Hello all, recently picked up a 02 Nissan frontier crew cab for cheap, unfortunately shortly after the trans began slipping really bad. It's off to the trans shop for diagnosis so we'll see where that takes me. Moving on, I'm looking to make my truck more trail worthy. I'm on a budget so no crazy suggestions please, but any help a better than none! Thanks in advance, hope to be out for a rip soon!
so this may sound a little like flaming,
but if you were thinking budget like "I'm only spending this much" ie 1500 then a newer platform will be very counter productive..
you can put a small lift together rather easily and yourself by adding a leaf to the rear spring pack and then changing your torsion bar angle up front, to raise your chassis.
your never gonna gain much and what you do gain will be coming out of your ifs's down travel. meaning your loosing the suspension equilibrium that was designed from factory.
another option, or you can smash both in is a body lift, I do not suggest going with 3" body lift as its gay and all your doing is lifting the body off the frame, usually to fit tires, now with tires for ever 2" larger tire you go up 1". my suggestion would be to ballance all three, in terms of tires look into how strong your axles are and where guys start breaing stuff and go one size smaller.
its a luxurious truck and I can see why you wanna build off it. but know that some things weren't designed to be lifted for bigger tires. or simply have a lack of aftermarket support.
I have no knowledge of the axle strength in these things or if it would really even be worth doing anything to this on "the cheep" as the cheep usually means took me 5 months to get the components together three days on a long weekend to ripp it appart to install new components only to find the aren't the right ones. and then it sits for the next two years..
if you want something your only gonna spend max 2gs on getting trail ready get a cheep cherokee (not a grand) or a tracker as they are cheep and you wont mind as much when you get into the trees.
i dont know what to tell yah, here are some links
http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/0407or-2002-nissan-frontier-crew-cab/
http://performancelifts.com/PA-2001-2004-Frontier-Crew-Cab-3-Body-Lift-K...
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/search/Body+Lift+Kit/02944/C0106.oap?y...
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ssc=1&_nkw=02+nissan+frontier+lift+kit
hres a good write up on body lift install
http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f26/my-3-body-lift-adventure-46082/
Thanks for the reply! and I didn;t take it as flaming. I completely realize having a newer truck is more costly, I sold a 1992 B2600i 4x4 to buy this truck. It was a single cab and as a daily driver it was alright and it was great off road but I couldnt get a sub in unless it sat in the passenger seat, no room to keep thing dry or room for any people, no weight for towing, I just needed something a little bigger. Im on a budget currently because of the trans, gonna be maxing the car out for that, but even besides that I dont plan on sinking 10k into my truck anytime soon. I'm looking to make her a little more rugged and reliable for wheeling on the weekend. From what I've read I figure I should put in a 2" body lift, crank the torsions, a couple new leafs, couple inch bigger tires and call it a day til I break it. I dont have the extra money right now but calmini makes a suspension lift for my truck for a grand, I think its a 2". I have a 1990 tracker 4x4 that Ive considered driving and setting up for wheeling but I cant afford to insure 2 vehicles and it needs a soft top to boot. Maybe I will end up going the tracker route If it really if that much cheaper, What kind of mods would you recommend? Thanks again for the advice!
I honstly think the frontier would look pretty sweet, but then its up to you and the direction you go. I personally threw any thought of a budget out the window along time ago... Found it was more of a hinderance. One thing is if you plan on bigger tires on an auto. Get a temp gauge on that trans. if it heats up get a cooler on it.
Honestly, I have a bias against trackers, lots of limmitations in areas like cargo area, performance, strength.... all the areas your concerned with. There just cheep when you cut the wheel wells to fit 31" tires, dont bother with lift in them or bigger than 31" tires as 33" will rub the body where the clutch pedal swings when turned hard over. but also that combo isnt exactly street legal. Which can turn into not so cheep. Unless it looks really good.
Personally I suggest doing your reaserch, becoming informed and make your own desitions. remember that being a 2002 finding others who have chopped and modded them will be tough. And information may be obscure at best. but if need be specs always tell the truth. you can use old tech and apply it to newer platforms like adjusting your front tortion bars and adding a spring for lift.
Be sure to do double duty when reaserching never go with what one source says at some people can overlook important steps.
Hope to see you on the trails
My thoughts about the tracker are pretty much the same but thanks for confirming for me, the second opinion helps. Thanks again.
I'll be looking for some new tires shortly, torsion and spring lift, and a small body lift if necessary. Hope yo see you on the trail soon too.
BTW your jeep looks great, and great posts!
Thanks man, Yah, Ive honestly gone a bit overboard ok way way overboard... And way too involved...It started with a budget I will let you know. Toy axles for <600 motor and trans for 200 the seats for 40 a whole other jeep for most the wireing for 200 a pcm to run it for 60. after comming up short on things that I bought cheep I said fuck it, buy what works And only piece by piece things togther when you know for certain that combo works .. I got lucky lots, like moving my axles forward and backward an inch respectivly, the tierod just clears the pitman arm and the diff in back just misses the gas tank. All luck and a little though.
But its a project i guess, just want it to be finnished but keep hitting hurdles and design flaws in stuff that I waht to eventually redo... Turning it into even longer of a project...
My only piece of usefull advice is keep it legal 100% .
Lift the drive train and flat belly it. Chop anything in the way of approach /departure angles. Stuff the biggest tire possible with stock height suspension. Add a rear locker and re-gear when you have spare $.