Leaderboard

Not a complaint, just an observation, but most of the admins and mods aren't frequent visitors to the forum these days. It's fully understood that vehicles, interests, and life change, so I don't have expectations that they'll always be online (I miss me some @Precise1 quips, though). Our trucks aren't exactly new, either. However, I've had a few questions lately that don't warrant public posts like this, but my PMs to current admins and mods have gone unanswered. Definitely not a knock on the current staff, but would it be beneficial to cycle in some new moderators? There are several active members with proven interest and knowledge that would make great moderators. (And no, this isn't a pitch for me; not interested.) For starters, it might be nice to see some renewed interest in checking for pin-worthy topics (i.e., Land Rover springs), cleaning out or condensing old pins, moving build threads to the Member's Rides section, etc. This is hands-down the best forum community I've been a part of. For the few years I've been around, is has also been very self-moderating. I've read some old posts and know this wasn't always the case. At the same time, sometimes it's nice to know (or believe) the forum isn't completely hands-off. I don't find the NPORA FB group a suitable replacement (noting that it's not directly affiliated with the forum, just a shared name and a lot of member overlap). My original reason for this post is because @TowndawgR50 and I had some questions about qualifications for Vendor status here. We wanted to hold off on our recent announcement until we were able to discuss things with the admin team, but could no longer wait for a response. @RedPath88, I believe you're the best person to talk to about this (and sorry to call you out directly here), but your inbox is full and the Hangouts invite I sent has not been accepted. We'd still like to chat about it if you've got the time.

Now, Cargo area window MOLLE racks, there’s something we don’t have. I mocked one up from my 5th Gen T4R one &@TowndawgR50 & I did a little dissection at the junkyard to identify mounting points

As a general comment on the topic, while I agree that the gauges are lacking (I personally would like to know the status of as much as I can, especially when offroading), it certainly seems to be the standard. My '03 4Runner, my dad's '16 Tacoma, and my mom's '12 Escape all have the exact same selection of 4 basic info gauges. I've even seen that some cars now don't have tach's. Pretty sad that people are becoming this uninterested in the machines that they interact with every day; and these are often the same people that don't get the oil changed and complain when the car doesn't last 200k miles trouble free...smh. Anyways...rant over.

I may be jumping ahead but, if you decide to rebuild the gearbox, it is much easier to pull the transfer case out first. The transfer case and transmission as an assembly is about a mile long and very heavy. I had to do it twice...

After years of chatting about our own Pathfinder projects—and often, grumblings about having to make our own parts or hack together something—it’s become clear that Jacob (@TowndawgR50) and I (Patrick) have a common passion for our trucks. We’re always bouncing ideas around and sanity-checking each other’s work, ultimately realizing we have highly complementary skill sets that extend beyond working on trucks. We’ve also grown tired of a serious lack of aftermarket support for our trucks, especially when there’s an obvious demand to keep them on the road and make them more capable than they already are. To counter that, we’re teaming up to fill that void. That’s right: it’s time to turn a hobby into a business! In the weeks to come, we will be making more announcements regarding the status of the company (still working on the name!) and our product offerings. We’re still in the early stages of the company formation, and have some challenges ahead of us (most notably the 1,400 miles that separate us!), but we’re ready and stoked to get the word out there. If any of our individual projects have piqued your interest, then our collaborative efforts won’t disappoint. Our initial focus will be on subframe drop (SFD) kits, as this is the most important component required to move beyond 2” of front suspension lift. Unlike prior versions of kits that have existed, we intend to offer complete kits and à la carte components in multiple heights—including strut spacers—to support various lift configurations. Our particular focus is to provide high-quality finished products that simplify installation for the average DIYer (hint: strut disassembly not required), and without having to replace aftermarket components you’ve already purchased. While we won’t go into detail about all the products (and services) we’ve been discussing, we will tease that trailing arms and panhard bars (both in static lengths with poly bushings, and adjustable lengths with rebuildable joints), skid plates, missing link, and bumper brackets are on the product roadmap. That said, we’re looking forward to a productive 2019, so stay tuned!

I've always wanted under hood lights. 20 years ago I thought about wiring up my own led string under the hood, but I shy'd away because of a lack of experience with soldering, circuits, etc. Now you can simply buy a strip that's already built and ready to go, so I decided I had no excuse not to try. There are sooo many choices on eBay and Amazon, it's a little overwhelming. I decided to go for one of the more pricey versions hoping it would be worth it and besides it came with the wire and pin switch. Here is what I got: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Underhood-LED-Light-Kit-w-Hood-Switch-Size-and-Color-Options-Available/291157773341?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=590308031148&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 The ad claimed they lights were water and ice proof, sealed in a silicone coating. Ends sealed with marine grade heat shrink. 3M adhesive backing. I bought the 24" version of high intensity white. It has a 10' 20awg black wire and a small hood pin switch. The only thing I needed was more zip ties and a washer. Here is a before pic of the engine bay, in my garage, with the light on. I decided to mount it in front of the weatherstripping because it shined in my eyes less, although you'd really be looking down most of the time so who cares. It might have been protected more behind the weather stripping, but I went for it anyway. I drilled a small hole in the underside of the hood and fished the wire back to the rear corner. I pulled the wire through a little fast and it got in a little bit of a bind, but worked out ok. Next I used an existing hole to mount the hood pin by the battery since the positive would be headed that way anyway. I didn't have a power distribution block and I figured something this small didn't need a fuse. I ended up running the positive wire to the fuse box behind the battery. The negative side went to the pin switch. Easiest wire job ever. From there it was just a matter of zip tying up the wire. For less than $20 it is an easy and awesome mod. And the final result is:

Y'all ever think about how poor the gauge cluster on a QX4 is? I have a fuel gauge, water temp gauge, tach, and speedo. An oil pressure gauge would be great. A voltmeter. Anyone installed any? Where'd ya put them and how'd you hook them up?

I also included a pic of me with my 79 Monte Carlo back in the day just for fun and maybe get a laugh at how goofy I looked. Lol!! Circa 96 Mr Cox 96R50-97JR50

I used a machanical oil gauge. Ran the oil line through the firewall where the clutch/slave master cylinder would go on the manual r50 into a T fitting I installed where the factory oil sending goes. I removed the oil sending unit and inserted the T fitting in its place. I wanted to use a T fitting that way I could still have the factory oil dumby light. Hook your oil line up to one side and the factory oil sending unit into the other. Walla! Mr Cox 96R50-97JR50

Yours truly. Mr Cox 96R50-97JR50

Yes, I intend to brace the radiator support, would not be difficult at all.

Respectfully valid. - agreed ^ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think much of what I replied to on your original light bar thread applies here to some degree. For this particular thread, I might also make the following suggestions: In regards to wire gauge, start with Power = Volts x Amps, or P=VA. Figure out amp draw first (A = P/V), then you can use a variety of wire gauge charts. Wire gauge, part 2: the length of wire matters, too. BTW, I don't recommend those pod lights for that application: too much amp draw for the application, blinding light, very bulky, heat generation, limited space. At 140W, they'd warrant 10AWG (max 15A) because of the 10A-12A draw (140W/14V = 10A, 140W/12V = 11.7A), exceeding 12AWG (9.3A max), but because they'd need about 20' of wire, you might even consider 8AWG...a bit heavy duty for the application, though. Having installed flush mount lights under my liftgate (see below), there's not much room to work with unless you're willing to cut metal. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of low profile flush mount LED options out there. The adhesive LEDs aren't aesthetically appealing, but are great functionally. Plan on separating your power needs to front vs. back, if you haven't already. That way, you can run dedicated leads to each area with a thicker gauge wire, then distribute power on thinner gauge wires. This will spare you a lot of headache routing wires. The cheap USB/Voltmeter/Socket combos that you can find everywhere on Amazon and eBay are great, inexpensive ways to add those items anywhere. All they need are two wires (and can be daisy-chained in most scenarios) and a 1-1/8" or 1-1/4" bit. And there are tons of options available. Consider your circuit demands when thinking about relays and switches, as one or both might not be necessary. Generally speaking: You really only need a relay if the max amp draw on the circuit will exceed the max amp rating of the switch, or if you want the circuit to energize in the ACC/ON positions. A switch, of course, is only if you want/need manual control. If worried about draining your battery, you're better off using a relay and ACC/ON lead. Otherwise, a switch doesn't really offer much practicality unless there's some need (including general safety) to disable all or part of the circuit. Having it control a light makes perfect sense, of course. ... I've done a few projects in my truck that might align with what you're wanting. Though only an option if you switch to a single-DIN headunit, I bought a factory radio-delete panel and mounted components to it. Voltmeter, dual USB, and aux audio input pod for the radio. The voltmeter and USB port tap off the factory power socket. From Jax99's air compressor setup, the change pocket by your left knee might make for a suitable place to tuck a USB port and voltmeter there. I'll likely be going back to a double-DIN headunit soon, so those will all get relocated. (And in case you're wondering, I swapped out the pocket under the radio with one from an All-Mode truck, so that affords some additional switch space, for which there are Carling-sized USB bodies that will fit there. The All-Mode switch is wired to control my air compressor and lockers.) This is just a panel kit that came with a switch, voltmeter, socket, and dual USB components. Wired it up for my fridge. The panel cover is on a simple harness coming off a 6-circuit fuse panel. I ran an 8AWG wire from the battery to it. I intend to run all other cargo accessories and exterior lighting through this. Also, I don't know if all R50s have that socket in the lower right of the pic, but I think all the trim panels have the flat spot and socket wiring behind it. You can buy the OE socket, or put any other socket/port/switch there. The wires come through an existing rubber cap. As for liftgate lighting... I really liked these pods, as they're very low profile both above and below the mounting surface, but I wish there was more light output. The lens is also a switch. I ran the wire through the OE grommet/boot in the upper LH corner of the gate and over to the rear cargo light, and that's where they draw their power from (yellow harness). I just drilled out rivets on the cargo lamp, put in my leads, and riveted it back together. This allowed the factory switch to act as the master switch for all three pods, then I could turn each on/off as individually. However, the interior lights will turn off automatically after a few minutes to prevent draining the battery. You must open a door to get the light back on, but for the liftgate, the door switch is integrated into the latch and is not convenient to toggle. So, I added a switch (subtly shown below with an unlit blue ring) that toggles the door switch circuit...sorry for the crappy pic, but it's mounted on the plastic bump on the trim behind the pivot for the wiper.

I missed this thread. Nice job guys. Looks awesome and I’ll will be doing this sometime as well since I check the oil at night all the time!!

You can pull just the tcase????

Here is the comparison between the two units. As you can see they are very similar, the old one being slightly longer with the float sitting lower. Given that these go in the same gas tank with the same fuel pump the difference must be at the instrument cluster. The old trucks have a horizontal gauge while the newer trucks are vertical. I think this should work fine and will probably be off an 1/8 of a tank or so.

I got a bunch of unique plausible ideas including a couple i made into reality if you guys want some help. Also located in Northern Colorado so I could be a parts distributor if you guys get serious about selling aftermarket for these trucks

You deserve a medal, grateful for the post and will come into play for me in time once I can get my hands on a pair! Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not to thread jack but wanted to chime in on my rig too since your post actually inspired me to do the same set up. Obviously as you stated it’s not difficult to do and relatively self explanatory. I still need to clean up the line route and add some heat sink to tighten up the wire ends. However, with the install done for the night I thought I’d just show some night pics and give a brief review on those led light strips I went with the 24 inch, as you did, perfect fit imo Again I’ll need to clean up the route and add some tie downs and heat sink tomorrow morning when there’s light out. As for the strip. Great quality and good bang for the buck. They’re definitely silicone coated as stated and connections between the wire and the strip are of good quality as well. I’ll have the truck up in utah soon and I’ll be comfortable with these lasting. Thanks for the post and link for the led strip, definitely the visual pictures and write up you posted inspired me to do the same. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk