Precise1

Snicker... B

Nice job Mr. P !! I cant help ya with the binding though... Well, I was going to keep the Pathy pretty stock; until I hit the post.... While it should be fine, a little more hacking, fabbing, pounding is reasonable since it has started already... I'm probably keeping it for life (it's hopefully) so I am starting to think about mods.... We'll see. Congrats on the nice rig !! Bernard

What kind of help are you asking for ?? A ride to school ?? I feel for ya Bud... I hope to get my Pathy back from the body shop this week. But why do you say inevitable ?? I went 15 years without problem before I wandered across a cement post... Bernard

Hey madizm620... If you give me the VIN I can run a scan for vehicle reports. PM me if interested for privacy... Also, the dealer should be able to get the key code from the vin... Hopefullly it fits the doors.... Bernard

Snicker....

LOL, dont ask me about not havng a truck; thats why I cant just go look right now. Humor me this though; LIGHTLY wedge/lever the spline bit you are trying to move, and at the same time tap the spline or housing with a small hammer, but hard enough to vibrate things. Again, just shooting in the dark, but stupid, carefull things like this have succeeded for me in the past. Wish I had me manual; it's in the truck... GL B

Your picts are making me dizzy... Are you saying that with the pinch clamp loosened it wont move ? Is the shaft binding it or interfering ? Have you tried levering it out on both sides simultaneously ? Sometimes a spline type fit will dig in if not 'equally pressured'. Maybe loosten the mounting bolts for alignment; hard to believe a slip fit could be so bound up... Straw clutching, but trying to help B

Hey Airrun !! I'd be happy to help ya out with some parts.... Just let me know. B

Try wire brushing the exposed thread first, then try a cheaterbar (get a friend to help) after soaking everything with PBB or something for a few days. I seem to remember almost dislocating my shoulder before I got mine to budge... Bad comes to worse, don't get mad or frustrated, GET EVEN !! Go buy a nut splitter, and put it out of its (and your) misery... Bernard

I believe he was implying that you just rig something up. 88 has some hard, reinforced rubber mats in there (probably helps isolate also). Fab skills help here, but 1" should not be difficult to do... B

LOL, Mr Thats exactly what I was talking about (didn't understand your description), and thats exactly what I hoped wouldn't happen !! Tell me you whacked it a few times first though. A good trick for drilling straight holes is to drill a slightly larger hole (no more than 1/16") in a metal block, and use that as the guide/pilot bushing for the hand drill. Works very well, especially if you can C clamp it in place... Good luck Bud !! Bernard

Good catch Bud !! I had just replaced the front sway bar bushings; they were sooo sloppy that the bolts had grooves worn in them from rubbing !! B

Hey Mr P !! There are special sockets you can buy for stripped bolts (I believe crapsman makes some) that you pound on like what MM said, but they work better. If you go that route, rig a jack or something to hold the breaker bar/socket firmly in place, then use another jack or come-a-long to torque the handle. You basically only have 1 shot, so get all body parts clear and start jacking/cranking until something gives... Hopefully it will be the bolt breaking free, if not then you will probably have to drill it out, which is a PITA. Don't even bother with easyouts on this one. Also, try firmly striking the bolt head a few times. This 'ringing' technique can often loosen the corrosion on the threads. You are following the "righty tighty-Lefty loosey" rule, aren't you ? Good luck ! Bernard

Hey FN. Sorry, but I have never run Ranchos so I cant give you a comparison... I do know I like them though... B

Hey K9sar, you are right, you should change... Your location, not the oil. How you could ever go from the South West to the North East I'll never understand. It woulds take a shotgun, handcuffs and about 400 horsepower to get me there and I'd be sreaming and fighting the whole, just to head back south after I chewed through the leg shackles... LOL, stay warm Bud !! Bernard

WD-40 is often used for applications it's not really meant for... WD stands for Water Displacement... I used to carry a can in my baja for winter time. When water got in the distributor and the motor died, I'd just pop the cap off, spray liberally, replace the cap, and drive off.... B

Congrats Craig on the purchase !! I'm sure you will like it, and the milage is not that high. If it is/was maintained properly and driven reasonably, you can expect 250K miles+ before the engine starts to crap out. There is a milage posting here somewhere, and someone posted some insane number like 460K or something. SE is nice; I have a XE with more extras than I need other then LSD, but then I like simple. MT is the best by far. I'm sure 88 will have some input, but I never understood why people buy an auto 4x4 if they plan to use 4x4... Maybe they don't like repacing clutches... Enjoy Bud. Bernard

Yep, I drove a Nissan 720 P/U 4x4 Kingcab with the Z24 motor for 11 years and it made me love Nissan... It only left me stranded 3 times; once alternator, once starter (bump started it and drove home), once battery. I loved it and would choose it for a backwoods crawler any day. The reason I sold it rather than rebuild was any time I saw a hill, I would whimper, down shift, and floor it in hopes of making it to the top at any reasonable speed, and that was a much lighter shell than the pathy !! I feel your pain. The 3.0V6 pushes the Pathy just fine in my book, but then I was conditioned by the Z24. Now, if the Z24 motor could be wedged into a VW Bug Baja it would be the perfect mix !! Bernard

Ya had to wait till it siezed, eh ? LOL, no harm done though. I got OEM parts at nissanmart.com which is about the cheapest I can find. This is a decent site also http://www.maximumautoparts.com/NI_cat.html I also use this one http://www.Nissan-auto-parts-dealer.com/ I'm not really sure what the quality difference is between brands.... I just replaced everything+reconditioned flywheel for about $200. Good luck and use a tranny jack, that bastage is heavy !! PS A 18" or 24" ratchet extension will make life much easier !! Bernard

Ahh, I didn't know he had a 4cy.... If its the same Z24 motor I had in my last truck, they are bullet proof and have the same power as an electric toothbrush... Also didn't realize its a NZ thing... Makes sense, and like I said, Nice Job !! Bernard

LOL, dont need to piss dad off !! Do what I did after I pulled the T-bars to yank the tranny if you need to estimate. Have the wrench/ratchets with you + tape measure. Crank a few times (equal on both sides) and measure it. You HAVE to drive it inbetween to let things 'settle' but it works. If you want to be more precise, use a 1' finely graduated steel rule, and measure the A arms, with the same crank and drive method. Patience kills the savvage beast, or something like that... Just make sure you are on lever ground when you take measurements !! Bernard

Definitely sounds like a key/tumbler problem. Look at the key down a light, viewing the reflection. Is it slightly bent ??? try to straighten it... I have keys to a bike where one set is a little bent and doesnt like to work where the other is fine. Imagine a key shaft with grooves that is bent, then try to turn it 90 degrees... The pattern is the same, but with a different end point, either higher or lower; tumblers dont like that. Straighten the key first, and if that doesn't work, then it is probably a wear issue and needs to be replaced. Bernard

That sounds bad... in the city you should be able to get about 5KM/L easy... Are you a lead foot ?? Does the truck roll freely ? Maybe brakes are rubbing or the universal joints are binding ?? Is the odometer reading correctly ? Something is definitely up !! B

From what I understand, DITTO. I have 10.5x31" on my pathy and they clear just fine... Start getting taller, wider and messing with the backspacing; no promises... Is the gain worth it ?? I dont know... Maybe just more agressive tires in the smaller pattern will equal the larger size in traction. But then I have to ask; If it is just for curb crawling, why bother ?? Don't be a poser... enjoy what you have and put the $ in the bank... You will be glad for it, and not look lame... Bernard

Very nicely done... Basically looks like a factory job !! I am very impressed !! Now, allow me to be the village Idiot. According to Mr. P's conversion #'s, you have +25HP and +40TQ if my memory is correct. So what was the real gain over cams, headers, exhaust and intake for the Pathy engine ? With those mods you would hit or excede those #, and the Pathy motor is durable so I doubt any major gains there... I don't get why the trouble other than a cool project. Don't get me wrong, seems like you did a beautiful job and I am impressed; I just don't know why... Feel free to educate me. Bernard