echo_nine Build

Ok so here's the start of my build thread. This will sound like everyone else but I will say it anyway, I bought the xterra and was not planning on modding then I found this website and kept away the build bug for about 3 or 4 months then I finally broke down. So this thread is retrospective and I will try to remember everything and see if I have pics for most the upgrades.

So day one I bought this baby in Philly for $7200


I then drove it around for a bit then decided the step rails had to go so they went. I still wanted to keep the mudflaps on at this point.

The first "mod" was a set on desert runner rims with some stock size tires so I ran those. I picked up the desert runner rims for $125 including the tires. I then sold my stock rims for a $100 so that mod only cost $25. Also did a small tune up with ngk plugs and wires and cap and rotor.



I then took it down to the Delaware canal for some fun just driving on some of the dirt trails.


After this I decided mud flaps had to go.Now for the next 2 months I held off the mod bug.. but after being bored and looking thru craigslist ads I found a full AC body lift for $100 so that was the first mod.




This took me and a friend 8 hours the first day doing everything. However, the next day we decided the steering linkage was too questionable so we spent another 4 hours making spacers and grinding notches to make it to our standard.

Previous to actually installing a body lift Yellowmonsta had a part out and I picked up shrock sliders for the 2in body lift bc I knew I was going to do the bl. So the same day we did the body lift we also installed the sliders. I picked up the sliders for $230 in perfect condition including hardware.

A couple days afterwards I installed the AC IAB that I picked up on here for $15 because I knew bigger tires were coming soon.



After that the next mod was tires! The puny 265/70/15 weren't cutting it so the 33x12.5r15 Duratracs came. I picked these up at the tirerack distribution center because the same friend that helped with the body lift had a commercial account there so I could pick them up there with no shipping and at a slightly reduced price of $149 each. Then I had a $100 treadlightly rebate so I paid $496 for all 4 brand new. I then paid my friend $40 to mount them with me. Were he works they have a road force balancer which is state of the art. These babies are high quality. Roadforce shows you if your tires have flat spots or irregularities. He said they were equivalent to some passenger tires he had roadforced before.



Then came christmas.... got a bunch of gift certificates to 4x4 parts. So then came ac lift shackles, 3in bilstien shocks and AC tie rod adjusters. Also unfortunately don't have any pics of this. I have another friend whose a mechanic and has a full on garage with everything you need and air tools with a 80 gallon air tank. This was all in preparation for the nexterra winter run. We installed the shackles, cranked the torsion bars, installed the TRA's amd shocks and also took off the sway bar to keep my new shocks purty lol.
I installed all this stuff the saturday before the trip.




showing off the new shackles, shocks and tires



After this trip I was feeling pretty good. Only ran greens that day but it was really slippery and there was lots of snow. I then didn't really spend any money for the next month. At this time though I was toying with the idea of a custom tube bumper. Then my birthday came around and people started giving me money for the bumper. Also for my birthday I got a 48in hi-lift and the NATO valve cover screws which are awesomeeee. They are brass so they won't seize to the brass valve stems and have o-rings that just keep a nice seal.


Now with the 48in hi-lift rolling around in the back and me always having to shop for a restaurant and needing the space I decided I needed to mount my hi-lift on the roof rack. I looked at peoples mounts and thought about Yakima Mighty mounts and thought that was perfect for me. So i picked up a set of 4 for $20. And mounted up the Hi lift






After this on the roof i picked up a hi-lift neoprene cover and a handle isolator.

Now after my birthday I started contacting fabricators for the tube bumper. I was getting quotes for the design i wanted around $1000-$1200 and expected times around 3-4 months. I then found a fabricator out of lower Delaware that usually builds custom jeep suspensions and mud trucks. I drove there and talked to them and they said no problem. Booked me for the next week and fabbed it up in a day and a half on the xterra just incase something was bent.


here it is just primed for $750. This included the tube bumper, oversized winch plate, 2 ingenious recovery points and 2 light mounts.

I then rattle canned it a black semi gloss. This was all in prep for the Nexterra April Fools Run






I also painted around the radiator a matte black just to clean it all up




I then went to the Nexterra April fools Run. Lots of fog this time.






After this run I noticed the paint starting to peel... So I am not sure if I didn't prep it right or if the paint couldn't stand up to the beating of digging it into the ground. So next came powder coating for the bumper. The cost to me was $0 because I pulled a favor.

Around this time I also purchased some SLR econo UCA's off of the Nexterra forums for $144 and bought new greasable Moog ball joint's. I also had that sand blasted and I just rattle canned them blue. I have yet to install them as of 7/21/2011.

I also picked up some Hella 700ff's for my front bumper.