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MNCarl 2012 PRO-4X / The Moose

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#1 · (Edited)
2012 PRO-4X







MNCarl 2012 Pro-4X / The Moose

Username: MNCarl
Year: 2012
Trim: PRO-4X Luxury Package
Color: Lava Red
Truck Name: The Moose

Mods:

Interior:
CoverCraft SeatSaver seat covers (front)
Garmin 2730 GPS with XM Radio
Weather tech floor mats front and rear
ClinoMeter
Xterra off-road lamp switch

Exterior:
Leer 100XQ Cap/Topper with Thule rack system, removable front window, bug screens on side windows.
ACI Off Road Spot lights, 42W 8 degree spot beam pattern, 2800 Raw Lumens each
Tailgate seal/weather stripping
EZDown Tailgate strut
Redline Tuning QuickLIFT Hood Struts
Ziebart rust proofing
GrillCraft black mesh grill
Antec Sliding bed tray
3M Clear Bra Film on hood
Nissan Chrome Tailgate Applique (Remove?) was on truck when I purchased it used.

Armor:
Shrockworks Front Bumper
Shrockworks Rear Bumper
Shrockworks Sliders
Shrockworks Radiator Skid
Shrockworks Engine Skid
Shrockworks Transmission Skid
Stock Pro-4X Transfer case skid and stock gas tank skid
PRG Rear Diff cover

Roof Top tent:
Tepui Explorer series Ayer 2

Performance:
Magnaflow 15580 SS Cat-Back Exhaust (Drone included)
Extended Stainless Steel Brake lines

Suspension:
Front-Radflo Extended coilover W/650lb spring , SPC upper control arms , 1" top lift spacer.
Rear-Bilstein 5125 Shock for 2-3" lift, Stock leaf with PRG Deaver 2"lift, Two leaf (add a leaf) & PRG lift shackle at highest height setting.

Recovery:
Winch: Superwinch TS9500 with steel wire cable
High-lift Jack , mounted to utili-track
High-lift off-road base / foot
High-lift Neoprene jack cover
Shackles x2 cheapo 3/4 inch
Recovery Strap 3" x 30'
Tree saver strap
Axe
Shovel

Tires & Wheels / Rims:
2012 Stock PRO-4X rims W/ BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 LT285/75-16 E (Summer /Off-Road tires)
2014 Stock PRO-4X rims W/ Cooper M&S winter/snow tires LT285/75-16

Comm:
CB Radio Cobra 75 and Wilson Flex
Ham radio Yaesu-3100 R/E

Winter config:
Removed Leer topper
Added Access tonneau cover
Swapped rims and tires
Swapped out tailgate for a 2014 tailgate with the wing/airfoil (plasti-dipped black) , it was white in color off an S model


 
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5
#2 · (Edited)
The short story....
I recently traded in a pretty much stock 2012 SL crew cab / long bed for a 2012 PRO-4X crew cab.

The truck I traded in:
 
#3 · (Edited)
The long story.....
Ok, time to fess up... recent newish member longtime lurker from Minnesota.
Approximately a couple / three years ago I had purchased a used 2012 SL Crew Cab long bed to tow my little Lund fishing boat. All was great until I had seen and read about all upgrades , mods and off-roading fun everyone on this clubfrontier forum was having. So I thought I will lift/upgrade the suspension on my 2012 SL CC LB , and maybe get some Shrockworks bumpers and armor.

Fast forward about a year...one day while trolling craigslist one day looking for Frontier items , I had seen an ad/post from a guy right in my neighborhood selling a stock rear bumper because he had purchased a Shrockworks rear bumper. So I messaged him through CL and said hey I am a fellow Frontier owner and live just down the road from you...do you mind if I come over and look at your new rear Shrockworks rear bumper as I have never seen one for real /in the flesh. So I went over to Sam's house and there it was, a lifted Pro-4X with Shrockworks sliders, rear bumper and some other mods/upgrades. I was amazed and in envy of Sam's truck. After that first meeting with Sam I would stop by his house once in a while to say hi and check out his truck, contemplating what mods I was going to do to my CC LB.
Now fairly recently I was on the internet trolling local Toyota dealerships websites to see if any of them had the new 2016 Tacoma(I had a way over my budget pipe dream about trading in my 2012 CCLB on a new 2016 Tacoma) I know, I know hit me with a rock please. While on the Walser Toyota dealership website I clicked on the "Used" vehicles for the heck of it and BAM! there is was right on my computer screen Sam's lifted Shrocked out 2012 Pro-4X , he must have traded it in. I immediately called the dealership and test drove it that day and then on my way home from work stopped by Sam's house to find out what the deal was ? Why did he trade it in? Was there something wrong with it? Sam was not home but I talked to his wife and she said no there was nothing wrong with the truck , Sam just wanted to trade it in on something different.
So the next day I went back to the Toyota dealership and traded in my 2012 Frontier for a 2012 Frontier LOL. I don't think the people at the dealer ship had any idea of all the aftermarket items added to the used 2012 Pro-4X they were selling off. It was hilarious...sales people: "Why are you trading in a 2012 Frontier for a 2012 Frontier?" ...Me: laughing inside my head "Um...This Crew Cab Long Bed is just to long , It is hard to park , I want a Crew Cab Short Bed....I wasn't really lying LOL. But I do miss my long bed sometimes.
I don't want to get into the dollars $.$$ too much here but with taking a hit on my trade-in value of my CC LB and the mark-up of retail price of the Pro-4X , I would say I came out pretty even on the money.... probably a little ahead. If you look at it like this: If I were to add all the aftermarket items Shrockworks bumpers, skids, sliders, Topper/Camper shell and many many more items to my CC LB that I traded in and I would not have a locking rear diff.

Maybe this should not be a build thread? Is there a "I traded in my truck" thread ?

My apologies in advance.
That was rather long-winded.

Is anyone still awake?
Or should I ask.... is anyone still alive? Bored to death?

Stay tuned.... up next:
For sure:
Extended length Coilovers (Installed)
Upper control arms (Installed)
Tires 255/85-R16 Cooper ST MAXX ...Ended up getting new 285/75-16 BFG KO2's off craigslist (Installed)
Additional Shrockworks armor: Transmission(Installed) , Transfer case , and Fuel/Gas tank skids.

On the radar:
CB radio (Installed)
HAM Radio (installed)
Winch (Installed)
Double din Android head unit.(Installed/Velcro'ed a 10" Samsung over the top of my stock radio/head unit)
Gone Moab? (Meh ? I did the Morrison Jeep trail 2017)
 
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#5 ·
Sam and I live in the suburbs / south west metro.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Some actual build stuff and story

I was driving my daughter to gymnastics practice and out of the corner of my eye I see this:






A Titan swapped Xterra parked outside a local bicycle shop.
So I went into the bike shop and asked the guy behind the counter who's Xterra that is in the parking lot ?
So the guy yells out hey Xxxx it's another guy asking about you Xterra.
Mr. X comes out from the back and we go out and look at his Xterra and my Frontier and I tell him I just have a 2" coilover spacer on top of my stock Bilsteins coilovers and they are sagging and bouncy due to all the extra weight from the Shrockworks bumper and armor. So Mr. X tells me he has his pre titan swap extended length coilovers and upper controls arms.
So I ended up buying these from Mr. X





Needless to say the Minnesota winter / road salt has taken its toll on these Qty two 2.0 Radflo extended length coilovers and the SPC upper control arms.

So I ordered new rubber bushings and ball joints from SPC and got to work on refurbishing the SPC upper control arms.
Ball Joint SPC part number 25001
Rubber Bushing SPC part number 25546

I took a saws-all and cut and removed the rubber bushings.






Then I tried to remove the ball joints with a 32mm socket I rented/borrowed from O'Reilly auto parts. I could not get the 32mm nut on the ball joint to budge with multiple attempts , breaker bars , cheap-*** harbor freight air impact guns nothing worked. So I gave up and gave them to my mechanic neighbor, he just laughed and said no problem.
My neighbor brought the UCA's to his shop and removed the 32mm nut off the ball joints with a heavy duty impact wrench and to my surprise bead blasted the rust and flaking powder coat off.....sweet.

Then this:
Sanded
Naval jelly treatment
Paint prep spray/wax remover
3 to 4 coats of VHT epoxy paint,
2 coats Duplicolor spray on bed liner.
Note: Prior to applying the bed liner I masked off the UCA where ball joints and rubber bushings would be when assembled



Installing the new SPC rubber bushings
If you don' t have a press you need
1/2" all tread
2 nuts
2 small washers
2 big washer
dish soap

Lightly coat the inside of the receiver ring and the edge of the rubber bushing.
Then start cranking making sure you angle it in toward the inside vent hole.
http://www.spcalignment.com/instructions/25476-INS_WEB.pdf





Did any of you SPC upper control arm guys notice the grease nipple?
Good news !!
SPC updated/ re-engineered there ball joints.
Grease nipple and some sort of spring mechanism to keep the ball tight:
http://www.spcalignment.com/index.php?option=com_spc&task=part_description&pid=25001



I will soon be shipping the used Radflo coilovers into Radflo to be refurbished / re-built with 650lb or 700lb springs ....can't decide what spring rate I want. I am waiting to send them in , as I think you get a year warranty after the rebuild and I dont plan on installing the Radflo's until this spring after the cold Minnesota winter is done.
 
#9 ·
Dude, you got one awesome truck! I'm pretty jealous of a couple things. You've gotten pretty lucky with buying that truck and finding those UCAs and coilovers. Haha and I live the Lev-O-Gauge on the passenger A pillar.

I like those new SPC ball joints!
 
#10 ·
Thanks Bob / bhowdy , I like your rocksliders with that extra protection by the rear wheel.
Thanks WreckDiver1321 , We pretty much have the same truck , I have been keeping an eye on you here and Expedition Portal

Right after taking possession of the truck I touched up the paint on the rocker panels(100's of rock chips) with If remember correctly touch up paint from here: Automobile Touch Up Paint - Factory Matched Paints - Express Paint

After that I addressed the entire truck waxing by hand, a couple of bad areas and scratches with Turtle wax paste rubbing compound then pretty much the whole truck with Turtle wax paste finishing compound and lastly the entire truck with Turtle wax paste wax. All by hand ,no orbital buffer , wax on wax off.

Then the under carriage was addressed , spots and areas of rust from Minnesota winters / road salt , I laid under my truck for all weekend with a wire brush and a circular wire brush and a drill after that I touched up all the spots and areas with Chassis paint Paint Over Rust to Stop Rust Permanently With Chassis Saver Truck & Auto Underbody Coating

Lastly I brought the truck to what is most likely one of only a few Ziebart locations that actually take pride in there work and had the truck rust proofed , I even removed and the front fender inner wheel well liners so they could get way up in there.
 
#11 ·
Excellent little work! I like it when I see a guy taking pride in the details. That touch-up paint site will be useful for me later!
 
#12 ·
Yes the thouch-up paint , turtle wax, ect... do make the truck look nice. But where I live with all the salt they put on the roads,,, its all about rust prevention. I plan on keeping this truck for a long time.
 
#13 ·
Oh yeah, I know how that goes. My folks are from the Twin Cities. I still have family in Shoreview, Lino Lakes, Hugo, and a few other areas around there. My cousin is one of the big dogs on the White Bear HS hockey team. We go there every year and I'm always shocked at how much they salt the roads. Any vehicle over 10 years old that hasn't been loved to death is nearly rotting off it's frame.
 
#14 ·
Beautiful truck. I just ordered the same PRG 2"x2" add a leaf lift kit and I also just ordered the Shrockworks Bumper in gray with the lower skid plate.

Did you notice or have any sag in the front suspension after installing your bumper?
 
#15 · (Edited)
B-Mackin
From what I know a stock Pro-4X no lift , no aftermarket armor or bumper measures 20" from the center of the hub on the rim(where the little Nissan logo is) to the top arch of the fender wheel well.
I have the Stock Bilstein Pro-4X Coilovers , PRG 2" inch spacer lift with Shrorkworks bumper (No hoop/brush guard), Shrockworks radiator skid and Shrockworks engine skid and Shrockworks rock sliders and I am at 21.5" from the center of the hub on the rim(where the little Nissan logo is) to the top arch of the fender wheel well.
So yes I would say I am sagging in the front and from what I have read the PRG 2" coilover spacer is actually a 2.5" lift coilover spacer.. not sure why Greg at PRG does this?
Also if I take off fast from a dead stop on the street I can get the whole front end of my truck to raise up, (NOT the tires off ground) just the suspension like two inches. LOL its kinda fun. Mashing the gas , letting off the gas , mashing the gas , letting off the gas, front of truck up/down , up/down.
So you will most likely want to upgrade your springs or upgrade to a different coilovers with a heaver spring rate.
I will be adding some used rebuilt Extended length Radflos coilovers with 650lb springs and some SPC upper control arms to mine.
Not sure but you may be able to just get some heavy duty coil springs and add them to your stock coilovers?
 
#16 ·
Thank you for the detailed reply, HUGE HELP. I have a company local to me here in SoCal that builds custom springs for a decent price. They built a set for my Datsun 510, 350z and Mazda B4000. They make them to any size and lb rating you like. I'll order some the stock size but 450-500lbs.
 
#17 ·
I got the quote for stiffer front coil springs from Coil Spring Specialties at $238.60 for the pair. This is a stock height spring that is designed to hold the extra weight of the bumper. If you desire they can also make the spring taller for a lift. They will build pretty much anything you like for a vary reasonable price. I'm currently running their springs in my track car and they work great.
 
#18 · (Edited)
UPS Guy dropped off a transmission skid

The UPS guy dropped off a "used" Shrockworks transmission skid.



I purchased the Shrockworks transmission skid plate from another forum member (S4ad0w10)...he had it listed in the classified's here.

From what S4ad0w10 said , he purchased the the skid plate from Nomad13.
So I will have part of Nomad13's truck on my truck !!!
I am assuming after I install this skid plate my truck will be able to climb near vertical walls like Nomad13's truck ?
LOL
 
#26 ·
The UPS guy dropped off a "used" Shrockworks transmission skid.



I purchased the Shrockworks transmission skid plate from another forum member (S4ad0w10)...he had it listed in the classified's here.

From what S4ad0w10 said , he purchased the the skid plate from Nomad13.
So I will have part of Nomad13's truck on my truck !!!
I am assuming after I install this skid plate my truck will be able to climb near vertical walls like Nomad13's truck ?
LOL
Nice! Good to see it finding a new home. With as many of these things as I've modded you're in a group of probably close to 30 members with pieces of one truck or another of mine. It's cool, we're all one big Nissan family ; )
Just do me a favor and put some marks of your own on it ::grin::
 
#19 ·
Either that or the truck will start having a bad attitude, the electrical system will fail, and the whole thing will start on fire.

::grin::

Sorry Nomad, that one was too good to pass up. :)
 
#20 ·
Naw that was Nomad13's old truck...... this skid plate was off his current truck , removed after he put the drop bracket kit on.
Its all good.
Oh wait he did have some electrical issues on his current truck....Oh Crap , dont jinx it wreckdiver.
 
#23 ·
Thanks...
Um ya I will be keeping the camper shell , or as we call them here in Minnesota "The Topper". I like your re-designed Pro-4x / D40-X sticker on your truck.
Also not sure if it is the lighting but in the pic of your truck it may be a different nissan red. I.E. topper/camper shell not quite match, mine is Lava red, I think the paint code is EAF , Is yours lava red? If not it yours is probably brick red.

Ahhh, i saw you post over on thenewX.
Yes I am over on thenewx.org sometimes looking for feedback on suspension and tires ect....I posted so I would have access to view more pics as a member.
 
#27 · (Edited)
The Moose met Shizzy

The other day I stopped by a local fellow CF member Shizzy's house.
We talked trucks for a while and he does indeed have 285 Duratac's with a coilover spacer lift and only minor trimming to the front mudflaps. My truck "The Moose" was jealous of Shizzy's trucks blacked our rims and blacked out Nissan logo's/badging.
 
#30 ·
The other day I stopped by a local fellow CF member Shizzy's house.
We talked trucks for a while and he does indeed have 285 Duratac's with a coilover spacer lift and only minor trimming to the front mudflaps. My truck "The Moose" was jealous of Shizzy's trucks blacked our rims and blacked out Nissan logo's/badging.
Was a tad jealous of Moose's Shrock bumpers and sliders, leather seats, new style pro-4X wheels, sunroof and bed drawer..... ::laugh::
 
#29 · (Edited)
$15.00 recovery strap , Menard's

I picked up a recovery strap on sale at Menard's for $15.00 1/2 price normally $30.00.
I think Menard's (its like a Home Depot) is mostly located in the upper midwest...The sale is going on for about another week.
I also checked the Menard's web site , but the recovery strap is not on sale online, the sale is only at the retail stores.
 
#31 ·
Swapped out winter rims and tires.

I swapped out the P rated Rugged Fails I use in the winter for the good old E rated (Gen-1) BF Goodrich KO's.
The P rated Rugged Fails are better on the Minnesota ice/snow as the rubber is softer and they have more siping than the KO's.
 
#32 ·
Looks even better with the beefier rubber!

I think you need some big pizza cutters though. 255/85 Cooper ST Maxxs would look awesome on there. Just sayin'.

>:D
 
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