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02 Pathfinder (R50) Overland Build *UPDATE


Jax99
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No worries [user]raingoat[/user] I try my best in write ups with this being my first, sure I’ll get better in detail as new things come along but not even close to hawairish’s posts.


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47 minutes ago, RainGoat said:

The air gauge & switch in that drawer is brilliant. That’s a pretty worthless space & putting your air controls where you don’t always have to look at them is perfect. Brilliant idea.

Super happy to hear the 5165s worked well with those LR Springs as@TowndawgR50 & I were planning on doing that to my rig. Sounds like I know which ones to use now. Definitely need those other part numbers for the bushings. I’m definitely going to need@TowndawgR50s assistance with that.

I want to keep my rear sways but it looks like I can use the OEM links for now but will need to figure out an answer for when we put the SFD in place.

I see you kept the AirLifts. Was that just because you were already plumbed for them? Both@TowndawgR50 & I had them but he discarded them with the LR Springs & I was planning on doing the same.

The onboard air looks great. I was planning on putting my breather bracket in that location so now I think I will put it elsewhere to leave that space open for that option.

Thanks for the pix & write up. Man, that white & black sure looks good!

 

I really liked using that tray for the gauges, too.  That was his idea, and I took it from there.  I think I'll do something similar to relocate some items and put a double-DIN stereo back in.

 

As for the Bilsteins, I like how they turned out overall, but that straight fitting concerns me.  It's fine for everyday use and some trails, but a hard tuck could be really bad.  I have an idea on how to correct that, and probably fix TownDawg's problem of too-long shocks.

 

The sway bar links...we kind of forgot about this going into the project and needed to improvise.  All I had was some square tube remnants from the side gate I replaced the other year (that gate is seriously the gift that keeps on giving!), and it was a perfect fit for the round stock of the OE links.  I just cut them in half, ground down some flat spots to take a weld, and drilled some holes into the square tube to do a few fill welds.  The OD of the bar was a perfect fit for the tube stock; so much that I used my floor press to fit them together to the right length.  We extended them exactly 4".

 

We kept the air bags mainly because it was already plumbed.  When I had installed those previously on the truck, we had replaced the OE bumpstop with a round disc so the bag had a flat surface to compress against, but still used a 2" body spacer/puck to extend the contact surface (I have the same body puck on mine, but I'm using OE style bumpstop).  After flexing a little, we also decided that keeping the bags filled a little might avoid contact between tire and shock hose.

 

Using that space for a compressor...man, it took a LOT of thinking and bunch of adjustments.  Having now done two R50 engine bay air compressor installs...that is seriously the last one.  For his, the front-left brake line was bent a bit for clearance.  Wires for two of the harnesses in that area were extended several inches.  The mounting bracket over the strut tower was modified in a few ways.  A support leg on the fuse box was cut off.  I used the plasma cutter to make the brackets for the air compressor and for the fuse box.  Just a lot of items, and fitment for everything else was tight.  I kept telling him that the next time he needs an air compressor installed, I'm just mounting it in a toolbox!

 

Oh yeah, and somewhere in between, we had to redo two of the rivnuts on the tire carrier latch.  I think when you plan to do that, we may have to talk about necessary reinforcement.

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Man, somebody needs to get crafty with the front end of an R50, because all you wizards have the rear end setups dialed in!  That looks super slick [mention=41792]Jax99[/mention], can't wait to see what you guys do with the rig next!
 

My front end has a 4 inch lift with a 3inch subframe drop. More to come in time, tough to do even what we achieved in this past weekend haha


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1 minute ago, Jax99 said:


My front end has a 4 inch lift with a 3inch subframe drop. More to come in time, tough to do even what we achieved in this past weekend haha


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Sounds like a pretty good setup, but when does somebody fit some upgraded control arms and fancy shocks on?  ??

 

Out of curiosity, what are you running for front struts and coils?

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Sounds like a pretty good setup, but when does somebody fit some upgraded control arms and fancy shocks on? 
 
Out of curiosity, what are you running for front struts and coils?


OME HD front coils
KYB struts.
Warren hubs

I had an issue I stated earlier with not having a missing link and having a repair done... the welds I have on are solid I wont probably be messing with the front until I am ready to do a SAS in the future


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 As for the Bilsteins, I like how they turned out overall, but that straight fitting concerns me.  It's fine for everyday use and some trails, but a hard tuck could be really bad.  I have an idea on how to correct that, and probably fix TownDawg's problem of too-long shocks.

 

Oh yeah, and somewhere in between, we had to redo two of the rivnuts on the tire carrier latch.  I think when you plan to do that, we may have to talk about necessary reinforcement.

 

I think I’ll wait until you’re here & we can talk it over with[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] before I buy the shocks.

 

The rack, suspension & swingate are all on my winter ToDo List. Rack is in process. On our garage day,[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] & I reviewed the minitower concept, I left him a rail & he was going to fashion some. For the swingate, I’m all for reinforcing & I liked the bolt & washer approach the last guy used over the rivnut-that said,[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] hit his pretty hard this summer & it took it pretty well.

 

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Nice job! You guys knocked it out! Love the use of the coin drawer. The arrangement of the underhood hardware looks like an option that could have come with a "Field Base" model Regulus. You two did a great job. 

 

Good to hear you're happy with the setup. It's not as plush as the OME's but, paired up with polyurethane all around, on and offroad performance are great with the ride feeling tight and sporty.

 

Looking forward to hearing about more progress and some trail time

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Summary list of parts used for this past weekend build with part #s

 

- bilstein 5165’s

#25-261400

- viair 485c stealth black

- LR HD coils

#NRC9448

- custom sway links (hawairish)

- custom viair mounting bracket (hawairish)

- custom fuse box bracket (hawairish)

- (4) 8ft x 3/8 rubber hose (central pneumatics, harbor freight)

- 5mm air tubing

- 6mm air tubing (between air manifolds)

- (2) quick connect coupler

- 5 port 3 way air manifold block

- 4 port 2 way air manifold block

- HFS solenoid

- Pressure switch On: 90psi Off: 120psi

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZ8NJGO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_P.P5BbCKH2JHZ

- ASME pressure valve 125psi

- (3) 1/8 90degree push to connect

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H7X4QFM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Q8P5Bb7HYF8K4

- 30 amp fuse

- viair air pressure gauge

#90084

- Heart Horse 3 way carling switch

#B01EFIZP2A

 

 

 

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Change of plans, will be doing philips loop/calico , over previously planned holy Jim trail

California fires closed down holy Jim.

I’ll also be posting pictures of the brackets hawairish fab’d up this weekend


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Thanks for posting the parts list. BTW, where did you get the manifold blocks? I want some for my diff breather project but I’m not sure where to find them (or connecting hose for that matter).

 

Have fun on the trails & keep safe from the fires!

 

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6 hours ago, RainGoat said:

Thanks for posting the parts list. BTW, where did you get the manifold blocks? I want some for my diff breather project but I’m not sure where to find them (or connecting hose for that matter).

 

Have fun on the trails & keep safe from the fires!

 

 

McMaster has a variety of them (that’s where they came from). 

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196559efb94036e702acd798dd99e873.jpg

 

Shocks were worth every single penny. I’m beyond pleased with how well the truck ran the trail today. My main focus today was not to test my trail limits in terms of technical difficulty but to really test the shocks hard to find their limits.... rough/rocky washboards and uneven terrain was not a problem and definitely no longer will be when I’m over-landing.

 

Ran calico trails today between 25- occasionally upper 30mph runs on roads i would have previously taken at maybe 10- lower 20mph. I felt notable differences that instantly validated the $$ for the shocks and rear combo with the HD LR coils... absolutely love the set up and would recommend it to anyone whose considering to run bilstein 5165s and the HD LR 9448 coils. Again imo it’s worth every penny, I would have been bouncing around in the 5100s i had previously.

 

Went downhill/ straight, etc over terrain that definitely had some deep potholes or ditches that also gave the car some various basic flex terrain. I cant properly explain just how smooth the ride was, as if gliding practically. Took various corners at higher mph and the truck felt nice and firm all through out with no rear ended drooping or swaying (hats off to hawairish’s sway links). Trail time was just over 2 hours and the stocks responded well the entire time. 2 hours may not seem like a lot of time on trail but mind you it was practically a two hour stress test.

 

520ff7e96a650e278b0d5621f3e9fed1.jpg

 

c77ae6cfa517946b299dcb80ba27877a.jpg

 

f72b1999fdb19256b7ba87159650ab31.jpg

 

947aa9428da97bd51fc42c3c68e93e2d.jpg

 

 

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Now for the fun part
.......... the reservoir hose ...........

to save any searching for anyone wondering my part ## again
.......... #25-261400..........


As we were initially worried ([user]hawairish[/user]). The reservoir hose will touch under extreme flex... pics to follow....

During these pics the hose did NOT touch. Never did the reservoir hose graze against the side wall this entire trail run. However in these following pictures I feel if i had added anymore flex, or me jumping in the rails, the hose and tire would definitely have touched. That’s just imo but I feel the pics justify that.

I apologize in advance for the annoyance and bombardment of pictures but it was difficult reaching certain angles and so I’d like to just give you a free for all of whatever i took. That way you can possibly see various angles and answer any questions you have.

IMG_1239.jpg
IMG_1233.jpgIMG_1261.jpgIMG_1271.jpgIMG_1254.jpgIMG_1253.jpgIMG_1243.jpgIMG_1235.jpgIMG_1252.jpgIMG_1260.jpgIMG_1263.jpgIMG_1265.jpgIMG_1276.jpg


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Imo that showed some pretty decent flex and the shocks still didn’t touch... however not saying they would not touch with active driving or rocking motions.

 

For those considering 5165s... [user]towndawgR50[/user] and I both ran into different issues where as his shock mount had to be relocated to accommodate longer shocks. My shock mount remained at the oem location and I ran the appropriate size for my 6in lift... the difference lies in our reservoir hose. Towndawg’s reservoir hose has a low profile 90 degree swivel while, obviously from pictures, mine is stationary and sticks outwards.

 

Our shocks are mechanically the same but yet structurally different in regards to the reservoir hose.

So why not just get a 90 degree swivel like TowndawgR50? Well bilstein designed 5165s for fords and various Chevy trucks whose mounts and shock lengths are different from our R50s. From my findings.. there are no 5165s with a 90 degree swivel that match the collapsed/extended length to fit the oem mount location.

 

Now bilstein sells a model ‘7100’ its a reservoir shock too and it’s rebuildable... i didn’t get that one because I don’t know how or plan to rebuild shocks. They may have 90 degree swivel hose mounts ?¿ I’m not quite sure as I didn’t do much reading on those but for anyone whose 100% diving into reservoir shocks, take a peak at those and let us know what you find please. It may or may not be a solution.

 

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Extra note, just to boast the flippin awesome OBA hawairish installed, ending the trip filled back up from 15-35psi in 3:09. Forever thankful for that long but much enjoyed weekend.
630afa0a083e6143fb1e68e64ac19c83.jpg
927fde756ed6366bab12c5b67a897cdd.jpg



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Yep@TowndawgR50 has exactly the same things to say about his LR Spring & Bilstein 5165 experience. He loves their firmness & really notices their resilience in comparison to his 5100s. That’s how he convinced me. However, I’m looking at a 3-4” SFD with a total lift about 4” so neither of your 5165s will work for me. Now I’ve got to get those smarter than me to figure out which ones I need (ahem,@hawairish &@TownDawgR50).

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Yep[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] has exactly the same things to say about his LR Spring & Bilstein 5165 experience. He loves their firmness & really notices their resilience in comparison to his 5100s. That’s how he convinced me. However, I’m looking at a 3-4” SFD with a total lift about 4” so neither of your 5165s will work for me. Now I’ve got to get those smarter than me to figure out which ones I need (ahem,[mention=36148]hawairish[/mention] &[mention=37543]TownDawgR50[/mention]).

In the for sale section I’m selling my 5100s maybe finding specs for that length will give u an idea of what size 5165s you’ll need


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Looks like you had a blast! Not too much smoke from the fires either?

 

My 5160's were for an early 2000's Ford F series truck with a lift. I think if I had gone with a set that was for a less lifted spec it would have been perfect. Maybe bilstein can provide the flex line with 90° fittings on both ends by itself? 

 

We'll get you setup@RainGoat. There has to be a model with the 90° fittings for that ride height. Might just have to contact Bilstein and ask.

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Looks like you had a blast! Not too much smoke from the fires either?
 
My 5160's were for an early 2000's Ford F series truck with a lift. I think if I had gone with a set that was for a less lifted spec it would have been perfect. Maybe bilstein can provide the flex line with 90° fittings on both ends by itself? 
 
We'll get you setup[mention=40800]RainGoat[/mention]. There has to be a model with the 90° fittings for that ride height. Might just have to contact Bilstein and ask.


Fires didn’t affect us much up by calico. I was thinking of swapping the fittings but that’s what brought me to mention the 7100 series because they’re rebuildable as opposed to the 5165s. I wouldnt see how to properly pressurize the shock once again after swapping fittings... again if swapping fittings was even possible.

I think mine was from a 2013.


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My 5160's appear to be rebuildable but im not sure how I would pressurize them  either. The shock body and reservoir have circlips on the lower side that are removable, and im assuming used for servicing. If anything they can be sent in for warranty service from Bilstein and switched at that time. 

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