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1988 Samurai Turned Buggy

Bull shit, the Samurai frame is great for what it is. Full 2x4

You just need to make sure to spread the load out when building certain mounts like sliders or tcase xember. If you add a full cage to it, you're adding a ton of structure anyway.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Bull shit, the Samurai frame is great for what it is. Full 2x4

You just need to make sure to spread the load out when building certain mounts like sliders or tcase xember. If you add a full cage to it, you're adding a ton of structure anyway.
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It would make my life easier to build off the factory frame, but I also don’t want to do all this work and kill it. Plating the whole thing in 3/16” is as time consuming as building from scratch.
 
FleshEater said:
It would make my life easier to build off the factory frame, but I also don’t want to do all this work and kill it. Plating the whole thing in 3/16” is as time consuming as building from scratch.
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You don't need to plate the whole thing. Just add a gusset or dish plate here and there. Lots of built samis out there with most of the stock frame.
 
FleshEater said:
Wuz-A-zuk has told me many times and I’ve heard it here that the Samurai frame can’t withstand much, and I’ll be trying to keep it from ripping itself apart.

The time it would take to reinforce the frame and repair all the rot I could cobble together a chassis.

That’s where I’m at with this. If this ever gets done. :laughing:
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I did state this and I stand by it for this build. The frame only could handle so much before you're chasing issues on it.


YotaAtieToo said:
Bull shit, the Samurai frame is great for what it is. Full 2x4

You just need to make sure to spread the load out when building certain mounts like sliders or tcase xember. If you add a full cage to it, you're adding a ton of structure anyway.
Click to expand...
Bullshit to your bullshit 😁. While I agree with you and 2big bronco that the samurai frame is great for what it is with using anything samurai weight it is NOT the best option for this build. I think the stock frame is worthy for most builds with proper plating on ANYTHING that will be mounted to it.

But he is not using any body at all, plans on back-half and front-halfing it, and links with yota axles on 37's. I don't see how he would be ahead in any fashion using the factory middle 3'? of frame. The only thing he'll have to use are the factory transfer case mounts and they already rip themselves off the frame to the point where a couple companies came out with gussets for them and then full cradles (zuksoffroad and lowrange) as well.

My 2¢, it would be better or easier to just sell the frame for some profit and use 2 chunks of 2"X3" square as your starting point and not have to reinforce it or put plates everywhere you plan on mounting something.
 
No body at all? Or just cutting the back of the tub off?

I get the thought, but at some point, may as well just go full buggy. Then, if going buggy, may as well use bigger axles, then bigger engine, tcase, ect. Got to stop at some point....


My understanding was a tube back half at the b pillar and maybe chop from the engine mounts forward. Still a long ways from a full buggy.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
No body at all? Or just cutting the back of the tub off?

I get the thought, but at some point, may as well just go full buggy. Then, if going buggy, may as well use bigger axles, then bigger engine, tcase, ect. Got to stop at some point....


My understanding was a tube back half at the b pillar and maybe chop from the engine mounts forward. Still a long ways from a full buggy.
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That was the plan but I keep looking at the body barely hanging on from rot and I’m ditching ALL of the body now.

I have a Samurai drivetrain and Toyota axles laying around. I’m using them. Full tube chassis is all I’m adding, which sounds easier to me than trying to weld around a rotten body.

If I set out for tons, V8, Atlas, etc. I’ll never build it, because I’ never justify all the money.

I feel like a creepy crawling 4 banger on Toyotas is enough for me to have fun hitting bigger stuff than a Tracker on 32’s.
 
I get what you're saying, just didn't think you'd want to take on a full buggy.

One of the coolest buggies I've seen was a 1.6, toyota trans, cases and axles, leaf front, link rear on 35. Looked like it weighed absolutely nothing. No panels, just a bit of expanded for a floor. He could just maneuver around and through stuff nothing else could.

Have you considered a chassis kit as a starting point? Might save some time and frustration, but still allow you to make it your own.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I get what you're saying, just didn't think you'd want to take on a full buggy.

One of the coolest buggies I've seen was a 1.6, toyota trans, cases and axles, leaf front, link rear on 35. Looked like it weighed absolutely nothing. No panels, just a bit of expanded for a floor. He could just maneuver around and through stuff nothing else could.

Have you considered a chassis kit as a starting point? Might save some time and frustration, but still allow you to make it your own.
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I didn’t want to go full buggy. :laughing: But rust doesn’t leave a lot of options.

I have considered it and I can’t justify $3,500 plus whatever shipping would cost to get it here. I mean it would save me a crap load of time. I’m not good at tube notching or working with round shit at all, so it will take ten times longer than anyone else.
 
FleshEater said:
I didn’t want to go full buggy. :laughing: But rust doesn’t leave a lot of options.

I have considered it and I can’t justify $3,500 plus whatever shipping would cost to get it here. I mean it would save me a crap load of time. I’m not good at tube notching or working with round shit at all, so it will take ten times longer than anyone else.
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Go price out DOM tubing and a bender, $3500 won't be that bad.
 
FleshEater said:
I wasn’t planning on bending any tube. Been looking at designs to make a full cage with no bends.
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Although I know that method has been proven to work. It's going to make it a pain when doing a whole chassis, and also very hard to not be ugly. :laughing:

If you're doing an entire chassis, you're going to want a bender.

Even just dom tube is about $10 per foot, so you'll be spending thousands on tune either way.
 
I’ve seen a ton of good looking cages with only 2-4 bends in them.

I always like the idea of using as much cab/tub as possible even on full tube chassis builds.
 
Byro said:
I’ve seen a ton of good looking cages with only 2-4 bends in them.
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Sure, I've done a few with basically just bends at the A pillar and then at the rear of the roof.

However, a whole tube chassis will be tough do with no bends and still look decent.

There also just times where you just need a few degrees to clear something and it takes a few minutes in the bender vs the whole cut, bevel, weld, sand deal. You also have to be on your game when but splicing tube together that way. Too little heat and you risk it cracking, too much and you weaken the tube. The chassis builders are typically using tig when doing miter joints.

Byro said:
I always like the idea of using as much cab/tub as possible even on full tube chassis builds.
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I've always liked the Samurai firewall buggies. But I've always wanted a total minimalist buggy also.
 
Any idea a rough estimate of how many linear feet of DOM I’ll need? Would 100’ do it?

Technically I have a local shop I could have bend me two pieces for the A pillar and the rear of the roof. Other than that there’s no need for bends elsewhere.

The Rock Lizard tube chassis is the equivalent of 11 20’ sticks of 1026 DOM…
 
You’ll rip through 100’ pretty quick for just the main cab structure.

Dash bar, top roof bar, rear roof bar, seatbelt bar. Those are all 4’ pieces right there. A to C pillar is 10’ each side.
 
Byro said:
You’ll rip through 100’ pretty quick for just the main cab structure.

Dash bar, top roof bar, rear roof bar, seatbelt bar. Those are all 4’ pieces right there. A to C pillar is 10’ each side.
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Fawk. It’s not worth trying to build this. I’ll waste 30-50 feet because of my inexperience. Difference in building to buying “might” be $700.
 
100' won't get you far at all. There's a lot of factors but I'd guess 300-500' for a simple tube chassis? It gets eaten up really quick.
 
160 or 180 in this (I dont remember wether I had 1 or 2 sticks leftover) and very little waste.
20210612_195106.jpg
 
I just called my local metal supplier and priced out 1.75x.120 DOM. Came to $6.98 per foot. So about $1,396 for 200’.

Significantly less than $3,500 plus shipping.

I’ll probably want to drink a gallon of bleach and suck start a shotgun during this, but Zuk guys are cheap bastids. And I’m no different than the typical Zuk owner. :flipoff2:
 
He said 180' for a cage, not the same as a full buggy.....:flipoff2:

Price out 1 1/2" also, zuks are light enough it will be OK. Then use 090 where ever its not going to touch a rock.

Not saying a chassis will save you any money, but you'll probably have around $2k in steel, so it's not like it's pennies on the dollar. I'm all for learning how to build, but if your goal is to actually use the thing in the next 18-24 months, I'd seriously look at a chassis kit
 
YotaAtieToo said:
He said 180' for a cage, not the same as a full buggy.....:flipoff2:

Price out 1 1/2" also, zuks are light enough it will be OK. Then use 090 where ever its not going to touch a rock.

Not saying a chassis will save you any money, but you'll probably have around $2k in steel, so it's not like it's pennies on the dollar. I'm all for learning how to build, but if your goal is to actually use the thing in the next 18-24 months, I'd seriously look at a chassis kit
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If I was swimming in fun money I’d order a chassis. I’m guessing I’d have $1,000 in just shipping from west to east coast, though.

I got two options here man. Slowly build as money allows in a shit economy, or say fawk it all and give up on the idea, because the chassis pre-built isn’t in the cards. Saving $1,500-$2,500 on a chassis allows for that much more room for more parts. Like $3,500 wheels and tires. :laughing:
 
FleshEater said:
If I was swimming in fun money I’d order a chassis. I’m guessing I’d have $1,000 in just shipping from west to east coast, though.

I got two options here man. Slowly build as money allows in a shit economy, or say fawk it all and give up on the idea, because the chassis pre-built isn’t in the cards. Saving $1,500-$2,500 on a chassis allows for that much more room for more parts. Like $3,500 wheels and tires. :laughing:
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Come strip my samurai and ill give you the chassis and 5 new 37s on new beadlocks for $3500

And then sell you all the other parts you want also
 
2big bronco said:
Come strip my samurai and ill give you the chassis and 5 new 37s on new beadlocks for $3500

And then sell you all the other parts you want also
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To date I’ve never made it to California. If I lived in the mid-west I’d probably try to take you up on this deal.

However, I also remember you saying you didn’t like the wheelbase you built it to.
 
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