AlbatrossCafe's FleXterra ~ T-Swap, 35s, 4.10s, Fully Locked

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
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Also cleaned this up and replaced the O-ring seal behind it. It's been a mess here so hopefully this cleans up AND reveals to be the reason behind what I thought was a leaky diff flange...

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AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Info on that hardware pleeeze.

2x these (1 for each side): https://www.radflo.com/i-462-2-0-2-...er-xterra-titan-lower-coil-over-m14x42mm.html

I replaced them because I took out the lower shock bolt a few weeks ago without properly unloading the coilover... and it ruined the threads of my bolt as well as gouging the bearing spacer pretty badly.

For the bolts/washers/nuts, I got them from BoltDepot. I meant to get 80mm but ended up with 75mm. They are just barely long enough but I think 80mm is a better fit. You will need something like this if you have Radflos and aren't yet familiar with "Radflo clunk". Here is parts list:

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AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Had the first sign of some serious snow in the mountains last night, so I headed to our family cabin. Looking forward to testing the X and these new tires in some snow!


Very cool distinct snow line on the approach:

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Local roads:

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Oh yeah, and I was towing a snowmobile. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to try to climb up our 15 degree + long driveway without checking it first... failure! I had to unload the snowmobile and try to back up - but every 10 feet or so I had to get out and pull the trailer left or right to straighten it out.

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Ditched the trailer, aired down to 12 PSI, and clawed my way to the top:

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Playing with RC Scout... probably foreshadowing my future:

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AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
I hit a BIG branch going about 15mph. It went right into my snorkel. Needless to say I'm impressed. I'll take this as the only damage that comes out of it. I bet the plastic pieces are in my airbox somewhere lol

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PhullD

First Fill-Up (of many)
Supporting Member
Location
Ottawa, Ontario
I hit a BIG branch going about 15mph. It went right into my snorkel. Needless to say I'm impressed. I'll take this as the only damage that comes out of it. I bet the plastic pieces are in my airbox somewhere lol

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LOL, I was just talking about this happening the other day when someone asked if it gets hit a lot offroad. I said meh, still sitting perfectly straight after all these years. Good to know it can take more punishment!
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
LOL, I was just talking about this happening the other day when someone asked if it gets hit a lot offroad. I said meh, still sitting perfectly straight after all these years. Good to know it can take more punishment!

haha for real. I'm surprised my fender isn't all torn up, especially after I trimmed it and it lost a lot of its structural integrity.
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Added some really simple lights to the rear! Was going to trial it and see if I liked it. I have to say, for such a low effort, zero-wiring-required install (maybe 30 min) it looks like the lights are gonna be FANTASTIC for what I need. The LED strip didn't have backing adhesive (DOH! should have read description) but some double sided tape cut and placed in few places did the trick. For the ceiling, tape didn't work and I didn't want to super glue and destroy my headliner. I just used a staple gun with some big staples and pushed em in a bit. Seems to work and doesn't really leave much of a visible scar for something that may or may not be successful.

Initial test is very positive. Lots of light in the hatch, enough light out of the hatch. The 12v plug switch is very convenient. Setup was nothing. Cost was cheap. And I think it actually looks cleaner than I was expecting. No wires really hanging around. I am a bit nervous that loading gear might knock it off, but otherwise it should be perfect for night skiing and grabbing things out of the trunk in the dark while camping.

Only downside is that I cut the LED and some of the remainder of strip doesn't light up. They want me to return this to get a replacement which is annoying because I know they are just gonna throw away the return. So I'll prob just keep it.



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AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
FYI actually got to use this a bit more tonight. Very useful light output - I just wanted to comment that it actually spills over to the center of the truck very nicely as well. WAY overpowers the stock light in the headliner above the passenger seats, especially if the seats are down



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TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
That's pretty neat man! Do they run on 12V or is there a converter in the plug? Some of these hard wired would be nice. My rear 12V outlet is covered by one of the wings on my drawer set.
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Saw this $6 storage solution for under the rear floor area: https://www.harborfreight.com/abs-storage-organizer-95807.html

It fits great. You could fit 2 for sure - not sure if 3 would work if you rotated the 3rd 90 degrees or something. I put my spare sensors, some spare nuts/washers & plastic push-rivets in there for now. There is still a ton of space. Great for sorting little parts like that. I'm sure I have more scattered around my X somewhere that I could put in here instead. And only $6?? No brainer!

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Xterrorista

Charcoal Briquette
Supporting Member
Location
Denton, TX
Saw this $6 storage solution for under the rear floor area: https://www.harborfreight.com/abs-storage-organizer-95807.html

It fits great. You could fit 2 for sure - not sure if 3 would work if you rotated the 3rd 90 degrees or something. I put my spare sensors, some spare nuts/washers & plastic push-rivets in there for now. There is still a ton of space. Great for sorting little parts like that. I'm sure I have more scattered around my X somewhere that I could put in here instead. And only $6?? No brainer!

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and enuff room for a few crankbaits..
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
OK, so I did a kind of "experiment" that did not turn out so well. I took the worst of my trail damage (which was starting to rust and flake off badly) and tried to stem the wound. I got a color match kit with primer, paint, and clear coat for my b-day a few years ago, so I gave it a shot. I didn't care too much about dents/scratches - more about just getting the color right and stopping rust. That area had some some my worst pinstriping as well, so I decided to do a bit more while I was at it.

The color turned out to match well and the paint is SMOOTH, but I couldn't quite get the shine of the original. IDK why. I did coats of clear coat and then tried to buff it out with sander & polish as instructed, but I couldn't quite get the clear layer. I figured "when it's dirty, no one will notice" but you still notice LOL. I think it's funny. It's just on the door so it could be worse... if I ever see a metallic green at the junkyard I'll harvest the doors for replacement. If I had to do it again, I would probably only paint over the worst rusted parts. The color match is good enough that in a small area like that it would be inconspicuous even without the clear coat being perfect.

You tell me what you think is worse, the before or after? haha

BEFORE:

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AFTER (CLEAN):

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AFTER (DIRTY):

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Muadeeb

Nissan al Gaib
Admin
Location
Dallas
Yeah, you can't do a hard line in old paint with new. Even doing a complete panel will give a color difference. This is all due to framing of the original paint /clear that is next to impossible to match without having a custom color mixed. Best option would be to just mask off the glass, then feather the new paint into the old so the color difference is gradual.

Paint is hard
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
So when I got the new wheels end of last summer I paid $20 for some cheap black lug nuts off fleabay. They are already massively rusty. They were also getting stuck in my impact wrench... soft metal or something and every time I tried to take them off i would have to pry them out of the socket.

My OEM chrome ones have held up decently but the 21mm lug size didn't fit with the new wheels. So I ordered some "fancy" lug nuts. McGard supposedly makes some of the best - literally guaranteed not to rust, and they were 19mm size. Pretty pricey at about $100 for 28 of them, but I hope they will hold up for the rest of my ownership of this vehicle. It's subtle but I like the chrome lugs in the black wheels look.

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Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Man. I have so many black lugnuts on dark wheels. Because it's a thing.

The Japanese trucks are weird. Aftermarket shiat is garbage.
 

PhullD

First Fill-Up (of many)
Supporting Member
Location
Ottawa, Ontario
I think I know why your paint job turned out the way it did. It looks a little less dark, and often that is the primer. If you don't use the same shade primer it will show on the finish, even with the same paint.

Also my aftermarket lug nuts have gone to crap as well, I plan on replacing them this summer after I move along with my lower control arms and possibly looking to switch my front shocks to 550lbs springs.
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Did a pre-season check on my 4WD components, CV boots, etc. Listened for weird noises, checked for leaks. Cleaned up paint while I was at it. Only thing that is really outstanding is that my brake lines rub my tire at full lock (barely) because of how I put them so that they cleared the limit straps. I'm thinking it is OK since they hit so rarely...

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AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
I think I know why your paint job turned out the way it did. It looks a little less dark, and often that is the primer. If you don't use the same shade primer it will show on the finish, even with the same paint.

Also my aftermarket lug nuts have gone to crap as well, I plan on replacing them this summer after I move along with my lower control arms and possibly looking to switch my front shocks to 550lbs springs.
Yeah, I'm kinda over it. My truck has so many scratches, a square in the door with different paint doesn't bother me too much lol

550 is nuts! You think yours is too stiff? I think you are heavier than me. I've always liked my 650lb springs in the front, even before I had a front bumper.
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Finally replaced my weird looking CV. The axle came shipped with the cap popped off and that was a massive mess and annoyance to get that seated. I found the old axle had a penny-sized tear in it and most of the grease was gone. Makes sense why it failed! Not sure how the tear happened though. I would like to open it up & look but I'm gonna try to warranty it so unfortunately I have to return as is.

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AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Fixed my frayed front brake lines today. See thread: https://www.xterranation.org/index.php?threads/brake-line-rubbed-tire-is-tire-toast.10182/

Picked up some "modular" lines from ADO. I like these lines so far. Super easy to install because the each connection is its own piece, and the line is its own piece as well. This allows for you to replace just the brake line part instead of the whole thing if something like this were to happen again. The brake line part is pretty universal and easy to find.

They are also just a tad shorter than my previous brake lines which were totally too long, even for Titan Swap. They also are coated with Teflon - my old Nisstec lines were straight to the stainless steel. Hopefully these hold up for the rest of the vehicle! I zip tied them to the spindle to help keep them out of the way this time.

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Full droop & turn (max extension):

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AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
How you liking the limit straps? Make a difference?
100%. I don't get that harsh topping out anymore when dropping into a big pothole. I've noticed the ride is slightly bouncier in those scenarios (almost like they have 1% stretch and it pulls the arm back after top-out) but still less harsh. Maybe they reduce wheel travel by 1/4 to 1/2", but in practice you don't really notice. So far so good, but I will be more thoroughly impressed if I don't have to rebuild my Radflos again which was really the main goal.
 

AlbatrossCafe

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Western WA
Took out my front diff. It's been leaking on the passenger side and the howling @52-60mph is becoming unbearable on long trips. It's so bad that I try to avoid that speed altogether. Note to self - the easiest way to remove the CVs (if the diff is coming out ) is to just take them out after the diff is out. I started shimmying them around at first trying to bust them out around the spindle before I realized how easy it was to slide them into the center of the truck.

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I noticed one of my older CVs (but not that old - new a few years ago) has cracks forming on the boot. Ugh. So maybe the shop I bring my diff to can replace the boots as well? I wonder if that would be cheaper than just buying a new CV when this fails. That just feels like a waste though...

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Also when you use grade 8.8 for your lower coilover bolts, you can't tighten them to the specified 152 ft/lbs. I forgot I replaced them with the weak ones "temporarily" last time I did it lol. So ended up stripping it with the nut on the bolt & having to cut it out. Of course I had another spare 8.8 bolt laying around so I put that back in there... one of these days I'll put the proper grade 10.9 in.

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Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Took out my front diff. It's been leaking on the passenger side and the howling @52-60mph is becoming unbearable on long trips. It's so bad that I try to avoid that speed altogether. Note to self - the easiest way to remove the CVs (if the diff is coming out ) is to just take them out after the diff is out. I started shimmying them around at first trying to bust them out around the spindle before I realized how easy it was to slide them into the center of the truck.

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I noticed one of my older CVs (but not that old - new a few years ago) has cracks forming on the boot. Ugh. So maybe the shop I bring my diff to can replace the boots as well? I wonder if that would be cheaper than just buying a new CV when this fails. That just feels like a waste though...

vgaeWS5.jpg


Also when you use grade 8.8 for your lower coilover bolts, you can't tighten them to the specified 152 ft/lbs. I forgot I replaced them with the weak ones "temporarily" last time I did it lol. So ended up stripping it with the nut on the bolt & having to cut it out. Of course I had another spare 8.8 bolt laying around so I put that back in there... one of these days I'll put the proper grade 10.9 in.

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Dude. OE bolts are cheap fo stuff like that. Haha
 
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