hawairish

Any word from Hilltop? Inquiring minds wanna know!

Right on, man. That looks like a fun project! For something like that, what does the window end up getting fastened to after you've removed the material between the panels? Is there some sort of insert, then the window fits into it, or is it just one piece?

I rebuilt the LSDs over the weekend...a few times actually...and my 1st go-around produced 137 ft-lbs. Not bad I suppose; a bit above my projected amount. But when I built the 2nd one, I only got 80 ft-lbs. These were presumably supposed to be identical, but it's possible I put one additional new friction disc into the first one. After re-shuffling the discs around, I got more even numbers of 103 and 97...this time being (more) certain of the parity. I feel like I want more, maybe around 150. I tried cross-ref'ing side gear shims, but it's a crap-shot finding something with the right ID/OD. Best hope would be checking my open diff, but I'm not ready to pull it from the truck yet. I'm wondering if adding another spring plate (3 per side instead of 2) and pulling a friction disc to keep the nominal stack height would give me some extra clamping force, though I'd lose some friction surface. I'm kicking myself for not trying it earlier, but it'll have to wait a while a couple weeks. There's not an OE setup like that, presumably for a reason. Think it would exert too much extra force on the spiders? I can't imagine it being any more stressful than simply having a much higher break-away force with an OE configuration. Thoughts?

Yep, got the PM and replied.

Yeah, and I'm not trying to knock AC, btw. I've not tried them. Like NovaPath said, I don't think you can go wrong with either in terms of towing.

No, shouldn't be any noticeable difference in steering. Did he rotate the steering rack? That's a must, otherwise the steering link will bind. Per Woodward, ideal angle is <20 degs; max is 32 degs. For mine, I was already close to max. After rotating, I ended up around 22 degs, I think. If the TREs are more level now (which they should be), then there's really no other source for hard steering.

The shop didn't take apart the strut, did they? Again, SFD can't cause this. Articulation is entirely strut related.

Makes sense. Well, can't attest for AC springs, but my impression from numerous threads is that the AC springs will give a truer 2" lift in the rear, which should hold firmly for your towing needs. Seems their front springs tend to introduce top-out on the strut, or an otherwise harsher ("truck-like") ride, though. I estimate the OMEs I have (front MD springs, struts, and rear springs; rear shocks are boxed up) have seen about 30K. I know the previous owner put them to work, and they still feel great to me. The other way I see it is that OME specializes in off-road suspension components. I'm certain that the AC springs are made by a 3rd party supplier that might specialize in springs, and I'm certain they've put the springs to the test. But, I can't say I've ever seen a negative comment about OME's Pathfinder components.

Wouldn't think so, but that would mean your struts are at the very end of their travel. Did you notice this before dropping it off? The SFD wouldn't affect this.

Hell yeah. The camera angle is just off enough where I can't tell if it's sitting level or not, but it probably still needs to settle up front anyway.

You thinking all 4 corners, or just the rears?

FYI: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/38519-spring-dimensions/?p=752219

Yeah, though a rear HD spring would be nice, I'd think. They have light, medium, and heavy duty front shocks though, and the only difference between them was the length. Assuming they did that for the rear spring...more lift!

Dyamn! That's a load you got there. I run OME springs and they're great. I had to swap out my OME shocks when I added rear spacers, but the pair made for a super comfortable ride. Don't think I got a chance to tow with them. Earlier this year I made a few 50-mile trips towing completely full 6x8 trailers...and a fully loaded cargo area. With tongue weight, I'd say 400-500 lbs. effective cargo loads. Hopefully my numbers aren't exaggerated, but we really loaded things up. I was pleasantly surprised to not see the rear sag at all. I didn't experience any bouncing, either. It was a really solid drive each time. OME only makes a medium duty rear spring, btw.

Understandable. You live in CAN, not CA! But the nice part is that you'll have the option to either remove a front spacer, or increase the rear spacer size to dial it in. Though, on my setup, with 2" of front and rear spacers and OMEs around (MDs up front, no winch or bumper), I have a rake. Your setup should be no different if you don't use the strut spacers.

That seems like some really heavy duty stuff...do they sell it in soda-can sizes? But that's the idea. There are some cast polyurethanes that have a very low expansion rate, which is probably desirable. I was thinking it'd be pretty easy to get some cardboard pieces in there to give it a rough shape and support a bladder. I think this would work very well for the bottom mount, where the area just needs to resist compression For the top mount, I would need to find a way for it to either adhere to the quarter panel, or set around the mounting hardware somehow (the top area will want to pull out with the carrier open). I could probably tap into the material, or if pour around a bolt with a release agent, it would create a threaded hole perfectly...it wouldn't have to resist pull out forces...that's what the blind nut would be for. What I need is a sprayable, low viscosity, low expansion cast polyurethane.

If you don't use the KrF strut spacers, you'll sit exactly how you sit today, which means you can keep your OMEs + 2" spring spacers. It's when you use the strut spacers (in lieu of whatever strut spacers you've currently got) that you might need to think about longer rear springs. But...since your winch and bumper probably offset the lift from the OMEs (so let's assume 0" lift there), the strut spacers add 4", which should be a good pairing for your rear OMEs + 2". You might sit a little high up front maybe, but should be close to level I would think.

DUDE: AWESOME. Seriously, thank you for doing all that! So, there we have it: definitive proof that there is reinforcement. The reinforcement is what was preventing XPLORx4 from seeing or feeling the reinforcement. I think the biggest expectation until now is that a separate piece like this existed, which did for the WD21: Taken from: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/31825-spare-tire-carrier-install/ I remember green180's approach where he took a steel plate and create a rough shape that contoured the quarter panel, but it's clear now that it should have been tied into some interior metal. I already have an unconventional solution, but I need to do some more research. Rather than try to replicate the shape with steel and working in confined spaces, I would think some sort of expanding/solidifying material would be a viable approach. Something like a structural foam, urethane, or resin that could be poured into the area and sets solid to fill the cavities behind the hinge areas and provide a solid structure that could be drilled or anchored into. Since it would be very difficult to create a sealed area in which to pour (except maybe the bottom area), I would plan to pour it into a bladder/bag and let it set while in place. It'd be very similar to those fillable packing foam systems, but with a more rigid material. I'll have to give this one more thought... Again, thanks for the pics and vids...and great idea about collecting those clips!

Yep, the license holder is separate. And from what I can tell from parts diagrams, the lighting harness is the same/similar. Maybe some modifications on the wire length, but it should actually use the same pigtail. From the diagrams, the wiring isn't in place on the center holder if you have the tire carrier.

Aww shucks, CDN! Yep, the latches and bumpstop are bolted to the body, not the liftgate. The bumper will need some rectangular cutouts, like so: Those should be pretty easy to replicate. The metal behind it will receive some blind nuts (holes don't already exist, unfortunately), then everything will bolt up nicely. The wiring pigtail for the "your-gate-is-open" idiot light is under the trim above the bumper cover, and it works. The problem is that it doesn't look like it fits the switches I have...or an Nissan door jamb switch, for that matter. It's the right cable though...I shorted it and a light in the lower left corner of the gauge cluster lit up with something resembling a 50" spare tire on a gate. I'd like to get a plug-in switch, but I'd have no issues soldering something up. I would like to get the offset license plate holder, though. That will require drilling into the liftgate. The ones on the donor vehicles were beaten up for some reason. I dropped off the carriers yesterday for powder coating. Probably doesn't make much sense to do so, since I've not even mocked things up. But I'm on a crunch for time because of some more work travels soon, and I'm confident I can make this work. I also dropped them off with my sliders so they can be matched in a gunmetal color. The sliders were starting to show some rust, and were only $25/ea...no brainer. Should be some sexy stuff.

SketchUp took some getting used to for me also. I expected some complicated features, clicks, and keystrokes, and got a little frustrated at first probably because of that expectation. It's dumbed down in a good way; probably easier to grasp if you haven't used a CAD program before. Can't say I've used it for anything complex, but I do find it to be very useful for my hobbies and projects. I also once used it to mock up a floorplan when we needed to rearrange some cubicles at our office. I drew in a small bar, stripper's pole, and imported clips of bikini-clad (or less) models. The proposal for those items was declined, but it was very helpful in visualizing our potential working space (sans sexy coed receptionist, also rejected).

Ha, funny...I was thinking, "man, and those guys are even going to work Friday?! That's an awesome shop!" But right, US holiday! (Everyone who doesn't hate us can still celebrate, right? ) Towndawg, I use SketchUp. It's great...and free. Originally created by Google, but eventually sold off (still free; check out the Maker Edition). Very simple interface and tools, captures all the essentials I need. I used some heavier CAD programs back in college, but this is perfect for my use now (especially since beer erased college). Aside from mocking up spacer shapes and such, I primarily use it to print 1:1 templates for punch marks or scoring shapes/lines on materials. Just used it over the weekend for the SFD motor mounts and skid plate spacers...easiest way to make repetitive punch marks. Also used it the other week to make oval templates for cutting the rear hatch plastic to install recessed LED lights (I need to write up this project).

I know...tell that to the previous owner, though... I need to order up some other clips anyway for around the vehicle.

Ah, right on. Well, keep us posted if you can pull the interior. Offer stands if you break any clips, though I might have to order them first!

You would be the man. If I'm not mistaken, theexbrit has your carrier now? That actually helps...a close-up of the threaded hole would give me an idea of metal thickness. The sad part is that I could've confirmed this the other week when I pulled the carrier. I really wanted to. But, I felt I was about 5 mins from having a heat stroke, and getting those answers required climbing into the cargo area to pull the rods from inside to open the hatch. After folding down the seats, realized they didn't have any carpeting on them...climbing on sharp bare metal in a car that was easily 120°+ inside, while exhausted and out of water. Yeah, maybe next time.