This is my 1987 Suzuki Samurai TinTop camper build. I currently live in LA and I wanted a rig that would fit the criteria below:
1. Manual Transmission
2. Japanese manufacture
3. Fuel Economy above 16 MPG
4. Overall Vehicle length <12 Feet
5. Under 10K
The size requirement stemmed from tight street parking in LA, while the Japanese manufacture and fuel economy arose from trips down to Baja where Jeep parts can be hard to source should something break. Most importantly: the tight budget of a college grad. This sadly excluded the FJ40 platform on price, the FJ60 on fuel economy, and the FJ80 on both fuel and transmission offering.
The philosophy of use (POU) for this rig was to enable me to quickly set up a campsite after a long day of rock climbing in Joshua Tree.
After several months of researching online forums, it seemed the logical choice would be a Suzuki Samurai. I chose a hardtop (TinTop) model for the extra insulation, roof stability, and most importantly: vehicle security. I’ve seen many soft top Jeeps with sliced bikini tops where I live.
I found a gently used 1987 Tin Top in San Fernando Valley last November with 84K on the clock. Due to many Sami’s being trailered as RV toys, it was not hard to find examples under 90K miles.
When I first bought the Sami, the PO had made a rats nest of wiring the horn so I promptly tore out the non-stock wiring and replaced it to my standards. Next was the seats. I sourced the ZOR Pacifica seats from Zuks off-road. Some cutting was required to have it fit correctly. The mini van seats work wonderfully.
After restoring the interior and gauge cluster, I upgraded the headlights with Harley Davidson HID lights.
Next was the roof top tent (RTT). After extensive research, I opted to “buy once, cry once” and purchase the Auto Home Columbus Varient small. Not cheap but an investment that has since paid for itself!
After being high centered on a trail from a Jeep’s rut, I realized a lift would be a mandatory upgrade. So I went for a mild lift to maintain as much fuel economy as possible. I reached out to Gary at Petroworks in Fallbrook. I went with the Old Man Emu 2.5 inch lift with the shackles included. Leaf springs are a tough install.
Now lifted, my attention turned to tires. The doughnuts had to go. I went with 235x 75 r15. However wheel rub was a issue on the driver side fender. So I cut the bumper off and welded on a 3 inch extender bracket to help the tires clear.
Since the rear seat sucked on the Samurai, I removed it and built a custom wood cargo drawer system with my father. The idea was to be flush with the wheel wells to enable more efficient storage. I used a router to embed tie down points to keep my cooler from shifting too much during the ride.
Lastly was a folding cooking table to allow easy meal prep once camp had been set. I chose the standard unit from FrontRunners in Agoura Hills, awesome group of people up there.
My next mod will be the extended fuel tank from Petroworks to increase my tank from 10 gallons to 15 gallons.
Once the fuel range has been sufficiently increased, I will be looking for lights to mount and eventually front/rear bumpers. However due to the Sami’s underpowered 1.3L with 68HP, I need to be very cognizant of my GVM (gross vehicle mass). I fear that with the bumpers I will need to transplant a Suzuki Sidetracker 1.6L engine to maintain highway speeds.
1. Manual Transmission
2. Japanese manufacture
3. Fuel Economy above 16 MPG
4. Overall Vehicle length <12 Feet
5. Under 10K
The size requirement stemmed from tight street parking in LA, while the Japanese manufacture and fuel economy arose from trips down to Baja where Jeep parts can be hard to source should something break. Most importantly: the tight budget of a college grad. This sadly excluded the FJ40 platform on price, the FJ60 on fuel economy, and the FJ80 on both fuel and transmission offering.
The philosophy of use (POU) for this rig was to enable me to quickly set up a campsite after a long day of rock climbing in Joshua Tree.
After several months of researching online forums, it seemed the logical choice would be a Suzuki Samurai. I chose a hardtop (TinTop) model for the extra insulation, roof stability, and most importantly: vehicle security. I’ve seen many soft top Jeeps with sliced bikini tops where I live.
I found a gently used 1987 Tin Top in San Fernando Valley last November with 84K on the clock. Due to many Sami’s being trailered as RV toys, it was not hard to find examples under 90K miles.
When I first bought the Sami, the PO had made a rats nest of wiring the horn so I promptly tore out the non-stock wiring and replaced it to my standards. Next was the seats. I sourced the ZOR Pacifica seats from Zuks off-road. Some cutting was required to have it fit correctly. The mini van seats work wonderfully.
After restoring the interior and gauge cluster, I upgraded the headlights with Harley Davidson HID lights.
Next was the roof top tent (RTT). After extensive research, I opted to “buy once, cry once” and purchase the Auto Home Columbus Varient small. Not cheap but an investment that has since paid for itself!
After being high centered on a trail from a Jeep’s rut, I realized a lift would be a mandatory upgrade. So I went for a mild lift to maintain as much fuel economy as possible. I reached out to Gary at Petroworks in Fallbrook. I went with the Old Man Emu 2.5 inch lift with the shackles included. Leaf springs are a tough install.
Now lifted, my attention turned to tires. The doughnuts had to go. I went with 235x 75 r15. However wheel rub was a issue on the driver side fender. So I cut the bumper off and welded on a 3 inch extender bracket to help the tires clear.
Since the rear seat sucked on the Samurai, I removed it and built a custom wood cargo drawer system with my father. The idea was to be flush with the wheel wells to enable more efficient storage. I used a router to embed tie down points to keep my cooler from shifting too much during the ride.
Lastly was a folding cooking table to allow easy meal prep once camp had been set. I chose the standard unit from FrontRunners in Agoura Hills, awesome group of people up there.
My next mod will be the extended fuel tank from Petroworks to increase my tank from 10 gallons to 15 gallons.
Once the fuel range has been sufficiently increased, I will be looking for lights to mount and eventually front/rear bumpers. However due to the Sami’s underpowered 1.3L with 68HP, I need to be very cognizant of my GVM (gross vehicle mass). I fear that with the bumpers I will need to transplant a Suzuki Sidetracker 1.6L engine to maintain highway speeds.
