hawairish

Welp, it's done finally. I'll try to post up some pictures tomorrow or over the weekend, though I'd rather wait until the rear is complete for the full effect. The sad part is that I haven't even touched the rear yet, and won't be home for the next 3 weekends and a week in between...so it's another week of working after work all next week if I want to get it done this month. All told, what a PITA. And because I wanted different motor mount spacers, I basically had to undo and redo everything. So, by my count, including the fact that I also fit a 1.5" SFD, I've installed an SFD at least twice as many times as pretty much anyone else. The most satisfying feeling was just before the end: needing to jack the truck up a few inches just to put the tires back on. I had it on stands since Saturday morning...but no, the install itself didn't take that long. In fact, I'd say I probably spent about 8-10 hours doing everything that would be necessary assuming all the parts were ready to go (which they weren't). The rest of the time was fabbing up parts; repairing my missing link and skid plate brackets (they were causing the bolts to cross thread); installing longer brake lines; installing poly bushings on the LCAs; and all sorts of just cleaning things up. The only thing remaining up front is to fab up the front skid plate spacer, and install the camber bolts once they arrive. So, about the SFD install. Overall, a lot of work. The tough part is that once the subframe is down, you lose a few inches of face clearance to work under (fortunately, you gain some work space overhead and can reach places you couldn't reach previously). Removing and installing the axle is time consuming...I had to work it down with a floor jack and pair of jack stands...twice (wife helped with some jack work one of the times). I had flashbacks of the time I pulled down my transmission from my Frontier without help. With everything back together, I have zero CV binding at full droop (pre-install, I had some on the passenger side). Floor to fender flare increased exactly 2.5" on both sides, which matches the subframe spacers perfectly, but I'm certain it'll settle more since I only added 1.5" of strut spacers. I ended up using the .188"-wall spacers instead...if I was going to go through all the hassle of reinstalling everything, then no point of letting those sit. Unfortunately, I haven't even taken it around the block yet, let alone even out of the garage. The good news is that I have no left-over hardware beyond what was being replaced. Stay tuned for the next steps...

I'd try replacing the battery and cleaning the contact pads on the circuit board and the back of the rubber button pads with some isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips first.

2004 SE w/o passenger cylinder

Revised MMs: Beef Supreme: Beef Supreme installed, rack slightly rotated: PS line bracket with perfectly bad camera flash: Edit: editing this because I can. Hopefully the pictures are there. If not, then you can safely assume that none of this is really happening.

I see that now, and I know why. Why can't I edit my posts? Edit: Why can I edit this post but not any of my others?

So the spacers are in, but I'm going to pull the axle back down and put in these motor mount spacers instead: I was originally worried about the MM spacers simply because of the size of tubing (2.5"x 2.5") and possibly not having the clearance I'd need. I ended up cutting a .120"-wall piece in half (like "[" and "]") and installed those, but didn't feel comfortable with it...a high-torque situation would probably bend them and cause a world of other issues. The above design is better, though I may need to trim them to get the length and width down. I ended up using .188"-wall instead, and with these angled cuts, the pieces will be working against each other under high-torque situations, leaving the motor mounts to do their job. (The top of the picture represents the front of the truck.) This also helps with tool clearance...there isn't much on the passenger side to begin with. The steering system was a little more time consuming than I had liked. My measurements were pretty good, though. I did rotate the rack just a little to be on the safe side, but in doing so, it shortened the overall shaft length required. I'll need to get the shaft machined down, though it's probably cheaper to buy a new one. It'll work as-is for the time being. Didn't have any issues with the hoses/lines, though a longer low-pressure/return hose from the PS reservoir will give enough slack to return a bracket to it's original mounting point on the subframe (you can see a lonely bolt on the top of the subframe two pictures down). The high-pressure line got a small bracket that keeps everything in comfortable. A shortcoming on my part was thinking that I'd be able to remove the upper strut mount bolts from the mounting plate without having to disassemble the entire strut. Since my strut bellows are pretty tattered and not doing anything useful, I'm waiting for their replacements to come in before I add in my spacers. I'll also tackle the brake lines at that time, since I still need to confirm those even fit. I've also been tackling a few other tasks. The LCAs have been installed with SuperPro bushings (it is not necessary to remove them for the SFD install). I also spent a couple hours re-doing my skid plate mounting bracket and 'missing link' because the bolts kept cross threading--the steel plate was damaging bolts because it had no tolerance for a slightly off-center welded nylock. I was able to bore out the plate and re-tap some nylocks, but had to cut the welds on a couple of them. The axle even got a good wash while it was down. That's it for now. Still have a lot to do (beyond the SFD); hopefully I'll have it wrapped up before the weekend.

Ha. Yeah, that one. I've found this one to be the most useful: I'll be posting up my own install instructions soon. Not necessarily for the KRFabs one, but an SFD in general.

Yes. And annoyingly, it's the only reason to remove the diff.

It goes. Couldn't start yesterday unfortunately. Couple little snags, like a near-stripped subframe nut (not to mention it was super-torqued down), and a steering link u-joint that didn't have enough tolerance for the steering rack's splined stud. Both just about killed the project, but I got past them luckily. Test-fit the 1.5", and now have the front 2.5" spacers in place, just not tightened down. Need to finish up the rear and motor mount spacers, then button everything up. Also pulled the LCAs and got the rubber bushings off...about as time-consuming and crappy as I expected. Tomorrow I'll wrap up the drop portion, re-install the LCAs with poly, add strut spacers, install brake lines, and put the front back together. Hopefully I can tackle the rear of the truck tomorrow, but doubtful.

Gotcha. Probably not much different here, but can't say I've ever paid attention to it. Headlights on the other hand...pretty important, I hear.

Probably comparing apples to oranges here; I30 vs Pathfinder, headlights vs DRL, etc. It's been about a decade since I did that re-work, so some of the details are lost in years of beers. But lighting modules aren't very complex. Normally a wiring diagram (FSM) and multi-meter is all that's necessary to troubleshoot. But I think in your case, some of the older modules (if one) might be non-servicable and fully-sealed. The one I worked on came apart easily; I just don't remember if I had to remove if from the vehicle, but I think I did. If you're talking about headlights, I wouldn't think there'd be a lighting module unless the vehicle has projection/gas bulbs, or auto-headlights (which may include the DRL logic). It's usually just power to the headlight switch/stalk, fed to the relays, and to the headlights. I'm certain it varies by year and model, though. I've not looked up anything specifically for a Pathfinder, but I can if you'd like. I'll be crawling around the truck (mine's a 2004) so I'll see what exists since the OP has the same year. Yours is a 1990?

I think your friend's suggestion is a little extreme towards the tail end of that logic, but the idea is there. Though, I doubt your springs will rust apart any time soon unless you really neglect them. For the parts you've listed there, you should be able to eyeball or feel those parts while on the truck. If you see/feel frays or cuts on the rubber, its likely they need replacing. Since they're rubber, a couple good jerks or twists on the spring will also reveal any excess sponginess...if you hear metal-metal contact, well, something is probably worn or altogether missing. I'd imagine everything is probably re-usable. The OEM bearings and mounts in your original post should suffice (as long as it also includes the strut mount isolators) for things to replace while you're at it. Worse case scenario, you could by 1-2 of either piece and replace the worst ones; if anything, I'd guess the lower ones would need replacement over the upper ones. Though, I doubt there's a major difference between the A and B pieces, except maybe their length. Beyond that, reads like you've got your bases covered.

Might not be your problem here, but worth looking at...a long while ago, I disassembled a headlight control module for an Infiniti I30 only to discover that a couple solder points had broken from the circuit board. It was also causing an intermittent issue. Had it fixed in about 5 minutes with some fresh solder work on all the contact points.

No longer available, or not in stock? I'd be certain Nissan wouldn't obsolete brake lines. I got the part number from Nissan, and my normal online dealerships appear wiling to take money for it. No mention of NLA. This particular part (superseded by 46310-0W00A, btw) fits R50s up to 2004, so I'd be certain of its availability. Probably not in stock locally, but for sure on a dusty shelf in one of two Nissan warehouses in CA (where all my random out-of-stock parts come from). Granted, it's probably more convenient for the OP to do the work manually as you guys have described if waiting for the part to arrive is not an option. Personally, if I was going to go through the hassle (and couldn't wait to get them online), I'd also buy enough tubing and fittings to do both sides. And, a 10mmX1.0 machine screw will plug the sides of the distribution tee. Just hand tighten it. There's an internal flare you don't want to damage.

Is the part not available from your local dealership? Appears to be a $7 part at courtesyparts.com, surely a few bucks more locally for a part that's certain to fit. I show the part as 46310-0W000 for a 96 4wd w/ABS...MSRP $8.55.

Right on, glad you got it sorted. I thought I had seen a pic of the pieces with writing on them, but yeah, it would've helped. You may also want to give it a day or so to let the coils settle.

As Bushnut mentioned, just removing the strut will cause the camber to go off until the coil re-settles under the weight of the truck. But, if you're certain you got the camber bolts back into their original position (not just putting the bolts where they came from, but also turning them to the specific angle they were at), then a positive camber might mean the strut spacers or the struts are on the wrong side. The strut mount bolt pattern prevents rotating the strut spacer or strut mount plate incorrectly, but doesn't prevent putting them on the wrong side of the truck. If the strut spacer tube (the metal between the mounting flanges) has a slight angle, then they need to be swapped. You can use a small level or plumb line to tell (use an upper and lower bolt as reference points). If they are vertical, then the struts need to be swapped, since the strut mount plates are side-specific. I'd also run this by KRFabs and let them confirm the scenario. It could still very much be just the camber bolts if they changed, and this is very easy to test without removing anything. Just loosen the nuts at the lower strut mount, put a wrench on the bolt head, rotate, and observe. (Rotating the non-camber bolts, if any, won't have any effect.)

Oh, and to clarify KRFabs' logic: you don't need an alignment because their kit is designed to be a perfect linear drop of all subframe components. Nothing changes except the gap between the unibody and subframe (it goes from 0" to 4") (<--that's what she said). The steering rack angle changes, but that has no impact on steering.

You should not need an alignment if you return the strut to the same angle relative to the steering knuckle. This is usually done by marking a line on the camber bolt heads where they meet the strut mount (and obviously returning the same bolts to the same holes when you remove them). Since turning the bolt head is what adjusts camber, you just want to return the original bolt to its original hole at its original position. Of course, this also assumes you didn't need an alignment before installing it, and that you don't add/change anything beyond just installing all the spacers, including new camber bolts (unless you mark them at the same orientation of their 'bellies'...the cam portion of the bolt). To note, I don't run the KrFabs kit either, but will be installing my own kit next week and am familiar with the sort of changes that warrant alignments.

Sorry Yendor, I meant welding on the spacers themselves, not welding them on the truck. Everything will be bolt-on, and without cutting or drilling. Here are the welded spacers, though still a little rough. Just need to clean up the surfaces, drill holes, and paint. The center is a rigid, hollow box formed by the walls of the three tube pieces that comprise each spacer. Same amount of steel as a simple tube, but is much stronger. These are 3/16" thick and probably didn't need welding at all, but the design also allows for side access by tools (which is only necessary for the front subframe hardware anyway) and reduces the amount of rounded tube edges that contact (or more appropriately, don't contact) the unibody or subframe. Tomorrow, I'll pick up enough .120" steel for another 2.5" set and a 1.5" set. The steering link arrives in a couple days, and is the last part I need, then it's all systems go after the gluttony that is Thanksgiving. Though, I just had to order another (3rd) shock for the rear because apparently I loosened something inside the shock (wtf?) while swapping the bushings and it doesn't behave like it's mate now. I'm hoping to get it before T-day, but I can limp if it arrives after.

Obviously not to say it's not possible, but it wouldn't be easy. The strut is the most limiting factor on our trucks. If I were to do anything short of an SAS, it would be to eliminate the MacPherson strut system and build UCAs mounts to use Frontier/Xterra, Titan, or even 4Runner UCAs and coilovers. Then you start opening doors to more off-the-shelf lift options. (I've actually given thought to a bolt-on system that could achieve this.)

Honestly, I wouldn't go that route if you just wanted lift. For that effort, you'd be better of considering an SAS. What the guys mentioned above is the tip of the iceberg. Long travel kits for Frontier and Xterra can run up to $3000...and that's without longer CVs, coilovers, pre-runner fenders, and other things that are required and probably don't even exist for an R50. It would not be remotely cheap, and the gains would be no better than an SFD. If you plan to lift your R50 any appreciable height, an SFD becomes necessary (noting that dropping the subframe is what corrects CV and steering angles, and does not provide any lift in itself).

So, I got the finished spacers back, and they're as solid as expected. Just need to hit them up with paint and slap them on. Even got all the hardware necessary for bolting everything up yesterday, and ordered up the steering link today. For those interested (or not), do you think welding up the subframe spacers is worth it (i.e., would you want that or just simple tubes)? It does cost a little more because of the welding work, but because lighter steel can be used, the material is cheaper to buy and ship. I'm going with welded regardless, but thinking I'd offer a couple options (simple .188, welded .120, welded .188). Also, just wanted to re-iterate that this SFD is just that...it only drops the subframe. I thought about including strut spacers, as angled spacers are not necessary here, but I'd just be the middleman if I did. There are several strut spacers available, and by not including them, I don't have to mark up the costs to cover my shipping costs, and you get to pick-and-choose your setup. For my setup, I'll be adding my .5" to a 1.5" spacers.

Curious to know, too. I see the different parts numbers for the fender depending on if fender flares and the tire carrier were included. Definitely doesn't appear to be an extra, separate bracket of any sort. Still, your approach is probably sufficient. Are your plates bonded to the metal in any way, like JB Weld?

Cool. Well, keep an eye out for my notes on an SFD, or look into KRFab's 4" kit to clear 33s. You could also ditch the side steps and fab up some sliders. ARB bumpers are a pretty penny here, but are they any cheaper around there?