So i was fortunate enough to stumble upon this forum looking for more info on 90finder's pathfinder, and now i've got a frontier i'm looking to modify. my last truck, besides my 93 hardbody 2wd, was a lifted 93 f150 that never really made it offroad much, and that's probably what i'm looking to do with this one. i spent no more than $1000 for 9" of lift, and another thousand on some 38" tires. granted, i don't think i'll have that kind of luck with my frontier, i'm looking for a lot of tire clearance, and a lot of tire. my f150 was slow, even with a v8, so i'm not too concerned about speed. i've got a hardbody that's getting a turbo if i want to go fast. so just a few questions.

Right now, i am running a set of 31x10.5x17 bf goodrich rugged trail t/a's on some supercharged frontier 5-spoke 17x8 40mm offset wheels ...i've got rubbing on the frame, steering box, idler arm, and the tops of the fenders ....but oh well. i don't mind a little rubbing.

as my frontier isn't a desert runner or crew cab, i've apparently got a different suspension, and quite possibly a different frame from that of the 4wds and those with the 4wd suspension. can anyone shed some light on the interchangability of parts between the two models of trucks (spindles, a-arms, t-bars, etc)?

i would like an h233b in the rear, but sourcing it will probably be a problem, as nobody really junks too many of these trucks around here. pathfinder axles have all sorts of links and spring seats and such, and i'd rather have one with just leaf perches and shock mounts. i would probably keep my 2wd springs and gain an inch of lift, since the 2wd leafs are apparently arched a bit more, and i'd like to retain the h233b's swaybar, so adapting it to my frame would be important.

so i guess what i want to know is, aside from a 3" body lift that i'm considering (anybody had any problems with those?), how much lift can i get out of the front end, so that i can match the 4 or 5" of spring over lift i'll be getting from the h233b and 2wd springs in the rear? is it realistic to get 5" of suspension lift out of the front end? or should i just start looking for a wagoneer front axle and a buddy with a welder? also, if anybody has any IFS or h233b stuff left over from their crazy dana 44/60 buildups, i'd love to take those off your hands. thanks, and let me know!

- Bryan


Edit: a couple pictures of my trucks:

I actually have a pair of Fabtech A-Arms for our 2wd trucks. I am 99.9% sure they are the same. (I had a '99 2wd weeniemobile) Those are good for 3" of lift, and I have the torsion bars for em too. Unfortunately, due to their unpopularity, they don't manufacture them anymore. But parts are still available.

I'd be willing to sell everything for $200. The only things you will need are new shocks for the front, and new balljoints... I believe they are the ones used for a 4wd hardbody.

I have pics of my truck with the lift on. Haven't had em on the truck in over a year. At the time, I was running a 3" body lift, fabtech lift, and I moved the rear leaf springs to the top of the axle... then, fabricated new shock mounts to the axle.

is a weeniemobile an xterra? those have the 4x4 suspension, but they may still work - that was one of my questions, because i heard the suspension was set up differently.

i've seen a few different sets of a-arms available, and they are all around the same price - $350 for the arms, hardware, ball joints, and bushings (the extra parts together are worth about $75). i don't know fabtech's arms compare to calmini's. are they pretty stout? i don't do a lot of wheeling, but i was thinking purely in a bang-for-the-buck sense. also, what are the differences in the torsion bars? taller? stiffer? let me know, as i am definitely interested. then, i just need to do something with the rear.

- Bryan

No, his was a 2wd 4 banger frontier. He is sas'd and (finally) 4wd.

Fabtech arms are pretty good quality. They mostly specialize in 2wd lifts (Chevys, etc).

Torsion bars mentioned will be stiffer. So when you crank the front end up it will not sag as much. And so you can run a heavier front end than normal (bumper, winch, etc.)

good deal. i'd just as soon do a solid axle swap w/ a dead axle, but i'd probably get made fun of for that. and, being this thing will be spending most of its time on the road, ifs is probably better as far as handling and drivability goes. the f150, even with 9" of lift and 38's, still handled really well till i took off the swaybars. which brings me to swaybars. how about rear swaybars for both of my trucks? anybody got some layin around? i imagine everybody who really wants articulation pulls/disconnects their rear swaybars anyway. share the wealth! haha ...also, with the taller front end after the lift, will i need some longer endlinks? i just bought the endlinks on there because mine snapped, but i could always stick them on the hardbody and get another, longer set. what do yall think?

yeah, the '98-2000 2wd standard and King Cab had different suspensions than the Xterra, 4wd Fronty (any cab), and 2wd crew cab.

That being said, NOTHING (except rear axle) will swap over. My '99 frontier started as a weenie 2wd, and I swapped an H233b in the rear (which is wider than the h190). By putting the springs on the top of the H233B, and the fabtech lift, I achieved approx 3" in the front, and 4" in the back.

The fabtech arms are very stout. They put up to ALOT of desert running, and still look brand new. Albiet, some of the vynl fabtech stickers are worn off. As far as the torsion bars go... they re stiffer. I can negotiate a little on price to seal the deal

ooh ooh that was another thing!! widening the track. the h233b will take care of the rear, but what about the front? i really don't like the idea of wheel spacers, but i think some 33x12.50x15's on 40mm offset wheels will rub, since my 31x10.5's do. i know that total chaos wheel travel kit extends the track 6" total (3 on each side, obviously), but i was thinking more like an inch on each side, just to set the wheels a little farther out, but without affecting the scrub ratio. one problem i had w/ the f150 was that i had about 8" of rim outside the flange, and about 4" inside, so the wheel cycled front to back when steering right to left, which led to lots of clearance on the inside, and LOTS of rubbing on the fenders and bumper. i'd like to avoid my sheet metal AND my frame, so it seems that the only way to do it is to set the wheels further out by setting the pivot points out, not just the wheels. what do yall think about all that nonsense?

Well, with standard steel black rockcrawler wheels, I had NO rubbing issues with 31x1050x15s.

You could probbly run a 32x1150x15 without too much trouble, but right now, even with my sas, my 33x1250s rub the back of the front wheelwells.

I know there are guys on here that run a 33x1250 on black rockcrawler wheels, and don't rub...

well i guess the rockcrawlers must have been an offset such that they were far enough from the inside, but not far enough out to cause interference with the sheet metal ...theres a happy medium between the two. the problem is, i'm going to be sticking to these 40mm offset wheels, so i guess i may end up just running spacers in the front. it'll have the same effect as running an outwardly offset wheel like you run - a bit more leverage on balljoints and bearings, and a bit more scrub, where the wheel cycles front to back. but being we are talking about 7-8" rims and 12.5" tires, and not 12" rims and 15.5" tires, it may not be an issue like it was on the f150. still, i'd like to keep the factory steering geometry and scrub ratio if at all possible, while still gaining some space out from the frame.

Bone- stock 2wd. All I had done here was new exhaust and window tint:


Here are some OLD pics of my truck with the fabtech lift, spring over rear conversion, and 31x1050 BFG M/Ts. Back in the day... I think around 12/03 or somewhere around then.





MUCH bigger now. SAS conversion, 33x1250x15 BFT ATs (daily driver tires):

Oh, your '98 is a 4 banger right?

absolutely bad ass. www.myspace.com/redneck_truck is my myspace, and has pics of all 3 of my trucks, so you can see kind of what i am inclined toward doing by looking at the f150.

as far as your truck, it actually looks really good w/ 31's. maybe that's all i need. however, i always end up going one step bigger than i actually should, so 32s or 33s seem practical, considering my past. you might wanna hit your headlights with some 3m fine cut rubbing compound - itll clear that haze right up.

so whatd you pull those fender flares off of? ive been looking for a set, but can never find them. do you still have the h190a axle? or did you step up to an h233b or ford 9" or something? also, what should i expect to pay for a 3" body lift? they seem to be going for about $250, which seems like way too much. my f150's body lift was only 130, and that was WITH polyurethane body mount bushings.

so do you still have the poly bushings and ball joints and such that came w/ your a-arms? those would come in handy too, as they would be one less thing for me to buy. ive got a bad clunking in my front end right now, and it seems like it's probably a bushing, so hopefully that will clear it up. and what about steering angles and driveshaft angles, and the steering shaft? i don't have a tilt wheel, so will the steering wheel be sitting in my lap after the body lift, or will the shaft just tilt to accomodate the height of the wheel?



Edit: oh, and yes, my truck is a ka24de, 5speed. with power steering, unlike the hardbody.

Since your truck is identical to mine, I would not go with much larger than the 31s with the H190 axle. My truck was a complete DOG with that. If you upgrade to the H233B, look online and see if you can source one with a 4.9 ratio, then the 33s will be the way to go.

The flares came off a '99 Frontier 4wd. Check the ABC link above, for an N4W discount.

As far as the body lift is concerned, I would buy it thru www.4x4parts.com. They have good prices, and are nissan exclusive.

Yeah, I still have the poly bushings for the Fabtech arms. You will need to buy new balljoints. You can pick those up at Napa or any parts store. I believe they use a balljoint from a hardbody (they bolt to the a arm with 4 bolts).

The steering wheel will stay in the same place. You add an extender to the steering rod...the shaft will tilt. There are 2 tiny ujoints in there that will accomidate lifting the body. Just add the extension.

Hit me up on AOL... for export only. Online now.

Youre going about this with the wrong idea. Your Nissan will cost 2-3 times as much to do ANYTHING as your Ford. This is due to quantity and demand. Nissan parts are coming down, but nowhere near what you are expecting. If you go into this with the idea it will cost the same as your Ford, then you will only get frustrated.

And I have a 3" BL, and I run 32x11.5r15 with no rub excapt at absolute full lock.

quote:

Originally posted by Redneck Truck:
is a weeniemobile an xterra?