DesertEagle

Does anybody know of any trustworthy, fair priced shops in AZ, specifically the Phoenix area? I dont have any notable problems with my Pathy yet, but I've been looking for a go-to shop for awhile now just in case something major comes up that's beyond my repair skill.

Are these type of swaps uncommon or am I not looking with the right keywords or something? Would such a swap be too excessive in cost and function for what the Pathfinder is capable of and can already handle with the preferred VG33 swap? Only reason I ask is because the thought popped up out of curiosity one day as I was browsing the web for different types of engines with their general info/common problems. One thing lead to another and I eventually stumbled onto some article recommending V8 engines worth swapping for off-roading (for any 4WD-capable vehicle in general mind you, not specifically geared toward the Pathfinder). It got my gears grinding a little harder and begun to peak my interest in swapping out my VG30i engine down the road eventually, but it made me ask the question of whether a V6 or a V8 would give me more opportunities to access certain trails or just let my Pathy have more utility (better towing handling, increased towing capacity). Most topics I've pulled up both here on the forum and elsewhere on the web seem to favor the VG33 engine and variants because of it's relative ease of installation and specific component compatibility with the VG30 engine family. As for the performance difference, I'm still clueless. But I've yet to come across posts, articles, blogs, vlogs, videos etc. from people who've swapped anything higher than a V6, although that's not to say that I haven't seen some suggestions thrown around like an LS swap or something similar. Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk

When you always have a genuine wonder of how erratic your idling is going to be when you start it up or put it into park. OR: When you let go of the wheel while driving just to see how off (read: bad) the toe/camber really is before you dedicate time to doing your 100th alignment this year.

Cave Creeker reporting in! Sporting a silver '88 with a Nissan 4x4 spare wheel cover so if you see me on the road feel free to honk and wave.

Interesting idea! My '88 is an auto so I'd be curious to see if the same swap would work with just the right amount of tweaking. I'm heading over to the yard tomorrow with my bud so I'll keep an eye out of there's a GC somewhere in the lot. Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk

I've got to make some time to crack open that cluster and see what's going on inside. I'll be heading over to the junkyard tomorrow morning with my buddy to pick some parts he needs for his car, so I should have some time to do it then. I'm hoping I get lucky that there's a first gen Pathy somewhere in the yard that has an intact cluster that I can salvage from. I'm up in North Valley. I'll send you a PM so we can work out the details in case I dont end up stumbling on any Pathys tomorrow. Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk

Just as the title says. Both stopped spinning about a month ago. Haven't been able to make heads or tales of what the cause is. Started with the odometer first. Travel odo went out at the same time so it isn't spinning either. Speedo went out near the end of the month. Anybody ever had to deal with an issue like this before? Should I consider replacing the gears inside the cluster? My '88 is running near 200k on it so I wouldn't put it past the idea that those gears are busted/ready to bust. Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk

Dream Theater Sent from my SM-J727T using Tapatalk

It sure is! I'll post some pics in the near future to give you guys a taste of what she looks like. Gotta make her shine first. That's a really intricate methodology you've got. I can see how the shims and angle finder would work when using them, but I'm a little lost on how you'd use the bedframe. Care to elaborate on that? As for the timing belt, the guy told me it was last done around 60,000 miles ago. Don't know if he was telling the truth on that one or not, but the belt doesn't look completely worn out or cracking either. That's not to say that it's not excused from being replaced alongside most the tubes and some of the connectors.

After chasing my curiosity about what the off-road world looks like and how people deck out their rigs with custom parts and swaps of all types, I ended up stumbling on this forum after doing a Google search for custom pathys. Started lurking more and more to see what you guys were all about and came to conclusion that you guys were cool enough to sign up for and kick it with. I was hyped to find this forum when I first did and I'm excited to have some time to sit down and finally introduce myself. Yay! So I'm not exactly *that* new because I signed up about 5 months ago, but I've never made a post until now mostly due to just finishing up another semester at CC. But a little background info about myself: A young 20-something student who knows nothing about cars and has never been off-roading but wants to dive right into that world with people who know all about those two things. Currently finishing up a B.S. with no set major. Very hands-on, knows how to weld and and wants to learn how to do machining. I brought my first car about 10 months ago. An '88 Pathfinder with the original VG30i engine running near 200,000 miles on it and counting. Bought her off a guy on Craigslist for $900. (Original asking price was $1,200). Came with 31" tires, a body lift and front/rear towing hitches. The most notable problems she has is slight engine ticking, the front control arms are slightly misaligned (seems like one of the control arms was busted off in the past and was welded back on without being properly aligned on the frame to match the front passenger side arm), the A/C system being completely shot and the odometer not spinning anymore as of a month ago (speedo and tachy still work). Majority of the components in the car are OEM and are starting to show signs of extensive aging, which means that they're definitely going to be replaced in the very foreseeable future. I knew from the get-go that she was going to be a project car and being a hands-on type of guy more than willing to learn how to do car work makes me all the more ecstatic about what I want to see out of her in the future. I went and bought the Hayden and Chilton manuals specific to the make and year model to help me out, and boy have they been a godsend! So far I've learned how to do the basic routine maintenance care (replaced the fuel and oil filters, super flushed the radiator, replaced the thermostat, changed the engine oil, swapped the spark plugs and plug wireset, etc.). My first major repair that I've done is an amateur front end alignment. Torsion bar looked like it was installed incorrectly. Flipped it around and saw a notable difference in how it handles bumps. Immediately grew a suspicion that the front end suspension might be messed up and that the bar doesn't look straight when the front of the car is jacked up.That's how I figured out the situation with the control arm. Tightened up everything afterwards and now the tires are misaligned again. Didn't help that the car was suspended on jacks when I was turning the tie rods. D'oh! But anyways, every day is another day to learn what makes my pathy tick. I can't tell you guys how grateful I am to have found this site. Just lurking through some of your guy's threads makes me feel like I'm in the right place to get my feet wet and one step closer to hitting up a trail soon. Before I forget to mention, I have not tested out the 4X4 to see if it still works. That test will be coming very soon, time permitted. ?