Jack's 2002 Nissan Xterra Build & Adventure Thread

[Jack Stilts]

Year: 2002
Make: Nissan
Model: Xterra
Trim: XE
Drivetrain: Automatic 4x4 / 3.3L V6
Color: Silver
Edition: X-Wing Squadron
Codename: ABT (Armored Baby Transport)
Pilot: Brian

Skavynger 008



Quick Reference

May 2012 / 83,000 miles
Dealership work- Safety inspection, fuel air induction service, A/C / in-cabin filter replaced, brake fluid flush, power steering fluid flush, transmission fluid flush.
Replaced under recall / warranty- Fuel sender unit, steering shaft, rear set belt assembly, axle sensor.

July 2012 / 87,000 miles
Regular oil change / oil filter.

September 2012 / 90,000 miles
Regular oil change / oil filter.
New tires - BFG Rugged Terrain 265/70R16.
Alignment.

January 2013 / 95,000 miles
Regular oil change / oil filter.

April 2013 / 95,500 miles
Maintenance done - Brakes, rotors, timing belt, shocks, water pump, radiator / cooling / heating hoses, thermostat, PCV valve, spark plugs & wires, distributor cap.
Alignment / tire rotation.

May 2013 / 100,000 miles
Added - sliders, hatch strut, headlight stalk, snorkel, radiator, rear differential breather, bumpers, LEDs.
Replaced - headlight bulbs, alternator, sway bar bolts.
Synthetic oil change / oil filter.

September 2013 / 105,000 miles
Tire rotation.

January 2014 / 105,000 miles
Synthetic oil change / oil filter.

May 2014 / 106,000 miles
Replaced - marker lights (LED), stereo (Pioneer), power steering pump, starter.

September 2014 / 110,000 miles
Replaced - steering gear box. Centerlink, idler arm, pitman arm, tie rod assemblies and ider arm brace installed.

December 2014 / 111,000 miles
Parts replaced - Upper control arms, ball joints, Bilstein shocks, torsion bars, leaf spring pack added. LED light bar installed.
New tires - BFG All-Terrain KO 32x11.5 R15.
Synthetic oil change.

November 2015 / 112,000 miles
Car seat mod, mud flaps installed, master cylinder replaced, alternator harness replaced.
New battery & alternator.

February 2016 / 113,000 miles
Yellow H3 bulbs in PIAA fog lights, Thule crossbars, LabRak awning mount, PIAA 540 driving lights.

March 2016 / 114,000 miles
Synthetic oil change / filter, four wheel alignment, tire rotation, seafoam treatment, new spark plugs.

September 2016 / 120,000 miles
Synthetic oil change / filter.

December 2016 / 120,500 miles
Fuel filter replaced.


Modifications:

[x] K&N filter / trim repainted
[x] Rear sway bar, side rails, and resonators removed
[x] CB radio / LOBO / custom headliner / stereo upgrade
[x] Gobi ladder / Thule crossbars / ARB 1250 awning / LabRak mount
[x] Xoskel lightcage & LED bar
[x] Xoskel rear bar with CHMSL & Hanma LEDs / alley lights
[X] RLC armor - front bumper with PIAA yellow fogs & PIAA 540 driving lights, rear bumper with tire carrier
[x] Rock sliders & OEM mud flaps
[x] Safari snorkel
[x] Rear differential breather mod / rear hatch raiser mod
[x] Quest alternator / Supercharged radiator
[x] Total Chaos steering system upgrade (centerlink, heim joint tie rods, idler arm, pitman arm)
[x] 3" suspension lift (upper control arms, heavy duty torsion bars, rear add-a-leaf, Bilstein 5100s)
[x] Desert Runner wheels with 32" BFGs

Expedition gear on board:

[ ] MaxTrax
[x] Kayaks
[x] Thule skybox
[x] Tread Lightly! Trasharoo
[x] 2x Fire extinguishers
[x] 2x 30' tow straps & D-rings / dampener
[x] Rotopax fuel cans
[x] Toolbox / bottle jack
[x] State maps / trail maps
[x] 2x ENO hammock setups (hammock, underquilt, tarp, bug net)
[x] Full-size spare tire
[x] CB radio
[x] Hi-Lift / shovel / axe
[x] Ruger 10/22 Takedown (for the zombies)
[x] CVT Mt. Bachelor rooftop tent
[x] ARB awning with LabRak mount
[x] Northwest Territories license plate
[x] BioLite stove / kitchen gear / coffee
[x] Trail spares (alternator, headlight bulbs, tie rods, fluids, etc.)



My full build can be found on XterraNation, but I'll update this one as new things come along. I'd really like to build an expedition trailer for it, so I'll be poking around for ideas and inspiration.



ABT V1 (2012)

ABT V2 (2013)

ABT V3 (2014-2015)

ABT V4 (2015-2016)

And my furry co-pilot Bear, Derpmaster Supreme.

More to come!

 

[mortonm]

Looking great, glad to have another Xterra on here, we have been getting bushwhacked by pathfinders and frontiers lately

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Loving it! That's a fantastic looking X. Very nicely modded, looks like you've got a similar vision to mine.

 

[Co-opski]

when you mounted the Xoskel lightcage & Hellas did you have to rotate the lenses on the Hellas?

 

[Jack Stilts]

Thanks guys! I'm quite happy with the ol' girl.

As for the Xoskel, that's on my to-do list. Right now they give off the strangest beam pattern, but when it's nighttime, weird beam patterns is better than not being able to see. I'm looking at a few different options to resolve it.

 

[Co-opski]

Keep us posted, I want a xoskel light bar like yours but may have to go with the low pro. Are your Hella 500s or 1000S?
Subscribed you have a nice build going on.

 

[Jack Stilts]

I will do so. And thank you!

They're 500s. Honestly, depending on your usage, you might be better off going LED. Adding these four plus the PIAA fog lights required a larger alternator to power it all, and even that one strains sometimes. When I turn my LED lights on, I notice no difference (other than blinding light...).

To tell you the truth, I wanted these not only for more light, but also to complete the look of the front end, with all circular lights (I think I have an obsession with aesthetics...). I got the lightcage rather than the low-profile bar because it flowed better with my airdam.

These Hellas also bring up that "driving light versus fog light" issue, too. Different spreads, etc.

I'm just learning as I go. Like I said, I want to try a few different options to really get what I want.

 

[Jack Stilts]

I have a few things on my to-do list for this weekend, but until then - some pictures from the National Xterra Meet

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Looks like all kinds of fun!

 

[stioc]

That's a nice looking X, I especially like it in the RTT trim. Great job on all the well thought out mods.

 

[Allof75]

Very, very nice mods. Great looking and tasteful X really, I'm happy to see the new Rugged Trails are doing well for you!

Peace! :victory:

 

[Jack Stilts]

Thank you kindly!

Actually, those are the Rugged Terrains. They're the model offered as a medium between the Rugged Trails and the All-Terrain K/Os. I've been very, very surprised and impressed with how well they've done. They have exceeded my expectations, and have handled everything that's been thrown at them. I needed a tire that would handle both my daily driving without that irritating M/T hum, but it also needed to have enough off-road bite for the trails & rocks. Haven't gotten stuck yet

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Yeah I ran those Rugged Terrains on my Disco way back when. Oh man did they grip! Quite a good tire for what you pay for them.

 

[Jack Stilts]

My weekend checklist is done! I did some undercoating to the belly of the beast - mostly just painted some rusty / discolored areas. Got the rear differential, axle, leafs, frame, skid plate, and LCAs. Touched up some battle wounds on the sliders, too.

After a few months of sitting in my toolbox, I finally got the front sway bar bolts replaced.

Old ones:

New ones:

They were making an awful lot of racket.

Other than that, I removed my air dam and basket. There was a weird vacuum coming from the lights and the air dam, and now it's nice and free.

The basket is actually going to be replaced by an extension of the drop-in rack that currently occupies my roof, so I'll have much more room available for firewood, etc. Having heavy stuff in that plastic basket just makes me nervous.

 

[Dmski]

Now that is how the Xterra should have looked coming off the production line! Great looking X. More inspiration for mine. Question on your overhead lights: do you get hood/window glare like none other or have you been able to fix that?