My 2001 Pathfinder (R50 ) mild/budget build

[stioc]

Here're the trails and trips the Pathy's taken us to:

Orange County:
Entire length of the Main Divide Rd
Holy Jim trail and a few side trails

Mojave National Preserve:
Mojave Road

Joshua Tree:
Berdoo Canyon
Pinkham
Old Dale Rd
Jeep trail

SBNF:
RattleSnake Canyon
Big Bear self guided discovery trail
Cleghorn

Yuam, AZ:
Picacho Peak

Death Valley:
Agueberry point
Titus Canyon
Racetrack
LippinCott
Warm Springs
Steel Pass
Eureka Dunes
Trona
Pleasant Canyon
Goler Wash
Mengel Pass
Lower Hot Springs

Eastern Sierras:
Monache Meadows
Sherman pass jeep trail

Moab:
Klondike Bluffs
Tower Arch
Fins-n-things
Baby Lion's Back
Fisher Towers
Long Canyon
Gemini Bridges

...hoping to add more to the list in the future

 

[Matto]

Cheers,
Matto

 

[stioc]

Matto, it's been a while, how have you and your pathy been? I should stop by your hang out on the 'net one of these days.

So a few small updates from a very productive weekend.

After the last trip I realized the dust over the last 2 years has really gotten into places where it's impacting visibility (despite the prompt vacuuming and cleaning after the trips). For example my aftermarket Pioneer stero's LCD screen is showing quite a bit of dust particles inside it and worse yet the gauge cluster itself was so bad that with the sunlight hitting it all I could see was the dust particles behind the glass. So I finally addressed both of these by opening up the stereo and the gauge cluster (no pics of the former) and wiping everything down with fantastic results. It's not a permanent solution but not too bad to do every couple of years.

Next, on our last trip the MV50 wouldn't fill up my tires anymore after filling up the first two. I had to borrow chmura's compressor for the remaining two. I knew it was something mechanical so I opened it up this weekend and after cleaning all the crud I found that the intake valve was cracked. Unfortunately the valve is pressed in and I didn't have anything similar so I screwed in a piece of pastic as the intake valve and then ground down the screw so the piston doesn't hit it (very little clearance). Sure enough it worked...for a good 10 mins until the plastic melted...doh! so I'll either get another MV50 or see if I can find a very thin but very springy metal to replace the original valve. I hate filling up the landfills but with disposable items everywhere these days it's hard not to

Next project, I cut out 5 cooling fins in the skid plate and a much needed access hole for oil changes. Then changed the oil with Rotella T Synthetic 5w-40w and a Puralator Gold filter as I do on almost all my cars (newer cars now require 0-20w though).

Last but not least this is something I've been thinking about for a while so I finally did it. I used a 100lbs bicycle hoist to store, load and unload the roof top cargo bag. Rather than packing and unpacking stuff from the cargo bag to the storage bins and back for each trip I now have everything stored in the cargo bag (78lbs) ready to be dropped right on the roof rack. In theory all I now have to 'pack' is just food and clothes. It's one of those things that once you do it you wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

That's all folks!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

That hoist for the roof bag is brilliant. I'm planning on getting a super cheap, super light duty HF winch to lift my tent off the bed when I don't need it.

 

[Lecoq]

Really good idea on the hoist. I would do the same if I had a RTT or a loaded rack like yours.

 

[richard310]

+3 on the hoisted ready-drop setup. It beats lifting 80lbs up there yourself.

That's quite a list of completed destinations compiled! I'm sure there will be more!

 

[stioc]

A couple of decent truck shots from the last trail, I figured I'd post them in my build thread to keep things more or less together.

 

[Allof75]

Looks real nice, I too cut the oil drain hole in my skidplates Were you able to figure out a solution to remove the oil filter for the front skidplate?

Great pics by the way. I wonder if you could put some sort of a sealant on the gauge cluster to keep out dust...

 

[stioc]

Don't the AC skid plates come with the oil drain access hole already? As for the oil filter access I still have the stock plastic front "splash plate" which takes me 3mins to remove

Yeah one could possibly put RTV sealant on it but I opted not to...we'll see how long before I have to do it again and if it's too frequently then I might go the RTV route.

 

[bushnut]

as I just installed the AC front plate. I'll have no answer no it does not have an oil filter access. I had been pestering Steve from 4x4designs to make me one of his aluminum ones that did have an oil filter access. but unfortunately he is no longer making them due to lack of interest and downsizing of his shop.

 

[stioc]

I should've asked the question more clearly; I thought the AC "center skid plate" came with the oil-drain access? The front plate I know it doesn't but I can see their logic- the center plate is large and heavy so removing it for oil changes is a bit more painful vs. the front one. However, the front plate could just as easily be cut out for oil-filter access.

 

[stioc]

Got these puppies in the mail yesterday when I got home from work and I didn't waste any time putting them on

While I was happy with the KYB gas-a-just shocks (made in Japan and pretty good quality) but with the lift and stiffer AC springs their valving and length was way off. In fact, with the truck on the ground (without any camping gear etc) the KYBs were just about fully extended. The Bilsteins 5100s are about 2.5" longer (wish they were another 1-2" longer; there's always room for improvement!) and much better valving (211/63) so now the handling should be much improved both on and offroad.

 

[mortonm]

Ooooooo pretty

Let us know how you like them once you have some more time with them

 

[Weekender41]

Welcome to the Bilstein family! Hope you like them. I will be adding longer travel shocks soon on mine as the 10" is simply not enough. Those look shiny! I am interested to hear how that valving does. You have much less weight in back but would be goood to hear.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Those are sexy!