Complete Front & Rear Titan Swap

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
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Denver Adjacent
I figured I'd document this.

Here's what's happening.

I'm not doing your mama's TItan Swap. I'm doing the entire boat.

Complete front axle, complete rear axle, brakes, wheels, etc.

Two goals in mind.
1) Use as many OE/stock Titan Parts as is reasonable.
B) Only use aftermarket parts where there is a distinct advantage (performance/cost/availability/etc).

Final Product:
1) 3-Rib Titan M205 Front Diff
2) 2012 Titan Pro4X M226 Rear Axle
3) 4.56 Gears
4) 2006 Titan front brakes
5) 2006 Titan Desert Runner 2.0 Wheels (that's what I call them)
6) 35" Tires

I'll be documenting every part that I order, every part that I install, and the couple of cool custom things I'm doing along the way.

In the following posts I will be color coding the parts as to where they came from:

Parts coded in RED are OE Nissan Parts
Parts coded in YELLOW are from RockAuto
Parts coded in GREEN are junk yard pulls
 
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Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Everything in this post will be regarding the build of the rear axle.

My donor axle came out of a 2012 Titan Pro4X. It has a bad pinion bearing. Don't care. Gonna replace it all.

Update on this, turns out the locker was blown. So I had to get a new one. P/N listed below.

As I received the rear axle it had nothing. Just the housing (w/ factory locker and gearing), and axle shafts. Thats was it. No brakes, no lines, no parking brake, no nothing. Something to keep in mind is that the spring perches and shock mounts are in COMPLETELY the wrong location for the X. So the stock stuff has to be cut off and then new stuff has to be welded onto the tube in the correct location.

So let's talk parts. Job 1 is to get the gears done. It doesn't make sense to do ANYTHING else until that happens. The axle is currently at Nisstec getting the 4.56s installed. With that going, let's talk about the rest of the parts.

The axle internals were rebuilt with a new locker and 4.56s at Nisstec.

Personal note, I ordered the custom brake lines from https://www.crownperformance.com and they were wonderful to deal with. I called them on the phone, told them exactly what I was doing and made sure that all the lines had the correct fittings and I had all the parts to go together. And the price was super reasonable. When I order the front lines, I will definitely be going back to them.

Also, the new parking brake cables are WAY TOO LONG! and I'm honestly not sure what to do about it. You can't use the stock cables since the attachment in the parking brake assembly is different. So maybe you just have lots of extra parking brake line? I'm not sure. But we'll see.

Parts list:

4-Pin E-Locker - Carrier only:
2006637 from SummitRacing.com

Gears & Install Kit:
M226-456 from Nisstec
M226-MasterInstall from Nisstec

Axle hard brake lines:
- 46290-8S100 TUBE ASSY-REAR BRAKE,R
- 46310-7S200 TUBE ASSY-REAR BRAKE,LH

Parking Brake:
- 36530-7S200 CABLE ASSY-BRAKE,REAR RH
- 36531-7S200 CABLE ASSY-BRAKE,REAR LH
- PowerStop B868 Parking Brake Shoes
- Dorman 924-744 Parking Brake Lever
- Centric 118.42024 Parking Brake Hardware Kit

Disc Brake Shields:
- 44020-7S220 PLATE ASSY-BACK,REAR BRAKE RH
- 44030-7S220 PLATE ASSY-BACK,REAR BRAKE LH

ABS Sensors:
- 47901-9FF1A SENSOR ASSY ANTI SKI, REAR - This was the wrong part. Apparently they changed the connector in mid 2012. Need the 2011 and down version. Updated below.
- NTK AB0665 ABS Wheel Speed Sensor
- NTK AB0666 ABS Wheel Speed Sensor

Rear Brakes:
- 2 x Raybestos H5070 Caliper Slide Pins and Bolts
- 2 x PowerStop JBR994EVC Brake Rotors
- PowerStop Z231041 Brake Pads
- Raybestos H16122 Caliper Slide Boot/Bushing Rear
- 44011-7S000 CALIPER ASSY-REAR LH
- 44001-7S000 CALIPER ASSY-REAR RH
- Caliper to Axle soft lines: Stainless braided custom made from crownperformance.com
- Fame to Axle soft lines 6" over stock Xterra length: Stainless braided custom made from crownperformance.com

Axle mounts:
- R1328 Ford 8.8 / Dana 60 Spring Perches from RuffStuff Specialties - These were the only ones I found that had the correct inner diameter for the 226
- PASM-2100 Performance Accessories, Universal Shock Mount, Shock Mount, fits to any axle tube from Amazon

I have yet to source the soft lines for the rear axle. But they will be stainless braided in all sections. There are also a selection of bolts and nuts to hold everything to the axle that I ordered from NissanPartsDeal. I will update the above list as things get finished out.

Rear calipers. Cleaned, painted, loaded, and ready to bolt onto the axle:
1625062771391.png

Rear axle. All necessary stock brackets removed, cleaned, and painted.
1625062847800.png
 
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Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Let's talk front axle.

I have a brand new Titan M205 3-Rib. It has been geared to 4.56.

1625062695525.png

But there's a lot more going on here than just a diff swap. Since I'm going full Titan, we need knuckles, hubs, brakes, brake booster, & master cylinder. The ABS pump is actually the exact same P/N between the two trucks. So no need to change anything there.

Last thing before we get started. I am building this around 2004-2006 Titan brakes. The reason being is wheel size. In 2007+ Titans they went to EVEN BIGGER brakes. BUT. That would require a minimum 18" wheel. If there was an 18" wheel I liked as much as the 17" ones I have now, I'd probably go that route. But we all know, more wheel == less sidewall. So I'm keeping this to 2006 parts so that I can keep my 17" wheels.

That said, the same exercise could be done to go to the 2007+ brakes if you wanted to run 18" wheels.

I digress.

Front Knuckles: This is an interesting one. Because my knuckles came from eBay...out of a junk yard...
They came off of a 2012 Infinity QX56. This is the ACTUAL P/N:

- Infiniti 40015-1LA0A - Spindle - KNUCKLE, LH
- Infiniti 40014-1LA0A - Spindle - KNUCKLE, RH

One knuckle cleaned up and painted:
1625062930282.png

I had originally planned to use them hubs and all. This was back when I assumed all thing were equal. shiat was I wrong.

I found out that they changed the lug size in 2010 to a larger one and the hubs that were attached to the knuckle would not fit into the 2006 Titan rotor. Now, these had a bracket on them that separated the brake lines into two pieces. There was a soft line from the caliper to the top of this bracket, then it had a metal U in it and then a separate soft line that ran to the frame. I kept the bracket just because it also holds the ABS sensor wire, but I will not be recreating that brake line setup.

Here is a shot of the bracket in question and how it holds the abs line:

20210630_152421_copy_763x1612.jpg

I can confirm that the hub bore and bolt size/pattern is identical to the 2006 Titan hubs. Three bolts in a triangular pattern. I used the same stock bolts that came out of the Infinity hubs to bolt the Titan hubs on. That at least is the same.

Speaking of...

Front Hubs:
- 40202-7S100 - Hub Assy-Road Wheel, Front RH
- TIMKEN SP500701 - Hub Assembly Includes Sensor

Don't make the same mistake I did. Remember when I said that I wanted to use as many OE parts as I could. So I ordered that OE hub from Nissan. What showed up was that exact Timken hub in a nissan box. Cost difference of about $70. So Nissan got me on that one. I don't tend to make the same mistakes twice. So I just ordered the Timken hub from RA for the other side. The Infinity hubs that I removed also say Timken on them under the dirt.

06 Titan hub bolted to 12 QX56 knuckle:

20210630_152350_copy_763x1612.jpg

Brakes are interesting. The stock Xterra M/C doesn't have enough piston diameter to push enough fluid to the larger front calipers. So you have to change it. That also means you have to change the brake booster so that it works correctly with the M/C. Normally I'd just buy any old Titan M/C and go to town. But. Since I have a manual, and the clutch reservoir is also the M/C reservoir and there was never a manual transmission Titan, I needed to get a little creative. I found that a 2006 Titan M/C that has VDC has the exact same setup between the cylinder and the reservoir as my stock setup. So. I need another reservoir from an X. The M/C from this Titan, and then put them together. The other caveat is that the TItan M/C has two pressure sensors in it. The X only has one. So a junk yard pressure sensor to fill the other hole. Here we go:

Under Hood Brakes:
- 47210-ZC02A - Power Brake Booster
- 2 x 47212-7S000 - Power Brake Booster Gasket (using the same spacer that is currently on the truck)
- 47478-AX600 - Power Brake Booster Check Valve
- RAYBESTOS MC391072 - Brake Master Cylinder
- 46090-EB302 - Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir
- 47240-7S000 - Sensor Assy-Hydraulic, Pressure

That makes a Titan setup w/ a reservoir for a manual. And will look completely stock.

07.13.2021 Update:
I scratched the booster gasket and check valve parts. When the brake booster showed up it came with both gaskets, the spacer, and the check valve. So that's annoying.

From there it's all 06 Titan

Front Brakes:
- 2 x POWER STOP JBR1161EVC - Front Rotors
- POWER STOP Z361183 Z36 - Front Pads (includes new pin boots)
- 2 x CARLSON 14177 - Front caliper Pins and bolts
- 41001-7S010 - Caliper Assy-Front RH, W/O Pad & Shim
- 41011-7S010 - Caliper Assy-Front LH, W/O Pad & Shim
- 2 x 41014-7S010 - Member-Torque, Front - Caliper Bracket Discontinued.
- 2 x 41150-7S000 - Baffle Plate - Disc Shield

When I got the calipers and brackets out of the junk yard I pulled the caliper bracket bolts. Since the bolts just go through the knuckle and into the bracket, they're guaranteed to work. Nice thing is that the ears on the knuckle are in the perfect position. Everything bolts together beautifully.

One caliper cleaned, painted, ready to be bolted on:
1625063034550.png

One knuckle with new hub. Just sans caliper:
1625063094245.png

One corner completely built and ready for install:
1625064085741.png

Both front knuckles ready to go:
20210630_154724_copy_1612x763.jpg


Let's talk steering.

I bought the Titan Hitachi tie rods from RockAuto.

HITACHI TRE0003 - Left Outer
HITACHI TRE0004 - Right Outer
HITACHI TRI0003 - Inner x 2

As a note, the tie rods did NOT come with the adjustment lock nut. So rather than attempt to get the ones off the old tie rods, I went to a local hardware store (Murdoch's specifically because no one else had it) and bought:

2 x M16 Grade 8 nuts

I am unsure of the thread pitch. My gut says that they were 1.0. But I just took the inner tie rod to the store to verify fitment.

For the bellows, I made a mistake. I ordered the Titan ones not realizing that the Titan has a SLIGHTLY LARGER steering rack. So the inner clamps didn't fit the Xterra steering rack. The inner rings that come with the Titan bellows are 64mm, the Xterra needs 61mm.

So

48203-EA025 - 2 x Boot Kit-Power Steering Gear

20210809_105253_copy_1612x763.jpg

Quick note on fasteners.

I want to use all new fasteners on everything. This truck is 14 years old. And I'm convinced that at some point the drivers side of this truck has been in the Atlantic Ocean. Over the years, the drivers side of the truck has had more rust, corrosion, and failures than the passenger side. Further evidenced by some of the bolts that I removed from the drivers side So a quick list of nuts and bolts for the front end.

Upper control arm bolts: 40178-7S010 x 4
Upper control arm nuts: 08918-6441A x 4
Front diff bolts: 54726-7S000 x 3
Font diff nuts: 08918-6441A x 2
Lower shock bolts: 01125-0047U x 2
Lower shock nuts: 08918-3441A x 2
Lower control arm bolts: 54580-7S000 x 4
Lower control arm washers: 54559-1Z600 x 4
Lower control arm nuts: 08918-6441A x 4
Lower ball joint bolt: 40178-7S01A x 2
Lower ball joint nut: 40262-7S100 x 2
Front CV shaft bolts: 39606-17V00 x 12
Front CV shaft outer nut: 40262-2Y000 x 2

The rest either came with the part (upper uni-ball bolts, etc).
 
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Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Suspension, baby!

Here's the fun stuff.

The front is Titan Swap 2.0 Radflo shocks from PRG, PRG Titan uppers, OE titan lowers

The rear is +4" +800lbs Alcan springs with PRG adjustable shackles and Radflo Emulsion shocks.

Lets focus on the front first.

Starting from a completely blank slate. Everything cleaned, painted, and ready.
20210809_105259_copy_1612x763.jpg

20210809_105317_copy_1612x763.jpg

OE Titan lower control arms:

54500-ZR00A - LINK COMPL-FRONT SUSPENSION,LOWER RH
54501-ZR00A - LINK COMPL-FRONT SUSPENSION,LOWER LH

I took those, and cut the sway bar mounts off. Because, what's a sway bar? And because they hung below the structure of the arms.

20210809_105412_copy_1612x763.jpg

20210809_105417_copy_1612x763.jpg

More to come as install commences this weekend.
 
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IM1RU

Skid Plates
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, UT
What front Coil overs are you going with? UCA's,? Are you planning on limit straps?
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
They are the way to go IMO. Also, you really need to bet some Timbren bumpstops, and then mount them about an inch farther outboard from the factory hole.



Those will require a bunch of maintenance, just so you are aware. Because Denver, and salt.
Yeah. I've heard as much. But its too good of a deal to pass on. Plus, with my new "work at home" setup, I barely drive the thing.

Do you have a P/N for the Timbren stops? Pictures of appropriate install?
 

IM1RU

Skid Plates
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, UT
Do you have a P/N for the Timbren stops? Pictures of appropriate install?

https://timbren.com/i-30497559-acti...2011||make=NISSAN||model=XTERRA||submodel=4WD

For the install, you just need to mark where the center of the frame stop meets the LCA and drill a new hole as close to that as possible, while still being able to access the mounting bolt through the large OEM hole in the bottom of the LCA.

Once you get the LCA on without anything else attached to it and you swing it up, it will become clear what you need to do. It's simple.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
https://timbren.com/i-30497559-active-off-road-bump-stops-sku-absnxf-front-kit.html#!year=2011||make=NISSAN||model=XTERRA||submodel=4WD

For the install, you just need to mark where the center of the frame stop meets the LCA and drill a new hole as close to that as possible, while still being able to access the mounting bolt through the large OEM hole in the bottom of the LCA.

Once you get the LCA on without anything else attached to it and you swing it up, it will become clear what you need to do. It's simple.
shiat! They're proud of those damn things.

T.I.T.A.N
Thousands Invested To All Necessities.
 

IM1RU

Skid Plates
Supporting Member
Location
SLC, UT
shiat! They're proud of those damn things.

That they are, but nothing else compares.... you could always throw even more into it and get the hydraulic jounce shocks... like Maxgear Armor (Dave Horting) has. They're pretty sweet.

https://www.radflo.com/p-28-hydraulic-bump-stops.html


I am curious as to why you are doing the full titan thing, instead of just the front Diff etc.
 
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Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
also:

60001421.jpg
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Updated rear axle post. There were some changes.

The truck is going to Nisstec this week to get the rear axle installed and front driveshaft removed. So I'll be in 2wd mode until I get the rest of the parts for the front. Which are trickling in. I guess I should update that post too.

Ordered new brake booster and some ancillary parts today.

Will order rest of brake parts next week. Then I just need tie rods and I'll be ready to rock and roll.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
I literally have done nothing to the truck at this point. I've spent a crap ton of money and I just have a garage full of parts. Next few weeks...that's when it gets interesting.
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Wow!! Reading through the parts list hurts my wallet. Do you have the wheels already? I'm curious what they look like.

I dunno if it is too late, but I did my bump stops a little differently. Rather than try to squirrel a spot into the LCA and worrying about wrench access, I tapped a hole into the bash plate and mounted the bump stop on there. With this you also don't have to worry about doing this process over again if you end up replacing your LCAs (I have needed to do this because of trash bushings). The alignment on the bash plate is easy to figure out. I've run this for several years and LOTS of bumping. I've never had an issue with the bolt backing out.

I also used a cheaper progressive bump stop than the Timbren. It had to be trimmed just a bit. It made a huge improvement at less than half the cost:


vrZKV19.jpg
ZweuE6c.jpg

bgVHiEv.jpg
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
That's a pretty good idea! Thanks for the tip! I haven't gotten to the bumpstop yet.

And yes. Had the wheels for years. They're what is on the truck currently. I have spacers installed that change the lug pattern so I could run these. I painted them gunmetal grey to match the old Desert Runner wheels, but those are 04-06 Titan 17" wheels.

1625070583161.png
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Parts came in that let me finish up the other front corner. Updated above with pictures. Now I just need to get the new master cylinder and the 4 tie rods. And I'll be ready to tear into the front.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
You know what's really annoying?

When you order parts and they come with duplicates of parts you ordered at the same time.

FYI. If you order a brand new brake booster from Nissan, it comes with the spacer, both gaskets, and the vacuum check valve. So I spent an extra $25 on gaskets and a check valve. Fun! I'm gonna see if I can send them back.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
I did the math on those extra brake parts. It actually only came out to like $7. So at the end of the day they're not worth returning.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Also, tie rods and master cylinder ordered. I believe that's it. (except for bump stops and limit straps that I'll figure out down the road).

I'm going to start taking shiat apart this weekend.
 

NotoriousPTG

Test Drive
Location
Long Island NY
Nice work! I'm currently putting a titan rear in my X. Could you share some info or photos on how your parking brake is rigged up? I think I'm going to have to shorten the titan parking brake cable on the front end.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
That is one thing I need to edit. I bought both the left and right parking brake cables. One is longer than the other. I should have bought two short ones. So I might change that out when I get the Alcans in.

I'll snap some pictures on that in the morning.
 

Zack.

Has been dubbed Arnold
Supporting Member
Location
Livermore, CA
For the bellows, I made a mistake. I ordered the Titan ones not realizing that the Titan has a SLIGHTLY LARGER steering rack. So the inner clamps didn't fit the Xterra steering rack. The inner rings that come with the Titan bellows are 64mm, the Xterra needs 61mm.

So

48203-EA025 - 2 x Boot Kit-Power Steering Gear

View attachment 19089

Shoot, is it just the clamps that don’t work or the whole bellows?
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
The entire bellows has a different inner diameter. They just won't get tight on the Xterra steering rack. Thankfully the length is about the same so using the Titan tie rods with the Xterra bellows on them isn't an issue.

Also, mental note...... If I ever blow this steering rack out, the Titan one is bigger.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
@NotoriousPTG

Here is the current cable routing. It goes up to the factory spot. That end is the same and they bolt in like the Xterra cables.

20210810_082118_copy_1843x874.jpg

As you can see, the left one is waaaaay longer than the other. So I'm going to order a 2nd right hand side cable and replace the one on the left.
 

NotoriousPTG

Test Drive
Location
Long Island NY
Thanks! Took your advice and used 2 short cables,works great and adapting the titan parking brake to the Xterra was easier than I thought it would be.
 

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