2002 Pathfinder (R50) Overland Build

Weekender41

Ready to Learn
Thanks! Debating on the rear locker..I've had it in and out of the shopping cart for the past few days haha

Better than me, mine has been sitting in my garage for a while. Im waiting until after winter to install it. It looks like a big pile of gold just wasting away :/ haha.
 

duke90

Adventurer
Better than me, mine has been sitting in my garage for a while. Im waiting until after winter to install it. It looks like a big pile of gold just wasting away :/ haha.

At least you have one!! I'm hoping a used one comes along soon, but that's not very likely. Same with a front or rear bumper. The ARB Sahara bar is too pricey and I've never seen a used one.
 

Rota

New member
I use mine as a DD and it's a great car. I was debating on buying a new car like a wrangler or a raptor when the engine went bad earlier this year, but honestly I love the way my R50 looks and it's the perfect 4x4 for what I do so I just had the engine replaced. I have several other cars, but the R50 is my favorite!

How much was your engine replacement? Mine is at 170k and is still running really strong but since there aren't really a whole lot of options for replacing the Pathfinder I'd like to consider a replacement when it inevitably dies.
 

duke90

Adventurer
How much was your engine replacement? Mine is at 170k and is still running really strong but since there aren't really a whole lot of options for replacing the Pathfinder I'd like to consider a replacement when it inevitably dies.

If you're at 170K then I wouldn't worry about your engine developing the same issue as mine. From everything I've read, the VQ35 is an excellent engine and should last you well into the 300Ks if you do regular maintenance and oil changes. That being said, when I had to replace mine, I was quoted from the dealer $9,000 used or $11,000 new. I ended up purchasing a used VQ35 from sharper edge engines out of Florida (they were the only used engine supplier with a AAA rating from BBB). They had 3 options and I went with the one with the least mileage. It was from a 2003 pathfinder and had 56k miles. The original car was out of Wisconsin. The motor had some surface rust, but it was minimal and the internals were strong, timing chain was tight, and each cyliner was pressure tested. I paid $1900 shipped and had my mechanic install it for $2200. The install included taking the better parts from the original VQ (such as some new sensors and pullies), locktite the screws on the new VQ, flushy tranny, and replace front and rear differential fluids. In total I paid $4100.
 

bushnut

Adventurer
Wow. considering that you could have bought another used one for that price, I applaud you for fixing something you already owned and didn't just throw it away like so many other people would have done.
 

Weekender41

Ready to Learn
At least you have one!! I'm hoping a used one comes along soon, but that's not very likely. Same with a front or rear bumper. The ARB Sahara bar is too pricey and I've never seen a used one.

Jumping back a bit, an arb sahara bar with warn winch is for sale for $800 on the NPORA facebook page.
 

duke90

Adventurer
Wow. considering that you could have bought another used one for that price, I applaud you for fixing something you already owned and didn't just throw it away like so many other people would have done.

Thanks. I figured I'd rather keep mine for the price of an engine swap instead of buying a different used R50 and not knowing what issues it might have.
 

duke90

Adventurer
No new updates yet..still waiting on the rear OME coils. I called NissTecLifts and they said I should receive them sometime next week. Will post pics as soon as I'm able to have everything installed. Happy Thanksgiving!!
 

duke90

Adventurer
A little update: STILL waiting for the coils, should be here any day now. In the meantime, I got a great deal on a used ARB Sahara Bar + M8000 winch and a set of used RR Supersliders. I'm having them shipped from Texas and will get both the bumper and sliders powdercoated black to match the wheels and roof rack. Now that I'll have a winch, I will delay the ARB locker for a while. Next upgrades will be a sleeping/storage platform inside the vehicle (hope to build that myself this month) and then a snorkel.
 

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