2001 R50 Pathfinder Build-up.

[Weekender41]

It looks like an amazing trip the views are definitely worth the drive, i'm still waiting for snow to melt so i can start exploring and before that still need to fix up/prepare my little R50.

While we were in Moab we were enjoying 65 degrees and sunny and back home was snowing haha. Moab is not too far from Grand Junction where I have family so I will probably be going there much more. The grand canyon is a bit of a stretch to make very many times. The R50 is a fun platform for inexpensive exploration for my budget. When you get it ready to go show us some pictures! Welcome to ExPo.

 

[Weekender41]

I did the same thing hahah looks like a fun trip as well.

Haha yeah I have noticed the recent group that have hit up Moab here. All in a very small time frame as well. Im hoping to go to Gone Moab either this year or next which will be cool to see some other Nissans. I swear I was the most out of place looking vehicle on the trails. Everything else was Toyota or Jeep or some side by side ATV thing.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I swear I was the most out of place looking vehicle on the trails. Everything else was Toyota or Jeep or some side by side ATV thing.

They were all jealous

 

[Weekender41]

They were all jealous

Bahahaha, yeah right... A shrocked out 5th gen 4 runner on 35's did not look jealous of me. But thanks for the notion haha.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Bahahaha, yeah right... A shrocked out 5th gen 4 runner on 35's did not look jealous of me. But thanks for the notion haha.

Hey man, you were original. He was just another Toyota....

 

[Weekender41]

Part 2

After the grand canyon we headed to the four corners monument. This was one thing that was on the gf's bucket list for some reason but honestly I have no idea why. So we made a little hour and a half long stink out to the monument to take the necessary photos and then headed out to Moab.
If you are wondering why everyone likes the four corners monument...I couldn't tell you. It was not really anything special. Anyways here is a little panoramic of the area.

The stop was quick enough to take the necessary photos and then we were off to Moab. This place would be my favorite of the whole trip. While we were there we wanted to make a point to head to the Arches National Park and take the scenic drive through the whole place and get some good photos. We got a little bit of a hike in but nothing special. The sights were nothing short of spectacular and the weather was great! I could live there in a heartbeat.





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Next was the little drive to Gemini Bridges via the self-titled road. It wasn't a hard trail by any means but it lead to some good sights!

The area at the bottom of the valley is accessible via Gold Bar Trail but we didn't head down it. An offshoot of the Gemini Bridges Trail is a trail called Metal Masher.... yeah I wouldn't dream of going down there but it was fun to see the jeeps staged getting ready.

 

[Weekender41]

During the trip I took about 300 photos, I could post more and write a bit more but we were at National Parks and very maintained campgrounds so it wasn't really any sort of off roading except for Gemini Bridges. The trip was a lot of fun and really helped tell me what I wanted to add or remove from the packing list. After a couple more things to the vehicle and Ill be done probably. The pathfinder is close to the end of what I wanted it to be. Once the list is complete ill just leave it and then save up for the next vehicle.

But im me and so that means Ill find more and more things to the list....ughhh I have to stop. BUT! This one will just take the place of building the off road trailer this summer.
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So I took the fender flares off and capped the holes. I will be going to the local spray-liner company and have them fill the holes and spray a close color-matched line-x or monsta-liner in the area where the flares were since they have chipped paint and some rust due to the dirt getting trapped up inside them. I will also have the area above the rockers sprayed so it gives a nice clean look to it. Im excited for this but will have to wait for summer time :/ oh well. I guess im just deciding between black or a color-matched spray. I think the black would be overpowering and give it a fake lift look to it. There is enough black on the vehicle now so that is why I was leaning for the color-matched. Depends on the price difference as well.

 

[Weekender41]

Some changes and some questions

Ok so the area where the flares were I sprayed black. I like the black and when I get it done permanently I will have it done black. Anyways I also put the front sway bar back on as the CV boots kept popping off. After driving it with the front sway bar back on.. I cant believe I took it off. The vehicle has no more body sway while cornering which is nice. While putting the sway bar back on I did notice my front control arm bushings are in bad need of replacement so I will be tackling that soon.
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Okay here is a couple questions... First the pictures so they make sense.

Okay so my tire is a 255/70R16. The picture shows that this tire and my strut tower overlap. If the tire was seriously like 1/2 inch taller then it would hit the strut tower. How on earth does a 235/85R16 fit with this strut? I wouldn't think the 255-235 going skinnier would make enough of a difference to clear it. It seems I would seriously have to have a good 1" or 1/2" spacer on the wheels to make that fit. I know I have plenty of clearance for the tires height-wise but now after seeing this strut im wondering.....
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Anyways I have some measurments:
From ground to fender, Front: 36". Rear: 36 1/2". Bottom of Trailer Hitch 25"
And now the good stuff! Rear Differential housing 8.7" give or take a little. Crazy enough that is not the lowest part of my vehicle. The new control arms have this goofy fin on them that hangs down really far. Fortunately I believe it will help keep anything from hitting the lower shock mount even though that has never been a problem before. Who knows, I may end up cutting them off.
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The pathfinder is still a belly dragger but with that extra height from the ground to the fender I know ill be able to fit a full 32" tire easily.
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Cheers!

 

[bushnut]

I talked about this with Stioc, and spacers are the answer. and same answer on NPORA other than getting wheels with a different offset, spacers are the inexpensive solution. just found some on Ebay for a good price they are "lug centric" rather than hub centric, so far my research has resulted that though people have there opinions, if installed correctly at proper torque there shouldn't be any problems. here is the link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-pc-1-25-6...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item5d47bfcdfb

 

[stioc]

I've been absent from here for a bit so catching up on all the updates is a bit overwhelming. I do see the last question is about fitting 235s. Yes, you'll need spacers. I'm running 1.25" in front and 1" in the back. This setup gives me just enough clearance that I can run snow chains if I have to. The spacers are for Toyota 6x5.5 lug pattern and are lug centric. Only issue is lug centric spacers create steering wheel shimmy; no one makes hub centric Pathy spacers that I know of.

 

[Weekender41]

Thanks for the responses guys. I have found 5 rims with 3.75 BS and 5 235/85R16 General Grabber AT2 shipped to my house for just over 1000 bucks so I will likely be going with that as the rims will also be permanent black instead of the chipping paint I have now. Also this will prevent me from having issues with the shimmy. That wont happen until my tires are dead though, you can see from the photo that they are wearing out fast though.

 

[Weekender41]

More Updates

Just ordered 5 Cragar Soft 8's with some more offset to fit the larger tires once I upgrade size. For now these rims will just push the wheels out a little.
Not the prettiest wheel but the prettiest price!
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They should be here by the end of the week so Ill have them mounted then. I have 150 bucks that I got
from a raffle so I will be looking at upgrading the brakes. I need new pads in the front for sure. I believed I have asked this before as what is the best
package to upgrade.. Anyways I will be changing rotors and pads up front and pads in the rear drums. Some have mentioned stainless steel brake lines
as well. For 150 dollars...(keep in mind that doesn't have to be the total that can just be a chunk of it gone) what is the best route to take? Are the SS
lines worth it?

 

[Allof75]

Just ordered 5 Cragar Soft 8's with some more offset to fit the larger tires once I upgrade size. For now these rims will just push the wheels out a little.
Not the prettiest wheel but the prettiest price!
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View attachment 218518
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They should be here by the end of the week so Ill have them mounted then. I have 150 bucks that I got
from a raffle so I will be looking at upgrading the brakes. I need new pads in the front for sure. I believed I have asked this before as what is the best
package to upgrade.. Anyways I will be changing rotors and pads up front and pads in the rear drums. Some have mentioned stainless steel brake lines
as well. For 150 dollars...(keep in mind that doesn't have to be the total that can just be a chunk of it gone) what is the best route to take? Are the SS
lines worth it?

At this point I suggest going with SS lines, power stop drilled rotors, and some nice HAWK pads. The brakes are a weak spot on these rigs, and you might as well put in the best considering the added weight of your bumper etc.

 

[Weekender41]

At this point I suggest going with SS lines, power stop drilled rotors, and some nice HAWK pads. The brakes are a weak spot on these rigs, and you might as well put in the best considering the added weight of your bumper etc.

There are drilled rotors, slotted rotors and rotors that are both drilled and slotted.. along with of course regular ones. What is the difference performance wise for slotted versus drilled? Good point on the weight.. Looks like ive got some searching to do.

 

[richard310]

I feel brakes are the most overlooked mechanism on any rig. Most OEM brakes are only halfway decent but the rest are junk. Definitely make an upgrade.

Slotted allows for better de-gassing and cleaning of the pad to remove debris if caught in between the pad and rotor. Tends to be the better choice among the three if you're looking for bite. Cross-drilled lightens the rotor and gives you slightly better bite in wet conditions. I tend to like slotted if given a choice. Look at the rotor vane as well. There are straight vaned, which can be found on standard OE rotors, and directional vaned which can be found in aftermarket. Directional would be the best to dissipate heat as it gives you a better evacuation of heat which is the braking system's worst nightmare. The most effective choice would be to get better pads with more bite. That should help the best along with an upgrade to SS braided lines. Do watch out for cheap rotors that are cross drilled and slotted. They tend to crack between the drilled portions.

As far as the SS brake lines are concerned, they will only benefit you if added. The SS braids allow for minimal expansion of the lines when using the brakes, which in turn gives you better braking response and less of a "mushy" feel. They are more expensive, but in the long run, you'll thank them.

One of the best sites in regard to brakes: http://www.zeckhausen.com/technical.htm