RainGoat

Hey, are you looking for a fairing? You might see if CBI/Prinsu sells it separately - I bet they would if you call; but the dimensions would need to meet one of theirs. There’s this one I used on the 4Runner - but it’s pretty shallow & probably too wide. https://www.lfdoffroad.com/catalog/brackets-mounts/wind-faring A Yakima or Thule one might work but that’s alot to pay for plastic. If you make a custom or buy a premade rack one, keep in mind there are versions that integrate a single row LED light bar slot if that’s something that might interest you.

Huh, wonder why he wouldn’t get the fender to hub measurements. I’m surprised he didn’t take them, I always take fender & hub measurements. That said, they definitely don’t look like they’re giving him lift. Tough to say - the spacer sure confuses things. Not sure why he threw the spacer on without trialing it first. A 1.5” spacer with any notable lift wouldn’t have been a great idea anyway. If he won’t even bother doing the installed fender to hub measurements, I’m not surprised IronMan isn’t bothering to move forward. Kind of too bad for everybody.

Is the OP a NPORA member? I heard Ironman was reaching out for measurements & he wasn’t collaborating with them. Kind of a bummer all the way around.

Yep, they’re a reputable brand for Toyota. I’d put them as a brand of choice for a moderate build. They’re most likely what I’ll use for a 3” lift on our 5thGen 4Runner. No real complaints in the T4R world.

Just go to his build thread - it’s highlighted on post#90 - though there is some foreshadowing earlier in the thread. In fact, he had to try a few shops before he got one that could do it correctly - and it turned out they didn’t either. I’d recommend anybody take the strut alignment picture from [mention=1343]XPLORx4[/mention] with them to the shop as that error has been documented several times in this forum. In this small world, [mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] was at my place when [mention=41986]zakzackzachary[/mention] got hold of us. I’ve since actually visited the exact spot of the failure on the WABDR. Do as you see fit, just trying to help & keep everybody safe. One of the best aspects of this forum is everyone’s candid descriptions of their struggles, triumphs & failures. No reason to make the same mistakes twice.

Lots of us do regular JY trips & could possibly snag you one ( or some, in case you want spares). I find the JYs sometimes have unreasonable prices though (I’ve left a cup holder adapter at the register before when they wanted >$12 for it). Consider posting what a cap + shipping would be & we could keep an eye out for you.

It’s addressed in better mechanical detail in other threads but [mention=41986]Zakzackzachary[/mention] documents his failure due to leaving it out in his thread (Post#90). The struts alone have several instances of documented incorrect installation by garages in NPORA - in reviewing the above thread, I note he had trouble with some local shops as well. I’ve been passing along@XPLORx4 strut alignment pic for years now as that’s another common error. I would double check any shop’s work, especially for such a safety essential component.

Old plastic breaks easily. A JY is going to be your cheapest alternative- though I admittedly don’t see those racks there very often.

I used an OEM top hat, not the pictured aftermarket one. I don’t think the aftermarket spacer needs to be welded - you just need to be sure to use it.

We’ll need more knowledgeable people than me to comment. I will note; however, that lift is relative. 0.5-0.75” areoften quoted for OME but I’m guessing that’s vs brand new OEM. My lift was substantially more but it was from a 17yo suspension. I would expect though that you’ll be in a safe zone with regard to CVs. I’ll let others address rear top out though it sounds like you should be okay. I must have missed the rear shocks you’re intending- I’d list the spring with specs & spring rate as well as the shocks. Your Ironman experience will be interesting. It should be a safe bet but it’s new here in the US so tour experience will be pioneering.

Front Notes: Nissan R50 OEM Springs: 115”/# Spring Rate 5" Inner Diameter Front Springs: Dobinson Ironman 4x4 Part#NISS034B (https://ironman4x4america.com/nissan-pathfinder...-0-110lbs) ARB OME AC TJM King Dobinsons (https://www.dobinsonsdirect.com/products/dobinsons-pair-of-front-coils-for-nissan-pathfinder-r50-1995-2005c45-168)

I’d go with LR rears in a heartbreak - you’ll have to consult the threads regarding height. Each height is available in a medium & heavy duty spring rate.

As for the spring sleeves, you can reuse them - I did; however, mine were mostly worn through (literally worn away to non-existence in large spots)& I wish I’d had replacements. I rotated mine & others have replaced with hose. Honestly, I’m not sure where you get them but I wish I’d had some handy - it’s the one thing in the rebuild I felt we did suboptimally.

KYB struts are fine, noone has had a problem with them. There may be some improvement in road manners with the OME, but its incremental & probably imperceptible paired with AC struts; plus they are significantly more expensive. I believe it was [mention=38818]micahfelker[/mention] who experienced a failure with the Moog strut bearing, not KYB. Here was my part list: OEM Replacement Parts Strut Bearing [54325-5V000] $48.54=$24.27x2 Spring Seat [54034-0W000] $45.42=$22.71x2 Bellows & Bump Stop [54050-0W002] $38.86=$19.43x2 Did NOT use: Upper Seat Rubber Bumper (NOT rubber) [54057-0W000] $22.50=$11.25x2 $173.17 ($155.32+$17.85s) infinitipartsdeal.com Wish I had new rubber/plastic to go on the bottom of the spring but I just rotated my old ones since I did not. I believe@hawairish improvised with hose. @02_Pathy & [mention=39745]stpickens[/mention] have excellent examples of 2” lifts; prior to their SFDs. 2” is all you really need & can make a great build. While manual hubs are all the rage, many of us, particularly the ATX14A trucks, are still running autohubs. In a part-time 4x4 truck there is no reason not to install them; but I wouldn’t get hung up on it. If you’re not spacer lifting, keeping it at 2”, & not rock crawling, you’ll probably never need new CVs but if you do, the manual hubs make it possible to replace them without removing the tire. Having owned my truck since new in ‘02 but having just started to refresh it about 4 years ago, you’re in for a treat. Just freshening the suspension alone will make it infinitely more pleasant to drive.

Photos from[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] I can’t tell you how much I like his set up. The dust/chase lights work great too.

@towndawgR50 was able to get TAP plastics to cut an amber lens for his existing light bar for a very reasonable price & it performed much better than film.

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Using only 4 connection points should help accomodate the rocker in the roof/rails. If you use more, you’ll have to have different heights. I have 8 attachment points, which is arguably too many as you want the roof to be able to flex & you probably want your attachment points to give before the rails or your roof. I want to elevate my rack about 1.5cm using some small aluminum towers but each pair of towers needs to be a different height as the curvature is asymmetric. Another FYI, you might want a sloped front to decrease wind resistance to mitigate the effect on your mpg. Also, that box front is likely going to create alot of wind noise. Finally, consider an amber light bar.[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] windshield LED bar was essentially only usable at low speed due to all the hood light reflection. He then redid it with an amber lens and it’s a world different. It still casts tons of light but isn’t bothersome to the driver & even okay to have in your rear view mirror. All the while, bright enough that I was essentially using it to see myself when he was ahead of me. Totally convinced me to go amber in the future.

Westwood or Santa Monica, 1989 or 90 Ha ha, 30 yrs ago, still pisses me off

If you want to burn alot of time, here are some extensive battery/alternator threads. I don’t claim to understand any of it. https://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/216665-voltage-booster-31m-agm-battery.html https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/alternator-voltage-booster.503895/

On the Toyota & Overland Forums there is alot of discussion about AGM batteries often requiring higher output than stick Toyota alternators put out & that this can lead to premature battery failure in AGMs. I ran an old school Optima Red Top for over a decade with bo problem. My Yellow top did not last as long but still a handful of years (& consistent with the decline of Optima - my 2nd Yellow Top in another vehicle lasted only 3 years). What research I did on this seemed to indicate that the OEM Pathfinder alternator had a higher output than our ‘18 4Runner’s alternator & consequently shouldn’t be a problem. When I queried this in NPORA, general feedback was that it was mostly BS. All that said, the concept of it would support that higher output might, in fact, be beneficial to an AGM battery.

Ditto on everything above. Not applicable to your situation but I have top out occasionally on my current rears which are the Britpart LR9448s. I’m temporarily running old Bilstein 5100s while I figure out which 5165s to upgrade to. I basically only feel it under the conditions[mention=41155]R50JR[/mention] describes. Since I was adding weight up front, I put on my 97# bumper before switching to the ARB OME2928 to avoid this problem; however, the truck was dangerously front heavy on the old OEM set-up for the brief time I had it like that - so much so, I essentially drove it home & then only drove it to go back to [mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] where he helped me change out the front set up. After that, I couldn’t even feel the bumper anymore. I positively love my front OME setup. It’s so nice that my wife spontaneously commented on it the first time she rode in it, just to the hardware store. It sounds like medium duty will fit your needs best.

I’d echo this 100%. I’m a bug fan of tinting my street cars but I would think twice on an off-road vehicle, especially if you ever drive offroad at night. It’s even more questionable for those of us that live in the Western PNW because our days are generally grey most of the year as well. It should be noted that the dust can eat through that tint if you like to drive with your windows down. I generally explored as a solo vehicle my first couple decades & my truck has lines permanently etched in the rear row windows from the extremely sharp volcanic SW dust. I had this easily by 30-40K but my truck has been a trip truck for all but a handful of years. Aftermarket tint is less robust so keep that in mind if it’s dusty & you drive with the front windows partially down. Now that my truck is largely a toy & in the PNW exclusively, I did tint my driver’s side windows to match. In most places this should be all you have to ask for. There are hand held devices which can measure your tint percentage - these are what some law enforcement officers carry in their patrol car for field checks. Tinting your front windshield is essentially illegal in every state - but much harder, if not impossible, to field check. Also, while annoying I’ve been ticketed in my old Z for having windows that didn’t meet California requirements despite the fact that I lived in & the car was registered in another state. Doesn’t seem like that should be possible or legal but when I went to court to politely demonstrate that I met KS law, the judge in LA ruled against me & I then had legal fees on top of my fine. Bull@!*% but it would have required an even more expensive lawyer to have tried to fight it, even my protest at the ruling had the judge threatening to increase my fine or add contempt & I was genuinely being polite & simply presenting KS legal requirements & proof of my residence. That said, I’ve driven without a front plate on 2 of my 3 cars for years now without a problem - probably the result of now being an old white guy in the suburbs. Like alot of things, it’s all in the enforcement.

Found this posted by Dan Otto on an Oregon Offroad FB group.