My 2001 Pathfinder (R50 ) mild/budget build

[stioc]

Thanks guys, the trip was fantastic, the truck worked great, I couldn't be happier- of course there're always things you can improve upon

Xracer, the cause of overheating is unknown and under investigation lol I'm going to redo part of the cooling system- the radiator, cap, thermostat for now and see how it does. At 130k I wouldn't be surprised if the clutch fan isn't pulling as much air as it should.

 

[txfactor76]

What do you mean by overheating? How hot did it get?

One time on a trail, in bumper-to-bumper traffic, my water temp got a bit hot. It was still in the "normal" range, but it was hotter than normal. I just shut it off while waiting for others to complete the obstacle (instead of sitting there idling), and ran the rest of the trail with the hood popped. It seemed to help. Now, I have a 300ZX hood vent:

 

[txfactor76]

Mounting the Hi-Lift is the million dollar question or as my gf always says 'don't worry, you'll find something else to worry about soon enough' I over-analyze everything. If the hi-lift weighed 10lbs I'd definitely mount it to the roof rack, it looks cool and perfect there away from the lower parts of the truck which may be burried in the sand etc when you need the jack. But being a 35lbs of heavy hunk of metal I don't feel comfortable mounting it to the roof rack. In the event of a crash or a rollover it could do a lot of damage and for that same reason I don't want it inside the truck either. So the best place would be a swing out carrier on a custom bumper. However, since I don't have one of those the best place I've come up with is the rear hitch with a custom mount so it's at bumper height and in the crash crumple zone. I see GoWesty.com has one and it's cheap enough to not build my own but I don't like how the tongue of the jack faces downward which makes the departure angle worse- I've scraped the rear hitch a few times climbing out of gulleys etc. So it'll probably be a custom mount on the hitch.

Hi-Lift is one of the most useful tools to have if you learn to use it right. It can be used for winching though it's slow and painful when used that way but it's better than having nothing when you need one. On a stock truck you can use the hi-lift in two ways, one is with the Lift Mate attachment which lifts at the wheel. This is a preferred way of lifting in most offroad situations so you're not lifting on the body where the suspension travel can take a while to fully extend before the wheel actually lifts...in some cases you run out of the length of even the hi-lift jack. The second place is the rear hitch reciever.

The rock sliders have been a consideration and most likely the next mod

Where did you end up keeping your Hi-Lift? FYI, a 48in Hi-Lift fits PERFECTLY under the rear seat. You will have to remove/relocate the factory bottle jack though.

 

[txfactor76]

Did some minor work today.

Control arm cross brace aka Missing Link fabbed and installed:

Nice work! I did the same thing on mine, but used some 2in angle iron from Home Depot. Not as pretty, but just as effective. And boy, is it effective!

On the sliders, did you use the supplied self-tapping screws? I learned the hard way that they are entirely inadequate. I ripped off one of my sliders while off roading. It pulled the screws clean out of the holes in the "frame." I've since attached them all with thru bolts and nuts.

The slider was ripped off by a root that hooked over the top of the slider. As the weight of the truck shifted, the tree and my slider played tug of war. The tree won.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YESDDnJWL5k

 

[stioc]

What do you mean by overheating? How hot did it get?

One time on a trail, in bumper-to-bumper traffic, my water temp got a bit hot. It was still in the "normal" range, but it was hotter than normal. I just shut it off while waiting for others to complete the obstacle (instead of sitting there idling), and ran the rest of the trail with the hood popped. It seemed to help. Now, I have a 300ZX hood vent:

Well we were on a long steep paved grade for a good 30minutes which then turned into a steep dirt trail, this was at about 9am, the temps were cool etc. When we stopped at the end of the dirt road to look around and take pics after about 10mins I noticed my coolant dripping from under the radiator. I thought I put a hole in it but turned out that it just overheated, filled up the reservoir and started dripping. My truck seems to run about 105degs+ ambient. In other words if it's 80F out then it runs 185-190F while moving. After that episode, I led the caravan, a few times I turned on the cabin heater when the temps approached 200F but never had a boil over issue the whole trip. I'm now collecting parts (cap, thermostat, radiator, clutch fan etc) to redo the cooling system so it's never an issue again.

Where did you end up keeping your Hi-Lift?

In the corner of my garage lol

FYI, a 48in Hi-Lift fits PERFECTLY under the rear seat. You will have to remove/relocate the factory bottle jack though.

Dude, you're full of great info. I never even tried that because I figured there's no way it would fit. Awesome! thanks for the intel - I'll try it this weekend!

Regarding the sliders, yes still using self-tapping screws but I know in the back of my head that one day I have to fix it like you did. At the time I didn't have bolts that long and I was too impatient to wait lol.

I have a long to-do list that I don't think I'll ever get through in this life time...it's the details that take the most time and effort. At some point I want to redo the storage platform with nicer and stronger wood and may be with a nook for a slide-out fridge, install a new fuse block and use it for all the aux stuff (cb, ham, lights, locker, air comp, fridge (if) etc), want bigger tires, want to buy some spares, want to build custom bumpers but will likely have to buy due to having no time lately.

 

[txfactor76]

That's a long to-do list. Get on it! lol

BTW, my Hi-Lift is the Xtreme model with the removable foot. A farm jack probably won't fit otherwise. :/

 

[Allof75]

Looks like an amazing adventure! Excellent to hear the Pathfinder did so well!

What did you think of the AC springs after the trail time?

 

[stioc]

Alex, I tried the hi-lift (48 hi-lift brand with the foot removed) under the rear seat. While the bulk mechanism fit perfectly in the stock jack location but with the passenger side seat-bottom in place the other end of the jack lifts up enough that I couldn't push the driver's side seat bottom in its position...sort of like a sea-saw effect. You'll have to post a pic so I can see how you oriented it.

@Allof75, the AC springs were fine - to me they're compromise in ride quality for the lift gained and I'm perfectly ok with it. The CV angles look a bit steep but lots of people have run them for a long time without any issues so hopefully it's just a visual effect more than anything else. I still think overall the truck could use another 1" or so of lift. Unfortunately like the Chevys the Nissans generally tend to be belly-draggers...compared to the Fords or Toyotas respectively.

 

[stioc]

BTW, I had the opportunity to test fit a 255/75/17 (32") on my truck. It rubbed a bit on the lower, outside edge of the front bumper and the rear. I think for a 33 I may need an aftermarket bumper.

Here're a couple of pics - my Goodyear Duratrac 245/75/16 and chmura's KM1 255/75/17:

Not as huge of a difference in height as I'd imagined...and in real life mine only measure out (tape measure) to 29.75" or so.

 

[txfactor76]

Alex, I tried the hi-lift (48 hi-lift brand with the foot removed) under the rear seat. While the bulk mechanism fit perfectly in the stock jack location but with the passenger side seat-bottom in place the other end of the jack lifts up enough that I couldn't push the driver's side seat bottom in its position...sort of like a sea-saw effect. You'll have to post a pic so I can see how you oriented it.

@Allof75, the AC springs were fine - to me they're compromise in ride quality for the lift gained and I'm perfectly ok with it. The CV angles look a bit steep but lots of people have run them for a long time without any issues so hopefully it's just a visual effect more than anything else. I still think overall the truck could use another 1" or so of lift. Unfortunately like the Chevys the Nissans generally tend to be belly-draggers...compared to the Fords or Toyotas respectively.

****e. I sold my Hi-Lift already and couldn't find any pics. I looked through 7 years of pics on Facebook and my entire Photobucket album. No luck. The lift jaw should be pointing rearward, and lowered almost all the way to the bottom. I stored the foot underneath it, where the bottle jack used to be. I believe I had to remove the clips for the long rod that came as part of the factory jack. That might be what's giving you clearance issues. Or maybe some of the padding under the carpet. I can't imagine the seat design changed from my '00 to your '01. It definitely fits though! And AFAIK, the only difference between your Hi-Lift and my old Extreme model is that mine had the clamp provision.


Edit: Just looked at your pic and I see you have the little extension thingy on the very top. My Hi-Lift did not have that. It was just straight bar. I bet that's what's giving you issues.

http://www.hi-lift.com/hi-lift-jacks/product-comparison.html

If you look at the comparison, mine had the clamp jaw bolted to the top. It used a wing nut so I just left it off and stored below. I actually never needed it. I'd suggest try removing that top piece and storing it separately. Idk if yours has a wingnut, but you might pick one up at the hardware store to make life easier, should you ever need it. I reckon you've already got basic hand tools in your truck though. With that said, having to bolt that little piece on with combo wrenches is only a minor sacrifice (if even at all), to be able to carry that Hi-Lift safely, securely, and completely out of the elements.

Give it a shot!

 

[mortonm]

Surprising they look so close considering the nominal 1.5 " difference between them. Did you measure the 255 75?

At least you have a good set of tires so you aren't forced into rushing a decision.

 

[Lecoq]

Are the 255's Wrangler take offs?

 

[stioc]

Surprising they look so close considering the nominal 1.5 " difference between them. Did you measure the 255 75?

At least you have a good set of tires so you aren't forced into rushing a decision.

That was my thought too, I didn't take a measurement on the 255s but my guess is they're 31" ish since mine are just under 30".

Are the 255's Wrangler take offs?

No, he bought them new. Too bad the Wrangler wheels don't fit the Pathys since many Wrangler guys move up to 33+ but then I also prefer 16" wheels over 17" if I can get away with them.

 

[stioc]

****e. I sold my Hi-Lift already and couldn't find any pics. I looked through 7 years of pics on Facebook and my entire Photobucket album. No luck. The lift jaw should be pointing rearward, and lowered almost all the way to the bottom. I stored the foot underneath it, where the bottle jack used to be. I believe I had to remove the clips for the long rod that came as part of the factory jack. That might be what's giving you clearance issues. Or maybe some of the padding under the carpet. I can't imagine the seat design changed from my '00 to your '01. It definitely fits though! And AFAIK, the only difference between your Hi-Lift and my old Extreme model is that mine had the clamp provision.


Edit: Just looked at your pic and I see you have the little extension thingy on the very top. My Hi-Lift did not have that. It was just straight bar. I bet that's what's giving you issues.

http://www.hi-lift.com/hi-lift-jacks/product-comparison.html

If you look at the comparison, mine had the clamp jaw bolted to the top. It used a wing nut so I just left it off and stored below. I actually never needed it. I'd suggest try removing that top piece and storing it separately. Idk if yours has a wingnut, but you might pick one up at the hardware store to make life easier, should you ever need it. I reckon you've already got basic hand tools in your truck though. With that said, having to bolt that little piece on with combo wrenches is only a minor sacrifice (if even at all), to be able to carry that Hi-Lift safely, securely, and completely out of the elements.

Give it a shot!

Ah, no worries. I did remove the end plate and the foot but it's really not a big deal. I can always store the bar outside and keep the mechanism inside. I haven't really needed it since I usually go with other trucks and someone always have theirs. Did you sell yours because you weren't using it much?

 

[txfactor76]

I've never needed it. In fact, even when I did need to jack up the truck, I just used the factory bottle jack anyway. It's much safer and quicker than trying to raise up the vehicle from the bumper or slider; you have to raise it up much higher to allow the suspension to drop. With a bottle jack under the axle or control arm, the tire is off the ground after a few turns.

I have a winch so I'd never use the clamp/winch feature of my Hi-Lift either.

Of course, now that I say this, I'll probably need it next time out...