Category: Accessories

  Aluminum Shackles from Spidertrax with Bill Johnston Moving the entire Spidertrax crew and equipment to their new digs in Longmont, Colorado hasn’t stopped the guys from coming up with more great stuff.  While many companies have built wild and sophisticated designs that open, stretch, twist and do backflips… the standard lift shackle has never […]

      with Bill Johnston Oh Suz-Ana! While adding more power to the Grey Ghost project, we realized that harnessing that power at the axles was going to be a big chore. The gears had already been updated with a set of 5.12s and a locker, but we wanted to strengthen it from the […]

         5. You are ready to remove the brake disc. It should pull off by hand, but if it’s stubborn, turn 8mm bolts into the two threaded holes to push it away from the hub.  You should be spreading out all the parts on something like a sheet of cardboard to keep […]

     11. The lock washer comes next. Now, it’s bent. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to be! A hammer and chisel works just fine to straighten it out. Just use it like a can opener and GENTLY bend it towards the truck.  12. Remove wheel bearing lock nut with the special tool…I call it a […]

     18. There’s a tiny cotter pin that you’ll have to remove. It’ll probably break on you, but don’t sweat it, cotter pins are cheap. Use a hammer and nail or a tiny chisel to get the remains out.    19. Now disconnect the tie rod end from the steering knuckle using a tie […]

      with Brandy Owen (Introduction by Murph, The Seasoned Rookie) Steering Knuckle Rebuild Friends, Rookies, Zookimen, Lend me your sockets In the past few issues youve met a young lady named Brandy. Like many of us, she shuddered at the thought of getting dirty for fun. Just one week prior to the writing […]

     25. Apply sealing compound to the oil seal (easy on the sealant… it goes a long way!), and tap it into place using a large socket.   26. Insert the shaft… the axle shaft… come on now!!  27. Pack the bearings with the red goo, I mean grease, and replace them. Rubber gloves […]

      Door Strapswith Bill Johnston Unlike some of the other short wheel based vehicles out there, Suzuki chose not to make the doors on their vehicles easily removable. I am speaking of the more common SJ410, Samurai, and Sidekick models we see on the road today, because I have yet to see some […]

  with Don Clark Frame Extension and Shackle Reversal Why I did it After driving my Samurai for over a year with a 2″ S/R I decided that I wanted even more lift and articulation. I searched the web and asked almost everyone that I met online questions about their lifts. I had 3 goals […]

    Spidertrax Wheel Spacers   What happens when your new tires rub on the springs? If you have an aggressive tread design like these swampers you don’t ignore it for very long! The first time a tire lug grips a spring and you explode a birfield or an axle shaft will make you look […]