Nissan Frontier Truck Bed Off-Road Trailer - The "Frontrailer"

[Nd4SpSe]

Once back from Mosport and feeling a bit better, I put the truck to the side to work on the Mazda2. The spare tire well has rusted away. I had gotten a clean one from a friend who had gotten t-boned in his early in the year and the trunk was mint. I wanted to get this done before it was unmanagable and lose the spare tire. At the same time gotten a UK rear bumper an an additonal light from Portugal to do rear fog lights. I had done a rear foglight on my MX-3 back in the day and the idea came back into mind during a severe daytime snow storm we had this winter. While I was in the truck during it, it was a reminder that being seen in those conditions are important and running lights during the day are almost useless when visibility is that poor. I had passed an Audi that had theirs on and I could see them much better the further then anyone else. When driving a small tin can surrounded by trucks and SUVs, being seen I figured is a damn good thing to avoid being squished. I had subsequently turned on my rear signal bar to solid orange to improve the visibility of myself, especially since my tail lights were easilly being covered by snow and literally cleaned them off evertime I stopped; the one downside to LED bulbs is the lack of heat they generate.

This also required modifications to the rear rebar so I made my own 1-1/4" trailer reciever along with a 4-pin trailer wiring adapter. it was a set summer and wold ran on and off randomly. I would be sunny and I'd have my head in the trunk to feel rain drops on my lower back. I`d drag in the welder and wait it out. It did however met me check for water inlfiltration points. I sealed everything that was body seams, bolts and gromets to see if I could stop water from coming in and pooling in the trunk. I then painted over all the seam sealer as I didn't notice I got the white one until I opened the tube. A Note from today is that I checked early this year there is still water coming in from somewhere but looks to be very minor, but the idea that it`s still getting in from somewhere bothers me.




As working on the Mazda2 was weather dependant I'd work on the brushguard modifications in the garage while it rained. Once the Mazda2 was done I could pull the truck around and work on the mounting and fitament. It still needs some work, especially the lower section as it affects my approache angle. I also I need to figure out how to remove the rubber as I'd like to get it powder coated once it's finalized. I love the look, especially from the front, but at this point something seemed off with how the truck looks.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

With summer officially coming to an end, summer decided to show itself. Seriously, September and October were the better of the weather of the year! I was feeling better, technically was planning on starting to look and to apply for some jobs but I couldn't let this weather pass by. What I decided is that I'd embark on the dual battery project. I had kept the Optima from the Xterra solely for this. I was told it wasn't possible because of some rear AC lines. I couldn’t find any information about this done in an R51 at all, never mind a V8, but I was going to give this a try anyway. Armed only with what others have done with the V6 Xterra and Frontier of the same platform I’d work at it bit by bit, bite by bite. I'd make it out of 1-inch angle iron as it would be easier for me for complex forms while keeping the strength to support batteries. I had literally worn down the grass round the truck from the two weeks it took to get this sorted out. Some minor modifications to the body around the original tray area along withs some added rivnuts, an added stud, a fairly modified power steering reservoir bracket from an Armada along with a new hose and a bracket to relocate the secondary relay box, everything fit. However the solenoid I got off Amazon failed shortly after. I should of known better and subsequently ordered a PAC 200 amp relay, same as I had used in the Xterra for many years without issue. Next on the list would be the Titan 200 amp alternator and another set of Rugged Rocks battery terminals to complete the electrical system upgrade on the truck











To finish off the year in mods I had found a pair of Titan Nismo intakes for cheap in Toronto and used them to replace the Z1 V6 intake tubing that didn't work well with the V6. Along with a new 90 degree silicone coupler, it fit and the truck was happy.


In February before starting a new job I went down and spent a week with my parents. For March it was beautiful in Niagara and one day me and my dad worked at replacing my front suspension to get the truck levelled out. Installed Bilstein 5100s set to 1-inch, Moog HD springs and transfered the 2" spacer over. This levelled up the truck perfectly. Going into an alignment she ended up needing two new lower control arms and a ball joint, the one ball joint I replaced the day after recieving the truck. They also squared up the rear. It seems it wasn't done properly when I got it aligned the last time. It also explained why my MPG droppe down to 16mpg. Driving around I was back to 21 but then I towed my dads trailer back to Quebec, and also did 16 for that 1000km journey back home.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

So how to 2024, which is already almost done. The truck got more mods, but the trailer finally got some love as well.

I had recently discovered that switchback LED fog lights exist through a post in a Frontier group. I had immediately ordered a set. While I don’t like yellow fog lights I find them ideal in the winter, to where the 22” light bar on my Xterra had a yellow overlay. This way I can choose which color I want depending what I need.






From there my buddy Fred offered his shop as a warm and dry space for me to swap over my headlights. I got a custom set from Josh at Automotive Electronic Solutions. Not only is their function impressive, I wasn't expecting them to change the look of the truck as much as they do. They still do need to get aligned. At the same time we looked a running a 3/0 wire from the battery into the cab. Instructons I could find on the net on it and how were vague, but with much disassembly it was actually much easier then we thought. I know 3/0 is *big* but I wanted to run a single like that will split to run my 2000w Xenarc pure sine wave inverter along with my lights and accessories.





It's then I noticed I forgot to order LED bulbs for the signal lights and ordered a set of 3157 Autixo switchbacks. When the weather warmed up a bit I went to install them and they didn't fit, not without some mild modifications. Even the owners manual was conflicting for information but it looks like it used 7444NA bults, but 3157 will work some some trimming on the base.



Up next was a little adventure to check out the total eclipse back in April. The plan was to head up this one mountain, but I must of gotten it mixed up with another. I went down 5km on what would be an unmaintained, snowmobile-packed road to eventually come across what looks to of been an abandonned Ford Explorer. Midly stuck and the eclipse starting soon I stopped to enjoy the show. Honestly, being in the middle of the woods with no other humans around, listening to the forest wake up after a few minutes of totally was totally, totally worth it! Turning around I got stuck, sinking down to my frame likely in an aread that wasn't packed down and the same reason why the Explorer got stuck. After some mild winching and constantly trying to about the 30km/h sign that I kept sliding towards, I got out and made my way back. Lockers would of been handy. Despite everything I signed out of the park after almost exactly one hour after signing in, not bad considering.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

So after all these updates will I get to work on the trailer? Yes, but one more thing.

We have our annual fishing trip but it got mixed up with budget and participation issues. As the brother-in-law normally not only organizes it, but normally does two back to back, one with his girlfriend (the girlfriend's sister) and then with us a week or two later. What we decided is that me and Fred will do an overland trip and join them for a few days of theirs. First I worked on the truck. I had found a 125w solar panel that fit in the dimensions of my rack and decided to install that for the fun or it. I also (finally) replaced the factory radio with a Kenwood unit. I wired up my 2000w inverter and replaced my generic 7-pin trailer connector with an OEM unit as the one I installed a few years ago had already corroded away. What had also corroded away was the axle-back of my exhaust and pulled out the section that was broken after the muffler. I would talk to several local shops over the summer and come out with no viable solution. They either want to install the stock V6 (they say it's the same as the V8) exhaust, ask almost C$3000 for a new custom catback or not want to touch it at all. That'll get done by a trusted shop and specialist back in Ontario when I go down for Christmas.





The last thing the truck got was tires. I hate tire shopping. I knew when I bought the Pathfinder I wanted something capable but less MT as I don't want it to be a dedicated trail rig and a great all arounder. It's wonderful on long trips and moving people around. I really I wanted an aggressive AT. Fortunately since I bought it a new type of tire came out, the RT. Oh man I was happy. The Falken RT came to the top of the list and Duraspec sidewall really attracted me towards it. Unfortunately it was only in a size bigger or smaller then I wanted. I took a chance and went bigger with 285/70r18 and spent some time to modifity the front mugflaps and a melt mod to accomodate the new tires. The rear seemed good so far. Even the spare fits underneath with some minor trimming of the bumper. Ohhhhh.....now the looks like something. Now she's starting to look like *my* truck....



Now the trailer? Yes, now the trailer gets some love. I've been simmering on the idea on making a version 2.0 based off of a gen2 Frontier short bed, but they're not findable in good shape or are expensive, expensive for something I'm going to modify. With the tank taking in water at the pump seal and also leaking at the split joint between the two halves, I had wanted to try a plastic tank for a gen2. I got one from a guy parting out his crashed R51 Pathfinder but it's just too wide and too oddly shaped to work, ignoring the fact that it fills from the opposite side. It's then I decided to say F-it and ordered a new tank on RockAuto. I drilled a hole for the insert for the Webasto fuel tube, but this time higher up. l cleaned out the metal shavings, primed and Tremblad painted the tank, despite it already having a coat of paint on it, then finished it off with rubberized rocker guard, giving extra care to the split seam. It's nice too cause this tank same with a new seal and ring. I installed the old sending unit and pump, with some extra sealant, and put the new tank into the trailer.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

Checking the tent it when I noticed that that mice had gotten in and eaten the rain fly. I did my best to clean up the smell of mice urine on the canvas and tried to patch up the fly with tarp tape and 3M glue, but that's the best I can do days before heading out. Now that all the major prep is done, we were off to out trip. On the first day was just to get out of town and we stopped at this wonderful place by the St-Laurence River, overnighters allowed and we weren't the only one. Google maps shows a sign that we needed to buy something locally and display the receipt in the windshield but what we figure was the sign was a blank piece of plywood, and everything around was closed anyhow. Maybe it was too early in the season. We took out the BBQ to reheat my Tim Horton's pizza as a snack before bed. I took a shower, we both started our heaters and went to bed around midnight. I parked us in a type of half circle to protect out ladders, just in case cars driving by hit them.



Before heading into the ZEC we did stopped at a butcher for some meat, did our groceries and I topped up my water in a local fill and dump spot which is another great idea. I love how they accommodate and encourage travellers here. Plenty of no overnight signs in lots, but they also have plenty of dedicated spots for that too. The ZEC, which is public land but also controlled harvesting zone that is shared with campers, cottages, fishing and hunters. Our spot was beautiful and actually spent some time working out setups as some stuff wasn't completely done and between us we had enough tools and kit to do almost anything. After playing with my new Dewalt 20v chainsaw we sadly got a fire ban the day after, so it was something else to do, including my buddy Fred working on his lighting setup. Myself I had other concerns. I noticed a significant drop in voltage after the first night and figured I had maybe 2 more nights of power for my heater if I was lucky and we were here for 6. It looks like my batteries are showing some wear as I used to get 4-5 nights easy. This is where the irony of me installing my solar panel came to save the day. Partially, as I had forgotten the Coleman charge controller that came with it at home, however Fred had a DC-DC charger in his kit that wasn't yet installed that fortunately had a MPPT controller built-in. I ran some wire and adapters into the battery and the power output of the solar was impressive, catching up two days worth of charge in a half day. This would keep my setup alive, finally running out of power Sunday morning.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

The plans on that trip to join the sister-in-law had partially fell apart. The cottage in the pourvoirie, or outfitter, they were staying at basically gave us F-off prices for camping and fishing there if we weren't renting. What Fred knew is that our ZEC and their Outfitter shared the same access road, but the lands also shared a common border. All ZECs have downloadable PDF's for all the lots and roads and the app is *supposed to* put your GPS location on the map, but it's not the most accurate. The app also needs constant login which isn't useful when you have no cell signal, but at least the PDF is still readable. The map has 3 type of roads; gravel roads that can be travelled by car, then 4x4 trails and ATV trails. What we saw is that there is an ATV trail that bypasses the Outfitter gate and pops out literally a few kilomters from their cottage. Since I can easilly take my truck as Fred needs to pack up his tent and awning, we decided to explore the area and the trails an slowly work out way over. We also saw that the map wasn't the most accurate and upto date. Roads should be 4x4 trails, ATV trails what were actually roads. A trail that we couldn't find the entrance and technically started in the yard of a cottage. We slowly worked out way, trying to interpret the map and down an ATV trail, over a pair of streams and to the sign of a sign indicating we were changing terrirories and that it was illegal to hunt, fish or camp without registering. We laughed cause we weren't doing any of those. I passed through a fence and cement block type of open gate that I might of of fit through if I was Titan/Armada swapped and got back to an access road shortly after crossing it. We arrived and chatted, ate supper together and parted around midnight. This was also the perfect time to try out all of my lights, my lightbar, front spots and projector headlights with LED fogs. We'll say that this combination is plenty ample for my needs.




Back from out trip and very happy with the solar setup. I ran some proper wires and ran them up towards the front, ready for a proper installation. I now needed to shop for a dual battery MPPT controller that did about 12A. The controller would get installed under the drivers seat along with a new Kenwood microamp to run the factory subwoofer once I remove the factory Bose amp.



From there I had to move onto another project. I've been asked since late last year to repair the niece and nephews 6v BMW Mini Powerwheel. The issue was that the battery despite showing 6v just had no amps. Always wanting to, I got the idea to pimp their ride. I had started on a custom paint job but then we got the idea that it would be best that they each had their own. We found another one on MarketPlace and now my workload just doubled. I also had to refrein myself as I also was getting more and more ideas. It was about a months worth of constant work. I will admit that the paint job on the first car is better, but the electric on the second car was done much cleaner and more efficently from what I figured out on the first one. They love them.



And finally, my TRE 4x4 locking diffs with 3.36 gears (factory is 2.9) were finally done. I figured the shop that did the install of the lockers would be best to install them in the truck as I didn't feel like I had the strength to manhandle them under the truck. I just took them back, prepped the wiring and handed off the truck for the install. I've been anxiously waiting for this. It would make the first and only double-e-locked Pathfinder in the world, and only one of less then a handful that are double locked at all.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

I had dropped off the truck but the time it took to get them installed was longer then expected. I had an off-road outing with some local Nissan guys that would be the perfect time to test the lockers as it was stock friendly with challenging offshoots and would be the first real trail I'd hit with the R51. Unfortunately they finished it the Thursday before and the plan was to leave Friday. This meant I still needed to wire them up and ended up doing so the Friday that we were leaving. I did the main under body wiring in a protected and permanent manner but what was in the engine bay and especially the cab was temporary and my buddy Fred fortunately giving me a hand and built me a control box while I worked on the truck. Along with prepping for the trip we ended up leaving quite late and arrived at the sand pit around 2am. I was going to stop and crash somewhere around the half way mark but the girlfriend took over and it allowed me to pass out for about and hour and a half. We managed to find Fred, opened the tent, hooked up the heater, took a quick shower and went to bed around 3am.



The trail had went great but rained on and off that day. I was the most experienced of the group but not the most capable or modified with the trail leader having a Titan swapped Xterra. Off-roading with the trailer wouldn't work to my advantage but the lockers were amazing. Spots I had a hard time with was big rocks that the trailer would have to climb. I did the off-shoots and have been and always will be impressed with how well it follows and takes the abuse. Is was after this trip on why I changed my mind on building a version 2.0. All was going well until I hit one obsctable. The trailer was caught on another rock. I was double locked and trying to give it a little more and a little more. I was a bit high on adrenaline that day, having a good time and others were saying I almost had it, so I was giving it more each time. The one time I jumped, landed and heard a pop and a banging noise trying to move forward. I'm thinking I snapped a rear CV but on on further inspection it was the rear aluminum prop that that I snapped. It's also then I saw the rock my trailer was trying to climb and it was pretty much going vertical. We unpined the trailer, winched me out, and took two trucks to bring up the trailer. I then moved up to a flat spot to try to do a trail fix while the rest of the group continued on to the top of the mountain. My buddy Fred stayed back for moral support but also his Frontier wouldn't be able to continue on the rest of the trail as he didn't have the group clearance. I worked at doing a smilar patch with my gen1 Xterra snapped a U-joint and removed the driveshaft, unclip the slip yoke and use the same cooking pot to retain the slip yoke in place to make the 200 mile trip home in front wheel drive. The trick worked but have to use the pot backwards. Drenched and oily from the t-case fluid that leaked and rolling around the ground, I deployed the change room and took a hot shower right where the trailer was parked. The girlfriend got out some clean clothes for me and of course I'm walking back to the truck in a towel while the gang is coming back to meet with us. They oddly ask how long I have. I respond I'm good to go once I get dressed.



The next step was going back down the mountain. No one actually wanted to take the trailer to aleviate the stress on my truck as said they didn't have a brake controller. So despite it being crippled I took my own trailer back down the mountain myself. This went surprisinly well and engaged the front locker a few times to gain traction on some of the slight inclines. We arrived at the bottom, took some pics, talked about the day and most went back home. Me and Fred were going back to the sandpit for summer and to sleep for the night and the guy in the other Pathfinder followed us. If the weather wasn't so bad it would of been a great spot and night for a fire.




Discussing about this afterwards many think that the driveshaft may of been damaged with a weak spot from being hit. I honestly have no recollection about hitting it, on that trip or prior, especially that close to the transfer case. Maybe it was preexisting but we'll never know. Everyone says it should be impossible to break. I will say I was happy that the rear CV's didn't snap nor did the TRE lockers fail. Next mod is skid plates before I head back out on the trails. I'm also contemplating going to a steel driveshaft but that's also coming back with mixed opinions.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

The next day we had plans to meet up with the girlfriend's cousin at her 2nd cousin’s new cottage. Fred would follow me for a while. We followed the country roads to eventually stop at a Canadian Tire to get some parts in case the camping pot didn't hold. We then kept going but split once we got to the highway; Fred continued southward while we were going eastward. Back with the Xterra after a little over 100 miles I could smell bearing grease as the front hubs were getting hot, but the (gen1) Xterra used free-running hubs that locked up while the gen2 Xterra and it`s cousins Frontier and Pathfinder`s hubs are always connected. I suspected by they never got hot from a better hub and bearing design to always be spinning, especially being equipped with an AWD-like “Auto4x4” mode. I just made sure to keep it light on the throttle when turning as I didn’t want to strain the front drive unnecessarily as it was currently my lifeline, but in all honestly, the truck didn’t care and drove without issue even with a trailer in tow. On the highway I tried to keep speeds reasonable and go on the slow side of the flow. As things were going well, we still decide to meet up with her cousin visiting her 2nd cousin and see their new cottage. Unfortunately, the campground that the cousin was at was full and wasn’t accommodating to allow us to share a site like initially planned. Not being able to reach any of them we decide to make our way on our own. We went to scope out a spot nearby on iOverlander but it was too short for a trailer. We then saw and reserved a night at a 4-start campground down the down and was actually very happy with the quality and the services and for the price. Went into down to get an extension cord before they closed, took a dip in their heated pool, got some firewood and enjoyed our evening.



The next day we would slowly trek home, leaving before the rain came. Then I parked the truck in search of a new rear driveshaft.



The driveshaft issue took a while as I was sourcing options. It seemed complicated and discouraged by the local big name driveshaft shop to do steel. RockAuto also have some aftermarket options. I decided to go the cheaper route in the meantime and found some on car-part.com. I found out about 2.5hrs out and went there the following Friday as I finish at noon. They pull the truck around on the lift I noticed it had no motor or transmission. They had the front steel shaft up front but told them that wasn't it. They store they had it but alas we didn't find it. I did leave with some rear CV axles and cup holder inserts that I didn't know I was missing. I found another and did the same but it was 3hrs away, but indeed had it. Now having it in hand I wanted to get the U-joints changed before installing them. I ordered the U-joints Monday and dropped them off the Tuesday at a garage I normally deal with. They were busy but said they could maybe do it. Thursday evening I get a call saying the U-joints aren't right and wont fit. I go over and they don't fit. They also normally deal with the CarQuest that I got them from and called to confirm. The garage with a caliper in hand really confirmed that nothing in the CarQuest system, despite listing the being compatible, was not. I then asked them to check for that of an Armada and indeed that one looked to fit. We we`re planing on going to the girlfriends 2nd cousin to finally see their new cottage and surprise the niece and nephew with their Minis as they were celebrating the nephews birthday, finishing those up at 1am aligning the headlights on the street. The next morning I had to attempt and learn to do U-joints myself. I'll say I messed up the needle bearing on one and the remove of the second one didn't go well as I had installed the grease nipple on the wrong side. I went back to get another set. Those ones I installed successfully, after having learned by sacrificing two...it would of been cheaper paying the garage to of done them for me, but now I know. It also frustrates me that I try to delegate to save on time and it always backfires, so it all comes down to me to do it all. It`s when the girlfriend came out to complain about it being 3pm and taking too long while I was getting ready to bolt it back into the truck. It's also then that she decided to start to pack. No comment. In the end we didn't even sleep in the tent so didn't even need to take the truck as room had opened up in the basement bed. Oh well.

Needing some time off to R&R, I went down to visit my parents (alone) for the week. I did some work including changing out the defective display on their 2014 Mazda3 to that from a 2017; higher solution and looks physically better. Also got the Android Auto upgrade done as well as Auxito LED high and low beams, all stuff they asked to get done. The Pathfinder I replaced the Metra contol module as it died a week after installing it. Unfortunately it was bought as a mis-list on Amazon for C$150 but they don't exchange, they refund, and had since jacked the price to C$650, so I bought the one off of Cruchfield for C$550, which is it's regular, common price. Not cheap, but honestly always well worth it to remove that antiquated radio. The update on the Metra kit gets the temps working in Celcius but I lose the MPG counter and outside temp reading. While it's setup for metric now, the TPMS is in kPA, which is annoying cause we use PSI. Canada is a mix-match of units. I also wired up the dual battery MPPT solar charger. The factory Bose amp was removed back in spring to make way for it and a microamp for the factory sub, but the amp isn't wired up yet. I also made some more permanent switch for the electric lockers. I also wanted to work on my mini server to get my VPN working properly to get around the Netflix household sharing limitation.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

Next step is back to the trailer, or more specifically, the RTT. The girlfriend had a rebate this year on items for outdoor activities, which included camping and tents, so this was a good opertunity to replace my aging tent from 2008. I've been hesitant on replacing it as I find the material quality doesn't match up with what I had and that they're much more transparent for letting light get in. I have been looking for the last few years but saw nothing I liked. the 23Zero was a contender but I heard that the LST layer peels off with time. I have deal with Go Xplore for other products and have even talked to him in the past about. He's an RTT from back then and knew what I'm talking about. I figured I'd shoot him a message and ask, saying that I'm serious about a new tent but concerned about the materials. He had invited us over to test a combination of materials over a worklight to find a good combo, He was concerned about a dark outside color raising the temperature inside the tent. He also had an order going out in the new few weeks and would be the time to get it for this summer. We went and found a combo that we liked. It was also on his new model tent that had so many featured that I wouldn't have to modifty a thing. What I wanted this time around was the overhang with annex entry but also go a bit wider with a queen-size bed. We placed the order end of April and after it arrived, he sorting his priority orders, along wit our schedule, we went to pick it up at the end of August. What I also wanted to do was see if his regular tent's cover and fly would fit on my old Titan Winch RTT. The cover I replaced only a few years ago but I overpaid by getting it done at a shop that specialised in covers for RVs and boats. The way it was made it left holes in the corer that is what likely allowed the mice in to make their nest.

As always, the night before, we moved the RTT from the trailer to the truck. This was the first time mouting it on the Pathfinder and required longer bolts but also longer brackets because of the rack. The trailer looked odd but it was necessary. We arrived, installed the tent and got the walk-through on how it works. We can close the tent with the annex attached. The annex is also a 4-wall with side entries and the planis to rotate the changeroom so that we can have access from the annex. It blocks light better then expected and actually better then my old tent which was an unexpected surprise.






And the old tent we indeed compatible with GoXplore`s fly and cover did fit. I was and still am unsure with what to do with the old tent. I was thinking of renting it out or lending it to family and friends, but do I want to deal with that? Without a new fly and cover it felt like it was a waste to throw it out. We did have a plan to go camping with the niece/nephew but that got denied. So far it's up for sale but with no rush. It also includes a winter fly that was never used as the Webasto does an amazing job. The ARB annex will be exchanged for some batteries from my buddy Fred. The pictures included are from the ad and I remove the GoXplore logos as to not misrepresent the tent as being something it's not. I've ad many people ask about it, some seemed serious, but to this date it's not yet sold.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

The RTT stayed on the truck for several weeks in case potential buyers wanted to take a proper look at it. The trailer would get some modifications to accomodate the new tent as the cover rested on the back of the changeroom arm with it's bolts poking into it. Not a good way to start. The mounting arm will got reworked and fixed up a tad and we went out for a few nights camping at Lac Megantic. No pictures of the setup as apprently we only took video. The turned changeroom and enclosed awning was awesome together. Unfortunately on the way down the truck had an issue with the Airlift suspension. If you remember a while back that I removed the axle-back section that rusted off, well that caught up with me as the airline that was in the direction of the exhaust apprently got warm enough to fail. I got line from the hardware store as it does work, but also weaker and failed about 30 minutes into the drive back. The rear tires just rubbed the inner fenders half way down and all the way home. We had a surprise party for the girlfriend at a cottage on the weekend, so we went home and dropped off the trailer but left with the truck as it already had out sleeping gear, but even without the trailer it still rub the rear. It made me wish I had some spacers and if would of helped against them rubbing against the body.

After this trip I wanted to rerework the changeroom arm as I found there was clearance issues with how close it was to the bed and tent, worrying about damaging the tent but also caused some complications with the order and deployment of the RTT. I also picked up a new awning and sides on sale from Princess Auto thinking it was the same as the Sunday Campers I have. It's definitely inspired by it, but also a foot shorter and has some pros and cons to it. Either way, the car-jack awning extension system also failed a few years ago and it needed a whole redesign. I wanted something simpler, needed no tools, needed to tuck in during transport but it also needed to extend past the side of the trailer to allow the walls to drop down. After much time thinking and looking, running through ideas with Fred, then changing it as I was building it, so far I'm pleased with the outcome.



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The turned change room also meant that I needed to improve the lighting situation inside. I mounted a channel for a 90 degree LED strip, but as I'm still waiting on the dimmer to arrive, that will be continued next year.

 

[Nd4SpSe]

With the rear suspension issue, it was the kick in the butt I needed to get that sorted out. With new airlines on the way, I did have the other pieces of the puzzle around since spring. I had a Supreme Suspensions 3" spacer to replace the 2", and I got some midly used Mevotech HD springs that should increase the payload without too much of a lift and allow it to stat within spec. The new springs also had a set of Airlift bags in them so I didn't need to remove and transfer mine over. The truck sent in to get aligned, the rear is barely within spec. The extra inch give the truck a much better look. Ironcially the extra lift made the rubbing on the front fenders worse. However, I can't wait to get sliders on the truck.





Following the lift and alignment, the weather was up and down that I decided to bring the RX-8 to it's winter storage, pick up the winter tires at the mother-in-laws and also test the new rear springs to see how well they handle the tongue weight of a u-haul flat bed. I can't say I'm disappointed and I think it looks more squatted because of the black on black shadow, but also that the step had been bend up slightly from off-roading. They're definitely a good upgrade for loads while still being soft. I also think my cheap Munro shocks didn't like when the bags when. I might have to look at new shocks.



I should also note that the truck loves the 3.36 gears when towing. I notice both with the Frontrailer and the U-haul it's much happier in 4th gear and much less likely to want to downshift to 3rd.

I also wanted to give the truck some love before winter. There was a rust spot under the rear window that came and spread quick over the summer and figured it would get way worse over the winter. We got a warm spell and took advantage of that. Used a wire wheel and ended up finding more rust then expected under the moulding. I cleaned, etch then build primed, then painted the area. I build it up then let it sit for a few days, sanded it down flush to give a respray to blend it with the natural lines. I don't have a final pic but I'm very happy of the final result. There are small signs of overspray but you can't tell at all once the truck is dirty. If it holds up over the winter I'll give it a wet sand next year. There also a few spots around the chrome accent above the rear plate. It seems to be common and the one I first looked at did as well and should try to take care of it next year before it spreads. I also broke the rear wiper arm trying to remove it, despite it siting for a few days in PB Blaster. I still need to order a replacement.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Wow. So many updates man! Good stuff all around. New wheels and tires look burly and capable.