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My new 2001 LE 4x4


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I see that krypton makes a 4". Haven't looked around but I would only want a 2" SFD to correct the spacer lift. I vaguely remember folks talking of one on a different thread.

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I see that krypton makes a 4". Haven't looked around but I would only want a 2" SFD to correct the spacer lift. I vaguely remember folks talking of one on a different thread.

 

Long story short, a 2" subframe spacer has more constraints than a 3"-4" one. But you've got the right idea about correcting the spacer lift.

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Well...

 

Biggest constraint is working space inside the spacer. A 2" tube leaves 1.5" of space (assuming .250"-wall steel), which is about as much that's required for the exposed length of the front subframe bolts and the head of the lower bolt and washer. A similar issue with the motor mount spacers.

 

Here's a pic of a 2.5" front subframe spacer with .188"-wall steel:

 

IMG_2869.jpg

 

If you stick with .188"-wall, that gap closes by .5"...almost touching. Go to .250"-wall, and the hardware is touching. You could go with flange bolts and ditch the lock and flat washers for a tiny amount of clearance. You could also nip the OE subframe bolts a small amount. But if they're too close, you'll have to use an open-end wrench...and those bolts need torquing to 90+ ft-lbs. Expect a busted hand and/or stripped nuts.

 

Is it doable? Sure. And there are even a few workarounds I can think of. But...depending on your approach, it may cost just as much money or labor—or more—as a 3"-4" set of spacers. (And btw, when I say "spacers" and "SFD", I'm talking specifically about the spacers used to drop the subframe and not any custom strut spacers like what come with the KrF 4" SFD "lift".)

 

The SFD install by itself is a very tedious and involved process...it's one of those things you want to do once. So, if you have any plans for more lift, now's the time. Also, it's not necessary to have a 1:1 lift-to-SFD, but the closer, the better. You can do more SFD than lift, you'll just lose a little more ground clearance.

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Or you can weld it in. If I end up dropping my front end to rebuild, I'm going to tack in my SFD.

 

There's not much negatives of 2" more ground clearance.

 

My kids have an issue with the rear doors, but at 8 and 6, I'm not sure they could reach them if my truck was stock.

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Yes, welding them in is an option. I'm more a bolt-on guy, so the SFDs designs I've done are geared towards ample tool clearance with simple hardware.

 

I posted a pic of my newest spacers on my other thread. These will be installed next week hopefully. If all goes well (and I have no reason to think it won't), I hope to finally be able to produce some sets for others.

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Why not make spacers with hardware that is welded in so there is no need for access to inside the tubing? There would just need to be space for a bolt to be inserted from underneath. Has anyone tried this?

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Well, you still need to tool inside the front subframe spacers and motor mount spacers. There's no good option for avoiding that. The rear subframe spacers aren't an issue...you can just use longer bolts.

 

The front subframe bolts are actually an assembly: two 12mm x 150mm bolts affixed to a bracket. It's installed from inside the engine compartment along the wheel wells. Flange nuts sandwich the subframe to the unibody. So, nothing on the front subframe threads into the unibody. Similarly, the motor mounts have the studs integrated into them.

 

 

But yes, welding in the lower hardware is viable. Thought about it, but didn't want to go that route...since I don't weld, it's not worth the time/money to have someone else do it. Plus, if the thread fails for any reason, it's a lot of rework. But if you have the means, it'll work.

 

 

Again, it's doable. Just requires more effort/thought than a size up.

 

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I hear you. Sometimes the time taken to get around it all negates the solutions all together. I feel i need to get under there and have a look around. I cant really get a good sense of what the unibody to sub-frame mounting location looks like from these pictures. I'm a marine machinist/fabricator by trade so these types of situations dont deter me entirely. That being said, I would like to be efficient about this. Also not really trying to go so high as this has to be family friendly and the wife already has issues with the stock height without the running boards...Compromise, compromise, compromise....

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Well, let me know if I can help out with any specifics. I've recorded all the sizes for all the OE bolts so that I can keep everything consistent (and metric). I've also got a complete parts list.

 

My 3" install next week will basically be my 4th set of spacers on the truck. I made a set of 1.5" spacers and test-fit them right before I put my 2.5" kit on. I also changed up the motor mount spacers and also upped from from .188"-wall to .250"-wall for my current 2.5" set. I've still got those spacers sitting around somewhere.

 

I hear you about the family friendly part. But then I see my 1- and 2-yos scale my sliders to climb into the truck and think that my truck isn't high enough to keep them out! Dare I mention all the things they've climbed to date (with my supervision).

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Thank you! I really appreciate the shared knowledge and experience. For now the spacers will do. August is fast approaching and just getting everything ready for our Washington trip is enough to keep me busy.

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No problem. I posted a bunch of other thoughts at pics at that thread I started. The spacer sketches are on a few older posts, but I'm not big on the simple tube approach at all.

 

Also, whereabouts in NorCal are you? I grew up in Roseville, but find myself around the central valley 1-2 times a year.

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Not sure I put any sketches of mine up, but there are a few on some posts to get you started. All my bookmarks are on my other computer though, so I'll have to post those up separately.

 

Edit: to clarify, I mean there are some threads that still have sketches/dimensions. I have those bookmarked. You can also try searching "subframe spacer" or similar for several other related threads...the search function on the forum doesn't check terms less than 4 letters.

Edited by hawairish
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This thread seemed to have the best general info, aside from the fact it's for 4" spacers...

 

http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/31584-my-pathy-project-lifting/

 

Those spacers obviously worked, but I didn't follow those dimensions at all. My 2.5" subframe spacers measure 2.5"W x 5.75"L x 2.5"H. My 3" spacers measure 2.5"W x 5.5"L x 3"H. The <6"L is so that I don't need to bevel the passenger rear spacer to clear the brake-line cover, and so I can make all the spacers uniformly, as shown here:

 

IMG_2870.jpg

 

This spacer is made of 3 pieces of 2.5" square tube.

 

I don't have different size front and rear spacers...the only difference is the size of the bolt holes: 9/16" for the 12mm front bolts and 5/8" for the 14mm rear bolts. I also didn't see a need to offset the holes on the rear spacers; all my holes are on-centers, and you can see how that fit above. The reason those spacers shown on that thread work is because there's no unibody flange that restricts offsetting the spacer. The front, however, does have a unibody flange, and 2.5" is about the max width.

 

 

Edited by hawairish
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I'm in Alameda now. Won't beofor long though. Moving to Washington towards the end of the year

 

Thanks for the offer, Delta. Not sure I'll get to it this summer but I would love to see yours in person. Those pics you took were right down the road from where I work. Recognized the crane. Your truck looks so sick

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Thanks, Enjoi. Good to know there are more R50 folks here in the bay area. Where do you usually go? Hollister? I've been hearing good things about Cow Mountain, near Santa Rosa. Ever been? Not too many areas to wheel near us as far as I can tell.

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The R50 community in the bay area is growing slowly but surely. I have never heard of cow mountain but there are a lot of trails near Tahoe(3-4hrs drive). I am trying to gather people for Hollister offroad park, so keep an eye out for the SouthWest section in the forum.

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