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Maverick's Little Earwig, M226 Swapped, OBA, Radflo, etc. MaxGear Rear on Order!

8K views 36 replies 8 participants last post by  Maverick 
#1 · (Edited)
Username: DRTMaverick

Xterra Nickname The Little Earwig that Could (GF and I both like insects, Earwigs being my favorite, so she helped me decide on this one.)

Year 2007
Color Night Armor
Trim SE


Introduction

*Update*

Viair Dual 400C OBA w/ 2 gallon tank setup installed, and m226 axle is installed. Ordered a maxgear rear bumper so that should be here around the end of the year!

*Update*
2/28/2017
Got my Shrockworks bumper installed! Bought it off Polar Bear. I still need to align it a little bit better, as it's lower on one side than the other, but it was rainy and cold when we did the install.
I'll get more photos up, here's one without the skid:





7/17/2016
Bought her back in April of 2015 so I've had her for about a year, and about the time I registered here. I posted a few photos back then of her. She had 117,000 on her and I got screwed by a CarMax as they have been a pain in the butt when it comes to getting things fixed.

The previous owners were from Wisconsin and she has a lot of rust damage to the suspension, but the frame and body look good.

Prior to her I owned a 1998 R50 Nissan Pathfinder.


Intro Image (With the NissTec Ultimate Extended travel RadFlo package with OME/Dakar leaf packs installed):



(Not lifted) Out-in-nature photo:


First image I took of her:




Modifications

Interior:
Kenwood Excelon DDX-7019 Touchscreen Entertainment System.
Discreet Kenwood Excelon KNA-G510 Garmin Maps-based GPS Unit, plugs into DDX-7019 Touchscreen system.


Exterior:
Removed Mudflaps
Removed 'Nerf' Sliders/Side rails.


Suspension:
NissTec Radflo Extended Travel Ultimate Kit (Installed 8/14/2016, Aligned 8/15/2016).
RadFlo 2.0 Extended Travel Coilovers with 650lb Med/HD spring Rate
SPC Upper Control Arms
Front Cam Bolt Kit
OME CS061R XL 2.5 inch Lift Leaf Pack
Rear Shocks: 5100 Ext Travel Bilsteins (2-2.5 inch lift)
1" Top Plate Spacer from NissTec

Specs are 38" in the front from ground to fender wheel well, and 37.5" in the rear. I need to dial my front down about 0.75-1.00 inches, as my coilovers came predialed at 1.78" and 1.80", this should also give me a more comfortable ride in the long run, BUT regardless the ride is amazingly better. I had a broken leaf spring and my rear shocks were so bad it took over a minute for them to come back up when compressed, and you could compress them by hand much easier than the new Bilsteins, but I do wish I had some RadFlos in the rear instead.

This was a huge project regardless- I organized a mod&greet with another member of the NorthWest Xterra Club, we expected it to take mabye 6-12 hours, but we ended up spending maybe 22+ hours doing the install. Both LCAs had to be cut out, both of the bolts in the front eyes of the leaf springs were also seized so badly they had to be cut out. This thing was a rust bucket underneath. The body and frame are incredibly intact and have very little corrosion, but all the suspension and braking parts are pitted to all hell. The original owners were again from Wisconsin.


Drivetrain:
Now M226 swapped with the e-locker!







Lifted image but with all the old parts, plus rotors and calipers and other stuff in the back, needs to be lowered in the front but it balances it when not loaded.


Here is the broken leaf spring and other parts.









Photos and Videos:

Latest Photos and mods:
Removed the mudflaps and such:


Measuring my Stock Droop:



Stereo setup w/ GPS Antenna:


My Third attempt to move to Portland from Reno (Tried various times in my 20's, this time in my 30's and it's successful), the engine was quite capable compared to my old R50.
(A little tribute to the R50 with these two photos).


Some videos of 4x4ing in the Blue Mountain Range near La Grande, OR.


Lots of Roadtrips through Oregon and such:

 
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#3 ·
Thanks! I'm still waiting on NissTec to ship the actual suspension upgrade to me, so that's not in yet, but I'm hoping it ships tomorrow or Tuesday, and hopefully they'll throw in a 1" spacer for me since I'm kind of broke and didn't know about the sale (didn't apply sale code and stuff). They seem like awesome people though.


I want to do a 2" bodylift after that as well, to compensate for later, when I do the titan lift, plus I encounter a lot of water, and it's nice to have that extra boost without stressing the CV axles (from an already 1.5-2" lift from the new suspension).
 
#10 · (Edited)
Finished doing my lift:




This is with 400lb (give or take 50lb) of weight in the rear (all the old parts, plus all my brake rotors and calipers I still need to install, in addition to some gear I always carry). I need to dial the fronts down maybe 0.75", as they were set about 1.8 from NissTec, and I also have a 1" top plate spacer, so I definitely don't need them dialed up this high. I don't want that much rake when loaded. Right now I'm sitting at 38" in the front and 37.5" in the rear, but when loaded I sit at 37" in the rear and you can see it.




Had to cut both LCA's out, the front side of both of the leaf packs had to be cut, one of the LCA ball joints had to be cut from the spindle (this I'll explain later, but was because of CarMax).


Right now I don't have the front sway bar on because the stock screws don't fit into the holes of the relocation mounting hardware, I'll need to get some new nuts from fastenal or a hardware store. Those brackets are for the front, right?


I will add more photos in the next few days!
 

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#11 ·
nice build page and pics/vids. I also have 2007 and very similar set up, ext rads 2.0 in front set as they came with 650 springs, spc uca, 5100 bil in rear with my oem original leafs still going strong and PRG adj shackles on highest setting(no sway bar). i did just install shrock front bumper and all rides great. sitting about 37 1/2 up front and 38 1/2 in rear. no vibes at all. But I am looking to do new rear leafs as I keep the 33 BFG KO2 under vehicle. thinking about getting same rear leafs you have. what shackle did you use and do you have any vibes?
 
#13 ·
The other day my window regulator failed on me, so I went to NAPA and got a new one- started the install at like 10:30 or 11pm and finished it at 12:30am, had to get it done before the storm hit as I live in an apartment and have no garage... Anyway, I'm now considering doing the other side. Initially it was a pain in the ass because I did it without help in the dark, but my window rolls up more than twice as fast as the passenger window, same with rolling down.


Also I bought Polar Bear's Shrockworks front bumper, stay tuned for updates on the install next weekend.
 
#14 ·
I wouldn't bother. The driver front window always fails many many years before the others fail, if they ever even do, just because it's the one that opens 90% of the time more often (think drive thrus etc). I wouldn't bother doing the pass side.
 
#15 ·
Only reason I was thinking about it was for my girlfriend's sake hehe. Not really out of necessity, more comfort. It works though so it's probably a bottom of the list kind of thing. What I really need is a new control panel for my heater/AC- the lights burnt out and I have to count clicks for the proper settings...
 
#17 ·
I'm starting to realize that I really miss heated mirrors that my old 1998 pathfinder had... Part of the reason is I have to get out of my car half the time to wipe my mirrors with a towel because they're fogged over. Worse is when they're iced over...

I think I'm going to do the heated mirror mod as my next major mod. It's not too expensive, I think the mirrors are like $45 or $50 a piece. (This can vary), and I've already taken apart my door before for the window, it's easier to do in the Xterra than the pathfinder that's for sure...

The only thing I'm nervous about is doing anything electrical.
 
#20 ·


Better pic of it, but until I go out this weekend I probably won't have any really good pics, until I have it out in its natural environment. ;) I want to do limb risers as I mentioned. Any good ideas without drilling holes? Eventually I'll weld some tabs on the hoops...
 
#23 ·
I know it's possible, I just wish I had tabs welded to the hoops of the shrockworks bumper is all hehe, it would look really nice!

I also need to add a CB radio to my rig, I can't afford this yet but in the next couple of weeks I should be able to. Should I install the whip on the bumper or the rear?
 
#25 ·
#28 ·
A lot has been happening in my life- managed to upgrade to the Nitto Ridge Grappler 34OD tires, looks great. Here are some photos.



Other than that I've been doing a lot of roadtripping and am starting to realize the best way to organize stuff is bins with lids- otherwise everything gets strewn all over the place and things get lost. I've also determined I am ready for a long-travel setup.


When it comes to titan-swapping and long-travel the options are more than just a standard titan-swap and I don't know how many people have gone that route, mid to long travel titan suspension on an xterra vs stock titan suspension on an xterra... You'd end up with tires that would be around 6" out per side on each side if you did a long-travel titan suspension on it. That makes me wonder would it be better to titan-swap along-side of a drop bracket, and if so who would be the best person to go through? Calmini, Fabtech or someone else? I know there are a few drop bracket setups for the frontier/xterra and titan.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Did a radiator upgrade to a CSF aluminum, also replaced the spark plugs, fuel injectors, o2 sensors, gaskets, and more in the engine area.





In addition I installed 1.5" Spidertraxx spacers and a 2" bodylift from 4x4parts requiring the radiator relocation.






Installed a lightbar too, 52" curved China thing I was given a gift. The mounts were made by a guy on the Xterra Crew facebook page. I'll get permission from him to post his name.
I haven't done the wiring yet, I'll get around to it once I figure out how I want to run it under the hood.






Took the dogs for a run after all was installed. It looks good overall. Fun to drive, here's a photo pre-fixing the skidplate so it'll mount properly w/ the 2" bodylift.





I'm going to be upgrading the rear to a maxgear bumper w/ a dual jerry-can carrier and tire carrier.
 
#30 ·
I'm assuming you did the BL at the same time as adding the spacers... I was wondering if that tire size and spacers would require any additional trimming compared to what you already have

Speaking of which, what tire size is that exactly? You said 34OD but...
 
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