cylinders. -Need
5.   2” Billet Aluminum Wheel Spacers. -   Need
6.   Long side axle gusset      -   Have
o   Heep CJ 15X8 Wagon Spoke Wheels w/center mounted valve stems and painted black.       -   Have
o   33X12.50X15 Dayton Timberline MT tires   - Have
3.   Suspension and Shocks
o   Shortened Honda Accord rear coil springs (1993-1997) - Have
o   Full length Honda Accord rear coil springs (1993-1997) - Have
o   Geo Tracker/Sidekick rear lower control arms. - Have
o   Heep CJ 1 inch urethane spring bushings   - Have   
o   Universal urethane 2 inch bushings   - Have
o   Urethane bullet style bump stops      - Need
o   Heavy-Duty Category 2 upper tractor links   - Have
o   Standard category 2 upper tractor links   - Have
o   1”ID DOM tubing ¼ inch wall      - Have
o   1¼” Black Pipe         - Need
o   ½, 11/8, 1¼, and 1 inch grade 8 bolts and nuts - Have
o   3/8X2 inch bar stock         - Have
o   1/4X11/2 inch bar stock      - Have
o   1/4X3X4 Box tube         - Have
o   3/16X2X4 Box Tube         - Have
o   G63810 Gabriel Ultra G-Force Shocks (1999-2004 Ford F250/350 Super Duty 4X4 Rear)   -   Have
o   Motor-Mite Universal Shock Mounting Bolts -   Have

4.   Steering Hydraulics and Links
o   Toyota Celica Power Steering Gearbox -   Have
o   Toyota Power Steering pump and reservoir -  Have
o   Sidekick AC/PS engine mounting bracket -   Have
o   Toyota to Suzuki gearbox adapter -     Have
o   Small transmission/PS cooler   -   Have
o   Custom drop pitman arm   -   Need
o   Heep Tie rod assembly   -   Have
o   Custom draglink       -   Need
o   Custom rag joint eliminator   -   Need
5.   Interior, Body, and Miscellaneous
o   Oliver Green Paint      -   Need
o   Massey Ferguson Red Paint   -   Need
o   Universal Gloss Black Paint   -   Have
o   3 Samurai JX Bucket Seats   -   Have
o   Liquid Bed Liner      -   Need
o   ½ Inch Pipe      -   Need
o   ¾ Inch pipe      -   Need
o   1¼ Inch pipe      -   Need
o   1½ Inch HREW Tube      -   Need
o    ¼ X3X4 angle Iron      -   Have
o   18 Gauge sheet metal      -   Need
o   10 Gallon Portable air tank   -   Have
o   ¼X4 Inch Bar Stock      -   Have
o   4” sealed truck/trailer lights w gaskets -   Have
o   JDM Electronic Oil Pressure Gauge -   Have
o   JDM Voltmeter      -   Have
o   JDM Air/Fuel Meter      -   Have
o   Cobra CB with Antenna   -   Have
o   Black Pavement Ends soft top   -   Have
o   Suzuki Sidekick AC to Air compressor Conversion - Need
o   2 Gallon air tank      -   Have
o   97 Ford Ranger Electric Fuel pump -   Need
o   Samurai Spare tire carrier   -   Have
o   Ramsey REP5000 Winch   -   Have

looks like a fun build

This is the bottom of the spring bucket. I am using parts from the Honda Accord struts.

The Top

Now welded into the frame. I will gusset this in to the frame for strength.

This is the axle end of things. This was also part of the Honda strut.

I finished tacking the rear suspension together this weekend. The rear upper spring buckets are welded in on both sides.


The rear lower bump stops and shocks mounts are tacked on.



I need to make some upper bump stop contact plates. I also need to cycle the suspension and mark, drill, and mount the upper shock bolts.

I plan on letting the rear springs just rest on the lower perch and not tie them down. This should give me more axle droop without over extending the springs.
This will require some form of centering cone to make sure the springs always land correctly on the lower spring perch.

I will work on this when I finish weld the rear axle.

Well Oliver is sitting on his own springs all the way around. I got the shocks mounted and the upper bump stops lowered. I think the Honda Accord springs are going to work just fine. The front and rear are level and I can compress the suspension 1 1/2 inches when I jump on the bumper. I think Oliver should have a nice soft but controlled ride.

I spent a little time last night to make a sheet metal brake. 4 1/2 hours and $50.00 in steel later I am now ready to start bending sheet metal like a pro. OK maybe not like a pro, but at least it will be bent!!
I Know they sell them at Harbor Freight for $79.00. But this one is American made, 6" longer, and has multible hand points for smaller pieces.

Besides, I learned over the last several years that my time has no value!

Now it is time to find or make a new pitman arm. The celica gearbox output shaft is 1.064" at the centerpoint of the tapered splines. It has a spline count is 42. Here is picture of the celica arm...



After breaking 2 KD (KD makes very good tools)

and 1 Chinese pitman arm pullers trying get this little booger off, I made a trip to our local Clark's tool and bought an OTC Super Duty pitman arm puller, model # 6497

The OTC puller is made to work on 2005 and newer Ford F-250 and F-350 four-wheel-drive Super Duty trucks. The two clamp bolts lock the jaws on the Pitman arm, ensuring a solid grip. It has a maximum jaw spread is 3-1/4".  It worked like a charm! In Fact, this thing kicks butt!! I love good tools!!
 

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is that a highway cone?


looks like you are getting a lot of work done.