In a couple weeks, I will have owned my Pathfinder for 10 years.  I bought it as a birthday present to myself, having traded in a 2008 Wrangler 2-door several months prior for an SUV that could actually fit two baby seats (unlike a 2-door Wrangler).  My kids just turned 10 and 11 the other day, so I'd say we're way past that point.  Time flies.

I purchased the truck with just under 166K miles, and in another 400 miles it'll reach 200K.  It just turn 20 yrs old.  Some milestones here.  You could say I've done a few things to the truck over the years.  As it sits today, it's got front and rear air lockers plus 3.97:1 crawler gears, among other things.  I've finally sorted a few gremlins that have plagued me for the last year-plus.  Sold the bumpers a few months ago; need to build new ones.  But right now, I've been hankering for something significant, and if I don't spill it here, it may never happen.  So, here goes!

I think it's time to SAS my truck.

I've been stewing on this for a long while.  In August 2021, I bought an incomplete SAS project from a guy that included a Dana 44 axle, a bunch of new parts including matching gears for both the D44 and H233B diffs, an Xterra TX10, and even the 2000 Frontier everything was destined for.  I mainly bought the SAS parts for $1000, but the truck with a blown headgasket was only another $700 so I bought everything.  The axle was rebuilt (sorta).  The truck overall was disgusting, but at some point I at least considering repairing the truck and possibly completing the SAS on it.  I literally gutted the interior to clean out layers of filth in the form of dog hair and caked-in dirt to clean everything, but in the end, I didn't need a 3rd truck and sold it to a buddy.  But, here I am with all the SAS parts still...and then some.

Since then, I have properly rebuilt the Dana and bought and sold a few other parts towards the project.  I've not officially started it yet, but I plan to soon especially since a few suspension and steering parts are already due for repair and replacements.  At a very high-level, these are my project goals/objectives:

• Keep costs low.  To date, I'm already in $2500 in parts (factors parts bought and sold), and another $500 in tools/consumables.  I expect to spend another $1000-$1500 in parts and tools, but also probably recoup another $1200 in parts.  $5K seems like a reasonable cap.  I am tracking all my transactions.  I've also bought several parts either on clearance, or from others who've abandoned their SAS projects.
• Restore gearing.  I swapped in 4.63s long ago, but as we know, this is the end of the line for R50 owners.  SAS opens up gearing options, and this might be the number one reason for me.
• Keep the ride reasonable.  I am not doing this to go overboard on lift or tire sizes.  In fact, I expect and want to end up a little higher than where I am (currently about 5" of lift between OME HD and 3" SFD up front, and 9448s and 2" spacers in rear for 6" lift).  I do not ever expect, nor want, to run more than 35" tires, and I have plenty of life left on my 33" tires.
• Build confidence in parts.  I've never had trail failure with CVs, TREs, shocks, springs, bearings, hubs, etc., which is great.  But...I'm also at my max comfort limit.  Without any beefier steering and suspension part options available, it may just be a matter of time.  The axle, suspension, and steering options I have in mind will give me a ton more confidence.
• Not regress on things.  I expect everything I install will be better than what it's replacing, though probably the most debatable part might be my choice of leaf springs vs. IFS in terms of ride comfort.  But going to a straight axle will inherently change the ride comfort, regardless of the suspension type chosen.

Breakdown of components:

Axle:

The D44 I have is from a 1981 Jeep Wagoneer SJ.  It's the "narrow-track" version with a WMS-WMS width of 60.75".  According to my notes, I measured 62.25" WMS-WMS on my current stance, but can't recall if that includes the 3" worth of wheels spacers I use (I don't think it does).  So, this should be pretty close, and if I have to run spacers again, no sweat.  It's also a low-pinion axle; the high-pinion R200A is preferable here, but the slightly larger D44 gears might make it an even trade-off.  

Suspension:

The axle is set up for spring-under-axle (SUA) using leaf springs, and that is the approach I plan to take.  I mulled over all the other suspension types, and while something like a linked or radius arm setup seems great, it's simply out of budget.  I've read no shortage of past and current comments about how dumb leaf springs are, how dumb they are on a truck/unibody with 4-link rear, how old-tech they are...blah blah blah.  I'm not trying to ignore such advice and comments, but realistically, it's how I want to allocate my money and effort, and it aligns wonderfully with what I want out of a finished truck.

That said, the SUA approach greatly simplifies a lot of things for me and that's why I like it.  I plan to use OE leaf springs for the Wagoneer (I have new Dorman units).  With an offset center pin, they should allow me to move the axle about 3" forward from the current driveline.  Instead of shackles, I will use leaf spring sliders.  Mounting everything will be a challenge.  I intend to make a subframe that uses the existing subframe mount points and has the provisions for the front leaf eyelets.  The rear sliders may be incorporated into a new or modified transmission crossmember.  Plan to make everything from scratch to keep costs down...plus I have a CNC plasma table and small press brake, so there's that.

I will also not do a traditional u-bolt setup to attach the axle to the leaves.  Instead, planning to make a u-bolt eliminator kit to minimize parts hang-down under the perches.

I'd love to do a RA or linked setup, but the decision alone instantly adds $1K-1.5K to the budget between joints, coils/coilovers, and material.  There are savings here and there, but it's not significant.  I've also considered going to a spring-over-axle (SOA) setup, but this will also greatly introduce costs, namely needing to buy a high-steer knuckle, potentially needing to "cut-and-turn the C's" to correct pinion and caster angles, and also adding about 5" more lift than what I want.

Gearing:

I will be going to 5.13 gears.  On 33's, it'll be about -3% over-geared, but on 35's, it'll be about +1%.  The axle originally came with 5.89's installed and in-box for the H233B, but I sold those.  Too much for my needs.

Differential:

I already run an ARB in the R200A, so of course I'm locking this one.  Axle came with a Spartan lunchbox locker, but I sold it and bought an ARB instead.  In between, I bought an Auburn eLocker/LSD combo (LSD when it's not locked), but it arrived with all sorts of damage so I returned it.

Hubs:

Axle came with old Warn Premium hubs, but bought some new Mile Markers on the cheap from Amazon Warehouse.  Warns will serve as backups.

Brakes:

The axle came with all new/rebuilt brake parts, which is great.  They're beefy.  However, this setup means defeating ABS braking since this is axle is 40+ years old.  Many people won't care and just plan to delete or omit ABS, but I don't like defeating or ignoring systems, especially not considering how pleased I am with the braking performance on my truck with the rear discs.  Plus, I think the speedometer factors vehicle speed by the wheel sensors, since there isn't a speedometer pinion on the t-case.

To get around this, I'm going to mimic a setup a guy uses where he machines down the Dana hub to accept a tone ring and use Hummer H3 rotors and calipers on it.  A new caliper bracket adds the provision for the wheel sensor, and it's a perfect a solution.  In my case, I would do pretty much the same, except I will keep the R50 calipers.  Comes to find out, an H3 rotor is the same thickness as the R50 front rotor, and the diameters are very similar (H3 315mm vs R50 300mm) to the point I can just move the caliper out a little.

Also worth noting is that on the Dana hub setup, the rotor is mounted behind the hub, kind of like our R50 setup.  In taking this approach, the rotor will install over the hub, which will increase the WMS a small amount (about 1/2") and make rotor changes easier.

Steering:

The axle came with a 3/4" Heim steering kit, which is pretty beefy.  But, I didn't like that it was essentially going to be a straight bolt in a tapered hole on the knuckle.  No way that won't wallow out in time, and it seems most people suggested modifying the knuckle to make it double-sheer.  Instead, I'm going with a GM 1-ton tie rods.  These are beefy, too, and I have less worries about shearing.  I will have to ream out the knuckles and pitman to get things to work, but I have the reamer.  The kit also included 1.5" OD x .25" wall DOM tubing, and although the previous owner already got the tie-rod to the perfect length for the setup, I'll need to cut off the ends to weld on new bungs for the GM setup.

For the steering box, I'm planning to use a one from a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee (WJ) 2wd.  This will sit inside the chassis rail.  Would've been nice to stick with Nissan and use a Frontier or Xterra gearbox, but those sit outside the their frames and I didn't feel like cutting through the wheel well.  Fortunately, these WJs use metric fittings, so hopefully adapting the lines won't be difficult.

Shocks:

TBD.  I have three pairs of shocks once fitted to R50s, including the last two longer sets from my own truck while lifted.  I plan to use them if possible to keep costs down.  Mounting them will be a challenge.  Easiest approach would be making new plates that mount where the strut does, but I think it'll be too high up from the axle.  I don't want to make the mounting tabs from it extend too low, but I have other ideas in mind.

Subframe/Motor Mounts:

This will be the most complicated part.  Won't know my exact approach until the OE subframe and everything else is out.  I also plan to make some new motor mounts using poly bushings I have around.

...

Right now, I'm waiting for an engine support bar to get delivered sometime next week.  I may start pulling things off the truck and get this going very soon.

So I have a 2012 le V8 5.6 pathfinder 

I have knowledge in the titan swap suspension swap. But would like to know if the armada/titan transmission is same as the V8 pathfinder or better . Because I purchased a full sober truck with a broken engine . I don't need engine from the donar truck as my pathfinder is already V8.

Please advice what parts can be swapped to make the truck pure off-road afressive vehicle . Donar ca ria nissan armada 2012

Are the armada and titan suspension same so I can swap it to the pathfinder 

And the transmission and front and rear differential are same ? Is same can they be swapped bolt on ?

Brackets, end links and parts (heim, johnny, etc.) coil overs, coils...

I have been out of the game for a bit and all of my sources have dried up.

Getting back into the fab game and going to be tackling the waggy 44 surgery soon.

Thanks guys.

I can't find anyone selling a prefabbed "kit" and from what I've been reading, and videos I've watched the folks who cut a piece of tube for spacers and bolt them seem to always work loose after driving a while.

My idea is to cut solid stock for a 3" lift and weld the upper to the body then drill/tap for the subframe to bolt into the solid spacers.

*Opinions; pros/cons* to my way of thinking??

Gonna opt for land rover springs in the rear.

I built a missing link from solid stock (yet to install) and sourced some nice sheets of stainless to make skids plates, but want to do the lift 1st. Then build bumpers and tie it all together as needed.

Any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

Not exactly sure where I'll end up, no map or plan, just started by removing the tie down loops and transferring the mounting holes to pieces of steel I salvaged from a pallet jack. They hang down 2" and extend forward of the bumper cover 2".

Today I cut a 1.5" angle to span and bolt to the cross member, 6 bolts; 2 from rack guard, and 4 more larger holes that weren't being used, still need to pick up those bolts. As soon as I have all 6 bolted I'll tack the angle to the brackets. This will be the rear attaching point of the receiver tube, also the start the skid plate off the back vertical part of the angle.

No capability/ability/resources to weld aluminum, so everything will be steel from my "resource" pile.

>So question time; for skids, does anyone make "wings" to connect the sides to the frame like the factory plastic splash guard?

What thickness is recommended? I'm thinking 3/16" for the front, then thicker on the bottom.

I think I'd like to reinforce the subframe cross member with a piece of 3x1/4" that can be drilled/tapped. Where is a good source for disirable SS low profile fasteners?

I made my missing link from some 1" solid stock with 1/4" tabs, plan is to drill and tap it for the mid/rear section.

Since I'll no longer have tie downs, will a shackle in the receiver suffice?

Any advice or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

The r51 just doesn't have that same feel offroad.

What I propose, is to swap the solid rear axle from a D40 Navara, and use a 4-link suspension design with triangulated upper links.

This should give me a vehicle with a nice flexy rear end, at the tradeoff of some diff clearance VS the IRS.

By using a d40 rear axle I also hope that the ABS, TC etc will still work.

I also plan on fitting the front diff from a navara too, as the diesels have a slightly better diff ratio for the 33" tyres I'm running on my petrol pathy.

Thoughts?

Here's the plan.

I figured since I'll be pulling the engine why not get rid of the front end? I'm tired of messing with it, parts wearing out, alignment issues etc.

88 Jeep Wagoneer axle

Coil Over's

3 Link

Rear end will have 4.9 gears with an xterra 3rd member.

For the motor I was thinking either another 90's VG33, 2000's VG33R or 350SBC. I'm leaning towards the VG33 or VG33R due to finance's.

I have the time, tools so why not?

What do you guys think?

I've been getting countless emails and people telling me I need to update my project. I had good intentions of documenting the whole thing, but after working on it for almost year I got a little burnt out and starting documenting less and less. All I've got left is pictures, so here's a few from the hundreds that I've gotten over the entire project.

Here's how it started...hydrolocked VG33. The VH45 won't be THAT much more work...right?

Picked up a VH45 locally that had low oil pressure from worn bearings. Entire engine got rebuilt....bored .040" over (It's now a 4.6 liter), rebuilt heads due to leaking valves (one was slightly bent), and all sorts of other parts.

Updated guides since the older ones didn't have a metal backing and were prone to cracking and ruining the engine.

Heads are on, new knock sensors installed, starting the cooling system.

New injectors from the later model VH45s. The older ones are more prone to failing than the new ones.

Tyler, I found both of your threads, moved them to the Hardcore section and merged them for ya. - V

Anyway I have a 95 pathfinder and I really dislike the fog lights. We do get fog here but they really don't do anything. 

I had purchased these a couple years back for a custom bumper build wanted to do. So far that hasnt happened, so i figured I would put them in the factory position.

I probably could have moved them a bit more outward, but not much. I had some expanded metal left over so that's what I used to cover up the open areas. 

I would say it's a 5 foot bumper. From 5 feet away it looks good. I didn't take the time to make everything smooth and fancy. I wanted them useable. We all know the factory headlights leave a lot to be desired in terms of light output.

These were $50 each if I remember correctly. They are spots,  not fogs.  I needed more light output. You can't even tell the headlights are on with them on sitting in the rig.

I can't get a pic small enough to upload. I closed photobucket because of the pricing. I don't have any other way to upload the pic unless I can turn the resolution down on my phone and take another pic? 

Any ideas? 

Just blew a head gasket on my vg30 and bought a vg33 for the swap and was hoping id be able to get the adaptor instead of having work done on the crank.

-Thanks guys!

I've posted most of this in the "what did you do to your Pathy today" thread, but figured I should quit spamming that and put this all together.

When I got Rat Trap, the factory center console was broken around its mounts and every crevice was full of a foul mixture of cigarette tar and Armor All. I hacked it out and threw it away. I considered swapping in the console from my '95, but it turns out the square dash sticks down a little lower than the round dash, so the console wouldn't clear unless I butchered the front of it. That seemed like a lot of work for something that would look like a puppy chewed on it when I was done.

I considered the R50 console swap, but the idea of paying money to deal with more plastic crap didn't excite me. I liked what Nissan Nut did with his cupholders, and I liked what some of the Jeep guys do with ammo cans. A little comparison of measurements told me that a standard 50-cal can would fit between the seats with room to spare. How hard could it be?

My first step was to budge the e-brake over. I didn't want to modify the brake itself, so I drilled some holes in some steel strap and came up with this.

This worked alright, but the longer strap did flex a little when I pulled the brake. I welded more strap steel between the two, then welded the head of the bolt for the front brake mount to the floor plate. That got it solid.

I cut up a bed frame to make a sort of cradle and some legs. The top of the frame has to clear the e-brake, but the top of the box has to clear my elbow, so I measured a few things and made the legs as short as I could get away with.

The E-brake bracket ended up being the perfect thing to bolt the console frame to. I drilled a couple holes, welded up some M6 nuts, and bolted the frame down. Already, it was more stable than the factory console.

I skinned the frame with scrap sheet metal and filled the blank spot on the back with a cheap 300W inverter. Rather than build mounts, I just cut the sheet metal to sandwich in between the inverter's body and face like a gasket. I also relocated the inverter's power switch to the face where it's easier to get to.

As easy as it would've been to just weld the skin to the frame, I knew I'd have to take this thing apart a few times during the build, so I drilled a bunch of holes and bolted it on.

I considered bolts or a toolbox latch or something to hold the can down, but decided it was easier to fit the frame with neodymium disk magnets. Should work pretty well so long as I don't store credit cards in the can. I also glued a strip of a Rockauto magnet to the underside of the handle to hold it against the lid so it wouldn't rattle.

Rat Trap's got some loose switches that need a home. I wanted to use the factory switches, and the factory switches fit a rectangular hole. How hard could that be?

A bunch of cutoff disks and a pile of filings later...

Any comments are welcome. I think I need to widen it a little.

The only build pic I have.

I used a peice of 10 gauge steel that was bent into a 4"x6"x4" channel. The shackle mounts are made out of 3/4" thick steel welded to a 1/4" plate that is 6"x6". Thats what the carage bolts hold. I got a reciver tube from nothern tool and made the plate for the safty chains. For the bumper mounts I used 2"x4"x1/4" box tube. Then it was just a bunch of cutting and welding.

I am doing a full engine and drive train swap as well as long arm triangulated 4 link rear end and 3 link SAS.

Engine: 4.3 Vortec from a 93 S10, blue printed, balanced, performance cams, Edelbrock intake, Performance chip

Transmission: sm465 muncie 4 speed manual

T-case: NP241

Front axle: Dana 44, 5.13 gears, f250 knuckles, wagoneer hubs and Chevy brakes, Aussie locker

Rear axle: h233b limited slip with AC 5.13 gears.

Tires: 35" Mickey Thompson TTC Baja Claws

Other Customizations

Dual core aluminum rad

Dual e-fans 1700cfm ea.

Dual battery system

Old school non-planetary Warn 10K winch

Fuel cell 140 liters, replaces stock tank

Custom bumpers front and rear

So far I have the rear suspension complete (still requires coils) and the fuel tank. Much of the interior rewiring is done and the assembly of the front axle will start this weekend. The tranny is set to go, need to modify the t-case, trying to do a budget SYE. I have also got the body work about 1/3 done.

Here are some pics of the progress. More on the way as this project continues.

New cross member

Wagoneer brake bracket vs f250 bracket

Building custom bracket

New gears h233b

custom gauge pod