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

[MTaco]

Drove the truck to the shop today and could not replicate the sound. Last night was very cold, today it's about 35-40*. Either I have a problem that's ridiculously temperature sensitive, or there was a chunk of ice stuck somewhere. I'll take it home and try the regular ball joint/bushing tests, check the CVs for play, check the u-joints, and grease everything with a zerk.

I've struggled with this issue too every winter when it gets below 20* or so. Not sure if it is my coilovers or UCA's or what but it always seems to go away after it warms up. I know we have different platforms but we do both have aftermarket suspensions. I just don't worry about it much anymore. Hope you find the issue though.

 

[bijanjames]

I've struggled with this issue too every winter when it gets below 20* or so. Not sure if it is my coilovers or UCA's or what but it always seems to go away after it warms up. I know we have different platforms but we do both have aftermarket suspensions. I just don't worry about it much anymore. Hope you find the issue though.

I have the same issue in cold weather...

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Weird. Mine have never done it before, and I've had the truck in quite cold weather before. I still have to check everything, but I'm of the opinion still that it was ice somewhere weird.

I guess we shall see.

 

[BigOrca]

I just got an 07 Xterra this summer and have just developed the same noise as the temperature has dropped significantly here. I'm curious to know what it is as well.

 

[Jack Stilts]

Phew. It's so hard to keep up with you and your damn beautiful truck. Between the pictures and the parts. Oof. All caught-up, though!

1. That bed box for the air compressor was brilliant. Well done.
2. I just switched to Thule crossbars on the Xterra, and I've been eyeing solutions to mount the awning to them. I found these; I'm going to pick them up soon. I'll be your guinea pig and let you know if you can replace your hose clamps

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Phew. It's so hard to keep up with you and your damn beautiful truck. Between the pictures and the parts. Oof. All caught-up, though!

1. That bed box for the air compressor was brilliant. Well done.
2. I just switched to Thule crossbars on the Xterra, and I've been eyeing solutions to mount the awning to them. I found these; I'm going to pick them up soon. I'll be your guinea pig and let you know if you can replace your hose clamps

Haha thanks Brian! Yep, I pretty much stare at Lola all the time now. I can't help it. She needs a bath pretty bad though

Thanks! The air compressor setup is one of those things I was super happy with. The box was a little on the pricey side, but I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. You know me, clean and functional is the name of the game.

I'd be pretty interested to see how the LabRak mounts work out. I'm not sure they would work on my crossbars though, they're not Thule bars and they're not perfectly square. I'd have to double check, but I think they're .5x1". Those mounts sure do look sweet though.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Alright, ordered up some new goodies finally.

I've got a RAM Mount system for my 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 coming. It includes a cradle, the arm, and a base that will be screwed into the dash. Should make for a pretty clean install. The mount will be not too far away from one of the 12v power outlets, so all I have to do now is purchase a really short micro USB cable and I'll be done! I've put a 32gb microSD card in the tablet itself and installed Backcountry Navigator, which allows me to store the maps on the SD card. BCNav is a pretty cool app and I've already done a bunch of playing with it. This whole system should be pretty slick.

I also have a set of 1" coil spacers coming in from Nisstec, with longer studs for my Radflos. I've been irritated by the stinkbug stance of my truck since I installed the OME leafs, and more clearance is never a bad thing, so I'll be using the spacers to bring the front up another 1/2" and bring the truck back to factory rake. Should look pretty killer.

I did some snooping on the WeatherTech website a few days ago, and I've decided I need a set of their window deflectors too, so I guess I'll have to add those to the list. I've also been looking at some of the sweet gear from Blue Ridge Overland Gear. Namely, the Headrest Bag, the Overland Oil Bag, the Tool Bag, and the Recovery Bag. All of those would make pretty great additions to the truck, so I think I may get some of those. The Overland Oil Bag would be the perfect place to store my "Oh ******** Kit", and the Recovery Bag would fit perfectly where I store my recovery gear. Headrest bags would be pretty cool for general "stuff" storage. I also like their Trip Planning Bag. And pretty much everything else on their site.

Alson the same vein, I've also been compiling a list of necessary tools to take with on trips. Surprisingly, not that many tools are necessary.

 

[Jack Stilts]

Ah gotcha, I thought your crossbars were a square inch.

Also, that Blue Ridge stuff is quality gear. I have their recovery bag and it's been tossed from car to car, beat up, and soaked. It's excellent.

 

[JduRunner]

How long have you had the Radflos again? I had them on my 4runner and they were super noisy (Radflo says its because of its racing design). I just switched to Icons and had one defective coilover that wouldn't hold a nitrogen charge so it clunked horribly over every bump. I literally re-torqued every bolt on the front end in search of the noise. After talking with Icon they suggested having the Nitrogen charge checked by a shop. Sure enough it was at 0 PSI, had the nitrogen recharged for $20 and the clunk went away for a day but then came back. Per Icon it may have been a defective O-ring on the charge port. They sent me a new coilover and the clunk is gone again and my suspension is as quiet as a mouse. It may be worth finding a shop that has the nitrogen set up necessary to check the charge on your Radflos. If they are low they can recharge them.

 

[richard310]

Sounds like you've got some pretty good stuff ordered up! I've heard nothing but great things for Blue Ridge. I'm even thinking of having them redo the tent cover for the Trekking tent. Looking forward to seeing the post-suspension work!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

How long have you had the Radflos again? I had them on my 4runner and they were super noisy (Radflo says its because of its racing design). I just switched to Icons and had one defective coilover that wouldn't hold a nitrogen charge so it clunked horribly over every bump. I literally re-torqued every bolt on the front end in search of the noise. After talking with Icon they suggested having the Nitrogen charge checked by a shop. Sure enough it was at 0 PSI, had the nitrogen recharged for $20 and the clunk went away for a day but then came back. Per Icon it may have been a defective O-ring on the charge port. They sent me a new coilover and the clunk is gone again and my suspension is as quiet as a mouse. It may be worth finding a shop that has the nitrogen set up necessary to check the charge on your Radflos. If they are low they can recharge them.

Great info! Mine aren't consistently noisy, just noisy that one night. Hasn't been back since, and we've had some more cold. I'm pretty well inclined to believe it was ice, but I'll have someone check the coilovers if I get the noise again.

I've only had them about six months.

Sounds like you've got some pretty good stuff ordered up! I've heard nothing but great things for Blue Ridge. I'm even thinking of having them redo the tent cover for the Trekking tent. Looking forward to seeing the post-suspension work!

I did get the Nav mount all set up, should have photos tomorrow. Suspension work is supposed to take place Wednesday.

Having trouble deciding what to get next

 

[Blackdawg]

Wait what??

Your stacking lifts??

This..does not sound like a good idea. Aren't your radflos adjustable?

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Wait what??

Your stacking lifts??

This..does not sound like a good idea. Aren't your radflos adjustable?

Yes, but it's not as bad as it sounds.

My Radflos are adjustable, but I like where the preload is set and I just want a little more height. I've already got a 1/4" thick spacer on my coilovers now. It's actually pretty common practice on the Nissans to run the spacers I bought (1/2" thick) on top of the Radflos to minimze preload and maximize down travel. These small spacers don't add excessive droop, they don't cause CV bind, nothing impacts, etc. It's just a little extra height to level the front more. I'm pretty confident it won't be an issue. If it is, I'll go back to the setup I have now and crank my Radflos just a bit more.

 

[Blackdawg]

Yes, but it's not as bad as it sounds.

My Radflos are adjustable, but I like where the preload is set and I just want a little more height. I've already got a 1/4" thick spacer on my coilovers now. It's actually pretty common practice on the Nissans to run the spacers I bought (1/2" thick) on top of the Radflos to minimze preload and maximize down travel. These small spacers don't add excessive droop, they don't cause CV bind, nothing impacts, etc. It's just a little extra height to level the front more. I'm pretty confident it won't be an issue. If it is, I'll go back to the setup I have now and crank my Radflos just a bit more.

I don't see how you can add a top plate spaced that is that much that you're planning on which out making the shock bottom out before the bumps.

 

[jhberria]

It works. Like Tom said, most people who run extended travel coilovers on this platform run a ~1 inch top mount spacer to reduce pre load on the strut and maintain lift/down travel. In fact, it's almost necessary considering how and where the UCAs are mounted above the coil bucket to get the full benefit of an extended travel setup. It's not ideal, but it's a necessary/safe evil.