I built a "kicker 3"/doubler/dual tcase setup

[skyhiranger]

For those of you that are not familiar with a dual tcase/doubler setup "kicker 3" style, here is a basic explanation....
A Tracker 5 speed manual (or 3 speed auto tranny) and tcase is used, behind either a Samurai 1.3 or a Trackick 1.6 engine.  No matter which engine is used, a Tracker flywheel, pressure plate, clutch (when using a manual tranny) or flexplate and torque converter (when using an auto tranny), and starter is used. 
The rear section and front output section of the Tracker tcase is cut off and/or removed, and a filler piece and plate are put in their place. 
A coupler is made to join the Tracker tcase and the Samurai tcase together. 
The Samurai tcase front input flange is removed. 
The Tracker tcase output shaft is shortened and reamed and joined to the Samurai tcase input shaft via a slip coupler (a slip yoke from a Tracker driveshaft is what I used). 
The Tracker tcase shift rod is modified, so the Tracker tcase can be shifted into high and low range (2WD and 4WD is no longer available/used in the Tracker tcase). 
The end result is a drivetrain that is fully and securely connected from the engine to the Samurai tcase and there are now 2 tcases that can provide gear reduction.  This results in a much more rigid drivetrain, than is normally found in a divorced tcase setup; and it will almost double (the low range ratio of the Tracker tcase is 1.82:1) whatever reduction is in the Samurai tcase, when the Tracker tcase is shifted into low range. 
The high range reduction of the Tracker tcase is 1:1 (meaning it is straight through, no reduction).  Therefore, just the reduction that is in the Samurai tcase can be used (high or low, either one), if needed.  This results in a nice high range for streetability, when the Tracker tcase and the Samurai tcase are both shifted into high range.  Or for off-road, a normal low gear is available, by shifting the Tracker tcase into high and the Samurai tcase into low.  Or a super low gear is available, for off-road situations, when the Tracker tcase and the Samurai tcase are both shifted into low range.
The other nice benefit of this setup, is the Samurai tcase is left in its stock location, so no driveline mods, or tcase mount mods, need to be done.

Here is a basic description and pics of how I did it....

It took me 3 weeks, from the time I started pulling the Samurai drivetrain out, until I had the new Tracker drivetrain parts in and it was driveable.

I have under $300 in the complete swap...that includes: 
Tracker output shaft seal
Tracker tranny, tcase, shifter, flywheel, clutch and pressure plate
Misc. steel (tcase coupler, shift handles, engine/tranny couplers)
1/2" thick aluminum plate
Samurai tcase bolts
Tracker tcase output shaft seal retainer bolts
Brass washer and o-ring for the Tracker shift rod
Triple stick boot
Welding of Tracker tcase.

The only work that I had someone else do was the welding on the Tracker tcase and the turning out of the inside of the Tracker output shaft.  I had a local machine shop do the welding.  And I had my brother help me with reaming/turning out the end of the Tracker output shaft, since he is more experienced with lathe work than I am.  I did turn out the seal retainer for the Tracker output shaft seal...I didn't think it came out too bad.

I made a very thin plate that fits between the Samurai engine and the Tracker tranny, to seal up the gap that is left when the two are fit together.
The Samurai clutch cable will fit the Tracker clutch arm.
The "pin" in the Samurai crankshaft (used to align the Samurai flywheel) is removed, so the Tracker flywheel will bolt on.
I had to swap the Samurai 5th gear switch on the tranny over to the Tracker tranny.  The Tracker switches both have the same types of ends on them and the 5th gear switch won't plug into the Samurai harness.  If you are swapping a Tracker tranny into a pre 88.5 Samurai, you will have to use both switches from the Samurai tranny.  Because the Tracker uses the later style plugs like found on the later model Samurais.

The first pics are of where I cut the front output off of the Tracker tcase.  Then I cut and formed (with a portaband and a grinder) a piece off the side of the front output section, to fill the gap left in the side of the tcase.  Then some pics of the "filler" piece welded on the tcase.

The next group of pics are of the modified Tracker tcase output shaft.  The shaft was shortened 2" and reamed/turned out on the end.  This is so the threaded part of the Samurai input shaft will slip inside it and the splines on the shafts will butt up to each other.  The diameter of the reamed hole is 3/4" diameter and 7/8" deep.  The coupler sleeve, for the shafts, is a slip yoke cut off a Tracker driveshaft.

The next group of pics are of the coupler that joins the Tracker and Samurai tcases.  The plates on both the Tracker tcase end and the Samurai tcase end are 3/8" steel.  The pipe between the plates is 3 1/2" OD, 1/4" wall, 4 3/8" long.  The spacers on the Samurai end of the coupler are aprox. 5/8" long.  I had to tweak them a little (added a washer behind each one), after I got the coupler welded up.  For some reason, the tcase coupler ended up a little short, after I got everything welded together.  With the tcase coupler at this length, there is no interference between the Samurai tcase shift rod housing and the aluminum plate on the back of the Tracker tcase (there is aprox. a 3/8" gap).  With this spacing, and in order for the Samurai tcase to stay in the stock location, the engine had to be moved forward aprox. 5/8".  This was done with new motor mounts.  I also moved the radiator forward aprox. 1/4" (very simple to do, just had to put some spacers between the radiator and the radiator brackets).

[skyhiranger]

Pic of the 1/2" aluminum plate on the back of the Tracker tcase.  Bolts in place of the rear section of the tcase, which was removed.  It is also used to bolt the coupler for the tcases on.

Pic of the seal reatainer that bolts to the aluminum plate and holds a seal for the Tracker tcase output shaft.  I turned this out on a lathe.

Pic of the widened tranny tunnel.  Needs to be widened for the Tracker tranny and tcase to fit.

Pic of the Samurai tcase twin-stick I made, to allow me to run the Tracker shift rod out the back of the Tracker tcase.  You can see where the Tracker shift rod comes out of the plate on the rear of the tcase, in some of the pics above.  To seal the area between the shift rod and the aluminum plate, I used an o-ring, backed by a brass washer that was held in place by a spring that came off the other shift rod in the Tracker tcase.  I put the o-ring, washer, spring assembly on the shift rod and between the inner part of the tcase and the aluminum plate.  This way the spring holds tension on the washer, which is pressing against the o-ring to seal up the area around where the shift rod comes through the aluminum plate.

Pic of the coupler I made to join the Samurai 1.3 to the Tracker 5 speed tranny.

Pic of the shifters, and how the upper tranny tunnel had to be cut for the Tracker tranny shifter, once I got everything installed.  The shifter order from driver to passenger side is...Tracker H/N/L, Samurai H/N/L, Samurai 2WD/4WD.  I already had the detent ball out of the samurai tcase, so I didn't have to split the case to do the twin-sticks.

Pics of where I cut the Tracker shift rod off and how I routed/made the shifter for the Tracker tcase.  To make the Tracker shifter, I cut a square notch (with angled corners) in the side of the Tracker shift rod, then I cut out a piece of 1/4" thick metal that has a square shaped "leg" on it.  I drilled a hole through the top of this piece and welded it onto the shifter (you can see this in one of the pics).  I then drilled a hole in some angle iron, for the shifter to fit in and pivot.  I bolted this angle iron, after I shaped it a bit for clearance, onto the back of the Tracker tcase.  It is positioned, so it holds the shifter handle "leg" in place against the shift rod.

Pic of the triple-stick boot I am hoping to use.  The one I have is too stiff and it will pull the shifters out of position, when shifting them.  They are sending me a new boot that is supposedly not as stiff, so I hope that will fix the problem.

[skyhiranger]

That's all the pics I have to load for now.

I have done some initial testing and have had no problems with anything.  It works flawlessly and it is F'n awesome.
It will idle up a lot obstacles.  I attribute this to the lower gearing (of course) and the heavier Tracker flywheel, which gives it more lugging ability.

[elotsip]

Very cool!

[skyhiranger]

Very cool!

Thanks.
I just posted a link to this thread, in your thread over on zukikrawlers.
edit: and pirate

[Jbird]

That's some incredible fab work. Great job!

You made it look easy! 

[MaineZuke]

wanna make another? lol...

[ddement]

VERY nice work 

[hughmungas]

WOW!

[Reaney in NH]

wanna make another? lol...

  X2

[skyhiranger]

That's some incredible fab work. Great job!

You made it look easy! 

Thanks. 
It really wasn't that hard to do.  I spent many, many hours just measuring and figuring how to build everything.  Then when it came time to build it, it all kinda fell into place.  There was a little glitch or tweak here and there, but nothing that couldn't be overcome.
Like I said, it took me 3 weeks from actual teardown to final buildup.  I didn't get to work on it much on the weekends, most of it was a few late/long nights.

[skyhiranger]

wanna make another? lol...

  X2

No.  
I would have to have the samurai and all the parts here to make sure they all fit and are aligned properly.  You would be better off just spending your $$$ with OTT or fabbing one yourself.  I do have about 4 pages of measurements, notes, etc.  I tried to document everything that was important.

[skyhiranger]

VERY nice work 

WOW!

Thanks.
I think I did alright....for a guy with a grinder, drill press, bandsaw, reciprocating saw, torch and welder (and a brother with a lathe).

[hargraves]

what type of material did you use to couple the two shafts together. I remember hearing that the first kicker3's had problems with the coupler so they went to chromoly to fix the problem

[skyhiranger]

what type of material did you use to couple the two shafts together. I remember hearing that the first kicker3's had problems with the coupler so they went to chromoly to fix the problem

I used a slip yoke off a tracker driveshaft.