Mr. Pickles

$3995 seems a bit high for that high of miles, but $2300 wouldn't be bad around here (WA) really. Obviously that depends on the shape of the truck but they tend to go for a bit more near the west coast than back east where rust is a hobby.

Just checked the card behind the driver's side visor in my 94. "Shifting from 2wd to 4wdH must be done at speeds below 25MPH." I've shifted on the fly only like twice though. I've never found a situation where it wouldn't be a problem to just pull over for a quick sec to shift, both for safety (fumbling with that short bastard down by the floor) and a "just in case" attitude.

From what I've heard, I'd vote yes to damage and no to don't do it. First off, do you REALLY need that extra tiny bit of travel- are you regularly maxed out up or down? Second, is it worth it to you to risk it regardless, especially if question #1 is a "no" and this just for bragging rights? No, I don't have direct experience in shaving the stops or replacing them with low profile ones. But if there is a heightened risk or a slight increase in travel costing a large increase in shop bills or driveway frustration, I'd say it isn't worth it.

To finish this aspect of topic, Slick, grab your Haynes manual. "Nissan/Datsun- Pick-up & Pathfinder Pick-ups (1980 thru 1997) Pathfinder (1987 thru 1995" No, you're not losing your mind. The "KA24E (1990 on)" is the 4 cyl available in the Hardbody truck, but not in the Pathy.

And if you can squeeze an extra half quart in, that's one less half-empty oil bottle I'll have sitting forgotten on a shelf in the garage. I'm due in about 750 miles, so you know I gotta try it. Besides, maybe the Chevy filter will be cheaper than the already pretty cheap Pathy filter. Go 88!

Yeah, they looked in decent shape. Just had to clean them up a bit.

And now on to why I was replacing these, see the attached pic. I'd recommend anybody with a higher milage truck should check these bushing out. I've known for a while mine where pretty shot. It should be a pretty straight forward install on most trucks. Lift the front of the truck and support it with stands, then only 2 bolts and nuts connecting the rod to the lower control arm per side plus a nut on the end of each rod. Install is the same and removal. If all goes well, its just a bit above changing your oil on the difficulty meter. Of course, nothing ever goes well for me.

So last night I started by pulling off the swaybar to lube the poly bushings due to squeaks. All good, re-installed and done. Then I figured I'd finally throw on the strut/compression rod bushing set I've had sitting around forever. All of these bushings are poly sets from Energy Suspension, and so far so good. Other than the squeaks I've finally cured, they help firm things up a bit. Lets just say pic #1 is how Sat night ended, with a toasted socket from an impact set. Sure, it was from Harbor Freight, but it took an 18" 1/2 drive + a 3' steel pipe as a cheater bar. Oh, plus I'd been soaking this on and off for like a month in PB Blaster. This is an example of the frozen and rusted nuts and bolts I've dealt with, just in case some people think I'm full if sheee-it. At this point I didn't really care whether the tool or the nut or bolt broke, but one way or another it was coming out.

Kinda expensinve, but look into a plastic welding kit. Basically its like a monster soldering iron on crack, with sticks of plastic replacing rods. It actually heats and melts the plastic. We used them when I worked in a crotch rocket shop in high school to repair panels and fairings after an ooops. You should be able to pick up a kit for like $50, less at somewhere like Harbor Freight.

HAHA!!! Gotta love old trucks. This may sound lame, but RainX makes a spray on windshield product that you can apply while wet and you don't have to rub in like their other material. It actually works very well, and you can drive in most anything other than a total downpour because the water beads up and sheds off. I actually have some RainX wipes in the glovebox because of a prior dead wiper experience. Oh, and the wandering on the freeway may not entirely be the truck. My truck wanders all over hell on some spots on I5 from the truck ruts and such, and thats with a pretty sound suspension and stabilizer. Welcome to American roads I guess.

Oh man, that's crazy! I can't believe they'd put that much thought and effort into an old truck like that. If you were trying to import an Escalade bought for $10K, I'd understand the concern. Good luck from here on out, hopefully you'll find an easy going guy late on a Friday afternoon who only wants to get it over with and go home. So how was the trip back? Did you drive it up or trailer it? Sounds like it was pretty uneventful other than the border fiasco.

Really? No leaky-leaky? Sweet.

Is there an option for "bangs knuckles and cusses" or something equivalent?

I did the same on the tire carrier. Sanded down the rusty spots, masked it off (I didn't even take it off the truck) and painted it with flat black Rustoleum. Its been fine for over 2 years now. I used that on my basket rack too. Rustoleum might actually be a very cheap option for your bumper too, cause you can touch it up if you scratch it up. You can just sand any rough edges quick and paint over. Since its flat, you can't see the touched up since there is no gloss. As for the bed liner stuff, the ones I've seen go on slightly rough although not as rough as some of the actual truck beds you see professionally done. I imagine the pro stuff has some grit in it for grip or something. Anyways, another advantage of the bedliner stuff is it is much more tough and durable than regular paint.

Yeah, for 2 miles, I'd give it a shot. You can carefully crawl that distance if need be. Sorry for the negativity before, I was thinking the intent was to take it down the highway or on long trips. Might as well at least give it a shot before sacrificing the Pathy for a beast.

Yeah, a muffler won't hurt you. A glasspack would be a cheap alternative too, and easy to install. I heard Jim's back in the day, and it was louder than stock, but not offensive like those coffee can fart mufflers.

Any chance the previous owner (assuming there was one) used some sort of color treatment, vinyl paint, or one of those vinyl patch kits on the dash? That might explain it. AFAIK, it shouldn't just wipe off like that regardless. I've scrubbed mine with no issues.

Wow, that's a lot of boat to tow with a 4cyl, or even a V6 for that matter. I've towed a 16' ski boat loaded with tons of gear and 4 people in the truck over mountain passes with no problems, but that's with a 6 and a far smaller boat. You're talking about a FAR bigger boat on even less motor. One big factor would be the terrain where you live and plan to tow. Actually, in all honesty, I couldn't recommend this at all. That's really just too much for your truck to handle in my opinion. Not only the engine, but the brakes and chassis altogether as far as stability is concerned. Probably not the kind of answer you want to hear, but I wouldn't risk damage to the truck or worse. For that size of boat you'd really be best off with a V8 or at least a very strong 6, and a beefier chassis. It gets to the point where hills and pulling into traffic are plain unsafe, as well as stopping, even if it doesn't hurt the truck.

All in a day's work. Just trying to help an NPORA brother out. By the way, derogate/Paul, I fully expect that if/when you decide to come and buy this truck, you look us up. Gotta do the meet n' greet for sure.

Ride-along? Sounds good to me. We should get together again... in the daylight. Thanks for the kind comments Scott. The ride is actually pretty smooth these days, better than when I bought it for sure. It actually goes down the road really well, and roll around corners isn't too bad for a truck approaching 6" lift (susp + body).

Finally! You're officially banned from having any more bad luck. Take it easy and break that girl in for a long life ahead, then we all fully expect some dirty pics in the very near future. Congrats!

That would make a pretty sweet skiing and camping rig. You're not gonna do the Rubicon but it would be a lot of fun. Imagine the Jeep guys on the trail as their jaws dropped.

Dude, I was driving the Pathy and you were in a family car. So you're automatically disqualified until you get that truck of yours running.

Mission accomplished. Check your email.

Huh, you're apparently blind. Sorry to hear, here's you cane.