Body Lift Instructions?

[cj_rezz]

Hi all,

 

I've owned my pathfinder for 2 years now and I'm finally in a finacial posistion where I can get my pathy a little more off road worthy. I'm going to be buying some new rubber (probably just 31x10.5 BF A/T's for now), new alloy rims, 3" SL and 3" body lift. (It gives me chills just thinking about it!)

 

I can do all of these mods myself (other than the wheel alignment, obviously) but I would like to get a good idea of what is involved in the process of installing a body lift. I guess I'm looking for a step by step guide with some pictures or something of that sort.

 

I feel really lame for asking this question becuase I'm sure the answer has been discussed before and I should be able to find it using the search engine but I honestly cannot find anything other than the odd post dealing with a certain part of the install.

 

Any help or links you can give me would be greatly appreciated and hopefully I will have something to contribute back soon (like some sweet offroading pictures!)

 

Thanks!

[solid snake]

Ok to answer your question here is a write up:

 

http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=5325

 

and you can also go here:

 

http://www.damagedreality.com/tmaster.html

[cj_rezz]

A W E S O M E ! !

 

Thanks solid snake, I feel confident enough not to disect my baby and put in this body lift now.

 

I've been obsessed lately with doing this work to my pathy. I've stayed up all night (on weekdays) just reading these forums, getting ideas, learning and drooling over some of your guys' pictures.

 

I'm stoked! I'm going to start first with the parts that I've got and those that are on order, consisting of:

-3" AC SL

-15x8 American Racing Alloy wheels

-5 (can't forget the spare tire rack) 31x10.5" BF A/T's (don't want to go too big just yet)

-clear corner lights (just put in my clear bumber lights)

-matching chrome grille to match the chrome trim on corner lights (old grille=black)

-custom fab'd rock sliders similar to the ones AC sells.

 

I've also been scouring ebay for a good deal on some PIAA driving lights, offroading lights and matching headlight bulbs although I've thought about getting the clear aftermarket headlights first to really spice up the front end. I even ordered the factory looking fog light switch from AC. I've also found a chrome brush guard for a really good price but I'm not sure how it would look with my black bumpers, roofrack and rear spare tire rack.

 

I talked to a buddy who is going to fix the small amount of rust under the back doors close to the rear wheel well and sand, clean and duraguard the rest of the rocker panel to prevent further rust. I've also got a guy coming to fix the bit of cracking that my dash decided to do. I've also just replaced my cracked windshield and got a couple of dents pulled from the body.

 

This is about all I can afford to do for now but I'm also planning on upgrading the steering and torsion bars to new Calmini parts as well as beefing up the skid plates.

 

Anyway, sorry for the long winded post but I'm too excited and I had to tell some people that actually care about this kinda stuff (unlike most of my friends and family). I will post a picture of pathy as she looks now when I get home tonight (I'm writting this post at work... don't tell!) and I will definitely post some pictures when I get this rig decked out, which should hopefully be before winter for obvious reasons!

 

P.S. Anyone here from Saskatchewan, or more specifically, Saskatoon? I've been out and about trying to find some trails but I'm not having much luck!

[GrimGreg]

Get the MTs over the ATs, they get high milage for an aggressive tread and aren't as loud as most. Not to mention they will be a lot nicer on the trails for ya.

[cj_rezz]

Get the MTs over the ATs, they get high milage for an aggressive tread and aren't as loud as most. Not to mention they will be a lot nicer on the trails for ya.

That's a good point! Will only 31" M/T's look funny though becuase they're not very big? However, I think I've already got the A/T's on the way though.

[GrimGreg]

Actually the MTs will look larger, but aren't, but with 6" lift they might look small compared to the lift. I wouldn't go bigger than the 31s until you upgrade the steering though. Otherwise you will be changing steering parts every wheeling trip.

 

My truck with 31 MTs and 4" lift: Big pic so I linked

[cj_rezz]

Dude, that is once nice rig you've got! I wish I had the money right now to do a good 4" SL instead of the cheap little 3" AC SL. What do you have on there for driving/fog lamps and what do you think of them? Where did you pick up your tail light guards?

 

How will the M/T's be for fuel mileage and ride comfort in the city and on the highway? My truck is my daily commuter vehicle so I don't want to go too aggressive. Maybe I should just put the BL on hold for a while and see how I like the 3" SL with 31's? If I stuck with just 31's could I get away without upgrading steering components? Have you upgraded any of your steering components? What do you think about a chrome brush guard on my black bumper? Ugly?

 

P.S. Thanks for the input bud!

[GrimGreg]

I have 2" BL and 2" SL on it (sometimes wish I had the TM 4"). Light guards are Manik, got them at a local shop. As for the lights the ones on my 93 are Hellas, not bad, but compared to the Pro Comps on my 88 I would have to say the PCs are better. They were 1/4 the price, almost as well made, and have a better beam pattern.

 

I haven't noticed any big change in my mileage between the MTs and ATs. I had the MTs on my 93, but got a nice set of wheels with ATs for cheap so the MTs are on my 88 now. I took a trip to D.C. with the MTs and was getting 20mpg, and a couple weeks ago I took a trip to Indiana and was getting 20mpg with the ATs. Keeping the proper PSI in the tire is probably the most important part, I run at 32 psi in both sets and both are 31x10.5 tires on 15x8 wheels. As for comfort the MTs aren't so aggressive that you get the bumpy ride from the big lugs, the spacing on them is close enough that they are pretty smooth. I DD with them for 3 years, and still do when I use my 88. Steering is fine with 31s, since a lot of Pathfinders were stock with them.

 

As for the brush guard, I tend to not like them at all anymore. I got one for my 93 when I first bought it, but got rid of it. About the only good function they have is to hold lights, but otherwise they are just another heavy piece of metal that will rust sitting on the truck .

[unccpathfinder]

ohh man...i wish i would have seen this earlier...i have dunlop mud rovers on my 87 great tires very quiet clear awsome in the mud and have great grip on the roads even in the rain (which they were rated poor as)

 

the AT's IMO suck they dont clear mud (at least NC clay/mud) and they dont have very good traction on the road

 

but i hope u enjoy them more than i have

[cj_rezz]

ohh man...i wish i would have seen this earlier...i have dunlop mud rovers on my 87 great tires very quiet clear awsome in the mud and have great grip on the roads even in the rain (which they were rated poor as)

 

the AT's IMO suck they dont clear mud (at least NC clay/mud) and they dont have very good traction on the road

 

but i hope u enjoy them more than i have

Its ok, there seems to be a lot of demand for 31" A/T's around here so I should be able to easily unload them on someone if I want to switch it up. I think the demand comes from long and snowy winters as well as all the people who drive SUV's and trucks in this province. Thanks for all the help though! I will post some pics of my truck soon!