Trench

I also put my DeWalt grinders through rigorous abuse on the jobsite, and they hold up great. Only managed to kill one, and that was after grinding concrete for about three days straight. Rain, mud, dirt, no problem. I'd buy another in a heartbeat (if I didn't still have two more).

You could put a wicket around the brake light, down to the rear bumper, then truss it to the vertical bar at the rear corner of the truck? Looking at it, I feel like the hardest areas of the cage would be around the rear fenders so that you don't lose tire clearance, but also don't impede the rear doors from opening. Your bend radius and location would have to be spot on. Also, the problem with the back end is that you either cover part of the brake lights, or get in the way of the hatch. If you're going that custom, what about removing the rear tire carrier, and incorporating a carrier into a rear gate?

That's a good one. It made the rounds a couple years ago as a Craigslist ad for an Xterra, word for word. Well, except where it says "Pathfinder". Still get a chuckle out of it, though

It all depends on who you get for an adjuster. I can't say that I had a very pleasant experience when my WD21 was stolen last month, however....

Hah! I might be from the left coast, but we're not all granola eating, birkenstock wearing, patchouli scented hippies Three? THREE?! Good God man, I think you might need to trade your truck in for a rifle! Joking (and lights) aside, glad you're alright. At that speed, things could have been a lot worse.

Replaced my rotors. The PO had them, but didn't install them as some of the bolts were a bit seized. I snapped 5 of the 6 bolts on the passenger side that hold the hub housing to the rotor Glad I had some spares kicking around. Other than that, it all went smooth as silk and the truck stops like a dream. Too well, in fact. The front end dives now. Guess I need to get started on the new shocks and springs Here's a shot of the old rotors. Can you figure out why they shuddered a bit under braking?

Awesome, thanks for the tips guys.

Great write up! I remember the first time I replaced something more serious than a headlight on a car (my water pump), and I was terrified I was going to somehow blow up my motor in the process. Having a good guide makes everything easier. I do have a question though, and I apologize if it's been answered elsewhere but an hour and a half of thread searching and googling hasn't given me a clear answer. Are the timing belts from the VG30 and VG33 interchangeable? As near as I can tell, the motors are largely the same (save for bore and water pathing), but the camshaft and crankshaft sprocket tooth profiles are different. This would lead me to believe that the belts for each motor are marginally different in design, if not in tooth count/length. I ask this because, before my WD21 was stolen, I purchased a new timing belt and hadn't gotten around to installing it. Now that I have an R50 of unknown mechanical heritage, I plan to hit the timing belt and all related goodies for safe measure. If I can use the belt I have, great. If not, I'll have one to toss up in the For Sale section.