Originally posted by LiltraxUtah
The problem with taking a sami apart and making a rock buggy is that you usually swap out the small 1.3 for a 1.6 16v almost 90% of the time, and you end up moving the axles out and usually going with d44 axels anyways. If you start with a Tracker/Sidekick you do a SAS and also throw on a d44 front for sure, you already have the larger engine and almost a 90" wheelbase (can put out to near 100 with SAS) with a 107" total I think its around there.
enter the arguement on style between the samurai and tracker/kick. they both have their good points and bad points, here is my list
overall body lines: the suzuki samurai is square and to the point reminiscent of the old land rover and flatfender body styles. the track/kick has more of an updated "Cute" look but with a two piece top that comes in VERY handy at times. with some chopping and hacking the kick can look very trail ready.
The zuk is a little slimmer and square with a much shorter wheelbase. The wheelwells on both are sizeable but I believe the sidekick has the advantage of the larger stock wheelwellsize. The sidekick also lends itself to better fender trimming without intrusion into passenger/engine compartment space.
pretty much, the sidekick is more expensive to modify to an equal platform as a samurai. gears and transfer case equipment are more expensive and swapping in a solid axle can be a true pain but starting off with a nice platform is always a plus.
if you have no fab skillz and a slim and trim wallet with a slim and trim credit card, go for the samurai. If you have good intentions and a great starter platform such as the sidekick, pour some cash money into it and get it set up like BB88 with toy axles and dual cases
