It's hard to believe, but this outrageous '87 Suzuki Samurai was once resting in a salvage yard in Texas. It was rescued by Indiana well driller Brian Nelson, who had a plan to turn the forlorn, engineless shell into a crazy one-of-a-kind machine. It took four years of intensive fabbing and wrenching to create his masterpiece, and the result is an immaculate, unique ride.
Bright orange and rollin' on 46-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claws is unquestionably a very unique combination for a Samurai. Other exterior mods include a Roadless Gear poly windshield, Rocky Road Outfitters half doors, and Trail Tough tube bumpers. | 
Gear selection is handled by a TH200 transmission that rests on a custom Rock 4x Fabrication mount. The trans is shifted via a Lokar shifter and cooled by a Hayden cooler. Power is routed to a divorced Suzuki transfer case. | 
Keeping the blown V-6 cool is a bed-mounted and rollcage-protected custom aluminum radiator. |
Inside there's a custom rollcage that was designed and built by Rock 4x Fabrication. There's also a custom dash housing Auto Meter Pro-Lite gauges. Other interior mods include PRP seats and safety harnesses, new carpet, and a Grant steering wheel. | 
Filling just about every inch of the engine compartment is the 4.3L V-6 engine. This engine is built-to-the-hilt and includes a Hampton 4-71 blower and Holley 750-cfm double-pumper carb. Nelson says it turns out more than 300 hp. | 
The team at Rock 4x Fabrication designed and built the custom suspension. Up front, it utilizes link bars mounted aft to a custom subframe. The custom suspension also utilizes a custom Panhard bar, drag link, and a pair of Sway-A-Way Racerunner 2.0 14-inch-travel shocks. The front axle is a completely rebuilt unit sourced from a Toyota truck. |
The rear suspension utilizes link bars that are the same 36-inch length as the front link bars, and their forward ends mount to the same custom subframe as the front links. It also sports a custom Panhard bar and a pair of Sway-A-Way shocks. The rear axle is from a Toyota FJ60 and it has been completely rebuilt and fitted with a disc-brake conversion from TSM Manufacturing.
Specs
GENERAL
Owner: Brian Nelson/Rochester, Indiana
Vehicle/Model: '97 Suzuki Samurai
Estimated Value: $40,000
ENGINE
Type: 4.3L V-6
Aspiration: Holley 750-cfm carburetor, Hampton intake and 4-71 blower, 2.5-inch dual exhaust, Supertrapp mufflers
Output, hp/torque (estimated): 300/N/A
DRIVETRAIN
Transmission: TH200, Hayden cooler, Lokar shifter
Transfer case: Stock, dropped and rotated in a custom mount
SUSPENSION
Front: Custom Rock 4x Fabrication, Sway-A-Way Racerunner shocks
Rear: Custom Rock 4x Fabrication, Sway-A-Way Racerunner shocks
AXLES/DIFFERENTIALS
Front: Toyota/Open
Rear: Toyota, disc-brake conversion/Open
Ring-and-pinion: 4.10:1
WHEELS/TIRES
Wheels: 15x14 Weld Typhoon
Tires: 46x19.5-15 Mickey Thompson Baja Claws