bigdog Frontier build

bigdog

Adventurer
Well I bought a used '06 SE CC 4x4 earlier this year and assumed that I would make a few minor modifications to ensure that it would meet my needs in the NC mountains as we clear some land and get ready to build a cabin.

It all started like this:
firstpicture.jpg


Basically a stock SE with the value pkg and I added the body side molding and step rails...
molding_siderails.jpg


...skid plates, and an Undercover Tonneau.
undercover1.jpg


But first trip into the woods I realized that if I got stuck up here I'd be in real trouble. Cell phone does not work and its 10 miles down to the paved road. So I had to get some recovery gear. Winch bumber options are limited for this vehicle, expensive, and have long lead times. So while I'm still in love with the Shrockworks Winch bumper I decided the "temporary" solution would be the Curt Front Receiver...
curtfronthitch.jpg


with a Warn MultiMount and M8000 winch.
before_lift.jpg


and I quickly realized that the stock radio was really bad so that had to be replaced and I went with a Pioneer DD with new Pioneer 6x9s in the front, and 6" pioneers in the back.
DSC01945.jpg


of course now that the fix is in I had to add a CAI...
cai2-1.jpg


... and a catback (from JBA)
ypipe2.jpg

DSC01971.jpg
 
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bigdog

Adventurer
Lifting the Truck

So with every solution there is a new problem. Putting the winch out front on the receiver hitch did give me a recovery solution, and the ability to swap it to back hitch was a nice benefit, but now I was more likely to get stuck, due to the change in entry angle on my nose. So the solution to that was a lift. I looked at suspension lifts and body lifts and options at a variety of price points. Ultimately I decided that a 2-3 inch was not going to be enough. So instead of doing 2-3" suspension lift and 2-3" of body lift I optied for the 6" bracket lift from Fabtech.

DSC02025.jpg


after_lift.jpg


This gave me lots of clearance and made me feel better about my winch sticking out there and made me want to to try it out.

DSC02135.jpg


Although it took some hits and can got pretty mud caked it seemed to hang on there, not create any real problems and kept working. The other advantage of the lift is the ability to go with larger tires. I decided to go with 285/75/R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers and a set of ProComp 7089s wheels (which are currently on backorder.

DSC02245.jpg


The next addition was a set of Carriage Works billet grilles in black with the logo hidden
IMG_1617.jpg
 
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bigdog

Adventurer
More Lights

The next thing that I realized was that on the trails I needed more light. The OEM fog lights are great for fog, but I wanted something up a little higher that could help me see a little deeper into the woods. To solve this problem I went with a Frontier Light bar from WhiteRhinoFab and a set of Hella 500s.
DSC02301.jpg


Here are some night shots:

Lo beams, fogs, and hellas
DSC02340.jpg


my lights contrasted with truck directly behind me
DSC02339.jpg


hellas with hi beams
DSC02341.jpg


what it looks like from inside
DSC02336.jpg
 

bigdog

Adventurer
mcm4090 said:
I wish the bigger lifts were out when I started.

yea, this was a big deal for me, I really liked the prg stuff, but wanted to get 5-6" in one shot. Of course now I'm talking to PRG about their UCA, Coilover for Fabtech lifts, and some deaver springs. All that will cost as much as the lift.:rolleyes: So I guess its more of a long term plan.
 

bigdog

Adventurer
eurorom said:
Looks nice!

thanks! I just found out my wheels shipped so hopefully next week I'll have an updated photo with the Procomp 7089s and then the rock sliders. :clapsmile

After that it is a little hazy.:confused:
 

djkest

New member
Looks nice. I always thought the CC frontier looked a little awkward with the size of the wheels and the stock ride height. That really brings it up to a good level and makes it look a lot tougher. :)
 

2K54X4

Adventurer
bigdog said:
thanks! I just found out my wheels shipped so hopefully next week I'll have an updated photo with the Procomp 7089s and then the rock sliders. :clapsmile

After that it is a little hazy.:confused:

MINE TOO! :luxhello: I should be getting them Wednesday after 2 months of waiting. Kind of bums me out we don't have any real selection of wheels to choose from. I didn't want to go the wheel adapter route and I wanted all black wheels so that pretty much left the 7089's.

BTW your truck is looking really good. That extra 3" over what I have really sets it off.
 

bigdog

Adventurer
thanks, yea but it is as high as i would ever want to go. I think any more and it would be awkward.

I've been waiting a couple months for the wheels too. Only bummer is I was originally going to go with 17" wheels and had to swap to 16" when my long trails died. Looks like the 17's are still on backorder for a couple months, and I got a phenominal deal on the Nitto's from http://www.galloways4wdcenter.com/ so I guess it all worked out in the end.
 

bigdog

Adventurer
ProComp 7089 Wheels

Well after a 2 month wait and an order change from 17" to 16", my Procomp 7089-6868 (16x8 6x4.5 4" -12mm) wheels finally arrived! :)

Went down this morning to get my 295/75R/16 Nitto Terra Grapplers mounted on them and here are the results.

DSC02348.jpg


The good news is that with the 4" backspace and -12mm offset the gap between the back of my wheels and tie rods is much larger

DSC02351.jpg


and the tires really fill out the 8" wide wheels much better then the stock ones did. With the -12mm offset these wheels extend out about 2" further then with the stock wheels and I really like that wider stance. The bad news is that meant more trimming. With these tires on the stock wheels removing the flaps and doing some light inner wheel well trimming was all that was required, but for these to work (even with a 6" lift) we had to do some serious trimming.

Here is the inner well after trimming
DSC02352.jpg


Here is close up of the fender after trimming (i cut peice of rubber door guard to fit over the trimmed area).
DSC02353.jpg


Here's one pulled back a little bit so you can see how it blends

DSC02355.jpg



BTW - One thing that I noticed immediatly is that these tires are much quieter on the 8" wheels and the way the truck feels rolling down the road is amazing! I guess they were really too big for the stock wheels.
 
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2K54X4

Adventurer
Looks good! Mine showed up today also. Hopefully I can get them put on tomorrow or Friday. When I ordered mine I was sure they said 0 on the offset. I'm kind of disappointed they sent the -12mm ones. I guess I will be doing some serious trimming tomorrow. Time to warm up the Dremel...
 

mcm4090

Explorer
Can you take a pic. showing how much they stick out?


Here is close up of the fender after trimming (i cut peice of rubber door guard to fit over the trimmed area).
DSC02353.jpg
I had to trim my fenders for the rims on my truck. After the first cut it get easier.:eatchicke
 

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