Slartibartfast

If it is the brakes, and the ABS light is on, you need to get the code from the ABS system to see what it's unhappy about. Hopefully it can point you in the right direction.

In 4x, with the front wheels pulling, the wheels will toe in if the steering and suspension aren't strong enough to keep them straight. The steering linkage is probably flogged, it's a weak point on these, especially if you're running a lift. There are a few options for beefing it up.

Lurches like the brakes are releasing, or lurches like the engine's pulling? +1 on a damaged ABS sensor or wiring, seems like that could be making the ABS do something stupid if the wheel speed signal is cutting out.

MREs are bad enough when they're good! I ate one while camping with friends several years ago and it spent most of the night violently reorganizing my insides. I like to keep granola bars in the glovebox. When I remember to put them there, I end up eating them soon after, so they don't have enough time to go bad.

The PN is on the outer face of the rim, and you can find it without taking the rim or even the hubcap off. Find the valve stem, then follow that circle around (broken into three sections by the spokes). One section has the valve stem, one has the rim size marked, the other has the PN. Is the picture what you have now? Looks like an early R50 alloy.

Seems like you could bend up a sheet metal (or sheet plastic) C-channel clip sorta deal that the bank would slot into. Anything specially fitted kinda locks you into that make/model of bank, but I guess it wouldn't be that hard to swap the clip out if you needed to later. M10x1.5 is the only size I have that screwed into the sunroof, but I don't have/didn't check an M10x1.75. Tough to judge the thread pitch on the screws when there are only two threads exposed.

The only variation I'm aware of with Lego rims is that the super early ones take mag-style lug nuts with washers, and the rest take the standard acorn lugs. There's a part # cast into the rim that'll tell you which one you have. 4030032G00 are the early mag-style, 4030032G10 are the acorns.

They're M10x1.5.

My '93 just has a reed switch over the speedo magnet. I was surprised to see how low-tech it was.

Looks pretty good for a prototype! Having it up there is definitely better than having it on the dash. Sucks about the power output, though. I'll check the screws on mine, I want to say they're M11 x something but it's been a while since I checked.

Mine came with 31s, and when I ran 235s (snow tires), the speedo read close to 70 when I was going 60. But yeah, I'd check it against GPS to see if it's worth digging into.

+1 on someone likely swapping out the speedo. The odometer is part of the speedo, so unless the PO went to great pains to make it match the (presumably) dead gauge they took out, it's probably not correct. I haven't had an orange dash apart, but I assume the tint is a layer of orange paint or plastic between the bulbs and the gauge. It might be difficult to match, but yeah, if you can find orange condoms for the bulbs (or orange LEDs), that might get it close enough.

I have considered putting a panel under the sunroof glass for running fans when the truck's parked in the sun. (I tried a similar arrangement with a computer fan in my '95, taking battery power from the dome light, but I could never convince myself that it was doing any good.) Trouble is, the glass is painted on the inside--not completely but enough to cut down on the sunlight reaching the panels. Also, when you're not camping, how often are you going to use that battery bank? Seems like "the ceiling, right next to your head" is about the least convenient possible location for a USB charger, especially when you've already got a 12v socket in the dash. What would the difference be between your base model and the solar model? Mounting holes for the kit? I reckon the way to go here would be to make a basic shade kit with just a blank cutout and the mounting hardware (the quarter-turn or screw-in fasteners), and sell it cheap enough that people aren't afraid to mod it. If someone wants to mount solar panels, or fans, or a bunch of racecar switches, or a Molle rack for maps and granola bars, they can do that using your basic kit as a starting point, and you don't have to do the R&D. If you see a bunch of people doing the same mod, offer a deluxe version with pre-drilled holes. OE shades are expensive, so I'll bet there's a market for a cheaper alternative. The challenge will be finding the right price point. While I appreciate the effort that'll go into cutting the pieces out, bending them, and sourcing the fasteners, I also remember making a perfectly viable sunshade for my '95 from a cardboard box and baling wire.

I suspect that's a generic warning, intended for newer rigs with chipped keys/immobilizers. I don't think Nissan started with the chipped keys until '00 or '01 (but don't quote me on that). Looks like the ignition switch (just the electrical component) is available pretty cheap and attaches with two screws. I replaced just the electrical part of the ignition switch in my '93 and it was a very easy job. Replacing the whole lock assembly would've required drilling out the screws that hold it in (the heads shear off when the part is installed so you can't just unbolt the cylinder to disable the steering lock).

Sounds like you've got the automatic climate control and you've found what Nissan calls the Aspirator Motor. The aspirator pulls air through the grille in the faceplate and past a temp sensor, giving the climate control the best possible idea of what the cabin temperature is so it can adjust the blend door(s) accordingly. The blower runs whenever the key is on. I wasn't sure what I was hearing at first either! Mine didn't have wires rubbing but I could hear the little motor going. It comes on with the ignition. HA-62 and -63 of the '90 service manual show the parts and locations. HA-136 says to test that the aspirator is working by holding a lit cigarette in front of the faceplate and watching the smoke get sucked in. (I find it amusing that Nissan's official testing method is to light a cigarette in a customer's car.)

The next time it's hard to start, shut it off and check the plugs. If one's wet with gas, that points to the injector for that cylinder.

Now that you mention it, I've seen an old tech bulletin about "Slam Shut" door lock logic, which was new for the '92 model year, and meant you didn't have to hold the handle up when closing the door anymore. I figured they changed the door lock timer (power locks), but clearly it was a hardware thing instead. Makes sense I guess, they didn't all have power locks. Mine's a '93 so I've never encountered or thought much about the earlier system. Good job figuring it out!

When you replaced the bulbs, did you replace them with the stock type (I'm assuming they're incandescent, if they're replaceable) or with LEDs? LED bulbs cause weird issues in some circuits. If that's what you did, I'd try incandescent bulbs first--and while you're in there, make sure you got everything buttoned up properly the last time (all the plugs fully seated and all that). I'm not surprised the dealer tech said to ditch it. They're used to working on much newer stuff, and likely regard your '03 as a dinosaur. With their labor rates, the price of having them try and figure it out would get silly quick, especially if they start firing the parts cannon. The manual Hawairish linked is your best bet. Good luck and let us know how it goes! The later manuals tend to be heavy on the "press this button on the diagnostic tool you don't have, now press this button," but there's usually at least a circuit diagram to get you started. My dad took his Tundra in with parking lights that wouldn't turn off (probably a bad BCM). Toyota quoted something ridiculous to diagnose and repair, so he drilled a hole in the front license plate and installed a battery cutoff switch from the auto parts store. Park, turn the battery off, lights turn off. Fixed.

It's been done. Haven't done it myself but I understand it involves swapping the computer, the wiring harness, and at least the intake (not sure about the studs, again, haven't done it myself). Bottom end should be the same. I'm not sure how much of the '93 harness you'll need, but I'd plan on using as much of it as you can to avoid compatibility issues. Putting auto wiring in a manual means you'll need to do a little messing around to keep the manual inhibitor circuit (what makes it not start if the clutch is in) rather than the auto inhibitor (park/neutral). Not sure on the oxygen sensor, probably best to use the one from the donor or plan to install a new one. I know there were two types used, but I'm not sure when the changeover year was (IIRC my '95 had a bigger sensor than my '93 does). If you do swap the whole engine, not a bad idea to do the timing belt and possibly some gaskets/seals while it's out. You can get a '90 service manual off cardiagn.com that should cover the '93 pretty well (that's what I use for mine). I've got an '89 manual on Dropbox, shoot me a pm and I'll send you the link to that. Lots of wiring info in both, might help if you get stuck (and handy to have around anyway). The '89 manual might even help you figure out what's wrong with the TBI, though I understand wanting to get away from janky late-80s fuel injection. My dad's '87 F150 has some hokey speed-density bollocks on it that never worked right and we're about ready to put a carb on it.

Does it have a test port under the dash anywhere? Might have a Consult port if it doesn't have OBDII.

It sounds like the computer isn't getting the signal from the distributor. Could be a wiring fault between them. Can you check for codes? I'm not familiar with an OBD1 R50 (they're all OBDII here), but if it's the same system as the WD21, it shouldn't be too tough to pull codes, and it might even tell you something useful.

Is the distributor spinning when you crank the engine?

Take stuff apart until you find the problem. See if the hinge bolts are loose, see if there's rust around the hinge, see if the third brake light (guessing that's what you're talking about?) seal has a problem. Where's the water come out inside the truck? If you can't find the hole from the outside, pull a trim panel or two and see if you can find it from the inside.

Been a while since I had auto hubs on my truck, but I seem to remember the brass piece you're talking about being part of the clutch assembly for the hub (not just a spacer). AFAIK the only thing that should stop the axle from pulling out more is the seal that rides against the CV itself, which I assume you replaced when you did the bearings. Is that seal driven in all the way? If it's sitting proud, that would stop the axle from sticking out as far as it should.

Nice haul! You can never have too many spares. I saved a bunch off my '95 but often wish I'd grabbed more.