Gen 1.25 X-tier-ra Frankenstein ... it's alive!!

D

Doug

Test Drive
Location
Middle Tennessee
So right about the last day of August, 2016 - I bought my first Xterra.
$1500 won the auction, but fees & etc.'s bumped that up to a steep 2200.









It was an insurance auction - I had to go through a broker to bid online.
Rented a U-haul trailer to go pick her up & bring her to a (very good, obviously) friends shop.
She was TN titled, had first sold in Fredericksburg, VA & then spent some time in New York (so a few years of winter salt), but overall a fairly clean vehicle.











At that point, I really thought I'd be fixing the '04 X, then swapping over the aftermarket parts from my blown-motor '00 Frontier:









She'd been wrecked in the front (long before). My kids got it on a trade & used it for years.
It was still stock and 2x4 back then. Cracked manifolds, a limp to the left ... it was gifted to me as a basket case back in late 2012, maybe.
First thing I did was the 4x4 conversion, suspension lift, tires, headers ... second I added 2" of body lift in a vain attempt to save some fenderwell.








Before you get to thinking that this thread is all about Frontier love, though (which it is) ... check out this 'after' picture right up front, here, for all you short-attention span mo.... oh, umm - excuse me - I digress.





 
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D

Doug

Test Drive
Location
Middle Tennessee
Back when I did that 4x4 conversion to the Frontier - I did it using Xterra parts ... '02 vintage, I believe.
So, I'm no stranger to tearing into these trucks ... mechanically.

Bodywork, on the other hand - that I have very little experience with.
So when I tore into this 'new' Xterra of mine ...












... I decided that this wasn't the project I was going to learn body repair on.

The Fronty only needed a motor - anything else I could swap was a cosmetic bonus.
Here's the first test-fit ... seeing what matched up.





 
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D

Doug

Test Drive
Location
Middle Tennessee
I really, really did want that snazzy 1.5 gen dash in my tired ol' Frontier:






So I swapped the wiring harnesses from under the dash, around the engine bay, and on top of the motor.
This meant several days of studying wiring diagrams & patiently fabricating a jumper harness to go between new front wiring & old stuff in the rear.





Of course, there's always little details - like: the Fronty has a hand e-brake just inboard of where the Xterra's hood release is (the Fronty's hood release is where the X's foot operated e-brake is). Guess how much has to be trimmed from this panel, in order to freely access the Fronty e-brake? (hint: it's ahelluva lot more than what I first trimmed, here):

 
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D

Doug

Test Drive
Location
Middle Tennessee
Hey thanks y'all!! I always thought this swap would look great!

"What's next?":
Paint is high on the list
- Was thinking of trying it myself, but think I'm running out of painting weather for the makeshift booth I'd have to setup.
A wrap came to mind today. I'll probably go get an estimate on that.

Since the original's white, I was thinking flat white basecoat with some kind of winter camo pattern.


Needta get the frontend all lined up, maybe a couple tires.
My aluminum wheels are in terrible shape - gotta figure out what to do with those.
Beadlocks are nice, elbow grease is cheap.

She needs good plate bumpers & sliders ... passenger step is already a little 'massaged'.


After that, the only thing I can really imagine is lockers & an sas or long-travel conversion - that'll be a much later episode of this thread, though!


Lights, CB's, compressors, etc - they're sure to find their way onto the truck over time. I'll keep y'all posted.
 
D

Doug

Test Drive
Location
Middle Tennessee
My daily died a quiet & sudden death a couple of weeks back. That lit a fire under me to get the X-tier on the road.

My goal was '4x4 before snow', so it wasn't a big push on the schedule - but there were a few details I'd like to go back & do.
Fender flares, body moulding ... maybe finding that lower bumper section at a pull-a-part!


Anyway - here's the daily - a 6.oh powerstroke - its back on the road today after expensive surgery down at swamps diesel.

 
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