01Pathmaker Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 So I happened across a deal I couldn't pass up, a '96 R50 SE 4x4! It's got almost 170k on it, picked it up from the second owner (bought it feb '03). Has been meticulously maintained mechanically (timing belt @86k & 164k, mobil1 lof's every 3500-4500, trans service every 40-50k, all with receipts!), but does need a little love. It was their 3rd vehicle for the last 4 years and they've only put less than 5k on it during that time, they gave up trying to find an electrical drain after replacing the battery and alternator (took me 20mins to find that the power antenna motor continuously clicked, unplugged it, charged the battery, let it sit for 3 days, all good, useds to die after a few hours on a full charge!), and the exhaust is rotted. Has a small amount of rust/rot in the rear of the rockers and behind the driver rear wheel, but is structurally sound (checked the strut towers and all the other typical spots). The interior is also pretty clean, just has a stale odor from sitting so much the past few years. Runs great, drives great, brakes are in good shape, as are the tires (I'll be upgrading them anyway), and I'm still waiting to find something bad! For now I just plan on going through it thoroughly, full tune up, fluids, filters, exhaust, check all lines, then as long as it all checks out, the mild build will begin. Looking to keep it as inexpensive, simple and practical as possible. Planning on KYB's all the way around, Steve's 1" spacers, 31x10.50 grabber at2's on black d-windows, safari rack (maybe a dyi if not a craigslist find), and some extra lighting. I'll update with pics, my findings and progress. Wish me luck cause things like this don't happen to me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I'll give you $800 for it today. That would be doubling your money!! Sounds like you got a really great deal. Hope everything works out for ya. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quaintbucket Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Nice find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Thanks guys, put about 2hrs into it today,just goibg through to see what it needs, which so far is: exhaust, valve cover gaskets, front caliper pins/slides need to be lubed or replaced and shocks/struts. I'll also be changing all tge fluids/filters, full tune up and a thorough cleaning. Looks like I'll be "all in" for under $2500, easily! Now I just need to read the thread on how to post pics here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDN_S4 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Nice find!! Sounds like you know what you're talking about and looking for. As for pics, go to http://photobucket.com and sign up for an account. Then upload pics from your computer. Click on the IMG link, it will auto copy to your clipboard and paste it into the forum. It will be coded to show the pics without having to type any fancy stuff around the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted August 11, 2014 Author Share Posted August 11, 2014 (edited) Having trouble posting pics from my phone, guess it'll have to wait til I'm on the computer. Edited August 11, 2014 by 01Pathmaker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted August 13, 2014 Author Share Posted August 13, 2014 Gonna try the pics again, here goes: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quaintbucket Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 (edited) Whoa, it's in really good condition. Nice work. You should be able to do a lot of major upgrades to make it a fun play toy. Edited August 13, 2014 by Quaintbucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lerch641 Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Oh man I'm really jealous that you paid $400 for that. Really good find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted August 13, 2014 Author Share Posted August 13, 2014 Thanks, yeah I'm still looking to find something majorly wrong cause things like this never fall into my lap. It's got 3 small spots of rust/rot (rockers just in front of rear flares on both sides and a small spot just behind the ds rear wheel above bumper). So far though it looks like a home run! Hey, anyone know if an aftermarket front bumper from a 2000 Xterra will fit this? Having a tough time finding a conclusive answer. Found a lifted X with a blown motor on craigslist, its got a nice arb bumper, fairly new 32" bfg's, a few other items I could use, then I'd part the rest out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDN_S4 Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 wow that's incredible for $400! I'm sure you could MAKE the ARB bumper fit, but I also am pretty sure that it won't be a direct bolt on without any custom stuff to make it work. Again, not a conclusive answer but I think a pretty safe assumption to make. However, snatch those 32's up while you can! That will make a really nice upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 A guy more local to me made a bumper for his 98 r50 fit his 2003 Xterra, so I'm sure the ARB could be made to fit the r50. Custom mounts would be needed, obviously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 You only paid $400 for that ^^^ My original offer still stands!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 Hahaha! I know, I still can't believe it either, and though it's tempting to double my money real quick, I really need to see where this journey leads! I figured the bumper wouldn't be a straight up bolt on, but if the overall dimensions are similar, I can make it work (perks of having a welder in the garage). The guy is looking to sell it complete, doesn't want to get involved with parting it out, but he's asking a grand. I'll see if I can meet up with him over the weekend and maybe I'm on a lucky streak! I'll keep y'all posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDN_S4 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 a parts xterra and a pathfinder all for 1400 that is still insanely cheap!!!! you won't get a bumper and wheels with tires for that price!! I say do it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gv280z Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 (edited) Damn...it must have bed bugs or someone died in it or something. Yeah, I'd be really worried about the other shoe to drop.... Great find Sir. I'm (cough) really happy for you. No death wobble? You need to get it to a mechanic you trust and let him check it out. Edited August 14, 2014 by gv280z 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quaintbucket Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Man, I was thinking that, "wow I found a complete roof rack for $50" then you have to go and top it with a parts xterra with fully loaded stuff. You are now obligated to keep us up to date on your pathfinder build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 Hahahaha! This will be my official build thread, so stay tuned! Called the guy with the X, still waiting for him to get back to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 The new exhaust arrived yesterday and is awaiting install (probably won't get time til the weekend tho), finished going through the brakes, aside from needing to be cleaned, lubed and adjusted, all looks good. I'm going to replace a few short sections of hard line cause they look a little crusty. Two questions: how important is the "load sensing valve"? The 2 lines going into it and one coming out are going to be replaced, but the bleeder on top of that valve is frozen solid, so thinking of just eliminating it. Second, what's the procedure for changing a rear axle seal? The driver side is weeping a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Very nice find my friend! I didn't know r50s had a load sensing valve. That's usually just in trucks to increase rear brake bias when the rear is loaded down with weight in the box. Is there a long lever arm that reaches up near the truck body that looks like it would touch the bottom of the chassis if the rear suspension was sagged a bit? It may just be your abs module if its just some lines going to a small module with a bleeder screw on it.. Edited August 20, 2014 by Nefarious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 It's definitely a load sensing valve (as described by the Nissan parts breakdown as well), both my 96 & 01 have them. My thinking is that it shouldn't matter if I remove it, since with a lift or air bags it'd be rendered useless anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fixinto Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 You just described my Pathfinder minus a thing or two. Bought it at with 154k on it, now almost 200k and still loving it, these things are little tanks man. Heck of a find. 400 bucks? WOW!!!! i gave 3k for mine in 08. I plan on driving it till something major happens and beyond if a local yard has what i need, and I am still able to turn a wrench. all i can say is WOW 400 bux pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 So it's taken a bit longer that I'd planned (thanks to 2 jobs, wife, kids, house) but I have finally done most of the maintenance and repairs, so I went to DMV and she's finally on the road. I've got a few more minor things to fix and/or check up on, but overall everything has gone fairly smooth. I'll get to these things as time allows, then hopefully start some well thought out mods. Saving a "final tally" for after phase 1 (maintenance/repairs) is complete, but so far even including the purchase price (excluding dmv fees & insurance) I'm still well under $1000, so I'm still very confident that, barring any major hiccups, I'll be able to keep the entire project under $2500. I'll continue to update as bigger things happen, and for those who ask, with the time constraints I face, I haven't taken any pics along the way (all pretty boring, standard stuff) and since no mods have been done yet, I really don't see a reason to, still looks exactly the same. Stay tuned though, pics will come as mods do. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRNMACHINE Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 Great Find!!! Did you use one of the super affordable exhaust kits online (I think they are made by Bosal) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01Pathmaker Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share Posted September 12, 2014 Yes, got the Bosal kit from rockauto. It's ok, but I can see why it's cheaper than others. Fitment leaves a little to be desired, I really had to fight a bit to get the front pipes to connect, had to tweak the heat shield above the muffler cause the rear hanger was rubbing against it, the connection between the muffler and resonator didn't line up to well (still need to massage it a bit, even with the new o-ring gasket there is a small leak), and the tailpipe is only about 1"-1.5" under the bumper (hasn't been an issue yet, but I may somehow try to tweak that a little too). In retrospect, I probably would have been better off paying a little more for the Walker or doing a custom system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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