Davidshourd's Frontier Build
- Thread starter davidshourd
- Start date
ronburgandy
Observer
I'm down to meet up anywhere near the gorge or around there.idk where to go, but def message me about details and we can figure it out~!!
davidshourd
Adventurer
I am coutingn 4rescues knowledge of the area, I just dont know where to go this time of year and avoid DEEP snow. I am down for just about anywhere within a hour or so. there is always browns camp, but that would be a stretch for you coming from Bend. anyone know of anything along the gorge area (hood river or so)? google here I come..
ronburgandy
Observer
any word on this, i am still planning on it, but haven't seen any action. are we gunna meet up?
davidshourd
Adventurer
damn. its not looking good with the recent weather that rolled in. I am down but sounds ike all others are out. either family deals came up or installing a new bumper (Mike r). I am still wainting to get out but honestly not sure where to go tht is not covered in snow right now. ifyou hve any thoughts I am game! only place i can possibly think of is the coast dunes and that is a hell of a day trip. would you want to check out browns camp en route to to the coast? I thnk its like 30-40 miles west of portland. you need an ORV permit out there, I have one and there are a few gas stations that sell them. I am game if you are. let me know! I want to get out and the weather is suppose to bedecent. we could also hea up to goat mountain outside of esticadia (I might have the spelling wrong here). msg me
davidshourd
Adventurer
I started on my rear bumper/multi carrier build over the past weekend. here is a sneak peak. my next step is to try and design a tire carrier gate that can clear the 6" or so my camper sticks out of the bed so I can keep the tire gate on when the camper is on. I was thinking about making two gate arms, one for no camper thats straight and one that has a 8" jog out and then back in. (U shaped to clear the camper). And spindle hinge piece is easy enough so I would just have two arms sitting around. IDK though, I would like it to be something I could keep on all the time. thoughts? anyway, here are a couple pics while I had it mocked up. I still have not choped the sides of the bumper off so they are just running long right now. I need to finalize what design I am going to go for side protection coming off of the bumper.
Attachments
davidshourd
Adventurer
yeah,there will be a receiever to replace stock. (stock ones for sale if anyone is interested). I wrapped most everything up yesterday. more pics to come this afternoon. this thing will attach via all 6 bolts that the bumper and hitch attached too, the mounting plates are 1/4" material in sortof a T shape, should be hell for stout. I have a powder coater lined up for next week, but need to get the tire gate hinge piece welded in first, then dream up a tire gate later and get that coated seperatly. for now I will just get the hinge and lock piece on.
(EDIT) here are some pictures from yesterday afterwork. It is currently sitting in the back of my truck, I have a buddy with a big boy truck mounted welder coming to work today to lay down some 3/8" welds around the reciever and mounting brackets. after that it is just the tire hinge and off to paint.
UPDATE: I got the carrier hspindle hinge installed and dropped the bumper off at the powder coaters. I am going with a marine epoxy coating then powder coat over it. guy says it will hold up to just about anything, we will see. should be done and on the truck by next weekend, then I will play with some ideas for the carrier gate arm.
(EDIT) here are some pictures from yesterday afterwork. It is currently sitting in the back of my truck, I have a buddy with a big boy truck mounted welder coming to work today to lay down some 3/8" welds around the reciever and mounting brackets. after that it is just the tire hinge and off to paint.
UPDATE: I got the carrier hspindle hinge installed and dropped the bumper off at the powder coaters. I am going with a marine epoxy coating then powder coat over it. guy says it will hold up to just about anything, we will see. should be done and on the truck by next weekend, then I will play with some ideas for the carrier gate arm.
Attachments
Last edited:
4Rescue
Expedition Leader
Looking good mate... I didn't know you had building skills like that. Careful, now that I know this, I may start beggin you to help me make some sliders 
Seriously though, this is looking really great and I can tell you that there's nothing better on rigs with a good size'd rear overhanging section then a good bumper. Once I got my Marlin on the 4Runner I was alot less worried when out on the trail eh. Not to mention the increases in departure angle I acomplished. Between myu old Hidden hitch and the stock design of the 1st Gen rear bumper, I got hung up ALL OVER THE PLACE. Once the bumper was on with the 33's it was like a whole new truck eh.
So I guess the biggest question I have is: When will she (the truck) be ready to go out and play/test that bumper???
If you need an extra set of eyes/hands I'd love to lend mine to help you get the carrier built, I haven't been "in the shop" for the last few months and I go into withdrawls if I don't get my hands dirty/build something (one of the few dissadvantages to having these uber reliable trucks is that you don't have alot of work to do on them... is that a bad thing???)
So Tax season is almost over (read: NO MORE 7-day work weeks), I'm not taking any classes this term, and the Grandmother managed to survive (how I don't know... she's one hell of a fighter eh) SO, we (and by we I mean I since I'm the one who flaked last ime we tried to get together ) should TRY to get back on track to meet up and go explore. I completely forgot all about the neat trails down on the Trask and closer into Portland on the Tillimook Highway. lots of LONG trails, and lots of neat little obstacles and water crossings. Granted the weather outlook isn't so hot for the next week or so, but hey, it's Oregon, if we wait for "great weather" we may never get out of the driveway With all that's been going on in my life the last few months I sure could use a little "play time" with some like minded 4wheel enthusiasts... Sorry, that was a bit wordy... How about: I want to go 4wheeling guys!!!!! HAHAHAHA
Cheers
Dave
Seriously though, this is looking really great and I can tell you that there's nothing better on rigs with a good size'd rear overhanging section then a good bumper. Once I got my Marlin on the 4Runner I was alot less worried when out on the trail eh. Not to mention the increases in departure angle I acomplished. Between myu old Hidden hitch and the stock design of the 1st Gen rear bumper, I got hung up ALL OVER THE PLACE. Once the bumper was on with the 33's it was like a whole new truck eh. So I guess the biggest question I have is: When will she (the truck) be ready to go out and play/test that bumper???
If you need an extra set of eyes/hands I'd love to lend mine to help you get the carrier built, I haven't been "in the shop" for the last few months and I go into withdrawls if I don't get my hands dirty/build something (one of the few dissadvantages to having these uber reliable trucks is that you don't have alot of work to do on them... is that a bad thing???)
So Tax season is almost over (read: NO MORE 7-day work weeks), I'm not taking any classes this term, and the Grandmother managed to survive (how I don't know... she's one hell of a fighter eh) SO, we (and by we I mean I since I'm the one who flaked last ime we tried to get together
) should TRY to get back on track to meet up and go explore. I completely forgot all about the neat trails down on the Trask and closer into Portland on the Tillimook Highway. lots of LONG trails, and lots of neat little obstacles and water crossings. Granted the weather outlook isn't so hot for the next week or so, but hey, it's Oregon, if we wait for "great weather" we may never get out of the driveway With all that's been going on in my life the last few months I sure could use a little "play time" with some like minded 4wheel enthusiasts... Sorry, that was a bit wordy... How about: I want to go 4wheeling guys!!!!! HAHAHAHACheers
Dave
Last edited:
davidshourd
Adventurer
Thanks Dave, I may take you up on the helping hand once I get the bumper mounted permenetly and have some material to mock up the tire carrier. huck'n a 285/75 tire on an aloy rim around is not exactly fun with one person!
I finished up all the welding and grindign yesterday, the tire gate hinge is out for delivery right now and should be there by the time I get home, so I will try and install it tonight and poweder coat first of next week, likely.
I currently have some plans to meet up with a buddy east of eugene for some camping/wheeling the weekend of 23rd. I will keep you posted as you would be welcome to join.
I finished up all the welding and grindign yesterday, the tire gate hinge is out for delivery right now and should be there by the time I get home, so I will try and install it tonight and poweder coat first of next week, likely.
I currently have some plans to meet up with a buddy east of eugene for some camping/wheeling the weekend of 23rd. I will keep you posted as you would be welcome to join.
davidshourd
Adventurer
went out camping this last weekend with a buddy west of corvallis. then picked up the new bumper from the powder coater yesterday late afternoon. all the bolt holes still lined right up and slapped it on, fit just as thought I intended it to! ha. I am hoping to get after the tire gate this weekend now that the bumper is mounted and I can put the camper on to try some mock ups. anyway, couple pictures of where it ended last night.
Attachments
Getting ready for a flatbed, camper, and custom boxes on a Nissan 2011 Frontier
David,
Excellent write up on the Frontier mods. I currently have a 2001 Tacoma 4 cylindar manual trans. that is going to be replaced with a 2011 Frontier 6 cyl MT. I have a new Ute 6'x6'8" flat bed and a '08 FWC Finch that I want to move to the Nissan. The plan is to add aluminum boxes (similar to Jo Boxes) on the sides and under the bed to maximise storage under the camper wings. I'm also thinking about a second gas tank. So far, I have decided to add Firestone Air Springs to stiffen the ride when the FWC is mounted. I'm begging for experience, advice, and ideas, and have a few initial questions for you and the community. I'm also new (FNG) to the sight.
Did your 07 Nissan have room for a 2nd battery under the hood and were there any problems with the vehicle CPU if you added a battery? I have a 2nd battery under the hood in the Tacoma for the camper, but there is no room for an aux battery in the Frontier. I plan to mount it in the aluminum boxes added to the flatbed.
Can you describe the benefits gained (handling & response) with retrofitting stock shocks/suspension components with the new equipment you added? Was the suspension overhaul for the camper or for the trail?
You mentioned Superchips, is there any benefit using those with a manual transmission? If yes, please provide some insight on the type of performance goals one should consider. I'm essentially building a 4WD RV that sneeks around on fire trails and hopefully can float through some sand, so I'm not really looking for highway speed records...
Has anyone retrofitted a newer midsize truck with a flatbed; and, if yes, what did you use for tail lights? I have heard that the new CPUs are checking for specific electrical loads and control blinkers from the CPU versus relays. I'd like an off the shelf solution (like Truck-Lite) but have not found the silver bullet. My fall back solution is using OEM recommended bulbs jammed into what ever mounts they'll fit. Then building some kind of water tight box around them. I am seeking insight and lessons learned with all the issues that arrise during a standard truck bed to flatbed conversion.
Any one retrofitted standard tail lights with the new gucci LEDs? Benefits? Issues? Technical solutions?
Anybody out there added an auxillary fuel tank plumbed into the fuel system on a new small truck? Again, I'm thinking there are issues around fuel delivery and the truck's CPU sensors. Found lots of systems for American made full size, not much available for tiny Toyota/Nissan. I need range for multi-week trips in backcountry Alaska and the Yukon. There has to be some thing better than a rack of 5gal JCs.
I'm also very interested in after market both front and rear bumper configurations that might be off the shelf for the newer Frontiers.
I'm thinking of completing this project over the summer so posting progress will be sporadic; however, that will give me time for any comments and insight the community can provide. Please send links, white papers, innovative product sites, or other info that might help me with this fun project. Cheers, s
David,
Excellent write up on the Frontier mods. I currently have a 2001 Tacoma 4 cylindar manual trans. that is going to be replaced with a 2011 Frontier 6 cyl MT. I have a new Ute 6'x6'8" flat bed and a '08 FWC Finch that I want to move to the Nissan. The plan is to add aluminum boxes (similar to Jo Boxes) on the sides and under the bed to maximise storage under the camper wings. I'm also thinking about a second gas tank. So far, I have decided to add Firestone Air Springs to stiffen the ride when the FWC is mounted. I'm begging for experience, advice, and ideas, and have a few initial questions for you and the community. I'm also new (FNG) to the sight.
Did your 07 Nissan have room for a 2nd battery under the hood and were there any problems with the vehicle CPU if you added a battery? I have a 2nd battery under the hood in the Tacoma for the camper, but there is no room for an aux battery in the Frontier. I plan to mount it in the aluminum boxes added to the flatbed.
Can you describe the benefits gained (handling & response) with retrofitting stock shocks/suspension components with the new equipment you added? Was the suspension overhaul for the camper or for the trail?
You mentioned Superchips, is there any benefit using those with a manual transmission? If yes, please provide some insight on the type of performance goals one should consider. I'm essentially building a 4WD RV that sneeks around on fire trails and hopefully can float through some sand, so I'm not really looking for highway speed records...
Has anyone retrofitted a newer midsize truck with a flatbed; and, if yes, what did you use for tail lights? I have heard that the new CPUs are checking for specific electrical loads and control blinkers from the CPU versus relays. I'd like an off the shelf solution (like Truck-Lite) but have not found the silver bullet. My fall back solution is using OEM recommended bulbs jammed into what ever mounts they'll fit. Then building some kind of water tight box around them. I am seeking insight and lessons learned with all the issues that arrise during a standard truck bed to flatbed conversion.
Any one retrofitted standard tail lights with the new gucci LEDs? Benefits? Issues? Technical solutions?
Anybody out there added an auxillary fuel tank plumbed into the fuel system on a new small truck? Again, I'm thinking there are issues around fuel delivery and the truck's CPU sensors. Found lots of systems for American made full size, not much available for tiny Toyota/Nissan. I need range for multi-week trips in backcountry Alaska and the Yukon. There has to be some thing better than a rack of 5gal JCs.
I'm also very interested in after market both front and rear bumper configurations that might be off the shelf for the newer Frontiers.
I'm thinking of completing this project over the summer so posting progress will be sporadic; however, that will give me time for any comments and insight the community can provide. Please send links, white papers, innovative product sites, or other info that might help me with this fun project. Cheers, s
Last edited:
davidshourd
Adventurer
Robotele, sweet setup you had and sounds like a great set up you are moving into. I will try and answer your questions to the best of my ability, but anyone else reading feel free to add, there are some great sources on here so speak up!
-2nd battery: I am only running one under the hood and the other is native to the camper with solar panel recharge w/controller. the battery is constently getting a charge as long as its day time and the camper is outside. been a nice set up for me, and keeps weight spread out. I know a guy here locally that has fit a 2nd battery, it was a smaller (though more powerfull) odyssey battery. may be worth looking into.
-suspension: long story short, stock suspension is fine if you are not looking for anymore articulation. though for the added payload you will want either stiffer springs or airbags. I went the stiffer spring route so I could maintain travel when the camper is off and out playing on the trails. however, I think anyone with after market coilovers up front will vouch that the ride is better then stock. may not be worth the money though.
-superchips: I also have a MT, and in tow mode it has more low end power. VERY nice when towing. gas saving mode is lame, saves gas but boring to drive. I usualy keep mine in tow mode as it seems to have the best all around gains.
-flatbed: check clubfrontier.org. there are a couple aussies on there that have some flat beds. I have seen one on a newer frontier in Seattle. but other then that I know nothing. would make for a sweet set up though!
-tail lights: check clubfrontier.org, "insanly bright LED back up lights" there is a post going right now about some reviews on these. from what I ready these LED lights are amazing in the back up lights.
-aux fuel tank: Again, clubfrontier.org. check out some of those aussie guys rigs. I think there is a company that makes them in Australia. may be steep to get importeted though. if you are really interested, relocate your spare tire (tire carrier on bumper) and find a tank that will fit in that area.
-bumpers: three sources come to mind: shrockworks.com, google: tactical armor group (use to be kenshaw mountain accessories, these guys made my front bumper), and 4x4parts.com.
hope the above helps ya buddy! good luck and keep us posted with pictures from your adventures and truck upgrades
-2nd battery: I am only running one under the hood and the other is native to the camper with solar panel recharge w/controller. the battery is constently getting a charge as long as its day time and the camper is outside. been a nice set up for me, and keeps weight spread out. I know a guy here locally that has fit a 2nd battery, it was a smaller (though more powerfull) odyssey battery. may be worth looking into.
-suspension: long story short, stock suspension is fine if you are not looking for anymore articulation. though for the added payload you will want either stiffer springs or airbags. I went the stiffer spring route so I could maintain travel when the camper is off and out playing on the trails. however, I think anyone with after market coilovers up front will vouch that the ride is better then stock. may not be worth the money though.
-superchips: I also have a MT, and in tow mode it has more low end power. VERY nice when towing. gas saving mode is lame, saves gas but boring to drive. I usualy keep mine in tow mode as it seems to have the best all around gains.
-flatbed: check clubfrontier.org. there are a couple aussies on there that have some flat beds. I have seen one on a newer frontier in Seattle. but other then that I know nothing. would make for a sweet set up though!
-tail lights: check clubfrontier.org, "insanly bright LED back up lights" there is a post going right now about some reviews on these. from what I ready these LED lights are amazing in the back up lights.
-aux fuel tank: Again, clubfrontier.org. check out some of those aussie guys rigs. I think there is a company that makes them in Australia. may be steep to get importeted though. if you are really interested, relocate your spare tire (tire carrier on bumper) and find a tank that will fit in that area.
-bumpers: three sources come to mind: shrockworks.com, google: tactical armor group (use to be kenshaw mountain accessories, these guys made my front bumper), and 4x4parts.com.
hope the above helps ya buddy! good luck and keep us posted with pictures from your adventures and truck upgrades
Thanks!
Thanks David,
I have been to Oz a few times and fell in lust upon seeing a bunch of Toyota Land Cruisers with flat beds--their typical bed. I've been thinking about this for years and should scan some slides from back in the late 80s and post them. Very rugged looking rigs and riders. I really appreciate your response and insight. I'll move my query to the main Nissan page to stay off your build and hopefully expand the net for information. My build will be slow going but should be pretty well thought out and full of good ideas from others. Cost is a key consideration, which may defer some of the ideas. I'll keep an eye on your rig's development and any camper tips you offer up. Those FWCs rock. I use mine almost exclusively for winter but this new build is likely my retirement RV. Take care
Thanks David,
I have been to Oz a few times and fell in lust upon seeing a bunch of Toyota Land Cruisers with flat beds--their typical bed. I've been thinking about this for years and should scan some slides from back in the late 80s and post them. Very rugged looking rigs and riders. I really appreciate your response and insight. I'll move my query to the main Nissan page to stay off your build and hopefully expand the net for information. My build will be slow going but should be pretty well thought out and full of good ideas from others. Cost is a key consideration, which may defer some of the ideas. I'll keep an eye on your rig's development and any camper tips you offer up. Those FWCs rock. I use mine almost exclusively for winter but this new build is likely my retirement RV. Take care