[Gingie]

. I'm going with Coastal Offroad because I want aluminum, they will make certain small amendments to the design for me for very little extra, and they are north of the Medicine Line.

I was looking at coastal and since I just have regular suspension, it would be aluminum for me. Based on my near zero knowledge of welding, I gather aluminum is more of a specialized material to weld. No out of work welders here, though I could probably find 50 guys who could build a blackberry from soup cans and copper wire. These bumpers look so great, and are so popular, I wonder why they never came from the factory as an option.

 

[hybrid90]

Wow, headlights look fantastically new after the treatment. Do you remember the exact Mequires kit you used for the headlights?

 

[Gingie]

In the last 4 weeks, the local U-pull has got 3 Xterras. Most recently, a 2006 Off Road with some upgrades I was after. This was my third and probably last visit, as our province goes into lockdown in 2 days. Today was a solid 6 hours at the U-pull...a large amount of time spent trying to figure out wiring harnessess and carefully taking off panels to see where they go. I hate it when folks just rip stuff off to get at the part they want.

They offer a 30 day refund or in store credit if parts don't fit. This may apply to me after today's visit.

Anyways, total bill for all three trips was $355 Cdn. The stuff does add up, but when you look at the parts list, its pretty good. I mean new weather tech mats here alone are pushing $200.

Here's what I pulled:

• Front bumper cover
• Pair fog lights and mounting brackets
• Fog light turn signal switch (got 2 in case 1 is n/s)
• Right rear bumper cover
• Front coffee cup inserts
• Rear pop out drink holder
• Left interior cargo side panel (very large panel)
• Driver Seat complete, the cushioning was wayyy better than mine!
• Passenger front seat complete - this one has that tumble forward and fold flat feature mine did not
• Overhead console for compass mirror and sunglasses holder
• Over head console with sunglasses holder
• Compass mirror and roof mounting bracket
• Weathertech custom fit mats driver & passenger
• Micro amber LED to light up fan mode and temp control knobs
• 4 x ceiling hooks
• 4 x cargo bay T-rail hooks, first time I've seen these
• 2 x rear and caro dome lights & wiring harness
• Amplifier (this truck has the R-F sound system, I am unsure as to how easy it is to retrofit the amp, sub, and bluetooth thingy...there was a LOT of wires under that door sill)
• Sub woofer
• Front door speakers x 2 (I'm assuming these are better than 5" Pioneer that are currently in place)
• - Wiring harness for audio stuff above... if my truck does not have plug and play harnesses, I'll be returning the previous 3 items. I'm not an audiophile, but I am cheap and lazy, so if I can't plug it in easy-peasy, I'm not bothered.
• - Pair grab handles
• - About a hundred fasteners

The single most expensive item, at $90, was the interior plastic panel, next was the bumper cover at $49, and the chairs at $35 each. Everything else was between $1.80 and $20.

Now, the interesting thing about this Xterra is it has the locking rear differential. I think that removing it and installing on mine is certainly a bridge too far skills-wise, but if anyone in the Ottawa area is looking for an upgrade, its rare to see one at a Upull.

Good lesson learned: Don't remove plastic panels when its freezing outside as they seemed more brittle. I had to go very slowly prying them off.

 

[Gingie]

Wow, headlights look fantastically new after the treatment. Do you remember the exact Mequires kit you used for the headlights?

Thanks! I wasn't sure about taking sandpaper to my lights, but it worked out.

The kit you want from Meguirs is G2980 Heavy Duty Polish kit.

The UV treatment is the trickiest part - you pretty much get one shot at it. They provide the liquid and a small sponge applicator, this is the last step too, I messed up and had to start over. So its like a solvent, and you want to wipe in one pass, starting at the top of the light, wiping horizontally, and then slightly overlap your next line. Its like a water consistency. You might even want to practice, using a spare spong and water, just to get the feel of how much pressure and how fast. This coating melts the plastic and bonds with it. So if you go back over it 3 or 4 times, its going to smear. Ever build model cars and get the glue on the clear parts? Kind of like that.

 

[hybrid90]

Thanks! I wasn't sure about taking sandpaper to my lights, but it worked out.

The kit you want from Meguirs is G2980 Heavy Duty Polish kit.

The UV treatment is the trickiest part - you pretty much get one shot at it. They provide the liquid and a small sponge applicator, this is the last step too, I messed up and had to start over. So its like a solvent, and you want to wipe in one pass, starting at the top of the light, wiping horizontally, and then slightly overlap your next line. Its like a water consistency. You might even want to practice, using a spare spong and water, just to get the feel of how much pressure and how fast. This coating melts the plastic and bonds with it. So if you go back over it 3 or 4 times, its going to smear. Ever build model cars and get the glue on the clear parts? Kind of like that.

Thank you sir! Just added the kit to my Amazon list along with my many parts for the Xterra

 

[Gingie]

My fold flat pax seat! Hooray! $35 well spent.

The new overhead console. Not sure what the section on the right is for - I've heard it may be related to speech recognition bluetooth. Plastics are pretty yellowed, so its time to break out the peroxide and UV light.

The amp and bluetooth box came along too.

Trying to figure out where the harnesses went resulted in a lot of screws coming out...

I never did locate the rear washer fluid line though. Something to investigate in the new year.

 

[Gingie]

Please tell me this guy has a blog of this build? I've seen a few pics of it painted blue, but no build guide anywhere. Or if anyone else has tried going this route?

The U-pull folks said I could take half a truck, it would need some chatting with the manager to figure out an all-in price deal. Any fancy tools needed to bring half an X home? Cordless grinder with cutting wheels. Welder to fix a tow bar and loop to temporarily get it home....

 

[BBAW]

Please tell me this guy has a blog of this build? I've seen a few pics of it painted blue, but no build guide anywhere. Or if anyone else has tried going this route?

The U-pull folks said I could take half a truck, it would need some chatting with the manager to figure out an all-in price deal. Any fancy tools needed to bring half an X home? Cordless grinder with cutting wheels. Welder to fix a tow bar and loop to temporarily get it home.... View attachment 131984

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY

 

[BBAW]

Based on my near zero knowledge of welding, I gather aluminum is more of a specialized material to weld. ... These bumpers look so great, and are so popular, I wonder why they never came from the factory as an option.

Aluminum requires a different process to weld and it's a bit of a specialty. It's called Tungsten Inert Gas welding, often TIG for short, and not every guy who calls himself a welder knows how.

I don't know why off road bumpers were never a factory option. If we're going to get into all the things Nissan should have made a factory option, but didn't, we're in for a long conversation. And they aren't alone in that. Pretty much every automaker except Jeep and Ford, and maybe Toyota, has left a lot of money on the table in the off-road segment. And it's crazy because the off-road segment has so many more players in Africa and Australia, with a smaller customer base than North America.

 

[Gingie]

I'm not going to install the amp / blutooth / sub / speakers I pulled from the scrapped 08. The juice ain't worth the squeeze. Kenny U-pull will do store credit.

Went to work on re-covering my seats. I'm writing this fully gutted, as it turns out the new-take-off covers I purchased on kijiji are missing the front pax upright cover. Since the seat covers were off a 2009+ (?) Xterra, there are none in the U-pull. To order one from Nissan is $1200 USD. I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm leaning towards installing 7/8 covers and just living with the mismatched one. Or, find a set of aftermarkets that look decent and fit well..time to search the forums I guess.

Anyhoo, I took some photos along the way....

Job hazard of pulling used car parts... they are sometimes dotted with human mucous. At least, I hope its mucous. 🤮

Around two dozen hog rings hold the covers to the foam. Started out using snap ring pliers to open them , but it was easier to use regular pliers in reverse. The foam will get a steam clean and extraction before being covered in the new Nissan upholstery. I believe the seat's uncomfortable fit is related to wire rod the hog rings attach to - it was the exact same on my Pathfinder and now my Xterra. I'm going to re-fit the cover with no hog rings or rods and try it out. This is a spare seat for me to practice on.

The seat cover is held around the base of the sides and front, and by a pair of clips on the bottom. I had top pry some plastic out of the way to get at all of them. The magnetic LED light is from Princess Auto and I totally recommend this one for geezer like me with failing eyesight.

Ho, what sorcery is this? Side air bags in an Xterra?

I'm fairly sure my 06 does not have them, and if it doesn't I'm not planning on MacGyvering my own explosive device that sits 4" from my head. However, if it does have them, I am documenting the unfolding in case I have to put it back together. This was 5 pictures, I'm just posting the first & last here. It's attached to the seat rail with 2 x 10mm bolts, and needs to come off prior to removing the upper seat foam

And here it is unwrapped. I need to check with the city on how to get rid of this.

 

[BBAW]

And here it is unwrapped. I need to check with the city on how to get rid of this.

Home made battle-sim?

 

[Gingie]

I felt like I was defusing a bomb. Never worked with airbags before

War story time, grab your helmet. Back in the late 80's the Comdt of the Field Artillery School would take his little yappy dog out when he wanted to see how his staff were assessing students. The dog was named Gunner, which clearly thrilled the lads in W Bty. Not. Anyways, I'm on patrol in the woods beside a road, spot the "enemy" across the road, and throw my T-flash at them. Except, I my pyro hit a tree branch and caused it to land in the middle of the road. Unknown to me, 9'er and Gunner were walking down the same road. When Gunner saw my T-flash , he took off straight towards its smoking fuse. My short artillery career flashed before my eyes, right as the Comdt scooped his doggo up, pivoted, and the T-flash blew up. He stopped an gave me a death squint, but we were fully cammed so I got away with it. But by endex, I was the OCdt who tried to blow up the CO's dog. Good times.

 

[Gingie]

The seat saga continues. I need to test these power seats from a Pathfinder before going further.

I think I can hook up a 12V battery and link the positive to whatever wire provides power, and the ground to battery negative?

Something I never considered was heating the seats. These pathfinder seats come heated. I'd like to test that too. Would that also be a matter of putting 12 volts into the right wire and seeing if the seats warm up? The Pathfinder still had the Nissan seat heater switches, so I may go back and grab them if this is something relatively simple.

 

[rcafcoburn]

I wish I could justify installing power seats... I'm too tall for the Xterra, so my seat sits basically on the lowest setting
Hope these ones work well for you, looking forward to seeing you getting them installed!

 

[smacame]

Are the Pathfinder seats the same mount pattern as the Xterra seats?

 

[BBAW]

I wish I could justify installing power seats... I'm too tall for the Xterra, so my seat sits basically on the lowest setting
Hope these ones work well for you, looking forward to seeing you getting them installed!

Not to hijack the thread, but if I'm not mistaken you're in Cold Lake, right?

 

[rcafcoburn]

Not to hijack the thread, but if I'm not mistaken you're in Cold Lake, right?

Yeah sorry Gingie!
Yes I am in Cold Lake. Feel free to pm me if you'd like!

 

[Gingie]

Are the Pathfinder seats the same mount pattern as the Xterra seats?

The front seats from the last of the boxy Pathfinders (05-12?) line up with the Xterra bolt holes exactly. So you can use the entire seat unit - its easier than just replacing the cushions.

I'm told that the powered seats will not clear the amp and subwoofer for Xterras with the RF sound. I've got a spare 12V batter on a charger now to figure out what lines I need to run power to.

The rear seats do not fit.

 

[Gingie]

Well well well wellity well....I found a new mechanic and decided that it'd be worth it to have him install my Thermostat. Calls me up the day of the install "How long have you had this truck?" he said, I told him since the summer "Ahh, so you've never had the heater on until now. Well Graeme the reason your thermostat isn't working, is that it isn't there" Hmm, I asked wouldn't that piss coolant everywhere? "Oh no, he used gobs of silicone to patch up where it should be".

The good news is, the heater is like having a mini volcano in the truck and no P0128 code

The bad news.. the SES light just went on, and its back to a P0430 cat converter. There's no emissions tests in Ontario, so I am tempted to gut them, but that still seems a little drastic at this time. I have some O2 sensor extenders... but if the cats are actually causing a problem, I don't want to mask it by tricking a sensor.

 

[IntellectualRedneck]

Gingie, fwiw, I ordered eastern cats from Rock auto when I needed to replace mine 2 years ago. No issue with them so far