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Teach me your ways!


Boomer
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After much contemplation I’ve decided to stick with my 91 XE and build it up! 
I’m pretty intimidated since the guy at my local off-road shop said aftermarket stuff is extremely skimp for pathys, but nevertheless I’m here and committed to making it happen. 
I’m no mechanic and have very little experience off roading. So I’m as green as it gets. 
currently running 31s and everything elseis Stock. 

where should I start?! 
Help me Obi Wan, you’re my only hope! 
 

E239EFD9-0518-412C-843F-F586318223F2.jpeg

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Start by looking at how you drive the car and where you feel it's shortfalls are.
If you're new to off-roading you will find the car very capable as it is and may be happy to keep it as is!

Start with things you need to enjoy your car more -
Cant get up hills? Locker(s).
Keep bottoming? Lift/Bigger tyres.
Don't like the colour? Paint.

Want to chat with mates when out wheeling? UHF Radio.

I only spend money to make improvements I am going to use. 
Over here in Aus every man and his dog has 4wd utes dripping expensive gear - 2k driving lights, roof tents etc... And you can see they never see any offroad action.
So go use it, and tailor your build to suit the type of driving you enjoy.

Nice rig, enjoy it!




 

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yes, it s true that there is little to none aftermarket parts for the pathfinder. BUT what is available can definitely make you build a very capable machine. Like said above from @FirstGenFreak has a decent little list there for some basic things. Not sure if youve been in the NPORA scene for very long or any of the online pathy forums and pages but you can get some ideas pretty quick here. Good luck fellow pathy brother!

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Also going to confirm that there's not a ton of aftermarket out there, but with the help of the community here and maybe some custom fab work you should have no issue doing whatever you want with the vehicle.

 

I 100% agree with the suggestions above to just drive it and find out what you want/need to change based upon your style and trails. However if you're looking for some good places to start I'll always suggest making sure you have rock solid front and rear recovery points as well as a radio of the same kind that the folks in your area like to use (UHF, CB, etc.). Can't go wrong with skidplates and rock sliders either if you want to protect your undercarriage and rocker panels.

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:welcome: Start with maintenance to make sure it's reliable. Hoses, timing belt, make sure it's not trying to set the carpet on fire. Then, yeah, run it and see what's holding you back. Some mods are pretty standard for these, including a better transmission cooler (if it's an automatic), an idler arm brace, and the headlight relay mod (because the factory headlight wiring is wimpy). I replaced the automatic locking hubs with manuals on mine, partially because (IMO) they're better, and partly because my auto hubs were clapped-out and unreliable. If yours doesn't have it, the stock rear limited slip diff is pretty good and pretty common, so you might get lucky at the wreckers (just make sure the axle code on the data plate near the wiper motor matches yours, HG43 or HG46). Look for an orange sticker on the rear diff that says "use LSD oil only." IIRC you can also fit a ratcheting locker into the open rear carrier, so that's an option if you have an open diff and want something closer to a real locker.

 

+1 for recovery points. I've got two hooks at the front of mine (two stock hooks, they only came with one but there's nothing to stop you from mounting a second one on the other side) and a tow hitch on the back that I can stick a D-ring shackle mount into. And speaking of skid plates, some of these came with a skid plate under the transfer case, so that's another thing to keep an eye out for at the wreckers if yours doesn't have one.

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  • 1 year later...

hey fellas, the pandemic definitely shut down my build, but now i'm ready to start it back up.  Im going with @startibartfast advice and replacing the clutch and machining the flywheel first (currently in the shop now).   then ill be going through the rest of the `160k maintenance items.  I need to replace the driver door lock tumbler and see if i can get a working radio in there.  a few months back the passenger rear window fell off the track (i think) so i need to open that up and fix it.  my first goal is to make it reliable and get all the manufacturer specs back up to standard.  ill then move on to @mjotrainbrain list of recovery points, skid plates and sliders to protect the rig and my favorite advice ill start the  @FirstGenFreak plan as advised-  im just gonna start going on runs with the family and upgrade as i go.  im typically the type to attempt waaaay too much in the beginning and end up wasting a ton of money- so upgrading based on needs is realy helpful for me.  thank you all for the tips.  

 

@Bubbles lmk if you've found any cool upgrades along the way! 

@Strato_54 ty brotha, i will be diving back into the forums for sure now.

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