arcano

I contacted the folks at 4WD Systems about their snorkel for the R50. Here is their answer: > Hi Arnoldo, > Snorkel kit comes with DIY kit, fitting guide, template and Ram top. > They are manufactured from UV stabilized polyurethane black plastic, > but are now available in colours and even 'glow the dark'! > 3 year warranty. > Cost is $387AUD plus freight airmail $90AUD > > regards > tom So, total including shipping from Australia to Panama would be $477AUD (roughly $435USD). Not too bad. I really think I am going to order one of these, since we get LOTS of water here in Panama, and even when driving through the city streets you sometimes have to go through flooded sections of road. My only concern is the fact that it seems to be designed for cars with the steering wheel in the "wrong" side. As mentioned by zonianbrat, it does seem to stick a little higher than the hood. Also, the "ram top" seems to sit kind of low, within the driver's field of vision. Does anyone seriously think this could cause a visibility problem?

Well, I too have been upgrading the audio on my truck. A couple of weeks ago I replaced the plain head unit I had with a Kenwood Excelon KDC-X891 head unit, the Kenwood KCA-iP200 high-speed ipod interface and the Kenwood KCA-BT100 bluetooth adapter. I already had an Alpine Flex4 amplifier sitting under the passenger seat and Kenwood Excelon 3-way speakers on all 4 doors (can't remember the model). Now I can carry all my music on my 80gb ipod, which sits out of sight in the glove box, and leave all my CDs at home. I can control all the functions in my iPod from the head unit, and browse my complete music collection by artist, album, genere, etc. Also, the head unit automatically mutes the audio when a call comes in, shows the caller ID info right on the head unit screen, and lets me answer the call without taking my eyes off the road or my phone out of my pocket. The sound is much better, specially since the new head unit allows much finer control, including high- and low-pass filter, 3-band equalizer, etc. The only aspect I still find lacking is the bass, and in order to fix that without sacrificing storage or sitting space I decided on the Kenwood KSC-SW1 powered enclosed subwoofer. Its a 9" x 16" enclosure only 4" thick, which packs a 6 1/2" driver, a 6 1/2" passive radiator (?) and a 150 watt amp (38w RMS). I hope it will fit under the drivers seat. I don't expect it to rattle any windows, but it should nicely fill the gap left by the 3-ways. I should be getting it sometime this week, and will let you know how it sounds.

I actually find it very usefull. I voted for tow strap, but currently I have the following items in there: jumper cables, winch control, d-ring shackles (3), snatch block, leather gloves, tree saver and tow strap. Its kind of tight, but they fit.

Thanks for the suggestion Pezzy. I just opened a photobucket account, so I can share more pictures. Also, many thanks to all the fellow forum members for all the tips and suggestions...your help has been invaluable! This is what the bumper is supposed to look like when finished, based on my original drawings (done with Google SketchUp) And, some more pictures of the Pathy: Front: Rear (without bumper): ARB Compressor (before I installed the pressure regulator between the compressor and the sliderz): So, what do you think???

The Panamanian Pathy is turning out really good. A rear bumper with swing out tire carrier is being built by a local shop. Here are some pictures: Also, over the last year I have done a number of significant upgrades to the pathy, including the following: New Mods: U.S Wheels Daytona 15"x8" black steel wheels w/3.75" backspacing BF Goodrich All Terrain TA KO 31"x10.5" tires Rear ARB air locker (replaced LSD) Warn premium manual hubs (front) Stillen Brake Pro cross drilled front brake rotors Stillen Metal Matrix front brake pads BFGodridge stainless steel brake lines (front and rear) Full Black Panther skid plates (front, middle & rear) 4Crawler Rock Sliderz (with built-in air storage) ARB 2.5 CFM Compact Air Compressor (CKMA12) Air storage in custom Rock Sliderz (3 gallons approximately) Air shutoff valve, pressure regulator and quick connector for multi purpose air hose Older Mods: Rancho RSX struts (RSX17122) Rancho RS9000X adjustable rear shocks (RS99116) OME lift coils (HD front) Custom front 3/4" strut spacer Warn winch bull bar Warn M8000 winch Optima Red Top battery 400W inverter & extra power sockets for accessories Yakima Q-Tower rack w/2 bike mounts and basket case mini rack Husky cargo liner and mats PIAA SilverStar light bulbs KC Daylighter long range lights (2 on bumper, 2 on rack) PIAA Silicone Wipers Radio Shack CB radio w/2' fiberglass antenna on rack Garmin Vista eTrex GPS mounted on dashboard Once the bumper is finished I plan on adding some better pictures. I can't wait...

I am looking for some more articulation for my R50 when on the trail, but since this is my daily driver I also want to keep it safe on the road. Based on what I found on previous posts and on the internet, I am thinking about removing the rear sway bar altogether, and getting some type of quick disconnect for the front. Would this work? Also, can the truck be driven with the rear and/or front sway bar links removed and the sway bars in place but "disconnected"? Can driving the truck like that cause any problems? Can the sway bar be somehow "secured" while the sway bar links are disconnected so it does not bang around? I found an old but very specific write-up about using JKS Quick Disconnects for a Jeep XJ, but I also found some posts saying the front sway bar, when left disconnected, bangs on different suspension parts and can cause some damage, so using the JKS Quick Disconnect was not recommended. If that is the case, then any solution that disconnects the front sway bar links without fully removing the front sway bar would have the same problem, right? Has anyone come up with any other way for getting more off-road articulation without affecting road performance and safety?

Yes, the winch is currently mounted on the brush guard. It's a Warn Combo Kit bar, meant for mounting a winch on some older trucks, so its definetly sturdy enough. It's not meant for R50s, but can be made to work if you fab an adapter plate to mount to the frame using the tow-hook mounting location. Took about an hour to make the adaptation in a local shop. I still need to fabricate an additional bracket to attach the bar to the frame at a higher point for additional support while winching, but I haven't done it in the hope of finding a 'real' bumper. Maybe this weekend...

I sprayed the dust caps, bolts and studs with penetrating oil a couple of times a day for a couple of days before I installed the manual hubs, and everything came off realtively easy. For the dust caps I used a large vice grip, a large flathead screwdriver, a large hammer and some elbow grease. The hardest part for me was removing the studs and replacing them with the ones provided with the manual hubs, but I've heard a lot of people have kept the stock studs without a problem. Just out of curiosity, do the stock studs really need to be replaced, or is it OK to use the stock ones?

The strut mounts that AC sells are made by KYB, and come with bearings. Mine worked OK while they lasted, but they got damaged prematurely due to improper installation of strut spacers (my fault) , so I can't tell you if they would have lasted longer under more "normal" circumstances. On the other hand, I don't know if the OEM mounts are made by KYB (I know the OEM struts are), but the KYB mounts and bearings sold by AC are definetly not the same as the ones I got from the dealer. The mounts and bearings I got from the dealer seemed to be a bit better built, with sturdier plastic and stiffer rubber. Honestly, if I had to buy them again I would go for the OEM ones, since its such a pain to take appart the strut assembly to replace them.

Just a quick update on how my Pathy is turning out down here in Panama. By the way, I want to thank everyone in this forum for all the help, advice, tips and suggestions. The truck was pretty much stock just a year ago. It is an 98 SE, but it came without anti-lock brakes, without airbags, with 4.63 gears and with the rear LSD. I don't know if it was a special edition or something like that, since I bought it used, but I love it. Currently the truck has the OME lift with HD coils + 3/4" strut spacers up front (many thanks to Tyler for the spacers and to Dean, Alex and many others for the installation advice). It also has Rancho RSX struts and RS9000X shocks, Warn manual hubs and 31" Pirelli Scorpio AT's on U.S. Wheels Daytona black steelies w/3.75" spacing. With the new wheels and the spacers I think I may be able to fit 32" tires without too much rubbing. I also got a Warn M8000 winch, but I had to rig a Warn combo kit bull bar as a temporary solution until I find a better way to mount it. Right now I am waiting for a set of front and middle Black Panther skid plates that are already on their way from Canada (many thanks to vengeful for getting me in touch with Marcel), and a set of Rock SliderZ from 4Crawler (Roger) which should be ready soon. I really want a front bumper for the winch, and a rear bumper with tire carrier so I can get the spare out from under the truck. Anyone wants to sell me their front bumper? I am not too picky; I will take any TJM or ARB as long as it can take a winch! lol! After that, who knows...maybe front and rear ARB lockers and some mud tires! We get some serious mud here in Panama during the rainy season, which lasts for about 8 months. Did I say I love my truck?

I see. So, maybe my original suggestion a couple of posts back could work: use two strut brackets, one to support the mount and one below the spacer. In other words, I could put the strut mount (isolator) at the top, followed by the first strut bracket (with the bolts pounded out, or course), followed by the spacer and the second strut bracket (fitted with longer bolts). This way the mount would go all they way into the hole in the body as it is meant to (for lateral support), the mount would have a strut bracket right below it to support it, there would be another strut bracket below the spacer to mate with the bearing and spring upper seat, and most importantly, the total lenght of the strut assembly would not be increased significantly (to be precise, it would only be increased by the thickness of the additional strut bracket, maybe 1/16"-1/8"). I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it seems as if any other way to install the spacers has a disadvantage...risking damage to either the strut mounts or the CV joints. i'll see if I can find an extra set of strut brackets in a local junk yard to test my idea and will let you know if it works.

Yes, that’s the part that got destroyed. Apparently it needs the bracket with the pressed-in bolts right below it for support. I initially installed the spacer between the mount and the bracket, as I saw it done in some previous post, but in my case it didn't work out to well. The tension from the coils pulled the inner rubberized parts right out of both mounts, and they were popping and clunking like crazy. I had to replace the mounts and re-assemble with the spacers above the mounts. I also placed the top halfs of the busted mounts on top of the spacers, so they fit into the holes in the body and help keep the strut assemblies in place. Now its working fine, but the total length of the strut assemblies has increased by about ¾”. Do you think the extra length is enough to damage the CV joints when fully extended? I have manual hubs, so it would only be an issue when off-road.

Well, I just took a couple of hours off from work and went down to the suspension shop. They switched the spacers around like you guys suggested, on top of the new mounts, above the whole strut assembly. The old mounts were KYBs, and they had completely come apart. I already had a pair of Nissan strut mounts that I bought a while ago when the dealer was having a sale on parts for older models. While looking at the destroyed mounts I realized that I could take advantage of the upper parts of the old mounts by placing them above the spacers, so they would go completely into the holes in the body and provide extra support for the strut assemblies. I think I agree that is probably not necesary, but it probably wont hurt either, so we tried it out and it seems to be working real good. As a bonus it provides like 1/16" of extra lift. So, now the truck handles great, sits perfectly leveled, and most important, makes absolutely no noises when going over bumps. Thanks for all the advice, and thanks to Tyler for the spacers . The truck is really comming together. I'll try to take some pictures to post.

Thanks XPLORx4...I thought so. After looking at it some more I came to the conclusion that the strut mount needs the topper plate (called strut bracket in the nissan service manual) right below it to support the inner part of the strut mount. I guess I will be replacing those mounts soon, I can tell they are completly busted. For the time being I will install the spacer as you suggest, but I don't like that approach too much either, since the only thing holding the spacers and the whole strut assembly in place is the three bolts. In other words, with the spacer installed between the strut assembly and the body, the hole in the body, where the center "hump" of the mount is supposed to fit, does not contribute to holding the strut assembly in place against shearing forces, beacuse it does not go in at all. While looking at some previous posts I thought about something: Maybe I can get a second set of topper plates from a JY, pound the bolts off, and place them between the strut mount and the spacer. So, I would have from the top down: the strut mount, a strut bracket, the spacer, another strut bracket, and the strut bearing, etc... That way the mount would go all they way into the hole in the body as it is meant to, the mount would have a strut bracket right below it to support it, and there would be another strut bracket below the spacer to mate with the bearing and spring upper seat. What do you think?

What is the right way to install strut spacers? I put them between the strut mount (also called strut isulator in the nissan service manual) and the strut topper plate (the part that had the bolts which were pressed out and replaced with longer ones). Is this right? If this is the right way, is it normal for the inner part of the strut mount (where the strut shaft is bolted on) to "sink" into the hole in the center of the spacer? Mine are doing that, and they are making some loud clunking and poping sounds when going over bumps. It almost looks like the pressure from the coils is too much for the strut mounts to withstand. When rocking the truck while looking at the mount from inside the engine bay, I can actually see the inner part of the strut mount moving up and down over half an inch inside the outer housing! Is this right? Any suggestions would be appreciated before I tear the strut assemblies apart to check everything...again.

Some background info first: About 6 months ago I installed OME coils (HD up front) and Rancho struts and shocks. I got about 1.75" of rear lift and 1.5" of lift up front. After installing the lift I was getting some loud noises from the front passenger side when going over large bumps. It sounded a lot like the passenger side strut was topping out, and I attributed it to the HD coils and the lack of weight up front. A couple of months ago I installed a Warn combo bar and winch. At about the same time I replaced the strut mounts and bearings, but had to use KYB stuff because the dealer did not have the OEM parts in stock. I also installed Warn manual hubs. At that point the noises stopped completely! Maybe it was the extra weight up front, or the new strut mounts and bearings, or both, but I was really happy. I did loose about 0.5" of lift up front due to the extra weight. With 31" tires I was getting minor rubbing with the steering fully turned, only on the driver's side. I was sure the rubbing would go away once I leveled the truck with some small strut spacers, but I kept wondering why it was rubbing only on one side. So, I got some custom aluminum 3/4" strut spacers about a week ago (many thanks to Tyler). Yesterday I dropped the car off at a local suspension shop and had them take the strut assembly apart, press the old bolts out of the topper plate, and install the spacers with new grade-8 hardware. It only took them a couple of hours. Everything went smooth, and the truck now sits almost perfectly level and doesn't rub at all! Looks good and rides awesome. BUT, the noises when going over bumps have come back!!! It sound different than before, not like struts topping out, but as if something was loose in the strut assembly itself. Going over any big bump produces a peculiar "clunk clank clunk". Both sides seem to be doing it, but the passenger side does it more often and is much louder. This morning I checked that the bolts that hold the mount to the frame and the bolt that holds the strut to the mount were tight, and they were. While doing so I noticed that the strut mounts seem to have stretched, as if the inner/lower part of both strut mounts has been pulled down by the tension of the coil and strut. It’s hard to describe, but when looking at the strut mounts from inside the engine bay, the inner/lower part, where the strut actually bolts to, now sits much lower than before. Also, when I rock the truck up and down there is a lot more play in the mount. In other words, when rocking the truck the outer/upper part of the mount moves with the frame, as expected, but the inner/lower part, where the strut is bolted to, moves up a down A LOT in relationship with the rest of the mount. I remember it moving a little bit before, just not this much. If I rock the passenger side up and down really hard I can even get it to start making the noise I mentioned before. It’s hard to tell if the noise is coming from the mount, the strut, or some other part of the strut assembly. So, what to do next? The coils, struts, strut mounts and bearing are all relatively new. Also, I don't think there is anything wrong with the spacers. Those things where beautifully made and fit perfectly. Of course I could take everything apart and check the way it was all assembled, but it does not look like they did anything wrong at the shop. I think one possibility is that the KYB strut mounts, although only a couple of months old, are just not up to the task, and have stretched under the additional pressure from the HD coils and the spacers. When new they looked almost identical to the original mounts, but maybe the quality is not the same as the OEM stuff. Another possibility is that the struts are going bad from all the topping out they did before I put the winch on, but the mechanic told me both struts were fine. Finally, the fact that when the wheels are fully turned the driver's side rubs a bit but the passenger's side doesn't makes me wonder if some other suspension part could be bent or damaged, causing all the problems I have been having with the passenger side. I'll try to post some pictures. Any ideas in the meantime?

Well, after further inspection this morning, it turned out not to be the heater hoses, but a smaller hose (about 3/4" x 4") that makes a 90 degree turn back into the engine block, sort of like a bypass hose or something. I was lucky enough to find it at the dealer for a decent price (about $8), and will be changing it in a few moments...I will probably also flush the system and put new coolant in, since I have been topping the radiator every few days for a couple of months, so I am not sure exactly what kind of cooland mix I have in there.

Well, if anyone comes through Panama make sure you look me up... Arnoldo

I've had a small coolant leak whose source I had not been able to pinpoint for a long time, and I think I just found it. I thought I would mention it here in case anyone is having a similar problem... I knew I had a leak because my coolant would go down slowly over time (about a liter of water/coolant over a period of a week). Sometimes I would drive around all day and couldn't see any sign of a leak, but sometimes after a long drive I could see a few drops of coolant dripping from the bottom of the clutch housing, right below the back of the engine, towards the firewall. The truck runs fine as long as I top off the coolant every so often. Only twice did it run a bit hot, but it was due to the coolant being low, and as soon as I topped it off it was Ok. At first I was afraid it was an engine seal or gasket, and I was preparing for an expensive repair job. Well, the other day I pulled into my driveway, looked under the car, and saw a few drops of fresh coolant dripping from under the transmission. I was able to follow the trail, and found what I think might be the culprit: a couple of small hoses that come out of the back of the engine and feed the in-cabin heater (which off course I never use down here in Panama). The hoses are a bit swollen, and there seems to be a little coolant leaking from around the clamp that holds one of the hoses in place. There seem to be two hoses back there (in and out I guess). Only one seems to be leaking, but considering that neither has ever been changed, I should probably replace them both while I am at it. Looks like I will tackle this problem over the weekend, so any tips or suggestions are welcomed. Has anybody had a problem with these hoses leaking? Does anyone know the part numbers for these hoses, or how hard they are to replace? Also, since I never use the heater here in Panama, I was thinking about feeding the outlet into the inlet and getting rid of the in-cabin heater altogether, but I don't know if there are any reasons for not doing this.

Wow! Looks good guys! Only now I am a bit confused about which way I should install the spacers. :confused: In my case, I have OME HD coils up front. Due to the weight of the bull bar, winch and lights, I am only getting about 1" of lift up front (with the same amount of reduced "usable" downtravel but keeping the stock "total" downtravel). The lift in the back is about 1 3/4". Should I install the spacers like 98silverpathy did, between the strut mount and the "strut bearing topper thingy", so I get the extra lift but keep the stock total downtravel? Or would it be OK to install the spacers like nissandoms47 did it, above the strut mount, and get the extra lift but with increased total downtravel? Obviously the second alternative will put extra stress on the CV joints. But this would only happen when the suspension is fully extended, right? I think the first alternative sounds better, but I wanted to avoid the additional work and cost of disassembling and reassembling the struts. I just did it a month ago to put in new bearings and strut mounts, something I should have done when I put in new struts and coils about 8 months ago, but didn't. I don't have the right tools to do it myself, and labor here in Panama to get it done is about 50 bucks (USD) for both sides. I am also concerned about the extra pressure the coils will be under. With the truck sitting level on the ground, would any of the above alternatives place extra stress on the struts themselves due to additional pressure from the coils, or is the additional pressure only an issue during installation? In other words, will I get more topping out with either option? Right now I get minimal topping out of the strut thanks to the smaller lift coils, and I like that. I do have the Warn Manual Hubs (haven't installed them yet). In any case, I don't think the manual hubs will help much with the total downtravel issue. Since the suspension will probably only be extended fully for significant amounts of time when off road, in those situations the hubs will probably be in 4 wheel drive anyways, right? Sorry for the long post. What do you think?

I just odered a set of front and middle BP skid plates!!! Very happy! I also ordered a set of Rock SliderZ and a ser of 3/4" spacers for the front...the Pathy is going to be looking sweet!!! Thanks to all for the advice... ARCano

Hi. I am looking for a skid plate for a 1998 Pathfinder SE. I heard Black Panther made some of the best, but their website seems to be down. Any ideas if they are still making skid plates, or any other suggestions? Thanks, aRCano

Hey tmorgan, I am very interested in a set of front strut spacers. Are you still taking orders? I have OME HD coils and would like to level my ride. 3/4" is perfect, and steel or aluminum is fine. I live in Panama, Central America, but I have a mail forwarding address in the US. Please let me know how to proceed. Thanks!