My 2001 Pathfinder (R50 ) mild/budget build

[stioc]

After much pondering, weighing the pros and cons and trying to talk to myself out of it I finally gave in and bought myself an ARB awning. Up until now I've been brining my EZ up when I could but it's heavy, requires getting it up and down from the roof rack, tying and untying it and when I have the roof top cargo bag there's no room left to spare and so I've been using the rear hatch as the shelter on those trips. While I've watched others on the same trips deploy their awnings in 2 minutes and then enjoy their lunch under its shade on the side of the trail. I always said to myself 'baah, pansies! I don't need no stinking awning' lol but ultimately the rig is an expedition rig and it should have modern expedition things that make life easier and trips more enjoyable. Yes I'm now a pansy





So far it's met my expectations and I think it's something I'll enjoy on the trips.



Of course not everything's all rosey...on my drive home today my bimmer threw on its battery light. I thought, hmm bad alternator? then I thought some more and realized the battery in it is almost 6 years old already. So while I wasn't looking forward to spending more money on cars and motorcycles this month I started devising a plan in my head- hmm I'll just swap the unknown-condition battery from the Pathy into the bimmer and get a new, bigger battery for the Pathy. When life gives you lemons...

Of course not all good plans in life materialize; I got home, checked things out and sure enough it turned out to be the alternator The good thing about the BMW alternators is that they have a replaceable voltage regulator/brushes. So I took it apart and sure enough the brushes are used up. Hopefully that's about all it'll need...not looking to spend $400 on the alternator. It's also due for the smog check this month.



And when I removed the air-vent cover that keeps the alternator cool by drawing fresh air, this was what was hiding in there...yuck!

[Allof75]

Excellent modifications as usual!
How much does that awning weigh and exactly how long is it, at the Anza trip I realized I could really use one...
Also, how exactly are you planning on airing up the tires after you use that deflator?

And we have both ends of the German spectrum in my family- at one end, a '62 Air-cooled Veedub, which is the ultimate in simplicity. On the other, one of the last over-engineered Mercedes, which isn't always the most complex to deal with, but is so precision-oriented that simple parts can get expen$ive real quick. So I understand.

PS: I love the duct tape on the intake

[stioc]

Thanks Allof75!

The shipping weight was 50lbs but the round container it comes in is pretty hefty. I would guess that it weighs about 30lbs.

As for airing back up I've been using the Q-industries MV-50 for a while, it does ok. Other options were easily 3 to 4 times more costly. In my experience quick deflation is of more importance because others in the group are anxiously waiting to get on the trail.

Yeah I've been dragging this poor BMW around for years and it's been used hard with many redline bounces and track days. You don't see too many 1998 cars on the road these days and everytime it costs me money I think about getting rid of it but in the end I go why? it's paid for, easy to work on and most importantly it's so fun to drive. I'll just keep it until it quits one day and when it does I'd be so lost as to what to buy. I love BMWs but they can be like a super-model gf- high maintenance but you put up with it because it's worth it

PS: Yeah that duct tape solution has worked for the past 2 years. It's just an intake for the alternator...not the engine.

[stioc]

Just got back from our mini adventure in Joshua Tree, this day trip came about at the last min (despite the cold spell we're getting here in SoCal these days) so we had to make a mad dash to get the truck, food, clothing etc ready the night before. It's great fun changing oil at 9pm the night before . Well at least we got it all done and crashed for the night at midnight knowing we had to get up at 6am the next morning and hit the road at around 7am. We ran a bit late with getting bfast etc on the way but we made it to the Love's truck stop around 9:40am. We gassed up and entered Berdoo Canyon- I knew we were going in the right direction as we were greeted by the sounds of a large caliber semi auto. Both the gf and my 8yo were a bit uneasy, especially when we saw people target practicing literally 10ft from the canyon road. We quickly deflated the tires and decided to move along not wanting to be hit with some richocheted bullet. As we were defalting a newer F150 FX4 with Colorado plates went by us at a good clip. We caught up to them just a little bit down the trail where parts of the trail were washed out and we had to navigate around those areas.

Notice the road behind the rear tires that was washed away a few feet ahead requiring this move.


I tried a few tougher lines choosing to not take the bypass. For a couple of them both the 8yo and the gf asked to be let out of the car and offered to catch my potential demise on camera.



At this point we saw the F150 (the only truck we ever saw on this trail today) turn around and went back towards the highway. I wondered why? but soon afterwards we found out why. There was a section of the trail where you had to drive over some fairly large boulders that were in the way but with proper tire placement and 4WD it was no problem at all and we were treated to some fresh snow on the ground- granted it was a thin layer of it but I've never seen snow in JT so I thought it was pretty cool. It was also quite cold outside around 33degs but we were nice and cozy with the heater on inside.



We continued on down the trail for over an hr until the terrain became a more or less dirt road and an expanse area full of the stunning Joshua Trees! We had to take the obligatory pic of the truck along this trail



At this point we also decided to pull off and have lunch...just us making tracks behind us



I finally had a reason to try out my ARB awning



After lunch we continued on towards Squaw Tank but it was closed for restoration

We continued on down the washboard road to finally hit the end of the Geology Rd.



After a short break we drove on pavement a few miles down to Jumbo Rocks.



My 8yo didn't think the alloted 20mins was "enough time to scrabble in these cool rocks" - sorry pumpkin we're on a strict schedule today. By this time it was 1pm and we had about 35 miles of 30mph pavement to the next trail. We made it over to the visitor center tby 2pm to inquire if the conditions on the Pinkham trail would allow us to get on the 10fwy before dark? The guys immediately said "4wd, high clearance only..." I told him we just did the Berdoo canyon and he said "how was it there? if you're coming from Berdoo this is an easy trail, mostly sand". I asked if I should stay on Pinkham or take Thermal Canyon to the 10fwy? He said I could take either and that Thermal would put me closer towards home. But I didn't get the warm and fuzzy that he knew the offroad trails very well. Oh well, it's on the map we'll try it. So we meandered our way through Pinkham which initially just felt like a graded dirt road yet still offered some nice views and some tall Occitillos.



Looking back towards the Cottonwood mountains





At the fork we decided to head down towards Thermal canyon and see if the scenery changes a bit. After a few hundered feet the trail became quite rough, actually there was no trail left at one point only signs that it may have been there a long time ago. After we and bumped and bashed our way trying to follow the trail as per the GPS we found ourselves staring at a 40ft hill in front of us. We climbed up the hill on foot but didn't see a trail on the other side either so we made a 3 point turn and headed back to Pinkham canyon.



At this point I was starting to feel tired, actually everyone was and the second leg of Pinkham was much rougher than I'd imagined (based on the first leg). The daylight was starting to turn into more shadded areas on the ground. We finally made it to the point where we could see the cars on the freeway further in the distance. At this point we all got out to stretch, shift our internal organs to where they once used to be and even managed to take a few pics with the tall occitillos.



We air'd up and unlocked the hubs before getting on the 10fwy. All together we traveled 87 miles starting at the Love's gas station just outside of Berdoo Canyon to just before the 10fwy. Of the 87 miles 35 were on the park's tarmac the rest were trails. We did another 135miles home (one way) making it a tiring 7:30am to 7:30pm day but lots of fun!

[Allof75]

Wow, this is uncanny : I was in Joshua Tree this weekend too! Not only that but I ran Berdoo Canyon as well, at night though, as our boulder hopping and frequent stops on Geology Tour road (I was there with my class, the majority of whom drove sedans...) made us (my girlfriend and I) run a bit late. It was absolutely spectacular, and I haven't peered under the Pathy to check for damage, but I'm hoping the clunks I heard were just the skidplates. Anyway it was a hella good time! (If a bit cold) Glad to see you got to get out there too!

[stioc]

I found a grill guard off of a 96-99 Pathfinder, it's pretty hefty with 1/4" steel uprights and mounting brackets so I *think* it's made by WAAG (they make push bars for police cars). Unfortunately, it doesn't fit due to the bumper being bigger than the previous model years and will require getting custom brackets made. Before I do that I wanted to see how it would look on the truck and if it's worth it. Surprisingly it actually gives the truck a more finished look even though I'm not a big fan of these things.

[stioc]

Oh also, someone asked me about how I mounted the ARB awning, it's just with two angle brackets from Home Depot, pretty straight forward:

[mortonm]

looking good!

I am jealous of all the trails you have close, up here in Canada(especially southern ontario) we have a long drive followed by tones of mud/rocks and trees, or just plaid graded dirt roads

Also a little jealous of the pathfinder, I love my X but I get a little jealous every time I see an R50 rolling down the road, would love that 3.5! Makes think of yours and Allof75's trucks, well put together and functional.

[mortonm]

I found a grill guard off of a 96-99 Pathfinder, it's pretty hefty with 1/4" steel uprights and mounting brackets so I *think* it's made by WAAG (they make push bars for police cars). Unfortunately, it doesn't fit due to the bumper being bigger than the previous model years and will require getting custom brackets made. Before I do that I wanted to see how it would look on the truck and if it's worth it. Surprisingly it actually gives the truck a more finished look even though I'm not a big fan of these things.

that one looks quite a bit better and beefier than most

also looks like it would take the brunt of any approach angle miscalculations instead of your bumper cover

[stioc]

looking good!

I am jealous of all the trails you have close, up here in Canada(especially southern ontario) we have a long drive followed by tones of mud/rocks and trees, or just plaid graded dirt roads

Also a little jealous of the pathfinder, I love my X but I get a little jealous every time I see an R50 rolling down the road, would love that 3.5! Makes think of yours and Allof75's trucks, well put together and functional.

Haha, well being car guys we appreciate most cars and trucks for their positives, if I had the room I would have a fleet of cars that most people wouldn't look twice at. Good thing I don't have the room or the time or the funds...it's a blessing in disguise

The X's are very capable trucks offroad that's their main forte and the later ones got the 4.0L engine right? along with a nice updated interior too. Did you know they never sold the X's in Japan? They have something called the x-trail there which is like a Honda CRV's cousin.

that one looks quite a bit better and beefier than most

also looks like it would take the brunt of any approach angle miscalculations instead of your bumper cover

Exactly my thoughts, thanks.