[JamesInTahoe]

Thought I would start a build thread just to keep all of my random changes listed and organized. Most will be repeats of what others have done since I'm not so original.

Bought the truck on Aug-8-2017 with about 36,500 miles on it.

Username: JamesInTahoe
Year: 2014
Make: Nissan
Model: Frontier
Trim: Pro4X
Color: Lava Red

Interior:
- Maxliner Maxfloormats (spend the extra money and get WeatherTech)
- LED dome lights - JDM Astar 31mm-EX-18W-CANBUS
- Powerwerx dual USB jack in place of cigarette outlet
- Icom IC-2730A Radio with MARS mod with a Tram 1181 1/4 Wave or Comet CA-2x4SAR NMO Mount Antenna [Post]
- 3D printed phone mount [Post]
- Rogue Key Switchout using Raine's Instructions

Exterior:
- ProZ ProFold Premium Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover [Post]
- LED reverse lights - JDM Astar T10-50W-White
- LED brake lights - JDM Astar 3157-PX-21W-White
- LED third brake light - JDM Astar 921-PX-15W-White
- LED cargo lights - JDM Astar 921-PX-15W-White
- LED fog lights - JDM Astar H11-3030-14W (don't bother, not enough improvement to be worth it)
- LED license plate lights - JDM Astar T10-PX-9W
- EZDown tailgate assist - eBay EZDown Tailgate Lowering Kit/Lift Support with the Frontier510 fix
- Electric tailgate lock - eBay InstallGear Universal Car Power Door Lock Actuators 12-Volt Motor [Post]
- NMO antenna mount bracket at front of bed (home made)
- Trailer plug connector relocated to bumper and changed to 7-pin with 4/5-pin [Post]
- Rigid Industries Pro SAE Fog Lights

Drivetrain:
- Front differential oil change with Valvoline synthetic 75W-90 - 40,000 miles
- Rear differential oil change with Valvoline synthetic 75W-140 - 40,000 miles
- Transfer case fluid change with Castrol Transmax Import Multi-Vehicle - 40,000 miles
- Transmission drain and fill with Castrol Transmax Import Multi-Vehicle - 40,000 miles
- Speed Bleeders added and brake fluid replaced - 45,000 miles
- Rear differential vent mod [Post]

Electrical:
- Replaced the engine-to-body ground wire with a 2 awg cable
- Blue Sea fuse box under hood for added electrical items [Post]

Suspension & Tires:
- Falken Wildpeak at3w 265/75-16 - installed at approximately 44,000 miles

Armor:
- Standard Pro4X plates

Performance:
- None

Gear and Other:
- Two bins with of search and rescue gear
- Recovery gear - 30' Tow Strap; 2 x ULTRanger 42k lb soft shackles; EAG receiver hitch D-ring and 3/4" shackle

In Progress:
- None

Hopes and Dreams:
- Titan swap and 285/75-16 tires
- Sliders
- WAM Bumpers winch carrier and winch

As it stands today:

 

[Junior9]

Thought I would start a build thread just to keep all of my random changes listed and organized. Most will be repeats of what others have done since I'm not so original.

Bought the truck on Aug-8-2017 with about 36,500 miles on it.

Username: JamesInTahoe
Year: 2014
Make: Nissan
Model: Frontier
Trim: Pro4X
Color: Lava Red

Interior:
- Maxliner Maxfloormats (spend the extra money and get WeatherTech)
- LED dome lights - JDM Astar 31mm-EX-18W-CANBUS
- Powerwerx dual USB jack in place of cigarette outlet

Exterior:
- ProZ ProFold Premium Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover
- LED reverse lights - JDM Astar T10-50W-White
- LED brake lights - JDM Astar 3157-PX-21W-White
- LED third brake light - JDM Astar 921-PX-15W-White
- LED cargo lights - JDM Astar 921-PX-15W-White
- LED fog lights - JDM Astar H11-3030-14W (don't bother, not enough improvement to be worth it)
- LED license plate lights - JDM Astar T10-PX-9W
- EZDown tailgate assist - eBay EZDown Tailgate Lowering Kit/Lift Support SG325900EZ Fits 05-15 Nissan Frontier
- Electric tailgate lock - eBay InstallGear Universal Car Power Door Lock Actuators 12-Volt Motor
- NMO antenna mount bracket at front of bed (home made)
- Trailer plug connector relocated to bumper and changed to 7-pin with 4/5-pin

Drivetrain:
- Front differential oil change with Valvoline synthetic 75W-90 - 40,000 miles
- Rear differential oil change with Valvoline synthetic 75W-140 - 40,000 miles
- Transfer case fluid change with Castrol Transmax Import Multi-Vehicle - 40,000 miles
- Transmission drain and fill with Castrol Transmax Import Multi-Vehicle - 40,000 miles

Suspension & Tires:
- Ohtsu All Season tires 265/75-16 -- what was on it when I bought it, admit you're jealous cause you've never had Ohtsu tires

Armor:
- Standard Pro4X plates

Performance:
- None

Gear and Other:
- Two bins with of search and rescue gear

In Progress:
- Icom IC-2730A Radio with MARS mod

Hopes and Dreams:
- Titan swap and 285/75-16 tires
- Sliders
- WAM Bumpers winch carrier and winch

Your build IS impressive. All that in a month or two? Good job sir. Regarding your tires...bless you! Allergies are bad this time of year.

 

[whistler]

Your build IS impressive. All that in a month or two? Good job sir. Regarding your tires...bless you! Allergies are bad this time of year.

Funny!

 

[bhowdy]

Nice job so far .... looking forward to watching this evolve. You need photos pf your truck in this thread

 

[JeniorNV]

Good start! x2 on the pics!

 

[JamesInTahoe]

A photo of the relocated trailer connector. The part I used is from NAPA - Part No. 755-1778.

Installation was pretty easy. Drill a 2 inch hole in the bumper, mark and drill the bolt holes, and cut the wires and splice them in. I tested the wires to double check that they match the standard 7-pin diagram. After I've had a chance to plug them into a trailer and confirm everything is actually wired correctly I'll go back and spray stop leak over the connections to give it some better waterproofing.

I cut the factory connector bracket off as well.

 

[JamesInTahoe]

A couple photos showing the install on the electric tailgate lock mod. The actuator is from eBay - InstallGear Universal Car Power Door Lock Actuators 12-Volt Motor. It was 2 for about $10. You have to drill a hole in the lock mechanism to connect the actuator rod. I ran 16 gauge wire from the unit along the left frame rail inside 1/4" split loom from the tailgate to the engine bay and ran it into the cab through a hole in the large wire loom grommet on the driver's side. I used a two-prong connector so the tailgate can come off as needed. Also, instead of trying to run the wires through the same place as the camera connector I drilled a hole in the bed and ran the loom through a grommet. Looks reasonably clean. I connected the unit to the door wires in the BCM, which was the hardest part.

Actuator in tailgate

Wires from tailgate to truck bed

This is a good overall description of the process.

 

[JamesInTahoe]

Finally got the Ham Radio Installed.

I struggled for a while on how to handle the mic. I don't like the hangers because they can be a pain to pull the mic from without keying it. I finally settled on a cheap magnet mount made for cell phones. Stays secure out of the way and easy to grab and replace while driving without having to look down.

More complete write-up here: Ham Radio Install

 

[The other Sean]

I've actually put three Ohtsu tires on my beater car (one at a time, lol). Not a single complaint for the price. I might even put a 4th one on before snow flies.

Truck is looking good.

 

[MNCarl]

Nice build so far.....from a fellow Lava Red PRO-4X owner.

 

[JamesInTahoe]

Nice build so far.....from a fellow Lava Red PRO-4X owner.

Thanks. Read your post on how you got yours. Nice grab with all the mods done. I actually traded in a 2 month old Tacoma Off-Road for mine and I'm much happier.

 

[RobFrisco415]

Welcome to the forum brother! Nice truck! Where in Tahoe r u at? I go up to Foresthill(have some property there) but definitely I go up there almost to Tahoe every weekend when there's snow! You board or ski? Maybe we can shred it up sometime!

Really dig that red btw.....

 

[JamesInTahoe]

Differential Vent Mod

Had a little time and finally collected to do the differential vent mod. What I used:
- Nipple with 90 degree bend - Nissan part no. 38323-01J0A (found this online, looks like a non-US part no.)
- Breather Plug - Toyota part no. 90930-03136
- Filter - PrimeLine 7-02357-1
- 6 feet of 1/4" fuel line
- 4 hose clamps
- Couple of zip-ties

A few comments:
- The Nipple with a 90 degree bend appears to be a non-US part number that I found online.
- The only hassle on the job was the Breather Plug. It's really made for 8mm line, not 6mm line, so it is hard to get in far enough to put the clamp on.
- 6 feet of line is pretty much exactly the correct amount. I used it all, just cut it about 6 inches from the end to put the filter in.

Here's the start and end:

I ran the line up through a slot where the exhaust hanger connects and then linked up with the wiring that goes to the passenger-side tail light. I didn't zip-tie it to the brake line as I didn't want the zip-tie rubbing on the line.

 

[The other Sean]

Wait, is the toyota plug a 2 way valve?

 

[JamesInTahoe]

Wait, is the toyota plug a 2 way valve?

My understanding is that it's just a breather, it's not a valve. It's just a metal cap crimped on a barb -- essentially a splash shield. I think the screw-in one that goes directly into the diff. is a 1-way.

 

[PenguinBoy808]

how are you liking all of your LED lights (besides the fog lights)? are the tail lights and reverse lights a big improvement?

 

[JamesInTahoe]

how are you liking all of your LED lights (besides the fog lights)? are the tail lights and reverse lights a big improvement?

Overall happy. Reverse and cargo are definitely brighter than stock and useful at night. The tail light seems brighter, but I don't really notice it being it's a tail light.

Issues I've had:
- I had one reverse light fail about 3 weeks in, which they replaced quickly. All fine since.
- The rear dome light has an issue. Sometimes it flickers. The front domes don't so I think it might be a wire issue in the fixture, just haven't had time to investigate.

 

[Frontier510]

- The rear dome light has an issue. Sometimes it flickers. The front domes don't so I think it might be a wire issue in the fixture, just haven't had time to investigate.

Have had the same issue. It's not a wire issue. It's on it's way out. At some point you'll think your in a disco. I've had it happen to the front ones and the back one. Different manufacturers iJDMtoy, JDMAStar, and on and on. They all seem to last a year and one will fail out of the three. I've lost a reverse light, break light, and rear turn signal light. Those seam to last about 3 years. At least for me.

 

[PenguinBoy808]

Overall happy. Reverse and cargo are definitely brighter than stock and useful at night. The tail light seems brighter, but I don't really notice it being it's a tail light.

Issues I've had:
- I had one reverse light fail about 3 weeks in, which they replaced quickly. All fine since.
- The rear dome light has an issue. Sometimes it flickers. The front domes don't so I think it might be a wire issue in the fixture, just haven't had time to investigate.

is it a simple plug and play swap? Ive heard the third brake light can be a pain to get to, but is there any other hardware that I would need to do the change?

 

[JamesInTahoe]

is it a simple plug and play swap? Ive heard the third brake light can be a pain to get to, but is there any other hardware that I would need to do the change?

Everything was plug and play. Third brake light, there are two square covers on the headliner. Pop those out. There are two studs on the third brake light with nuts on them. You need a deep socket because the studs are long (I think it was 10mm but can't remember) and an extension. Just take off the two nuts and pop the light off. Not bad at all.