History
1997-2004
(Click for larger images)
Our first 4x4 that actually saw use off-road was a 94 Ext-Cab Nissan 4x4 pictured above, 3rd vehicle in line. we purchased it sometime in 96-97 with the intention of buying a jet ski or maybe a boat. Since it had 4 wheel drive I figured we might as well try using it so. I had a friend at work who was in a 4x4 club so I let him know we were interested in going out sometime. The friends name was Ken Blaisdell and I blame him for my addiction :) Before going on a club outing, he took us out to some desert washes west of Lake Pleasant so we could get a little taste of what would be involved. We were introduced to desert pin striping, steep hills, some small rocks and tight turns. My wife wasn't so hot on the idea of scratching up our new truck. She cringed at the sounds of foliage scraping down the sides of the truck, I didn't notice, I was having too much fun. Needless to say I was hooked, especially once I discovered 4 low (right around the first time we tried to climb a steep hill).
Back to the picture above. This was actually the first organized run I attended. It was a trip thru Box Canyon from the Florence side. The Nissan did well but I knew my limits and left it at the cabins as the rest of the group proceeded up the wash to the mills near the start of Martinez Canyon. We kept wheeling, and the Nissan did well, suffering only a flat tire and no dents in the 2 years we used it off-road. The only addition I made to it was some tube style nerf bars which took a few hits and paid for themselves early on. In retrospect I think the Nissan was a good learning experience, I learned tire placement, how to pick a line and more importantly I learned to identify where my limits were. Eventually I got to the point where I wanted to go to the next level. I looked into upgrading the Nissan but there wasn't much aftermarket support at the time and what was available was very expensive.
Sometime in the Summer of 1999 we explored getting a dedicated 4x4, specifically a Jeep or early Bronco for their smaller size which seemed to work better on the Arizona trails. The problem we found was the vehicles we could afford needed a lot of work and I didn't really have any experience in vehicle repair other than basic maintenance. Then one day I was surfing the internet and discovered a miniature Jeep. Honestly, I didn't even know that Samurai's were 4 wheel drive. I did some more research and discovered the upgrades to these little rigs were not too expensive so my wife and I decided to start looking for one to purchase.
We looked at a few Suzuki's late in the summer of 99 and eventually found a clean looking red one in September, we purchased it for $1800. The above picture is the earliest one I have. Unfortunately I didn't take one in it's stock configuration. I had a club run to lead and wanted the run to be the Zuk's maiden voyage. Over the course of two days I hastily installed a 4" lift which utilized OME lifted springs and some 30" BFG All-Terrains. The maiden voyage was a run up the back way to Crown King. I had run it once before in my Nissan but there were a few obstacles I had to bypass. Despite running a little hot under the collar, the little Suzuki climbed up everything I pointed it at. Mission accomplished.
The only thing the first few runs revealed was a need for lower gearing. The little motor was adequate on flat trails, but in the rocks the clutch quickly burned up. As luck would have it I watched the paper and found someone selling a Samurai transfer case with a 4.89:1 gear set installed. This would take the Zuk's anemic 31:1 crawl ratio on up to a 66:1 crawl ratio. I quickly put a down payment on the case and eventually paid for it in full a few weeks later. What a difference that made. I could now creep along without having to use the clutch. This eventual exposed my need for a locker, which led to bigger tires, which led to some lower ring and pinion gears, which led to a front locker, etc, etc.
By this time I had started to fabricate my own parts. My friend Ken had loaned me his stick welder and showed me how to use it and I was off. My first few projects were bumpers and various mounts. Next I started to dabble with the suspension. I tried longer shackles, different spring combinations and eventually did a spring over axle conversion using YJ springs in back and stock rear springs up front. For a while there my suspension seemed to change monthly :) I really liked how my rig looked at this point. I had a fastback hardtop on back with working A/C so it was a year round trail rig. The Zuk also saw a lot of highway miles, even making it to Sonoita (just north of the Mexican border) and back. I still remember drafting behind semis on the way back to keep it at the speed limit. If you have ever thought back and wished you could have a certain configuration back, I think this was the time. The rig worked good and was more than capable of running trails like Terminator and Jawbreaker (which were actually pretty rugged back then). There were a few superficial body scars, but nothing very noticeable. I finally felt ready for a road trip so in the fall of 2000 my wife and I hooked the Zuk behind the Nissan and headed for the Rubicon. While my wife elected to stay with her Mom in Jackson, Ca, her Dad and myself continued on to the Rubicon and had a great time.
