Forums
Where the real conversations happen. This guide only summarizes them; go say thanks.
- Zukiworld ↗zukiworld.com
A dedicated Suzuki 4x4 forum with a deep archive. Much of the Field Guide was mined from here.
- Off-Road.com Forums ↗forums.off-road.com
Decades of Suzuki threads, including the shackle-reversal arguments.
- Zuki Krawlers ↗zukikrawlers.com
Long-running Suzuki 4x4 forum. Deep archive, deeper opinions.
- Pirate4x4 ↗pirate4x4.com
General off-road forum with a Suzuki section and strong feelings about welding.
The Video Vault
Hand-picked, sorted by what you're trying to do. No “2027 Samurai is BACK” clickbait.
Before you buy
Watch these first. Then go look at one anyway.
▶ WatchWhich years to skip, across the Samurai and its Sidekick and Tracker cousins.
▶ WatchWeak points and which mods to be wary of on a used one.
▶ WatchThe rituals of ownership, enumerated.
History & reviews
Where the Samurai came from, and what driving one is actually like.
▶ WatchA full drive review of a 1987 JX hardtop, and the story behind its reputation.
▶ WatchThe back story, the US launch, the early sales, and the article that changed everything.
▶ WatchTFL's real-world 0-60 and road noise test. It goes about how you'd expect.
▶ WatchA 1988 in 4K: walkaround and drive.
▶ WatchOn-road and off, with narration.
▶ WatchWhat it's like to live with an '87 decades later.
Common fixes
The repairs every owner eventually does, filmed by people who did them.
▶ WatchThe famous click-click-no-start, fixed for good.
▶ WatchThe cheap O-ring behind most 'rear main seal' leaks. See the Field Guide.
▶ WatchBench rebuild of the SJ413's starter motor.
▶ WatchSloppy shifter? New bushings.
▶ WatchWipers that quit, traced and fixed.
▶ WatchIntermittent wipers: it's usually the park switch.
▶ WatchStock Hitachi carb, torn down and rebuilt in fast motion.
▶ WatchReplacing the stock carb with a Toyota 3K unit.
▶ WatchCarb rebuild from a long-running restoration series.
▶ WatchTaking the five-speed apart and putting it back together.
Rust & bodywork
Floors, rockers, fenders. Mostly cutting. Some welding. Occasional weeping.
▶ WatchCutting out the rear floor and welding in new metal.
▶ WatchFloor rust repair, part one of three.
▶ WatchFloor rust repair, part two.
▶ WatchRotten rockers replaced with welded rock sliders.
▶ WatchSliders plus rust removal along the sills.
▶ WatchFender rust, cut out and patched.
Lifts & suspension
Spring-overs, YJ springs, bushings and flex.
▶ WatchLow Range Off-Road's spring-over kit, reviewed after real trail use.
▶ WatchInstalling Dr. Z's YJ spring kit.
▶ WatchSwapping in YJ springs at the rear.
▶ WatchThe 'missing link' that lets the front axle actually flex.
▶ WatchFresh shackle and leaf spring bushings. Cheap, satisfying.
▶ WatchFitting a Toyota front axle housing.
Builds & restorations
Long series for long evenings.
▶ PlaylistPlaylist: a 1987 taken apart down to nearly every bolt and restored over months.
▶ PlaylistPlaylist: a full Samurai build, episode by episode.
▶ WatchEpisode one of a rebuild, starting with cleanup and an engine flush.
▶ WatchSame rebuild, part three: odds and ends and spark plugs.
▶ WatchBody off the frame, so the frame can be redone.
▶ WatchA 1992 metal top, restored over about a year and a half.
▶ WatchA 1987 tin top getting a Toyota 3.4 V6. Not a stock-preservation channel.
On the trail
Why anyone puts up with all of the above.
▶ WatchWaterfall Trail, Tillamook State Forest, Oregon: a built Samurai on serious rock.
▶ WatchWisconsin trails, rocks, and one rollover.
▶ WatchA first time off road, in a stock-ish Samurai.
▶ WatchA 2.0L-swapped Samurai with lockers and a winch, in Greece.
▶ WatchA Jimny and a Samurai on an easy trail trip in Bulgaria.
▶ WatchCompetition-grade off-roading in Safranbolu, Turkey.