i have a 4 cyl 2wd 2004 frontier i was wondering if i could do a straight axle swap just as my truck is now or do i need it to be 4wd?

that all depends on whether you want the front axle to be powered or not.

so pretty much if i want to get rid of the ifs i can swap axles? hoping no one has covered this but with out a sl or bl wuts the bigest tires i can fit under my truck sadly the dealership where i got it sold me the truck with nails in all 4 tires and they wont fix it!

There's been lots of axle swaps to 4wd rigs and fewer to 2wd... In order for that to happen you need a transfercase to take advantage of a new solid front axle.

YOu can do it if you have another vehicle to drive , a few thousand$$$ laying around, the time and gumption.


I would say you're limited to 31's

well i got axles for free just lyin round in my shed have friend to help just no transfer case lol what tcase would u suggest, and wut is a divorced? tcase?

sorry for the noob questions this is my first truck and i said b4 i used to be a muscle head so pretty much i know jack crap bout this stuff

If you want to go 4wd, you will need to do a leaf spring or coil set up axle swap. Next you will have to get a 4wd tranny and t-case from a donor truck that is like your truck provided you stay with the engine you have. Driveshafts as well will help. For this type of build you dont really want to do a divorced t-case.
Now if you just want to look like you are driving 4x4, then all you need to do is the front axle built on to the front end. Depending on how you mount the front end will determine what size tires you can fit. Heres a suggestion, decide what size tires you want, and go from that.

shoot i just want 33's but i wanna be able to wheel and really not get suck in the mud happened last weekend and got really sick tryin to get it unstuck mainky want to get muddy and 1 or 2 trips to the rubicon a year not much

quote:

Originally posted by new2nissan:
1 or 2 trips to the rubicon a year not much

Trade it off for a 4wd truck or begin a long expensive journey on a labor of stubborn insanity. Ask Sandbag. He SAS'd his 2wd and loves it.

wut would u suggest really cant trade lol just bought it wanna keep it a dd really just wana have a lil fun in the mud and mini rocks i can live with out the rubicon lol

CAn't SAS a daily driver and 31's are about all you can handle.

Stick to dirt roads like me or wheel w/ friends who like to pull dummies out of mud

P.S. it won't stay a DD if you keep that up.

haha would 31's effect the look or will it look stock :-/ so i guess its sticking to rear arb's then?

That's about all you can do. Different gearing and a locker won't come cheap..

GOt at least a grand laying around?

Hate to be the bubble burtster, but no one else seems to want to do it. To wheel you NEED 4WD. Dirt roads are the very most you can do without it. EVERY time you take it mudding you WILL get stuck. You can do a 4X4/SFA conversion fairly easily: transmission, transfer case, rear driveshaft out of the 4X4 version of your truck from a junk yard. Will cost you between $300 and $700 depending on where you live. Then you gotta get it installed if you can't do it yourself (which you probably can't if you're asking). Thats another $800 or so. Next step is SAS in the front. If you already have a front axle of the right width that's good enough to use, you'll still need either the Calmini kit (costs around $5000 by the time you're done) or make your own kit (which you probably couldn't handle). If you have to have the kit installed, you're looking at another $1000 or so. So far you're at about $7500, and thats without any hitches. your truck probably cost you $3000 or so, bringing you up to $10,500. You'd be MUCH better off selling truck and getting a 4X4 or something with a SFA. Yes, a 4X4 + SFA conversion can be done but the laws of physics also allow time travel and we all know how well that is going...

Not trying to be a jerk, just trying to give you a realistic outlook.

well hate to be another bubble buster lol i got a front axle for my swap and all my tcase and tranny for 200