01Pathmaker

Great work so far! I'm due for tires and suspension overhaul again and am leaning towards 265/75's, looks perfect, in my opinion. Maybe I missed the info, but what springs did you go with?

To my knowledge nobody is still producing an SFD kit, and as much as I love Steve's products, I don't think his spacers are designed to give that much lift and maintain the correct geometry. Search "sfd" and you'll find a ton of info, once you sift through all the "does anyone still make SFD kits" posts. Lol

Awesome, as always Steve! I noticed tthe last one is yours, correct? IIRC, you were running 265/75's in that picture, which is where I'm leaning towards with mine. What size lift was used, and was it 1" (25mm) wheel spacers used to clear the coil bucket? Thanks in advance.

In regards to the IACV/ECU issue, the ECU only needs to be repaired AFTER an IACV failure. When the IACV fails, it causes a short that only effects 1 circuit in the ECU. I've owned my 01 since new, have ~180k on her now and other than routine maintenance and a few sensors, she's been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. Very capable and versatile in near stock form as well. It gets tight for space now with 2 kids and the dog, and I know I really would be better served with a full-size SUV, but this thing has been so good to me (and shows no signs of quitting) that I can't bring myself to get rid of her. At this point I'm curious to see how far she'll go!

Rest assured, I've had in-channel visors on several vehicles and never had any issues with scratching, all of which were frequently in dusty, dirty, muddy environments.

Had the same issue on my 96, I cleaned both surfaces with an alcohol pad, then spread a thin coat of super black rtv, just thick enough to hold itself together long enough to get it all into position, then closed the door gently, let it sit overnight & was good to go.

Hmm, I'm intrigued! How are those batteries supported and secured?

Proper grounds are very important. You should always maintain clean & proper grounds (battery to frame, engine to frame & body to frame). There are many electrical components throughout all vehicles that use various (some use multiple) ground points. If one "leg" of the grounding circuit is compromised things can start acting winky and sometimes be difficult to diagnose. I've personally seen plenty of instances where people have gotten lost during diagnosis and just start throwing parts at a problem, only to find out later (through a thorough and proper diagnostics check) a simple broken, dirty or corroded ground was the culprit.

Good progress so far, looking forward to the rest! Also curious to find out what caused the demise of the engine, how many miles were on it?

Finally got rid of my mushy pedal on Sunday. New front pads, turned rotors and what really made the most difference was properly adjusting the rears. So nice to finally have a high, firm brake pedal again. It's been years!!

Nah, unfortunately just a Walker replacement setup

Thanks for the info, I'm definitely going to kick it around. That said, I'm sure the poly ends you reference would be fine for my application, no hardcore wheeling here (although I'd absolutely love if we had decent LEGAL places to go around here), now my path has become my Costco run, dog hauler, beach cruiser & snow commuter. We used to have a bunch of great places to wheel, but between over-development, illegal dumping morons & our local governments looking to squeeze us for every last dollar while giving us more restrictions, has pretty much killed that as a viable hobby. Plenty of illegal places to go, which many frequent, but it's not worth having my pathfinder confiscated if I get caught. After all, it's not just another clapped out, hacked fender, straight piped Cherokee with the doors ripped off!

Not today, but recently gave her a new bumper cover and exhaust

Hmmm, now that the 01 isn't my dedicated DD anymore, I've been tinkering more & more. Would love to re-center the rear within the wells, what kind of $ are you asking for a set with ends?

Love them old Ford's! Looks like a late-60's or very early-70's!! Unfortunately I only see 2 or 3, very occasionally, around here. Sorry Nissan nuts, I am an old Ford boy at heart. The 2 trucks I truly regret selling are my 78 F250 hi-boy (35x12.50's with stock suspension and no cutting) and my prized 79 Bronco (big block conversion, big axles, big lift & 42's). God I miss the good ol days, but they all brought me to now, wouldn't trade my kids for any of it. Great memories though! P.S. - post a few more of Swamp Thing! It'll be ok! I promise!!

Could be the starter. Have you verified a 12 volt start signal to the starter solenoid? I never claim to have seen or heard everything, but seized transmission would be a new one for me...

You may be confusing the R50 (96-04) & R51 (05-12), as the early production R51 (05-08) had a ton of transmission failures due to bad radiators. The trans cooler inside the radiator would fail, causing engine coolant to mix with trans fluid, commonly referred to as the strawberry milkshake of death (SMOD), which would then quickly kill the transmission. If the radiator was replaced with an upgraded unit, or if the radiator was bypassed with a quality external trans cooler, prior to this happening, those transmissions are going a minimum of 200k miles as well. As far as the durability of the transmission in the R50, I've seen several well maintained units still fulfilling daily driver duties with over 250k miles, original drivetrain components still intact. My 96 had almost 200k when I sold it 3 years ago, it's still going strong, and my 01 currently has 180k, no issues.

Hmm, this is an interesting one. Timing jump would be unlikely as the 3.5 has a chain, not a belt. Have you checked the basics, like fuel filter, condition of the spark plugs, plug boots, etc? I've seen 2 temperamental R50's, with over 150k, with the original plugs, which were worn to death. After a thorough tune-up (plugs, boots, air & fuel filter, MAF & throttle body cleaning) they both ran great and were no longer hard to start.

Front crossmember & rear axle, no wood, rubber or foam required, been doing it that way since the beginning of time with no ill effects.

Welcome! It's not uncommon for aftermarket remanufactured distributors to fail fairly quickly. The most common issue that fries the ECM is a bad IAC motor, but from the info you provided, it doesn't sound like that's your issue. Easiest way to check for the IAC issue is to apply a little pressure to the gas pedal while cranking, if it starts, but dies as soon as you take your foot off the gas, the IAC is the likely culprit. P.S. - Excellent use of the search function, btw!

Have you checked the u-joints in the front driveshaft? Could have a worn joint that is making noise while "free spinning" in 2wd, but would go away under load while in 4hi.

If you're an R51 owner thinking about doing this, but are unsure of the quality, workmanship or reputation of Steve or his SFC products, do not hesitate! Steve is a great guy, who has produced very high quality products, paired with even higher quality customer service, for a very niche market. I can personally vouch for his R50 spacer kits and skid plates. I'm probably underestimating if I suggest that probably at least half of the lifted R50's on NPORA either are running or have run SFC products. Seeing this offer makes me wish I had an R51, as I'd be all over this! I'm very glad to see you looking to expand the line a bit, Steve!

Sad to see this awesome rig go, but hopefully it finds a good home. I kinda felt the same way about my 96, but when offered almost twice what I had into it (including purchase price), I couldn't justify turning that down! I'm sure I'll still "see you around"! Enjoy your new adventure! P.S. - if possible, can you snap a pic of your CV angle? I'm possibly going a very similar route on my 01 soon.

I couldn't agree more! Even as life gets hectic and I disappear for months, every time I come back to check in, or research an issue, most of the same familiar guys are here and new guys with true interest show up from time to time. #NPORA4LIFE