I want to build...

[Greg]

This ought it be good.

This belongs to OILBURNER on Pirate4x4, he started a thread about building a home-made pickup. Started with a Samurai and hacked off the rear part of the tub, then fabbed mounts for a custom bed. Here's this short thread, I really wish there was more info about his project.-

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=628391


I think it would be fun to build something similar, kind of like a Side by Side on steroids, street legal and solid axles. I'd build it as a light-duty Expedition-style rig. Something you could take out camping locally for a weekend loaded up with gear. Imagine a Roof Top Tent mounted above the bed and the bed filled up with firewood, camping gear, etc.

I would use some kind of 4 cyl Turbo diesel (probably a VW TDI), mated to a Toyota 5 speed and dual t-cases for then the trail gets rough. Toyota axles front and rear, 33x10.5x15's, etc. Build the suspension with some quality leaf springs so it rode well and was stable at speed. The turbo diesel would make plenty of power for long drives and get good mileage doing it. I think it would be a hoot!

I've been thinking of something like this for quite awhile, I doubt I will follow thru, but it's nice to dream. Just thought I'd share my dream...

 

[LT.]

What a cool idea! I like your take on your dream.

LT.

 

[Greg]

What a cool idea! I like your take on your dream.

LT.

It's different, that's for sure! I think it would be fun for easier offroad travels. It wouldn't be any crazy rock crawler, but a good utility/camping rig.

 

[Greg]

Found another, this one is actually a factory Suzuki truck! I like the total size of it, tires are a tad big, but it works.

 

[Spork]

That looks sweet. :greg: Looks like a cool project.

 

[rollover]

Neat set up for light Expedition trips.

 

[str8axleguy]

I totally dig it! You should do it for sure. You could probably get away with a yj spring swap to clear 33"s easy and they are supposed to ride very well for a sami. Might even be cool to stretch the length a little to gain more stability. Cool idea for sure, DO IT!!

 

[SAMI]

I think it would be fun to build something similar.. I'd build it as a light-duty Expedition-style rig. Something you could take out camping locally for a weekend loaded up with gear. Imagine a Roof Top Tent mounted above the bed and the bed filled up with firewood, camping gear, etc.

This is what my goal is for my upcoming FJ55 Truck project.. I love the bed on that Zuk! Is that a factory Suzuki bed?

 

[Stephen]

This is what my goal is for my upcoming FJ55 Truck project.. I love the bed on that Zuk! Is that a factory Suzuki bed?

The blue on is, I'm pretty sure. They brought a few SJ410 pickups into Canada in the early 80's. I've heard of a few people snagging Carry beds and putting them on Samurai's before. This would be a hella cool project.

 

[SAMI]

If you look closely, the grey one is the same as the blue one. The blue one just has a little fender thing going on.. Same hooks, hinges, latches, same lines..

 

[Stephen]

The grey one is off a Mitsubishi. Could be the same manufacturer for the bed though.

 

[bryson]

If you look closely, the grey one is the same as the blue one. The blue one just has a little fender thing going on.. Same hooks, hinges, latches, same lines..

If you look CLOSER, you can tell that they aren't the same...at all. Sorry buddy.

 

[SAMI]

same beds,,, buddy

 

[GEEPAHOLIC]

i dig it do it do it

 

[Rot Box]

I wanted to do something similar with my old Samurai. (Its been years ago) I bought a running Isuzu I-mark (Chevy Chevette) for the mechanical 1.8 Diesel engine and 5 speed trans. It would have been an almost bolt right in deal other than the t-case would need to have been moved back a few inches. A scrap yard near me has a TON of early 70's Mazda, Datsun and mini Ford beds that are very small (even compared to my 79) and could easily be narrowed and bobbed.

Long story short it never really came together and I tossed the idea :-\

 

[Kiel]

If you look CLOSER, you can tell that they aren't the same...at all. Sorry buddy.

Denied sir

 

[Greg]

Lets put this bed argument down... in the thread linked to on Pirate, OILBURNER, the owner of the first rig speaking about the bed says-

It's a mish-mash of several trucks = the actual bed part is from a Suzuki Carry, the bulkhead was wrecked. It's just as well, as it wouldn't have worked for what I wanted. You can see the gates are Mitsubishi, the Suzuki ones are paper-thin, rust easily, and are hard to find. I am not experienced welding the thin stuff, but the Mitsu gates are pretty heavy. I shortened them a little over a foot, the width was good so I didn't have to mess with it. Had to move all the hinges, tho
In this pic, the bed is just sitting on the frame propped up with wood blocks to see about how high/low I wanna mount it - still need to mount my fuel tank. I am in the middle of doing that, adding ~10" to the frame. It won't look exactly stock but should work for my needs.

The 2nd bed is a factory Suzuki bed. There, done!

 

[Greg]

I totally dig it! You should do it for sure. You could probably get away with a yj spring swap to clear 33"s easy and they are supposed to ride very well for a sami. Might even be cool to stretch the length a little to gain more stability. Cool idea for sure, DO IT!!

That's what I was thinking YJ springs front and rear, with a shackle reversal in the front for better road manners. Stretch the wheelbase out to 106-108", depending on how it looks and make it even more stable at speed.

I'd really like to shorten the tub up, but leave enough room behind the seats for the dog, gear, etc.

This is what my goal is for my upcoming FJ55 Truck project.. I love the bed on that Zuk! Is that a factory Suzuki bed?

That would be cool, I can see your inspiration!

The blue on is, I'm pretty sure. They brought a few SJ410 pickups into Canada in the early 80's. I've heard of a few people snagging Carry beds and putting them on Samurai's before. This would be a hella cool project.

I think it would be a great project, I'll go into the bed details I'd like to do further on.

I wanted to do something similar with my old Samurai. (Its been years ago) I bought a running Isuzu I-mark (Chevy Chevette) for the mechanical 1.8 Diesel engine and 5 speed trans. It would have been an almost bolt right in deal other than the t-case would need to have been moved back a few inches. A scrap yard near me has a TON of early 70's Mazda, Datsun and mini Ford beds that are very small (even compared to my 79) and could easily be narrowed and bobbed.

Long story short it never really came together and I tossed the idea :-\

That's too bad it didn't happen, you would have been a pioneer in the Sami/diesel world!

 

[SAMI]

Are building up a samurai?

 

[Greg]

OK, here's what I'd like to do, body-wise...

I'd bob the cab so it had some space behind the seats, probably about 14-18", similar to a 2nd Gen Toyota extended cab. Enough room for a small bench seat for the dog to sit on. I'm not sure how much our dog would like riding in the bed.

Run some hard doors and build a soft top that was about as air tight as you can make a soft top. Probably build a simple roll cage in the passenger area and use the cage as a frame for the soft top.

I'd fab a bed that was 4' x 6' x 18" deep. Make it with removable tailgate and sides, but a permanent bulkhead up by the cab. Build some fenders that sit under the bed to keep mud & dirt off the truck, similar to the fenders on the blue truck with the factory bed.

On the front, run a FJ40 grill... :greg: Get rid of the stock fenders and build some tube fenders that came out about 4-5" from the body. The tube fenders ought to make more room for the 33" tires and keep dirt & mud off the sides.

YJ springs with a shackle reversal, some quality shocks and NO double shackle/missing link crap. Hopefully it would ride better than a stock Sami.


All that being said, I made plans to pick up a engine that could work for this potential project. On Friday I will be picking up a '86 Toyota 2.4l 2L diesel engine, non-turbo. It's currently dismantled, but from the sound of it, it'll be fairly easy to get running. It will be interesting to see how hard it is to get parts for, but from what I've read, most Toyota dealers can get stuff if you have the part numbers. Of course, expect to pay for them. :-\

I figure with adding a turbo and some fueling, it should be capable of 180 ft/lbs and probably around 30 MPG. There's not a lot of info out there about turning these motors up, but it's a diesel... add fuel, add air. :greg:

The cool thing about these Toyota 2L diesels is that they are mechanically injected and that motor mounts, clutch and even the bellhousing share parts with the 22RE, so putting together the rest of the drivetrain will require no adapters. It would be simple to find a Toyota 5 speed and clutch to bolt up!

So yeah... mabey this will go somewhere.