1993 Suzuki Sidekick JLX

[bawesomfels]

Two weeks ago I picked up this sweet little Zuki from my neighbor down the street. I'd had my eye on it for a while so once I saw the opportunity I jumped. Big plans for this little 1.6L monster.



So far it needs a little work, as to be expected for a 27 yo 194k mile vehicle. Both outer CV boots are torn and need to be replaced, all fluids need to be replaced, and the interior needs some love but it's clean otherwise. I told myself I wasn't going to to crazy with at first, but the list keeps growing so all bets are off at this point.

 

[bawesomfels]

First things first, new wheels and tires! Found some CJ5 wheels with a good backspacing on offerup for cheap so I grabbed them real quick, and of course with wheels sitting in my garage I needed tires obviously. Queue 4 235/75r15 Forceum MTs to my door. Minor rubbing in the front at full lock or if there's enough flex from a curb at the mall. Thankfully the lift kit is on the way.
Oh, and grabbed a new tire cover for the spare.

 

[bawesomfels]

Next on the list is a little lift to grow into the new shoes. Unfortunately the suspension kit I ordered won't be here until at least mid-October due to parts availability, but in the mean time I had a 1" body lift to get things moving forward at least. The install wasn't too bad and only took an afternoon with no major hiccups. Big thanks to Low Range Offroad for the hook up!

 

[z06jeff]

Clean 1st gen! I have a 2nd gen that I've been playing with for a few years now. Wouldn't trade it for anything. My build thread is here... 2003 Tracker build
I read where you want to replace the half shafts. See post #10 in my build thread. All aftermarket axle shafts are crap, and not even close to oem design/quality. If you stay stock, you may be able to get by with them, but if you do a lift, the aftermarket half shafts won't work out for you. They can't flex, so they'll just break. Your options are either re-boot the originals, or find some half shafts at a salvage yard with the boots still intact.
Also, if you haven't already discovered it, there is a facebook group called "GEO/Tracker and Suzuki Samurai/Sidekick Owners Club". There's over 17k members on there and lots of good info.

 

[tjZ06]

Going solid axle swap?

-TJ

 

[bawesomfels]

Clean 1st gen! I have a 2nd gen that I've been playing with for a few years now. Wouldn't trade it for anything. My build thread is here... 2003 Tracker build
I read where you want to replace the half shafts. See post #10 in my build thread. All aftermarket axle shafts are crap, and not even close to oem design/quality. If you stay stock, you may be able to get by with them, but if you do a lift, the aftermarket half shafts won't work out for you. They can't flex, so they'll just break. Your options are either re-boot the originals, or find some half shafts at a salvage yard with the boots still intact.
Also, if you haven't already discovered it, there is a facebook group called "GEO/Tracker and Suzuki Samurai/Sidekick Owners Club". There's over 17k members on there and lots of good info.

Looks good man! Thanks for the info too. I was planning on just replacing the boots but I didn't realize that after market half-shafts were not up to snuff.

 

[bawesomfels]

Going solid axle swap?

-TJ

If I can find parts on the cheap then I'd like too. But for now IFS and mini-lift just for some fun.

 

[bawesomfels]

Haven't given an update in a while, things have been slow going (just like the 1.6L in this ). The lift kit from Low Range Offroad has been pushed back to at least Oct 30 due to backordered parts so I'm looking for small jobs to do. All four CV boots have been replaced, the suspension has been ripped out in preparation for the lift. Shocks and struts were all shot, probably needed to be replaced in 2000 or so, haha. While she's sitting I'll get the new locker in I ordered. Might as well, right?

 

[bawesomfels]

It's FINALLY together and on the road . The kit from LRO didn't have the parts available anytime soon so I ended up canceling the order. Thankfully, the kit I originally wanted came back in stock and was 20% off for a month long Black Friday sale. Best part? It was at my door in a week. Thanks Ironman 4x4. That victory was short lived when I realized I needed new strut mounts and boots, but hey Prime shipping is a thing.

Next up is coms equipment, snorkel, and locker (finally maybe) but plenty of fun to be had in the mean time.

 

[persquank]

Hurray for tiny overlanders. Excited to see where this thing can go.

 

[bawesomfels]

Quick update. Got the snorkel installed today! Despite having a template that was out of spec, the install went quite smooth; smoother than my Frontier and that had a template that was spot on. I guess it's time to take her for a dip and see what happens! Don't mind the bumper, that's a work in progress.

 

[GLOCKer]

Ha! this is cool! I love it!

 

[RoarinRow]

The previous owner is going to regret selling the rig after seeing what you've done lol. Good job!

 

[bawesomfels]

The previous owner is going to regret selling the rig after seeing what you've done lol. Good job!

Yeah, you're probably right, it was really clean! But now he gets to watch me drive by as he shakes his fist. Damn kids!

 

[RoarinRow]

Yeah, you're probably right, it was really clean! But now he gets to watch me drive by as he shakes his fist. Damn kids!

I know I would be kicking myself lol!

 

[bawesomfels]

Maiden voyage! This is the first time on dirt since I've had this little rig so nothing too difficuly (read: easy), just enough to stretch her legs and get a feel for how everything behaves off pavement. No 4x4 necessary this time around, which is fine since I was out with my buddy in his 2010 F150 FX2. While going through the ruts and washes of the desert, everything felt great and now I can't wait to get out somewhere more technical.

 

[bawesomfels]

Been busy since the Holidays, but there has been progress! My buddy @Forte brought me a winch carrier for a small truck/ SUV from Nebraska when he moved back to Arizona. It was the perfect size for this little vic so incorporating it into the build was a must. After some material gathering and bribing my dad with some beer (he's the welder) the Zook has a new bumper/ winch carrier!

 

[Forte]

Been busy since the Holidays, but there has been progress! My buddy @Forte brought me a winch carrier for a small truck/ SUV from Nebraska when he moved back to Arizona. It was the perfect size for this little vic so incorporating it into the build was a must. After some material gathering and bribing my dad with some beer (he's the welder) the Zook has a new bumper/ winch carrier!

Nice "ARB" you got there... ;) glad you finally got everything installed it looks great!

 

[persquank]

Snorkel - check. Winch bumper - check. Throw some lights on there and you're good to go. Also, did you really put a 9500lb winch on a vehicle that has a GROSS weight of 3300lbs? Just enough power to rip the car in half. Looks like a beast.

 

[bawesomfels]

Also, did you really put a 9500lb winch on a vehicle that has a GROSS weight of 3300lbs?

Oh absolutely! I found it for a good deal and it made it so I didn't have to modify the carrier too much further for a smaller winch (most on the weight range I need are for quads lol)