[Brunnie]

Intro Comments: Tonka is a daily driver so it has remained a mostly stock Xterra. I do take it off road mainly doing roads that are rated 4 and below, which Colorado has tons of for fun exploring. We’ve been over Tincup Pass, Tomichi Pass, Cumberland Pass (and to the top of the hill there), up many of the roads in the Buena Vista, Fairplay, Alma, Como area. We also have done some trails in Moab such as Tower Arch, Willow Springs, Shafer Switchbacks & Potash Road, Long Canyon (Pucker Pass).

Brunnie’s Xterra: Geocaching/Exploring Build

Username: Brunnie
Since 2014

Xterra Nickname: Tonka

Make: Nissan
Year: 2011
Model: ❌terra
Trim: S
Color: Avalanche White

Factory Options:
Mud Flaps (removed)

MODS

Suspension/Steering:
Front:
Pro 4 suspension
Moog Sway Bar Links
Front Spacer

Rear:
Pro 4 Shocks
Re-arched Springs with an extra leaf added
Nisstec Adjustable Shackles

Tires:
265/70R16 Firestone Destination AT

Interior Mods:
LED interior lighting
Upgraded the LED lighting in the Map Light
LED “junk tray” lighting
2 Additional power outlets
DeLorme InReach SE mount
Auto Dimming Mirror w/Temperature & Compass
Pathfnder Overhead Temperature and Compass display
Garmin Nuvi GPS mount
Hep Design Rear window Molle panel
Raingler Ceiling Cargo Net

Exterior Mods:
Aftermarket Fog Lights
Aftermarket LED floodlights
Rear Differential Breather mod (Nissan P/N 38323-C6010 or 3823-C601A barbed nipple for a C200 axle)
16" Rear Window Wiper (Ace Hardware spring #162)
Tow hook on Driver's side
Nisstec Recovery points
Gas Hood Strut Kit
Pro-4 Skid plates
Quick Fist Rubber Clamps
Hi-Lift Jack Mounts
Southco Locking Handle for the wetbox
Nisstec Shock Skids

Misc Stuff:
Funtreks Colorado Backroads &4 WD Trails Books
Funtreks Moab Backroads & 4 WD Trails Book
Numerous Trails Illustrated Maps
All the NFS maps for Colorado
Boulder Tire Deflators
Viair 400P Portable Compressor
GearAmerica Recovery Tow Strap
motormic Shackle Receiver
Modified Cooler Retainer by adding a small shelf (see below)
Hi-Lift 48" jack


PHOTOS

 

[Brunnie]

Added a Garmin Drive 60LMT gps for off-road navigation.

I put this GPS in the lower Left corner of the windshield, using the suction mount. I may change it over to a RAM arm mount once I'm sure I like it here.
The third photo shows how I got power up to the GPS. Both plugs are for GPSRs, one is for normal driving. I tapped power out of the fuse block, radio fuse, and ground was from behind the radio.

 

[eighty]

Nice lights. The way they are mounted how well do they do?

Also more info on the fogs please :grin:

 

[Brunnie]

Nice lights. The way they are mounted how well do they do?

Also more info on the fogs please :grin:

Fog lights are:
Xterra Fog Lights

If you have or get the light stalk with the fog light switch in it, then you can use the stock harness. The lights have the brackets and all hardware needed. If you don't have the stalk, I didn't, I used the supplied harness and switch. They go in the regular fog light opening.

The flood lights do a good job of lighting a wide area. I aimed the left one a bit to the right so as to not blind oncoming traffic. Out on the backroads at night they really add extra light to your whole field of vision. The nice part is they don't draw much current. Where I have them mounted in the grill opening prevents a lot of bouncing.
I picked them up at the local Pull-n-Pay. SCORE!!!

 

[eighty]

Fog lights are:
Xterra Fog Lights

If you have or get the light stalk with the fog light switch in it, then you can use the stock harness. The lights have the brackets and all hardware needed. If you don't have the stalk, I didn't, I used the supplied harness and switch. They go in the regular fog light opening.

The flood lights do a good job of lighting a wide area. I aimed the left one a bit to the right so as to not blind oncoming traffic. Out on the backroads at night they really add extra light to your whole field of vision. The nice part is they don't draw much current. Where I have them mounted in the grill opening prevents a lot of bouncing.
I picked them up at the local Pull-n-Pay. SCORE!!!

Awesome, thanks for the fog link. For your floods -- do you know what brand they are? I'm having a difficult time choosing anything 'cause they are so frigging many.

 

[Brunnie]

Awesome, thanks for the fog link. For your floods -- do you know what brand they are? I'm having a difficult time choosing anything 'cause they are so frigging many.

These look like what I have, or pretty close to it,:
18w Flood Lamp Pair

Now this set is the same but it has a wiring kit too:
Lights with Wiring

I bought a switch from OTRATTW (which fits directly into one of our blanks) and a relay (5 pak relays) and added my own wire. No muss... no fuss... and the switch looks stock.

 

[Brunnie]

Bump - 2nd GPSR install

 

[Brunnie]

Bump - Again -

Added Gas Hood Strut kit entry. (Did this a long time ago and just thought of it now.)

Amazing what you think of that you've done when someone else just did it.

 

[Brunnie]

Pathfinder Temperature and Compass Module

 

[Brunnie]

Made a nice box for the stove.

 

[Brunnie]

Also installed a Raingler Ceiling cargo net. This came about after a trip to Yellowstone, and our jackets/hoodies being in the way all the time, or being at the bottom of the pile of "stuff" and hard to dig out.

Ready for some more over-landing trips. Where to next?

 

[Brunnie]

Although not earth shattering, I came across a deal for factory skid plates (better than none, IMHO) that I couldn't pass up so I installed them yesterday. I spent about an hour under Tonka getting the job done.

Last weekend was the install of a CB radio and antenna. Getting ready for next spring's adventures.

 

[VMBiohazard]

Subscribed

 

[Brunnie]

More prep for next year's adventures.

Picked up a deal on a Hep rear window molle panel, so I installed that. My home brew wire shelving panel is no more.

 

[Brunnie]

Prepping for Road Trips, and this fall's trip, I got to thinking about how to keep the cooler from sliding around. Last year I didn't have any problems, even going back to Crystal Mill by Marble, CO, however I still wanted something to keep things in place so I came up with this idea.

First I put in a tie point from a Pathfinder.

Then I measured how far out from the track it was to the small storage space on the right side, 13" in this case, and I cut two "legs" and attached them to a 24X12 inch board. The board fits into the track so that keeps it from moving. I covered the board with black material, used for headliners, that I got from a fabric store. I glued it in place, and touched up a bit with staples.

 

[Brunnie]

So here it is in actual final configuration. I used a strap to go from the tie point around the cooler and to the seat latch.

Yeah, the legs either need paint or covered in the same material.

 

[jeremymg]

I like it! That's a simple solution to keeping your cooler secured. It's not over built, which is something I would do.

 

[Brunnie]

Today was "install a mod I was testing on the bench" day. The LED lights I put in the Map Light just weren't bright enough for me so.... it is off to the bench and grab a spare map light fixture and start experimenting.

A while back I purchased this LED reel from Amazon for another project.
SUPERNIGHT LED Light Strip Cool White 7000K The project left me with a surplus of light strip so I got the bright idea for modding the map light.

The nice part about this led strip is that you can cut to length, at the marks, with 3 LEDs being the minimum. That length just fits inside the Map Light. A bit of cutting and modding the fixture itself, adding a piece of matte board cut to fit, some 30 ga wire for strip to strip connections, and finally 26 ga wire for power and ground to the posts in the fixture and it looks like this.

 

[Mar10]

Dude! You gonna use those as headlights? >

 

[Brunnie]

Added a "new catagory", Misc. Stuff