The new to me adventure vehicle

[Frenchy]

So for those that were not aware, I ended up losing the Ranger 3 years ago and I lost the old Pathfinder last year. As of late March of last year I picked up a 2012 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X a week after loosing the Pathfinder. This will be the Built Thread for that vehicle for those that might be curious and might want ideas for their Truck.

So first we have the truck on the day I got it. It was a bit in poor shape and I had to catch up a bunch of the maintenance. Thankfully that was easy enough for me to accomplish. I also found out in the process that it was equipped with the Daystar Spacer and Shackles lift. I was glad to get rid of it later down the line.

Of course there has been a lot in-between then and now, but it has certainly changed a lot in about a year. Probably the most I have every done to one vehicle alone in such a short period of time. There are actually a few things already added from the picture below and we will get to that.

To say the least this truck is almost complete and where I want to go be. The next few bits I post over the next few days will be how I got it to where it is now.

Now sit tight and see how it unfolds.

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[Frenchy]

Part 1 of the Journey

So first off I'm sure one might be wondering why I went with the Nissan Frontier and not another Ranger right? Well at the time I was already wanting another Frontier as I like the Platform and find it to be easy to work on for the most part. Also the the Ranger was just a bit too much price wise. Don't get me wrong, between the two trucks they have things over one another. For example I actually have reasonable storage space under the rear bench vs the Ranger(seriously I have no idea why Ford though that was ok) and the Oil Filter isn't accessed through the wheel well. Then again the Ranger certainly has more power, a higher Towing Capacity and is a bit more efficient on Fuel for most situations.

Now as mentioned at the beginning, we have the Truck in Question. The 2012 Frontier. When I got it, it had 122,000 on the clock. Everything felt good when I drove it and I decided it was a good idea to get it.

As I was starting to enjoy the truck after catching up on the maintenance, I was trying to figure out how I was going to build the truck. I was considering a topper of sorts with drawers or perhaps the big and heavy Tray with Canopy like some of the Australian Touring vehicles. Well after 2 weeks of having the truck I found both a Topper and a Decked Drawer System that I picked up a week later. Thanks to that it gave me a good head start on how to build the truck!

After I had the base I was able to get a better picture in my head of how this truck was going to proceed. The next step was getting my Fridge and House Battery installed. Thankfully I already had a Fridge Slide and the mounting hardware for the Battery Box. I just had to order the wiring for the Battery and I was set. It took me about a day to get the Battery and Fridge all set and I have had it in use every since. I also installed my little Travel Oven in a temporary spot.

Next was the Air Compressor. It's still the same one I had when I had the Ranger. That compressor from ARB has been impressive and hasn't missed a beat for what I use it for.

It wasn't too long after that I went for the GPS and the Communication Radio. For the GPS I decided to use the Garmin Tread Overland from the Pathfinder. I also got my a Midland MXT575 50 Watt GMRS Radio. The Radio sits in the center console with a Ram Mount for the Mic. For the GPS I took time to have a built-in power supply so I wouldn't have the power cord hanging out unnecessarily.

Give me some time and I will have Part 2 up soon.

 

[Frenchy]

Part 2 of this journey

Something I made sure I did not long after getting the truck setup was installing a Snorkel. Thankfully I was able to get one on sale. For my use I was certainly able to justify it even though I don't usually hit water crossings(there is a completely different thread for that if you are wondering the other reasons. Here is a link to that thread. https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/snorkel-stuff-review-of-sorts.27527/).

Next was the storage for the Roof Rack. Thankfully the Topper I got came with Universal Roof Rails. This allows me to choose any roof rack that I want. Well I decided to go with FrontRunner for the Roof Rack. As much as I considered other brands, FrontRunner seemed to be the better choice as it was setup to fit just about anything you would want and has many different mounts for different Accessories. Putting the rack together was the easy part. Installing it on the Topper was the tough part as I had to adjust all the feet. Of course I got mounts for Rotopax Tank and MaxTrax.

Not long after this I was in the process of doing some performance upgrades. As usual we all need a way to increase the power for fun and some extra power to punch the extra weight around. The first bits for power was a Tune from Hypertech(ok but not great), a NISMO CatBack Exhaust(Rebadged Borla), Z1 Intake Manifold Spacer and JBA Headers(the best Bolt-On so far). For a start it was a nice jump in power.

After a few trips to get away, I finally had to make changes in the suspension. With the Spacers and Shackles with the Factory Bilstein 4600 was not enough. Even after I added the Timbren Active OffRoad Bump Stops, it still wasn't enough on the basic dirt roads. I ended up getting my hands on Bilstein 6112's and 5160's a long with a set of General Spring HD Leafs. Not long after installing the leafs I had to install some Add-a-Leafs as well as they were not quite enough. In general this has been a good choice, but there have been some drawbacks and it will get replaced later.

NOw to wait for the next part!

 

[Frenchy]

Part 3 of the Journey

I forgot to mention it. In the last section, but I also added the Group Ride Radio on the Garmin Tread Overland. If anything it will serve as a nice secondary for when I travel with those that run the Tread in their vehicle. This will make it easy to communicate and see where one is on the trail. Great especially for on in the front and one in the rear of the pack.

After I installed the Bilstein 6112's and 5160's, I was starting to consider installing 33's. Of course I was able to find enough information of what options to consider, but I was wanting to get different wheels before making the switch. Well in mid September I found a complete set of 5 Wheels on Rock Springs Wyoming from an SL. It took me a complete day to drive up there and back. To say the least it was worth the travel. After that I went and got a set of 265/70-18 Firestone Destination XT's.

Now thanks to the Wheels I installed, I was able to upgrade the Brakes. The best bang for my buck upgrade was the V8 Pathfinder Brakes for the front. This upgrade was a complete Bolt-On and give me a Rotor that is 1 inch bigger in Diameter. It may not sound like much, but it made a huge difference in stopping power especially with the 33's installed.

It was also around this time that I got the Tune updated on the truck. This time it was a custom tune by Z1 using a program called UpRev. It's pretty nice if you ask me. I also installed the Magnaflow CatBack Exhaust. A bit louder, but also more smoother transitions.

No pictures for those at the moment, so just wait around for the next part!

 

[Frenchy]

Part 4 of the Journey

For now this will be the last part for a while. I still have more to come, but I have a bit before then.

Next up we have some armor. After one of my last outings(particularly when I decided it was time to upgrade the suspension) I damaged my Side Steps by dragging them a bit. From the. I knew I was going to have to get some Rock Sliders. Unfortunately the only available ones at the time were a bit pricey and I wasn't too impressed. Thankfully Z1 recently released a set of Rock Sliders at the end of the year. I decided to jump on them right away as I knew it would be a good investment(and they were on sale). I installed them the same weekend they got here and to say the least I like them a bit more. It also allows me to get to the roof a little easier.

Not long after getting the Sliders installed, I made the jump on a Scratch and Dent ARB Deluxe Bull Bar! I have been wanting one for a while especially after my experience with Deer and Ground Beef (if you know, you know) here in Colorado! After I got it, I had to take time to figure out when to install it. Thankfully one of my friends and old coworkers has a newly built garage with workshop. He wanted to have fun with the install and agreed to help. It took about a half a day to install it. Not bad when you think about it.

As you can tell with the LED Markers and Turn Signals, it looks good to say the least. I was going to install the Fog Lights at the same time, but I accidentally forgot them at home that day ?. Later in the week I took time to install the Fog Lights. For simple Halogen type Fogs, they actually shine pretty well and complement the Low Beams well. Even in a snow storm they don't interfere with your vision!

Not too long after that I finally took time to install some Driving Lights. I decided to go with IPF 968 Lights with some 100 Watt H3 Bulbs. I combined it with the Garmin Power Switch for installation and still need to setup a High Beam Trigger. Overall they are nice and bright and definitely aid the High Beams in Distance for night driving!

There will be a bit more later to show, but this is it for now!

Standby for the next part!

 

[Muscleford]

Why post this here?

 

[Frenchy]

Why post this here?

Because I can? I know it isn't a Ford, but it doesn't mean you can't get an idea from it for your own truck

 

[k1w1t1m]

I am wondering why you gave up your interior console space to the GMRS radio. Since it is "all in the handset" couldn't you hide the radio somewhere under a seat or the dash. I'm not criticizing but I have found small spaces under the dash in my Ranger and my wife's Jeep where I can hide the radio and have run a short patch cable to have the h

 

[Frenchy]

I am wondering why you gave up your interior console space to the GMRS radio. Since it is "all in the handset" couldn't you hide the radio somewhere under a seat or the dash. I'm not criticizing but I have found small spaces under the dash in my Ranger and my wife's Jeep where I can hide the radio and have run a short patch cable to have the h

A fair question to say the least. As much as I did think about hiding it in the dash somewhere, the MXT575 is a bit bigger than most other units like the MXT275(had that in the old 93 Pathfinder and still have it laying around). Now I didn't think about under the driver's or passenger seat and that isn't a bad idea. I have a different project with the Radio coming up and perhaps it will make it where I can put it under the Passenger Seat. I will certainly look into the idea at least. But keep in mind that I don't really use the Center Console for much anyway. I never did such with the previous Frontier's(I had 2 others) or the Ranger. It has just enough room for the Radio and the Mic's for it and the Group Ride along with two small walkies.

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