tmorgan4

Got payment...Thanks! Send you a tracking number this evening.

I take it you're probably in a hurry to get it replaced.....How fast of shipping do you want? I just sold a ton of crap on eBay and should probably ship it all out tomorrow so I can do this at the same time. My zip is 80525....figure 5 pounds for a box. Might be worth looking at some fast shipping options if you need it soon. My Paypal email is tmorgan4 (at) frii.com if you figure out a shipping cost. Otherwise just throw in $8 and I'll send it USPS Priority or UPS Ground.

3.3L were used up until 2000. The 3.5s didn't start until 2001. The starter I've got is in good shape and came off a 3.3L.

I've got a factory OEM starter off my 2000 I'd sell you for $40.

Thanks again for the comments. Really makes all the hard work worth it in the end! I really decided to put in the full hydro steering while I was doing the engine for a couple reasons. 1) I already had the engine out, and plenty of room to work with. This was VERY nice when I had to weld on the mount for the steering valve onto my cute little car frame. 2) I was planning on going for a solid axle up front sometime in the "near" future, so this gets rid of a whole 'nother step I have to do when the axle goes in. The ram will need to be transferred to the new axle, get some longer hoses to allow some droop of the axle (the ram stays stationary where it is now, it will be moving up and down with the new axle) and make some longer tie rods. 3) Since the engine was out, I had a chance to make a mount for the PSC pump a lot easier than I could have done in the car. 4) The threads on the oil filter housing (where your oil filter screws onto) hit the stock steering box. If this was the only issue then it could have been remedied a whole lot easier than going to a new steering setup.

The fuel filter from the dealer was only $11 or $12. It's about the easiest part on the entire car to replace. Easy to access and straight forward.

I had planned on doing mine over this summer while I'm out of school but the Pathfinder is still leaking oil and pissing me off. I've just given up on working on it for a little while since I really want to buy another car so this can be a toy and not a car I have to drive everyday. It's hard to call it a DD when I've barely driven it in the past year! The best part about mine is the full hydro steering is done and installed. The only thing I have to do when I get an axle in to make the steering work is get some longer lines to the ram and make a mount for the ram on the 60.

Nice choice on tires. Can't wait to see this once you get started!

I can't blame you. It's a little bit of a risk you take with a used one since it's a little work to install a new one. If you have trouble finding a new or re-manufactured unit for a decent price I'll ship you this one and you can pay me once it's installed and working.

Pictures aren't working for me, but it doesn't sound good. Sorry to see another local one gone. Hasn't been a good couple of months for R50s out here.

Just don't pressure wash your radiator! Use a garden hose like mentioned. A friend of mine powerwashed his and bent half the fins out of shape.

Thanks Fueler. As he mentioned, I've got one already pulled and sitting in the shop. Yours for $50 + shipping.

Wow...what's with all of these modified R50s popping up lately. I'm sure it won't last long.

I'd really like to see how they built the lift as well. Maybe I should take a 45 minute drive and go look at it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GStyVA_XwZQ&hl=en

I'm glad to see you're going full-hydro too. I'm not sure if you're aware of it but a lot of the Cherokee guys have issues with cracking the unibody where the steering box is attached. Full-hydro takes all the steering load off the frame. Good work.

Sounds good. Maybe we can see if I can keep up with that VQ of yours.

Once the transmission was in, there were a good 2 or 3 months spent on getting it running right. I had a large vacuum leak and I kept cracking the lower runner for the #6 cylinder. Turns out a hose clamp on the IAC valve was keeping the plenum from sitting flat, so when the bolt was torqued it would crack the runner. Vacuum leaks appear to be gone now. I've got a huge oil leak from the oil pan. The entire underside of the car is covered in oil. It has a UV dye in it so people like to tell me it's antifreeze. Haven't taken the time to install the other 3.5 to 3" coupler I waited 3 months for on the intake. How I ended up routing the upper radiator hose since this one is a little shorter than the stock radiator. How my interior looks:

Steering valve mount Onto the wiring. At this point all of wiring is labeled but needed to be spliced into the body harness. New DXD stage 2 clutch. Good for 480 ft-lbs of torque. I will recommend these clutches to ANYONE. Good prices and it drives awesome. Transmission needs installed. After sending half my transmission to Florida for machining I get it back and it won't work. Send another transmission to Florida and get it back. I now have a "hybrid" transmission that uses the front half off a NA Z32 300zx since the starter is now mounted on the side of the transmission instead of the front.

Almost complete First test fit. It's going to be close. Started the engine mounts...all I had was some 1/4" wall DOM. :laughing: Engine is finally in. Started on the steering. Decided to go full-hydro since I already had most of the parts and the oil filter housing on the VH interfered with the stock steering box. Cutting the rack and pinion mount off with a grinder was horrible.

Copied this from Ronin since people over here have been asking.... I've been getting countless emails and people telling me I need to update my project. I had good intentions of documenting the whole thing, but after working on it for almost year I got a little burnt out and starting documenting less and less. All I've got left is pictures, so here's a few from the hundreds that I've gotten over the entire project. Here's how it started...hydrolocked VG33. The VH45 won't be THAT much more work...right? Picked up a VH45 locally that had low oil pressure from worn bearings. Entire engine got rebuilt....bored .040" over (It's now a 4.6 liter), rebuilt heads due to leaking valves (one was slightly bent), and all sorts of other parts. Updated guides since the older ones didn't have a metal backing and were prone to cracking and ruining the engine. Heads are on, new knock sensors installed, starting the cooling system. New injectors from the later model VH45s. The older ones are more prone to failing than the new ones. Tyler, I found both of your threads, moved them to the Hardcore section and merged them for ya. - V

I take it that's aimed at me?

Coilovers would have lots of benefits in our situation. #1) You could get a coilover that is appropriately sized to our LIFTED vehicles, and not have to worry about the topping out issue that many suffer from when putting in stiffer springs. #2) Tunability. Not sure how many people are really going to want to spend the time tuning their suspension for their vehicle, but we still only have a couple options when it comes to struts and springs. Not only could you have a dual rate kit with a spring rate based on wheel position, but you could individually adjust both compression and rebound. I'd make my KYB struts 2x as stiff, if I could. #3) Lift. While not always good on the front driveline angles, you wouldn't be limited to 2" of lift anymore. The springs can be adjusted with a collar to adjust the ride height. Maybe we could get another inch out of it? #4) Even though it isn't a real issue, the strut base is wise and some have issues with wide tires. The coilover would be a little bit smaller package. Most just offset this by getting small amounts of backspacing on their wheels to kick the tires out further.

You are lucky for sure. A couple of my rods looked like this after hydrolocking mine at 5 or 6 thousand RPM.

There was some discussion on this a while back when Dean posted up some pictures of the Calmini R50 with coilovers that I didn't know existed until then. Converting to coilovers wouldn't be as difficult as quite a few people make it out to be, but it's not worth it for me to try when I'll just be removing the whole IFS setup relatively soon. It would just require finding a coilover that can handle the sideloads put on it since ours struts take the place of the upper A-arm on other vehicles while supporting the vehicle at the same time. Who wants to be the first one to try?