03TroutFinder

41 on Friday! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Hey bud. Welcome back to the states! The key that I learned by trial and error years ago when I used to show my rides was to paint the pieces like your painting a car. Continuous movement from side to side, starting before and spraying past the piece your painting. Stay about 10-12" from the piece. Never just point the spray can at the piece and spray. That causes too much paint to lay in one spot and causes the over spray a lot of people get. I just take my time and spray 2-4 light coats, allowing 30 minutes to 1 hr between coats to avoid running and to ensure a consistent level of paint. I have been pretty lucky with this method. Before you spray the pieces though, sand the piece with some high grit paper like 500+ grit to give the paint some grip. Clean the piece well before painting it. Also, get the better spray paint. I typically use rustoleum paint/primer that bonds to plastic. Hope this helps. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Update: got the painted pieces installed this afternoon after work. I welcome your thoughts/feedback. Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk

Initial plan was to just change the gear shift mechanism. Got into it and ended up doing a deep clean on the entire passenger part of the cabin. Who knew the shift mechanism plugs are different? Purchased one from a 2000 2wd and the plug is completely different. The rest of the unit is identical as far as I could tell. Didn't think it would have mattered with the manual transfer case shifter. Went even further since everything was already out and removed some trim pieces from the dash and doors and painted them red. Ripped out the carpet and have black vinyl on order as a replacement. Some before and after pics of the floor, painted pieces and the different plugs for the shifter. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Not at all blasphemous! About to do the same for mine. Look forward to seeing yours in the Calvary Blue if you go that route. Should have mine repainted by July. Not in Calvary blue though, so don't worry! Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk

I miss the u pull it's back home. I have yet to find a decent u pull it here around ATL. If it's a u pull it yard, its typically already been pulled, lol. When I used to be into show quality builds, the u pull it lots were the ticket to get those "custom" pieces! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Just an fyi, you technically do not need a passport to cross the northern border. I traveled there last May. Just had my DL, SS card and birth certificate with me to get back in. Dont even think I needed all of that. I will say, it was a heck of a lot easier to leave than to get back in however! Not too bad, just really checked every little thing to make sure it was right. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Not familiar with the brand, but the 42 or 252 look pretty good! Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk

Thanks! Is this one similar or think this one might work? I notice the year teranno mentioned in the attached pic is the wd21 pathfinder in the us. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

How would one acquire one of these snorkels. These are very nice and streamlined. Most of the ones I see are too bulky looking for me. These are sweet. Any detail on how to order would be awesome! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

The troutfinder, naturally! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Man, you take a lot of pride in you R50's bro. This one and the Q are super clean! I'm guessing this one obviously has been repainted. Looks great! Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk

I have AVM hubs on mine. Have been pretty satisfied with them so far. Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk

The setup you mentioned being set on is the exact setup I have(OME/AC heavy duty springs up front, LR 9449 rear springs) with 275/55 20's(32"). To date I have not had any issues. As the other posters have mentioned, it drives a little different and the ride is more stiff. But I'll say I have been very impressed with the road ride quality. When I go off road is when I feel the rigidness in the suspension. I changed out my CV axles, but only beacause of the post concerns when doing my initial research about lifting it. They didn't really need to be changed. I also put manual hubs on which has been a big benefit as well. The setup you are thinking of going with should be just fine. Yes some things will be out of their normal range which could cause more potential strain on them. If you go in knowing this and are o.k. with changing a FE suspension part every now and then, just lift it! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Sorry if this has been addressed already, but couldn't find in my search. On my way home this afternoon, I had to stop quickly and my drink spilled over and pretty much the entire drink spilled over onto the shift area. About 40 minutes or so later, the truck started shifting funny. I noticed that the Overdrive light was coming on/off and that was the cause of the intermittent shift/rpm fluctuations. Is there a sensor and/or connection for the overdrive under the center console I need to clean/dry? Has anyone else experienced something similar? The truck did not act as if the tranny was going bad. Still shifted smoothly, just everytime the o/d light came on it would downshift, when it went off, it shifted back to the next gear. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Poor boys rear tire carrier. Just mocked up t this point. Going to need to do a little work to get it better stabilized. Gonna figure out a way to mount my jerry can holder on it too. A project for another day! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Is it necessary to rerun wire for the door speakers if you replace them with aftermarket ones if you have a bose system? I'm guessing it's the above posters preference to do so? I didn't in my 96 r50 I had and the system was awesome, but was'nt a bose system. My 03 has the bose. Sounds great, but looking to put my old system in it to take it to the next level. Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk

Thanks. It was under $450. Got it off ebay of all places. It's a winch bumper for an xj cherokee made by goliath. They are based out of FL. They are still available on Ebay and ship for free. You can get different front bar setups like bull bar, stinger, or pre-runner(like mine) or just the bumper. Took a little fab work and most of a day to get it mounted properly, but all in all it fits great. I like this one because its wider than most xj bumpers and actually fits the pathy better than some others I have seen. You can see some fab/install pics if you look at previous posts in this thread. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Replaced the roof mounted off road lights and completed fabrication/mounting for new rear bumper! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

I did weld a hitch directly to the new bumper, but kept the other one too. Instead of building a swing arm, I'm going to fab up a spare tire carrier to insert into a tilting carrier attachment where the wheel will simply fold down to access the cargo area instead of swing out. Going to try this first to see if I like it before forking out the $$$ for. Swing arm kit. Here are a few pics of the troutfinder after she got much needed bath! Been about year. Next big project is to get her repainted. Thinking strongly about going Heath Gray from.the old Fj's. If that becomes too difficult, then it's most likely Cement from the new taco's. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

You bet man! We definitely have to finally break down and get together. We're basically neighbors! Japan huh, that's sweet! What's taking you over there? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Went joy riding to find a few waterfalls with the kids on this gloomy North GA day! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Also got the front bumper painted up. Just have to get the skid plate made and installed! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Afternoon Project: Started on the rear bumper this afternoon. Got the main frame of it fabricated and mocked up. Deciding if I will continue with my initial plan to add the sides that will cover where the OEM bumper bends around towards the rear wheel well. Going to install the spare tire carrier directly to the bumper. Hopefully the tire will help cover the gap between the new bumper and receiver! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Here's another option for you, if your open to changing the bumper all together. Goliath bumper for an xj that has bull bar, pre-runner(shown) and even a stinger bar as bolt on options. I have less than $400 into my setup, and fabrication was not too difficult. About a day to draw up the plan and get everything lined up properly. The thing I liked about the goliath bumper in my research other than the price was that its wider, so no fabrication of the actual bumper was needed as others have stated they needed to do with other xj bumpers. If you truly just want to mount a stinger bar to your bumper, it may look good, but as others said it will have no true benefit, and can actually cause more damage if in an accident. If your just going for the aesthetic look, go for it and share pics! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk