Ok, I'm bored and we have a new category to fill so I present to you the evolution of my X... callsign X-Ray 1:

Bonestock
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/Xterra006.jpg

PML and 2" BL
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/bodylift005.jpg

This is a close profile to see a good before and after shot:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/Xterra011.jpg
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/bodylift009.jpg

Compared to an '01 stock Pathy:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/bodylift002.jpg

The difference in the shifter heights after the BL:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/bodylift008.jpg

View of the trailer hitch after the BL:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/bodylift006.jpg

And my favorite poser shots thus far (PML only):
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Fort%20Bluff/FortBluff002.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Fort%20Bluff/FortBluff008.jpg

Now I have an ongoing thread where I can watch my baby grow up! :mocking: (Not quite as cool as pvfjr's but it will have to do)

Really though... thanks guys. I think this is a pretty good idea and will definitely help with XOTM nominees I think.

Glad you like it! Part of the site pimping that we are doing. I think this site might be the most active X site now.....possibly

i dont know how xoc and xf are doing i never go over there.. and swxc is still down due to domain problems.. so in my book we are the active one....

Awesome work Drake. I cannot believe how much different it looks with the 2" BL. It looks so much higher than that.

Keep it up!

Awesome work Drake. I cannot believe how much different it looks with the 2" BL. It looks so much higher than that.

Keep it up!

he also has the PML

Yeah maybe I should've added that part in. The 2 cliff shots were taken right after I did my PML. Plus in the first comparison shots you also are seeing mine bonestock with the steprails and mudflaps. With those removed it sorta gives the illusion of being much taller. But it's still a noticeable difference... especially to others. I just can't wait to burn up those friggin' tires so I can get 33's. Then it's on to armor.

I've seen several posts lately about guys wondering what their bonestock X can do. Thought I would post a few more pics of a couple of my wheeling trips back when mine was completely stock. Maybe it will give them a better idea. Keep in mind that the harder stuff I went through I couldn't get pics of because... well... you can't exactly park when you only have 3 wheels on the ground and facing downhill and just hop out and snap a pic. hahahaha

This is a shot on the Tennessee River near my house. The water was down so I thought I would do a little beachcombing.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Swan%20Creek%20WMA/testpics038.jpg

Prentice Cooper WMA near Chattanooga, TN.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Prentice%20WMA/DrakeCrossing2.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Prentice%20WMA/CoalCreek026.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Prentice%20WMA/CoalCreek022.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Prentice%20WMA/CoalCreek019.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Prentice%20WMA/CoalCreek018.jpg

Coal Creek OHV Park
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Coal%20Creek/CoalCreek057.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Coal%20Creek/CoalCreek055.jpg

That last pic shows one time that I was really worried about my X. I couldn't turn back and I just knew I was about to get stuck or tear something up. Luckily I did neither.

I've only been stuck once in all of my trips and I was being stupid when that happened. Don't try to cross a shallow river to get to a sandbar in 2WD... just a little FYI. :mocking:

Thanks for the insight...NICE pics as well....

There you are hey bro i love your ride it looks sick...

Nice ride... How did the BL go, any major issues? I wanna try and tackle that one in a few weeks.

Aside from the rear bumper, the install was pretty basic and straightforward. The rear bumper was a PITA on the reinstall though. Getting it trued up right and having to notch the lower part of the bumper to fit over the frame rails was an unexpected chore.

I also had to trim my tranny hump to be able to shift to 4-low but it wasn't a major issue. Only trimmed a 2" square piece out using a hacksaw and tin snips. Everything is working great now. It makes a lot more creaks and groans now but that's expected. It's nice riding high like that, especially when you park next to a stock X somewhere... you just get that "HAH! Mine's bigger than yours!" feeling. hahahaha

Aside from the rear bumper, the install was pretty basic and straightforward. The rear bumper was a PITA on the reinstall though. Getting it trued up right and having to notch the lower part of the bumper to fit over the frame rails was an unexpected chore.

I also had to trim my tranny hump to be able to shift to 4-low but it wasn't a major issue. Only trimmed a 2" square piece out using a hacksaw and tin snips. Everything is working great now. It makes a lot more creaks and groans now but that's expected. It's nice riding high like that, especially when you park next to a stock X somewhere... you just get that "HAH! Mine's bigger than yours!" feeling. hahahaha

one of my favorite things in the world

Ok... so today I'm washing the pollen off my X and giving it a really much deserved bath (Alabama red dirt is a bitch btw). My driveway looked like the Colorado River at flood stage.:hilarious:

It was going to be a couple of hours before I was meeting my buddies so I decided to ditch my brushguard. I've been wanting to do it for a while but wasn't sure what to do with my KC's or the brushguard itself once I took it off. I figured I'd cross that bridge when I got there. Anyways... here's the end result:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/NewFace002.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/NewFace001.jpg

The KC's were easy to remount. On the underneath side of the bumper there are 2 existing holes (I believe 5/16") that I drilled out to 1/2" to fit the KC mounts. Thanks to the new gap created by the 2" BL they fit nicely inside of the open area.

Next pic... the skid plates! F*** Yeah Dot com!

that is the same place dustin has his hellas... looks good drake

As long as you don't break them there, I KNOW that I would. I've got a problem with destroying license plates too, so I made the one on the X removable.

Yeah that's more or less a temporary set-up. My wheelin' days are gonna be on hold for a while until I can my auto-hub or whatever the hell is broke in the front end fixed. Once I have the cash, I'm picking up 2 more KC floods to go with those 2 spots and put them on a lightbar.

I've got rock shields for them but I didn't have them on for the pics. I've got to align the beams tonight and I'll cover them up after that.

Freakin Awesome Drake!!! I have a 2wd but that won't stop me. I'll invite someone with 4wd to pull me out when im stuck. lol

Ok, I'm bored and we have a new category to fill so I present to you the evolution of my X... callsign X-Ray 1:

Bonestock
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/Xterra006.jpg

PML and 2" BL
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/bodylift005.jpg

This is a close profile to see a good before and after shot:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/Xterra011.jpg
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/bodylift009.jpg

Compared to an '01 stock Pathy:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/bodylift002.jpg

The difference in the shifter heights after the BL:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/bodylift008.jpg

View of the trailer hitch after the BL:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/bodylift006.jpg

And my favorite poser shots thus far (PML only):
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Fort%20Bluff/FortBluff002.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/Fort%20Bluff/FortBluff008.jpg

Now I have an ongoing thread where I can watch my baby grow up! :mocking: (Not quite as cool as pvfjr's but it will have to do)

Really though... thanks guys. I think this is a pretty good idea and will definitely help with XOTM nominees I think.


NICE PHOTO MONTOJ....:thumbsup-big:Sweet!!!

Thanks!

This is an ongoing post. Everytime I do a mod, the pics will go here. Kind of like a history of my X. hahaha

Finally! I got 'em on! Now I see why it says you need a floor jack to install the engine/tranny skid. That mofo is heavy! For anyone who plans to add skids, make sure you have a friend to help AND a floor jack!

Anyhow, here's the end result:


http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/ShrockSkids001.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/ShrockSkids003.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/ShrockSkids004.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/ShrockSkids006.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/ShrockSkids011.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/ShrockSkids012.jpg

Drake... After looking at these again NICE!!!

Good photo work and nice crops.... Thanks for the notes!!

G.

Looks cool Drake!!

Thanks... those actually are not cropped. I don't have any type of photo editing software except for the Photostitch program that came with my camera. The camera gets the credit for the photos. I friggin' love it! It's nothing great but it does more than enough for me. It's a Canon S3 IS.

That looks really sharp. You figure out what you are gonna paint/stick on them skids yet?

Creepy C is working on a few ideas for me from some tatt art he has. I've narrowed it down to a tribal type samurai image or a nice n nasty skull and bones. Waiting to see what he comes up with because I bet it will be much cooler than what I've found so far.

SHE'S COMIN ALONG NICELY
pimp shiz man

Looking Nice!!!

Alright.....you have new tires, but not pics.....

WTF Drake....

I have all the reason in the world to call you out on that bro!;)

Alright... you got me. hahaha I'll get some tonight. The tires are nothing special. They are just my daily drivers with some decent tread for light-offroading (I recall saying that once before and we know how that turned out). I went from a 30.5 to a 32" tire. Got them from Big 10 for $615 and that included the alignment that fixed my clunk problems. They are some cheap-o's. Fusion XTI which are similar to the Bridgestone Dueler A/T's.

I'll get pics up tonight I promise. I'm slacking. lol

Here's a pic of the tires:
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/fuzion/fuzion_xti_tribaltattoo_ci2_l.jpg

We are looking forward to those pics.

Just picked up some aluminum box tubing from our warehouse here at work. Using it to fab up my lightbar. They were going to chunk it in the recycling dumpster so I snagged it. I'm hoping my little design works out as planned. It will be a "now you see 'em... now you don't" kinda thing. hahahaha

lol..i understand that whole thing but i like my top lights visible at all times..

Yeah I like the looks of a light bar but I'm making it "special" for wind resistance reasons. I'm probably going to go ahead and install it even though I don't have the lights yet. I'm still shopping around for those. I will probably go with KC again because I've already got two spots but I want two floods as well. Of course they came out with their new "slimlites" right after I bought mine. Those are the ones I wish I had gotten.

hey drake are you using the plans that i sent ya?????

I'm looking and considering them. I printed them out here at work and I'm going to see how intensive it is. I have a back-up plan and extra tubing if I screw it up. hahaha

it don't look to be that intense but a little tricky.. LOL i know you can pull it off... just make sure you take pics of the build...

Ok... here you go! Pics of the new shoes.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Newtires001.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Newtires004.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Newtires002.jpg

Like I said... nothing fancy. Just something to get me from point A to point B. Although I thought the tribal sidewall was pretty cool. The other side of the tire has a flame printed sidewall.

The tires are 265/70R/17 which puts it at just under a 32" if I'm not mistaken. Big upgrade from the 30.5's from before.

i like the side wall design as well.. looks good for a dd tire :)

just remember drake since you uped the size your speed is off now....

Just picked up some aluminum box tubing from our warehouse here at work. Using it to fab up my lightbar. They were going to chunk it in the recycling dumpster so I snagged it. I'm hoping my little design works out as planned. It will be a "now you see 'em... now you don't" kinda thing. hahahaha


Good score. Having the lights fold down will be handy if you have to go somewhere where height is a problem.

Tires look good. Let us know how they perform.

Well they're finally here! Hoping to install them by Saturday but for now... we'll just have to use our imaginations as to how they will look. I'm super-stoked to have something that is truly one of a kind on my X and I'm way impressed with the craftsmanship of Richard's work and welds. I think I just found my "go to guy" for my armor needs now. :)

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/slider001.jpg

View from front to back:
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/slider002.jpg

Close-up of the crossbar welds:
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/slider003.jpg

The rear kickout (helps protect rear fender and the sidewalls of the tires when in deep ruts and rocks):
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/slider004.jpg

The mounting plate welds:
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/slider005.jpg

Taking them to work tomorrow to use our paint booth and get them painted and a co-worker said he would weld them on so hopefully I can get him to do that too.

Dude those look friggin' sweet!

i like those Sliders. did Richard over on NOAS make those? I am going to his shop on Nov 8th to have him make me a rear tire carrier.

i like those Sliders. did Richard over on NOAS make those? I am going to his shop on Nov 8th to have him make me a rear tire carrier.

Yup, he did.

is it gona be just like chris'?

http://www.vaxc.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7809

yep just like that

Nice! how long will it take him?

those are beautiful!!! i love the way they look

Nice! how long will it take him?

Richard said he could do it in a day. I should get down there around noon and hoping to get out of there by 7ish

VERY nice ride bro! i might have to do one of these evolutions as well... :D

nice! where 'dem meats at???

Hopefully... on the way to my house. The paypal transaction finally cleared this morning so I'm hoping that the place shipped them out today. If so, there's a slight chance I could have them in time for Gray Rock this Sunday. But realistically... it will probably be Tuesday of next week before I get them.

And then the real fun begins... butt loads of bumper and fender trimming!

those look awesome! cant wait to see them on

congarts man.

Drake, those are lookin sexy! You painting them yourself?

Yep. Brought them to work with me today and I'm going to hang them in our paint booth and knock 'em out. Hopefully a co-worker can tack 'em on for me this afternoon too.

Lookin' good....cant wait to see it on your X!

Talked to my machine shop guys and they are going to be working Saturday morning and said if I bring it up here, they'll weld them on for me.

Now if my damn tires will just hurry up and get here! I'm not posting any pics of my latest mods until I can do a complete unveiling. It's going to be one hell of a transformation!

how much did them sliders cost ya?

Richard charges I think $350 per set plus shipping. Mine were $450 with the added kick-out and shipping.

He turned them out in 4 weeks and could have done them in 3 or less but was out of town two of the weekends.

The rig looks good man. Richard made me some sliders for my old 1st Gen. Pathy, and did fantastic work a few years ago. That was back when he still had that huge SAS 1st Gen Pathy on something ridiculous like 38s or whatever they were....that thing was sick. Isn't he driving a Yota now? He and I haven't talked in a couple of years now, so I kind of lost track with what he's got.

I like the sliders with the kick out that he made for your rig!

Hopefully... on the way to my house. The paypal transaction finally cleared this morning so I'm hoping that the place shipped them out today. If so, there's a slight chance I could have them in time for Gray Rock this Sunday. But realistically... it will probably be Tuesday of next week before I get them.

And then the real fun begins... butt loads of bumper and fender trimming!

I thought the BL and PML cleared the 33's just fine.....???

Typically just a 3" lift will fit 33s fine...but if you've got a stock front bumper, there's always some trimming that has to be done..and you'll rub a little on the rear fenders depending on your tire width and wheel backspacing/offset.

33x10.50s on stock Xterra wheels work fine as they flex up into the wheel wells in the rear and tuck right in, rather than hitting the lip.

He is correct. Just at normal stance, I've got quite a bit of the front bumper to trim and possibly a bit of metal inside the front fenders. Not sure about the rear yet. If I had a shrock front bumper, I'd only have to worry about the back of the inner front fender and the lip of the rear fenders.

Ahh I gotcha....post pics of the trimming if you can....I'd like to see how much triming has to be done....

Looking good!!!!

That was back when he still had that huge SAS 1st Gen Pathy on something ridiculous like 38s or whatever they were....that thing was sick. Isn't he driving a Yota now? He and I haven't talked in a couple of years now, so I kind of lost track with what he's got.

I like the sliders with the kick out that he made for your rig!

Thanks for the compliments.

You'll love this... Richard's latest project is a 2000 Frontier of which he is putting portal axles from a Unimog under it and was attempting to run a dual turbo off but couldn't get the fitment right so I think he's seeking another option in the powerplant department. I believe he is also adding an Atlas to it as well.

I don't guess you've seen Brian's (Houdini) frontier lately have you? I don't know how but his rig is gigantic now. They say Johnny used to have the biggest rig but Brian's is higher than it now.

Thanks for the compliments.

You'll love this... Richard's latest project is a 2000 Frontier of which he is putting portal axles from a Unimog under it and was attempting to run a dual turbo off but couldn't get the fitment right so I think he's seeking another option in the powerplant department. I believe he is also adding an Atlas to it as well.

I don't guess you've seen Brian's (Houdini) frontier lately have you? I don't know how but his rig is gigantic now. They say Johnny used to have the biggest rig but Brian's is higher than it now.

That's just crazy about Richard's new project, thanks for the update. That sounds like a "Richard" type rig for sure.

I have seen pics of Brian's red Fronty lately...it is flippin' sweet as hell now with the SAS. I still can't believe that thing used to be 2wd. I remember when Steve's (OutOWay) SAS Fronty was one of the bigger rigs around...I think now his looks pretty small too in comparison to the new crew ;) But, you know...it's all about how you wheel it...I think Johnny's X is pretty bad ass too...I don't know if I would have gone as crazy with it as he has...but it's still cool.

Stage 1 is complete of my mods and in half the time I had planned to accomplish it thanks to the mod bug. I had stage 1 scheduled over 2 years. I finished it in just over 12.

Here's what I started with:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h29/shiyaru/Xterra/Xterra006.jpg

And here is "X-Ray 2" as of today:
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1001.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1002.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1005.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1007.jpg

The new meats (33x12.50 Cooper STT's on 15x8 Cragar Black D's):
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1008.jpg

Profile shot of the new sliders and tires:
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1006.jpg

New sliders:
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1004.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1003.jpg

Light test flex:
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1013.jpg

Stuffed rear:
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/stage1014.jpg


I friggin' love this thing all over again!

Very nice bro!!!! Everything looks sweet! Say-"thank you Vegas!"

Hell yeah man...that X is looking good!

nice nice nice! i didnt know your x was silver when i looked at how u painted your plastics black guess ill be paintin mine black too. how long did that take?

great lookin rig you got there...

nice nice nice! i didnt know your x was silver when i looked at how u painted your plastics black guess ill be paintin mine black too. how long did that take?

I think it took me the better part of a Saturday to do all the plastics including the wind fairing. That's disassembly, prep-work, paint and reassembly.

Thanks for the compliments. Bad news is... I've built my rig to the point where there is absolutely no challenge for it nearby. I've got to take it to an off-road park now to find out it's limits. This is the first set of M/T's I've had and holy cow man... the grip is insane! The tires are noisy but they ride really well even at 38psi on the road. I'll air them down to around 12 psi on the trails though.

Still have a few rubbing spots in the front when I stuff a tire but mainly trimming the lip off the plastic fender corner behind the wheel and removing the bumper piece behind the foglights and trimming the corners of the bumper and I'm clearing them rather well. Don't appear to have any issues in the rear but I also haven't maxed out my flex yet either.

In the past week I've added SLR uca's, Bilsteins in the front, Calmini TRA's, welded on the sliders and added 33's. That's one heck of a transformation. :)

And yes... 4 hours of blackjack in Vegas funded a lot of this. hahaha

looks awesome drake
that blackjack story is even more awesome! LOL

Looks awesome man!

damn dude....that thing is looking sweet. the sliders are awesome, and the stance with the new uca's, wheels and tires is killer. very nice work indeed

Dude drake ur X looks amazing!

Sweet, that's a bad ass X you got there.

Looks insane man.. Remember to always ride safe. Tires that grip can get you into alot of trouble. Know your limits, and spend the $1.50 and get yourself another lugnut man. :)

Do you have the stock length shocks or the ones that AC sell's for a 3" lift?

Typically just a 3" lift will fit 33s fine...but if you've got a stock front bumper, there's always some trimming that has to be done..and you'll rub a little on the rear fenders depending on your tire width and wheel backspacing/offset.

33x10.50s on stock Xterra wheels work fine as they flex up into the wheel wells in the rear and tuck right in, rather than hitting the lip.

When I had my 3" SL and 32's I had to do a little trimming. then when I got my 2" BL & 33x12.5 still had to trim some...it is still rubbing at full lock..will have to look at it some more when we are your house Dave next month.

When I had my 3" SL and 32's I had to do a little trimming. then when I got my 2" BL & 33x12.5 still had to trim some...it is still rubbing at full lock..will have to look at it some more when we are your house Dave next month.

With 32s and a 3" SL on an Xterra, there should have been absolutely no trimming involved...then again, I've heard differences between 2000-2001 models and 2002-2004 models as far as what works exactly right when it comes to 32s..What did you have to trim? You shouldn't have to do any trimming if you get the right tire and wheel backspacing....then again, a 12.50 and a 10.50 are two different animals.

MeCarp (from VAXC, don't know if you remember him or not, but he's got the silver '01, lifted with an ARB..he was at Shoe Creek with us once when I first got the black Xterra)..anyways, all he had was a 3" SL, with 33x10.50s..and he even had stock Xterra alloys and had to do no trimming....but as stated earlier, his tires because of the narrow width and the fact that he had about 5.25" backspacing on stock wheels meant he could flex the rear right up into the wheel wells and they wouldn't rub. But, the rubbing at full lock makes sense with 12.50s unless you have something like 4" bs, or 3.75" bs...you have 4.50" correct? You could always adjust your steering stops if you can't figure it out...what do you think it's rubbing on? The UCA or something else?

Even when you do a body lift, it's not going to stop them from rubbing at full lock if it is indeed hitting the UCA...the body lift doesn't make those go anywhere as you know. But yeah, when you're down here next month for the mod day; check out the 33x10.50s I'll have on the Xterra...I have a spare 33x10.50 MT you can put on your rig and see if that's what the issue is with your 12.50s...you can mount it up after we do your bearings and test it out turning it full lock...see if it still rubs. (then you'd have to sell those new 12.50s for a new set of 10.50s :mocking: ) lol.

Keep in mind, you also have MTs, not ATs. With those meatier lugs, you may be hitting parts of the rear of the front wheel wells that people with ATs wouldn't have to worry about, and the same for the rear when flexing...there are parts you're going to rub that people with ATs just won't touch. MeCarp has the 33x10.50 BFG ATs.

Weird.

part of the corner near the front door
i don't understand...

part of the corner near the front door
i don't understand...

That bottom corner where your mudflap used to attach to? Well, with a 2001 model, and 33" MTs, then that makes sense. Looking back through some old stuff; the 2000 and 2001 models were a little different when it came to that part of the front fender well than the 2002-2004 models....although you shouldn't have had to trim any more than that spot, and even then; you didn't have to trim that much did you?

You and your damn MTs lol.

That bottom corner where your mudflap used to attach to? Well, with a 2001 model, and 33" MTs, then that makes sense. Looking back through some old stuff; the 2000 and 2001 models were a little different when it came to that part of the front fender well than the 2002-2004 models....although you shouldn't have had to trim any more than that spot, and even then; you didn't have to trim that much did you?

You and your damn MTs lol.

yea that is the spot. would adjusting the t-bar some more would that help?
I didn't trip too much..but I do need to trim a touch more on the pass. side.

yea that's right me and my damn MTs...love them!!!

yea that is the spot. would adjusting the t-bar some more would that help?
I didn't trip too much..but I do need to trim a touch more on the pass. side.

yea that's right me and my damn MTs...love them!!!

I don't think the t-bar adjustment would make much of a difference at this point...just trim a little more and be done with it.

Then, get the 35s and trim a HELL of a lot more

update on stage 2 progress, since stage 1 was completed 2 years ago today?

LMAO! Yeah man I know. I've been slacking big time. I'm still figuring out the direction I want to take it. Right now, my mind seems made up on crawler gears and a locker and hopefully one of those will be taken care of this spring. Everything else I've put on hold for the time being. I've got lights, light bar and some other little things just sitting in storage until I can get the time and feel like installing them. Just never do.

I've been more focused on breaking stuff than adding more stuff to break. ;)

I know w/ the rear locker Drake...I am trying even harder trails and having more fun. Once I get the AC crawler gears installed this Feb I will try even harder stuff and have lots more fun :D

The more mods I have added to my X the trails I have been doing for the last 3 years or so have gotten easier and easier :)

Yeah I know what you mean. Just adding skids and M/T tread took the fun out of a lot of trails I used to run. Now I don't have to focus so much on line selection because I can just slide right over the stuff I used to avoid and I have the grip to keep it pointed where I want to go.

I was seriously considering going SAS with the Calmini kit next spring but then I started noticing some junkers in my area that I feel would be much easier on my wallet and mind. Found a nice old International Scout with D44's front and rear with ugly beat up body panels and I'm on the lookout for a REAL FJ in the '70's range to make a true trailer queen out of. But both of these I've put waaaaay down the list. I'm definitely keep my X with IFS because I want to be able to still do my road trips out west in semi-comfort adn stability. I'm buying a solid-axle junker I can get on the trails and bash the s*** out of with no remorse.

another hing I have seen is guys w/ front and/or rear ARB lockers & Crawler gears can go about any where the SAS guys do. Now yes the SAS rigs do the trails a little easier but hell you can save your self $5K or more and stay IFS and still have fun on the trails. This is why I will be staying IFS...at some point would want a tow rig & a trailer. Then I would just have to worry about getting back to the parking lot and not all the way home...which could be 3 or more hours away.

Yeah I know what you mean. Just adding skids and M/T tread took the fun out of a lot of trails I used to run. Now I don't have to focus so much on line selection because I can just slide right over the stuff I used to avoid and I have the grip to keep it pointed where I want to go.

I was seriously considering going SAS with the Calmini kit next spring but then I started noticing some junkers in my area that I feel would be much easier on my wallet and mind. Found a nice old International Scout with D44's front and rear with ugly beat up body panels and I'm on the lookout for a REAL FJ in the '70's range to make a true trailer queen out of. But both of these I've put waaaaay down the list. I'm definitely keep my X with IFS because I want to be able to still do my road trips out west in semi-comfort adn stability. I'm buying a solid-axle junker I can get on the trails and bash the s*** out of with no remorse.

Well...then i think either your going to be happy. I wish i had a Scout. Or even a K5 blazer.

hi man,

ive been browsing this website for well over 6 months now, and started an account a few months ago maybe. Just checking through your build thread and i love your X man. so nice.

I already ordered my cragar soft 8s, but im debating on BFG AT KO or Cooper STT in 32x11.5x15.... im just worried about the Cooper's life span and their noise on road.

How do you find them so far? Do you daily drive your rig as well???

cheers,
Nick

Yes my X is my DD. I can't really tell you anything about the STT treadlife unfortunately. I run 2 sets of wheels. My STT's are on my Black D's and are a trail-only tire. I have some street shoes on my OEM 17" wheels that I drive daily. If you want to just run one set of wheels/tires and it's your DD, then I'd definitely go with the BFG AT's. They are good off-road and have good on-road manners with low-noise. My buddy has a set on his pathy and he gets over 50K a set and he drives like a maniac. lol I've heard of people getting 80K on a set. The STT's are excellent off-road and actually are quite comfortable on the road but they are LOUD. Softer tread compound so I would say that at best they might be a 40K tire if driven regularly on the road.

Thanks for the compliments by the way. Hopefully starting next year I can get some new builds started and revive this thread.

I say for DD tires go with Nokian Vatiiva MTs. By far my favorite. Quite as can be on road yet wicked sweet off road. Little pricey...but some of the best tires you can buy IMO.

http://www.badboytires.com/images/products/061708183704s.jpg

Hey Drake How is the Prentice Cooper trails? I had some one say they were nice...

Most of them are only fire roads with a lot of puddles but there is one good trail that is a lot of fun. It has a creek crossing (can be deep after rains) and a nice staircase. I can't remember the name of the "road" but I'll dig around and see if I can find it.

Thanks man!

It's Haley Road. Here's a link to a brief description:

http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/mtnbike/pcooper.html

And my last trip report when I was there:

http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5145&highlight=prentice+cooper

It's Haley Road. Here's a link to a brief description:

http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/mtnbike/pcooper.html

And my last trip report when I was there:

http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5145&highlight=prentice+cooper This last link takes ya to CC

Yeah but Prentice Cooper pics is in that thread also too. Mostly posted by Daniel.

Here's a quick tour. lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViXVB1GOsFQ

Is that beastie boys i hear...lol

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, DROP!! :D

No sleep till Brooklyn!

Hah! I think I ran through Paul's Boutique and License to Ill on the trails that day.

Drake, What did you end up trimming on your truck with the 4.75 BS and the 33x12.50s?

I like my sugar with coffee and cream

Drake, What did you end up trimming on your truck with the 4.75 BS and the 33x12.50s?

With 2" body lift and PML, I cut off EVERYTHING. The plastic fender corners behind the wheels were shaved all the way up to the rocker panels and I still get rubbing at close to full lock if my suspension is flexed. I need to hammer in the area around the pinch seam in order to fully clear them. For the front bumper, I removed the plastic square behind the foglights and I had to cut a good part of the bumper on the inside to clear them.

One thing you HAVE to keep in mind is the ACTUAL tire size NOT the size stamped on the tire. Mine are 32.8 x 12.09 but listed as a 33x12.50. Splitting hairs I know but consider that the TSL is listed as a 33" tire and it's actually 33.7". This is one reason why you get so many mixed opinions on how much trimming is actually needed.

Mien are 32.5''. So you think if I just cut all the plastic back and the pinch seam with a rubber mallet i'll be ok?

Basically what I did was trim as I went. With a good sharp knife (especially one with a serrated blade; I had my trusty benchmade), you can shave the plastics like butter if you don't try to cut too much at once. In the driveway, cut the wheels full lock both directions and trim until it clears. Then when I was wheeling and I heard a tire rub, I'd just hop out and trim another sliver off. It's pretty much a safe bet that you'll trim off the whole lip of that plastic behind the wheel. As for the pinch seam... some guys didn't have to touch it and some took a sawzall to it (in an extreme case).

I cut most of my plastics off and hammered the shit out of my metal back about 1/4" to 1/2" inches to clear my KM2s....PITA if you ask me.

I used dremel to trim the plastics....worked well but it melts the plastic FAST!

Is there any difference in the fender on the 1st gen and the 1.5 gen? Because from the sounds of it all you had to do drake was trim plastic. But Chad (munkman) trimmed metal as well and he has the same set up as you. Kinda weird.

I think there are some slight differences that may affect a very small amount of trimming. I think it mainly has to do with the design of the plastic behind the wheel but as far as the actual body goes, I believe the fenders and well are very similar if not the same.

All I've done is trim plastic and for daily driving they clear ok but when the suspension is flexed I will get considerable rub depending on how deep I stuff a tire. As Stevin mentioned, hammering in the area above the pinch seam in the well should give you the clearance you need.

So I hate semi-necroposting, but what make is the brush guard on your X when it was "bonestock" (or you may still have it.. didn't get to look through the whole thread) Looking to get one similar, because some of the ones I have seen dont seem to be made specifically for Xterras, and look funny or are oddly proportioned. Thanks

Dug around in my storage building and finally decided to knock out a project that's been shelved for a long time now.

Started with a trip to Lowe's where I picked up a 4' piece of galvanized 14ga steel angle stock. This is my reinforcement piece to go along with the factory roofrack crossmember.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/IMG_1904.jpg

I cut the angle stock to length and it's slid inside of the crossmember. I used quick-grip clamps to hold it in place until I had drilled out the stock for the lights and then the light mounts actually hold the bar stock in place.

After a whole lot of measuring and arithmetic, I came up with my spacing for the lights and drilled out the crossmember. The end result is (2) 3/8" holes for the hella 500's and (2) 1/2" holes for the KC Daylighters. On the bottom side, using a 1 1/4" boring bit, I drilled out access holes to tighten the lights to the bar.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/IMG_1905.jpg

And Wa La!

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/IMG_1906.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/IMG_1907.jpg

View of the access holes as it is mounted:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/IMG_1908.jpg


Unfortunately, I've run out of daylight so I've got to wait to get them wired up. Hopefully I can knock that out before the end of the week.

Looking good! I really like that!

very cool!

That should stiffen it up alot... coool

Lookin good Drake

You should paint the covers of the lights black!

That's a good idea! I know I'm going to do something with them. The yellow for one thing just doesn't fit but I also can't stand having the mix-matched covers. lol

I've got a few more tweaks to do to it still along with wiring it all up. I'm thinking I'm going to get a lot of whistling from those access holes but I can get some grommet covers that should fit nicely to plug that up.

why use the different types pf lights?

The KC's are 100W spot beams and the hellas are a 55W driving beam. The KC's are meant for long distance lighting and should only be used if leading a group or alone. Running a beam like that in a group will blind the person in front of you. The beams are too intense to run full-time. The hellas are a lower wattage light and meant more for short distance and wide coverage. I run them on two different switches for this reason.

That looks cool drake! Good job!

I used rubber grommets when I drilled in the the side bars for my wiring sealed it right up
X2 on the painting them black!!!! Looking good man!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Drake-Off-Road-Racing-Decals-Sticker-Truck-CrashDaddy_W0QQitemZ300390539740QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_100?hash=item45f0abe1dc

Hah! I'm so getting one of those! Thanks Dave!

A quick update on my lightbar, I took Kuma's suggestion and did a little painting. I only painted the yellow KC covers and left the Hellas as is. It looks REALLY good. Even with the Hella covers, it has a good color theme going. If it ever stops raining here, I'll get some updated pics. Hoping to clean up my wiring and finish troubleshooting the issue I was having as well.

man Drake,, very nice Xterra,, have seen a lot of your posts but this is the fist time I go though your build thread... I really like the shrockwork skids.... i looked them up and they have price listed as $109... seems well priced... i like.

Thanks man! I lucked into a deal on those skids. A guy had bought them but his xterra got totalled before he could install them and he made me a good deal I couldn't pass up. I've saved a lot of money by being patient and watching classifieds and ebay. Including tires along with all of my other components, I've probably saved well over $700compared to buying everything straight from AC and Shrock. Now if I can just find somebody getting rid of a locker. lol

The bar looks good! I'm with you I still need to wire up my lights on the light bar. I think I'm going to get the rock guards instead of putting the covers on. I'm not diggin the yellow covers either...

It's almost a definite that this Sunday I will be picking up a little sumpin' sumpin' for X-Ray 2. It's something I've been wanting ever since I first saw it. It's a one of a kind too. Once I seal the deal and pick it up, you guys will be the first to know (except for the facebook folks... you guys keep your mouths shut!!! :))

Update: It's a done deal but it will be next Saturday before I can pick it up. One week won't kill me especially for the deal I'm getting on this. I'm friggin' stoked!!!

BTW... anybody got some recommendations on winches and synthetic lines? ;)

Is it a cat? :D

Nope... but it might hit a few. ;)

Sounds like somebody's getting a bumper....

its a bumper dumper (http://www.bumperdumper.com/)

its a bumper dumper (http://www.bumperdumper.com/)
hahaha!!!

I know.. Its a cat bat!! Right??

A pooper scooper?

Ok ok... here:

http://www.noas4x4club.com/photos/albums/200610URE/normal_URE06_009.jpg

I've been trying to get him to do this same bumper for me for a long time now. Unfortunately due to some bad circumstances on his part, he's now selling the bumper to me. Hooray me but I hate to take advantage of a situation like he is in. I pick it up next weekend and hopefully by the end of the month I will have it mounted. I've got to do a small mod to my frame horns or either fab up some brackets to mount it and get it at the right level to the body.

i know that one

http://www.kenmtnac.com/sitebuilder/images/14b-390x250.jpg

http://www.kenmtnac.com/

Yep. At least this way, by getting it from him I know the fabwork won't be shoddy like some of the other KMA stuff they put out back then and possibly still. I may add a few tweaks to it myself once I get it. I'm just amped to get it and check off one more thing on my mod list and save a lot of coin in the process.

Aww man you should have saved it..... :D

Yeah I know... couldn't resist it anymore. I'm ready to get this thing on and bash some rocks! lol

That is nice! Can't wait to see it on the X!

Leaving right now to go get this bad boy mounted. If I don't get pics of the install, of course I'll have pics of the finished product. Hoping this doesn't turn into a full day affair. I'm cutting and modifying my frame horns to increase my approach angle along with installing the bumper. Busy busy day!

RIGHT on man.... Cant wait to see it

good luck man that things gonna look hella sick on the x !!!!!!!!!!

FAIL!

Well sorta... fail for the day but thankfully not a total fail. Had the bumper mocked up and in place only to decide I want to add something to the frame to beef up the mount. It looked awesome but I need to add in a spacer to the front of the frame horns to securely hold it to the frame. Hopefully will have that spacer machined early next week and be ready to finish it next weekend.

Now I'm going to go take a hand full of aleve because I'm sore as hell. That is one heavy ass bumper!

Man... that sucks.. Oh well you have seen it on.. :D

Man now I gotta wait till next weekend to see it! lol

Hurry up man! I wanna see this!

whats funny is that when one of us x owners gets something completely different and custom we all want it and want to see it !!!!

It is going on this weekend even if we have to weld the damn thing to the frame. lol

I've got a machine shop doing my custom shims for it but it's real iffy on whether or not they finish in time. Cool thing is that if they don't get them done by this afternoon, they aren't going to charge me since this is a one shot deal. Without the shims, it's getting welded on. Might as well because I don't plan on doing anything with the bumper until I SAS and all bets are off as to what I'll start torching when I do that. lol

NICE! :D Going to look balls out! Maybe old Drake will get a nom for X of the Month now!

After 13 hours of cutting, grinding, welding, drilling and painting it is finally finished. Operation Facelift is complete. So without further ado... I give you the new face of X-Ray 2.

Saturday 0900 hours:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1915.jpg

Sunday 1630 hours:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1918.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1919.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1920.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1921.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1922.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1923.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1924.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1925.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1926.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1927.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1928.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1929.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1930.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1931.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1932.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1933.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1936.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1937.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1938.jpg

Damn, that look's awesome Drake! Can not wait to see it up close this Saturday.

Wow.... I'm spent. I was trying to save myself for my wife, but I couldn't control myself.

looks good drake... how come the 33"s are on? I thought you normallye stock ones on kept th

looks good drake... how come the 33"s are on? I thought you normallye stock ones on kept th

Whaaaa? lol

the paint threw me off at first. Made it seem like a really odd angle. But then I realized it was the paint. Looks nice!

Luke? Trouble words order right in getting I have? :mocking: Or did it just leave you speechless. lol

Oh and my street tires are toast. I'm moving in a couple of weeks and I will only be 3 miles from my office so I'm not even going to bother swapping anymore unless I do a major road trip that doesn't involve wheeling.

lol thats what I get for not proof reading... My keyboard is a little messed up.... HAHA See you next weekend!

Nice Drake. :thumbsup-big:

Looks great!

that is seriously sexy

what did you have to modify on the truck/frame to bolt/weld it up?

is the diamond plate different colors or is it just the light?

that is seriously sexy

what did you have to modify on the truck/frame to bolt/weld it up?

is the diamond plate different colors or is it just the light?

It is different colors. It was the same paint scheme Nate did and I liked it because it breaks up the lines. The color transition follows the seam of the plate covering the tube skeleton.

In order to fit it, we cut and rewelded the front mounting tabs at a different angle since Nate's frontier had a 3" body lift and modified frame horns. We tried that method last weekend but we couldn't get it to clear the grill so we put the frame horns back to stock angle. I also reinforced the front mounts of the frame horns with 5/16" plate (welded). Then we trimmed off quite a bit of excess off of the side mounts. All bolt-on now with 1/2"-13 Grade 8 bolts.

I've got two more plans to add to it. The first is taking my factory fog lights from my stock bumper and mounting them inside of the plate facing the front wheels to use as rock lights and then I'm going to see if I can't mold the plastic that holds the blinkers on the side of the factory bumper to fit into the opening on the side of the bumpers.

But for now I'm really happy with it. Counting the trial and error day from the first day and then the actual install Saturday, it was about 12 hours on the install and then I spent right at 7 hours Sunday just painting it. It is done in semi-gloss black and metallic aluminum.

Thanks for the comps guys! :)

That bumper looks bad ass! You are making us all want one...lol

Bette get those KCs back on... :D What happened to your light bar? I dont see any roof lights

Took them off. Now that I have tabs on the bumper for lights, I'm going to change it up a bit. My KC's won't fit on the bumper but my Hellas will. Will probably pick up a couple of KC floods to go on the lightbar with the KC spot lights. Until I do it will be sans lightbar. :)

Looks good Drake.

Sweet !!

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1918.jpg

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa193/yeuki/Keyzlikesthis2.jpg

wow im speachless

Drake your bumper looks so badass!

Definitely one of the best bumpers I've ever seen... Very cool!

Thanks bro! That means a lot coming from a dude with an X like yours. :D

Damn it looks mean! Awesome...

damn bumper looks good drake!

Awesome bumper man.

drake great build! out of curiosity... why is the rear molding over the rear driver side tire well missing... all the others are on... the only reason I ask is because I took the headlight bezel idea from you because it looks awesome (thanks!) and I was looking real close at your pics lol

thanks!

Great bumper

Drake is the diamond plate on your bumper bent or welded at that angle... where the paint changes to be more specific?

Can you post some more close up pics please?

WOW Man, that bumper looks sharp!!!!!... hmm wait a minute :D ...


...


http://static.seton.net.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/S7257.jpg


:D


Yeah, that's the sign you should put on her :D

drake great build! out of curiosity... why is the rear molding over the rear driver side tire well missing... all the others are on... the only reason I ask is because I took the headlight bezel idea from you because it looks awesome (thanks!) and I was looking real close at your pics lol

thanks!

About a month after getting my X I hit a small oak tree on a trail. It peeled that plastic piece completely off and knocked a little dent and a butt load of scratches on it. :D

Drake is the diamond plate on your bumper bent or welded at that angle... where the paint changes to be more specific?

Can you post some more close up pics please?

It is welded at the angles. I'll try and get some closeups of it and the tube skeleton behind it if I can on my lunch break.

Drake is the diamond plate on your bumper bent or welded at that angle... where the paint changes to be more specific?

Can you post some more close up pics please?

Hadn't gotten any pics yet (obviously). My camera is officially dead :( That was my favorite camera too. Anyways, I was wrong. The main front plating on the bumper is bent at the angles and not welded. The only individual plate pieces are on top of the bumper.

I'll try and get some close-up shots when I can. I have a camera at my office if I can just remember to bring it home one day.

Holy shnizzle! I got teary eyed lookin at those pics, I mean...my baby can do that? WOW. thanks for the inspiration.

Dude thats just... makes me speechless ! Awesome X

Thanks guys!

Whats up "Breezy"

Yeah, what's hangin Drake? Hows the draft look?

Hope you dont have any brown nosers

All is good. Glad today wasn't a "commando" day. Might get fired. If anyone says something I'll just ask them why they were looking at my ass and threaten sexual harassment. :hilarious:

just looked through your whole build, definitely an inspiration to what I would like to do when I get home.

Just a few small updates:

Wired up my Hellas to the factory foglight harness and now I can flip them on and off on the stalk. I still have the wiring ready to hook to the battery and it is already run through to the cab to a switch from when I had them mounted on the roof which I will use when I pick up another set and I can have a spare harness if a relay or something craps out.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/Stickers029.jpg

Also picked up a couple of nice little trinkets at work to use as my hi-lift jack mount on my roof rack:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/BauartClamps001.jpghttp://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/BauartClamps002.jpg

These are Bauart cell clamps from Milos Truss. I use these for mounting theatrical lights to truss structures and other tubing. This specific model is made of high-tensile aluminum alloy with a 500KG clamp strength (SWL). Pretty much, my roof rack will tear off of my X before these clamps will give way. :D

I won't mount my hi-lift until I'm ready to actually use it. I don't have a cable lock to secure the jack from theft yet. Coming soon though. :)

I also have another variation of these cell clamps that are duals and swivel. I'll be using them for a shovel mount on the opposite side.

I guess my job has a few more perks I just didn't think about before. :D

Nice. :)

My Hi-Lift lives on the floor of the rear seat area....I really need to find some place to mount that thing.

Nice. :)

My Hi-Lift lives on the floor of the rear seat area....I really need to find some place to mount that thing.

Chauvet makes a lighter capacity one. Google "truss clamps" and you'll find all sorts (even black anodized). Any that specify they work on 2" truss will fit around our racks (ours are 2 1/4" iirc). I've already test fit them on mine and they do work. I'll go put one on now and take a pic.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=truss+clamps&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=8vD&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&biw=1440&bih=716&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=18044519850580306408&ei=jepNTc2jKcP6lwfgxsT7Dw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CIoBEPMCMAk#

Here is the clamp as it is going to be mounted:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/BauartClamps.jpg


I also find it very funny that I work in a building where I can drive through the building and park right outside of my office door. :D

Nice! The lights look good. I like those clamps...

I've been working with those clamps for like 7 years total and it never once dawned on me that I could have been using them on my roof rack the whole time. lol

And I think they look way cooler than the $70 tube clamps that are "made for the hi-lift":
http://www.quadratec.com/Assets/Images/112093/112093-add1-lg.jpg

Dont be doggin Jeeps :D

Just dogging the accessories.... this time. ;)

Chauvet makes a lighter capacity one. Google "truss clamps" and you'll find all sorts (even black anodized). Any that specify they work on 2" truss will fit around our racks (ours are 2 1/4" iirc). I've already test fit them on mine and they do work. I'll go put one on now and take a pic.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=truss+clamps&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=8vD&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&biw=1440&bih=716&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=18044519850580306408&ei=jepNTc2jKcP6lwfgxsT7Dw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CIoBEPMCMAk#

Here is the clamp as it is going to be mounted:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/BauartClamps.jpg


I also find it very funny that I work in a building where I can drive through the building and park right outside of my office door. :D


Sweet idea! And on the cheap, gonna be using those rather than drilling through the rack to mount some bolts

Nice!

Also, how many miles do you anticipate you'll get from your Coopers?

Nice!

Also, how many miles do you anticipate you'll get from your Coopers?

Hard to say because I swapped them with road tires for several months but so far I think I've got around 20-25K on them and three of them are 60-70% tread left. One I had driven on for a while with a busted centerlink so it wore down much faster.

That's impressive! Sounds better than a typical M/T?

That's impressive! Sounds better than a typical M/T?

I am almost positive these are the tires i'm getting...

Judging by the wear on mine, I'd say that you could get 40K out of a set if you kept them rotated and inflated properly. They are noisy as hell and will vibrate the cab when you are slowing to a stop but mine balanced really well. They ride even better than the A/T's I had on the highways. Smooth as glass with a low grumbling drone of tread slap. :D

Just an update on my hi-lift mount. I haven't snapped any pics of it yet but it is absolutely rock freaking solid. I was worried they might slip on the rack or that I would have to really crank the clamp down almost crushing the rack tube to get it to hold. Had to do neither. Just a good snug turn of a wrench and it isn't budging.

For somebody interested in a jack mount on their roof rack, definitely search around on that link I provided above and get a set of these. I've been extremely pleased with it.

I'll get pics as soon as I can.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/Hi-LiftMount003.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/Hi-LiftMount002.jpg

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/Hi-LiftMount005.jpg

Nice!

hey couple questions. I know you have the slr econo arms up front but what are you running in your rear suspension? Also when you wired the hellas to your stock fog light stalk. How did you do that? just wire it up to the stock wiring or did you run relays?

All I run in the back are the AC lift shackles. I didn't want to go with an AAL set up and kill my ride quality and limit the flex. I will go to a full 3" lift when I can afford a set of Alcan custom leaf packs. Got many more things on the list ahead of that though. :)

For the lighting, any light that is 55W is a direct swap for the factory fog lights so there was no need to add in relays since the factory harness/fuses are adequate for the draw. I just cut the connectors off of the factory wiring and spliced them direct to the Hellas. Took about 20 minutes. Super easy and I was quite surprised and how well those 55W Hellas light up the area without being on the roof. I don't even run my brights anymore. I just flip the stalk switch for the Hellas and I literally get double the visibility.

All I run in the back are the AC lift shackles. I didn't want to go with an AAL set up and kill my ride quality and limit the flex. I will go to a full 3" lift when I can afford a set of Alcan custom leaf packs. Got many more things on the list ahead of that though. :)

For the lighting, any light that is 55W is a direct swap for the factory fog lights so there was no need to add in relays since the factory harness/fuses are adequate for the draw. I just cut the connectors off of the factory wiring and spliced them direct to the Hellas. Took about 20 minutes. Super easy and I was quite surprised and how well those 55W Hellas light up the area without being on the roof. I don't even run my brights anymore. I just flip the stalk switch for the Hellas and I literally get double the visibility.

So it looks like your pretty high. Are you level or do you still have the factory rake? And if your level did any negative consequences happen like decreased mpgs or worse handeling?

Also i thought the fogs were rated at 35w? Are you sure its safe to run 55w? And how long have you been running that setup?

I kept the 1" rake. In those recent pics, my X is parked on a slight grade so it does appear to be sitting high in the front. Didn't have any changes in handling until I added the heavy front bumper and it really only affects braking and start off but not so much in the way of cornering. The biggest killer of mpg's was the 33's but as far as suspension mods, they had little to no affect.

I had talked with TJTJ pretty extensively about the fog light wiring and I can't remember exactly but either the factory fogs in the '02-'04 models were 55W or the capacity was capable of handling a 55W. I've been running this setup since early February if not late January. I run the lights every weekend consistently up to a couple of hours each Friday and Saturday night because my weekend driving consists of a lot of windy, 2-lane country roads with lots of wildlife and the wires have not felt warm and I've had no electrical issues so far and nothing appears to be adversely affected.

I kept the 1" rake. In those recent pics, my X is parked on a slight grade so it does appear to be sitting high in the front. Didn't have any changes in handling until I added the heavy front bumper and it really only affects braking and start off but not so much in the way of cornering. The biggest killer of mpg's was the 33's but as far as suspension mods, they had little to no affect.

I had talked with TJTJ pretty extensively about the fog light wiring and I can't remember exactly but either the factory fogs in the '02-'04 models were 55W or the capacity was capable of handling a 55W. I've been running this setup since early February if not late January. I run the lights every weekend consistently up to a couple of hours each Friday and Saturday night because my weekend driving consists of a lot of windy, 2-lane country roads with lots of wildlife and the wires have not felt warm and I've had no electrical issues so far and nothing appears to be adversely affected.

Thanks for all the help man. I just bought the slr econo uca and im about to pull the trigger on some hella 700ff for my bumper.

I know the 01 has 55w.. which I replace with a higher output piaa bulb with no issues (other than my quick splice job)

Sent from my GT-I9000 using AutoGuide App

I think your wrong there.. Im pretty sure the 01 fogs are 15or 30 watts

damn you for making me bust out the manual to check and prove myself wrong lol. They are 35, it was 55w PIAA I put in (and I think they're 85 or so Watt output)
Dkbandkgb: 3000003746, Me: 0 lol

Sent from my GT-I9000 using AutoGuide App

I've been really happy with my econ's. The powdercoat is still flawless and it is still on the original ball-joints that came with it and it has been 35-40K miles with some serious abuse on the trails. They don't have the droop that the stage 4 arms do but it droops enough for me and I don't have to worry about snapping brake lines.

I've been really happy with my econ's. The powdercoat is still flawless and it is still on the original ball-joints that came with it and it has been 35-40K miles with some serious abuse on the trails. They don't have the droop that the stage 4 arms do but it droops enough for me and I don't have to worry about snapping brake lines.

yeah I like that i don't have to worry about brake lines or cv shafts and installing a diff drop. The ones i picked up for $144 including shipping have surface rust and need new ball joints. Im gonna get them sandblasted and powdercoated cost to me $0 and new ball joints mevotech $30 after shipping. So for $174 im gonna have practically a new set of uca :wink-big:

That is very hard to beat. I got mine for $250 from a guy that bought them but decided not to install them or sold his X or something. I can't remember exactly. I'm still trying to find out about those bushings for you.

Saw Drakes post and spent day 1 on X-Facelift. Thanks for all the options and suggestions. So far tires,front end,side steps,under carriage and roof rack.

Day two finished Exhaust and side rails on doors. Pictures soon. Again thanxs to Drake for all the ideas.

Glad to be of service. :)

Yours looks really good! :thumbsup-big:

Dude glad I saw your ride last weekend haha maybe one day my X will be like that!.....BTW thanks for the ride to antifreeze and getting plug number 6

No problem man. Wish I could have helped more but there's only so much room under a hood to do engine work. I also didn't expect #4 on mine to be such a PITA. :D

Yea haha that one seemed tough

Here's a quick tour. lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViXVB1GOsFQ


Is that The Beastie Boys I hear coming out of your sound system?? lol Take me back to the old skool!!

After 13 hours of cutting, grinding, welding, drilling and painting it is finally finished. Operation Facelift is complete. So without further ado... I give you the new face of X-Ray 2.

Saturday 0900 hours:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1915.jpg

Sunday 1630 hours:

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1918.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1919.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1920.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1921.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1922.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1923.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1924.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1925.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1926.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1927.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1928.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1929.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1930.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1931.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1932.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1933.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1936.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1937.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg172/X-ray_2/My%20X/IMG_1938.jpg

That grille looks bad-ass on there!! How bad does your nose dip when you brake hard?

Braking hard implies I'm going fast. :mocking: I literally drive like a granny nowadays. No sway bars and gas is costly. But yes it does dip considerably if I have to jam on the brakes. I notice it more from take off though. The front end really climbs when I start off from a stop with moderate pedal. Still getting used to that part.

For whatever reason, I can't recall the actual weight of the bumper but it is around 150lbs or so and I'm still running the OEM torsion bars. That nose dive will decrease once (if) I upgrade them.


Oh and yes... that is the Beastie Boys you hear. Paul's Boutique is a good trail mix. :D

Nice build thread , Liked the roof top lite mod to the rails, anwsers one of the things i want to do to my silver 03 X!! Im still in low coin mode for know but not for long ! ---------------------------------------------------Mr.Ed

I just noticed you installed a tow hitch on the front too. Pretty sweet. I'm surprised you didn't mount those "tow rings" to the bumper. Forgive me, I'm not saavvy to the technical term of what the tow-rings are called. LOL I've seen them on those reinforced rear bumpers.