Leaderboard

I got this pathfinder for $500 at the auction since I've been wanting to build a mild off-road vehicle for some time now. After doing some research I just want to check with you guys if its worth putting money into the LE version or should I just sell it and get a different platform/version. After reading a bunch of forums I still dont have a clear answer. I now know that this R50 doesnt have the rear LSD and it only has the 4.3 gears. It also has the auto switch 4x4 on the dash instead of the floor switch which appears to be the less desirable option although im not entirely sure if thats correct. My goal is to take be able to take to Mammoth Mountain(snow), some offroad trails with water crossings, and still be able to drive it around town if needed. I have a few other cars so the last part is not essential. Ive included some picture of what my end goal is but I dont want to go spending money if in the end I have the wrong configuration and the off-road capability is subpar. I know this model is not able to rock climb since it has no solid front axle so I dont have unrealistic expectations. Just want to be able to keep up with more expensive off-road vehicles. Also what mods would I need to make to increase the off-road capability in the drivetrain? I should also add that I dont want to throw crazy money into this project but rather have a budget build with off-road results to show for it. I have access to cheap mechanics so swapping diffs or suspension parts from the junk yard is not a big deal.

so after probing everything, burping the system multiple times, getting a mechanical temp sender, pressure testing the system, hooking my scanner to it ... come to find out its the dash gauge itself.. i punched the dash and it started working again.. took the dash apart cleaned everything up .. took the gauge out of the cluster cleaned the contacts and printed board, re tighten it all back up and it works fine

Nice. It looks like it was kept inside and taken care of. It has 9k less miles on it than my 93 did when I bought it 21 years ago.

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That's one heck of a comeback, 8 years later!! Don't forget to update here as it comes along!

The problem with "cheap" is that it does not last and you will just end up redoing it later on. The grassroots CL was about $225, new control arms $200, 3" lift springs $125 (that was at the time I bought them). That's 550 just for the suspension and steering. Then there is an idler arm brace so you don't bend it, you can fab those yourself if you're handy, if not, they're not too expensive. Of course you could just use junkyard jeep coil springs, and crank the tbars and do nothing else. But they will be replacing the CL, Idler, and doing an alignment every time. I learned the hard way, pay now or pay later lol. All of this is easily done on a weekend. Or even a day if you're quick.

First I had to wait for my wife to get back in the pathy, can't seem to get her out of it lately. Kind of funny that we are arguing over who gets to drive the oldest vehicle we have. Next I found out I had a graduation to rush off to so I snapped some quick Iphone pics. Should give you the idea. I think the middle foot flipped around looks kind of strange but thats because I've been looking at this one for so long. That configuration would eliminate the need to cut the front foot for sun roof clearance and you wouldn't have to cut the cross bars as narrow as I did. The body channel just inside the door jamb is another reason I went over the sun roof. You can see I am right along the edge of it. You will have to have a flat spot for the rivet nut. Here's the middle foot showing you have to mount it across a channel. And the rear to show you how far back I mounted it. I painted mine with graphite wheel paint. James