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Old Xtreme Pathfinder finds a new owner...


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This post is going to be brief and full of pics. I tried posting from my phone and the page timed out. I was posting from my laptop and closed the page when I was almost done.

 

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Here's the craigslist post that started it all. I was searching for a new pathy for my wife and stumbled on this ad. We struck up a deal and were on our way to Franklin, TN to RTM Productions to pick her up. I have a trailer and truck but figured, eh, what the hell, lets take her down the interstate:

 

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After bringing her home I found a whole laundry list of things I wanted to fix:

 

  • Too tall
  • Too stiff
  • Tires hit body
  • Bumps too close to axles (to combat the tires hitting the body)
  • Factory 5 link rear sucked

So I pulled out a leaf in the front packs and redrilled the mounts to move the axle an inch forward, cut down the coils, and cut off the bumpstops.

 

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The rear steer characteristics and wheelbase with the 5 link meant it had to go. So, I began a triangulated 4 link

 

 

Edited by MarkRobinson
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I didn't take many build pics, but here's what I came up with for a crossmember to catch my lowers:

 

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That's the repurposed hitch that came on the truck.

 

After completing the truck, I found it needed a sway bar desperately. It wasn't near as bad as the stock setup that it replaced - that thing could have rolled itself in a parking lot. Oh, and as for springs, it had some 280 lb rusty's springs that were too stiff, so I swapped them out for some JK front lift springs my buddy Jimmy at Essentially Offroad donated.

 

Here's the finished setup. I used a stock sway bar, but moved the axle end mounts inward from the stock location, effectively making the sway bar weaker than stock. My goal was a setup that didn't need disconnects; tame on the road, and tame on the trails.

 

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As you can see in this flexed out pic, I placed my poly bumps to where at full compression they keep the tires 1" out of the wheel wells. I have dreams of 37 13.50 r17 Toyo Open Country MTs in a couple years.

 

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This is last recent pic I have. Its yesterday, in Northern Alabama at Little River Canyon. We packed her up and went for a little weekend jaunt and had a blast. We didn't do anything that even resembled wheeling, but I'm tickled. On road manners are great, although I still see room for improvements. I ordered a Marlin Crawler Toyota drop pitman arm that showed up while we were out of town; that will quicken my steering and get some of the modest bumpsteer in check.

 

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Thanks.

 

That pic of the suspension was taken at the same time as the next one, with the rig flexed out.

 

At ride height the sway bar is nearly level. It points up perhaps 10 degrees but nothing drastic. It made a world of difference vs when I didn't have it.

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I didn't snap a pic since it was dark when I finished, but I put on a marlin crawler pitman arm today. Man, what a difference! Much more positive steering; I'm not chasing the rig all over the road.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Today I replaced the old busted console, with the lid that stayed open so you rested your arm on sharp plastic. The one I picked up is from a 2001 isuzu rodeo.

 

I had to rework the e brake handle. I raised it about an inch and welded it to the floor plate about 1.5" off center.

 

This console feels great on the elbow and has cup holders! It just took a long time to figure out mounting.

 

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Barry! Remember me? I drove the maroon frontier to Moab a few years back.

 

I sure remember you:

 

Barry: What are you doing?

Some guy: Stacking rocks.

Barry: I'm just gonna drive around 'em.

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Sure was! Can't wait to do it again some day.

 

On to my next project. The pathfinder came with a decent electric fan (not sure what it's from but it looks like a single speed version of the big taurus fan people use), but no shroud. It's just mounted right to the radiator. The wiring is good and it's tied to the ac circuit, but it gets hot. I added water-wetted and it helped but I need a proper shroud.

 

Look what the brown Santa just delivered from Amazon:

 

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$14.99 and it's just a touch too big so there's room to cut it down to fit.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I guess I jumped the gun posting this.

 

It's an 18x26 cookie sheet. It should fit our radiators well with some persuasion. I found that you can get 1" core radiators for the pathfinder, so I'm going to pick one up and do the swap then. Ironically, it's too dang hot out to do it now.

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Nice trim job. I need to do that too mine also. Would like to trim it right & still be able to roll a lip so it doesn't have the chance to cut/slice a tire or anything. Would like to be able to put flares back on afterwards.

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Hey its all good.

 

No shame in a mall crawler, right B?!

I actually just finished up swapping in a new(er) transmission, that actually had reverse gears that still worked. Have all the stuff to do my solid swap just gotta take the time to do it. So its been sitting for over a year. Going to use it to tote the coolers and chairs at the Labor Day ride.

I am due south of you. Shelbyville...

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Did I sell you some wheel spacers a few years back? When I parted out my frontier I sold some to a guy somewhere off of 231 who drove a champaign pathfinder.

 

Keep an eye out for me. I'll be mall crawling down to shelbvul for a wedding tomorrow.

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