2008 Nissan Xterra Off-Road

Gohere

New member
The day has finally come where I can post on forums about my expedition rig. I've been an off-roading fan in some way, shape, or form since I was 7 years old. My father had a 1973 Jeep CJ-5, that we eventually locked, 5.13 gears, 33s SOA lift, and home built bumpers (by my unsteady hand at the age of 15, and they were terrible). Sadly, I was so focused on destroying my 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser that I never used the Jeep. I now realize how thoughtless I was by taking my mint condition FZJ-80 offroad, rather than this purpose built rig. Hindsight is 20/20 right? Here is a quick list of what cars I drove over the years:

1996 Land Cruiser non-locked (I never realized how lucky I was to get this as my first car, and I mistreated it, and 5 years later the engine seized)
1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2wd 6 cylinder (My dad bought it for $900 when I tore up my land cruiser and I gave it back once I bought myself a new car).
1993 Lexus SC400 (Sold when I bought my first new car, and needed money for the down payment)
1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 V8 (Same story as the SC400)
2015 Toyota Avalon XLE Touring (Brand new with 52 miles, almost 3 years later and It has just shy of 49k miles)
2008 Lexus IS350 Non-Nav (Fiance's car that I eventually started driving once she decided she liked the Avalon better, okay with me since I am able to sell the Lexus and buy the Xterra)


And now, I just picked up a 2008 Nissan Xterra Off-Road with a little less than 102k miles, with a few modifications. One deal I made with my fiance was that I wouldn't do any major mods for one year, so the countdown begins for 7/29/2019. Good news is, this deters me from spending money on mods, while neglecting the maintenance. Also, I start graduate school in 2019, we get married in October, and we have other expenses that I need not forget. But on to the important stuff, the mods!

Doug Thorley headers
Full exhaust
Volant air intake
285/75/16 (So new that the sidewalls still have the rubber nubs, and the tread just lost them, I would say 90% tread life left)
2.5" OME Lift I think, does any one know how to check which OME lift I have? I can see the shocks are OME, but I don't know how to check which one I have
Hard wired for a Garmin GPS in the pocket above the stereo
Shorty antenna

Standard equipment:
Rear Locker
3.93 gears (I've been told)
Rockford Fosgate factory stereo
Towing package
And the holy grail a 6 speed manual transmission

Here she is:


List of modifications to come:

- Storage containers/drawers/racks for the inside. I've been inspired by many on the forum and I would like to do some sort of slide out for a kitchen as well.
- Roof rack
- Front bumper with winch
- Rear Bumper with tire carrier/jerry cans
- Lights
- Suspension refresh

Maintenance:

- Fix rasp from under the front floor board (probably from an improper/cheap exhaust and header install, luckily it does not sound like it is coming from the engine bay, but more like where the headers end)
- Fluids (including transmission?)
- Timing chain and water pump
- Surface rust repair on the underside
- Full detail
- Remove side cladding (is this easy to do, is the side cladding stuck on by adhesive or are there holes in the doors for them to attach to?)
- Suggestions?

EDIT: My work blocks Flickr, I use my cell phone to upload the photo there and then email the link to myself and link it in the post, let me know if the photo does not appear.
 

bigskypylot

Explorer
3.36 gears, no 3.93. 6spd has 3.69. I have the Thorley headers (long tube), Volant, IMS, UpRev etc etc. It's nice but next up after the Tswap is a VK Swap. That's what I would put money away for rather than all the other mods, you will need a Titan Trans and Motor of course Have fun with it how it is and keep socking that money away
 

Gohere

New member
3.36 gears, no 3.93. 6spd has 3.69. I have the Thorley headers (long tube), Volant, IMS, UpRev etc etc. It's nice but next up after the Tswap is a VK Swap. That's what I would put money away for rather than all the other mods, you will need a Titan Trans and Motor of course Have fun with it how it is and keep socking that money away
Thanks for the correction! I have 3.69 gears then. The modifications I have are what I bought the Xterra with, since I haven't even owned it for 24 hours. I wouldn't have chosen to add headers, but I have what I have. Besides fixing the rasp, I will not be adding anything to my Xterra for power, only utility.
 

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