"Lola" - WreckDiver1321's 2005 Frontier CC/SB Nismo Build and Adventure Thread

[wreckdiver1321]

Nice ... I'm also a fan of the bumper mounted fiberglass antennas ... though, for Xterras I think a no-hoop bumper (specifically, I'm a fan of the Shrockworks' lines) works quite a bit better with the look of the vehicle. The ARB works so much better on that body Frontier, than on the Xterra, for whatever reason ...

I put my CB in the same spot, but on the driver's side ... I already had my Mag-Lite mounted in the spot your CB is. Another good radio to look at is Midland 1001LWX ... same form factor (compact), but adds weather to the Cobra's standard features. There's also the Cobra 75 WX ST ... but I'm not a fan of having all (or at least most) of the radio gear in the handset. I went with a full-frame radio (really wanted weather functionality and that Midland wasn't out when I purchased), and in retrospect kind-of wish I had tried harder to stick with a compact unit ... in our trucks there's just not enough room to cleanly mount a full-frame unit. Here's the one I have: http://www.rightchannelradios.com/uniden-bearcat-pro-538w-cb-radio.html

Right Channel Radios is great on selection and customer service (and tech info), but not always the cheapest ... I've just used them for the links here because I know their site, and knew what I was looking for ... some diligent shopping around can turn up better deals if you know what you're looking for.

As far as the grommet, what are you having trouble with? Is it the size of the PL259 connector? ... if so, consider looking into an SMA terminated cable and using a PL259 adapter, that may make it *much* easier to run the cable ... either that or a "solder yourself" connector. I don't know if the Frontier is the same as the X, but there's a really easy to access factory grommet on the driver's side firewall ... drops down in a really convenient place in the footwell, too. That's what I used for my antenna wire ... there's an equivalent on on the passenger side, but it's harder to access on the engine-bay side because of all the fuse/breaker/relay boxes.

I'd tend to agree with you, it just looks right at home.

I did look at the Midland but to be honest I bought the Cobra because it was in stock at Wal Mart I already have a hand unit that I use for WX, so having it in the CB isn't a huge deal for me. I did look at the all-in-the handset radios, but I liked the idea of just having a normal radio for some reason. I think the compact units are a perfect fit in the 2nd gen midsize Nissans.

Thanks for the link, didn't know about them!

I've actually got the wiring deal figured out now. There's a rubber plug a couple inches to the left of the big grommet you just mentioned, and I think I'll be routing all my accessory wiring through that hole. It's in a good spot and should look pretty clean when I have everything done. As for the cable, I found a pretty sweet one at a local truck stop. It's made by K40, the same folks who make the nice mag mount antennas, and it has a removeable PL259 on one end so the hole doesn't need to be so large. They also put a nice siicone boot around the antenna end to keep the dust and water out. The only thing I don't like is the fact that the cable is kind of a light gray. But oh well, the good outweighs the bad.

Which brings me to my next topic of discussion...

Is a dual battery system really necessary? I mean, the peace of mind of a second battery is nice, but it's a rather expensive and painstaking system to install. I'd have to buy a dual bettery tray (~$200), move my power steering reservoir, buy a couple of high performance batteries (~$500), get the dual battery kit (~$350), then install the kit. Plus there's the added weight up front from the two heavy batteries. And then I'd have to route the battery controller to the inside of the cab. That's a lot of work, and around a thousand bucks for a dual battery system, and I haven't even got my accessory wiring handled yet!

And when I think about it, my electrical mods won't be putting that much of a strain on the system. The only thing I can think of that would potentially put a strain on the battery is the winch, but it's not like I'd be using the winch without the truck running. That and the fridge, but fridges like the ARB and Dometic use such a small amount of power these days I don't see that being a big problem. It's not like I'm going to be putting a huge strain on the system by running everything at once or running everything with the truck off.

So why not keep the weight low? Why not just find the biggest, baddest Odyssey or Die Hard that I can stuff under the hood, carry a jump start pack, and call it a day? Saves me money, weight, time, and space under the hood. Plus this would mean I wouldn't need to worry about getting the second battery put in before I start on the accessory wiring. I read somewhere about a large Odyssey that people use when they don't want dual batteries. Trying to find that now.

Thoughts?

 

[Dmski]

I couldn't agree more on the dual battery setup. It's so cool, but I have to be honest with myself since I really don't need it. I've looked into the dual battery system for my X and nearly ******** myself at how much it could cost. But there are budget builds you can do that are relatively inexpensive (aside from the battery) but again, that is extra weight up front and costs that could be avoided and all around a setup I think will have to wait for me.

I'm going the route of one nice deep cycle battery, and one of the antigravity micro starters for the times when you accidentally run it flat. Now, all I am running is air, 3 lights, an aux fan and coms which I've found doesn't really require a dual setup, unless possibly if I left everything on with the truck off... If I were to add a winch and a fridge, I'd be certainly taxing my electrical system. It depends on what you want to run all at once and for how long.

 

[skibum315]

I'm not sure if it's actually an SMA connector that they use, or not, but that K40 cable that you found is exactly what I was referring to in my previous post ... cool!

... and as far as the DBS ... I'm right there with both of you guys. Just be sure that if you go big on the primary battery (I've often wondered about shoehorning a group 31 under the hood), that you keep track of it's health and status (via checking voltage, primarily ... though there are other ways, generally much more involved and equipment intensive) and (re)charge it appropriately, as needed, if the vehicle's charging (in combination with your regular driving) isn't up to the task of keeping it full. If you go big with an AGM, then you'll need an appropriate charger, if you need to do any kind of maintenance/conditioning charge on it ... may not be required, but something to be aware of and look into.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I'm not sure if it's actually an SMA connector that they use, or not, but that K40 cable that you found is exactly what I was referring to in my previous post ... cool!

... and as far as the DBS ... I'm right there with both of you guys. Just be sure that if you go big on the primary battery (I've often wondered about shoehorning a group 31 under the hood), that you keep track of it's health and status (via checking voltage, primarily ... though there are other ways, generally much more involved and equipment intensive) and (re)charge it appropriately, as needed, if the vehicle's charging (in combination with your regular driving) isn't up to the task of keeping it full. If you go big with an AGM, then you'll need an appropriate charger, if you need to do any kind of maintenance/conditioning charge on it ... may not be required, but something to be aware of and look into.

I can't imagine that my alternator wouldn't be able to charge a nice group 34 DieHard or Odyssey. The battery that's in there now is quite a bit better than your regular old batteries, and the truck seems to handle it fine. I'm thinking that as long as I keep an eye on it, there's no reason to think I wouldn't be okay with one battery. Winching would be rare, and I can't see the lights murdering it much at all. The fridge might stress it a bit, but that's why you get a deep cycle, right? The fridge is the only thing that might worry me, but people here in the Nissan forum are using fridges with one battery and not reporting any issues whatsoever. If I just spring for a high quality group 34 battery and keep an eye on the voltage when it gets stressed, I feel like I should be just fine.

DieHard makes a group 34/78 and a group 35. Both look like they have the same specs, and both have the same specs as an Odyssey. I have an Odyssey dealer in town, as well as a Sears. I guess I'd just have to see what fits.

 

[stioc]

So why not keep the weight low? Why not just find the biggest, baddest Odyssey or Die Hard that I can stuff under the hood, carry a jump start pack, and call it a day?

I came to the same conclusion two years ago and never looked back. I don't even carry a jump-start pack but on the warm summer days I might where I'd leave the fridge running on high- even then I don't think it'll be an issue but just as a backup. I actually have a 12volt Xantrax unit with a motorcycle AGM battery in it, I could keep it charged it via the 12v plug in the trunk while driving around then when I need it, it's fully charged. At least that was my plan but like I said I never even bothered carrying another 15lbs dead-weight.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I came to the same conclusion two years ago and never looked back. I don't even carry a jump-start pack but on the warm summer days I might where I'd leave the fridge running on high- even then I don't think it'll be an issue but just as a backup. I actually have a 12volt Xantrax unit with a motorcycle AGM battery in it, I could keep it charged it via the 12v plug in the trunk while driving around then when I need it, it's fully charged. At least that was my plan but like I said I never even bothered carrying another 15lbs dead-weight.

So running the fridge has never been a major issue then? Like I said, I'd stash a jump pack just in case, so I don't feel like I'd be in danger of getting stranded.

 

[Camelfilter]

The big diehard deep cycles are, well big, and heavy. Mine is easily better than twice as heavy as my starting battery. I don't know about the others, but if the goal is weight & size savings, then definitely do some looking into that.

Why not put a 2nd battery in the bed?

I've mine back there & it works out fine for my needs.

My charging system is a bit "goofy". I started with solar, but the panel flew off my truck one night when I forgot & left it up there...Oops! -It didn't hurt anyone (well except maybe my pride...). I recovered it the next day after retracing my path. Now I charge it using my OEM bed 110V household outlet connected to a regular garage type battery charger. The charger is 10A/2A and "senses" if it's charging a deep cycle or starting battery and adjusts voltage/cycle times accordingly.

Simple, but extremely inefficient. Simple in that I just turn on the 110 outlets while driving and I know it's charging. Vy inefficient in that one of those pricey automatic systems that charges off the alternator could likely have it topped off in a few hours vs 5 hours driving. Those pricey systems would also take care of having it topped off all the time plus I could utilize it as a backup starting battery, or I think for heavy loads (winching).

One of those dual automatic systems is on my to do list, rather than re-trying solar. For me at this time.

Another tip: if you do end up staying with a single battery system, it's supposedly handy to hardware a fused outlet for your fridge. Something about most regular car outlets not having decent wiring, causing increased draw or some such I don't fully understand...

 

[wreckdiver1321]

The big diehard deep cycles are, well big, and heavy. Mine is easily better than twice as heavy as my starting battery. I don't know about the others, but if the goal is weight & size savings, then definitely do some looking into that.

Why not put a 2nd battery in the bed?

I've mine back there & it works out fine for my needs.

My charging system is a bit "goofy". I started with solar, but the panel flew off my truck one night when I forgot & left it up there...Oops! -It didn't hurt anyone (well except maybe my pride...). I recovered it the next day after retracing my path. Now I charge it using my OEM bed 110V household outlet connected to a regular garage type battery charger. The charger is 10A/2A and "senses" if it's charging a deep cycle or starting battery and adjusts voltage/cycle times accordingly.

Simple, but extremely inefficient. Simple in that I just turn on the 110 outlets while driving and I know it's charging. Vy inefficient in that one of those pricey automatic systems that charges off the alternator could likely have it topped off in a few hours vs 5 hours driving. Those pricey systems would also take care of having it topped off all the time plus I could utilize it as a backup starting battery, or I think for heavy loads (winching).

One of those dual automatic systems is on my to do list, rather than re-trying solar. For me at this time.

Another tip: if you do end up staying with a single battery system, it's supposedly handy to hardware a fused outlet for your fridge. Something about most regular car outlets not having decent wiring, causing increased draw or some such I don't fully understand...

If I was going to run a dual battery setup, I'd have 2 deep cycle AGMs anyway, so I would still save weight with just one.

I've thought about putting a second battery back there, but a) I'd like to keep the most amount of bed space possible and b) with a low mounted roof top tent, access would be... tricky.

I asked the same question over in the Power Systems forum and got a pretty good reason to stick with a single battery. Almost every accessory I'd be running would only really be used when the truck is running. Aux lights, compressor, winch, etc. The only thing that I would run while the truck was off would be the fridge, and I plan on putting in my own outlet in the bed, along with an adjustable low-voltage disconnect to kill power to the fridge if the battery gets drained a certain amount. Add to that the extra security of a jump pack (I was looking at this: http://www.odysseybatteries.com/accessories/xp10.htm), and I sould be pretty much good to go.

I'm actually thinking about starting to work on the accessory wiring (relay and fuse blocks) before I have the accessories Just to make it easier in the future.

 

[mortonm]

I came to the same conclusion two years ago and never looked back. I don't even carry a jump-start pack but on the warm summer days I might where I'd leave the fridge running on high- even then I don't think it'll be an issue but just as a backup. I actually have a 12volt Xantrax unit with a motorcycle AGM battery in it, I could keep it charged it via the 12v plug in the trunk while driving around then when I need it, it's fully charged. At least that was my plan but like I said I never even bothered carrying another 15lbs dead-weight.

Likewise, I just bought the biggest baddest battery I could find and haven't looked back. Pretty happy and saved a ton of grief and money

 

[IceCap4runnerORP]

Just ordered my Antigravity Batteries Micro-Start XP-10 - Thanks!

 

[skibum315]

On the topic of dual battery systems & jump packs, here's some good links for reading ... they're a bit dense (lots to read) and occasionally harder to wade through (especially some of the charging/electrical theory that comes up in the two battery threads), but there's some really good stuff in all of them. My apologies if you've already found these threads, but I've found them interesting and useful to read/follow.

On lithium jump packs (like that XP-10 linked above ... which is, incidentally, the bigger brother to the XP-1):
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/124985-Micro-Start-XP-1
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/119464-Lithium-Jump-Packs

On Odyssey/DH Platinum Batteries (and some stuff on AGM charging towards the end):
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/14285-Odyssey-vs-Diehard-Platinum

On Dual Systems & Some more stuff on AGMs/Deep cycle (again, some of the more theoretical stuff on "should-dos" comes towards the end):
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...ke-a-cheap-isolated-dual-battery-setup-for-50

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Since I'm planning to make a purchase soon, I've been looking at suspension threads on ClubFrontier for a while, and it's got me thinking...

I'd really like to get 1.5-2" of suspension lift, but I don't want to drop a bugillion dollars on a RadFlo coilover setup, for a number of reasons. a) It costs too much, and b) I like shocks that I can order a replacement for and swap out so I'm not waiting on my truck. This sort of puts regular coiover options out of the question for me. This is mainly why I've been looking at doing the OME kit for my truck. I can get the HD version, throw it together, and be happy. With a bumper and winch, the consensus is about 1.5" of lift from that setup. I'd like just a tiny bit more than the 1.5" I'll be getting from that though. I'd just like a bit more clearance if I can help it. There are two possibilities for going about this...

1. Buy the OME kit, then buy a set of 1/2" spacers from PRG. This could work well, and give me the height I want for a fairly low cost. I know OME products, and I trust them. They have worked well for me in my previous trucks. There really aren't many downsides to this setup, with the exception of possible coil bucket contact thanks to the spacer. Overall cost before shipping would be $641.

2. Nisstec sells a coilover that pairs a Bilstein shock with an Eibach coil spring to create a budget friendly but high quality coilover kit. The system isn't rebuildable like the RadFlo is (as far as I know), but it is a stock length coilover like the OME. Without an added spacer, there would be zero or minimal coil bucket contact. The few reports about this setup I've read are quite positive. Like the OME, I can order the Nisstec coilover with MD or HD springs to compensate for the bumper. The major advantage to the Nisstec coilover though is that it's adjustable. If I want the lift to be exactly 1.75", I can adjust it to be 1.75". This also means that I can cure any discrepency in height from side to side simply by adjusting the coilover. Total cost for the Nisstec coilover: $690.

So, for the extra $49, I could have full adjustability. I know and respect Bilstein and Eibach products. It's good stuff. My concerns are: I don't know how well the coilover performs, especially when loaded with a bumper and winch, and I don't know how one would go about replacing the shocks. If they are simple drop in replacements I could get from Nisstec, I'd be all over it. If not, I don't think that's a route I could go.

No matter what, I am planning on running OME Dakars in the rear for the final setup. Not sure if I'll do the HDs or MDs, but right now it's looking like the MDs. When I order the front parts, I'll also order a set of adjustable shackles to put in the back as a temporary solution. The shocks I get for the rear depend on which system I get for the front. The other upside to running the Nisstec coilover is I can then get longer travel Bilsteins to put in the rear.

Looks like I'm going to have to call Nisstec tomorrow...

 

[jhberria]

FYI, I added 1/2 inch prg spacers on top of my recently installed OME coilovers last night, and you will get minimal CBC (at least I did). You really have to try to get the UCAs to contact the bucket though, as I've only been able to hear it when I almost jumped a speed bump. So far in daily driving and rough dirt roads I haven't gotten any CBC from the addition of the spacers. Also, the stance with the spacers is much more aesthetically appeasing than without. Less rake and noticeably more clearance in the front.

 

[jhberria]

Also, I have an xterra, not a frontier... If that matters.

 

[MTaco]

Wreckdiver, maybe you already saw this but there is a new ARB bumper on Craigslist here in Billings for $799.

https://billings.craigslist.org/pts/4768956005.html