Mortonm's 2001 Xterra Build

[mortonm]

Its been almost exactly two years since I picked up the Xterra, in that time I have put on 52,000 km. I actually sit at 199 200 km on the truck as I type this, which means that I am about to roll over 120,000 miles. I hope to get many more years out of it.

The tires I put on almost since day 1, so I figure have around 45,000 km and they have plenty of tread left. I figure that I will get another year and a bit out of them, I dont think that they will last two more winters. I will probably end up with another set of BFG ATs but unsure at this point as it is quite a ways apart.

From the outside, it doesn't look all so different than when I got it (other than the larger tires) but that was kind of my point. I have done a lot work underneath the sheet metal getting the maintenance done and replacing the entire suspension. I have been very happy with it and hope to get many more years out of it. It has done all I have asked of it and more, and has been a great truck to learn and be more comfortable with offroad.

Here are a few pictures from over the last two years.

255 65R16 tires (29"), running boars. This is exactly how I bought it



235 85s



First dirt



First real offroad trail, and still probably do date the most difficult I have done



Snow!



Still not a fan of deep water...



Here it is in its most current state (lifted 1-2") and full loaded.



looking forward to many more adventures with the Xterra!

 

[mortonm]

Short Term Plans (by the end of the year) Include:

1. Getting the Skids on
2. Getting the fogs mounted more permanently and wiring them up
3. Replace a rusted 18" section of my exhaust that I missed back in the summer
4. Oil change, transmission fluid change, as well as doing the rear diff and the trasnfer case, and maybe the front diff (its a pain to fill).

Longer Term Plans (before summer)

1. Have some of the rust addressed, as well as replacing the front and rear rusted bumper covers.
2. Buy a new fridge, most likely the 50L Indel B (Model TB51A)

Plans with no definite Time Horizon

1. Rock Rails
2. In bumper winch.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Short Term Plans (by the end of the year) Include:

1. Getting the Skids on
2. Getting the fogs mounted more permanently and wiring them up
3. Replace a rusted 18" section of my exhaust that I missed back in the summer
4. Oil change, transmission fluid change, as well as doing the rear diff and the trasnfer case, and maybe the front diff (its a pain to fill).

Longer Term Plans (before summer)

1. Have some of the rust addressed, as well as replacing the front and rear rusted bumper covers.
2. Buy a new fridge, most likely the 50L Indel B (Model TB51A)

Plans with no definite Time Horizon

1. Rock Rails
2. In bumper winch.

Check out truckfridge.com too, the portable models. Great prices and they use a Danfoss compressor like Engel does. Or ARB, I can't remember. That's what I'll be getting I think.

 

[mortonm]

Check out truckfridge.com too, the portable models. Great prices and they use a Danfoss compressor like Engel does. Or ARB, I can't remember. That's what I'll be getting I think.

I have looked there, but shipping to Canada is killer. There is a place near me (Northern Fridge) that has the 50L indel B for just over 700, and I can pick it up. I've seen pretty good reviews for them. Small footprint too (the 30, 40 and 50 are all the same size except height) which is nice for packing up the truck.

Ill check that site again though

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I have looked there, but shipping to Canada is killer. There is a place near me (Northern Fridge) that has the 50L indel B for just over 700, and I can pick it up. I've seen pretty good reviews for them. Small footprint too (the 30, 40 and 50 are all the same size except height) which is nice for packing up the truck.

Ill check that site again though

Actually, I just did some looking.They have similar specs and even look the same. And the prices are the same. Hmmmm...

 

[mortonm]

Actually, I just did some looking.They have similar specs and even look the same. And the prices are the same. Hmmmm...

yup it does look like they are the same ones exactly

truckfridge looks like it doesn't even ship to Canada...

 

[Allof75]

I really like the mods you've done to your truck. You've done what you like, and that's what matters. I think you understand that for 99.99% of situations there's no to little need for a big lift. You went for what you needed- a little more clearance and more load capacity, and nothing is cooler than that

 

[mortonm]

I really like the mods you've done to your truck. You've done what you like, and that's what matters. I think you understand that for 99.99% of situations there's no to little need for a big lift. You went for what you needed- a little more clearance and more load capacity, and nothing is cooler than that

Thank you, nothing cooler except perhaps beer in a new fridge

 

[stioc]

I enjoyed the then-and-now update and as Allof75 said you kept the X functional and focused the upgrades to suit your needs. In return it has done everything you've asked of it so far which is what matters. I know it's tempting to keep throwing $ at the trucks mostly to keep up with the Jones' or for the bling factor. As someone here said find out what you need rather than building solutions in the driveway to all the imaginary problems.

I went with the IndelB fridge and I'm quite happy with it, I have the 41L/45Q one and it's more than enough even for a family of 3. The great thing about the fridges is you don't have to pack it with 10 Gatorades or sodas right from the start, you simply put a few in and add more as you need to. When packing it I focus more on the cheese, milk, yogurt, meat etc and throw the drinks in at the end. In fact, I have sometimes wondered if I should've bought the 35Q one but in the end though I think the 45Q one is the perfect size for us and most people.

 

[Allof75]

Just as a general question, where exactly do you buy IndelB fridges?

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Just as a general question, where exactly do you buy IndelB fridges?

In the US, Equipt has them: http://www.equipt1.com/companies/Travel%20Box%20Fridges/product-indel-b/522519-travel-box-51

 

[mortonm]

I enjoyed the then-and-now update and as Allof75 said you kept the X functional and focused the upgrades to suit your needs. In return it has done everything you've asked of it so far which is what matters. I know it's tempting to keep throwing $ at the trucks mostly to keep up with the Jones' or for the bling factor. As someone here said find out what you need rather than building solutions in the driveway to all the imaginary problems.

I went with the IndelB fridge and I'm quite happy with it, I have the 41L/45Q one and it's more than enough even for a family of 3. The great thing about the fridges is you don't have to pack it with 10 Gatorades or sodas right from the start, you simply put a few in and add more as you need to. When packing it I focus more on the cheese, milk, yogurt, meat etc and throw the drinks in at the end. In fact, I have sometimes wondered if I should've bought the 35Q one but in the end though I think the 45Q one is the perfect size for us and most people.

I have been unsure of what size to get, as I haven't seen them in person to get a feel on the inside. Often The trip will just be me and my brother, however, I often go with a couple other guys, and at least once a year a group of my friends (10+) go, so it would be nice to be able to use the fridge for keeping all the food cold, and use other coolers for drinks etc.

I know they say that a portable fridge has about a third more space per unit volume due to not having to add ice. i.e a 30 L fridge is more like a 40L standard cooler.

 

[mortonm]

Not much to update, but we are getting hit with a pretty good amount of freezing rain right now, supposed to get worse over the next day or two.

That's not water....that's ice....

 

[richard310]

Not much to update, but we are getting hit with a pretty good amount of freezing rain right now, supposed to get worse over the next day or two.

That's not water....that's ice....

We just had a "storm" here in Socal and it lasted about an hour. I hate this weather. Send some of that winter storm goodness down here!! I'm dying for some real storms.

 

[mortonm]

We just had a "storm" here in Socal and it lasted about an hour. I hate this weather. Send some of that winter storm goodness down here!! I'm dying for some real storms.

Snow storms are lots of fun, ice not so much! Not even sure I will be able to get my door open