RobCaryNC's Build Updates

[robcarync]

Ladies and Gentlemen...I am migrating my build thread from ClubX over to here. I am going to reserve the first few posts so I can keep everything organized and next to each other instead of having to filter through 30 pages of discussion...I will start with a current mod list at the top, then a photo timeline below.

Current Photo

Mod List

Suspension
>2.125" AC adjustable lift shackle
>3" lift AC upper control arms
>3" Bilstein HDs
>2" DIY body lift
>Rear sway bar delete

Steering
>GrassRoots4x4 center link
>Total Chaos idler arm brace
>Bandit 4x4 idler arm bushings
>AC heavy duty tie rod adjusters
>Double shear idler and pitman arms

Traction
>Lokked and dropped front differential
>33x10.50R15 BF Goodrich MT KM2

Armor
>Custom front bumper
>Custom rear bumper + tire carrier
>Shrock sliders

Miscellaneous
>Custom Magnaflow exhaust, replacing stock crossover
>Rustoleum bedliner wherever I feel like putting it
>Cobra 19 DX III CB radio with 4' Firestik Firefly antenna
>Pioneer head unit
>Front differential drop bushings
>Macco paint and body work


How did I get there? Let's start with stock, when I first brought it home in April 2012:

Grey was gross...First thing that had to happen...RUSTOLEUM BEDLINER!!!!

Plasti-Dip rules too!

I told myself I wouldn't mod this vehicle...oops...PML using adjustable shackle:

Removed the rear sway bar to get that sexy flexy stance:

I got tired of having the extra shackle hang over the end. Obviously I had to get UCAs to lift the front up further. I maxed out the adjustable shackle at 2.125" in the rear, and added 3" with the UCAs in the front. Then I got some all terrain tires, and bedlined my rims too! This happened by August of 2012.

I needed rear recovery points to wheel, so I custom fabricated these bad boys:

Needed a CB radio so I could get off road. Picked up a Cobra DX 19 III:

Got to enjoy my first time out wheeling with Xterror04 and Midget28 October 2012:

I felt at home in the mud:

Obviously, I needed to get a body lift done since I had maxed out the suspension lift. Xterror04 helped me get this done December 2012:

Notice I lost my front bumper due to a pot hole:

I had to get a custom bumper fabricated for the front by January 2013...it just didn't make sense to NOT upgrade:

I installed some fog lights and roof lights...looks sweet. They didn't last long before a tree branch took them off for me. Note the Shrock sliders too!

I decided to give a DIY snorkel a try. I was just bored and wanted to make something...

Sadly, I got the first dent offroading:

I did put a 4' Firestik Firefly CB antenna on the front bumper...FINALLY people can hear me!...I also shortened the snorkel:

My Xterra at this point was very cool looking, but not sounding. A custom bent Magnaflow exhaust from the cats back solved it!

I decided I wanted to learn to weld...so I obviously had to create a project:

Once I built that bad boy...it was only logical to test it offroad (note the Herculiner on the fenders now, too):

I had to get rid of that pesky open differential in the front...Front Lokka installed along with the diff drop January 2014:

With my truck Lokked and dropped and all built up, it was time to play. My bachelor party was camping out on the beach:

After an undisclosed number of beers, I crawled into the Xterra to pass out. All of a sudden, it appeared that my sagging headliner was trying to attack me in the middle of the night. I got into a tussle...but I won. I ripped every bit of fabric off the headliner...only to realize the headliner foam would sprinkle on me the rest of the night. Tired of having a steady shower of foam every time I drove, I decided to finally fix the headliner:

Let me tell you what...I can't be an expert at everything...and 2 days of sitting in the work parking lot all day in the 100F heat had this thing sagging again. Angry at fabric, I went with a paint job. I decided to be fancy and try spray painting my own camo design...turned out pretty cool, and I NEVER have to deal with this thing again!

 

[robcarync]

By September 2014, I had been gifted my dad's old car...a 1999 Lexus ES300. 30 miles per gallon, and my 17 mile one way commute now becomes a lot less expensive. Unfortunately, that means I don't drive my X nearly as much. Luckily, that means that I can wheel even harder and not worry about making it to work the next day!

Almost forgot to point out my new lights on the front bumper. They were actually old lights I had laying around, but I finally got around to throwing them on the front cross bar! The plastic housing and grill are actually spray painted burgundy to match the paint color...Nice little touch. I know Casey Camby is into spray painting accents around the Xterra...

OOOPS!!! Broken hub! Brand new Mile Marker manually locking hubs installed. Now I have ultimate control and flexibility with the front Lokka: manually engage one wheel if I need to navigate tight turns, lock both in for maximum traction, and no need to worry about my pesky auto locking hubs sticking and not disengaging!

Well...it has been a while. December 2014, I decided to spend some money. The Herculined fenders, hacked up snorkel fender, dented doors, and peeling paint all had to go. I got sick of the beat up and abused truck look (my wife was REALLY sick of it!)...and I rolled the dice on some Macco body work and a full paint job. It paid off, because they did a fantastic job. Peeling clear coat was stripped to bare metal. Both fenders replaced with junk yard parts, and my rear driver door was replaced. Dropped it off with all mismatched body panels...and it was returned as the original deep red look. I removed all bumpers and the rear corner pieces to make it easier to spray. Here it is after I put it back together:

I didn't get a huge amount of joy out of it right away. I had maintenance to catch up on. New drums, brake shoes, wheel cylinders, and bleeding the brakes. I then engineered a way to re-attached the front sway bar. I got so sick of the boat like ride, and it just wasn't pleasant to be driven on a normal basis. One of the mounting bolts had broken off in the cross member, so I had to weld one mount on so it could be used. New end links and bushings installed...this truck was dying to get back on the road:

During the maintenance period, I sent my center link, idler arm, and pitman arm into PPEgineering so they could develop their steering kit. They added some reinforcement to the arms, but progress stalled on the center link. I got the arms returned, along with a stock link to use in the time being. Problem was the center link threads were damaged badly. I finally tracked down an M12 1.25 die and carefully re-threaded the center link studs. It took some careful turns, but I was finally able to install the stock link on the truck to get by. I am still excitedly waiting for the heavy duty link from PPEngineering...but man, it feels great to be back on the road after 8+ weeks of sitting in the garage!!!

OK...so talk about a long time between updates. 2015 was the year of my Xterra. Not much offroading to speak of, but lots of TLC to get it back to looking sharp and road worthy as well. My steering had to be upgraded to prevent the rapid tire wear the stock center link gives you. My bed lined rims were looking pretty sorry, and my tires were worn unevenly. On top of that, I needed a real spare tire. So here we go!

A man can only be so patient. PPEngineering never came through for me. What was supposed to be a 2 week turn around turned into 6+ months before I finally gave up and splurged on a GrassRoots4x4 center link. I over-drilled the idler and pitman arms, pressed in a Super Oilite bearing to reduce wear on the arms, and double sheared the center link. I also have Bandit4x4 idler arm bushings, Total Chaos idler arm brace, gussets on the idler and pitman arm, heavy duty tie rod adjusters, and fresh tie rod ends. This left a LOT less play in the steering, so I could finally get, and keep, an alignment.

What is the point of a fresh and clean alignment without fresh and clean tires?! My 16" rims had the spray on bedliner, which was peeling off, chipping, and looking not so fresh and clean. I picked up a set of 15" stock rims for 60 bucks on CraigsList, and a fifth for the spare from a local junkyard. Santa noticed that I was good this year, and 4WheelParts had a good deal on BFGoodrich tires. I jumped on a set of 5 33x10.50R15 BF Goodrich MT KM2. I just got them installed today (December 2015) and freshly aligned. The stock alloys (no bedliner!) and the bigger tires look and drive GREAT.

Now...you may have also noticed in the first photo an empty tire carrier. I had come up with a few designs for cool and awesome tire carriers. At the end of the day, I went with cheap, easy, and effective. Fold down tire carrier mounted on top of the hitch of the rear bumper. Steel sleeves were welded through the tube to serve as the pivot point and locking pin hole. This is rock solid, folds down to the horizontal position (serving as a great camping or tail gate table), and sits low enough to not block all of the rear window. I have cargo space back, and a full size spare!

At the end of the year, I am happy with these major improvements to the Xterra. Even without offroading as much as I'd like to, the truck is nice to drive, great steering response, and the larger tires with clean rims look awesome.

Well, after enjoying daily driving my Xterra for a few months...I decided that I really needed to test out the new tires. Nothing too crazy, but a nice stroll on the beach for the 4th of July. Nothing like a 4WD stroll on the beach to get away from an otherwise crazy and crowded holiday. Beautiful weather, beautiful ocean, beautiful Xterra.

Great news...I finally got to go offroading in July 2016! You can check out how much mud was everywhere! These trails were pretty rough and tons of boggy mud. The KM2s did great until we got to one creek crossing. 9 out of 13 rigs had to be winched across...myself included. I needed a winch!


But winches are expensive! Instead of having a lot of fun offroading this weekend, my wife put me to work, wanting to have 10 shrubs removed from our landscaped area beside the house.


A deal could be made...and let me tell you, I make the BEST deals, believe me. Harbor Freight had a coupon for their 9000 pound winch for $250. A professional landscaper wants $800 to remove the shrubs. My wife appropriated the funds for a winch in exchange for me yanking the shrubs. It was still some rough labor, as these shrubs were over-grown with tight roots in compacted soil...but it was worth it.

 

[robcarync]

March 2019: Well...My build never stops. Too much tire, too much steel, too much weight.

I know, let me add a set of cams to get some more power to push all of this!

I grabbed stock cams from a 1989 Nissan 300zx (Z31) at my local pull-a-part junk yard...and sent them in through The Z Store, which then sends them into Schneider Racing Cams, which then send them back to The Z Store, which then sends them back to me. Schneider Racing Cams re-grinds the cam to a more performance oriented profile.

I got the 131-h profile which is 262 duration for both intake and exhaust, and 0.42" of total lift. Definitely helps on the high way. I can pass cars now and merge onto the interstate!

 

[robcarync]

one more...just for the sake of being thorough

 

[SKAVYNGR]

Looks great! Do you have a photo of the low profile snorkel? I have a Gen1 also.


-Jonny

 

[Chetter]

Looks great! More inspiration.......dang it...lol.

 

[robcarync]

Looks great! Do you have a photo of the low profile snorkel? I have a Gen1 also.


-Jonny

The 2nd to last pic you can see it. I have a few more pics I am sorting through though...I will add more

 

[DC xterra]

hows the lokka?

 

[Cruecible]

Your front bumper looks amazing. I'm still torn on tube or plate, but yours definitely has me siding with the tube (lol)

 

[Xado89]

X2 on that bumper. Thing is sweet. Great build man. Glad to see you brought it over to share your work!

Sent through an exorcism and salt flavored shotgun shells.

 

[CaptainMorgan_SOS]

Glad to see you put a build up here. Don't forget to add your rear bumper stuff up as well

 

[rokdaddy]

Nice rig, sir.

I never caught your build thread on CX... glad to see it here.

-Rok

 

[caseycamby]

Any reason why you choose against the bigger snorkel? Haha

 

[SKAVYNGR]

Ah, gotcha. Looks great!

 

[robcarync]

Lokka is awesome for traction on loose surfaces. It changes the feel of the steering a bit since both tires being driven kind of force the steering wheel back to center. I wouldn't say it is changed for the BAD...just different to get used to in 4WD. I will take it wheeling in the next 2-3 weeks to test it some more though.

To get my snorkel aligned with the A-pillar, I had to heat up the PVC and bend it. It then got kinked pretty bad. I decided to just keep it short enough so it could be secured easier and less weight rattling around at the wind shield. I would like to modify it and put it back up, but at the time I had limited tools so I just made that work for me. Biggest gripe with the low profile snorkel is visibility on curved roads. Pain to see through it.

I still have more pics and stuff to sort through when I get home from work...I can't forget my rear bumper...that was FUN to build

 

[Xado89]

The one thing I noticed, and I love this about your thread. With each mod you state "I NEEDED this, so I got one or made one, ect..." True mind of an offroader.

 

[xterraminator]

Like what you have done to your truck. Of all the xterras I have seen with a tube style bumper I like yours the best. I still debating if I should go with a tube or plate style. The only drawback I really dislike about the xterrras is the frame mounts for the bumper are sooooo low. If they were about 6 inches higher would give more clearance. I am leaning toward a plate style. Anyway looks good, more inspiration for all of us. Keep the mods flowing!

 

[robcarync]

The thread is now updated...The last 5 pics or so show the rear bumper and Magnaflow exhaust. Updated the mod list on the top, and included a current pic at the top.

Now I just gotta decide what to do next

hmm...what DO I NEED?!

 

[CaptainMorgan_SOS]

hmm...what DO I NEED?!

Tubes that connect your front bumper to your sliders that go around your fender to protect from those pesky fender dents. Also maybe some wrap arounds on the rear bumper to replace some plastic and then maybe a tube to go over the rear fender well and connect to the back of the sliders... just a thought

 

[robcarync]

I had thought about that...but then I couldn't easily remove all my armor to transplant onto my next Xterra

I still might do it though

 

[02Xterra]

Nice build!

 

[xterraminator]

Another thing you can do and it looks good and that is remove the plastic mounded parts behind the front wheels on the lower Fender.

Rust occurs behind plastic parts. Also remove the 1" plastic over all the fenders. Less plastic the better.

Sent from Samsung Note 2 using Tapatalk

 

[robcarync]

Another thing you can do and it looks good and that is remove the plastic mounded parts behind the front wheels on the lower Fender.

Rust occurs behind plastic parts. Also remove the 1" plastic over all the fenders. Less plastic the better.

Sent from Samsung Note 2 using Tapatalk

I got rid of all of that plastic a while ago Only plastic I have is the inner wheel well fender liner and the rear corners Good call though!

Thanks for all the comments!

 

[CaptainMorgan_SOS]

A few of us thought about making the tubes removable... I may be experimenting with this idea in the near future. I know how to do it for the bumper side (think of a larger diameter tube, recessed into the side of the bumper that the fender protection tube slides into, about 4-5" long; the fender protection tube would then be held in place by 2 pins, one horizontal, one vertical), but I am still thinking about how to make them removable from the sliders. You could weld the same size tube that you had recessed in the bumper perpendicular to the sliders, one at each end, but the problem with that is that if you hit it hard, you may crush that tube, making it useless.

The downside to making them removable is that you would be that you would lose A LOT of strength rather than them being welded solid.

Sorry to threadjack; that is all

 

[robcarync]

Added photos of bachelor party camping and my new headliner...last two photos of the build timeline...

With my truck Lokked and dropped and all built up, it was time to play. My bachelor party was camping out on the beach:

After an undisclosed number of beers, I crawled into the Xterra to pass out. All of a sudden, it appeared that my sagging headliner was trying to attack me in the middle of the night. I got into a tussle...but I won. I ripped every bit of fabric off the headliner...only to realize the headliner foam would sprinkle on me the rest of the night. Tired of having a steady shower of foam every time I drove, I decided to finally fix the headliner:

 

[Xterrafauss]

Congrats on the wedding man!


.....truck looks good as always

 

[shyamrox]

Looks Great!

 

[robcarync]

Congrats on the wedding man!


.....truck looks good as always

Thanks bud...wedding is this weekend....Sunday May 25...one week and counting!

Looks Great!

Thanks shyamrox!


I am glad to have the headliner done. It was tedious, but for 23 bucks in material and about 6 hours of time, it was definitely worth it. Turned out much better than I thought it would. The material is burlap and I got two pieces (pre-cut and packaged fabric) from Wal Mart...and it fit just about perfectly.

Next on the list is mostly maintenance stuff:

Moog center link
Moog tie rod ends
Radiator drop
Reihle mod (beer holders in the rear corners)

 

[xterror04]

Buy a grassroots centerlink... Then you won't ever need another... My moog lasted 4 months

 

[robcarync]

Buy a grassroots centerlink... Then you won't ever need another... My moog lasted 4 months

That is my eventual plan, but with the wedding coming up, my financial situation dictated I pay 60 bucks right now to bide some time before putting more ca$h into the Xterra

Plus...then I have an extra core I can send back

 

[Intender]

He doesnt pay a whole lot for extra centerlinks. I emailed him about it when I ordered mine and I want to say it was something like $25, or $30, and considering it cost me something like $20 to ship it mine your pretty much breaking even.

 

[robcarync]

my headliner glory was short lived. One day parked in the work parking lot and the fabric sagged like crazy. 3M spray glue wasn't all it was cracked up to be

 

[Cruecible]

my headliner glory was short lived. One day parked in the work parking lot and the fabric sagged like crazy. 3M spray glue wasn't all it was cracked up to be

I was going to ask you about the durability of your headliner install. I was thinking about bedlining mine with the Rustoleum spray, but it comes out pretty gritty. My next option was just some flat black spray paint. Looks like I got a weekend project

 

[robcarync]

I should have painted it. I did a similar project on my old BMW car, and the spray glue held up great. This however, did not. I used 3m spray adhesive, same as I used previously

I am going to take short sheet metal screws and just tack it in place. It ain't coming back down again. So what if it isn't perfectly taught

 

[Jack Stilts]

I should have painted it. I did a similar project on my old BMW car, and the spray glue held up great. This however, did not. I used 3m spray adhesive, same as I used previously

I am going to take short sheet metal screws and just tack it in place. It ain't coming back down again. So what if it isn't perfectly taught

I'm curious to see how this turns out, as this is next on my list for the weekend.

 

[jwolfpack02]

Nice build...entertaining & informative

 

[robcarync]

Thanks! Hopefully it will give you some ideas

:tunes:

 

[robcarync]

By September 2014, I had been gifted my dad's old car...a 1999 Lexus ES300. 30 miles per gallon, and my 17 mile one way commute now becomes a lot less expensive. Unfortunately, that means I don't drive my X nearly as much. Luckily, that means that I can wheel even harder and not worry about making it to work the next day!

Almost forgot to point out my new lights on the front bumper. They were actually old lights I had laying around, but I finally got around to throwing them on the front cross bar! The plastic housing and grill are actually spray painted burgundy to match the paint color...Nice little touch. I know Casey Camby is into spray painting accents around the Xterra...

OOOPS!!! Broken hub! Brand new Mile Marker manually locking hubs installed. Now I have ultimate control and flexibility with the front Lokka: manually engage one wheel if I need to navigate tight turns, lock both in for maximum traction, and no need to worry about my pesky auto locking hubs sticking and not disengaging!

 

[caseycamby]

That's awesome!

 

[robcarync]

Almost forgot to point out my new lights on the front bumper. They were actually old lights I had laying around, but I finally got around to throwing them on the front cross bar! The plastic housing and grill are actually spray painted burgundy to match the paint color...Nice little touch. I know Casey Camby is into spray painting accents around the Xterra...