mjotrainbrain

First of all welcome, sounds like you have a lot of questions! I'd advise you to just expect some feedback on the engine/tranny removal question here, and go ahead and start a new thread with the rest, where you can post updates and further questions pertaining to your Pathy, since this one is dedicated to system_f's rig!

Looks pretty good! I'd inspect it for signs of abuse offroad since it has nice tires.

How many miles do your current struts have on them? The reason it's generally advised to change them at the same time is because, in order to install a coil lift, you have to totally disassemble the strut. While you're doing that much work, you may as well put new on generally. KYB struts with OEM Nissan bearings are a very popular and good option as far as that. Rear shocks only take 2 fasteners to change, so it's up to you when to change them, however longer rear shocks will allow you to take advantage of the additional suspension flex lift coils will make possible. In addition, using a nice shock like Bilstein will improve ride greatly. As far as spacer vs coil, it depends on your intended use of the vehicle, budget, and what you want as far as ride quality. There's a lot more to consider than it seems at the surface. For spacers they will all function the same, so I always recommend Steve's product (sfcreation.com) as he's a long-time member here on the forum and I personally enjoyed his products on my rig. For coils there's two primary options: Old Man Emu or AC. OME (Not to be confused with OEM!) is produced by ARB in Australia and give phenomenal rode quality on and off road, however at less of a lift; right around 1.5". AC will generally ride harsher and may cause your front struts to "top-out" potentially causing them to wear prematurely. However, they provide a true 2" of lift and can take heavier loads better. They're great for a rig laden down with skidplates, rock sliders, and bumpers, or just anybody who doesn't mind a little harder ride who also wants a good amount of lift. My personal recommendation based upon my own experience is a 1" spacer lift paired with OME springs, however this is making out what the R50 platform can take at 2.5" of lift and can make alignment a bit of a PITA. Here's a breakdown of some things to consider: Spacers: Good: -cheap -simple -you can add/remove to level out your ride, especially as you change out springs -maintais factory ride quality Bad: -changes the location of the range of motion of the CV's, which means that at full droop they could bind (I can explain this more if you're confused, I may even do a write up on it with diagrams since it tends to confuse newbies!) -maintain factory ride quality Springs: Good: -stiffer ride/better load carrying capacity -keeps CV's in stock range of motion (again, I can explain of you'd like) so no binding issues Bad: -in some (definitely not all, don't let it scare you!) cases may damage struts -stiffer ride -more expensive Hopefully that's helpful for you. I think it's fairly comprehensive, but it's late and I just got done with 4 days of working on my 4Runner, so I'm tired haha.

Wow, you had to do that to me! Haha, all in good fun. Nice write-up, lots of good information for anybody contemplating this swap! So glad you didn't give up on the R50. I wonder who else doubles as a 4Runner fan? Also....you know this forum well enough to know what I'm gonna request...pictures!

Ooh, I forgot about enjoi's rig. That thing did look really good. Maybe black would work after all, haha. Maybe if I actually looked up pics instead of just imagining it I'd give better input... System_f, have you tried photoshopping pics of the wheels onto a pic of your Pathy? Or even just a quick and dirty job with MS Paint. It would give you a much better idea of which wheels will look good.

I would agree, don't do black with that body color, the grey is certainly tempting. The silver might be a little too bright, but the style of the wheel is very nice.

Now to soup up that engine to a VG34 and have a SWEET daily driver! Looks fantastic man, always making me want to find a nice one to bring back to life.

I can also confirm that 3.75" of backspace is the magic number. You may have issues with major tire rub at full flex in the rear, in addition to the general trimming you'll need to do since the tire won't neatly tuck behind the quarter panel anymore when flexing. If you're truck isn't rusty it *should* be a fairly easy job to add 2" thick by 3" diameter body lift spacers to the rear bumpstops with longer bolts to keep the tire off the body.

Awesome on the clearance, fits just barely, but that's all it takes! Excited to hear what all happens with this project. Which hoses are discontinued? Any way to do anything to replace them?

Not sure how wide you can go on stock wheels (not sure how wide the wheels themselves are) but most people put their 11.5 or 12.5 wide tires on 15x8 wheels.

Interesting about the engine bay being black. I didn't even think that was unusual until I got my silver 4Runner, as my QX4 was black, it was hard to tell what was body paint and what was just black! I'm also interested to hear what caused it's death, this project really interests me. I'd love to do exactly this, find a clean Pathy in need of a lot of lovin for cheap.

You're going to need to get yourself about 3.75" of backspacing, whether it's with wheels or spacers, to get anything taller than a 31" tire to fit. Don't really remember what the situation is like for width with stock offset, but with 3.75" backspace wheels plenty of people fit 12.5" wide tires no problem. I personally had 32x11.5 with room to spare. What exactly do you consider wide? Is 12.5" wide enough, or are you looking at hugely wide, like 14"+?

This is why the forum is great, CORRECT and mathematically logical answers.

Have you taken a look at u-pull junk yards near you? From my experience the pre-facelift crossbars (like you have) feel cheap/flimsy to me compared to the post-facelift ones my QX4 came with, however the earlier ones sit much closer to the roof, by about an inch and a half. Minor tradeoff for strength though.

Link isn't working because krfabs stopped making them quite some time ago. As far as I know, nobody is making a kit right now, and there is some conflicting info as to what the correct measurements are if you want to make one yourself. If you're dead-set on having one and are willing to make it yourself or have a shop build you one, I'd send somebody like Hawairish or TowndawgR50 a message and see if they can help you out with dimensions.

That's what my rig started with, and I certainly wasn't disappointed! Enjoy!

Looks like a good project! That color paired with a VQ and a MT makes for a pretty rare (and cool) combo.

A strut spacer lift will work well, however if you are willing to spend what is necessary for an SFD I would say don't cheap out on the 2" lift option, get actual lift coils and new struts/shocks; it will ride a million times better, will take rough trails better, and will give you a nice amount of lift, maybe even more than the spacers (since spacers give you 2" over what you have, which may be less than stock because of saggy springs). Unless of course you can find an SFD full kit, then go that route!

Still needs doors huh? Looks fantastic otherwise of course!

Check if it's drinking oil, the VQ tends to make a fair bit disappear on a regular basis. Not necessarily a problem, but could be if you can find where it's going. (*Check rear main seal area.*) As far as the t-case, just make sure it works. Haven't heard of any issues with it (I loved AUTO mode in the winter). Yes, you can add an additional crossmember, called a "missing link", which ties the rears of the front control arms together. Doesn't come with any skidplates other than a plastic one on the front, if it even still has it. You can solve both of these issues with stuff from sfcreation.com. Also worth noting, you can get a transfer case skid from a WD21 and put it on regular t-case R50's supposedly; I got one, doesn't fit the QX4 auto-mode t-case, so don't bother! Main thing is rust. Especially around the front struts, it's a big issue.

No problem, the forum's a learning tool after all! Now, hopefully somebody can help the OP figure out his issue! Fortunately my 3.5L always ran perfect other than a few heat issues (burped coolant and good to go), so I don't really know anything about the engines. I guess start with simple stuff, is the fuel filter totally clogged up? Does it have plenty of gas? Are the spark plugs completely toast? How's the battery? Any warning lights or codes, and issues you noticed before this?

The 3.5 doesn't have a distributor, otherwise that would be my first suggestion as well, especially if it's not a real Nissan dizzy.

I like my Michigan weather (and Lake Michigan and the UP and pretty awesome ?), but I'd love access to AZ cars.....at the very least I'm making a trip out there one day, maybe when it's time to buy a Pathfinder again. But yes, moving to AZ....tempting idea.... Towndawg, is this something that you have files or drawings for, as in could you produce them again if somebody asked a few years from now?

That sounds like a pretty epic journey. As a member of this forum, I think I can say on the behalf of all of us that we need more pictures!

Are these any longer, to compensate for axle placement when lifted?