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Tracker-holic

As all of us get older, including myself, we come to appreciate the things of the past that bring back memories of our youth. The muscle car era is undoubtedly on of these times that the Baby Boomers look to and reminisce about riding around in high school. They say things like, “back in my day, these things were a dime a dozen, people movers and not collectable.” As the boomers start aging out the enthusiast my age are moving in craving cars from out youth that brought back the same memories. For cars like the Geo Tracker, they were simply economy people movers, cool beach cruisers and occasionally showed up on the show scene with outrageous sound systems. For Trey Partin and his family, these cars are about the most fun you can have on 4 wheels!

Geo Tracker, is a mini SUV produced for Chevrolet and Geo by CAMI Automotive in Ingersoll, Ontario. Although appearing as a compact SUV, the Tracker was actually certified as a light truck due to its off-road capabilities and body on frame construction. The Tracker was produced under many brands in several different editions and in many countries. North American Models were to be built in CAMI's Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada plant alongside its almost identical twin the domestic-built Suzuki Sidekick. The Tracker was originally powered by Suzuki's 1.6L SOHC four-cylinder engine producing 80 hp (60 kW). The Tracker was different from most other light SUVs on the market in that it is based on a rugged light-truck chassis and certified as a Light truck. Although it appeared to be a comfortable passenger SUV, it was bolstered by a sturdy off-road 4-wheel-drive system with a conventional light truck engine and transmission coupled to a hi-lo, 2-4 transfer case. The Tracker had a strong front suspension with a rugged recirculating ball steering box. The conventional front differential was rigidly mounted ahead of the engine, with CV axles connecting the coil-spring front hubs to the differential case. The rear axle was a conventional light truck unit on coil springs. As a result of the truck-like underpinnings, the Tracker had a fairly truck-like ride, but the benefit was its notable durability in harsh conditions.

With the capabilities mentioned above, Trey thought this would be a great platform to use on his farm deep in the woods in West Virginia. Trey originally had a Polaris Ranger but found these to be wildly expensive and was looking for a cheaper alternative. After searching the internet, Trey found a guy in Pennsylvania with a Tracker graveyard where he found a purple 2 door convertible, automatic, 4x4 bone stock truck and promptly named it, “The Purple Nurple.” The shocks and suspension were worn out and in Trey’s words, “pretty rough.” The first thing Trey knew he had to do was put a lift kit on it and some fender flares, the baptism of parts for every truck guy. The suspension lift matched with Crown Victoria shocks gave the truck the right stance Trey was looking for. After throwing some wheels and cleaning up the truck a bit, Trey enjoyed turning heads wherever he drove it and reports he got more enjoyment out of driving the Tracker over his new Ford Raptor.

With the success of owning his first Tracker, Trey decided he needed another and stumbled upon a 1992 in great condition. Packing 96hp the 4 cylinder 8v SOHC it couldn’t get out of its own way, however was clean enough for Trey to take it home. The baby blue 2 door hardtop fit right in a dump trailer Trey used on his farm and when he got home his kids aptly named it, “The Blue Bandit.” This truck got the full treatment of a winch bumper, stereo, lift kit, fender flares and Trey, “drove the hell out of that thing.”

Trey now had the 2-door soft top, the 2-door hard top and in his mind he now needed the 4-door version! Trey settled on a Suzuki Sidekick Sport a rather large upgrade in the Tracker community from the 2 door version. The truck was picked up in great condition from a guy in North Carolina. The truck already had an engine swap to a 2.3L out of an Aereo that the previous owner had done and was put together “shade tree mechanic” like. When the vehicle came, like the other trucks, the kids named it…White Lightning. Similar to the Blue Bandit, White Lightning got the full Paint Ranch treatment, lift kit, fender flares, stereo etc.

At this point life was good for Trey, 3 Trackers and a farm what more could you ask for. Unfortunately Trey ended up being transferred to West Texas along with other life events that put the love for Trackers to the side. Trey ended up selling the Purple Nurple and Blue Bandit however continued to drive the White Lightning in West Texas. Throughout these life changes Trey ends up losing the White Lightning in a custody battle and is now left with 0 Trackers. After getting everything back in order, Trey was ready to get back in the saddle and join Tracker Nation again.

Enter in a Tracker that was found in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Luckily for Trey his new girlfriend, now wife, was okay with taking a danger ride out to Arkansas and drive back a 20+ year old car across the Texas desert. The 1996 Tracker convertible, with quite the mod list already installed, was picked up for “not cheap.” Now not cheap in Tracker terms is not the same as not cheap for say a 1970 Chevelle, we’re talking $6-$7K for a high end model. On the ride home immediately the check engine light came on, the speakers were halfway hooked up and there was no AC…perfect environment to take through the desolate part of Northern Texas. The truck however did make it to Midland however after further inspection there were some minor tweaks that needed to be made to get it to 100%.

According to Trey the years that you want are from 1989 to 1998, everything after that is “garbage.” These were the, “golden years,” of the Tracker with the iconic squared off look that turned into the typical rounded shapes that all modern vehicles have turned into. Trey said you want a 5 speed and one of the first upgrades you will want to address is the suspension. Once the truck comes up to speed they are very unstable and will shake themselves to death! The trucks can be dissembled rather quickly and the motor can be pulled out by hand. For the money, Trey says there no other driver experience like it.

A little twist to the story, after some time had passed, Trey received a phone call to buy back the White Lightning. With no hesitation he purchased the truck and now resides next to the newer black 2 door in his garage. Trey enjoys taking these vehicles out with his wife, kids and dog and has taught a few valuable lessons to his kids when the cars breakdown. Trey consistently gets waives and asked many questions when he’s riding around Houston, Texas. Trey thanks the online community Geo Tracker Nation and many friends online that helped him troubleshoot the myriad of problems along the way. If you want to find out more about Trey or Geo Trackers you can find him on Facebook under Trey Partin or on Geo Tracker Nation where he is one of the moderators. Thank you so much to Trey for sitting down for a few minutes with me after our marathon work week!