hawairish

Howdy all. Thought I'd share a project I whipped up on Friday before heading out for a weekend camp out. The goal was simply low profile rack. I'm not a huge fan of the baskets that are out there, and how high they stick up above the rails. I found one low profile rack that I liked to some degree, mainly because it's just about the perfect width to sit between the rails that came on later R50s. I figured I'd just drill some holes on the side plates of the rack and use some channel nuts to secure it. But, I hadn't been able to pull the trigger on it. Instead, I opted to hit up the local big box: 2- 48"L x 2"W x 1/8"T angle stock 6- 36"L x 3/4"W x 1/16"T square tube 8- 1/2"-13 x 1-1/2"L carriage bolts 8- 1/2" flat washers, lock washers, nuts I used 1/4" rivets to secure the tubes to the angle stock, and then used aluminum welding rods from Harbor Freight and a MAPP torch to braze everything solid. The center rib is secured using M6x1.0 rivnuts and suitable hardware. Total cost for aluminum and hardware was about $115. I already had all other materials and tools, but they can be had for relatively low costs. The side rail has holes for rivets and carriage bolts. The OE rails have a minor arch to them, so I drilled the outer holes centered on the 2" stock (11/16" diameter), while the inner holes are about 1/8" higher (and 3/4" diameter). The holes allow the square seat of the carriage bolt to clear nicely and allow some tolerance for the arch. I thought about drilling smaller holes and filing them square, but the effort wasn't warranted...it ended up being a perfect amount for the washers to sit flat. The square seat of the carriage bolts are a perfect fit for the rail channel. I cut the side rails to 30" so that I could keep the oval OE crossbars. The cross tubes were cut to 35-7/8" to make a 36-1/8"W rack. The tubes were drilled to mate with the rails for riveting, and a center hole for the rib. Top view, riveted: Bottom view, riveted and bolted: Doing a simple floor test, with blocks under the side rails, it supported my full body weight (250 lbs) on center with minimal deflection. But, I also designed it to use the older OE cross bars as overload support...considering that it bolts to the upper side rails, and then can rest on the lower cross bar, which has its own rail for roof distribution, this thing is completely solid. I should've taken some pics of it loaded up with gear, but it withstood freeway speeds and rough dirt roads without issue. I also secured all ratchet clamps to the rack as well, both on the tube and angle stock...no issues. The only 'correction' I had to make was putting something in front of a gear box on the rack because the wind deflection from it was causing my air dam to flutter violently...an effect of the rack, but not a defect of it. I inspected the brazes, and they held up solid, so I'm pleased. I need to modify my shovel and pulaski axe mount to work with this...the 1/2" carriage bolts make excellent mounting points, so I already have a few ideas on how to make that work.

Yep, direct swap.

There is a bulb, and it can burn out, but as Citron noted, the seat would still get hot. Kind of odd yours would fail just at the same time as disconnecting it. But, you do have power at both the harness under the dash and the harness under the seat? And ground is good? And haha, no, not a Nissan tech. Just someone with too much time on my hands, constantly taking stuff apart (today was the roof rack...).

Yes, if you currently have lift springs, those just get re-used on new struts. Because there aren't any longer struts available (they don't exist), you don't really have any options in regards to increasing travel (except SAS'ing it).

Sorry, I'm trying to cut back on answers. And double sorry, missed your note about everything being connected. If the switches check out, the seat harnesses should also be accessible without removing the seats (again)...at least, mine where once I pulled them out from underneath the carpet. Good luck.

It's not 2" bigger than stock. No such thing, unfortunately. Whatever your lift method (springs, spacers, both), those just get re-used with your struts. If you think just one is blown, you can get away from replacing the one. But, for basic maintenance and consistent ride quality, may as well replace both and change out the strut bearings while at it.

There isn't a fuse...straight wiring. You can confirm in the FSM, but I confirmed it the other month when I put switches in my 04 (mine doesn't have heated seats, but truck is pre-wired for them and I plan to add elements). Is the blue harnesses connected to the driver's switch? http://www.nicoclub.com/manuals/Pathfinder/2001.5_Pathfinder/el.pdf, see EL-180. Pin 1 on the blue harness should be hot at On or Start. Check continuity on Pin 4 for ground. Pull the switch and check for continuity between 1-2 (low) and 1-3 (high).

You do realize this has already been answered in another thread you've already been replying to, right?

Might be easier to pull the diff and check the ring gear for ratio markings ("48:11" or "51:11"), but otherwise there's only a 6% (22.5°) difference between the ratios. Hold one drum stationary when checking revolutions. The whole axle might not be a 100% swap over...96-99 models had a different shock mount setup than 00-04. Beyond that, they're identical. I think you'd save yourself a lot of work and just swap over the axle shaft assembly you need. Either way, it'd be good to pull the diff, inspect the gears, change the fluid, and change the oil seals (for sure the one on the side that came out). As for bushings, probably no difference performance wise, but splits will be easier to install. Though, the catch is that a floor press or large vise is sometimes required for either. You could bash it with a mini sledge, but beware the rebound.

Very easy to pull the axle shaft assembly out. Just need to undo the parking brake cable, brake hose, and 4 nuts. No retaining clips on the axle...the axle shaft presses into the wheel bearing and there's a large retaining nut that's supposed to keep everything from backing out. Chances are that the axle shaft is toast because the large nut will have stripped off (and the splines may be damaged, too, but I bet they're okay). The entire axle shaft assembly will direct swap over. Just stick with same side of the vehicle (right for right). If you need pics for reference, let me know.

The mount does have flats. You can pull the rod nut off while the truck is on the ground to check it out. The spring won't be going anywhere. If for some reason it's not seated, you might be able to pull/push the strut rod through, assuming the pressure doesn't move it through. If it's worn, doesn't really matter, but you do need to get it tightened to spec, which means you'll need a way to keep the rod from spinning.

Well, sway bars work best when level, so longer links are usually required to offset that. But, for small lifts, it's not really a problem. On the flip side, there are some donkey Chevy/GMC trucks I see around my area that have 6-8" lift, didn't bother with longer links, and the sway bars (which wrap around the backside of the diff) hang down like a hook on a Navy jet. Looks stupid.

Yeah, but he'll be at a disadvantage off the road.

Personally, if you can get poly without breaking your back importing them, go for it. I don't think they produce a harsher ride...firmer, yes; harsher, no. A much better alternative to rubber.

I'm sure they've gotten some repetitive requests, but really, the request isn't different from any other they get for any application. The u-joints are all modular and for any amount of shaft length, they want you to use their common shaft.

Only numbers that matter here are 536mm - 415mm = 121mm = 4.76". Less than I put in my other post, but still plenty longer. For sway bar end links, on the rear you could do a bracket spacer, or make your own links. I made a disconnect-able set, but hadn't gotten past figuring out how to pin the sway bar up. Many others will advocate just removing the bar.

Yep, AC = Automotive Customizers = 4x4parts.com. Though, that's always been their name and website for as long as I can remember (late 90's). Everything before that is a blur. I'm presuming there's some difficulty getting things to Colombia. Thought I'd look into it, thinking maybe I could help. Looks a bit more difficult than other things I've shipped internationally. But, if you must have poly, you may need to look to Australia or a distributor for Whiteline or SuperPro. I'm not seeing the front bushing for the LCA, only the rear LCA and trailing arms. SuperPro has all three styles: SPF4671K - LCA front SPF2037K - LCA rear SPF0399K - Trailing arms Is it difficult to even get OE replacements?

All H233B are similar. Only the gears, carrier, and carrier bearings can 100% port to any other H233B, but other parts like axle shafts, grease seals, and bearings are shared between all R50's, most D22's, and most WD22's. The axle housing is pretty much identical when you remove all suspension mounts. In fact, the true lineage considering it's the WD22. Actually, they have a lot of drivetrain similarities, just might not be 100% interchangeable.

Spline of shaft isn't important, but it's the "stock" style that Woodward Steering uses for all their applications. You are adapting from Nissan spline #1 (113) to Woodward spline (201) to Nissan spline #2 (108). Nothing from the factory link is used; complete replacement. The u-joints have set screws on them, which is why you need to ask that the finished shaft have set screw channels on both ends.

Not sure you checked the link I posted... Pathfinder: Frontier/Xterra:

Monroe Reflex 911194, for an F250/F350 RWD. Requires some bushing manipulation/swapping...right size bolt holes, just wrong ends of the shock. I ended up having the bushings removed, then used from poly bushings instead.

FWIW, I run the OE Nissan brake lines that I linked to previously, my rear shocks are 4" longer than stock (with about 3" of lift), and 3" SFD (about 4" of front lift)...no issues. I've put it through the paces, too.

I've encountered this muddling before...guys at the local parts store ask if my 04 is V6 or V8...my instinctive answer is, "There wasn't a V8 in 04" remembering immediately the Armada. I think another member here also bought some wheel hubs from RockAuto...bolt-on style that the R50s doesn't use. There are no shortage of parts listed there that aren't for R50s, and even there RA just splits the "Pathfinder" into 3.5L and 5.6L subcategories . Sometimes it's easier to just look for 02-03 parts.

This is the right answer. 2004 V6 Pathfinder vs. 2004 V8 Pathfinder Armada...totally different. Blame Nissan for not better distinguishing the name.

Good luck, man. Hope it's a smooth project. And shame about the wiring harness...doesn't it just detach from the firewall with a bolt?