hawairish

No sweat, B. In fact, let me post up a pic of the side gears and some basic dimensions first, then you can decide if it's even worth your time. I've got two LSDs fully disassembled and sitting in a box now (all marked and bagged, of course). It's been an interesting project, but going a lot slower than I'd hope due to availability of Nissan parts. The friction discs are holding up the show. I switched focus to the pair of R200s, and installed a Lokka in one. Just waiting on new seals and gaskets to call the first one done, before doing it all again on the other. The 2nd LSD has the "ideal" ratio I've been talking about in terms of friction discs. It's spec'd for 65-80ft-lbs, and came in at 68. Its stacks are only 0.1mm thicker than the 1st LSD, which does help correlate some numbers for me. I had to change my order for discs, but it ends up being the practical approach...won't be nearly as thick as I wanted, but still better than nothing. I'm estimating around 110-130 ft-lbs, which is no where near the WD21s, but they'll be much better than any stock R50 LSD.

I wasn't even sure what that cable did at first. In fact, I was troubleshooting a problem that I wasn't even sure where to begin...it started when I realized that I could take it out of park without even having my foot on the brake. I pulled the shifter and saw that the PO had wedged a short piece of tubing into the shifter release override. Thinking it was some sort of dangerous convenience, I removed it and put it all back together without giving it another thought. When I tried to take it out of park, I realized why he did that...I couldn't take it out of park. And then, I realized I also couldn't take the key out. Double whammy! The problem I had was a bad switch in the shifter. This switch and the brake pedal need to be depressed to open the solenoid and shift from park. Digikey has the exact replacement switch, btw...soldered it in, problem solved. But anyway, it seems simple enough to have been used 10 years prior.

Couldn't tell you how a 94 shifter is, but on my 04, there's a mechanical cable that runs to the shifter and prevents removing the key unless the shifter is in park. I had to remove it to pull my shifter to properly fix a band-aid job by the PO. When I put the cable back on, it needed a little adjustment (it wouldn't release the key even while in park)...but adjustment was really easy. The little white thing to the right of the measuring tape at the 2" mark is part of the cable in the pic below. On the shifter side of that white thing, there's a black thingamajig that adjusts tension. You may need to do that, or just simply confirm it's connected to the park-release solenoid assembly. (The park-release solenoid is what needs a power signal from the brake pedal to allow shifting from park; once out of park, the cable is what prevents removing the key.) Sorry I don't have a pic of it. But you should be able to see and adjust it without having to remove the shifter. I can't remember if you can manually fidget with it while detached, but I would think so.

Right on. Welcome aboard, too!

Just checking, but did you also line up the upper spring seat? It's got a notch on one side, and a "W" stamped on the other. The W is the wheel side, the notch towards the engine.

Chances are that the carriers are identical (that's my understanding, anyway). The R&P parts match is a good sign. But...which R200 was it compared against? If you compared to an R50's, you're in a much smaller boat than you think. The R50's R200 axle is the exception to the R200/C200 cross-compatibility. It used a high-pinion design (the pinion gears mates above the ring gear centerline). Pretty much every other axle (Xterra, Frontier, Hardbody, 1st Gen PFs) used low-pinion. Not sure what the cars used. Quickest way to tell is to look at the snout of the diff...it's it seems below the axle shafts, it's low-pinion

I'd argue that offset spacers are probably not necessary for under 3" of lift. I use 2" of regular strut spacers with MD OMEs and a 2.5" SFD (that is, the spacers that actually drop the subframe) and don't have alignment issues. I'll know more when I jump to 3" of strut spacers soon, but that might be the tipping point for needing camber bolts. Offset spacers, however, basically assure that you won't have alignment issues (nor need camber bolts). Nope, the engine stays stationary. New spacers go between the motor mounts and subframe. SFD is somewhat a misnomer for "lift". Dropping the subframe doesn't achieve any lift; that's something only strut spacers and/or lift springs can do. KrF's 4" SFD is a lift because it includes the 4" strut spacers. But, you could use a 4" SFD (again, subframe spacers only) with AC lift springs (~2" of lift) and 2" of strut spacers and still see ideal geometries. In Chrome's case, 3" lift (any combo of strut spacers or springs) will warrant 3" of SFD to have stock-like geometries.

This thread seemed to have the best general info, aside from the fact it's for 4" spacers... http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/31584-my-pathy-project-lifting/ Those spacers obviously worked, but I didn't follow those dimensions at all. My 2.5" subframe spacers measure 2.5"W x 5.75"L x 2.5"H. My 3" spacers measure 2.5"W x 5.5"L x 3"H. The <6"L is so that I don't need to bevel the passenger rear spacer to clear the brake-line cover, and so I can make all the spacers uniformly, as shown here: This spacer is made of 3 pieces of 2.5" square tube. I don't have different size front and rear spacers...the only difference is the size of the bolt holes: 9/16" for the 12mm front bolts and 5/8" for the 14mm rear bolts. I also didn't see a need to offset the holes on the rear spacers; all my holes are on-centers, and you can see how that fit above. The reason those spacers shown on that thread work is because there's no unibody flange that restricts offsetting the spacer. The front, however, does have a unibody flange, and 2.5" is about the max width.

Not sure I put any sketches of mine up, but there are a few on some posts to get you started. All my bookmarks are on my other computer though, so I'll have to post those up separately. Edit: to clarify, I mean there are some threads that still have sketches/dimensions. I have those bookmarked. You can also try searching "subframe spacer" or similar for several other related threads...the search function on the forum doesn't check terms less than 4 letters.

No problem. I posted a bunch of other thoughts at pics at that thread I started. The spacer sketches are on a few older posts, but I'm not big on the simple tube approach at all. Also, whereabouts in NorCal are you? I grew up in Roseville, but find myself around the central valley 1-2 times a year.

Well, let me know if I can help out with any specifics. I've recorded all the sizes for all the OE bolts so that I can keep everything consistent (and metric). I've also got a complete parts list. My 3" install next week will basically be my 4th set of spacers on the truck. I made a set of 1.5" spacers and test-fit them right before I put my 2.5" kit on. I also changed up the motor mount spacers and also upped from from .188"-wall to .250"-wall for my current 2.5" set. I've still got those spacers sitting around somewhere. I hear you about the family friendly part. But then I see my 1- and 2-yos scale my sliders to climb into the truck and think that my truck isn't high enough to keep them out! Dare I mention all the things they've climbed to date (with my supervision).

Well, you still need to tool inside the front subframe spacers and motor mount spacers. There's no good option for avoiding that. The rear subframe spacers aren't an issue...you can just use longer bolts. The front subframe bolts are actually an assembly: two 12mm x 150mm bolts affixed to a bracket. It's installed from inside the engine compartment along the wheel wells. Flange nuts sandwich the subframe to the unibody. So, nothing on the front subframe threads into the unibody. Similarly, the motor mounts have the studs integrated into them. But yes, welding in the lower hardware is viable. Thought about it, but didn't want to go that route...since I don't weld, it's not worth the time/money to have someone else do it. Plus, if the thread fails for any reason, it's a lot of rework. But if you have the means, it'll work. Again, it's doable. Just requires more effort/thought than a size up.

Yes, welding them in is an option. I'm more a bolt-on guy, so the SFDs designs I've done are geared towards ample tool clearance with simple hardware. I posted a pic of my newest spacers on my other thread. These will be installed next week hopefully. If all goes well (and I have no reason to think it won't), I hope to finally be able to produce some sets for others.

Well... Biggest constraint is working space inside the spacer. A 2" tube leaves 1.5" of space (assuming .250"-wall steel), which is about as much that's required for the exposed length of the front subframe bolts and the head of the lower bolt and washer. A similar issue with the motor mount spacers. Here's a pic of a 2.5" front subframe spacer with .188"-wall steel: If you stick with .188"-wall, that gap closes by .5"...almost touching. Go to .250"-wall, and the hardware is touching. You could go with flange bolts and ditch the lock and flat washers for a tiny amount of clearance. You could also nip the OE subframe bolts a small amount. But if they're too close, you'll have to use an open-end wrench...and those bolts need torquing to 90+ ft-lbs. Expect a busted hand and/or stripped nuts. Is it doable? Sure. And there are even a few workarounds I can think of. But...depending on your approach, it may cost just as much money or labor—or more—as a 3"-4" set of spacers. (And btw, when I say "spacers" and "SFD", I'm talking specifically about the spacers used to drop the subframe and not any custom strut spacers like what come with the KrF 4" SFD "lift".) The SFD install by itself is a very tedious and involved process...it's one of those things you want to do once. So, if you have any plans for more lift, now's the time. Also, it's not necessary to have a 1:1 lift-to-SFD, but the closer, the better. You can do more SFD than lift, you'll just lose a little more ground clearance.

Long story short, a 2" subframe spacer has more constraints than a 3"-4" one. But you've got the right idea about correcting the spacer lift.

So thinking you might end up parting the R50 out then? Sounds like a drivetrain swap would still be a good project.

No sweat. One other thing worth mentioning is that if you were to find an LSD from another WD21, it'd have far more breakaway torque than the one in your R50. Of course, this kind of bypasses your plans for the R50.

The 3rd members should swap, but I think there was a change in the number of housing studs...I think the older used 10 studs, so one hole on the 3rd is left open. But I don't know the MYs. As for axle width, I'd assume they're different. Check out nissannut.com...he's done all sorts of projects. Specifically: Fab Projects > Rear Disc Brakes Bolt on Projects > H233 Swaps Much of what he types I can't make sense of, but he's got pics. My impression is that it should work (swapping in R50 diff and axle shafts) but you may need to shim/space the axle shafts where they attach to the tubes.

So you pulled the trigger on the SFD? Hope those spinning bolts get sorted. Also, if there's any tip I can offer, it's to leave the suspension intact when dropping the subframe. Do one (strut spacers or subframe drop), then do the other. Having the suspension still in place helps keep the subframe lined up when lowering it, and helps support other parts.

That's putting it mildly. Somewhere on my list of projects is fabbing a bracket/brace to make the winch tube bumper for 1st-gen X/Frontiers from Addicted Off-road a bolt-on solution.

Yeah, these projects. I'll breathe a sigh of relief tonight when I've got my monster list of parts ordered to move everything forward. And no rush on anything. I'm not home until next Friday so there's not much I can do with the info yet anyway. Except dream.

Ha, no worries. A wench bumper could still be pretty cool, though. If you don't necessarily need the bumper and just want a winch, you could buy a universal winch mount and work that into your solution. There are a couple forum pics of what others have done to add a winch behind their OE bumper/cover. I'll try to find those threads later.

Ha, yeah, waaaaaaay too much time thinking about it...not getting enough sleep! I'll try to document both processes (LSD and Lokka) to see if I can get more technical information in them. Would you mind taking measurements and pictures of the 3220-LR? The best observations I could make about it were from the Nissan Nut's website...unfortunately, I usually can't make sense of most of the stuff he writes, but the pictures really say everything (some of the pic links don't work, but the larger pics do exist...just need a little trickery to see them). It'd be nice to get a close-up of the teeth on the drivers. IIRC, you have machining skills, so you likely have a good idea of useful measurements. I can confirm whether it at least physically fits an open (likely) or LSD (doubtful) 33-spline carrier. Dimensions/drawings of the tooth face would be huge. Wishful thinking: maybe we can arrange a loan so I can test fit it?

Exactly...without knowing the stack height that actually came in certain LSDs, I can't make the correlations I'd like to. The FSMs do specify a stack height range per side (19.24mm-20.26mm), as well as wear and warp limits for the individual pieces. The pieces have nominal thicknesses of 1.4mm, 1.5mm (standard), and 1.6mm, with the exception of 6mm spacers that replaced 4 friction plates per side in 03-04 LSDs. Each side had 13 pieces (1-2 springs, 2-6 friction discs, and 5-9 friction plates), except for the ones with spacers (2/2/5 + spacer). These FSM specs didn't change from 94-04, so there's some degree of standardization there, and both the nominal and actual (sum of pieces) stack heights basically guide any repairs/rebuilds. I'll spare the theory, but I'm estimating 205 ft-lbs if I match the 5:6 ratio commonly found in the stronger LSDs, and replace friction plates with thicker friction discs. Funny you ask about the Lock Right. There were actually two of them (3210-LR and 3220-LR). The 3210-LR is for 31-spline only because it includes new side gears; it fits older D21s (pre-94) that have 1-piece 2-pin open carriers. The 3220-LR offered some hope: it re-uses the side gears, making it spline agnostic. However, the 33-spline 2-piece 4-pin carrier it'd need to work in simply never existed (33-spline open carriers are 1-piece 2-pin). My cross-refs suggest that 33-spline side gears would fit the 31-spline open carriers commonly found in WD21s, D21s, and 99-00/01-ish D22s that the 3220-LR was designed for, but the tooth cut on the 33-spline side gears would likely not mesh properly with the drivers (but it is the same tooth count, 16).

Yep, the rebuild will not only change the disc-to-plate ratio (from 2:9 to 5:6), but also add 1mm to the total clutch stack (which doesn't sound like much, but I'm at the very minimum stack height, and the range is 2mm more). I'm hoping to quantify the amount of torque when both ratio and thickness are changed, just to understand if the WD21 specs are a reasonable target. Better than nothing, no doubt. But I also would like to know to justify costs. $170 gets me the 5:6 ratio, but $340 gets me the ratio and max thickness. I'm trying to gauge if that basically spools it, but without knowing what the OE stack height was for WD21 (FSM doesn't specify this), it's trial-and-error. None of the write-ups really talk about that. MY1PATH's was very useful, but the lack of pictures on the Laxman one really kills the technical info that could be inferred. I posted in the WD21 forum because the LSD spec in question was last used in 95 (well, maybe in HBs, but I didn't check). Think this is better suited for the Garage forum? I would go with a locker, but it's the 33-spline and I'm not ready an air locker. The front is getting a Lokka, though.