Guest koveman Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Hello everyone, Here is the customary newby post. I just picked up a 1992 XE V6 4x4 4-door. It's got 173000 on the clock, but it's in excellent shape with glossy paint and a strong engine. I'm a Nissan Hardbody veteran and I've been driving and maintaining various KA24E D21s since 1991. This is my first VG30 powered truck and also my first 4x4. I can already tell that there is a world of difference mechanically between my new ride and what I'm used to. I've already pulled the leaking manifolds and hollowed out converter. They're being replaced by a set of Pacesetter headers and a Magnaflow cat (smog rules), to be followed by a Flowmaster Delta 50. While I'm in there I'm also replacing the timing set, radiator, t-stat, hoses, belts, ignition components and O2 sensor. The suspension bushings are also being replaced with polyurethane from Energy Suspension. I still have to remove 3 broken exhaust studs and I was looking for some advice on removal and suitable replacements. I suppose I'll have to drill the studs and use an ez-out, but I was hoping for some magical time saving tip from those who have been there. If there are any other important bits that I'm forgetting to replace please clue me in. I'm well aware of the wandering steering issues with the D21s and WD21s, but this truck feels pretty tight right now and the urethane bushings should also help stiffen things up. I hope I can be a helpful member of this forum and learn some tricks at the same time. If anyone needs pictures of anything while I have stuff torn apart, now would be the time to ask. I'll probably do a step-by-step for the Pacesetter headers and exhaust. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OR99.5Speed Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Wow, you'll have one of the nicest D21s on here, nice to see a shiny Pathfinder rather than an abused one! I wish I could help you on the exhaust, but as I'm sure you know the broken studs are a big problem and header removal/install is a major PITA. There may even be a writeup. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagwoodzz Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Super Clean. Me likey Common Problem w/ studs Don't be afraid of the search button. It's your friend especially with broken studs. A lot of people have got a shop to do the repair. It's a lot of work. If you do it yourself there's plenty of resources here to help you along the way. Desert riding in Arizona are you familiar?. Heard stories that ghost towns still exist that you can drive to for some cool off-road adventure. is that just rumor or a vacation worth planning? Welcome and glad to hear from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 hello and welcome! one of our mods (vengeful) has joined you out there in AZ land. he is also located in Pheonix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Welcome to the board, nice lookin truck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Welcome.... I, along with a couple people from the 4x4parts.com board, are heading out to the Four Peaks area this weekend to do a little wheeling. We're meeting at the Gas Station by Fort McDowell on 87 at 9AM on Saturday. Gimme a holler if you're interested. Oh, and no worries on doing anything extreme, the guy who organized it drives a 2wd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solid snake Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Welcome to NPORA! Hope you really like our forum as much as we do. Just to let ya know, I'm 3 hrs south of you in Yuma AZ. Nice truck man, like the color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrano Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Welcome to the forum! Cool truck! Looks really great :cool2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest koveman Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Thanks for the warm welcome. I think these forums are a great place to share info and save some time. I'm looking forward to driving off road with some confidence. My previous 2wd Nissan pickups were not too great in the dirt. Low profile street tires were much more at home on the pavement. Now I've got 4wd and the BFGs and I can't wait to put them to use. I'm definitely looking forward to finding some of the more remote spots in AZ. I hope to have my new exhaust and maintenance done within a week. Still waiting on parts though. I'll work on the studs in the meantime. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordsho90 Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 welcome s.w newbie and good luck with your stud issues as stated above they are a real pita .......... really nice looking pathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainman Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Welcome! Thanks for the warm welcome. I think these forums are a great place to share info and save some time. I agree and this is a great forum for the Pathy's. Hope you stay around awhile :gossip: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC88Pathy Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Welcome! Make sure that you get the revised 300zx manifold studs when you replace them, otherwise they're just going to break again. Also some people have had issues with the Pacesetter headers, there's a reason why they're so much cheaper than the Thorley headers. And yah the VG30 is quite a different beast than the KA24, just as reliable though. Just keep up on the timing belt changes and if you have an auto trans get an external cooler on there pronto. The stock cooler is prone to clog and burn up the transmission (ie completely bypass the stock cooler when you install the external cooler). Hope we can help you with any questions you might have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbecktold Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Welcome. You might also want to check out nissan4wheelers.com, a lot of those guys are located in your general area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygz19 Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Welcome! Beautiful Pathy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest koveman Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 I'm planning on using the 300ZX studs, is this the right part number (14065-V5004)? What kind of specific issues are there with the Pacesetters on a Pathfinder? I had them on my '95 hardbody and had to have the EGR bung relocated. Since I'm in Phoenix and located fairly close to the Pacesetter factory I was able to have them do the modification for free. I also had to modify the intermediate pipe to fit the Pacesetter cat-back system. If anyone has done exhaust work themselves, they will know that there is no such thing as a bolt on mod. Every performance exhaust component I have ever had the pleasure to install required some custom fabrication and I don't expect these headers to be any different. If someone has been there with the Pacesetters, please let me know what you ran into during the install. Even though I've had issues, I would personally recommend Pacesetter products. If you have realistic expectations then you should not be disappointed with their products. Their flanges are thick and their bends and welds are excellent. I'll try to do a proper write-up of my header and exhaust install with quality pics. This will be aimed toward the DIY'er with minimal welding and fabrication skills. Thanks again for the welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Welcome to the boards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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