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The other Sean's Build

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#1 · (Edited)
Username: The other Sean
Year: 2011
Make: Nissan
Model: Frontier
Trim: Pro-4X
Color: Black
Mods:

Interior:
Ham, CB and GMRS radios
120Ah Lithium house battery, 25amp DC/DC charger.
Diode Dynamics LED interior lights.

Exterior:
Morimoto LED fog lights
Katana LED headlights
WAM! bumpers winch plate, Engo 9000lb winch with synthetic line and Factor55 Flatlink.

Drivetrain:
M205
Front; Titan swapped with SPC upper control arms, Bilstein 1st gen Tundra 5100 shocks, 4Runner springs, custom top hats
Rear; Nisstec AAL, Bilstein 5125 shocks, Spidertrax 1.5" spacers.
Tires; 285/75/16 BFG K02's

Armor:

Hefty Fabworks Aluminum skid plates.
Hefty Fabworks Rock sliders.


In Progress: Things!

Realized I've been posting for almost 2 years now and no build thread.

My truck will be a slow build and will not be anything epic. My truck is my hunting, fishing and camping rig. Any modifications need to make practical sense.

I bought my truck in May of '14 after driving a 2wd Ford Ranger Edge. While the Ranger was a good little truck, a regular cab 2wd did not fit my needs. She also hit 112k and the MN winters were starting to catch up to her.

I casually started trolling online ads for a truck. Wasn't buying today, just looking. I wanted a crew cab 4wd truck with no chrome. I hadn't even thought of a Frontier, but found an ad and stopped in to the dealer to check it out. '11 frontier Pro-4x, black, 39k miles and within my budget. Test drove it, loved it, needed to have it. Then I remembered I failed to tell my wife I had even gone to look at a truck. I basically just brought it home. How does the saying go? Easier to ask for forgiveness?

The day I brought it home.



How she sits now.

 
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#2 · (Edited)
For the lift, I went with some no name used coil spacers from ebay ($25) and an AAL from Nisstec. I chose to leave the overload spring in. This works for now, but I do plan to improve upon this eventually.

Also, 285/75/16 duratracs were the tire I went with.

I've swapped out the rear mud flaps for some rally armor ones (MN winters suck) and have had the front side windows tinted, but so far that is it.
She has served me wonderful for my needs. She has taken me to every campsite, hunting spot and fishing spot I have asked.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Plans are as follows.

Suspension. Long run, I'd love to end up titan swapped with Tundra coil overs. At this point in the world, that is a want and not need.

Auxiliary lighting. Front, reverse and task lighting. I'm wanting things to be as smooth and well thought out as possible. No LED light bars tacked on all over the truck.

Armor. Would like to add proper skid plates, sliders and I have some front and rear bumper ideas that I will keep to myself for now.

Communications, CB and or Ham. Currently attempting to study for the ham license test.

Gear. Things to make camping and hunting trips better and more efficient.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I've thought Long and hard and am still thinking long and hard about the suspension setup.

The main issue I have with the Titan swap is the fact that it pushes the wheels out. There is LOTS of salt used on the roads here in MN and it is typically on the roads from As early as October until April. My tires already toss loads of road debris on the truck, having wheels sticking out further terrifies me (rust is a real thing up here) with the salt on the roads half the year.

The question of M205 or extended axles for the Frontier differential has it's pros and cons.

Also, once again, due to the weather up here, I do not want to run any kind of aftermarket coil over or control arms with heim joints. Tough winters and daily driver use would mean I would have to inspect far too often. This is why the titan swap with Tundra coils has peaked my interest a bit. In my application, bushings > heim joints.

In the end I would like a small increase in height if possible ( I understand the CV angle can become an issue) and I would like to increase available wheel travel as with the spacer lift I have, every time I jack the front end up I am saddened by how much down travel I have.

I also have a very real budget. I have my frontier as a project, a hot rod truck project, a café racer motorcycle project, I own and 86 year old house that is of course in constant need of attention, I'm in the middle of two arm surgeries and I'm getting in on the ground floor of a new business venture. I have a budget, but there is no room for spending where it doesn't make 100% sense and is more of a need and not as much of a want.

And, just a side note / warning, I am quite the planner / over thinker, so I do tend to think things to death. it took me three months to decide on what tire to put on my truck.
 
#6 ·
And, just a side note / warning, I am quite the planner / over thinker, so I do tend to think things to death.

You've seen my build thread, yeah? ;)

The width is what I thought of when I asked the question. The down travel is awesome if you are putting the truck in situations where it is justified. But if my truck so much as looks at a mud puddle, it immediately paints its entire side with said mud.

I understand your concerns about the UCA's and the logic in your thought process.
 
#7 ·
Hey, good to see a build thread for you, Shizzy.

What kind of hunting are you doing? My uncle is (or at least was) a chapter president of Pheasants Forever in St. Paul. My family actually owns a farm in Slayton that they use mostly for hunting. Also, I've spent a lot of time in MN. Whole family is from there, I really enjoy it there too.

Per your suspension, what's the legality of Titan swap width out there? As Soucheray says, "Minnesota is the state where absolutely nothing is allowed." Not to mention the winter salt. Have you looked at SPC UCAs? Not a single heim there. Bushings on the frame side, and a sealed, adjustable, greasable ball joint. I went that route because of the amount of dirt and water my truck sees. Food for thought.
 
#8 ·
White tail deer. I hunt either state land (George Washington state forest) or my Uncle's property up between Effie and Togo.

The only issue I would have would be with a cop questioning my tires sticking out. But, that tends to be subjective. An inch or two wouldn't cause much issue. Also, having full mud flaps seems to keep the cops quiet. Keeping your vehicle subtle can play in too. There is no state or emissions inspections in MN, so no one is ever looking at your vehicle.

The SPC's are probably going to be the ticket for me in all honesty. Gaining a little down travel will probably be more than enough. I don't plan on a full armored front bumper (more on that idea in the future) so I see no need to change out the springs and shocks as I do like the ride the OEM bill's give me. I would probably benefit more from an ARB locker for my front diff and SPC uppers than a titan swap and an M205.
 
#9 ·
Hey Shizzy, two years on the forum without a build thread is ok, l hope, since l do not have mine started yet, ::grin::

Gonna start mine when l do a mod other than the Pathfinder switch covers.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
The next couple of posts will get me up to date with some of the minor things I have done or have happened.

Last fall I had remote start installed. I was never fond of the range the OEM Key fob's had and I enjoy the convenience of remote start in the winter at 4am when I am leaving for work.

I'm a fairly avid Bike rider, so I installed a Rocky mounts fork mount on the front Utilitrac rail. I also picked up a second one from a forum member a few months back but haven't installed it as it is for my Wife's bike and she doesn't ride as often as I do.





And, Since I am a city guy and didn't fully trust the locking feature of the fork mount, I added two eye bolts that I can run my Kryptonite lock through If I need to leave my bike unattended. Not bullet proof, but as the saying goes, keeps the honest people honest.



 
#189 · (Edited)
I like the sliders alot


Sent from my iPhone 7 Plus using Tapatalk Pro

Since I am NOT a fan of chrome, all the badging on the truck that was chrome got hit with the Plasti dip. The wheels also got plasti dipped as well. I haven't come across a set of aftermarket wheels that I "needed" to have, so the stockers will stay.







Don't worry about the license plate, truck doesn't wear those any more.





I've also been sitting on a 12 circuit Blue sea fuse panel and some 7" LED light bars off a forum member. I am going to split the fuse panel and make it so a couple of terminals are always hot and the rest are keyed power. I haven't decided if I want to mount it under the hood or behind the glove box. The Blue Sea is not a sealed unit, so I am a little leery of putting it under the hood due to moisture and possible corrosion issues. The Light bars are going to go in the lower grill opening.







Also added a couple of decals. I prefer the stealth look. Black decals on tinted glass.







Where did you get that "Club Frontier" decal?



Sent from my iPhone 7 Plus using Tapatalk Pro
 
#13 · (Edited)
And yes, my truck gets used as a truck.

My wife and I own a '71 Apache hard sided pop up camper that we use some times when we camp.


Grandma had her raggedy apple tree cut down, needed the wood hauled off.



One of the many reasons I prefer a CC over a KC



And yes, during my kitchen remodel was one of the few times the 5' bed was just a tad short. Took a few trips to haul out all the debris, but she handled it.



But, to this day, I am 100% happy with Nissan and my truck.
 
#14 · (Edited)
For the last few months I have been having a random Diff lock and VDC off light flicker. It was very random and would only happen here and there. One of the lights would flicker once or maybe twice and then I wouldn't see them for weeks. Last week they started to flicker regularly and then they came on along with the slip light and the ABS light. No codes found by my blue tooth code reader so, I had a friend clean the battery terminals and checked the wiring and connectors to the wheel sensors and on the rear diff as I still had my arm wrapped up from arm surgery. Lights stayed off for about 3-4 days but then came back on though randomly. Since I was due for an LOF and rotation, I decided to bring it in to the dealer.

As a side note, I had the LR axle replaced by the dealer under the Nissan powertrain warranty due to a leaky seal about 10K miles ago.

I get a call back from the dealer, multiple codes found and metal debris in the differential fluid. Thinking back, I did have an issue getting the locker to engage over the winter, but thought nothing of it. He told me Nissan replaces the entire assembly and does not go in and simply replace parts. He had already called my extended warranty company and they had already authorized the repair plus would pay for 2 days in a rental car. The part was in Chicago and they were going to have it overnighted but my truck would be ready the next day.

SO, I got to ride around in a beige on beige Altima. Nice car, but, not even close to what I would ever drive. Polar opposite of my truck.

The dealer called me the next day and said my rear pads were about half worn, but my rotors had some pitting so they would prefer to put new on the new axle. I figured I was getting the axle covered and it made no sense to put old brakes on a new axle. I had replaced the front pads and rotors a few weeks ago. So, new rear differential assembly, pads, rotors, LOF, tire rotation a wash and vacuumed interior, tax included was about $500. I'd like to think I made out just fine.





Turns out, there was some noise coming from the rear end as once I picked my truck up and got on the highway, I realized how much more road noise I was hearing instead of driveline noise.
 
#15 ·
That 71 Apache camper looks awesome !!!
My VDC light "flickered on/off" when I was driving slowly out of the parking lot after work yesterday.
Hope its not a sign of things to come...although I have a lifetime warranty on the drive train.
 
#16 ·
It is kind of a neat little unit. it has no heater or galley, and it is old and brittle, so it's almost not worth the hassle, but I only paid a few hundred for it.

How many miles are you at and when was your fluid last changed? Have you done the rear axle vent mod? I didn't and I'm pretty sure that is part of the reason for the failure of the axle seal 10k miles ago and the metal bits now.
 
#17 ·
And with that, there won't be much for progress for a while. I've got three weeks left of lifting restrictions with my right arm and as soon as that is over I'll be scheduling for the same surgery on the other arm so after that, 6 weeks of lifting restrictions.

I do have the parts for the rear axle vent mod and I'm hoping to put together a plan for the fuse panel and lights as well as figure out where i want to mount the switches.
 
#18 ·
Good news on the rear diff, nice that you were able to get that fixed with minimal stress. The new one sure is pretty.

I wouldn't worry about mounting the Blue Sea fuse block under the hood to be honest. I've had mine mounted under the hood and wired for about a year, and I do a lot of driving through deep water and adverse conditions. Never had a single issue.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Shizzzzzzy ,
I have the axle vent mod and a PRG rear diff cover , fluid was changed when the diff cover was installed.
Hopefully my VDC light flash was a one time fluke.

As far as your plans for a lift, before I bought my "used" Radflo coilovers... my plan was to go with the TJM extended coil overs and SPC UCA's on the Nisstec website. The TJM's have rubber bushings just like the stock coilovers. The problem was I would call Nisstec every three or four weeks to check on availability for the TJM extended coilovers and they always seemed to be back ordered.

I may be able to help you with your 7" LED light bars install. My Truck has a similar LED Light set up, and I have a factory Nissan Xterra button/switch inside the cab.
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f23/xterra-offroad-lamp-switch-58898/
 
#20 ·
One of the codes the dealer found was the steering sensor angle safe code, so they may have reset that.

I'll have to look more in to the TJM's, though I'm already finding as many complaints as praises on them.

I have thought about the Xterra switch, but I'm going to end up with a few more switches, so I'm thinking of just putting in a full switch panel in the overhead console blue tooth mic location so I have a spot for all future switches.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Ya there are not many clubfrontier/thenewx thread info out there on the TJM coilovers. Your only other option for non-heim joint coilovers are the bilstein adjustable 5100's then...I just sent PM with a guy selling some.
I just got my "used" Radflo's back from being rebuilt by Radflo (yet to be installed). My plan for this coming winter/road salt is to spray the Radflo's as much as possible with Triflo lubricant and of course car washes.

Edit:
There are also the Rancho coilovers but I have seen a lot of negative threads on those ...leaking after a year or two.
 
#22 ·
I have the TJM coilovers, they're not bad and I beat on them pretty good. They redesigned the lower mount and made it more beefy. I also have the rear TJM gold shocks. These will probably be for sale soon since I now have rear radflo resis and rodflo extended coilovers on order.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
 
#23 ·
No real updates, the doctor cleared me of any lifting restrictions on the 25th, but she said I would still have about 6 weeks of my arm getting back to 100%. I'm still having some minor pain if I over work, but pretty much as of last weekend my right arm now gives me less grief than the left. I'm waiting until after labor day to schedule the left arm. I don't want to ruin my summer.

I'm almost fully decided the front suspension will eventually be Titan swapped with Tundra 5100's with 4runner springs and the custom top hat as per Galmisdude's info (thanks again kind sir). I plan to keep my truck (knock on wood) for many years and I want to do things once and the way I really want. Any other front end work will NOT be what I truly want.

As far as armor, I'm thinking of not buying sliders and rear bumper and building instead. I do not like any rear bumpers available and sliders are a dead simple design, so, I feel money spent on a tube bender would be better. My other project truck is going more in a hot rod / trophy truck direction, so that will need a cage and other things as well.

Does anyone have any pictures of where the slider mounts and the aftermarket skid plates meet up? I was hoping to wait on the skids and build the sliders first. Or, which skid plate do I need to worry about in regards to the slider mounts.
 
#24 ·
Does anyone have any pictures of where the slider mounts and the aftermarket skid plates meet up? I was hoping to wait on the skids and build the sliders first. Or, which skid plate do I need to worry about in regards to the slider mounts.

The only skid that might need to be taken into consideration with custom sliders is the gas tank skid, as it's the only one that bolts to the bottom of the frame rail. The other skids just bolt to various crossmembers.

Really friggin' terrible cell phone pics but it should give you an idea. This is a Hefty skid with custom sliders.

Front looking back:


Back looking forward:


Side view:
 
#27 ·
Amazing how busy life can be sometimes.

Done lots of thinking and planning, and researching, I've had a few discussions with my wife about logistics for GONE 2017, researched CB radios, been studying for my ham license. Today I spent some time crawling around the truck planning out my Blue sea fuse box install. Hope to put some time in to that this long weekend.
 
#29 · (Edited by Moderator)
DNR sticker SWAAAAEEET !!!

I am ready , if you want to go some weekend.... Foot Hills State Park / Spider lake is super fun. PM me , call me or send me a text.
 
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