oh man what did i just do?

[david despain]

or my new vehicle: 2006 Nissan Frontier!!!! :box:

[calamaridog]

This thread is useless without PICS:)

Congrats anyways:jumping:

[david despain]

http://www.config.nissanusa.com/Dispatch.jsp?state_token=2%3A10%3Anissan%7Cfrc%7C2 006%7C2%7C8b/Aw/A/3NA%7CQQAAAEAIiAA%7CAQAAAEAIiAA%3A84121&lc=true&seq_id=10&.CurrentState=Config&.NewState=ConfigVehicleSummary&_scrollPos=340


this will have to do until tomorrow. im cleaning out my old pickup now and going to get the new one in a few min, so ill put up a few pics in the morn. hmmmm the link only goes to the main page. patience grasshopper.

[CLynn85]

Oh snap! Congrats. What are you trading for it?

[The BN Guy]

Sweet! Welcome to the family!

[flyingwil]

COngrats on your new purchase! I look forward to the pics!

[datrupr]

Very cool on your new purchase:clapsmile . We can now watch another cool Frontier build up. C'mon, it is now morning and still no pics? Lets see it.

[david despain]

heres a tease i have to go delete stuff from my memory card to fit more on there

[datrupr]

:victory: :victory: :victory: Very very cool. Now, go and get it dirty!

[david despain]

ok these are from my phone so they arent great. and i dont know how much fun you will have watching my progress as i dont think there is much left in the budget for any big mods any time soon. i am going to be lucky to do little things like recovery gear and lights and stuff. although the one thing i think i may be able to do in a few months are sliders the shrockworks ones look to be useful steps as well and since my wife got to drive the truck home from the resturant last nite she really likes it so i might get the go ahead on those. other wise it will just be stuff to make it more useable and personalized.

mark i know its not black like you wanted but its pretty close.:hehe:

[articulate]

Let the games begin!

Ok, so when can you meet me in MOAB? :camping:

Friggin' sweet, Dave. If I can call you that.....

[david despain]

Oh snap! Congrats. What are you trading for it?

i decieded to trade in my faithful old white 95 f150. (see my posts in the full size domestic section) the tranny was really starting to slip on my on the freeway every day and the transfer case was cracked and making an awful nosie that kept getting scarier every day. it was a great pickup and it was just worn out and tired. my dad bought it new and im quite sad to see it go but, to replace the eng trans and transfer case with reman units would have cost about the same as my entire 39 mo. lease. so here we are today with a new truck!



mark you can call me anything you want. most folks do call me dave actually. im really hoping that i can get out to do some exploring now that i have something more reliable. of course now im afraid of getting it scratched messed up. i will just have to be careful and clean it really well.:jump:
i hope these pics arent worse than driveway pics cause they are inside :)

[Wanderlusty]

The first scratch is the only one that really hurts. After that, they bother you less and less until you actually become proud of the 'battle scars' from your outings.

To look at my Jeep, I should be VERY proud...:hehe:

[datrupr]

Scratches? I took the Trooper in to a place a few weeks ago to get it washed, and the guy told me that he could buff the scratches out too. I said to him "This tuck and I have worked very hard to get this custom pin stripping and they will not be removed." He gave me a strange look and then started to laugh. Desert pin stripes are the coolest. They add character to your truck, and make it look like no other truck out there.

But, since it is a lease, it could be a little hurtful when you have to give the truck back at the end of 39mos.

[LexusAllTerrain]

Congratulations on your new NISSMO , it has everything you may get in the features department, RockFord Sound System with 2 subwoofers, Electronic Locking differential, VDC vehicle dynamic control, and the incline electronic control ( look ma' no brakes:p ) Plus you get your luggage rack with Sunroof and the adjustable tide downs with spray on bedliner! How am I doing?:p
Oh! and I hope your payments are at 375.00 per month with 15k miles per year!:victory:

[david despain]

eurorom you are pretty dang close on the options. its got all of that plus some really nifty first aid kit. and yeah lets just say that im considerably less than that. so it was a pretty good deal. i actually tried to buy 2 cars yesterday but they did great on the truck vs. truck deal and horible on the rover vs. van deal. so i only bought one vehicle.

i need to play around with it and see if the hill decent control will also work in HI range or if its only in LOW range like my rover. i have never used it in the discovery. :(

[LexusAllTerrain]

i need to play around with it and see if the hill decent control will also work in HI range or if its only in LOW range like my rover. i have never used it in the discovery

Well I think this feature works only on low range , however i could be wrong. I am anxious to hear about it!

Oh! and I forgot about your fog lamps!:clapsmile

[LexusAllTerrain]

Do not forget your towing pkg, even if you do not tow, it makes for a very good recovery point and it costs only 300.00!:(

[david despain]

Do not forget your towing pkg, even if you do not tow, it makes for a very good recovery point and it costs only 300.00! :(

yeah thats the only thing it didnt have on it and i wish it did. i think i can find an aftermarket hitch for less than half of the dealer 300$+ for recovery and then if i need to tow with it i will get a harness for it, all of the plugs are there on the frame and relays are installed up front in the electrical box. i am kind of toying with the idea to mount some kind of recovery point to the frame where the holes and threads already are. maybe some kind of ring or hook. but im afraid it may be too far under the truck to do any good or be convienent

[LexusAllTerrain]

Or it may damage your rear bumper...

[kcowyo]

Mmmmm....NISMO..................:clapsmile

That looks like one sharp truck! The NISMO package definitely has my attention. :lurk:

I like the effort Nissan is putting into making their 4WD offerings unique from the rest. I have driven a Titan but not a Frontier, so I'll be interested in hearing your impressions.

Good buy David! :beer:

[articulate]

Do not forget your towing pkg, even if you do not tow, it makes for a very good recovery point and it costs only 300.00! :(

yeah thats the only thing it didnt have on it and i wish it did. i think i can find an aftermarket hitch for less than half of the dealer 300$+ for recovery and then if i need to tow with it i will get a harness for it, all of the plugs are there on the frame and relays are installed up front in the electrical box. i am kind of toying with the idea to mount some kind of recovery point to the frame where the holes and threads already are. maybe some kind of ring or hook. but im afraid it may be too far under the truck to do any good or be convienent
Yo boys!

The reciever should only be $170 or so. It bolts straight on, so any monkey with a typewriter could install it. That additional moolah is for dealership BS, and the harness you probably won't even need if you only need the recovery point:
Frontier hitch (http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=999T5-D4005)

If you just need it for recovery purposes, call the dealership and just ask for the part.

:beer:

Mark

[david despain]

yeah factory hitch probably makes the most sense. i can also see how it would provide a lot of strength to stiffen the frame. i wonder if it includes hardware? it kinda looked like it did from that drawing. courtesy seems to be the benchmark for nissan parts and support.

[david despain]

Mmmmm....NISMO..................:clapsmile

That looks like one sharp truck! The NISMO package definitely has my attention. :lurk:

I like the effort Nissan is putting into making their 4WD offerings unique from the rest. I have driven a Titan but not a Frontier, so I'll be interested in hearing your impressions.

Good buy David! :beer:

thanks! its an eye catcher thats for sure. my wife wasnt sold on the frontier looks until i showed her marks frontier page on his website. so i definitly owe him a cold one :beer: and at the dealership she like it more than the other frontiers. i also really like the thought and effort nissan is putting into the trucks that was one of the things that really sold me on the brand line. my impressions, hmmm well here are some rambling thoughts. everything in trucks, like life, is a compromise.

i read somewhere that nissan said there are 2 types of truck buyers. most are men, and there are the kind that want a truck to go the lowes and buy a couple bags of mulch and a weed wacker that wont quite fit in a car but hate the idea of a minivan and only use the bed a few times a week. (that is me) then there are the type that use their truck for construction work or are really hard on them, they are usually very brand loyal, and LOVE EAT BREATHE AND LIVE nascar. ok i added that nascar bit. anyway nissan realizes they are not going to win those second group of guys over and doesnt try. they do a great job of offering what the first group wants and makes it attractive to switch from whatever they have into a nissan.

i liked the titan, its more refined and "nicer" that the fronty, but its bigger and doesnt get as good mileage. but the engine and trans combo thats in it whoa momma talk about power. i didnt like the fact that almost all the rims were 18" except for the nismo. tires that big are spendy even for stock replacements. i LOVED the utility bed option! the storage box, extra lights at the end of the bed and power outlet and rails and assisted tail gate are not rocket science, but for the price of trucks these days they should be on every make and model. it just shows what nissan is doing to try to win a certian demographic in the market. i wish i had some of those things on my truck( i do have the rails, they are standard on the nismo package). the materials and "fit and finish" were a little nicer i thought. it has a few more nifty gadgets. and i found the captians chairs a little more comfortable. but all this comes at a premium and you pay for it on the sticker price. if i needed a half ton i think this would be it. and it would have to have the utility bed option.
i liked the frontier. for my current needs (comuting and small jobs around the house) it fits my needs better. it is cheaper and you can tell. dont get me wrong, i really like everything about it but its not a high end luxury truck and doesnt pretend to be. the only thing that i dont like thats not a little nit pcik i can resolve easily is that it has no armrest for the right arm of the driver. i dont think any compact truck does and it really bugs me. :mad: as for the nismo package i wanted it for a few reasons:
there is no way my wife would let me spend extra cash for a selectable locker later on, it just wouldnt happen. i have never had a locker and i can think of only a handful of times i could have ever used one. but now that i have one i can use it if i need to:)
i really liked the rims better than the other trim levels. i personally hate the thought of buying new rims for a new truck, had the stock ones on my old ford and i still loved them when i traded it it. rims rarely need to be replaced except for cosmetic reasons if they are not abused. also they are 16" instead of the lots more difficult and expensive to get tires for 17" on the other trim levels. and i hate the crappy goodyears that come on the other trim levels. mark can back me up on this one he had problems with his in the first few months i believe. i have never had good luck with that particular type of tire on a few different vehicles i have had or been around.
the nismo comes with a few other things that eurorom mentioned fog lights and factory window tint and some other stuff thats just kinda cool to have. is this other minor stuff nesecary? no not really, but i think it might save money in the long run as some of it, like tint, was bound to be added at some point.
springs and shocks: first the stuff i know about, sortta, the shocks. they are "bilstien". i dont know if they are actually bilstien shocks and are designed to work with this truck specifically or if they are just branded bilstien for the name and blue and yellow. i am still uncertian it the springs are different. i think they are because it just sits a little different than the others. but i have read that they are the same and shocks are the only difference. the few places that do make lift kits for them do not specify any thing different for the regular vs. nismo models. i do know that my wife liked the way this one looked sitting on the lot and that had a lot to do with her aproval and the regular ones look just a little different. i cant really place what it is they are just a little different.
the stereo is awsome. i have the rockford fosgate upgraded radio and amp/subwoffer. the down side is the sub/amp takes up about a third of the useful space under the rear seat storage. the good side is it sounds great and has steering wheel controls. again is it nesecary? no not really but it a lot better than a costco cd player and blown out rear speakers. mine is "satalite ready" but doesnt have a satalite equiped head unit. i am checking to see how much it would cost to be able to have my xm radio in the factory head unit. i think its going to be over 300$ so i will probably just put my xm skifi 2 unit in & try to make it look good.
i had a look around under the truck and eng compartment yesterday on my creeper. i think BN mentioned in another thread how "tucked " everything was under there and i must concur that i really like that most of the stuff that could hang down quite a bit doesnt. at least as far as the transmission aft goes most things are at or above the frame rails. now from the eng forward it a different story. hmmm the front suspension looks awfully vulnerable. the distance from the ground to the frame rails has got to be within a 1/4" of my old half ton ford on 31" tires. and it had lots of stuff hanging down pretty low. but clearnce on the front end was a little better, not much mind you but a little. i think the prg leveling kit i want will help with that. at least a little.
now the skid plates :xxrotflma :sport_box i dont know who thought these up. they are not going to stop anything but road debris on the freeway if you are lucky. on the other hand they are really cheap to replace. like 20$ cheap. they might make pretty good templates for real protection later on though.

ok i cant think of anything else that you might find interesting right now and i have to go get the truck ready so when my wife gets here with the girls they can ride in it to go see the wiggles! im afraid the wiggles are as close to the outback as im going to get.

[datrupr]

David, nicely put first impressions. On the xm though. The receiver unit for my Sirius was only $90 and just plugs into the back of the head unit. That should be your only expense, as installation was really easy. I bolted mine under the passenger seat, ran the cable under the carpet, through the console, and plugged it into the back of the head unit. I then ran the antenna along the windshield molding into the passenger compartment under the seat and into the receiver. I think it took me about 30 mins total to hook up, and that includes taking out the passenger seat and removing the console and putting it all back together. So, if you prefer to go that route it would only cos you the price of the receiver and a little bit of your time, and you keep the stock look of the truck as opposed to mounting an external unit. Just my thoughts on the matter.

[david despain]

datrupr was this in a nissan stero? do u control it from the head unit? i didnt know that it had an aux input in the back. currently have an xm radio its a delphi skyfi 2. and i really like it. i from what i understand they replace the head unit with one with the buttons and stuff u need to be able to control it and add the antena to the out side. i guess it just means they ran the wires for it on the assembly line.

[datrupr]

David, no, it is not for a Nissan stereo. But if it is stating that it is "XM ready" then I bet on the back of your head unit there is a spot to plug in an accessory of some type. If there is (if you wanna pull out your brand new stereo) then you should be able to control it from the head unit. It might be worth some investigating if you like the stock look of things. If there is not one, then Nissan is just trying to hose you out of some more $$ as most stealerships do. If that is the case you delphi would work just fine. I just wanna keep the sat radio revolution going because it is one of the coolest things ever. I have not listened to a CD or regular radio since I got my Sirius.

[LexusAllTerrain]

Well once again CONGRATULATIONS on your new truck, I think you will be quite please with the abilities of this truck, I think in stock form you should be able to go just about anywhere you want!
Please keep us inform!:clapsmile

[david despain]

thanks. i doubt if it will get many mods to be honest. i showed my wife that cool pic of mark's bed mounted roof tent and she promptly shot that down. i might be able to swing "steps" in the form of shrockworks sliders since my wife and kids need a little help getting up into it. but i bet it will do way more than i as a driver am capable of in its stock form.

datrupr, perhaps i didnt explain properly or we're not on the same page. the truck came with the factory sat ready package but the i think its just the wiring and perhaps antenna mount area re-enforcement. with out this "package" the dealer will not install a factory sat radio head unit. as i understand it the actual head unit will have to be changed out for a sat radio head unit and will have to be plugged in to the factory installed antenna wire harness which is probably up in the headliner. i just went out and looked at the roof and there is no close-out piece or preformed dent in the roof metal where it would go. i have the roof rails so maybe the wire gets run in through there. i will have to go find a truck with it and look to see where they put it. for the time being i think i will try to install my sky-fi 2 system probably next week.

we took the twins to see the wiggles thursday and they both fit in the back seat with plenty of room to spare. i think we could even get all three car seats in the back although it would be tight. we did have to take the head rests off but thats no big deal at all.

http://www.mcmaster.com :box: go to page 1398. from what i hear the standard uni-strut stuff is the same dimension as the utili-track rails in the nissan beds. if this turns out to be true i think i will use some uni-strut stuff to make a hi-lift mount and maybe a spare tire mount. i think the spring loaded studs would work perfectly! i think i am going to need bed storage for general purpose stuff like tie downs and tools and flashlite and jumper cables etc as i have almost filled the under seat storage already. i never realized how much junk i hauled around. and i think mounting a box to the bottom bed rail that was easily removeable if i needed all the bed floor would be pretty cool. hmmm.

[articulate]

thanks. i doubt if it will get many mods to be honest. i showed my wife that cool pic of mark's bed mounted roof tent and she promptly shot that down.

Dude! I'm dodging bullets over here! :)

I might be out of place here (because it may not matter to you), but I think the camper shells are a better way to go. But the dang thing only comes with a bed 5' long. If she's the camping type, you might be able to talk her into a shell where the kiddies can crash...you and the sweetie can take the ground in a tent. Grrrrrrr, baby. ;)

Mark

[david despain]

hooray! i actually took the new truck off the pavement today. i did more exploring today than i have in the last couple of years and i was only gone for the afternoon, but more on that later.
first to clear up a few things for any potential owners or curious parties, i talked to the parts guys at the dealer when i picked up my new plates last week or so ago and this is what he told me.
the trailer hitch does come with all required hard ware and they wanted about 190$ out the door for parts only.
the sat radio uses the existing head unit and has a unit that plugs into the back of the head unit and into the antena wire. there are 2 different units one for xm and one for sirius and they are not interchangeable. he made it sound like there was nothing else to it but i think you have to mount the antena still. it was about 300$ for parts and about twice that to have them put it in, i said ok thanks for your time i will use my sky fi unit thank you very much. he has been the most helpful and professional person at the dealership so far.
second, standard unistrut stuff does indeed fit the utili-trak rail perfectly and i am close to coming up with some mounting solutions for spare tire, hi lift, gas cans etc.
so today after i took a bunch of old aircraft nicad batteries and paint to the dump for recycling i had the afternoon off so i went up a road i had heard existed and found that it did and it was partially paved for a few miles then turned into a dirt road. went up and over the mountain to see what i could see and had a nice afternoon just chugging along. i used 4 low and the diff lock a few times even though the diff lock wasnt really needed i wanted to see how the truck behaved and how it worked etc. here is my initial impression with quite easy wheeling. compression braking in HI range sucks quite badly, its not absolutly horrible in LO range and with the rear diff locked it is not bad at all. i didnt think or feel that either tire was ever slipping so im not sure why it seemed better with the rear locked up. this trail had some pretty significant grades for a long enough distance to put some thought into this stuff both up and down hill. going up hill there was a few places i wanted to go slowly, putting the truck in low range accomplished this and provided adequate power, and great control. when slow speed wasnt required but it was still pretty steep i put it back into HI and it felt like i had more power. i think this is due to the hi vs. low range throttle and HP mapping. they dont want you to have too much power with the added gearing thus leading to possible breakage. (thats baad for the brand image you know). the more times i switched the transfer case from 2 to 4 to low the faster it got at turning the indicator to the desired postion, same with the rear locker, it was really slow the first few times. i figured out that if you are rolling slowly and turning it helps it engage. this is definitly a locker you want in before you need it. also in 4 low the truck automatically illuminates the VDC off light. this feature limits wheel spin by removing excess throttle and applying brakes to the proper wheel. it works great on the pavement and i can see where you would not want this feature sometimes off road so nissan was smart enough to give me a great big VDC off button on the dash. so why do they not think i would be smart enough to figure out when to turn it off when in 4 low. i dont even have it as an option to me at that point :confused: also when the diff lock is engaged it automatically turns off the abs :confused: huh why dont they leave it on and let it work on the front wheels. there obviously wont be a difference in wheel speed between the rear wheels so it would never modulate the rear brakes but it could be useful in the fronts! why not tie the vdc off button to make the abs turn off when in 4 hi or 4 lo? anyway thats my automotive rant to the engineers and LIABILITY LAWERS for the day.
the oem bfg rugged trail tires did very well over the lots of sharp rocks and loose granite and tree branches. i left them at street pressure the whole time and while lower press may have made for a softer ride of the washboardy sections it wasnt required. i didnt do or go anywhere remote or crazy as i was by myself in a bone stock truck with no rear recovery point and no jack points so im kinda a poser still but i did find my way across a place i have wanted to go see for quite a while, had snack and amired the view at the top, saw some snow in june and had a relaxing day away from the wife and kids and work. :victory: sorry no pics as my wife had the camera today sorry for the long post. dave

[articulate]

Sweet, dude.

I have found that switching out of low range can be difficult unless I'm at a complete stop. Complete. Not an inch of rolling. One thing I really like about my Wrangler is the mechanical lever you use to engage the transfer case. You get a more assuring feeling with a system like that. An electronic switch makes me nervous, but that it probably nurtured, not nature.

Thanks for posting up about the locker and so forth. I really wish I could have one installed in my axle, but they are different units. I'll spend the money and energy elsewhere.

Many people report that those Grabbers suck like a 2 dollar hooker. If you end up losing one to a blowout or flat, I encourage you to talk the wife into a new, quality set all around.

How are the car seats fitting?

Here's to exploration and putting smiles on our faces! Way to go!

Mark

[david despain]

yeah i would have liked a handle for the transfer case as well, one less thing that could go wrong.
Many people report that those Grabbers suck like a 2 dollar hooker. If you end up losing one to a blowout or flat, I encourage you to talk the wife into a new, quality set all around.

How are the car seats fitting?
do you mean that some people had General Grabbers as stock tires? i think those are a bridgestone arent they? if so then yes those are horrible i got a flat in flagstaff in the cinders one time at an 4x4 rally. my oem stock tires are BFG rugged trails. not ideal, i'll give you that, but they look like they will do well in the snow this winter. i would love to get back to the bfg A/T that i had before. what size are you running?
had to take the rear seat headrests off to get the top of the car seats to fit correctly. not a big deal. now to combine the car seats with the LO-range!

[articulate]

do you mean that some people had General Grabbers as stock tires? i think those are a bridgestone arent they? if so then yes those are horrible i got a flat in flagstaff in the cinders one time at an 4x4 rally. my oem stock tires are BFG rugged trails. not ideal, i'll give you that, but they look like they will do well in the snow this winter. i would love to get back to the bfg A/T that i had before. what size are you running?

Oops. Yeah, that's right, you have different tires. I was looking for a place to use my 2-dollar-hooker joke. And it (she?) bit me in the butt. You get what you pay for. :D

The size on my truck is 265/75r 16, like yours - but I went up in size when I replaced the Grabbers. The stock tire is an inch shorter (31").

[LexusAllTerrain]

Any more trips and experiences with your NISMO in low range, I have the feeling the truck needs more horses in low range! What are your thoughts!:arabia:

[mcm4090]

second, standard unistrut stuff does indeed fit the utili-trak rail perfectly and i am close to coming up with some mounting solutions for spare tire, hi lift, gas cans etc.


Did you make any of these mounts? I have made a cheap mod for the spare tire and hi-lift but would like to see what you have came up with.

Mike.