Airmapper
Inactive Member
Looking forward to seeing the photos of your latest modifications added to this thread.
Be sure and check the photo album link out below it has some fabrication photos as I pieced this together.
Alright here we go, major update:
Added recently:
OME Heavy Duty lift kit: Link
New lower control arms
New adjustable cam bolts
Rides like a new truck and handles the weight of being fully loaded for camping now without beating me to death in the process. It's firm, but it handles shock now instead of boucing off of it and using the bump stops for support.
It's current overall appearance and camping loadout:
Also started in on a project late last year to revamp my storage options. Any of you with Xterra's know how poorly the rear cargo area is designed. The underfloor space is inaccessible unless you ditch all cargo, the floor is hard and anything not strapped down, duct taped, and glued will roll around with every turn.
I like some drawer designs, but it's hard to ignore drawers waste a ton of space from their own building materials, space an Xterra hardly has to give. So keeping with the idea of a drawer I adapted it to a sliding platform. I get the benefit of a moving surface to bring items out where you can reach them, and reclaim my under floor storage by having a means to get the cargo on top of it out of the way. (The stock floor cover is completely removed and the hole covered when the slide is pushed in.
I used 500lb lock in/ lock out slides from Orr & Orr.
I ordered tie down tracks from US Cargo control to line the edges of the drawer for securing objects to the platform. Rings to hook to simply clip into the track and can be moved where needed. I've been browsing Strapworks (thanks for the lead @southpier ) for materials to make custom tie downs for my more commonly used gear now I have the platform done.
I also added a shelf at the seat back level for low profile and light items, taking advantage of the Xterra's vertical space which is has more of than most smaller SUV's. The shelf is usable with or without the slide installed, and actually all of this mounts into the Xterra's stock floor utility tracks and while not handy to move on a whim is relatively easy to remove if necessary.
Since the shelf creates a black hole under it, I made a power lead off the prior interior lighting LED bolt project and added LED strips to it, plugged into the interior light wiring it behaves exactly as the other lights do and are controlled by the same switches.
They are not well displayed in photos, but I added a pair of 1" metal strips 1" apart to the shelf mounting legs on both sides, this is not for stability as it is very rigid, but rather to be compatible with MOLLE bags which are plentiful to get in a million different layouts, and handy to store small items or collections of items in.
This was also combined with a project to add 10g wiring leads to the rear cargo area from the battery, this terminates in a dual Anderson powerport jack in the right side cubby, and powers my new Indel B TB-18 fridge which rides on the slide when in use.
The complete project photo album is here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/HfunrkRkltUNGjuJ3
Parting note, a Hefty Fabworks radiator skid is likely going on this week.... but lots of Xterra's have those or an equivelent of some kind.