WreckDiver1321's 2003 Frontier CC SC

Dmski

Adventurer
Your frontier looks mean! Snorkel is a nice addition. May have missed it, but how did it line up being the Navara one and all? Did you feel any noticeable difference when driving (like ram air effect going on)? Keep the updates going!
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Looking good! Are you looking for a sand dune camper shell now? I might have a one on the market soon, road trip to AK?
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
Your frontier looks mean! Snorkel is a nice addition. May have missed it, but how did it line up being the Navara one and all? Did you feel any noticeable difference when driving (like ram air effect going on)? Keep the updates going!

Thank you sir! Snorkel lined up just fine actually. The template that got sent with was not entirely correct, so we sort of had to do a bit of fudging, but it ended up working out pretty well. Haven't gotten the plumbing done just yet, need to figure out what to do there. Then maybe I'll notice a difference. Like my supercharger being supercharged :D

Seriously good looking, what tires are you thinking?

Thanks! I'm going with Hercules Terra Trac D/T in 235/85R16. They're 31.9" tall and 9.3" wide (pizza cutters!). I've read good reviews on them, or rather their twin from Dean. Soon I hope, but finances have gotten a bit tight recently. We shall see.

Looking good! Are you looking for a sand dune camper shell now? I might have a one on the market soon, road trip to AK?

Thanks man! Now that is tempting. At first, I was going to run a shell so I could have storage drawers and a fridge inside the truck, and put a RTT on the topper. But I changed my mind on that. Now I'm going to do a Front Runner bed rack supporting a CVT tent. Pretty much like this:



I opted for this instead because this will keep my CG lower and cut down on wind resistance. Overall it's lighter too. And it's a convenient place to mount an awning. :D Haha also I like being able to access the bed from 3 sides, and this way I'm not going to have anything hard mounted to the inside of the bed, like drawers and a fridge, so it makes the truck more practical for every day in a roundabout way. Just going to have to invest in some Action Packers!

Hmmm. I steal lots of ideas from the Tacomas on this forum... :)

Now, the road trip to AK, that's something I wouldn't say no to!
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Dude, Just let me know when... From NC its 88 hours to Deadhorse, AK :-D

I'll meet you guys in Tok. Well the camper I wanted sold one day before I was to look at it with cash in hand. So I guess I'll have a lower COG and aerodynamics. So I'm keeping my topper/shell and rack for now. This was going to be my big ski bum winter if I ended up getting that camper, you would see me on a skiing expedition all over the west. It sure would look funny, haha cache camper.jpg
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
I'm there man! Haha be careful about making invitations, I might actually accept! :sombrero:

That's too bad about the camper. That'd be one hell of a great way to spend a winter! And a great objective for an expedition! I thought about trying skiing before. But my brother, mother, and 2 uncles ski, and it seems every time they go out, they break something. I figure I share genes with those people, so best not to push it. :D
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
So, some steering upgrades!

These upgrades are simple, bolt on stuff that can be accomplished in less than an hour.

This kit is the AC steering enhancement package with the Bilstein stabilizer. I opted for the Billy instead of the Rancho because I've had some experience with Rancho's shocks in the past and was less than impressed.

Here's the stabilizer kit installed.



It all fits behind the factory skid plate. Installation is dead simple. First, remove the rearmost bolts off the steering gear and replace them with the new bolts in the kit. Then place the S-shaped bracket over the bolts on the inside of the frame and tighten the nuts down. I reused the factory ones because they are lock nuts.





Put the shock in place and finger tighten the nut. Do the same with the 90* bracket on the other side. Turn the wheels all the way to the right and line up the 90* bracket with the center link and slide the U-bolts over the link. Once everything is lined up, tighten the nuts on 90* bracket down. Then tighten the shock into place.





Then turn the wheels all the way left and all the way right again to check the fit. And you're done!

Next, the idler arm brace. This is dead easy. Remove these three idler arm nuts.



Once it's at this stage of disassembly, if it needs them, take the opportunity to replace the idler arm bushings. Then put the brace in place and reinstall the nuts. Simple as that!
 

Jack Stilts

Subaru Ambassador
I'm actually looking at that exact same stabilizer for my Xterra! I'm curious to see what your review is for the difference in driving / wheeling.

Glad you got an IAB put on ;)
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
So, my review on the steering setup!

Basically, I love it.

On crummy rough roads it greatly diminshes the amount of bump steer. Now, it does still have bump steer, but it's not as violent and the wheel doesn't turn as much. It seems to soak up bumps pretty well.

On the road, it's actually made a slight improvement. It feels tighter and more precise. The only downside is the steering is just a bit heavier when the truck is stationary.

Overall, I am very pleased!
 

stioc

Expedition Leader
The truck is looking great man- lots of cool updates lately.

I looked into the steering stabilizers myself some time ago but couldn't figure out (before my short attention span saw another shiny thing) how to make it work on a rack-n-pinion :)
 

wreckdiver1321

Overlander
So, the finances have worked out and I'm set to get tires next week! It's getting 235/85R16 Hercules Terra Trac D/Ts (pics in previous post). Local tire shop will put them on for around $780. After that, I'll be focusing on bumpers.

The front one will be an ARB. I'm planning to run a Superwinch X9, which I can get for $600 thanks to a Costco card. Chances are that will make me dive under braking a bit, so I'll probably upgrade to heavier torsion bars, which will fix that problem.

And the rear will be a custom swing away spare tire carrier with jerry can holders. Essentially I'm taking the design idea from Box Rocket's 2003 Tacoma (he has a thread in the Taco section). Only possible issue is that after having driven with the new shackles for a while, the rear has sagged a bit. It now sits 2" taller on tge driver's side. Which is actually good, because it's now level with the passenger side. The possible downside comes if the bumper and RTT are heavy enough to sit ot down more than another inch. If I lose around 3/4", it should sit about level. If it's more, I'll be too high in the nose. Luckily, this isn't a difficult fix. I kept the old springs, so I need to add a leaf or something, I can.

Other things in the near future include an UltraGauge, sliders, and a custom rear toolbox that will house a second battery.
 

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