The Free Xterra Build

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
I'm 31 and I've been wheeling since I was 15 more or less, built one ifs truck (89 Isuzu amigo) and in my experience, which is far from I'm a trail gobble but I'm not a new guy putting skinny tires on daddys wrangler, the only real way to make it "capable" for what I want to do is at least one locker, usually I just do a lunch box locker in the rear and call it good, but in the case of the nissan, this isn't available (which I find really odd) so air lockers it is. Kind of a must have imo. Lockers before a bunch of stupid rigid lights, or do what I do because it made sense when you were drinking and looking at amazon at 3 am
Isn't this what you need?

 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
Isn't this what you need?

Well that's not one I've seen before. I'm not entirely sure I'd want a non-selectable locker in the rear, since mine is more of an overland build that a straight up wheeler, but that's definitely something to consider.
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
and its my friday (I'm only off 2 days, every other weekend) time to go finish the rear bumper
and yes, I'm becoming a post whore, ban me daddy
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
I also know from experience that non selectables and cv shafts don't mix :/ but thank you
I know there are lots of folks who run a lokka in the front, and don't have an issue. Besides, the locker Terry posted is for the rear anyways.

But air lockers are still the best choice.
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
I know there are lots of folks who run a lokka in the front, and don't have an issue. Besides, the locker Terry posted is for the rear anyways.

But air lockers are still the best choice.
I'm confused now though, everywhere you go I"ve been told we can only do a lokka front, or arb's

Has anyone actually used the nitro locker?
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
You can run a lunchbox locker out back. It just affects how you are able to drive. You have to coast on every turn, especially sharp turns.
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
I'm well aware, amigo had an aussie, bronco has an aussie, one in the bronco is actually a tad tight on its tolerance and acts more like a spool sometimes lol
I'm a fan of the mechanical locker :/ just wish the boys at aussie were interested in building them for us
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
I'm well aware, amigo had an aussie, bronco has an aussie, one in the bronco is actually a tad tight on its tolerance and acts more like a spool sometimes lol
I'm a fan of the mechanical locker :/ just wish the boys at aussie were interested in building them for us
Old Aussie lockers and Lokka brand are affiliated. From what I've found they used to be made in the same factory.
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
and a quick search found that the nitro lunch box locker does not work in our trokas.
back to saving for air lockers
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
the spline count, not sure how they came up with 31 or 33 spline but a direct email to the company with a response of it only fits 31 spline axles solves this mystery
I wonder what the reasoning behind changing the spline count was, other than "because" was. It would have been more beneficial to us if they hadn't changed it. We'd have way more options available.
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
anyways, didn't get what I wanted done this weekend, I wanted to have the bumper painted, on the vehicle and all lights and trailer wiring hooked up and done.
well, we forgot to weld tabs for the license plate so did that this morning and shot everything, was gonna do black, but opted for a metallic dark grey.
Did that, its curing/drying, will put on next trip, need to buy 5th matching wheel since spare is visible now and it won't look right if it doesn't match, pulled front bumper, I'm guessing the front end/suspension needs some love

xterrafront.jpgxterrarearbump1.jpgxterrarearbump.jpgxterrasusp.jpg
also reconsidering locking both front and rear, it'd save money, and with the rear locked it will probably go everywhere I want to go, if not, I'll add a front later, but it'd free up funds for other things, like a home, my bronco, my high boy
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
anyways, didn't get what I wanted done this weekend, I wanted to have the bumper painted, on the vehicle and all lights and trailer wiring hooked up and done.
well, we forgot to weld tabs for the license plate so did that this morning and shot everything, was gonna do black, but opted for a metallic dark grey.
Did that, its curing/drying, will put on next trip, need to buy 5th matching wheel since spare is visible now and it won't look right if it doesn't match, pulled front bumper, I'm guessing the front end/suspension needs some love

View attachment 22887View attachment 22888View attachment 22889View attachment 22890
also reconsidering locking both front and rear, it'd save money, and with the rear locked it will probably go everywhere I want to go, if not, I'll add a front later, but it'd free up funds for other things, like a home, my bronco, my high boy
Why not go manual hubs, and just toss a lokka in the front? Mine still has open diffs (I've not gotten around to having my lokka put in yet), and I've not really had any issues getting to my destinations. I've only used the locker in my frontier once.

That would be much cheaper than dual arbs, and you'd at least have one end locked at that point.
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
Why not go manual hubs, and just toss a lokka in the front? Mine still has open diffs (I've not gotten around to having my lokka put in yet), and I've not really had any issues getting to my destinations. I've only used the locker in my frontier once.

That would be much cheaper than dual arbs, and you'd at least have one end locked at that point.
I do have the warn hubs already, maybe less of an issue with the x, I don't know, but everytime Ive seen a lunch box locker in the front, particularly on an ifs truck, axle parts get broken. Probably gonna just arb the rear for now and if I have excessive money laying around I'll get the front done too
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
I do have the warn hubs already, maybe less of an issue with the x, I don't know, but everytime Ive seen a lunch box locker in the front, particularly on an ifs truck, axle parts get broken. Probably gonna just arb the rear for now and if I have excessive money laying around I'll get the front done too
It's my understanding that the front end of the first gens is WAY over built for how much power they put out. I've not heard of many people snapping cvs after putting a locker in the front diff. I'm not sayings it's impossible, just that I've not heard it's a common issue.
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
honestly its not that bad. I've driven slow vehicles (amigo, bronco with its stock 302 and 3.55's (it was the 80's) almost any toyota out there, I recently rode in a trd pro tacoma, and honestly think the x could take it. But the cream of the cake, is a 3126 powered tow truck named piggy, once took me 6 hours to cover 180 miles in it
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
honestly its not that bad. I've driven slow vehicles (amigo, bronco with its stock 302 and 3.55's (it was the 80's) almost any toyota out there, I recently rode in a trd pro tacoma, and honestly think the x could take it. But the cream of the cake, is a 3126 powered tow truck named piggy, once took me 6 hours to cover 180 miles in it
I drove a taco once. It was lifted already, and I was thinking about buying it. I decided not to. This was prior to buying the X. It definitely felt slow. It was also lifted on 33s. I decided not to buy it, but for other reasons. The frontier is SO MUCH FASTER, it feels like.

Still, I'm never willingly parting with my first Gen X.
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
:)
1650860772998.png
dash is apart for wiring, I broke a tail light, and the first 2 converter boxes I put in it for my trailer wiring were bad (after years of doing uhaul hitches in a past life and never seeing one yet alone 2 on the same vehicle, I was a bit shocked)
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
so trying to be realistic about my spending lol
I had talked to see it all retrofits about doing a set of lights for this, but I've just flat out decided (cough diesel is $5.50 a gallon cough) that its too much coin for a non necessity, same with corbeau seats
soooo
get air locker installed (4wp says they'll do it)
get headliner re done
pml (debating on it, I can think of several drawbacks)
get it cleaned
install o2 sensors and try to get it to clear
register it
drive it
save for a house, if thats even a possibility at this point
 
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