The Ozark Banana Build 2001 SE

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
I’ve been lurking and following builds and post on this server and Reddit for a few years. I’m ready to come out of the shadows.

In 2016, we needed another vehicle for the family. My wife suggested an Xterra. We found one for $1500 and 120k miles. It was a 2001 and the previous owner was a teenager who drove the wheels off of it. I almost hired a drug dog to go through it because of how much junk we found.

Here’s a pick from the day we drove it home.
7444F631-51C3-41EA-BCA4-340257BB48A4.jpeg

It was bone stock and the suspension was toast.
The first things on the todo list were safety and maintenance.

I searched the forums and did all the stuff I was told to do. Timing belt, water pump, the basics stuff.

Had to fix the power steering and a few other small things but for the most part it looks like we saved the truck from an bad owner.

I ordered a Rancho 2.5” lift kit and some Grabber A/T tires and some steel wheels.

If you zoom in, you can see the reflective tape that the teenagers parents put on the Xterra.
8CE616D5-407B-4318-9D9F-A5A99D401A8C.jpeg
The wheels and tires did not fit. I ordered 0 offset on the wheels. I didn’t understand how to measure and I didn’t know what 0 meant. The result was a lot of tire rub. The sawzall and some paint helped.


8991B53E-0B82-47E6-B0C3-B605696C7788.jpeg

I ran the rig just like this for a few years. I have a few other projects I have been working on and my budget and attention wanders from one to another.

Ok I started my build thread. Tommorow I’ll post some more and soon I’ll be up to speed. This year the X has gotten a lot of attention so I think it’s ready for some limelight.

Thank you for all the owners who have contributed in this group. It gave me alot of inspiration.
 
Last edited:

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
Fast forward to 2020. The Ozark Banana failed state inspection. The large tires had done a number on the steering components.

I replaced the tie rods. I missed the opprotunity to get beefy ones. So I’ll have to replace them again. I did add an idle arm brace. This was recommended on XterraNation.

I went to pack the front bearings and the auto locks disintegrated. No brainer to switch to Warn locking hubs.

4450EC38-F4D3-4162-9B36-2427D4B5D650.jpeg
A few months later I decided to attack all the oil leaks. The valve cover gaskets needed replaced so I added the throttle body seal and upper plenum gasket. It should be noted that I use the words gasket and seal interchangeably.

Here is the a process pic.

D747D659-E899-4359-AA69-1A7543E5890B.jpeg

CDD18935-C57D-47F9-A371-11DEC67083EE.jpeg

This damn thing is a puzzle if your not paying attention:

With all that reinstalled, my oil leaks were gone and my next problems started.

I threw this code
A2550AC4-B149-4F5B-98D5-55ADD39A47B8.jpeg

Looking back I prolly didn’t have the Idle Control plugged in all the way. Since I had to take it all apart again to find out, I went ahead and replaced the Idle Control valve and the PCV valve.

The Xterra was idling high and would not stay running once the engine was in a closed loop.

It should be noted that I also cleaned the Throttle Body when I did the gaskets. What I can gather is when you remove 20 years of carbon and soot, this can also mess with the idle. Basically the throttle body thinks it’s closed. And it was when the soot and junk was in the passage. But now that it’s clean, the “closed” position is still slightly open.

With all this cleaned fixed and replaced, I did the relearn process for the Idle and throttle control. Bam. Everything is running better than before.

Stoked.
 
Last edited:

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
There is an air resonator that is in the drivers wheel well. I broke this off. I had forgot that it was broke off until I saw a lot of rocks and dirt in the air box.

A smart man would pay 20 bucks for a new one from This place.

I thought this would be a good time to spend 400 bucks on a snorkel from Off-road Gorilla

They drop ship the snorkel from a company in Florida. I’ll insert the name here when I remember. It is a snorkel for a frontier but it fits the first Gen just fine. There is a hole you will need to plug that the Xterra doesn’t use. I called the company in Florida . They suggested the top of a spray paint can. It fit perfectly.

Here are some pics of the install:


05BBC2ED-CBA4-499B-B65F-E0AC14D1FB86.jpeg

B1D53957-F918-4A6F-9F17-CEEF2A0B09BD.jpeg
CD1ACF31-049D-497D-959C-A48680976DDA.jpeg

This wasn’t difficult. I am an average guy with an average skill set. Maybe if my Xterra was prettier or newer, I would have been nervous.

This was the first upgrade that people could see and a bit of a conversation starter. It is not like anyone wants to see my new PCV valve. Up until this point, I felt like I was fighting with the Xterra. Getting the banana to behave and run properly. I had changed sparkplugs, injectors, and MAF sensors. I have replaced hoses and brake lines. Non of that was for fun.

Adding the snorkel was fun. I think it turned the corner on the build.

Shortly after I finished this install, I ordered armor online and then called Axleboy.

I had heard good things about Axleboy. They are in O'Fallon, Missouri. Super nice and easy to talk to. Last Friday I dropped off the Xterra to get 5.13 gearing and ARB lockers installed. As much as I wanted to try this install myself, I think I need the piece of mind that it was done by pros.

So while I wait for my Xterra to be finished, Fedex has been dropping off a lot of heavy steel parts.

So now I am caught up on my build thread. This next chapter should be a fun one. I should add that my intent isn't to make a crazy ride. I just want to get around Missouri. We own property next to Johnson's Shut-Ins located in the St. Francois Mountains. They aren't as big as Colorado but can offer some very challenging trails. So my goal with this build is to make a reliable rig that wont leave me stranded in the backwoods.
 
Last edited:

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
I guess I’m not all the way caught up.

I added a 2” BL to try and fix the wheel rub. If I could have it perfect, my wheel and tire combo would have fit nicely in the wheel well with the 2.5” SL. Instead the rub the hell out of the body when I park in a stall.

The fact that my wheels have a 0 offset, and my tires are 12.5 wide, a 2” body lift was my cheapest fix.

736DE593-5EA0-4DC3-8F20-48474B7EF32C.jpeg
This picture is the result. I had to make some brackets to fix the front bumper. I have an Addicted Off-road Bumper. On the way.

Now there are a lot of write ups on how to do a body lift. I don’t have much to add. I had little to no problems. My tip would be to let PB blaster be your friend. I soaked the hell out of the body bolts.

After a night of soaking, a Milwaukee impact driver was key in popping all the old fasteners off. One of the interior bolt needed some coaxing. All in all it went ok.

I did go and buy 2 new jacks. You prolly have heard the story about Harbor Freight getting sued by Snap-on. I went and bought a pair of these
F0D5B977-26BD-4F7A-A3C8-6F16AE44584C.jpeg

Pretty good investment for a lifted vehicle. Before I had to put a wooden 4x4 block insert to get my truck off the ground.


Anyway, the body lift fixed 92% of the wheel rub. At least now I can park the truck with out making a loud ass metal ripping noise.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
I guess I’m not all the way caught up.

I added a 2” BL to try and fix the wheel rub. If I could have it perfect, my wheel and tire combo would have fit nicely in the wheel well with the 2.5” SL. Instead the rub the hell out of the body when I park in a stall.

The fact that my wheels have a 0 offset, and my tires are 12.5 wide, a 2” body lift was my cheapest fix.

View attachment 21017
This picture is the result. I had to make some brackets to fix the front bumper. I have an Addicted Off-road Bumper. On the way.

Now there are a lot of write ups on how to do a body lift. I don’t have much to add. I had little to no problems. My tip would be to let PB blaster be your friend. I soaked the hell out of the body bolts.

After a night of soaking, a Milwaukee impact driver was key in popping all the old fasteners off. One of the interior bolt needed some coaxing. All in all it went ok.

I did go and buy 2 new jacks. You prolly have heard the story about Harbor Freight getting sued by Snap-on. I went and bought a pair of these
View attachment 21021

Pretty good investment for a lifted vehicle. Before I had to put a wooden 4x4 block insert to get my truck off the ground.


Anyway, the body lift fixed 92% of the wheel rub. At least now I can park the truck with out making a loud ass metal ripping noise.
I have the extended lift, low profile version since our vehicles range from a 1989 Camaro to my lifted Xterra. It's been a great jack. I can't complain about my 12 year old HF 3 ton standard jack either. It's done a LOT of work.
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
I have the extended lift, low profile version since our vehicles range from a 1989 Camaro to my lifted Xterra.
No doubt. We have a slammed rat rod in the garage too. Always rotating between a few different floor jacks. Now we just have these two. Saves a lot of space.
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
024CD011-7CE9-413B-8D4A-156A4461385C.jpeg
Came home to this guy.

Addicted Off-road tube bumper.
I’m very excited to install this. To install, I need to remove the cross member support on the Xterra. Remove 3 inches off the front of the frame. Box the ends of the frame. Weld a new cross member. You can see the bumper is bolted to the new cross member in this photo.

Since I’m doing all of this, I’ll be able to access my oil pan and replace some seals there while I’m at it.

But first, I’m still waiting for my Xterra to get back from Axle Boy. They are waiting on bearings to show up……… patience.
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
Update.
I got my ride back from Axleboy. Installed front/rear lockers and regeared the diffs to 5.13.
They also installed an ARB dual compressor.

I was a little intimidated to talk shop with the techs when I picked up my rig. I am not a pro and I was nervous my Xterra would end up on a “customer states….” YouTube video.

They were super helpful and said they really liked the Xterra build. They are known for Jeeps so I didn’t know if they would be in to it.
16676EF5-CC93-4044-A049-9D0758996FA4.jpeg1B0951CD-DFAB-4E0C-9900-5C712F7DBDBA.jpeg

The install looks super clean. Ohh yeah.. I got new shoes too.
668A29DA-6CAF-4F68-A28F-64F24CF1A70E.jpeg
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
Spring of 2022.
After getting my ride back from Axleboy, I was ready to start the armor. Unfortunately more maintenance was needed on my 3.3l

I installed a new distributor and worked on the steering. I went with Moog ball joints, upper and lower. I want another option but I don’t know what else is out there.

ok next me and the boy welded up an Addicted Offroad front bumper.13508ABA-D1F7-4BDC-B06E-DA02C7D4156F.jpeg6DC00BAB-2766-4E40-B8AA-C9A76A999ABE.jpeg13E91BFF-F9D6-452B-86E6-1E168BA22FE3.jpeg
I scored a Badlands 12000 winch open box at Harbor Frieght for 350 buck. I used this to mock up where to mount the bumper.

We cut 3 inches off the front frame. Then welded a cross member (provided by Addicted Off road) to the frame. This is where the new bumper mounts to. The old mounting holes are gone.

I had a hard time deciding where to weld the crossmember. It was “placement of winch versus approach angle”. I kept thinking I could squeeze the winch in closer to the radiator but I didn’t.

Here are some pics of the crossmember and how much we cut off.

.999A06DC-1BB4-4E23-B76A-EBA5C3C8E5FF.jpegC8CAAD0F-1627-4241-911E-E6C2BFE416E4.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • 3DFA0C3A-4F07-417A-B221-D84D4D76AEFE.jpeg
    3DFA0C3A-4F07-417A-B221-D84D4D76AEFE.jpeg
    2.4 MB · Views: 5
Last edited:

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
I got a chance to take the Xterra out and try the lockers. We went to Moonlight Ranch outside of St. Louis.

This was the first time I had gone trail riding in a park setting. We ride dirt bikes at trail parks but I had never gone wheeling as they say.

I was immediately surprised at how well the X did. After airing the tires down, we ran some green trails. No problem. Then did some harder rock climbs and the truck did everything I asked.

I did hit the front bumper herd into the ground descending a trail. It made impact coming out of a steep decline. It made me wonder if I welded the bumper an inch to far out and reduced my angle of attack too much.

I can say that the Xterra is more capable than I am. It’s going to take a bit to get used to trail riding. The Xterra felt over built for what we did that day. I’m stoked.

Hard work paying off.17C86BF8-41D9-42DD-9F84-EAC358D81F60.jpeg7CD69BB4-AFC7-4399-A920-5FC28608DB97.jpegCDA6BCD7-3A27-41E2-8732-B7585B14ABBD.jpegD1AAF681-282B-43A0-915F-0299B73234B7.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
Rocksliders.

I bought a kit from Coastel Off-road. It was a straight forward weld together design. I bought it because it was the cheapest way to get sliders.

After assembling, cutting, notching, welding, and grinding I know why the ones online are so expensive. It is some work but for me it was fun. I’m an amature welder. I love welding but I don’t get to do a lot of it. This was the biggest project I have tackled as a welder.

I warped the shiat out of them.

I pushed too much heat into the sliders when assembling them and they bowed. Live and learn.

Here are some pics of me and the boy working on the sliders.
B33E9940-796A-41C6-929A-031A1F198032.jpeg3F8C3AEE-7E29-4E26-8BA9-8F79D45C6C2C.jpeg2623F35F-992C-4AFA-87FD-A48B9BB08B06.jpeg9BC894D8-20D2-49AE-9943-45D875B9D047.jpeg6DBF4B5B-532C-4D05-BF25-3F181C3C4494.jpeg

Here is the finished product. I still need more coats of paint.

763A981E-4258-4652-A042-1AB5893159EE.jpegEEE8CDDD-E493-4BD7-BC5E-407A852DCEC4.jpeg9796EEFE-08E3-4818-A3AA-75A315087C02.jpeg
 
Last edited:

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
Rocksliders.

I bought a kit from Coastel Off-road. It was a straight forward weld together design. I bought it because it was the cheapest way to get sliders.

After assembling, cutting, notching, welding, and grinding I know why the ones online are so expensive. It is some work but for me it was fun. I’m an amature welder. I love welding but I don’t get to do a lot of it. This was the biggest project I have tackled as a welder.

I warped the shiat out of them.

I pushed too much heat into the sliders when assembling them and they bowed. Live and learn.

Here are some pics of me and the boy working on the sliders.
View attachment 23339View attachment 23340View attachment 23341View attachment 23342View attachment 23343

Here is the finished product. I still need more coats of paint.

View attachment 23344View attachment 23345View attachment 23346
Sliders are meant to get bent and beat. In a few years of good use, no one will know the difference.
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
Sliders are meant to get bent and beat. In a few years of good use, no one will know the difference.
This is true. And it’s one of those things no one will notice. It was just tough welding them to the frame because the footer plates didn’t all meet flush. Had to build up some gaps with material. No biggie.
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
Great job on those sliders! Making them yourself is awesome, and they match the bumper!
Thanks. I dig the line it makes. It wasn’t planned. Just Lucky it looks cool. I’ve only had them on a few days and I’m getting the happy wave from other guys with modified rigs.

kinda nice having something I can see instead of “hey look at my valve cover gaskets and new silicon hoses….” Most of my time has been under the hood. Now I can look at it and like “hell yes”
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
I got some more garage time in today. I’ll post more about that later. I’m sitting here thinking about a hit list. So here is what I still need to do:



-Install Ram 1500 master brake cylinder and all that goes with the upgrade
-adjust the rear drum brakes
-drop the oil pan and replace seals angle gaskets and stuff
-check wheel bearing (been in the river a few times)
-replace fuel pump and fuel filter
-figure out a rear bumper.
-wire up a brake controller
-maybe buy lights one day
-install supercharger .. still need a few things to do this
-put a screw in the glove box because it rattles like hell
- sound dampen the floorboard
- wipers would be nice
- maybe drain the diffs ( cuz of the water crossings)
- heavy duty tie rods
- longer cv axles. ($$$$).


So that’s my hit list for this year. In the next few years I’m sure I’ll SAS and get rear disc breaks figured out. But for now I’ve got enough to do.

What tie rods you all running??
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
I bought the coastal bumpers, didn't do their sliders because for me, it was within a couple bucks to do shrockworks that bolt to the frame and come powder coated, I do like the step design of the coastals tho
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
For the rear bumper, you could go with the Hardcore Offroad weld together kit. For the price, it's hard to beat it. That's the route I went, and we added a swing out. It's held up great for the 2.5 years I've had it on there.
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
For the rear bumper, you could go with the Hardcore Offroad weld together kit. For the price, it's hard to beat it. That's the route I went, and we added a swing out. It's held up great for the 2.5 years I've had it on there.
That’s a great idea!! And that price is perfect. I didn’t think about building my own swing arm but buying the bumper kit.

What was tripping me up building my own was getting the cuts correct. We have a metal brake but it has its limits.

Thank you. I might order that today
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
I bought the coastal bumpers, didn't do their sliders because for me, it was within a couple bucks to do shrockworks that bolt to the frame and come powder coated, I do like the step design of the coastals tho
I didn’t know how strong the bolt ins were gonna be. I guess I got Uber focused on having to have a weld on?
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
That’s a great idea!! And that price is perfect. I didn’t think about building my own swing arm but buying the bumper kit.

What was tripping me up building my own was getting the cuts correct. We have a metal brake but it has its limits.

Thank you. I might order that today
No problem man. I don't have any metal fabrication skills, so when it came time to get a rear bumper, I was shocked at how much they cost. My nuddy said we could weld one up for way cheaper, and then I found the Hardcore kit. We had the whole thing welded together in a day, including fabbing up my swing arm.

I wish we'd gone with a different design, but it's certainly functional, and has held up well. I bolted my two smittybilt Jerry can holders to the swing arm, and everything has stayed put.
 

relentless044

Silver Slut
Supporting Member
I didn’t know how strong the bolt ins were gonna be. I guess I got Uber focused on having to have a weld on?
6 grade 8.8 10m bolts is pretty strong, personally i was more worried about heating the frame during welding and the what if I ever had to take em off, not saying either way is wrong
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
6 grade 8.8 10m bolts is pretty strong, personally i was more worried about heating the frame during welding and the what if I ever had to take em off, not saying either way is wrong
Mine are bolted on, and they've held just fine the one time I've actually had to use them. Is weld on stronger? Yeah, probably, but bolt on honestly should be more than strong enough.
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
6 grade 8.8 10m bolts is pretty strong, personally i was more worried about heating the frame during welding and the what if I ever had to take em off, not saying either way is wrong
Dig it. I was the same about the frame. I ended up taking the whole day to jump around on the welding. I think a younger me would have destroyed the frame.
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
No problem man. I don't have any metal fabrication skills, so when it came time to get a rear bumper, I was shocked at how much they cost. My nuddy said we could weld one up for way cheaper, and then I found the Hardcore kit. We had the whole thing welded together in a day, including fabbing up my swing arm.

I wish we'd gone with a different design, but it's certainly functional, and has held up well. I bolted my two smittybilt Jerry can holders to the swing arm, and everything has stayed put.
What did t you like about the design? The style? Or the way it was designed?
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
Day 126 in the shop.​
I took the day off from work to get to work on the Xterra before the 100 degree weather starts.

I needed to install my Grassroots centerlink and my idler arm bushings from Bandit 4x4.

Everything came apart fine. And I thought, “ I should reinforce the idle arm before I put those bushings in

I had to have the truck functional in 6 hours.
So I cut a support to run the outer side of the idler arm. Started welding and realized I had no Argon left in the tank.

Luckly my buddy I share a shop with had his fluxcore welder out. He finished putting a bead on the support. I put a Zerk Fitting on the idler and pressed the bushings in before the idler arm cooled off.

My hang up was the stem of the idler arm was 1000th of an inch to large. It was a tight fit. Starting with some fine sand paper, I worked the stem and test fitted . Repeated this for 2 hours until I could install the arm onto the stem with enough movement that was satisfactory.

If I would have pressed the arm on with out working the bushings, I’m positive I would have had galling between the two metals.

The rest of the day went fine. Everything went back together ok. Here are some pics of the day.

594947AD-86A4-4378-9E6F-8908F634736E.jpeg6457A9B4-9853-446D-82A6-261C2E07F7D4.jpegF3B47191-F05C-4429-863F-26C1881E6FC3.jpeg42A0929C-4E45-4E1A-817B-716A9A0E7938.jpeg973A0E18-446E-4AF5-87CC-F5D2814C8316.jpeg4830AE6A-5F5E-4CF6-9183-CE50FDD1C187.jpeg7DF9F7DC-5FEE-4A30-B942-554A59C50B34.jpeg
The drive home was akward. For the first time my Xterra had no play in the steering. I was so used to 6 inches of left right play and letting the truck kinda float down the road.

In hindsight, I wish I would have given myself more time to do something more to the idler arm.

I might try to find a different idler arm, and take my time to modify a better support structure.

Anyway, I’m glad I got what I did done.
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
Looks good! I would have thought you want it beaced on the other plane for up/down bend support?
Your right. Ideally I would have built a box around the arm.

I had an hour to figure something out. I didn’t have time to figure out what I could do that wouldn’t limit range of motion. So I slapped a piece of metal on the side.

Im gonna revisit the idler arm on a day that I have some more time.
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
What did t you like about the design? The style? Or the way it was designed?
This is what we ended up doing. What I don't like is how far the tire sticks out. It's plenty strong enough, and departure angle has never been an issue, but someday, I'd like to redesign it.

20200510-155056.jpg

20200517-110945.jpg
 

Dingyjazzy

Test Drive
Location
St. Louis
This is what we ended up doing. What I don't like is how far the tire sticks out. It's plenty strong enough, and departure angle has never been an issue, but someday, I'd like to redesign it.
I see what your saying. That’s a tough one. You need those cans and there isn’t a great place to put them.
Too bad the cab is so limited with space. It would be nice to add a fuel cell inside the hatch but it would be such a bummer to lose interior space.
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
The back of mine is occupied by my drawer system.

The other option I've found is there's a company in Oregon that makes 6 gallon round fuel cans, that are about 3 inches thick. They're designed to go where the spare tire used to be. I'll probably pick up a couple of those in the future as well. That will give me about 600 miles of range before needing to refuel.... Though that fuel bill is gonna SUCK.
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
The back of mine is occupied by my drawer system.

The other option I've found is there's a company in Oregon that makes 6 gallon round fuel cans, that are about 3 inches thick. They're designed to go where the spare tire used to be. I'll probably pick up a couple of those in the future as well. That will give me about 600 miles of range before needing to refuel.... Though that fuel bill is gonna SUCK.
More information on that?
 

reaver

Lockers Installed
Supporting Member
Location
Caldwell, ID
More information on that?

 
Top