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Hey y’all! Doing a little update on what’s been going on with the Pathy and some upgrades hawairish and I plan to tackle this weekend. For starters, this Pathy already fell into my hands with a -3” SFD -4.636 gear swap -R200 Lokka -H233B LSD rear diff (repacked @ 150 lb/ft torque) -airlift 1000 -3” strut spacers -2” coil spacers -Warren Manual hubs And much more in the link below http:// https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/2002-pathfinder-r50-overland-build.134475/ Originally this pathfinder was Duke90’s, my brother, he then later sold it to me and I’ve had the truck over the last 10 months or so. As his was, this Pathy is also my DD and within the first month I notice some pulling and vibration on the passenger side wheel which eventually became so severe I had to garage it till I could tow it out for repair. The damage from what I later understood was a crack on the subframe cross arm which attaches also to my control arm. That side of the frame was completely torn from the bolt. *I assume this was initially caused by some prior trips we did in the Pathy. Never heavily offroaded but did do 300+ miles of various overlanding terrain with no ‘missing link’. I’m assuming this initially created some sort of damage that had slowly got progressively worse. I figure it must of been a drop or rough hit because the damage needed a lot of force for such a tear to occur. I had great difficulty finding a fabrication shop willing to take on the repair. I mean not even collision centers wanted to touch it but from one referral to another I finally got in touch with tnj performance and got my Pathy back on the road again. Note: the truck sat till around the middle of August (with frequent starts to continuously run fluids). Since then I’ve been fortunate enough to be in touch with hawairish and added a aluminum mid-skid and ‘missing-link’ to the truck. I’ve taken it on my first 4x4 trip to cathedral valley/canyon lands/ spider rock/ Tucson and then Anza borrego on the SoCal xterra event and ocotillo Wells after. Have had no problems then and since the trip so all seems clear with the repair. (Put roughly 4K miles on during this time) As for the parts update This weekend [user]hawairish[/user] and I are planning to do -LR Defender 90 Rear coil springs #NRC9448 -Bilstein 5165s #25-261400 -Viair 485c OBA install Keeping the rear spacers this should bring the Pathy up to a 4” lift in the rear and the much added convenience of OBA that also future proofs the Pathy for adding air-lockers if eventually decided. I’m happy to have this truck and looking forward to all the additions we’ll go through and trips we’ll make through the years. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same with the SuperPro bushings I bought from them. Just came in plastic bags. Agreed, I've been pleased with their durability, even after the years of use. My take offs are still in the garage for a rainy day, I guess. AFAIK, the $167 price for any OME springs is pretty normal. The other thing is that OME marketed them for 15mm (0.59") of lift, but many have noted more...closer to 1.5"-2", and it totally depends on what all you're loaded up with. Straight from OME catalogs:

You stumbled across them on your other reply; basically, AC masks brand names. They sell OMEs (OME sets the retail price at around $167) for less than their house brand (I think they're the $180-something option), but you can't tell the difference, again, because of the brand name masking. I'm not a fan of it.

My ears were burning, so I came to the thread to see all those mentions for me, lol. Yeah, the 9448s are great. Excellent support, excellent ride. I think the only issue I’m having is too much lift between those and the 2” spacers, I may take .5” off them. We may have to explore that option this weekend, too, again since he’s got an indentical suspension setup (sans shocks... I’m too poor for Bilsteins.) @RainGoat He’s actually coming in from Anaheim. Dude’s built like a tank and going to BYU next year to play football. Hoping we’ll sync up for some UT wheeling and maybe even get up there to watch him play.

I think @hawairish probably already brought this up with you but I'd reccomend keeping your rear sway bar intact. There is no noticeable gain in flex with it removed and the truck will flex tons with your setup.

You're in great hands. @hawairish is the man. I love the 5160's paired up with the LR springs. I run the wider, open forest routes up here (Scenic Mtn Loop Hwy) at a pretty good clip( 30-50mph) and the type of grading they do creates 2 1/2ft wide wash boarding thats about 4-6" deep from peak to shallow. With my old OME MD springs and 5100's I'd get rear end "float" and the truck never felt stable in those conditions, especially in cornering. Now the truck is tight, easy to control at speed and corners with no rear end "float". I think you're going to love them. Make sure to check for clearance at full droop and compression. Depending on your wheel/tire offet you may need yo make some adjustments to avoid contact with the shocks and reservoir. What reservoir clamp hardware are you going with?

Congratulations on acquiring such a well built & pretty truck. Also, really sorry to hear about that failure but you certainly know the repair was worthwhile even if a PITA. You are going to be right where I am headed with my truck (not a terrible surprise given I’m consulting heavily with@hawairish &@TowndawgR50 for guidance). Fantastically, you are about to definitively answer a question I’ve had.@TowndawgR50 has been VERY happy with his LR NRC9448s & Bilstein 5165s. So much so that last weekend he convinced me to go with the 5165s over the 5100s or 5125s. He, however, runs a 6” lift, whereas I’m looking at a 3-4” SFD. My research in the next week or so was to figure out the right part# for the 5165 for my rig. Let me know how that one (25-261400) works out because, if it fits & functions properly, I’m ordering mine as soon as I have confirmation from the two of you. Awesome timing & thanks for posting!

IIRC, both OME springs (HD & MD) are listed as a .75 gain, however if you read the "fine print", they do note that greater height will be had on vehicles without extra weight of bumpers, winches, etc. The 1.75 OME lift is done with MD rear springs, HD front springs & "trim packer", which is fancy terminology for a lift spacer.

Have you thought about doubling up the adapter plates (hinges)? That would make them more rigid and possibly reduce or eliminate the vibration.

I’d pick OME over AC springs any day. Better ride, having used both MD and HD (current) options. They’re also cheaper than the AC springs, which have been reported and being too stiff and causing top-out. AC sells both (the ~$167 options are the OME), but in general you’d also be better off finding them elsewhere for the same price and free shipping.

As an FYI, part 2, I can also tell you almost anything you need to know about Duke90’s truck. I did all the suspension and SFD work on it, among other things. I don’t think he’s updated his EP thread recently, but I also know he doesn’t own the truck anymore...his brother @Jax99 does. The truck will actually be in my garage this weekend for OBA and LR 9448 installs. He’s got the same front setup as me (3” SFD and OME HD).

Bells Knob October 2018

Alot of fun.[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] did all the real work, I catered & learned while [mention=32880]ferrariowner123[/mention] advised & supplied tools. Boy, that picture sure makes it look nicer outside than the dreary, wet, PNW day that it was. Thanks for hosting & all your help[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention]. Ha, ha, doesn’t my truck look tiny next to TowndawgR50’s. His lady said it looked like his truck’s baby!

Garage day w @RainGoat &@ferrariowner123

Since installation Monday, I've been driving the last few days and through the sunroof I can see it vibrating from the wind resistance, but no noise.

Russian team rally R50: "Tecnosport"