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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/23/2021 in Posts

  1. So after one day of this thread being started, we've had a great amount of interest in kits! We're trying to respond to everyone as quickly as possible. As a heads up, we should mention that we're going to try to fulfill requests for kits in batches. Right now, we're basically down to a partial kit from our original batch of 8 kits, and we're in touch with the guys who we can help in the near term. As for the next batch, we're looking into new material costs, kit interest by size, and our schedules to see what we can pull off in short order. Since we plan to have a bit more variety in kits, this should also allow us to keep a few other items in stock or sell components separately, since there's also been a good amount of interest in that. I also want to request you post up any questions you have about the kit here, so we can share answers with the community. We've already gotten a few really good questions in PM's...there's a lot to know about SFDs, that's for sure, and historically, this information has been scattered around for the past decade. We hope to consolidate all that information here. In the meantime, let me expand on a few of the required items/purchases that TowndawgR50 mentioned in the initial post. These are the parts that most guys may already have, or have access to (via other posts around the forum), that we've ultimately decided to not include with the kit. In most cases, we can help with source or fabricate the parts, but the parts just haven't been deemed "kitable" for one reason or another. Also, we've got an instruction guide that'll go into much more depth than here. If you need further clarification, let us know. Longer Brake Lines: The SFD requires longer front brake lines, simply because of the nature of the kit. Custom braided lines can be sourced from various retailers, but 2008-2017 Rogue brake lines (OEM or aftermarket) can also be used. I run Rogue lines on my truck, and TowndawgR50 runs custom braided. Same is true for the rear brake lines, though this is SFD-agnostic. 98-04 Frontier 4wd and 00-04 Xterra 4wd rear lines are a suitable replacement (also what I run). Power Steering Hardline Support: There's a high-pressure hard line that runs between the power steering pump and rack that has a mounting point on the crossmember. The hardline is actually a hardline that has a heavy duty hose crimped to it, and there's a factory bracket near the union of the two line types. When the SFD is installed, that bracket must be detached from the crossmember to allow for slack on the line when the subframe is dropped. We've chosen to not include a universal bracket for this because relocation of the line has been rather variable on all our installs. The length of the bracket doesn't correspond to the height of the SFD because the steering rack has to be rotated a few degrees, and the line may need to be hand-bent a tiny amount to either allow for slack or clear the bolts on the rack bracket so they can be accessed for high-torque tightening. In the end, the final relative position of the OE bracket can be 2"-4" from the crossmember, and may also move forward relative to the cross member another inch or so. Additionally, the racks between early and late model R50s were different, as were the lines, positions, and even the bracket itself. Ultimately, no single bracket would work in every situation, so it's best that the installer make a simple bracket once the installation is complete and the resting position is determined. The bracket can be as simple as a vise-bent strip of aluminum or other similar strapping with a pair of holes. No matter the approach, this line should be secured, as vibration in the line may cause stress at the banjo fitting. Extended Sway Bar Links: This applies to the rear suspension only. OE-length front sway bar links are fine, since the sway bar positions are relative to the subframe. We can provide extended rear sway bar links, but they are not included with the kit since they're based on the amount of rear lift (which isn't a factor for SFD installs). Missing Link: Most people know about these and have one installed in some shape or form. For those not familiar, we're calling it a structural device that reduces flexing on the subframe by linking the lower control arm rear mounting points. This was not a factory item, but this community has long agreed that it should've been one, if for nothing more than to stiffen up the front or mount skid plates to. However, we have deemed the ML as a required item that must be either purchased or fabricated because the nature of the install increases leverage on the chassis where the rear extensions of the subframe are mounted. And yes, we have seen a failure on an SFD-equipped truck that did not have a missing link installed. Notably, we don't have a specific ML product, but it's something we can fabricate. Skid Plates: These can't be reused because the mounting positions will have changed. I also want add notes on the following items: Existing Strut Spacers: most guys are already running static strut spacers, which means the OE strut mount has been modified to accommodate longer bolts. Our strut spacers are designed to use the OE studs on the mounts, which means that it may be necessary to disassemble the strut to remove the bolts. We are able to provide a set of bolts and nuts to replace those for a small fee. Alternatively, if the OE studs were retained, they can probably be reinstalled if the OE mount was not further modified (i.e., drilled, welded). Otherwise, new mounts may be purchased from Nissan dealers. Existing spacers should not be stacked with our strut spacers. Camber Adjustment: Our strut spacer do feature a slotted body that allows for some amount of camber adjustment. However, these are primarily used for gross adjustment only; it's highly unlikely that an alignment shop will touch these for service work. The use of camber bolts is highly recommended, and may be required to dial-in alignment. The guys in our initial group have not had any issues getting a shop to align their trucks with a single set of bolts (I want to say one of the trucks didn't use camber bolts at all). Our trucks use 14mm bolts. As stated above, we've got installation instructions, and all of the above points (and more) are covered in it more detail. We're considering breaking out some the topics into smaller sections (it's a long read as-is) before posting links to PDFs and such. But for now, we'll trickle out that information here so that it's a bit more public.
    4 points
  2. I've been running a SFD on my truck in some shape or form for over 6 yrs, and I've wheeled it hard. Plenty of guys have had their own homebrew or even Krypton Fab kits for longer I'm sure. But, I'm not sure what long term assessment will help answer your question, though. SFDs have been around for well over a decade, and in a form that we've felt is inferior due to use of simple 4"x2" tube with high-radius edges. I'm not aware of any failure with a missing link installed. The failure I'm aware of was on a buddy's truck and it was without a missing link. I installed the SFD on it in 2015, and the truck was in excellent shape; SoCal, rust-free truck. The failure occurred in 2017. We (my buddy and I) believe the failure was directly due to a hard curb bump on the passenger tire, which caused the sheet metal layers on the chassis to flex a little or possibly a compromise of the weld on the subframe. Over time, it fatigued until failure. The missing link in this instance would have absolutely resisted that force initially and would have likely caused the LCA to buckle instead. Regardless, the ML is deemed required, and anyone running an ML would also greatly benefit from a skid plate, which also helps square up the frame further. To some extent, I'd say a mid-skid is required if running a missing link to ensure the link itself does not snag anything while wheeling. These are general things that become more and more important to have to best utilize the truck.
    3 points
  3. No sweat. It's a good topic to bring up and clarify, especially here. Every modification (or even repair, to some degree) is opportunity/risk to either improve or worsen the vehicle's capabilities, and in nearly every scenario—SFD or otherwise—upgrading one part usually means some other part is inherently "downgraded"...i.e., there's always a new weak link. An SFD is like any other lift in that it raises the center of gravity of the vehicle, which increases rollover risks. The fact that it moves the subframe away from the chassis also means some degree of flex is introduced, especially laterally in this case. If the install is done correctly, the truck can perform safely, but it's never without other risks. Something to also clarify, which was discussed in another thread and PM, is the introduction of driveline vibration and/or noise. Lowering the subframe does change the angle of the front driveshaft, but to date, we've not heard of any complaints related to that. However, the new angle can amplify vibrations if the bushings on the front axle support brackets are fatigued. For most of us who run manual hubs, this can be mitigated. In most cases, it's not a problem. As for the rear driveshaft, keep in mind the SFD has no impact on the rear suspension. If you exceed a certain amount of rear lift (let's say 5"), the driveshaft will be at a higher operating angle and may cause noise. On my truck, I run 6" of rear lift (9448s + 2" spacers) and I have an occasional buzz when I feather on or off the throttle due to a brief load-loss between the driveshaft and pinion at the u-joint. When load is applied between the two (99% of the time), I don't have any noise or vibration. But again, this is not a result of being SFD'd...it's a result of too much rear lift. Notably, we include a PHB Drop Bracket in our kits because it's presumed that if you need an SFD, you'll have an appreciable amount of rear lift that would benefit from a bracket (of course, this is something we can delete from the kit for those who already have a PHB bracket).
    1 point
  4. The OME struts are admittedly expensive but they’re a solid product and you’ll love the ride.
    1 point
  5. My original fuel pump lasted over 25 years and 400,000 miles... So, you know what, I went back with another brand new in the box factory part. I bought mine from Nissan Parts Deal https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com Nissan Part No.:17042-41G03 PUMP ASSY FUEL
    1 point
  6. On 17 Mile Road, AZ Front end def needs a different bumper
    1 point
  7. Mr_Reverse thank you I was looking on amazon and have seen assortments for sale but didn't know if anyone has tried. I will also try the links Bubble sent
    1 point
  8. I just get an assortment from a local parts store and usually there is one or 2 that work.
    1 point
  9. I had a guy try to crawl between the B pillar and the front seat once to get into the back. Took me a second to work out what he was trying to do. He nearly managed it before I told him it was a four-door. OP, you might also mention the mechanical door dinger. Not the crap synthesized modern ones, or the godawful '80s screaming-goat-that-never-ends ones, just two metal plates and a solenoid. I thought that was kinda neat. I mean, I still removed it, because it's annoying, but it's an amusing old-school kind of annoying.
    1 point
  10. All the weight of a full sized truck. All the gas mileage of a full sized tuck. None of the power of a full sized truck. Knowing you have one of the most reliable vehicles around. Knowing no one knows what it is unless they have owned one. Knowing passengers won't climb into the back unless you tell them where the door handles are. Being part of NPORA. B
    1 point
  11. Alright folks, let's try this again with some updates. I figured Amazon pictures would work as a host for my pics, but I guess not - oh well, continuing this thread with Photobucket!: This is what I started with: the vehicle was just a pretty stock manual XE model. It had some pretty bad rust spots on the rockers that needed to be re-worked. Thought about buying just some slip-on rockers, but decided that it would be good to have a little experience with patch panels. As you can tell, the rust wasn't HORRIBLE, but it definitely needed to be repaired. Once everything was welded up, I used some paintable caulk to seal the gaps between the rocker and the fender. And same thing on the driver's side (featuring some fiberglass filler): I had to sand the hood down to metal (practically everywhere), as the rock chips had started light rusting: I bought some new rims for it. Just some standard Chevy six-lug rims, wrapped with 33's. These were the tires that came with the rims. Super worn out, so I decided to get some new rubbers. I went with a 32x11.5 tire, in hopes that it would fit under the fenders a bit better. I love how tiny the stock wheels look compared to the 33's. Ha! And the new tires (featuring my ominous shadow): Next up was the painting process. Yes, I painted this in my driveway. Definitely a 'redneck' way of painting, but I think it turned out pretty well! Used a House of Kolor primer/sealer, and painted the inner door jams and inner doors first: Once the "interior paint" was done, I put the doors back on, and put everything relatively back together so that I could focus on exterior paint. Again, primed/sealed the body with the HoK and used TCP Global Ginger Metallic for the single-stage enamel. I highly recommend that paint. This is the second time I've used their paint, and have had absolutely no complaints about them (though I often am found complaining about the guns or some dust - or in this case, a wasp - that found it's way into the paint): Once the paint was on, it was time to focus on sound. Replaced the stock 5x7 speakers with CT sounds speakers. The head unit was replaced with a Pioneer MVH-S310BT Bluetooth stereo (so that I could jam out to some AC/DC and Dynazty on Spotify, of course). I did a professional wire kit (none of this through-the-fender-and-doorjam bs) and slapped my old Sony sub paired with a Volfenhag amp. It's an old setup, and isn't the loudest or proudest, but I still love that combo. I don't have many pictures of the sound system, sorry. After that, it was time to move on to coating the frame with POR15 paint. I should have taken pictures of myself on this one, because it was a sight to behold. Let me tell you something: that POR15 will take a layer of skin off if you try to peel it off too soon. Which is very problematic when you get it on your whole body (including face). Highly recommend that stuff, but highly recommend not getting any on you or anything you don't wish to be permanently black. Once all that was done, I moved on to getting the wheels/tires. sandblasted and powdercoated (charcoal grey) the rims. That was a miserable experience. I highly recommend taking items in to be sandblasted. I had sand in crevices on my body that I didn't even know I had. And once those were on, the fun began of mounting the bumpers. The rear bumper was no problem. The front bumper, though, was a challenge. The 3" bumper relocation brackets that were sold in the kit had to be fairly heavily modified in order to fit. Oh well - that's part of the fun, right? I also fabricated a new rear license plate holder, as the old one wouldn't fit with the bumper and lift kit. And one of the final steps I had was the shift boot. As you all are probably well-aware, the stock boots don't work well with a lift kit. So to remedy this, I bent the 4x4 shifter, but left the manual shifter as is. I originally thought I could use a larger sewn boot (3rd picture) and tuck under the carpet. However, that looked a bit ridiculous, so I went a different route: cut a diamond plate sheet and bent it to match the curvature of the well. I then sewed the shift boot from faux gator skin, used a screw-in grommet on the top (as a finisher), and bought some new knobs. Behold, the shift boot shenanigans: And last but not least: the graphics. I owe a huge debt to my dad who helped me with some of the cutting/designing of the graphics. The back part (where it is flat at the top) needs to be re-designed and re-cut, but overall it turned out pretty nice. We are also going to be doing a hood graphic here in the next few weeks: Some other mentions that may not be pictured: I highly recommend fluid film as a rust-preventative in the rockers and fender areas. It doesn't take but 5 minutes to pop off the scuff guards and spray some FF down into the rockers. Pretty easy. I also ordered stainless M6-1.0 16mm flanged bolts on Amazon for pretty cheap. I found it very beneficial to spray just a tiny bit of Fluid Film on the stainless bolts to ensure nothing is getting rusted/stuck. I broke about 50,000 of the old bolts off, simply due to rust, age, and over torque from previous work. Next on the to-do list for this vehicle: headers/exhaust, roof basket rack, and steering components (I have new inner/outer tie rods, centerlink, and some other goodies coming in the mail in the next few days). And that's about it, folks. I have about 300 hours of cutting, welding, sewing, cursing, pleading, and some good ol' quality dad/son time into this since March. I hope you all enjoyed! Let me know if there are any questions or if I can help with anything.
    1 point
  12. The pictures aren't working. Gator skin headliner sounds... entertaining? Unique for sure. I keep trying to talk one of my friends into using shag carpet for a headliner so it'll feel like he's driving an anemone. I made a shift boot out of an air mattress for my transfer case. It would've looked pretty good if I hadn't used the part of the mattress with the inflation instructions printed on it.
    1 point
  13. Sorry for old bump; Im looking at getting headers for my 01/1990 2-Door WD21, 4x4, VG30E, manual transmission. Are the pace-setters and doug-thorleys only made to fit on the 1990-1995 4-door SE models? Or will they fit on my 2Door? I am confused by the fact that I have a early 1990 2-door SE, which seems to suggest I should look for 87-89 headers. But I dont have a VG30i, its instead a VG30E. Help? ----edit --- Here is what I've learned - From 1985 to 1989 Pathfinders were available with 2-door body, either the VG30i or the diesel -The four-door Pathfinder was introduced in October 1989, and in early 1990 it became only a four door. -Some US 1990 Pathfinders came with the two door body, but they are rare. (mine is one of these, apparently!) -1990 the V6 received an upgrade from VG30i to VG30e. ----2nd edit --- So I need to find headers that will meet requirements of 90-95VG30e fitment, and being a 86-89 2-door body style, and a manual 4x4...anyone can help with this? Mike at AC says " I have never ran into this situation with 2 door Pathfinder that had VG30E." ?
    0 points
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