Samurai-4x4.Com - History of the remarkable Suzuki 4x4.

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Welcome to Samurai-4X4.Com

My name is Iain Mackay of the Internets Moped.Com. This is a fan site dedicated to the wonderful Suzuki 4X4 series of light trucks and pick-ups. There are plenty of sites about the Suzuki four paws, this one is about my SJ413 Samurai, how I get the best from my truck, my maintenance tips, my loves, and a few grumbles. I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and I use my trusty 1986 Suzuki Jeep to explore our beautiful countryside, forests, and beaches. I also use to it tour the country and find new places to promote and ride my gas powered bikes. The Suzuki is an extremely capable off roader, and its light weight means it will keep going long after many "SUV's" have got stuck, and because they are relatively cheap, Suzuki owners are generally willing to take a few more risks, and maybe go bit closer to the edge. I use mine extensively on the many beaches around Auckland, I get so much fun and pleasure hacking up and down the sand, it'll run along soft sand and even drive up sand dunes, and its light weight makes it easy to recover when it gets stuck. Its short wheel base, high ground clearance, and narrow body,ï¿½see it traveling down motorcycle trails that wider 4X4's would shy from. I like to get out into the back country and pan for gold, you'd be amazed how much gold is still in them hills and rivers, even though the gold rush ended 150 years ago fresh erosion is constantly washing new gold into the rivers. The best spots are always at the end of backcountry dirt roads. We have lots of roads like that in NZ, and I like to go off down into the bush with a GPS and good map trying to find new river crossings to work. In the urban context the little Suzuki's are maneuverable, they sit quite high so have great visibility, and their short wheel base and narrow body lets them squeeze into tight parking spaces. When driven in 2 wheel drive my Samurai is very economical, the 1300 cc 4 cylinder enginesï¿½ have been used in many models and are well proven, they have very good low and mid range torque for such a small engine which is great for ambling down rough trails in low ratio. The north/south engine configuration and wide engine bay, makes the engine easy to work on, and with a timing light and a new set of plugs and points, you can tune them up at home. I do all my own maintenance, so I have the confidence to get it going if it breaks down in the bush. I carry a good tool kit, and a can of moisture repellant like CRC or WD40 is essential if you like wading through rivers. The distributor is pressurized and the air intake is at the top of the engine bay, so they will wade up to about 2 feet deep. On the negative side, they don't handle well on the the road, and their high center of gravity means they won't sustain the lean angles of wider more squat 4 wheelers. On the road they are quite noisy, and the ride is bumpy, but that's not what they were made for. I'm glad Suzuki put their design emphasis into their off road manners, because that's when they come into their own. Their worst feature is a tendency to body rust which owners have to keep an eye on. My Suzuki always seems to need a bit of rust removed before its six monthly inspection, and the inspectors really give them a hard time because their reputation precedes them. They are a full chassis vehicle which means any rust in the body is probably not going to compromise its mechanical integrity, all the same any rust found will fail it at inspection time. I get around this by carrying out my own inspection prior to sending it for its warrant of fitness. If I can take care of any developing rust before it gets bad, then it will generally pass first time. The key thing is to keep on top of the corrosion. Of course using my jeep on the beach is going to accelerate the corrosion, so a thoroughï¿½ under body wash is essential after every trip on the sand, I find the best way to do this is find a bit of fresh water the drive around in, this may not remover all the sand, but it does wash the underbody of most of the salt water. When I get home I give it wash underneath with a high pressure hose.

4x4 History

All 4x4's in existence today, including Suzuki's, can trace their roots back to one vehicle, the Jeep. The Willys-Overland Motor Company was formed when the Standard Wheel Company sold off its Overland Automotive Division in 1908. It was bought by John North Willys,ï¿½ Willys-Overland made cars and trucks right through until the great depression when the company went into bankruptcy. The company was saved in 1936 and was renamed Willys-Overland Motors, Inc. As war in Europe was looking more and more likely, the US government tendered for a reconnaissance vehicle for its military forces. What emerged from this process was the 80 inch wheelbase "Willys" Jeep we all know and love today. The government designation for this vehicle was GPW, which I think means Governent Purpose Work. The troops however took the GPW to mean General Purpose, and referred to their new workhorse as GP, the story goes that this was soon shortened to Jeep. During World War II, over a quarter of a million Willys Jeeps were made, and at full swing they were being spat out at the rate of one every two minutes. By the end of the conflict the Jeep had emerged as one of the great hero's of the war, and if looked at against the Germany armies Voltswagon, the Jeep won hands down. After war the a civilian version of the Jeep was released designated the CJ, meaning Civilian Jeep , and to the delight of many returning soldiers, was as rugged and reliable as the Willys.

Suzuki Company History

Suzuki's highly successful light sport utility vehicles have been in continuous production since 1970, but the Samuri, Sidekick, and Jimney models being sold today all owe they're existence to the textile industry .Suzuki was founded by Michio Suzuki, the son of a Japanese cotton farmer. In 1909 he invented a pedal-driven loom, which was put into production, the Suzuki Loom Works was founded and the business boomed. In 1920, Michio Suzuki neededï¿½ capital to expand his business and the company was listed on the Japanese stock exchange. Rapid expansion followed and by 1922 the company was one of the largest loom manufacturers in Japan. At that time Japans most important exports were textiles, and having acquired a large share of that market, Suzuki looked for other business areas to expand into. Prior to WW II, there were few Japanese car or motorcycle manufacturers, and Suzuki saw an opportunity in the vehicle market which was already well established in the west. In 1938, an attempt to produce a version of the British Austin seven car was cut short by the onset of war, production plans were shelved and Suzuki put its textile business fully toward the war effort. After the war, Japan was on its knees, and was in desperate need of motorized transport. The Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Company designed a Cycle-Motor, which is an engine that can be attached to any bicycle thus converting it into a moped. The same idea had already been tried by Honda with great success, and Suzuki was a late starter, but the high quality of the Suzuki Cycle-Motor found favor with the market which had already been dominated by Honda. The Suzuki engine utilized the bicycles chain as its final drive, and was mounted within the frame, unlike the Honda which was hung off the back wheel. The bike could free-wheel while the engine was still running, the engine could also be pedal-assisted, or disconnected completely. The strength of these innovations saw the company secure a government research grant into motorcycle design. By 1954 Suzuki was producing 6,000 motorcycles per month and had officially changed its name to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd, and the following year Suzuki created its first successful automobile.ï¿½ The 1955 "Suzulight" featured front-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering. In 1963 Suzuki brought its motorcycles to America, and set new standards for value, reliablilty, and performance. In 1966, the X-6 Hustler, a 250cc two stroke twin, became the fastest road legal Japanese 250cc, and a 500cc model, the Titan, soon followed. In Japan, Suzuki had become a top manufacturer of small cars, with a strong focus on four-wheel-drive off-road models.

Suzuki 4x4 history

1968 - The HopeStar ON360 - The 1986 model Samurai, (the car I drive), was the first Suzuki 4x4 to be released in the US, but by then Suzuki had been making four drive vehicles since the late 1960's. The first Suzuki 4x4 found it's roots in another small Japanese truck, the Hope Motor Company had been developing a 4 wheel drive since 1965. It was very basic and lacked doors or even proper seats, using simple hammock like canvas seats instead, and it'sï¿½ 360cc air-cooledï¿½ Mitsubishi two-stroke engine developed only 21hp. The company only managed to sell a handful of these trucks before the manufacturing rights were sold to Suzuki in 1968.

1970 - LJ10 Suzuki Jimny - Suzuki based their Jimny 360 on the HopeStar,ï¿½ restyling the body, and replacing the engine with their own unit. To qualify for Japan's mini-car class, they needed to keep the overall length under 3 meters, so the spare tire had to be mounted behind the passengers seat, this left room for only one rear seat. After two years of development, the LJ10 Jimny became the first 4x4 Japanese mini-car.

1972 - LJ20 - LJ10 was a an updated version of the LJ10, and achieved a substantial power increase over the earlier model. Its 359cc engine used water cooling to produce 32hp and was still unable able toï¿½ top 50mph. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but some LJ20 models featured left hand drive, as opposed to Japans domestic right hand drive market. The 1973 LJ20 featured cosmetic changes only.

1974 - LJ50 - The LJ50 was released to take advantage of changes in the Japanese automobile class specifications. Suzuki ncreased the size of the engine by adding a third cylinder to increase its capacity to 539cc. The water cooled 2-stroke engines output incresed to only 33 horsepower but with a lot more low range torque, this enabled the truck to reach 60mph. The class changes allowed the spare tire to be mounted on the rear of the tailgate, and freed up space for a forth seat.

1977 - LJ80 - The LJ80 was designed with the export market in mind and featured Suzuki's first four-stroke engine. After years of development and testing the new 797cc four cylinder engine produced 41hp, with better torque, better fuel efficiency, and cleaner exhaust emissions than it two stroke predecessors. The increased power came with a new high and low ratio transmission, and an improved differential. Improvements in handling were achieved with a stiffened chassis and repositioned rear shocks, with a widening of the front and rear axles and accompanying flared wheel fenders giving a roomier interior. Comfort was better with new seats and a new steering wheel, and range was increased with a larger 40 liter fuel capacity. In 1979 a styling update included a restyled grille, and for the first time metal doors were fitted. The LJ80 series stayed in production until 1983, and was offered in hardtop, convertible, and pickup truck models.

1982 Suzuki SJ Series, Samurai, Sierra, Jimny - In 1982 Suzuki released all new SJ410 Samuari, also known as the Sierra, and the Jimny. The SJ series was larger than the LJ series, with more modern features and a larger 970cc 45hp 4-cylinder engine that gave a top speed of 68mph.

1984 - SJ413 - In 1984 the SJ series saw a major upgrade based around an all new 1324cc 64hp 4-cylinder alloy engine. With the increase in power the SJ413 got better brakes, featuring power front disk brakes, and rear drum brakes. Styling changes were made with a new plastic grill, and the interior was redesigned with new seats, and a new dashboard. The SJ series achieved world wide popularity, and its off road ability and relatively cheap price meant it was suited to developing countries where rough dirt and metal roads are the norm. Suzuki opened a new assembly plant in India to satisfy the asian market, and Spain for a push into Europe.

1986 - SJ413 - In 1985 Suzuki released the 1886 model SJ413 in the US, Suzuki's light trucks had been privately imported in small numbers since the early 1970's, but this was the first factory backed effort to reach the lucrative US market for sport utility vehicles. Like the rest of the world, buyers seized on the tiny SUV, and at just over $6000, the first shipment of 1200 vehicles sold out before the end of the first month. By years end almost 50,000 SJ's had been sold, and Suzuki achieved the best sales record of any Japanese company in its first year. Reviews in the motoring press glowed, and the SJ pick up found favor with farmers and local authorities. The SJ is well suited to park and grounds maintenance, and its low operating and maintenance costs keep the number crunchers happy.

1986 - Present - That takes us up to my year model of Samurai 4X4 jeep, post 1986 Suzuki continued to develop the Samurai, Vitara, and Jimney, it's main improvement coming in 1989 with four wheel independent suspension, it has to be said though that after the Samurai the Suzuki four paws lost much of their character. They became more of a road oriented vehicle and less of an off road vehicle, for that reason and the fact that this page has reached its 25 K limit, I'm going to conclude Samurai-4X4.Com here at the the model year which I continue to own and enjoy, thanks for sharing.

To be continued.......

News Flash - As if by some Matrix magic, my beloved Samurai recently survived a theft attempt soon after publishing this page to the Internet, theft is an area of extreme danger for all Samurai owners. Outside my own house, I'll call them "they", they destroyed most of the plastic around the steering column, they wrecked the indicator storks, they broke the steering lock, they hot wired the ignition, they stole my tool kit, my kite, my frisbee, my football, and my binoculars, they cleaned out the loose change, they even removed the steering wheel, and they actually drove my jeep out into the street. But for some reason, got no further, and that's where I found it, with cars driving around it, we'll live to play another day after a trip to the wreckers for the parts I need.

ï¿½2007 Samurai-4X4.Com