The Beastly Budget Build By Tl

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
Hey guys figured I'd make a little build page since I got the mod bug and am fixing this thing up way more than I expected!

Vehicle:
2002 Nissan xterra 4WD SE? Lol
3.3l v6
Hg49 axle

So I bought this truck about a year ago on impulse from a friend of a friend because I missed driving stick shift. I got it for a STEAL!!! ($450) because it was leaking coolant...

Here she is before I did anything to the truck...

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So obviously I had my hands full... 17 years and 177k worth of grime left in this truck by previous owners just for me! Yay! I stripped the interior, scrubbed every plastic panel with a brush and cleaner/degreaser until I was satisfied. Still not perfect but it'll do. I pulled all the seats out and shampoo vacuumed the carpet and seats thoroughly until i felt like i didnt need a tetanus shot before driving anywhere!

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G34RH34D

Test Drive
Location
Nevada
That was the first thing I did the day after I bought mine. Yanked out the front seats and the center console and cleaned them the day after I bought mine. Then the next day I cleaned the whole carpet with dish soap and water using a brush. Same with the steering wheel, A/C vents, infotainment and dashboard.
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
Supporting Member
Location
Burtonsville, Md
Hey guys figured I'd make a little build page since I got the mod bug and am fixing this thing up way more than I expected!

Vehicle:
2002 Nissan xterra 4WD SE? Lol
3.3l v6
Hg49 axle

So I bought this truck about a year ago on impulse from a friend of a friend because I missed driving stick shift. I got it for a STEAL!!! ($450) because it was leaking coolant...

Here she is before I did anything to the truck...

View attachment 13806 View attachment 13807 View attachment 13808

So obviously I had my hands full... 17 years and 177k worth of grime left in this truck by previous owners just for me! Yay! I stripped the interior, scrubbed every plastic panel with a brush and cleaner/degreaser until I was satisfied. Still not perfect but it'll do. I pulled all the seats out and shampoo vacuumed the carpet and seats thoroughly until i felt like i didnt need a tetanus shot before driving anywhere!

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I think I'd have my Corona mask on just for the cigarette butt's, that was just NASTY !!
 

13ADVX

Bought an X
Location
PA
That is a steal of a price and a good start. The interior clean up nice, i wasn't expecting it to look that good. whats the plan?
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
Supporting Member
Location
Burtonsville, Md
I probably would have needed a distemper shot cause I'd have been mad at the previous owner. I hope you didn't have to go in their house to sign the paper work , that might have required a tetanus booster !!
 
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Tom Larsen

Test Drive
That is a steal of a price and a good start. The interior clean up nice, i wasn't expecting it to look that good. whats the plan?

Well the plan was originally to clean up and flip it for some quick cash, but I've come to like it better than my 98 toyota 4runner and has half the mileage (179k on the x vs 269k on the 4runner) so the time has come to sell the faithful old yota.... I am going to miss the power back window and the silky smooth 3.4L v6. Other than those it's xterra all day long!

For now the plan is to make an all around fun,reliable and versatile vehicle that I can load up, go visit family 2 hours away in pa and hopefully smoke my brother in laws new tacoma in the trails as well!
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
So after dealing with the seats and carpet I decided to get creative with the headliner that was dropping down like a foot. I ripped the fabric off, used a plastic bristle brush from the dollar store and scrubbed all or as much or the crumbling foam off of it. Than I got a few cans of the Herculiner underbody coating and painted it up! It turned out great! Not perfect because there were a few scratches from previous owners, but I highly reccomend it for a pretty straightforward yet unique headliner repair on a budget. 20181229_162456.jpg 20181229_162523.jpg 20181230_111601.jpg 20200430_103617.jpg 20200430_103703.jpg 20200430_103728.jpg
While everything was apart I also did some electronics upgrades. Ran all the wires under carpet and through firewall to set up a subwoofer. I has an old double din head unit laying around aswell so that went in. As well as a set of interior LED's to modernize it a bit. Sounds great now! Oh and had to throw my old shift knob in there from my first stick shift car! I loved that 96 Ford Probe GT!20200430_103549.jpg 20200430_103810.jpg 20200430_103738.jpg
 

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Tom Larsen

Test Drive
Forgot to add it before but I also completely disassembled the entire roof rack, front and rear bumpers headlight trim and grille for repaint. 20181203_223832.jpg 20181203_223823.jpg
Definitely glad I didn't start overhauling my basement until after winter! It served me well as a painting booth for a while lol
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
Also rebuilt the engine. It was leaking coolant from the water pump when I got it and at 177k I knew it was due regardless if it had been replaced already once before. So I ordered a timing belt kit with water pump, thermostat, idlers, timing belt, valve cover gaskets, upper I/M gaskets, cam and crank seals. I also replaced some old heater core hoses, clamps, repaired connection on the relocated knock sensor on the intake manifold, replaced belts, plugs, wires and pcv valve. Also cleaned and painted the intake manifold and valve covers crinkle black while they were out.20181107_192147.jpg 20181107_192154.jpg 20200430_112754.jpg The previous owner loved transformers! Lol had isht like this everywhere! I took them all off...20181215_133409.jpg 20181201_161450.jpg 20181210_225027.jpg 20200430_112728.jpg 20200430_112712.jpg 20200430_112723.jpg
 

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Tom Larsen

Test Drive
Next was shocks since they were all original and felt like it... shocks were a piece of cake! I got cheapie ones off amazon for $63 shipped for all 4 for now. I figure they'll do fine til I'm done lifting it and I can get the bilstein 5100's at a later date. Pulled the rear sway bar while I was at it and changed the front end links and bushings too.20191115_152424.jpg 20191115_122351.jpg
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
After shocks I decided to replace the motor and trans mounts since the were all original and broken... I could feel the drivetrain movement soo bad with the manual trans! Had to let off clutch soo gently to drive normal it sucked! No pics of this one, just a sad xterra waiting for parts to arrive...20191112_121726.jpg
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
After the mounts were all done I jumped into the brakes. The rotors were shot and had a nasty pulsation in the wheel. 20191122_104857.jpg 20191122_104902.jpg Ended up replacing front rotors, pads and calipers. Also the inner and outter wheel bearings and races and repacked with grease while I was at it. Everything was reasonably cheap compared to buying parts for my 03 bmw 540i so why not do it right?! Also I accidentally poked a hole in the Left cv axle boot so I just replaced that too...whoops
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
So after all that was done and it was back together and driveable I wanted some functional aesthetic upgrades! I decided to order some 6000k HID bulbs for the headlights and foglights on the x since I had extra ballasts laying around. Also some sylvania silverstar turn signal bulbs. Always loved these! They have a blue reflective outside when unlit but glow amber to keep road legal! For peace of mind incase I do offroad I soldiered and heat shrinked connections for the fog light hid ballasts to factory harness and tucked ballasts up as high in the body as I could. First half of the pics are before I put hids on fog light and before changing the turn signal bulbs the rest are after for reference. 20191110_150608.jpg 20191127_135959.jpg 20191127_135926.jpg 20191109_171322.jpg 20191109_171328.jpg 20200427_124123.jpg 20200427_124112.jpg 20200427_123935.jpg 20200427_123953.jpg 20200427_124055.jpg
Btw no the HID's didnt make the truck taller... I also did a 2" body lift in the lower pics...
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
So as I just mentioned I also decided to add a 2" body lift. Didn't lift it as much as I was expecting it to.... wtf!
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Just kidding guys! It turned out great! Lol
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And yes I'm long overdue to finish painting the garage! I stopped because of a massive bee hive and just never finished yet lol
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
Supporting Member
Location
Burtonsville, Md
So as I just mentioned I also decided to add a 2" body lift. Didn't lift it as much as I was expecting it to.... wtf!
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Just kidding guys! It turned out great! Lol
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And yes I'm long overdue to finish painting the garage! I stopped because of a massive bee hive and just never finished yet lol
Thats great !! I wish I was that energetic :cool::cool:. If you run outta thing's to do my 05 Odo X would appreciate it !!!
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
Thats great !! I wish I was that energetic :cool::cool:. If you run outta thing's to do my 05 Odo X would appreciate it !!!

There is no shortage of things for me to do/ complete over here. your gonna be waiting for a while... seriously though, this year I've been working extra hard to break old bad habits by not starting any new tasks without finishing other ones first. I've got far too long of a to do list between the cars and household stuff. Not to mention a 6 week old newborn over here.... It's been a crazy year to say the least!
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
Supporting Member
Location
Burtonsville, Md
I understand about finishing project's , I'm the same way around the house 80-90% STARTED just not completely done . With the newborn you've got a little time left but once they start to walk/climb it turn's into a full time job. But an enjoyable and rewarding JOB . From what I've read you're more then up for the task ahead.;) Keep the update's coming !!
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
I understand about finishing project's , I'm the same way around the house 80-90% STARTED just not completely done . With the newborn you've got a little time left but once they start to walk/climb it turn's into a full time job. But an enjoyable and rewarding JOB . From what I've read you're more then up for the task ahead.;) Keep the update's coming !!

Thanks man you guys will like the next update, but its gonna be a few weeks... just ordered upgraded lift upper control arms and replacement camber bolts ; )
Should go well with the adjustable rear shackles I've been waiting to throw on! Should be sitting nicely once I get back to work and can afford to get some big meaty tires after all this quarantine BS is over with...
 

G34RH34D

Test Drive
Location
Nevada
I might do the same thing with my head liner because it's pealing off mostly on the driver side. I was just going to pick up some adhesive spray and temporarily stick back up there, but I like what you did.
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
I might do the same thing with my head liner because it's pealing off mostly on the driver side. I was just going to pick up some adhesive spray and temporarily stick back up there, but I like what you did.

Go for it man! I like the way it turned out, just wish I did the sun visors too while I was at it. Maybe one day lol
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
So today I went to go install the rear bumper. I made the assumption that since I did the 2" body lift, all i had to do was measure 2" down from each rear bumper bolt hole, drill another hole, mount it an move on with my life. Turns out it didn't want to line up and I got impatient lmao. So I mounted middle bumper in stock holes and just trimmed the side plastics to fit after lift. This is the result of my impatience! Lmao! 20200502_113752.jpg 20200502_113801.jpg 20200502_113756.jpg 20200502_113809.jpg 20200502_154848.jpg
Works for me!
BTW most importantly Fresh bananas and watermelon, frozen strawberries, pineapple juice, malibu, ice and tequila makes an amazing lounging drink!!!!
 

HolyGhost

First Fill-Up (of many)
Nice job cleaning up the X. Catching up on maintenance is no fun but looks like you will have a rig that will last another 100k with minimal trouble.
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
Nice job cleaning up the X. Catching up on maintenance is no fun but looks like you will have a rig that will last another 100k with minimal trouble.
I sure hope so! It's got some big reliable shoes to fill since its replacing my 98 toyota 4runner sr5 with 270k.
 

Tom Larsen

Test Drive
So plans changes... I found these tires and like them better!
 

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