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SonomaX Build Thread

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7.6K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  dev2244  
#1 · (Edited)
Intro Comments: I have a lot to add and organize here but wanted to just start my thread with a short first post that I will of course edit and add to as I get the time.

Purchased in January of 2022 in Seattle Washington. At first, I just wanted an SUV big enough to sleep in that could get by on some dirt roads, but that idea has quickly spiraled into building out a more serious offroad rig.

Make: Nissan
Year: 2011
Model: Xterra
Trim: PRO-4X
Color: Night Armor

MODS:

Removed OEM rear mudflaps
Swaybar delete
Dual Battery under hood
ARB single onboard air compressor

Armor
White Knuckle Rock sliders (DOM) with rear top plate
Custom steel rear bumper with tire carrier
Hardcore Offroad front bumper

Drivetrain:
Rear differential breather
ARB M226 diff cover
M205 front diff
OEM Titan CVs

Suspension:
Front and rear stainless steel brake lines
Front Coilovers: NissTec MKII 2.5" body, 650 spring rate
Titan SPC upper control arms
Front SPC adjustable camber bolts
Titan lower control arms
Titan inner and outer tie rods
Rear Leaf: Alcan 4" pack, 500lbs over stock
Rear Shock: NissTec MKII 2" body 4-5" Lift
Rear extended poly bump stops
Rear extended adjustable shackles
1" body lift

Wheels Tires:
Tires: 285/75/16 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T
Full size spare with OEM Pro 4X rim
Rear Bora 2" spacers

Electrical:
Aux Battery: Odyssey ODP-AGM35
Onboard aux battery charger: Redarc BCDC1225D
5 switch lower center trim bezel swap from Frontier

PHOTOS:

Picture from the previous owner:
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7/15/22
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8/20/22
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4/1/23
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#2 · (Edited)
While starting to work on my slide out trunk rack I had to cut out two of the six screws holding the stock tiedown rails. I initially tried cutting a new slot in one of the bolts to use a flat head on but the metal had become so soft with rust that the whole top of the screw fell apart. I ended up having to drill the bolts out while being careful to try and not damage the threads as much as possible. Once all the screws were out I ran a M6 tap back through them to try and get any metal shards out that might have been left. My plan is to use the threaded holes for the stock rails to mount a couple pieces of extrusion that I will build my pull out rack on.

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After I got the stock rails out I noticed a bunch of debris under the plastic molding that made me start pulling stuff out to clean. As I starting taking things apart I noticed more and more rusted bolts as well as surface rust under the storage compartment. Particularly I noticed a good amount of rust on the metal seam that the hatch seal sits on. I had noticed the rust on the latch striker before but I had hoped it hadn't spread. I'm guessing the hatch seal was bad and water was collecting and sitting behind the seal for a long time...

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The back of the truck is completely gutted now and I vacuumed up the years of dirt under the carpet and plastic molding. This week I will be removing the easier surface rust and prepping for paint. It would be nice if I could get some spray paint in the same color as the truck but I will probably settle for something close. At the end of the day no one will know about it other than me.

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I will post an update later in the week. The bottom hatch seam may not be salvageable. If it's bad enough I may have to fabricate a new metal flange for the seal to sit on.

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#3 ·
After drilling out the bolt for the hatch striker I noticed the striker bolts thread into a very flimsy piece of metal that is separate from the rest of the body. I'm not sure how it attaches to the larger floor metal but I ended up bending it down into the body when I tried to finish drilling through the rusted bolt. Maybe it was welded and the weld went bad? Annoyingly I don't think there is any way to gain access to the piece that holds the threads unless you cut a hole in the body somewhere. I tried to gain access from the hoist rod port but there is a metal wall blocking the way.

Anyways, I ended up punching the original thread plate further down and welding 1/4-20 nuts on. Unfortunately that means that plate will just stay in there now.

Prepped the metal and painted with POR-15. Only a third of the floor was done but the rest will be done eventually.

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#5 ·
SonomaX said:
I have a lot to add and organize here but wanted to just start my thread with a short first post that I will of course edit and add to as I get the time.

Purchased in January of 2022 in Seattle Washington. At first I just wanted an SUV big enough to sleep in that could get by on some dirt roads but that idea has quickly spiraled into building out a more serious offroad rig.

Make: Nissan
Year: 2011
Model: Xterra
Trim: PRO-4X
Color: Night Armor

Mods:

Rear Differential Breather
ARB M226 Diff cover
White Knuckle Rock sliders (DOM) with rear top plate
Removed OEM rear mudflaps
Hardcore Offroad rear bumper weld up kit (in process)
Trail'd spare tire water tank X2
Dual Battery under hood (in process)
ARB onboard air compressor (in process)

Picture from the previous owner:

View attachment 144226

Picture from my last trip:

View attachment 144227
Click to expand...
Hey I saw that you are selling that dash piece. I am from the bay area and not far from Santa Rosa. I am totally interested in purchasing.
SonomaX said:
I have a lot to add and organize here but wanted to just start my thread with a short first post that I will of course edit and add to as I get the time.

Purchased in January of 2022 in Seattle Washington. At first I just wanted an SUV big enough to sleep in that could get by on some dirt roads but that idea has quickly spiraled into building out a more serious offroad rig.

Make: Nissan
Year: 2011
Model: Xterra
Trim: PRO-4X
Color: Night Armor

Mods:

Rear Differential Breather
ARB M226 Diff cover
White Knuckle Rock sliders (DOM) with rear top plate
Removed OEM rear mudflaps
Hardcore Offroad rear bumper weld up kit (in process)
Trail'd spare tire water tank X2
Dual Battery under hood (in process)
ARB onboard air compressor (in process)

Picture from the previous owner:

View attachment 144226

Picture from my last trip:

View attachment 144227
Click to expand...
I didn’t know how else to respond to that thread you posted for selling that dash piece. I just made an account so i’m kind of new to this space. I am 25 minute drive from Santa Rosa and totally interested in buying.
SonomaX said:
I have a lot to add and organize here but wanted to just start my thread with a short first post that I will of course edit and add to as I get the time.

Purchased in January of 2022 in Seattle Washington. At first I just wanted an SUV big enough to sleep in that could get by on some dirt roads but that idea has quickly spiraled into building out a more serious offroad rig.

Make: Nissan
Year: 2011
Model: Xterra
Trim: PRO-4X
Color: Night Armor

Mods:

Rear Differential Breather
ARB M226 Diff cover
White Knuckle Rock sliders (DOM) with rear top plate
Removed OEM rear mudflaps
Hardcore Offroad rear bumper weld up kit (in process)
Trail'd spare tire water tank X2
Dual Battery under hood (in process)
ARB onboard air compressor (in process)

Picture from the previous owner:

View attachment 144226

Picture from my last trip:

View attachment 144227
Click to expand...
 
S
#12 ·
On that rust there were old reviews that claimed due to the plastic nature of the back of the X that you could rinse it down with a hose.. I remember seeing that thinking why would anyone do that, but maybe that also happened here. Otherwise yes I bet its that rear seal that went. Have you had any water collection since you buttoned it up?

Looking good.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Extended rear brake lines.

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These are still sitting around. Went to go install them but wasn't being careful and rounded a flare nut. Looks like I'll have to cut and reflare the line now.

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For the moment I am running a 90 degrees rear brake line bracket mod which works great! There's really no need to go get extended brake lines if you don't want to. A couple 90 degree brackets will get you by just fine.

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#15 · (Edited)
M205 Swap

Donor M205 front differential and cvs from a Nissan Armada

Story here: Did I just find a M205 Gem?

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Bought u-joints for the front drive shaft when I swapped in the M205. Didn't end up using them because the stock ones felt completely fine to me. I carry them as spares now.

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#16 ·
1" body lift

This could have been about a 2 hour job but turned into a 4 hour job due to the passenger side front and rear body mounts coming misaligned. I was able to get everything lined back up by pushing back and forth on the body of the truck while trying to thread the new bolts in. Removing the rear quarter panel and front bumper gave me solid spots to push.

Of course the rear bumper is misaligned with the body now but I'll be addressing that soon when I put my steel bumpers on.

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