Kuzmovka's SICK X

[Kuzmovka]

Howdy all welcome to my SICK X! The name is courtesy of my friend Tyler who gave he name mockingly due to my love for this thing. My mechanic also calls it The Beast. This is my first vehicle. I got her on my 16th birthday thanks to my very lovely mother. She hadn't quite figured out about my desire to offroad when I got this thing, but she soon did.

Year: 2001
Color: Red
Model: SE(xy) 4x4


R.I.P

What she had-

Suspension/tires/wheels-
- PML
- 32" Goodyear Duratracs
- Stock wheels painted black

Interior-
- Mud color dash mod (open windows in a mud pit)
- Single Din Pioneer head unit

Electrical-
- (2) HELLA 500's

Exterior-
- Calmini PreRunner tube bumper
- Sliders made by myself
- donated chopped and refitted rear bumper from the community

Removed-
- Nerf bars
- mud flaps
- bug deflector
- more to come?

here it is stock

Next up I went ahead -at the behest of this forum and CX- and removed the Xtra... crud

My third and fourth mods came very quickly, I got stickers and new shoes, 245/75r16 Duratracs

now for wheelin! my first adventure was a rather poorly thought out plan. My buddy had a 1976 f-150 and asked if I wanted to go mess around in some sand, I said sure why not, so we get down there and we played... in some water and mud too. then this happened on the 4th trip though the hole. I was 2/3 through, missed a shift from 4th to 2nd and instead put it in 3rd not thinking.

7 hours later I was out and on my way to work, only 2 hours late for my shift. This was on stock tires though, some bald 28" highway radials. My buddy is on 35" mud tires, and he is buried too.

I've been on a lot more trips since then and I have actually learned not to listen to my friends who say, oh you can do it!

 

[drbandkgb]

Awesome X man!

 

[Timrich]

Looks good man! Can't wait to see the new bumper!

Sent from my Galaxy S III

 

[Kuzmovka]

Thanks guys!

I'm thinking of taking the rack off the X... just to be different. What's under the pads, just holes? or are they sealed from water?

 

[bigjim247365]

sweet X man.

 

[Muadeeb]

The threaded inserts for the bolts. Pretty sure they're open to the headliner.

 

[Kuzmovka]

Guess I will either put the bolts in sans rack or leave it then. Damn, i kinda like the look of them bald and all. Maybe I will just have to bump the new rack build up to priority on the list. It will be epic thanks to SolidWorks 2012 =) gotta love Jeffco Public Schools sometimes

 

[Kuzmovka]

Definitely loving the 9 inches of snow we got today, the X performed admirably when bogging through the fields by my house. Photos tomorrow for sure.

 

[Kuzmovka]

Good news! My bumper returns, in all of it's glory tomorrow about the time I head off to school! so tomorrow night or after the ACT on wednesday I'm throwing it up!

 

[drbandkgb]

Awesome

 

[Xterraforce]

Awesome. Can't wait to see the new bumper.

 

[bigjim247365]

prepare yourself for "bumper ego", it'll whare off in about a week or two lol. cant wait to see it on.

 

[Kuzmovka]

OK guys! it's time for the Bumper update! I got it thrown on tonight and let me tell you how sick it really is! Calmini got the lights tabs put on there masterfully. There will be more details about my experiences in installing it in a later post, as tomorrow I have the ACT so I need to get the ZZZZZZZZZZZ's. I will be doing a stock bumper take down write up though I think and how to install this thing, because it's a ***** and half. I have two pictures for now, and some video of some sick snow drifting with it on, although it's from an iPhone and very ****ty. (Thank you apple for not being able to produce a decent camera). I will be installing my Hella's possibly tomorrow after testing. Now without further ado, ladies and genitalmen, the bumper!!!

This is with packaging for install, thats me with a dremel enlarging a hole because they were about 1/4 inch off the frame holes.

The finished product! I promise I will get lots of angles and detailed photos for ya'll


The first video in which I jumped a little bank and then kicked snow everywhere


The second video of us just tearing up a dirt lot!

 

[bigjim247365]

looks great!

 

[Xado89]

Nice looking bumper, sir.

 

[Kuzmovka]

More photos!!

 

[bigjim247365]

love it!

 

[Kuzmovka]

OK ya'll more goodies! I got some HELLA 500's for Christmas 2012, anticipating the bumper, and yesterday after school I moved to get em all wired up, and add a switch panel for future additions.

The wiring job I'll leave to you guys to fill in the blanks, it's all the normal feed the switch wire through the firewall and tap into the cigarette lighter for power, etc. now the cool bits I did manage to get pictures of, namely my switch panel.

So last night, after ignoring my girlfriend, who surprised me by coming over in the middle of removing 1/2 the dash to attempt to run through the passenger side firewall (we were unsuccessful). I managed to get the lights wired in a crude fashion to test the light pattern they put out.

This is just the headlights

The headlights and the HELLA fogs

Just the fogs

I am pretty impressed by the light pattern on these bad boys, if it ever snows again I think I'm pretty well set.

Now for the switch panel. I apologize for the lack of a start photo, but basically I took that useless little cubby hole down at the bottom of the dash, under the radio and in front of my shifters and removed the pocket

Adios!

I then dremmeled out the pocket on each side to allow it to accept a drop in jigsaw status switch panel, courtesy of waytek wire. Cred goes to RacerXXL though, he gave me idea and the link to the product a few months ago. It wound up looking like this:

sans switch

With my totally killer freakin fighter jet kill switch thing!!

After I got it all fitted properly I took it out to the X and got it all together, then wired her up!

My final step was to go park next the more stock 1.5 gen down the road a ways and snap a comparison photo.

 

[bigjim247365]

oh i see you have a missile launching style switch for your lights. i have the same for my roof lights lol.

 

[Muadeeb]

Thanks for this! I've also got a gen 1.0 and have been looking for ideas for more switch locations.

Sent via wild ferrets on crack

 

[Kuzmovka]

any time guys! i made it to page 2 finally =D I really couldn't use anywhere else and guarantee that it would be quite as pretty. those switch panels are available from waytek wire, just google it. They can be made as long as you want or as small as you want it to be. I am debating whether to do a CB or a PML next. any input??

 

[bigjim247365]

any time guys! i made it to page 2 finally =D I really couldn't use anywhere else and guarantee that it would be quite as pretty. those switch panels are available from waytek wire, just google it. They can be made as long as you want or as small as you want it to be. I am debating whether to do a CB or a PML next. any input??

pml pml pml!

with it and the bumper your X will have such a nice stance and when you get rid of the rear swaybar youll be surprised with the amount of travel you gain.
now for shocks i run Bilstien 5100 with the travel for a 3in lift for the added axle drop, but you can get away with the stock ones if you want but they will max out at full flex, i believe Roadwarrior still has his stock ones on and he seems to be doing allright. i knew mine were blown in the rear so thats why i got new ones.

but thats just my "2 cents" input lol.

 

[Roadwarrior]

pml pml pml!

with it and the bumper your X will have such a nice stance and when you get rid of the rear swaybar youll be surprised with the amount of travel you gain.
now for shocks i run Bilstien 5100 with the travel for a 3in lift for the added axle drop, but you can get away with the stock ones if you want but they will max out at full flex, i believe Roadwarrior still has his stock ones on and he seems to be doing allright. i knew mine were blown in the rear so thats why i got new ones.

but thats just my "2 cents" input lol.

I have the pml and my rear shocks are definitely my limiting factor in the rear. I completely agree with the choice to do the Online, it is the most beneficial to your truck as of now

 

[Xado89]

I just did my PML a week ago, I couldn't be happier with my choice. I got new shocks with it all and the travel is awesome. Not to mention a smoother ride from the Bil's I picked out.

 

[Kuzmovka]

So I've been gone for a while here, I was in Belize for spring break. I actually saw possibly the most bad ass X in all of time down there, but it was going the wrong way, so no pictures. IT DID HAPPEN though.

I'm definitely leaning toward the PML myself, I am marginally worried about cranking my T bars though as I have no level place to do it. (I have no garage, and I live in the foothills, like literally on a foothill actually). Further more I may have a jacked up power steering pump, and upon arriving home from Belize i discovered that I do definitely have a cracked windshield from a neighborhood kids baseball hitting it :dead:

So as a recap of the build at this point; I'm thinkning of a 100 watt bulb swap into my fogs, and adding a PML. While my shocks could stand to be replaced I'm too poor for shocks so not yet. My only questions about a PML are as follows:

1. How hard is it
2. does AC make a decent shackle? my experience with CALMINI involving my bumper has killed my business with them
3. If I took off my sway bar, with no shocks, on a scale of one to rolling over where would I be?

Commence the commenting!

 

[drbandkgb]

If you pull the rear sway bar you will never know it.. I run ac shackles and they like every other all do the same things.. Lift.. You need the shocks so I'm not sure why you would want to pull them..

 

[Kuzmovka]

No no I'm leaving the shocks, I meant without replacing the shocks, I suppose I should make that clear. I know I need shocks.

Just an edit. Today I unbolted my exhaust at the Y pipe, so I know dump right behind the drivers side seat. The X sounds like a freakin beast. It's loud enough I had to come into my hood in thrid gear to keep the motor quite. (I have old neighbors)

 

[Kuzmovka]

Alright!! new mod! first off, I bought my PML from AC, and it has already shipped, which is cool as **** i think. that was 2 days ago. Secondly, I LOVE rally cars, and I decided to get a shift extension for the X. it's 1:46 in the morning here in colorado, and I got it yesterday (saturday). I was bored and threw it on but let me just say. It's freakin tight! My shift throw is long as all get out now but the knob is so high up next to my steering wheel I couldn't be bothered. I'll have photos later.

 

[bigjim247365]

Alright!! new mod! first off, I bought my PML from AC, and it has already shipped, which is cool as **** i think. that was 2 days ago. Secondly, I LOVE rally cars, and I decided to get a shift extension for the X. it's 1:46 in the morning here in colorado, and I got it yesterday (saturday). I was bored and threw it on but let me just say. It's freakin tight! My shift throw is long as all get out now but the knob is so high up next to my steering wheel I couldn't be bothered. I'll have photos later.

when do you think the lifts gonna get installed?

and also im trying to picture the shifter in your X and all i can think about is semi truck shifters lol, bet it looks sweet though.

 

[Kuzmovka]

So first things first. These are for you Jim! My lift gets here by this friday the 12th, depending on a certain situation it could be on by this weekend. which is tits!

from the side, to show the height and the little extender

Next to the wheel from the back seat

Finally and most unfortunately there has been a horrible occurrence with the X. My clutch has decided that it needed to take a break from living and is currently on its death bed. I was having troubles launching in 1st, with the clutch engagement I think, and then with a very basic hill climb, it could not keep revs up enough to get up the hill. That being said I'm in the market. So does anyone have any suggestions as to a good clutch that I can probably abuse (I am a teenager let's remember that).

So to celebrate my dying clutch I went out and took a photo of the X in the "blizzard" that Colorado was just hit with. I actually got a snow day today, for a 1/2 inch of snow on the street and 6 in the grass. It was REALLY stupid, but hey! I got a snow day.

 

[Kuzmovka]

My lift is coming my lift is coming!! The amount of jumping occurring is not even transferred by caps lock!

In other news I refer to my truck so much as "the X" that my phone has saved it and prompts me to use it when I provide the proper context or hit the x key. That is some awesomeness!

 

[CrazySteve911]

I dig the x man. Very nice. I'm jealous of the bumper too. Post up your pml as soon as you get it big guy.

I think all you need now is some paint....

 

[Xado89]

Glad to see your X will be growing up a little =P Good luck with the lift, sir! The mod bug will be biting hard for bigger tires soon after that, haha.

 

[Roadwarrior]

Send a message to Ben, Silverdude, and see what he has to offer about the clutch. He's a mastermind

 

[bigjim247365]

i love the new shifter and thanks for the shout out too!

 

[Silver dude]

Lol mastermind! Hahaha. I'd buy a OEM clutch. They can take the most punishment. Last the longest. In a offroad enviroment you need a clutch that can be easily slipped and controlled. A higher performance clutch grabs harder quicker and as a result is harder to manipulate over rocks or difficult terrain. Performance clutches wear faster as well. Nissan sells a clutch kit that gives you everything you need to replace in one box. I know of a dealer that has a good discount in az send me a pm.

Ben

 

[Kuzmovka]

Lots of good news. Immense quantities really. I have recieved my PML, it goes on tomorrow. Today at lunch driving by a friends house, I saw a guy with a MASSIVE X in his driveway and out working on it. Turns out he is working on SASing it when I walk up, well prepping the axles anyways. Needless to say I scored a rear tire carrier out of the deal absolutely free! I would have bought his IFS lift from him but it was already spoken for. Oh well, I'm just stoked about the bumper! Tomorrow means a mod day for me. Bumper and a PML in one day. this should be real interesting.

Now the maitenence and breakin things part of the post. My clutch was in perfect condition. Apparently my intake hose rotted through and ripped all the way off and was just hanging there. So basically with the high torque loads associated with take off I would be drawing massive quantities of unregulated hot air into the motor. that caused the problems for me. That means no clutch for me =)
Then came the not so good part of today. I performed the free Colorado A/C mod by blowing out a window with my new spare tire carrier. That means that $200 of my clutch cash goes to my windows instead. SUCKOLA. I have picked up about 16 billion shards of "safety glass" out of the back of the X today. Perhaps a shop vac is in order.

Exhibit A:

 

[Kuzmovka]

I dig the x man. Very nice. I'm jealous of the bumper too. Post up your pml as soon as you get it big guy.

I think all you need now is some paint....

I'm actually going to be pulling out all the carpets and putting in some bedliner. I want to do my vents and bezels like you did, but in the same red as my body. I am scared of painting on the inside though!

Glad to see your X will be growing up a little =P Good luck with the lift, sir! The mod bug will be biting hard for bigger tires soon after that, haha.

Would I be able to get any bigger than the 32's on there now? I think my duratracs are at just about 1/2 life, So I will be getting some new wheels with a different backspace and rubber eventually. But yea, the mod bug is turning into mod mites a bit for me. I almost had to leave school today I was so excited for the lift, and then the bumper just compounded the problem

 

[CrazySteve911]

Everything comes off one way or another.

One thing about the vents though, make sure you have them taped up good. And its two pieces.

The bezels come off easy, The door handle ones right?

 

[Kuzmovka]

Yea the door handles, the air vents and likely the stereo bezel too.

I got my PML installed this weekend. I also got a new rear window. My T-bars had already been cranked apparently. So it was only a matter of doing the shackles. I have about a 2" rake however, which is really beyond annoying. My X is also now bald. I do like that.