My 2001 Pathfinder (R50 ) mild/budget build

[stioc]

A few updates on the truck.

Since my four day Death Valley trip is coming up in March I wanted to address a few items that are unknown in terms of when they last recieved any service. While I'd love to address several items (radiator, waterpump, ball joints, fuel pump etc) but my bank account needs some healing first. In the meantime I decided to start with the battery. The current one seems fine but there's no date stamped on it and it takes quite a bit longer than normal on the Battery Tender after use. So I looked for one with the highest reserve capacity (RC) I could fit in the space without having to relocate my air compressor. Since I don't have a fridge or offroad llights the battery I chose was a bit overkill but it gives me some extra juice in reserve should I decide to add those later on. The group 34 battery is bigger and much heavier than the group 25 battery but luckily it fit next to the air compressor.

I also upgraded my fuel cans from the metal 5gal Jerry can to dual 3-gal RotoPax cans. The RotoPax are much more expensive but of higher quality and fit my rack better and lower. I really like them.

Also since offroad capability for the most part boils down to having traction at the wheels I decided to maximize mine by tossing out the sway bars. The truck leans more in the corners now but with the higher rate springs it's not as bad as it would be without them. Thanks to XPLORX4 for the reassurance.

Also, my truck was in the shop for a week but I'll get to that in the next update

 

[Lecoq]

Nice update! I was thinking of ditching the rear sway bar but I can't amount the courage to remove the front one... How much more lean does it have in the corners?

 

[stioc]

It's hard to quantify how much more lean it has especially since we all drive differently, I'll say you should give it a try and see if you're comfortable with it. I was a bit concerned about it too but personally I've found it to be quite manageable- at least in its unloaded form.

 

[Lecoq]

Looking forward to the next update...especially if it was in the shop for a while

 

[Allof75]

Looks great! What specific model battery is that? I'm in need of a new one I'm thinking, it seems like it takes a little bit to fire up sometimes if it's been sitting.

Also, are those some taillight guards I'm seeing?

Very excited for the next update! :sombrero:

 

[XPLORx4]

The battery is probably a Diehard Platinum P-1

 

[stioc]

^^ this man speaks the truth Indeed, it's a DieHard Platinum P1.

Allof75 you have sharp eyes, even I couldn't tell the light guards in that pic. I put them on with the brush guard but didn't take them off when I removed it. On a white truck they look decent from a distance.

 

[stioc]

The next update:

Recently after taking inventory of the truck, its purpose and the future direction I realized the truck is exactly where I wanted it to be when I first started on this build (or "obsession" as my gf tells me- women! lol). In its present condition it can do the mild-moderate trails rated in the offroad books. So I was faced with the question; should I stop or should I go forward and build the truck for more difficult trails? The answer was always "I don't intend to rock crawl with it, it's not my thing. However, I do like being prepared for the unexpected- sections of a trail that have unexpectedly become more challenging for example. There are also times where I wish it was easier to get through a section". As I looked at the list of upgrades that I could do to the truck, unfortunately, they were all in the high $$$ category.

1. Front bumper + winch: Great for self recovery, aux lights, protection of the radiator and the 'cool' factor. But 120lbs of weight hanging off the front?

2. Rear bumper: More practical than the front bumper to carry a second spare, mount accessories, gas/water cans etc. Luckily the spare is already in a good (not perfect) location.

3. Skid plates: Definitely important but I wanted a lighter set something made out of 1/8" steel or even aluminum would be perfect I reckoned.

4. Locker: This would make my pseudo 4wd into at least a 3 wheel drive but $$$ and complexity. Maybe a front Locca locker would be better than the open diffs though?

5. Subframe drop for additional ground clearance: What about those big boulders that require high ground clearance? Heck the LR3s have something like 13" of ground clearance! I have ground clearance envy!

At this point I considered which of these would provide the most benefit if I were to pick one of them this year? To answer this question I thought about my offroad driving habits as well as the most likely places I would visit. Right away one of the trips I see very likely in my future is Moab and parts of CO.

My offroad driving technique/philosophy really boils down to the old offroading advice 'as slow as possible, as fast as necessary'. I prefer to crawl over obstacles instead of charging them. In fact, people sometimes tell me that I drive too slow (and I spent 4-5 years racing cars ) and then they wonder what that whirr/clunk/thud/crunch is as they get on the pavement at the end of the day When I'm out in the back country my priority is not rehearsing the Baja 1000 instead it's slowing down, taking in the surrounding and returning home safely in one piece. Being easy on the equipment is key especially for the long expedition type trips.

To be continued...

 

[Lecoq]

I would say skid plates first. Then go from there. Maybe a rear bumper afterwards.

 

[stioc]

I would say skid plates first. Then go from there. Maybe a rear bumper afterwards.

You're getting ahead of me :sombrero: I'll type up the second part soon, gotta get some work done first.

 

[XPLORx4]

The next update:
...this build (or "obsession" as my gf tells me- women! lol).

From time to time, my wife has been known to refer to my Pathy as my "other" wife... DOH!

My offroad driving technique/philosophy really boils down to the old offroading advice 'as slow as possible, as fast as necessary'. I prefer to crawl over obstacles instead of charging them... Being easy on the equipment is key especially for the long expedition type trips.

Sage wisdom! That philosophy is what has kept my 16-year-old Pathy looking and running as good as it does, despite the hundreds of hard off-road miles and abuse it's taken. To date, I have only ever broken a drivetrain component once (sheared off the splines of a CV axle in my hub), and that was due to a an existing stress fracture in the axle.

 

[stioc]

From time to time, my wife has been known to refer to my Pathy as my "other" wife... DOH!

My response to that is usually "would you rather me spend this amount of time and money at a bar?" lol The answer is "how about you spend that amount of time and money on me? " I then say "sorry, you've selected the option that's not one of the menu choices, please try again...beep beep". Yeah I sleep in the dog house after that.

Sage wisdom! That philosophy is what has kept my 16-year-old Pathy looking and running as good as it does, despite the hundreds of hard off-road miles and abuse it's taken. To date, I have only ever broken a drivetrain component once (sheared off the splines of a CV axle in my hub), and that was due to a an existing stress fracture in the axle.

Trust me it's why I enjoy the solo trips more because the avg pace of a group of trucks is usually a bit too fast for my liking but still safety is important so I don't venture solo too often or too far.

OK the final part to the update is coming up next...

 

[stioc]

...second and final part of the update:

So how do you go easy on the equipment? you choose smarter lines, drive slower and use the available traction to get you over an obstacle rather than charging it. You can do several things to improve traction (such as better articulation for maximum tire contact, lowering pressure etc) but at some point you'll find a locker (or winching) is your only way out if you get one wheel unloaded (or in rare instances, completely up in the air) on each axle. There also seem to be a common misconception about lockers that they're only suited to hardcore, rockcrawling rigs and thus most people venturing out into the back country put them last on the list. One need not look further than some of the popular SUVs and trucks that come with lockers straight from the factory including the uberluxo Toyota/Lexus SUVs. Even the Subaru's traction control system mimics a locker giving them the offroad capabilities that sometimes rival the conventional offroad trucks. The newer Land Rovers have also gone this route (traction control program that mimics a locker). As nwoods (when he talks I shut up and listen) recently said to me re:locker vs. winch:

"There is no question. The rear locker will help prevent the need for a winch. Some would argue that a locker will just get you farther down the trail until you need a winch, and there's some truth to that, but that happens far less often than the simple need to get over a rock or through a cross-axel situation. Get the locker."

XPLORx4 has done some pretty tough trails with his dual ARB locked Pathy on 32" tires and a 2" spring lift. He also did Moab when he had just the rear locker (I believe?). This is all the convincing I needed when I was about to sink a wad of money on an upgrade that you can't even see lol.

While there are lots of different types of lockers out there unfortunately, or fortunately (depends on how you look at it) the only locker available for the rear of the Pathfinder is the ARB locker- which is certainly not a cheap way to get a locker but ultimately the best. There's a cheaper ($500) Locca front locker available at less than 1/3 the cost of the ARB locker and part of the reason it's that much cheaper is because you can install it yourself if you're handy around cars. However, I'm of the thought that if you're going to have one locker only it should be the rear one. So I went with the ARB air locker that was sold and professionally installed by a local ARB installer.

So that's why the truck was in the shop for a week

Unfortunately, even after spending almost $1700 the locker isn't functional yet. I still need to install the air comp and run the air lines.

However, I see no place to easily install the air comp in the engine compartment. My options are to convert the factory air-filter to a pop charger similar to XPLORx4 but I don't like the maintenance (cleaning/oiling) aspect of it. On the positive side it reduces the likely hood of the engine sucking water in through the factory air-filter opening which sits fairly low. The other option is to relocate the cruise control contraption similar to Lecoq. I may go this route if I can figure out where to mount the cruise control. The third option is to mount the compressor in the trunk cubby on the rear fender.

 

[Matto]

Nice work stioc. I've been following your build for a while now. Good choice with the locker.

Re: compressor placement, the best spot I've seen is here:


Image taken from Wiz' install thread here: http://pcoa.org.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=7068

To me, it's a great use of dead space. If you were to go to the bigger ARB compressor, you'd end up with a neat integrated system that can run your locker as well as air up your tyres.

I'm tempted to put a Lokka in the front of mine since it's such a cheap upgrade, but if you're going to lock the rear then an airlocker is the only option worth considering (IMHO).

Cheers,
Matto

 

[XPLORx4]

Congrats on the locker!

So you decided to get the ARB compressor after all, huh? It's a pretty compact little unit. The small size of the new compressor gives you quite a few options.

You could consider installing it inside the rear quarter panels, either above the left rear fender, in front of the storage bin, or in the cavity behind the left cargo panel as indicated above by Matto. At one point in the life of my Pathy, I had an Airlift air-suspension compressor stuffed into the cavity above the right rear fender.

The main disadvantage of installing the compressor in the cabin is the noise you'll hear when activating it, and that you'll need to run some extra tubing to the exterior for the air locker solenoid vent, which can sometimes eject traces of gear oil. In fact, you might even consider relocating your MV50 to that area, provided there's room there.

Alternatively, you could consider building a bracket to mount it in front of the wiper motor, or behind either front fender liner, just in front of the door hinges. You might need to remove the fender to access those areas, though.