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Pillar of Autumn Build Thread

70K views 189 replies 12 participants last post by  RyanD1966 
#1 · (Edited)
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So its time to get this build thread started, found out Kyocera smart phones aren't the best camera's in the world, I think I'll start using the DSLR going forward, but anyhow, after the axle vent mod, it was time to get lighting and transmission cooling started.

I have the trans cooling fan mounted now ( thank you Jeg's ) and the LED light bars mounted and temporarily wired.
The cooler fan will have both automated thermostatic and manual override switching via my new relay panel and in-cabin switching bank, still debating going behind the sunglasses holder or the rearmost panel behind the dome lamps.
6 LED backlit switches have arrived from superbrightLEDs.com, pretty similar to the ones others have purchased and/or recommended, but at only $7.99 each, couldn't turn down the savings vs $15.50 to $18.00 each.
Weatherproof LED Rocker Switch with Legend | Super Bright LEDs
Going to build a custom relay/fuse centre that will sit above the factory IPDM E/R and provide safe switching and fusing for the six circuits I'm adding ( 3 for future including 1 for future 52" curved LED roof bar ).

Stats:
2014 Nissan Frontier Pro4x 4x4 with VTP Package
Nickname: Pillar of Autumn ( formerly Silver Surfer )

Updated List of Modifications:
Exterior:
Mini-Push Bar, front
2 x 16" LED FleaBay light bars, AutoPartM
2 x LED "Pod" Lamps - SuperBrightLEDs.com

1 x 42" curved front LED bar

2 x 22" side LED bars

2 x Ditch lamps, on Rago Fabrication fender mounts.

LED Headlamp replacement bulbs, Katana 9007 series 6.5k @12,000 lumens

LED Foglamp replacement bulbs, Hikaris 6.5k @10,000 lumens

LED running / brake lamps - SuperBrightLEDs.com, festoons in red
LED reversing and license plate lamps, CheckItAuto
Duplicolour red ceramic hi-heat paint, brake calipers
Fabtech 3/16" plate steel radiator skid plate w/ oil filter access port, painted red
ShrockWorx rear differential armour, painted red
Hefty Fabworks aluminium bash plates, engine, transmission and transfer case, stock Pro4x fuel tank skid in steel
iArmour lite-duty rocksliders, by APG and shipped through CarID
iArmour rockslider / Side Step 5' LED puddle lamps

Axle vent mods - K&N breather filter front & rear axles, rear vent relocation to behind right taillamp

Curt cargo / luggage basket attached to factory roof rack, with Curt optional length extender
Linkitom 40 LED 12v auxiliary truck taillamps mounted to rear face of Curt cargo basket

Window Vent Visors - AVS

DrawTite Hitch
7 & 4 / 5 pin trailer electric hookup - Tekonsha harness and relay kit, bumper relocation mod, Hopkins connector.

Power rear tailgate lock / unlock solenoid

Home-made rear wheelarch liners, plastic
Ridgid Bed-Mount toolbox 32" jobsite model, 32R-OS with custom installed Lowe's SuperStrut for Nissan cleat tie-down point mountings
Full perimeter LED flexible strip lighting for bed illumination under the tonneau cover
Custom on-board air with ARB compressor, two pressure regulators and red flexible air hose to air up / down

Custom in-bed tool mounts with QwikFists, to hold axe, shovel, hammer, adze and sledgehammer, mounted to OE Nissan UtiliStrut system

Red tuner lug nuts - 24 Pc Set Spline Tuner Lug Nuts ¦ 12x1.25 ¦ Red for Nissan Suzuki | eBay
Titan Wheel Accessories 1.5" hubcentric wheelcentric spacers -

Interior:
Custom overhead console light control bar, SuperBrightLEDs back-lit rocker switches.
Weatherproof LED Rocker Switch with Legend | Super Bright LEDs
LED dome lamps - CheckItAuto
Autometer gauges for transmission and engine coolant temperature

Centre console lid padded leather cover from Poland
Scosche by Nexar NEXS1 smart HD interior dash camera, Sony Starvis image sensor, hardwired.
Powered rear sliding window, Honda Ridgeline drive motor assy and custom aluminium mounting brackets by CF member Harm.
6 fuse hot all times and 6 fuse ignition relay switched power distribution centre on driver's kickpanel , behind instrument cluster & near steering column

Audio & Comms:
Sundown Audio SA-2.75FR neodymium mid-highrange speakers ( factory tweeter locations )
Morel Audio Maximo 6 - 6.5" component set for the doors - Crutchfield.
Yaesu TF8900R 4-band HAM radio & Kenwood external speaker, the internal Yaesu speaker is small and not very distinct.

Engine Bay:
K&N drop-in air filter
Custom-fabricated six circuit control fuse / relay centre controlled by switch panel in Interior details

Jegs 10" 615CFM cooling fan on factory plate & fin transmission cooler ( thermoswitch and manual override controls ).
Front differential breather mod, K&N breather filter added to factory breather tube
Full-width flexible LED strip light for night underhood inspections or repairs
Hood lift struts
Red anodized aluminium oil filler cap - no longer listed on Amazon
Group 31M battery - Advance Auto DieHard

Red silicone radiator hoses from Z1.
HO ignition coils from Z1.
NGK Rhodium spark plugs

Suspension:
Firestone RideRite rear spring overload airbags ( kit# 2558 from AutoAnything ) with Firestone 1/2 gallon steel reserve air tanks plumbed in ( two ). 3 gallon Firestone reserve tank with pressure regulator plumbed to feed both 1/2 gallon snubber tanks through check valves. ARB compressor with 70PSI cuton 100PSI cutoff to feed the 3 gallon reserve tank and a separate pressure regulator and qwik-connect for on-board air line with tire stem chuck.
1.5" Titan Wheel Accessories hub spacers.
Front: Bilstein 6112 coil-overs & tophat spacer lift for about a 2" overall lift. All Dogs Offroad upper control arms to eliminate coil bucket contact ( CBC ).
Rear: Extended comfort-ride rear shackles 4" extension which provides about 2" lift at the wheel hub. Home-brewed spacers to lift the air bag lower mounts 2" to compensate for the shackle lift. Old Man Emu HD shocks.
 

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#3 · (Edited)
Temp wiring, it isn't staying that way. ::wink:: I'll post finished pics after the new fuse and relay box is built and installed. Hopefully this weekend; if not, should be by end of next week. Fairly complex build to shoehorn all that crap into the available space, they couldn'ta made the original IPDM E/R sit say 2 inches lower? We'll see.
 
#4 · (Edited)
So completed overhead switch panel last nite, wrapped up about 11:00PM and had my son assist in bringing the wire bundle through the bottom of the Drivers-Side A-Pillar this morning (not much space in there to get past existing wiring) and brought out through the main grommet near the steering column firewall penetration.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/rectangle/led-rocker-switch-with-legend/1875/

Did not take pics before installing the overhead but will need to redo the build slightly anyhow, the mic is not positioned ideally for audio pickup, the original mic position is now gone cause of the switch panel width. Six of these took up most of the available space. Will post pics after second R&R of the console assembly. Be sure when you do your build to include inline connectors so the harness hidden in the headliner and down the A-Pillar can stay put when you need to pull the console for repairs or upgrades. I used two 5 pin weatherpack-style inline connectors to allow removal. Install them facing opposite directions if you use two (one male and one female) on the console side, for example, which then makes reassembly foolproof as you can't accidentally cross-connect.

Build note, I used 18GA coloured wires for the signal / control wiring and it barely fits inside the upper console and with 8 wires (6 signal, two power) it fit tightly inside a 3/8" split wire loom so don't use anything heftier or you won't get it to hide in the A-Pillar trim and the headliner area will be real tight as well. A 1/2" wire loom in my opinion will not fit unless you use a different routing than I did.

So for anyone contemplating a similar build (as several others have already done), to get the wiring routed, the upper center console (dome light & sunglasses assembly) has no screws, just pull down from the front edge (nearest rear view mirror) and it pops right out, but you will be pulling hard. The A-Pillar trim cover has two 10mm socket bolts hidden under the driver's side "oh-crap" handle and then it just pulls out as well. Start at the windshield side of the trim at the top and pull slowly, it will eventually come loose. At the door-jam end, it is actually two pieces, the upper part that wraps around to the windshield and the lower half that fills the area between the end of the dash assembly and the door jamb space. Separate the two by popping out the position pin two "tooth" retainers and the upper trim comes right out of the lower.

Connected the hot and ground by hand to the battery just to see that backlighting works and that power was available at all the output leads (six), and all 30 connections I had to make on the spade terminals were 5 by 5. Good to go, now on to the relay box build. Should be this week.
 

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#6 ·
Okay so here they are. pics of the front and back while getting in to relocate the bluetooth mic module.
Given the amount of wires that had to sandwich in there I think it looks pretty good overall.
 

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#7 · (Edited)

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#8 · (Edited)
APG iArmour side-step / rock-sliders arrived and mounted, photos to follow tomorrow if the typhoon rolling through the MD area decides to leave anytime soon. The rockers themselves are fairly light weight as they are aluminium, so for those who aren't trying to turn their truck into a mobile fortress (that weighs commensurately the same), these are ideal. The brackets are very thick and are steel, powder coated, no wobble or give once they are mounted, using the factory spot-welded studs on the inside of the rocker panel area (zero drilling). I got mine for pennies over $300 delivered and took about 45 minutes to install. I used the passenger-side bracket at the front of the driver's side and visa-versa as the Frontier's main rear wiring harness exits the passenger's-side fender cavity just in the area that the most forward mounting bracket attaches, so reversing the brackets provided more space for the wiring harness, look under the truck and you'll see it.
https://www.carid.com/apg/iarmor-black-rocker-steps.html
 

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#9 ·
My take on the axle vent modification (M226 and C200 both).

Here's fabrication:
$5.00 sports water bottle - Walmart
$8.95 K&N filter part# 62-1600RD
$5.00 Dorman Quick Connects part# 800-011 3/8" barb union
$11.50 Genuine Toyota (90404-51319) Union (axle connection barb itself)
$5.95 - 6 x 3/8" Ideal hose clamps
3/8" fuel line length to suit, I paid $1.12 per foot, prob 6 to 8 feet.

Some may say its overkill, yes, it may be, but if it stops my axle seals from going Mary Poppins, its money well spent at 10 times the cost.
Simply break off the pop-up straw end that comes with the water bottle and then remove the dip tube from inside. Flip the cap over and drill another hole through the middle, 3/8" drill bit, ream it around a bit and the fitting'll pop right in, it doesn't have to be tight cause this isn't a bulkhead connector, its a through fitting. Tighten the hose clamps and install on the truck.
Total time prob 30 to 45 minutes. I ran mine across/along the factory brake line loop then along the frame rail up to the right taillight area, this way the hose follows the exact arc of the axle as it moves up and down, no fear of catching it on anything or hyperextending it. I stuffed the drinking bottle behind the taillight area (wedged in tight) then drilled two holes through the inside of the bed and put drill screws through the sheetmetal into the water bottle. No possible way this will ever fall out now and is secured for good but still removable, in case it ever requires inspection or (unlikely) maintenance. I used SS screws and the bed has the spray-on liner so rust won't be an issue.
 

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#11 ·
TwoWheels, its next to the switches but relocating it didn't do it any favours, it was fairly poor performing before, now its worse. Researching replacing the mic w/o scrapping the whole head unit, that's not in the budget right now.
 
#12 ·
Thanks. I have an sPOD that I pulled from a previous truck and planned on putting the switch panel in the same place, but I have the Bluetooth mic up there. Now I'm thinking about 3D printing a little enclosure that'll fit in the gap between the 4x4 switch and that storage tray in the center console.
 
#13 · (Edited)
TwoWheels, if you have an sPOD controller, aren't they smaller? You may have room to leave the mic where it is and place the switch pack beside it. If not, yes, you will have to move. I'm considering moving to the flip-down sunglasses case, in the left-hand corner, if I can find a suitable aftermarket mic that mounts through a single hole. My logic is the mic would be farther from the sunroof opening ( noise ) and in a better line of sight ( or audio ) to pick up voice, instead of above and to the right of the driver' head. My Cruze's mic had a better location and was much more audible to the talkee ( other end of the conversation ).
 
#17 ·
TwoWheels, if you have an sPOD controller, aren't they smaller? You may have room to leave the mic where it is and place the switch pack beside it. If not, yes, you will have to move. I'm considering moving to the flip-down sunglasses case, in the left-hand corner, if I can find a suitable aftermarket mic that mounts through a single hole. My logic is the mic would be farther from the sunroof opening (noise) and in a better line of sight (or audio) to pick up voice, instead of above and to the right of the driver' head. My Cruze's mic had a better location and was much more audible to the talkee (other end of the conversation).
I have an older sPOD that uses six full-size Cordura switches, and the control module under the hood is about the size of a Kindle and 1 1/2" high.

The switches mount in their own 6-gang bezel that needs a big rectangular hole to fit in. I removed the overhead console and removed the panel that has the two holes for the BlueTooth mic. The rectangular hole was not much larger than the sPOD switch bezel, so I bent up some brackets to mount the bezel in that hole with double-sided tape.

I wedged the BlueTooth mic in the gap that was left, and put the button for the switch backlighting in the corner of the hole. I used electrical tape to seal up the edges. Doesn't look too shabby, but I'm more for function over form, and I like the fact that it's 100% reversible since I didn't have to Dremel anything.
 
#14 · (Edited)
So, I'm curious as to what the responses will be, but love it or hate it, here's my fuse / relay build. The first pic is what I'd love to have actually used, but cost and space issues nixed that plan, so this is what I constructed.
The fuse holder is eight positions, I tapped into the switched ignition ( IPDM E/R Connector E121 ( brown ) Pin 27 to get the ignition switched HOT. The wire is white / green. I also tapped Connector E123 ( brown ) Pin 54 / Red to get low beam HOT, and pin 56 / Blue for high beam HOT, then ran these out to the new relay centre. The two front light bars are dioded to the high beam output so both light bars switch on ( through their respective relays ) when the high beams are on. The switch panel in the cabin will turn them on independently when desired, as well. The Jegs 10" cooling fan I mounted on the trans cooler has its own override switch as well, plus a thermostatic control switch I have yet to mount. The remaining three are for cab roof light bar ( probably 50 to 52" curved ), side lamps and rear lamps yet to be purchased and installed. The ignition tap passes through the separate 3A fuse then on to the power-up lead for the cabin overhead console switches and to another switched ignition relay ( inside the box ) that will power future cabin accys including the AutoMeter gauges I purchased, one for trans temp and one TBD. Those will prob go just above the stereo/navi system in the little items cubby on the top of the dash. A Lexan cover protects all the components but leaves them all visible. Engine bay photos of the completed install to follow after I get done cleaning up the wire looming and the monsoon rains in MD finally break. Today's pretty nice actually but I'm stuck at work LOL. BTW this is sitting directly on top of the IPDM E/R and the relay bank is above the E/R Fuse Block next to it.

328680

328681
 

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#16 · (Edited)
Okay, so the truck isn't clean and neither is the engine bay but you get the idea. Crap lighting, terrible backdrop. Light rain falling as I'm taking these, not keeping the Nikon DSLR outside for long, it doesn't like moisture. Wettest late spring I can remember here in MD or perhaps anywhere for that matter, never seems to stop.

There are no mountains in this end of MD so no great backdrop vista's, my mother lives north of Harrisburg PA, much better hill / mountain photo ops that way, so will have more later. Gonna go wheeling next weekend in NJ under the power line right-of-ways near Vineland ( Southern NJ ), plenty of dirt trails and no rocks so don't have to sweat the tinfoil skids that Nissan provides for underbody armour. Maybe Schrokworks someday but house first.

Not all the wires in the far rear are loomed up tight yet, two more circuits to run including the OE ignition-switched / controlled ignition supply relay output inside the new fuse box, will tap off for a small Blue Sea subfuse panel under the dash, first circuits will be the transmission temp gauge (2-5/8" AutoMeter ProComp UltraLite 105-4457 already purchased) plus whatever I pick for the other pod. The rubber gasket's gonna get redone too, I have a single-hole punch now to make clearance holes for the screws to pass through the rubber so it doesn't grab and wrap the gasket, which I had expected might be trouble. It was.
 

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#18 · (Edited)
Installed Morel Maximo 6 6.5" component separates from Crutchfield. Crutchfield states they do not fit front doors, to a degree this is true, ordered the Scosche SA-69 adapter plates and hogged out the center hole a total of about 3/8", after that they fit fine, direct drop-in. Installed XTC 6-3/4" speaker baffles while in there, and Dynamatted four layers on the door panels before buttoning everything up. Total install time, just over 4 hrs. The sound quality is amazing, I have Sundown Audio 2.75 midranges in the factory tweeter holes and the silk dome Maximo tweets went on top of the door handle pull area on the flat top of the door panel. Crossovers wire-tied to the impact intrusion beam in the bottom of the door. Imaging I would say is average, vehicles are lousy acoustic environments, but the detail that emerges on the Alisa Jones Irish Dreams FLAC to 192kbps mp3 conversion is astonishing. The strings are clear and harmonic and echos off the strings are clearly reproduced. For a $149 set of speakers they are punching way above their weight class, I'm sold on Morel as a serious contender over Infinity Kappa's and Boston Acoustics, I've owned both. A year or two perhaps, will upgrade the front Morels to Maximus 602s ( $289.00 ) or Tempo Ultra's ( $429.00 )( and move the existing Maximos to the rear doors). Audio Nirvana. These are Israeli BTW, very interesting.
 

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#19 · (Edited)
Transmission Temp Gauge time. So purchased the AutoMeter short sender and adapter that everyone else mentioned, plus the AutoMeter analog trans temp gauge and installed the sensor yesterday morning. Drove the truck up the asphault curb at my apartment to get a little more clearance under the side-steps to slide under the rig ( nose angled up ) . No problem. Removed the test tap on the side of the trans, absolutely ZERO fluid came out, O-ring was a little wet with trans fluid, perfect, don't ever install them completely dry, transferred O-ring to new adapter, added some teflon tape to the sender, tightened the sender then installed the whole assembly hand-tight then went about 90 to 110 degrees past, with an open-end wrench. Zero leaks, zero issues. So strung the sender wire up through engine bay and through driver's window for very temporary testing purposes, temp's holding about 150 - 155F in 3rd gear around town and just under 150F on Northern Parkway outside Baltimore, with ambient at 79 to 82F, bed unloaded ( no towing or hauling, just the truck weight and two occupants ). Hopefully have guages permanently installed by this weekend, going to mount both on the top of the storage cubby above radio; as others have done, should be good line-of-sight w/o being too intrusive.
 

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#20 · (Edited)
Transmission Temp Gauge time.
Okay so I know this thread's pretty close to being older than Moses but we have some new members chiming in so I thought I'd help out by listing what I did. It may be helpful to others.

Autometer Water Temp Gauge 105-4437
Gauge Sender Adapter - fit upper rad hose perfectly.

Autometer Transmission Temp Gauge 105-4457
Transmission Test Plug Adapter 1/8" NPT X M10 105-2265
Short Sender - std length supplied with gauge will not fit 105-2259
2-5/8" Diametre mounting cups 555-41256

I chose the 2-5/8" series cause they are bigger and easier to read for old eyes like me LOL ( I'm 52 ). I have a Pro4 so the Autometer part numbers are for the white face orange pointer gauges that match very well with the Pro's OEM white face gauge package. 2-1/8" gauges are available, as are black or carbon fibre face and then of course some prefer digital. Autometer senders will work with any of the same compatible series of gauges so the sender numbers I provided are applicable to a range of selected gauges to meet what your appearance desires are. NOTE that the Autometer gauges with an extra-wide pointer travel ( full sweep ) are NOT compatible with these senders.

Also note, like I did, you may want to install WeatherPack-type or positive-latch inline connectors on the gauge set so they can be easily removed for servicing or adjusting if needed. I didn't get any photos of the in-lines I used.

Not exactly relevant but definitely related, the 10" 610CFM fan I mounted on the outboard transmission cooler in the nose, is part# 555-52100 and runs $50.39 from Jegs.

So purchased the AutoMeter short sender and adapter that everyone else mentioned, plus the AutoMeter analog trans temp gauge and installed the sensor yesterday morning. Drove the truck up the asphault curb at my apartment to get a little more clearance under the side-steps to slide under the rig ( nose angled up ) . No problem. Removed the test tap on the side of the trans, absolutely ZERO fluid came out, O-ring was a little wet with trans fluid, perfect, don't ever install them completely dry, transferred O-ring to new adapter, added some teflon tape to the sender, tightened the sender then installed the whole assembly hand-tight then went about 90 to 110 degrees past, with an open-end wrench. Zero leaks, zero issues. Temp's holding about 150 - 155F in 3rd gear around town and just under 150F on Northern Parkway outside Baltimore, with ambient at 79 to 82F, bed unloaded ( no towing or hauling, just the truck weight and two occupants ). 90+F local running did get to 180F once, highway dropped back to lower than 160F at highway speed. Takes 10 to 15 minutes to reach operating temps, so I think that means that cooling is certainly at least up to the task and has capacity to spare. Good news. Real water temp gauge now mounted as well, just waiting on in-line aluminium radiator hose tube adapter to arrive so sender can be mounted and wired. Found out the factory gauge is basically an idiot needle with Cold - Running Temp - Overheat reading positions, thx for nothing Nissan, I prefer to know if my engine is going full-on China Syndrome.
 

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#21 · (Edited)
Double-posted, see below.
 
#22 · (Edited)
So finished up the engine temp gauge install after verifying that the factory engine temp gauge is indeed an "idiot needle" that registers cold, running and YBYE ( you blew your engine ). Since well nigh nobody provides any accessible ports for senders anymore, and half the time you can't even see the aluminium half of the intake manifold; I picked up this little gem from Amazon to finish the install.
Throw out the chinese made junk hose clamps and replace with Ideals or equivalent and you are golden. Replaced the upper radiator hose with a new Goodyear from the local Salvo's auto while I was in there, the old hose looked fine but why would you put new wine in old skins, right? Kept the old one behind the rear seat as a spare. This fit nicely snug in the top radiator hose and works great, absolutely no leaks or dribbles, just don't forget to run an extra ground lead or you get ZERO signal. Easy peasy and only $10.00. Good quality aluminum casting, well machined, factory AutoMeter sender fit in like a glove.
 

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#23 · (Edited)
Be careful what you wish for, you may get it. I was waiting to do some off-roading in Maine and got to hit two separate places. Day One, Thursday I followed an access road paralleling some medium-voltage power lines outside Albion Maine, on Albion Rd. The trail started out pretty good, but got rutted pretty quickly and turned into a mix of mud ruts and rocky scree. Banged my driver's side step on a nice rock hiding in a muddy trench, after driving over it, bent the step assy backwards about 2 inches, on the way out. Might be time for some real rock sliders.

Day Two, Dyer's Road bypass heading to Elephant Mountain, started out pretty good as below, then began to narrow after about 7 miles. At this point, we ran into a teenager on a quad-sport and inquired about Dyer's road. He advised it continued straight thru but narrowed down some for a ways, and after finishing the course I had to wonder if he were really thinkin "I think this good 'ole boy's not right in the head, attempting to take a pickup truck through that mess". At this juncture the trail was more of a suggestion and I was seriously considering the 8.9" of ground clearance that the front differential has (lowest-hanging point of the truck except the side-steps, stock Nissan Frontier Pro4x which is the tallest of the Nissan Frontier series, factory lift only). The trail narrowed until bushes were running down both sides of the paint and Caren got out at least twice to spot for me to crawl over and between some serious rocks and avoid some tire-cutters (TRex tooth shaped vertical rocks) buried in the trail.

This went on for about another 6 miles before we finally got to the end of the trail and it widened out again right before meeting another main graveled road. It took over 90 minutes to traverse this section & I don't think in my entire life I have ever put more concentration into driving than I did here. And according to the DeLorme Gazeteer ( a local map publication that produces area atlases ) this road isn't considered bad. Shirley's Tote road is considered impassable. I want to see what that looks like. For this trail I would recommend a Bradley Light Infantry vehicle. When we reached Elephant Mountain I inspected the paint and was completely surprised to find no major scratches, gouges or dents, just tons of gravel dust lodged in everything. Thank you Jesus for no cut tires. That zone has ZERO cell reception. ( Pic #1 is not ours, thats from some one else's trip ). Engine temp stayed pretty steady around 195F+_ but transmission rose from 160 - 165F on-street to almost 200F on trail, crawling slow in 4WD was stressing her. Turned on the trans aux cooling fan, 610CFM. Quite an adventure.
 

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#24 ·
Not a lot to report for a while, just enjoyin the truck.
Ordered Motul Multi ATF 100% synthetic for my transfer case and Motul 75W140 for the rear diff. BTW Motul Multi ATF is Dexron III and Mercon compatible and is listed as Nissan Matic S, D, J and K, and ATF FMS compatible, from the Motul website. Amazon has both for sale, it appears to be super highly rated and in use by many racing teams. I don't beat on my truck ( much ) but having the best gives me piece of mind that these parts will last as long as humanly possible. I expect to drive this thing to my own funeral.
The front diff is weird, 80W90 is apparently only a synthetic blend ( except for perhaps Amsoil ) so I went with Valvoline 80w90 semi-synth blend. I'll report how everything feels and runs after they're swapped out. Several OPs reported their transfer cases switched into and out of 4WD faster and smoother with synthetic. I'm curious to try it out.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Liqui-Moly Mo2S
So I ordered LiquiMoly MoS2 oil treatment. 6 cans are $30, for $5 a hit I'm willing to try it. I know some here believe all oil treatments are snake-oil, and some believe that most are. If no one else has tried it, I'll be willing to be the experimental guinea pig. In the past some MoS2 products have had issues with suspension precipitate and moly build-up in the bottom of the pan. From everything I've read, the Germans have licked this issue and the moly particles are 10 times smaller than what an oil filter captures so I can't see how oil filter clogging could be an issue, as it can be with Teflon-suspension additives, that even DuPont has disavowed.

My biggest concerns are the high-wear surfaces on the camshaft lobes and the spring pressures that the variable valve timing is running. The 370z is an extreme example of this issue and is running a custom-blended oil and sometimes an auxiliary oil cooler to combat these issues in spirited driving. Have a look at the Z forum if you are curious about that VQ's challenges. My wife has a Toyota RAV4 ( just can't quite convince her to leave the Dark Side ) with just under 200k on the clock and we are going to try out both. I see many reports of quieter operation and smoother idle plus possibly a MPG improvement, willing to put $30 on the line to find out. Put it in today and will report after a week or two on what's noticeable, if anything. Only half-way through the 7k-7500 oil change cycle I run ( full synthetic ) so figured it could go in now and not wait for next oil change. 8OZ added as recommended, lets see what it does. The stuff is black as india ink, but thankfully, thinner. LOL.
 
#26 ·
Transfer Case and Differentials Servicing
Well its done. What an ordeal, I'm too old and creaky to spend 3 hrs upside-down under a 5000# truck but I did it. Okay, so the transfer case took just under 2.0L to fill, the rear took all of the 2.0L and the front axle, 1.8 pints ( still have a bit from the 1L bottle left over ). Not looking forward to doing that again any time soon, that concrete floor was cold and I don't enjoy this crap anywhere near I did when I was 20. LOL.
Good news is that nothing leaked, I didn't break or strip anything and the rest of the chassis looks solid from a visual inspection. 4WD seems to engage and disengage almost instantly so I guess the transfer case gear set likes that new Motul ATF. Overall, a worthwhile project. The rear axle 75w140 came out almost black, the transfer case was dark red and the front 75w90 was almost clear. Very strange. Motul 75W140 is blue, the ATF red and the 75w90 is a medium-dark green. Interesting stuff. All the fluids appeared almost metal-free, cleaned off the drain plug magnets, the transfer case seemed to have some fine particles swimming in it, didn't seem to be anything to be majorly concerned about, all looked good and no signs of any water contamination.
 

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#27 ·
Originally Posted:
Mine's on order, Charcoal / Dark Red stitching, projected delivery date is 18 February. I went with the oreo double-stuff as I hate how low the existing armrest is and want to bring it up as much as possible, IMHO for me the OEM is absurdly uncomfortable with my elbow tweaked at that angle. I know I'm prob going old-skool and revealing my age, but the old cars with the fold-down armrests attached to the insides of the seat backs were the best. Why are those gone? Its rhetorical.

Update:
Ordered 24 January, shipped 29 January, arrived 19 February from Poland. So, observations. Quality is pretty good, stitching appears tight and aligned correctly, nice and straight. The leather colour appears just a hair lighter than the colour of the Pro4 seats with VTP, but good enough I have no complaints. No installed photos yet as it was too dark for good pix.

Installation. That was a challenge. The foams provided ( thin and thick, I ordered the thickest padding option ) were good on width but too long, trimmed off about 3/4" and made huge difference. I drilled small holes in the rear corners and midway down the sides of the plastic lid "cap" ( the inner top ) and used nylon wire-ties on the inside of the leather to stretch it taut and hold it temporarily while reinstalling and clinching the bottom plate to capture the leather between the top and bottom plates. This is not a fault of the supplier, its how the lid is designed and was probably never expected to have a leather covering. If you had two or three sets of hands it might be possible to do it just by the stretching method but solo, never gonna happen. Unless perhaps I'm just too spastic to be limber enough. Always possible.

Result. I think it looks pretty nice, it has a few ripples, just enough to give it that "hand-stretched coach-builder" look, not assembled by robot. Would I do it again? Yes, I believe I would. The leather seems pretty good quality and reasonably thick, will see how it holds up over time. Would still like perhaps another inch lift but that all depends on your upper arm length and what you find to be a comfortable elbow angle. The padding is certainly waaaay nicer than that nearly rigid rubber crap that Nissan stretched over it as OEM. Also the OEM cover scratches too easily IMHO.
 

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#28 · (Edited)
Going to be hauling and towing this summer & found a 10% discount off Firestone RideRite airbags, gonna be bagging the rear axle in the next week or so. I'll post some pics and before / after ride n drive observations.
Update: bags to be installed on the 7th, have a friend with a heated garage and a lift. Oooorah.
 
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