pathybuilder

Looks really good, great setup. I would've loved to see an upgraded/locked H233B used in the rear, but fully understand why people choose to go your route, cost/aftermarket selection etc. Look forward to seeing the finished product.

Put the lower links in first, and attach the upper links just to the axle. Put a bottle jack (factory jack) between the pinion and the upper crossmember of the frame, when you extend the bottle jack while lining the bushings up with the upper mounts, it'll push the upper trailing arms right into the brackets .

Thanks for the props. I'm sure somebody will appreciate the amazon option. I bought most of my bump stops from AC, however Amazon would've been a good option. You're flex is pretty impressive. Are you running factory bump stops in the rear, or have you removed them. Mine doesn't currently have any bump stops and with only a 2" body lift, I'm a little concerned about tearing out the fenders. I'm not afraid of trimming, if I can figure out where to remove. I've already trimmed the hell out of the front for this. I've already bought some of these exact same shields. I haven't installed them yet, but plan to add them and the wrap. The heat wrap worked very well for heat, but as you can tell, after 2 years of use, the passenger side header is showing some corrosion. I'm thinking that with the new paint I've put on and wrap, if I can get 2 more years out of them I'm happy, then I'll upgrade to something better quality. I'm hoping to have it running this or next weekend, obviously depending on what else comes up. It will be far from finished. I'll still have to figure out something for fender flares,mudflaps, rear bumper, I have to modify the front bumper for the body lift, install rock sliders. I need to replace my centerlink and upgrade the steering. I also will have some body work to do (couple dents and some rust in the floor). So needless to say, there's lots left.

I haven't driven it yet. Trucks still on blocks, though I don't see it being an issue in 2wd and manual hubs unlocked I think you're referring to the tubes of grease in the top photo. Yeah, great stuff. Used it mainly for wheel bearings and chassis points. I only had so much formula 5 that came with the bushings, so I used a valvoline moly based grease on those, hopefully they don't squeak too much.

I started a thread elsewhere on the forum looking for some suggestions. This should tell you everything. If you're looking for something else, let me know. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/34795-coil-spring-spacer-option/ I did consider the drop bushings. It was actually part of my original plan. I guess I just forgot about it. I see you have them. Do you find them to be beneficial? The snorkel did come for 4x4 parts. I'll try to take some more photos of what needed to be discarded and what needed to be modified, to make it more clear. I Just don't have time right now to upload etc. This is the LSD. I see that Calmini has changed their site. Now the LSD only shows up under the hardbody section. Not sure why, it shouldn't be any different. R200A in a hardbody should be the same as R200A in a Pathfinder. https://www.calmini.com/detail.php?b=1&m=4&t=3&p=961&n= The bushings that you linked above are for 96 - 04. Here's a list of the bushings I've replaced. I mixed and matched, bought some through 4x4 parts and some through Rugged Rocks. I hear some people have bought these through Summit Racing as well. Everything was Energy Suspension except for the panhard bushings. Rear - Rear trailing arm bushings (upper and lower, link below does all) https://www.4x4parts.com/nissan/pathfinder-split-design-trailing-arm-bushings-4pack-p-6245.html - Panhard bushings (can't find them through 4x4 parts anymore, although this is where I bought them) - I haven't run a rear sway bar in years so no bushing replacement there. Front - Upper Control Arm Bushings (new UCA's didn't come with bushings) https://www.4x4parts.com/nissan/upper-control-arm-bushings-p-4131.html - Lower Control Arm Bushings (Can't find the energy suspension ones on 4x4 parts) - Strut Rod Bushings - Front Sway Bar Bushings Hope this answers some questions. I know there's some other really good threads on this forum specifically relating to bushing replacement / parts numbers etc.

I was thinking the exact same thing as I just installed my Warn's today. Nice diagnosis Hytekrednek.

No, that's not right. Looks like you'll have to replace it (or come up with some other option). Mine was bent too, I opted to replace with the I-beam style from pre-92, but as mentioned above, it's a personal preference and there are other options.

This is the truck with weight on the rear springs. This is the rear coil with spacer installed Time to start on the front Front Differential Installed Here's the headers ready for paint. Can you tell which one had header wrap installed?? I know that the wrap traps heat and leads to corrosion, but it also saves other things form melting so it's kind of a double edged sword. Hopefully the new paint will last at least as long as the original pacesetter ceramic coating did. (2 years maybe) Well I hope you guys are enjoying my build thread so far. I am learning a lot, and really enjoying building up my pathfinder. I'm to the point now where I just want to get out and wheel it.

Rear Locker before install Installed in 3rd Member with New Gears Front Diff with Calmini LSD and New Gears Rear End Assembled with Disk Brakes and mounted with new bushings etc. No springs yet, still need to make some measurements... Here I lifted one side of the axle without springs installed until it started to take the weight of the body off the jack stands. Then I used a bottle jack where the bump stop would go to move the axle down until the distance between the shock mounts on the flexed out side equalled 23.5" (the length of my OME shocks) to see what kind of compression I would have on my coil spacer once installed. With my current setup I will have 3" of compression on the coils still when the shock tops out. This may cause some hard top out. So I measured the length of the bottle jack and added 1.5" to account for the coil spacers. At this point I could use a 25.25" shock and still have 1.5" of compression on the coil spacer, This should be enough to keep it from coming out under full flex. I will likely choose to run as is for the time being, knowing that I can always upgrade to longer shocks if I choose. I did contact Old Man Emu and they have a 25.9" shock that I could order. It would keep the ride the same as I currently have. Here's the tire clearance to the back of the rear fender at full flex, just shy of needing trimming LOL.

So, I've completed a ton since my last post on this. The last couple weekends have been really busy. Late Fall I completed the RMS replacement. I also dropped the oil pan and Replaced the rubber seals on the backside of the motor. I then applied new RTV around the bottom to seal everything up and put it back together. Put the transmission back in. Put the transfercase back in. Then I got into the differentials....Learned a lot, but it was so worth it. When I started this build I had heard terms like "backlash, runout, and preload" but I really didn't understand what they meant or how exactly they are measured. I spend a lot of time especially on the front, putting it together, taking it apart, putting it together, taking it apart. I think I assembled and disassembled the front differential about 16 times, before I was happy with the preload, backlash, and gear pattern. I'm very happy with the results. Rear End is now running a full carrier Detroit Locker and 5.13 Gears. The Froung is a Calmini Limited Slip also with 5.13 Gears. I also opted to swap out the rear drum brakes with some disks that I found at pick n pull. I replaced the callipers, parking brake shoes, and the rotors on these before installing them axle under the truck. I found myself waiting for differential parts to show up here and there, so I took some time and installed a snorkel. I had to make some airbox modifications using black ABS. I'm happy with how it looks, but waiting to see how it will work. I installed all Energy Suspension Poly bushing into all rear links and installed the Daystar Coil spacers that I've talked about above and in other threads. I had to remove my headers when I pulled the transmission, so now was a good time to paint them with VHT, not sure how well it will work. I wrap my headers as I don't like how close they run to the fuel lines. When I re-install I will continue to wrap them, however I may have to consider something else in the future. I installed the front diff, and am in the process of assembling the front suspension. I repacked the front wheel bearing while I had the knuckles out (not that I couldn't do this once installed, it was just nice to work on a bench) RMS needing replacement Rubber Seals I replaced around the oil pan Oil Pan Prepped for new seal (starting to think I should've taken an after pic with in installed) Fuel tank painted with POR-15 and ready to go back in. Snorkel Installed Airbox modification

This depends on a few things. How much are you willing to pay for a used 300zx LSD? I hear they don't often come cheap. Can you even find one? Are you going to be installing these carriers yourself or paying someone else to do it. To me it doesn't make sense to do the same job twice, especially if you're paying someone else to do the install. If you're end goal is a selectable locker up front, I would run the open front end until you can afford to put the selectable in. In the end it'll likely save you time and money.....but that's just my opinion.

Jeez, No wonder mine feels so harsh when it bottoms out, not to mention the plates that I suppose the factory bump stop mounts to look a little beat. Pretty good flex without them mind you. Looks like something I'll have to look into a little more. Thanks,

X2. I thought the same things looking at the rear axle photo. There's no way the rear suspension can travel. Mine never had rubber bump stops so I wonder if those are something someone has added. The truck looks like it's close to ride height judging from the top photo, so there should be a gap there.

This was an option on the XE models as well, maybe it was standard on the SE. My original mirrors were heated, then after a run in with a tree that got in the way, I swapped in a non heated junk yard mirror. Now I just have to wipe the passenger side

The Gear is at the back of the transfer case, so if transmission and transfer case were both replaced, there is a chance that you no longer have the stock gear. The size of gear obviously depends on axle ratio and stock tire size. I pulled a sensor out of a 95 Auto SE model (likely HG46 for that reason). It had a red gear my stock gear is yellow (XE model with HG43). I am guessing that you should require a red gear being an SE with 31's.

I got mine through Beartrax 4x4 outfitters, locally here in Edmonton. http://www.beartrax4x4.com/ Any 4WD shop should work with Daystar. I would probably check out North Shore Offroad if I were further west like you are. http://www.nsor.com/product-lines.html, but if you get a discount somewhere else, try that for sure.

Good to know. Mine should be mounted this weekend. I'm pretty confident it will work. They fit very snug in the coil buckets. Only time will tell how they work on the trail though. I say for $40 - $50, if it works it's pretty good option.

Try Rockauto. I just got all my brake parts from them, rotors/calipers/pads/shoes etc. I was surprised with how quick they showed up at my door. You should find the discount code here: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/26865-rockauto-com-discount-code/ You might try sending a PM to Alkorahil if you want to go OEM for your pitman arm (or calipers for that matter). I'm not sure about the Moog Pitman Arm.

No grinding that I can tell to install the full carrier version either. I've got mine mounted to the 3rd member now, hopefully be putting it into the housing tomorrow. No issues yet that required modification... Agreed, the tranny is a beast to get out.

No, not yet. I'm still working on my front and real differentials. This will be my next step to install new poly bushings and get everything mounted. I'm hoping to have this together by mid April, but we'll see how things go.

I've bent grey PVC doing underground electrical services. Video show's a blow dryer, but a heat gun works a lot better, and might be the only option depending on what grade of PVC you're using. We never put sand in the pipe, but we were also making more gradual bends. I think the one in the video still looks pretty bad because he's only heating the pipe in one place then bending the pipe in a very tight radius. It's gonna kink whether you have sand in it or not. You're better off to heat the pipe over a longer distance, then make your bends a little more gradual. Just my 2 cents.

I've posted a couple of photos of my gear patterns below. I feel that at this point the front R&P is set up very well. Now I just have to replace the grinded out dummy bearings with my new bearing and re-verify backlash / pre-load / and gear pattern. The rear end is giving me some grief and i could use some assistance. It seems like for forward movement the pinion contacts the ring gear on the backside of the gear teeth (which is opposite of the front) The pattern on the backside is looking ok, however the pattern on the front side, doesn't look so good. This I believe is the side of the gear that makes contact with the pinion while in reverse. Keep in mind that the backlash still isn't perfect as I'm waiting on some parts to show up for pinion bearing pre-load. Backlash during the time of these photos is about 0.0040" while it should be between 0.0059" - 0.0079") Any idea's as to what might cause a good gear pattern for forward rotation, however a poor pattern for rear rotation? Thanks, Pics of the Front Pics of the Rear

All it takes is a little bit of moisture to work itself behind the paint and you'll end up with bubbles / cracks that look like that. I'll bet it isn't even that deep. You could probably take a flapper wheel to that to knock off the loose stuff (down to bare metal), then paint over it with some touch up paint. You could consult a body tech if you're at all concerned about messing it up. I wouldn't even hesitate, but mine's older and has a lot more rust.

This is the less expensive option for 4x4 parts. https://www.4x4parts.com/nissan/hardbody-pathfinder-snorkel-p-5360.html I was surprised how much I did have to modify the air box. I used a 1 1/2" ABS street 90 with some 1 1/2" ABS pipe to adapt the airbox to the flexible hose. You have to replace the box inside the inner fender with the adapter that comes with the kit. This connects the flex hose to the snorkel. The old pipe that comes from the airbox can be plugged with a 1 1/4" bow pex cap. All the fittings I grabbed at the local hardware store in the plumbing section, then sealed each connection with polyurethane. I haven't got to try it out yet. The factory airbox seems a lot more complicated that it has to be. I think this will work fine. This is the inner fender.

Not today, but did a ton this weekend. Installed snorkel, installed transmission, Installed T-case. Even prepped the rear axle for paint. Looking forward to my differential shims showing up so I can keep going on it. Wife say I have till April 15, then it's a summer of house renos , so the more I get done now the better.