Mr.510

I don't have a winch on the Pathfinder. I do have one on the back of the Mog. It's supposed to get setup Foers-style with a snatch block to pull 25k out the front. I just never got around to finishing it but I can pull 12.5k out the back. I'll see how things are going toward the end of the month and might tag along to Elbe with the Unimog. My hauler needs tabs & tonnage and money's a little tight at the moment. I'll definitely go wherever with the Pathfinder is capable of...

I'm down for that if you go. I haven't been there in years and don't remember how tough it is. Seems like I never locked the diffs on the Mog there but it was probably Summer. My Pathy is on 33" A/T KOs with no lift and a rear LSD so you tell me. On the Busy Wild trail, has anybody gotten a short full size like a Blazer through it? If so I'd be down to take my Unimog on 41s there when it's nice-n-muddy! I just hate getting 5 miles into a gnarly trail to find a pinch point where I can't squeeze between two trees! Body damage is a non-issue as long as I don't go wheels-up.

Another good trick for pushing a dent out from inside a door or quarter panel is to use a football or basketball. Deflate the ball and stuff it into the void with an inflation needle in place and hooked up to a hand-pump. If it's a door, put a piece of plywood or several lengths of 2x4 against the inner wall to spread out the load. Pump the ball up until the dent pops out but be careful that you don't make the whole door look like this ( )! If it's a smaller diameter dent duct tape a wood block against the inside of the dent prior to inserting the ball. If there's a crease inflate the ball until the dent mostly comes out and then tap along the crease with a round-faced body hammer to flatten it out. The ball makes a great dolly. You can push out "impossible" dents in things like C pillars by folding a deflated football in half (or rolling it up) and then cramming it in there from the bottom and slowly inflating it. I just wish they made a football with the inflating port in the end! No matter what you do, DO NOT inflate the ball with an air compressor! No matter how careful you think you're being you'll turn the "innie" into a major "outey" in about 1/3 of a second!

I'm always down to go 'wheeling but I think it would be cool to also try to get a regular hangout in town going once a month. Now that I'm self employed I'd actually be able to go somewhere on a weeknight! I never even thought of this after working swing shift for fifteen years. I don't much like bars as I don't drink but I'd go to one if that's what you guys want to do. The 510 club I started met at a series of pizza joints for many years, mostly around the U District and Fluff Bluff. Based on my experience with many car and motorcycle clubs it's got to be somewhere relatively cheap if you want a regular turnout of more than two people. There's a ton of clubs that meet at various Round Table Pizzas as an example. I'm in South Seattle during the week but I'll drive almost anywhere to hang out. What's "centrally located" for most of this group? Kent or Federal Way maybe? Let's do this thing!

If you're going through Northern California headed North I have a suggestion. Turn West at Redding and take the best paved road on Earth out through Weaverville to the Redwoods. If you have three or four hours to spare do the hike down into the Tall Trees Grove where the world's tallest tree resides. It is well worth the time to see the Tall Trees up close! It's an easy hike but you do have to get the gate combination from the Ranger station. They limit the number of visitors per day so I suggest being there during the week. Then go North and drive 101 along the coast all the way to the tip of the Olympic Penninsula here in Washington. Everyone should drive the length of the Oregon Coast at least once in their life! When I used to go to the annual Mt.Shasta All Datsun meet I spent 3 days doing the above on the return trip every year. Epic fun drive.

Try loosening up the nuts on the end link bushings a ways. I'd tighten them up until they don't rattle plus a turn or two max. Using poly bushings leads to suspension component failures in applications like this where the bushing has to deflect sideways. The added fore-aft loading from stiff or over-tight end link bushings may be causing your chassis brackets to fail. Weakest link in the chain... Sorta off-topic anecdote about the danger of polyurethane bushings in some applications: On 510s and Zs lots of people have suffered strut rod (Nissan calls it a Tension-Compression rod) failures caused directly from polyurethane bushings. The poly bushing is much stiffer than the stock rubber one and in this application it has to deflect @ 90 degrees to the rod as the suspension moves up and down. This fatigues the strut rod at it's weakest point, the shoulder behind the bushing. On a Z failure is not such a big deal since they are rear-strut (like a 4wd WD21), but on a front-strut 510 (like a 2wd WD21) it can cause a catastrophic accident. When the rod breaks the front wheel stuffs into the firewall, locks up, and jambs the steering! This happened to me under heavy braking on corner entry (when the rod is loaded the highest) at serious speed in a 510. I was lucky and had a "good spin" where there was some runoff. If it had failed on almost any other corner I'd be dead. I make a thing for 510s and Zs called a T/C kit that replaces the forward rubber bushing with a machined ball & socket that actually reduces the loading on the strut rod during suspension travel and has zero fore-aft compliance at the same time.

I'm nobody... and nobody's perfect.

I haven't heard of anyone going to an R200 in a Subie, but maybe someone's doing it? An R180 is good for up to 500hp in RWD race applications (except drag racing). In a Subie you'd probably have to be past 800hp and really abusively drag racing to even *think* of hurting one. There are clutch-type R160s and viscous R180s in lots and lots of Subarus. Most 510 guys run a Subie R160 LSD as it's a straight drop-in and it's cheap. The R180 VLSD requires output flanges that do not exist or custom CV shafts for 510/Z use.

I think you'll have to look long and hard to find a Z31 R200 LSD in a wrecking yard. Given what they sell for on eBay and Z forums. The early Z guys have been scouring for them since they came out. The R200 bolts right into all Zs, from '69-on. There are a few nutjobs like me that run them in 510s as well. I actually have the heavier duty R200 Nismo 4 pinion LSD in one of my 510s.... only because I run VG power and have been known to do 6k rpm sidestep burnouts on slicks. I can't remember, was the R200 the one that had two different carriers, one for "up to" a certain ratio and another for lower gears, or was that the R180? On the viscous LSDs, they need a "shock" to lock solid. With smooth application of power one tire will spin significantly faster than the other. At low speed you wouldn't get much torque to the wheel with less traction. If you shock them, they lock solid. It doesn't take much shock to lock them up. Also, they get significantly tighter as they heat up. Has anybody tried one off road? I've got an R200 VLSD sitting here on a shelf...

My '88 passed 363,000 miles the other day. Before I tipped it on it's side last Winter people that don't know car models and such thought it was only a few years old. There wasn't a dent or major scratch on the whole thing. All good things must come to an end I guess. I haven't washed it since the flop so it's looking pretty run down now. I'm afraid the car wash will break the rear 1/4 window that's bowed in an inch at the bottom and I aint washing it by hand!

This is from an LSD FAQ written for Datsun 510 owners: (found here: 510 LSD) If all the Phantom Grip does is put heaps of outward pressure on the existing side gears I don't think it's going to work well at all in a "real" off road application. We easily put six or eight times the torsional load on a diff than even a high-powered street car does. Also the torsional shock loads are much stronger when we go bouncing up a rocky slope spinning tires and bouncing over ledges. With the wedge ramp increasing the outward pressure against a carrier that wasn't designed to take a big load that direction my guess is it's going to be a grenade in short order. A "real" R200 LSD carrier is one heavy-duty-unit compared to any open carrier.

My "solution" to this problem is to always unlatch the sunroof if I get out with the truck running. Then on the off chance the Pathy locks me out I can pull the glass out and climb in through the roof hatch. I don't roll the window down or leave the door ajar is it rains a LOT here and I hate driving while sitting in a puddle.

Just order a speedo drive gear for a truck that came with 31s if you want it to read correctly.

+1 on the VG33! I'd either do that or build a VG34. Or do a VG30ET. If your Pathy is an automatic I'd start with a newer transmission, rather than rebuilding/modifying the original. I've got an '01 Xterra trans in my '88. Supposedly these newer transmissions are significantly more durable. It certainly shifts better than any original Pathy trans I've driven. If it's a manual, get maximum capacity bearings. Also, get a sealed bearing for the counter shaft at the center plate and take the seal out of the forward side. The number one cause of transmission breakage is failure of the center counter shaft bearing. This is because any and all metal floating around in the gear oil gets washed back and forth through the lower bearing, at least until it finds it's way to the magnetic drain plug. The worst thing is that any chips off the reverse gear will inevitably travel through the lower bearing before they get stuck to the magnet. You cannot run a fully-sealed bearing here as it will overheat, so you just take the forward seal out. My transmission rebuilder showed me this trick when he was building one of my racecar transmissions.

Ee Er San Su Ooh Lil Che Bah Geo Shu

Um, 1 millimeter is .03937008 inches.

I got a 2"x20' and a 3"x30' on this sale. I picked them up at the PO Box yesterday and I must say they are much prettier than the greasy, frayed junk I've been using. I seem to recall the greasy frayed junk being pretty once too. I wonder what happened?

Yeah, I just bent the lips over a little. Totally reverse-able. The wheel arch is still the same shape when viewed from the side. The tires just barely touch when the truck is flexed out and backing over stuff kinda hard. The fenderwell is totally stuffed with tire and there's no way I could run chains without a sawzall and sledgehammer.

I have no idea what they were designed for but I've always preferred "pizza cutters" and these fit the bill. My Unimogs have really tall, skinny tires. I ran 34-9.5-16.5 Swampers on my '64 Patrol and it would idle through almost anything. Man did it piss off the guys with 400hp "mud trucks" in the '80s. I've been 'wheeling massively underpowered trucks most of my life. High contact pressure is the only way to make them work in the woods so that's what I'm used to. My Pathy is rocket-fast compared to every other truck I've used extensively off road. Here's a recent pic of the "good side": And a shot from the morning after I put it on it's side :

I've got an '88 SE Offroad that came with 31s. It's been on 33-10.5-15s on stock Lego wheels for a couple years with no lift. I didn't have to trim any metal, only plastic. In the rear I had to cut the flare mounting tabs off at the top of the wheel arch and bend the sheet metal tabs up to clear. I also had to bash the lower corners of the quarter panels a little bit. Basically I just folded the lip in a little so it wouldn't chunk the rear tires. I trimmed all the flares but it'd be much better to just take them off. I'll be doing that and losing the inner fenders soon. The only rubbing I get is the inner sidewalls in the rear at full flex. It's all smooth metal so there's no tire damage, it's just a little annoying. Oh, I did have to swap out a bunch of the factory flare bolts for beefy sheet metal screws with integral washers and low-profile heads. Again, loose the flares and that issue is gone. I'll try to post some pics later.

Dowser said: I did a search and didn't find it. Got a link? I'd like to see how someone else did it before I go re-inventing the wheel...

There's no difference in running off the battery for a few minutes. I'd kill the lights and any other high-drain accessories if possible and don't turn the engine off (if possible) before giving the alternator a chance to catch up. So it's packing them full of mud that typically kills Pathfinder alternators? I guess relocation makes a lot of sense then. I always carry a big pressurized water fire extinguisher in my Unimog to blast the mud out of the radiator when things get really deep and soupy. We used it on both Mogs after playing in this hole: Guess I should add one to the Pathy's gear list as well.

In the "New Nissan Parts" thread an alternator relocation bracket was mentioned. Something to put the alternator where the A/C compressor was. I assume that people are frying alternators fording deep water and moving the alternator up would obviously help. My question is: Has anybody run a Field disconnect switch on a Pathfinder? 20-some years ago I built a Baja out of a '71 Datsun 1200. I fried alternators fording creeks *all* the time. I re-wired the Baja to run internally regulated alternators as I worked for a Japanese engine importer and got used ones free. I carried a spare alternator bolted to the roll cage in the trunk and used it often to get home. What I eventually figured out was that if you break the "Field" wire no current goes to the stator through the brushes, the outer windings do not produce AC current, the diodes aren't charged, and deep water doesn't hurt anything. I put a toggle switch on the dash that broke the connection of the Field wire and never fried another alternator. When approaching a creek or deep puddle I'd flip the switch. The "Charge" idiot light came on (of course) and I'd go about splashing around. After exiting the water I would leave the Field disconnected for a few minutes and rev the piss out of the the motor a few times to blow dry the alternator. Then flip the switch turning off the idiot light and getting the alternator back to work charging the battery. I've been 'wheeling Unimogs for the last 15 years and with their waterproof electrical systems I'd nearly forgotten the old Field disconnect trick. Now that I'm playing with my Pathfinder in the woods more I think it's time to install a switch in the Field wire. I guess I'm wondering if anyone else has done this? I'm looking at the charging system diagram in a '91 FSM right now and see no reason not to install a switch. Thoughts?

Packie88: Thanks again for asking around the forums! Everyone: Of course all of us would like really cool parts, in stock all the time, with awesome 24-7 customer service, for half the money... but that's not very realistic in most cases. What I've done with my business since the late-'90s is sell only direct to the end user. I eliminated the wholesale pricing level and was able to drop the "retail" price of most items 25-30%. There are no longer any dealers or distributors of my parts, all sales are factory-direct. I'm going to start prototyping some Pathfinder parts and see how they go. Upcoming projects: 1) Sliders. I need rock sliders for my WD21 so I'm going to build a set in the coming weeks and see how they work. If I end up producing them for sale they will be bolt-on with the option of welding should someone want to do that. If they work out I'll probably offer them with and without a nerf tube and for stock and body lifted trucks. The square tube will be 2x2, 3/16 wall. The nerf tube will be 1-3/4" and at least .120 wall with two or three spreader tubes between it and the square tube for extra "smashability". I've seen a few too many nerf tubes folded up against the door from hard landings on big rocks. 2) Headers. I've been having headers of my own design built on my tooling since about '98. These are required to do the 510 VG conversion as it's a tight squeeze. It turns out my headers are tucked in so close that they fit almost anything with a VG in it. They are very high quality, second to none in the industry. The flanges at the heads are 3/8" and they use ball-and-socket reducers that require no gaskets and will not leak. Ever. My Pathy has cracked manifolds and blown-out gaskets. My intent is to put a set of my headers on it and have a Y pipe built that uses a ball-and-socket reducer where the crossover connects. This should end up a completely leak-proof arrangement that requires no welding for installation so it can be easily removed for engine or transmission replacement. I 'wheel my Pathy and, as such, anything I produce is going to be well-tucked for maximum ground clearance. If it works out as intended we'll build a fixture off of it and offer a header set with Y pipe for (W)D21s. 3) Panhard drop bracket. This looks to be a straight forward part. I'm thinking of a drop mount that bolts into the stock location and picks up a couple holes in the frame rail for triangulation. I'll probably produce it with 2" and 4" drop locations. I will design it so that if the customer wants to use the upper hole and chop off the bottom one they can. ?) We'll see how the above projects go and take it from there. I'm not going to throw out a teaser of a whole bunch of stuff that will never see the light of day. By all means if you think of anything else that would be cool and is not available let me or Packie88 know. I'm not interested in knocking off anyone else's parts and prefer to design and produce stuff that fills holes in existing markets. I'm a one-man-shop so I can build niche parts that aren't worth a big companies' time. At my "real job" I work for a big manufacturing company so I fully understand both sides of the equation. At the moment there are three WD21s('87,'88,'93), two D21s('87std,'88?ext.cab), and an R50('99) in my immediate family. All are 4wd and local. I can use them all for parts fitment and Packie88 has offered his Pathy for fitment of sliders for body lifted trucks. I'm sure my espresso machine will be working overtime as I dig into these new projects... :coffee!: Thank you everyone for your suggestions and this great community!

Redpath88: Did you ever get that CL re-welded? If not, I drive through Tacoma twice a week. Meet me someplace and I'll fix it for you for free. Same goes for the idler arm if it's sketchy. I've got a heated chem-strip tank so I can get all the paint out from where there are supposed to be welds prior to tuning it up with my TIG.