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So the snorkel got delivered and ill be sure to put photos up later today, but overall it seems to fit a treat, its built for a 2001 Navara D22/Frontier but the body conforms to the shapes of the snorkel, mounts to the A pillar great! Only complication is that the radio arial is in the way, so im thinking of relocating it to the bullbar and welding a plate to seal the hole left behind. Will make sure to post plenty of updates today!

Not sure bout the specifics. For me so far so good. My volume goes to 100 but 12 is loud fine for me with 17 being very loud. Worst case if i blow a speaker or something I’ll just get an upgrade i guess. Good luck lemme know how it goes. I got my radio primarily for Apple CarPlay and because i wanna use a video aux to display gaiamaps when i overland. Costs a pretty penny but for me it’s worth it in the long run since i plan to keep this car for awhile and do some big trips like alpine loop in the next few months or so. Installation for me was pretty basic, nothing tricky. Lemme know how it goes ! [emoji106] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, looks like we're fast approaching September... The bad news is that early/mid August goal didn't happen. The good news, though, is that the conversion of garage to shop is progressing well. I added several new circuits the other week, finished installing an air compressor and lines (I #@$%^& hate pneumatics) this week, and finally put the plasma table through its first cycle (no cutting, though) the other night. The heat in the garage has became too unbearable, so I dropped some coin for a mini-split AC, which I'll be installing this weekend. Then, lastly (ugh, I hope), I'll put in a fume extraction/ventilation system. I can't explain the anxiety I've had from having to drill so many holes into the outside of my stucco house. The grand finale will be a 6" one...still building up courage for that one. Bottom line is that I'm getting there! I hit up the steel shop the other week to grab various plate scraps for some initial cuts once things are ready. I've not looked into any actual material costs yet, though, so will still need to come up with pricing numbers for those interested. As before, stay tuned. This is gonna happen.

Today the title arrived in the mail. It's nice to know that after all this work it is legally mine. In Texas, at least major cities, we have to get vehicles inspected (even trailers over 4k GVWR which is a freaking pain in the a$$) before we can register them. When I was doing the title work I asked the clerk how I am supposed to drive my vehicle to get the OBDII monitors to a ready state so I can pass inspection when it is not road legal? She said I would have to get insurance on the vehicle and get a 30 day temp tag without registration. So tomorrow I start paying for insurance and I hope to get a temp tag so I can legally drive the thing if I am lucky enough to get it road worthy this weekend. Getting closer, but it is going to be a BUSY weekend. I had to pull the passenger cat after having the exhaust completed because I installed the manifold to cat gasket incorrectly. I wish junkyards could be more sneaky with the paint markings. All that's left under the hood is: -Intake manifold upper sections -computer harness from dash -belts -throttle and cruise cables -connect vacuum hoses -A/C idler -install battery -drain any existing oil and take a sample <- maybe I should have done this before installing the engine -cut open existing filter and examine <- maybe I should have done this before installing the engine -new oil and filter -pull plugs , vacuum cylinders, crank engine to build oil pressure -complete cooling system installation/radiator/fan -vacuum and charge A/C -fill all other fluids Installed new rack poly bushings. Shinny driveshafts new ujoints and balanced AND thanks my favorite junkyard for writing, in paint on the front face of the rims I purchased I have to figure out how to get that paint off without damaging the machined wheel surface. The bag of goodies...like I said, busy weekend. Oh, and I know all 8 of those rear link bolts are seized and are going to require cutting out with an angle grinder Not pictured: wheel spacers (shipped today), rear brake shoes and hardware kit, plugs...and OH I forgot an air filter

If looking at wheels studs, I posted some Dorman numbers here: link I'm a fan of stock wheels, too, which is why I went with spacers on longer studs. I've been using the front and rear studs from that post for several years on 1/4" and 1/2" spacers. No issues, though I did also put it in some nylon spacers on the studs to center the wheels spacers better.

Looking forward to see how the 2" spring lift goes along with the Bilstein shocks.

Yesterday we inspected the transfer case and it looked amazing, the chain is very tight. It was so good I didn't even both dissembling the transmission for inspection. I will put a front seal in the transmission and be done with it. Then we moved on to diagnose the old engine. We found out why cylinder #5 had a misfire code, see below. Root cause is either low on oil or something we haven't though of. I will have to get the heads off before I know for sure. Next week begins the parts waiting game. The clutch kit arrived, but I need the Nissan parts before the drivetrain can start going back in.

Nice! 3.5 with a manual, lucky guy. Be sure to change the coolant crossover tube gaskets and the rear main seal on the donor motor. They are probably the biggest pain to sevice with the engine installed. Cake while its out and worth every penny.