mortonm
Expedition Leader
My Bronco is getting built this month so I thought I would start out a build thread. This probably wont be a major build thread for reasons I will get to, but it will serve to document my experiences and travels with it.
First a little bit about my history. I have another fairly large build thread on here for my 2001 Xterra, it has been gone a few years now. It was pretty mild (small lift, 235 85 R16 tires and not much else) build but it got me everywhere i need to at the time. I did not look at is as an off-road vehicle but merely a way to get into the back country. Most of my trips were to the Pennsylvania Wilds and West Virginia region. I am located in Ontario Canada.
Here is a picture of the Xterra in Bald Eagle State Forest in about 2013 or so and a link the build thread of a few of my extensive write-ups
expeditionportal.com
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In the interim years I have had a kid and a string of smaller commuter friendly vehicles. Now that my son is older and will be easier to bring along on such adventures I knew it was time to order something.
In January of 2022 I ordered a 4 door Bronco.
I picked the Black Diamond for several reasons. I really like the idea of the waterproof vinyl seats and vinyl floors. It came with a rear locker (definitely handy and not something my Xterra had).
I ordered the advanced transfer case which provides an "AWD" 4A mode which will be great in the mild slop and slush up here in the winter. It also moves the ratio from 2.72 to 3.06 providing a little bit more advantage. I went with the 7 speed manual transmission (6 forward plus a crawler gear) which i am quite excited for. With 4LO and in C gear the crawl ratio is quite high. The axle gear ratio is 4.46 which helps as well and provides some room for potentially bigger tires.
The Black Diamond also comes with quite a bit of skid protection on the bottom, sill guards, auxiliary up-fitter switches and a few other things. I ended up selection the Eruption green, in no small part to green being my sons favourite colour. The stock tires are 265 0R17 General Grabber ATX tires, which are all I could ask for from the factory. This is the same height my Xterra had been upgraded to. When these wear our (or the itch gets me) I will likely step up to 255 80R17 tires as no lift is required.
The reasons I listed above is why I likely wont get too crazy upgrading the main drive train. It has everything my Xterra did and a lot more.
I will update with pictures as it comes in but here are a few I have stolen from around the internet that represent my exact build
First a little bit about my history. I have another fairly large build thread on here for my 2001 Xterra, it has been gone a few years now. It was pretty mild (small lift, 235 85 R16 tires and not much else) build but it got me everywhere i need to at the time. I did not look at is as an off-road vehicle but merely a way to get into the back country. Most of my trips were to the Pennsylvania Wilds and West Virginia region. I am located in Ontario Canada.
Here is a picture of the Xterra in Bald Eagle State Forest in about 2013 or so and a link the build thread of a few of my extensive write-ups
Mortonm's 2001 Xterra Build
I bought my Xterra in December of 2011. Its actually my first 4x4 that I have owned, and my second vehicle. I drove this GTI around for 4 years before. It is isnt my first experience with a truck though, we had lots growing up. We had 1988, 1992 and 1996 4runners as well as a 2001 Durango...
expeditionportal.com
A Week in the Pennsylvania Wilds - Allegheny NF - Bald Eagle SF - Pine Creek Gorge
The following pages will be a brief re-telling of an adventure my brother and I took upon last week. We have both been members here for a few years now. It was actually my brother who turned me onto this site, as at the time I drove a 2007 VW GTI, and the thought of driving over even a well...
expeditionportal.com
A Week in the Heart of the Appalachian Mountains: West Virginia & Pennsylvania
Next Friday my brother and I will be heading out on a weeklong trip through the Appalachian Mountains on Americas East coast, they are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. You can read about our other adventures in the region from the links below...
expeditionportal.com
Return to Bald Eagle State Forest - Victoria Day Weekend - May 2014
Late last summer, my brother and I took a week and explored the Pennsylvania Wilds. We had a great time, it was our first vehicle based trip of any substantial length and our first into the United States. We had a spectacular time in Bald Eagle State Forest and knew immediately that we would...
expeditionportal.com
In the interim years I have had a kid and a string of smaller commuter friendly vehicles. Now that my son is older and will be easier to bring along on such adventures I knew it was time to order something.
In January of 2022 I ordered a 4 door Bronco.
I picked the Black Diamond for several reasons. I really like the idea of the waterproof vinyl seats and vinyl floors. It came with a rear locker (definitely handy and not something my Xterra had).
I ordered the advanced transfer case which provides an "AWD" 4A mode which will be great in the mild slop and slush up here in the winter. It also moves the ratio from 2.72 to 3.06 providing a little bit more advantage. I went with the 7 speed manual transmission (6 forward plus a crawler gear) which i am quite excited for. With 4LO and in C gear the crawl ratio is quite high. The axle gear ratio is 4.46 which helps as well and provides some room for potentially bigger tires.
The Black Diamond also comes with quite a bit of skid protection on the bottom, sill guards, auxiliary up-fitter switches and a few other things. I ended up selection the Eruption green, in no small part to green being my sons favourite colour. The stock tires are 265 0R17 General Grabber ATX tires, which are all I could ask for from the factory. This is the same height my Xterra had been upgraded to. When these wear our (or the itch gets me) I will likely step up to 255 80R17 tires as no lift is required.
The reasons I listed above is why I likely wont get too crazy upgrading the main drive train. It has everything my Xterra did and a lot more.
I will update with pictures as it comes in but here are a few I have stolen from around the internet that represent my exact build
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