Mods to do with $10k

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Cleasc

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The bank has been nice enough to let me spend up to $10k on my 2005 D22 Navara V6. :rock:

I currently have a 2" EFS lift, 265 75R16 BFG KM2 Muddies on the stock rims and some other minor mods such as a Gitsham front alloy bar & a bigger than needed sound system.

My wishlist as it stand is:
-Custom rock sliders and bash rails
-Canopy & roof rack
-Long range tank
-2" body lift
-Winch
-Dual battery system
-Exhaust
-Custom snorkel & airbox
-Bigger tyres & new rims

-Supercharger (much later)
-Rooftop tent (cut)
-Front air locker (cut)
-Custom rear bar/wheel carrier (cut)

I met with a custom 4x4 fabricator ( www.wasp4x4.com.au ) yesterday and went through everything I want done and after much discussion he informed me to be very wary of doing the body lift. He went on to explain his experience (especially in more modern vehicles) is a simple and cheap body lift exercise can turn into an excruciating and expensive exercise very quickly. Supposedly many minor things can need extending or custom items made up to replace parts that no longer fit/reach as required. He did go on to say that he has done a number of body lifts on various cars and some have been very easy but many haven't and if I wanted to go ahead he would do the work, but that I should be prepared for a possible cost blowout if custom parts and workarounds are required. His suggestion was to look at ripping out the EFS lift and installing a new 5" lift kit that he estimated a cost of $3000 - $3500.

You might be looking at the list and laughing at my hopes of getting most of it done with $10k and I am feeling the same at the moment. But I have a mate who works for an ARB reseller who is looking into what he can do to help me out with the off the shelf stuff. So this will hopefully bring things like the $4k canopy and roof rack down at least a little.

So my questions to you all are:
1. Would you change anything on my wishlist above??? Based on the fact that I am aiming for a capable tourer to visit Cape York later in the year.

2. Has anyone done the 2" body lift to the V6 D22??? If so what modifications were required besides the obvious breathers & front/rear bar mods???

3. What order do you suggest I get things done??? My thinking is that getting the body lift done before anything else so the custom work will suit the higher stance.

4. Does anyone run 33's on their V6 D22??? We would obviously all like more power from our vehicles, but overall I am pretty happy with what the 3.3L V6 puts out as the car stands now. But how much of a power cut am I going to get if I do up the tyres to 33's??? Will this be offset by the new exhaust or will the extra load and new tyres completely drain the power and force me to rob a bank so I can get the supercharger sooner rather than later???

5. Has anyone had similar work done to their Nav in SA??? If so, who did your engineering sign off and what sort of costs should I allow??? I know this is a difficult question, but I need to have a $$$ figure in mind to make my final decisions on what work I can afford to accomplish.

Thank you to all those who made the effort to read this essay and I look forward to getting some input from you all.
 
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Oh, the fabricator is also a reseller of Tigerz11 winches and suggested the 12000lb winch with dynamica rope for around $1k installed.

Has anyone had any experience with this winch???

I went back through my 4WD Action mags and found the winch comparo and the 9500lb Tigerz11 didn't have fantastic results compared to the Warn and Dynamic (???) winches but stated for the price was well worth it. Does this also relate to the 12000lb model???
 
The bank has been nice enough to let me spend up to $10k on my 2005 D22 Navara V6. :rock:
Lucky bugger!

I currently have a 2" EFS lift, 265 75R16 BFG KM2 Muddies on the stock rims and some other minor mods such as a Gitsham front alloy bar & a bigger than needed sound system.

My wishlist as it stand is:
-Custom rock sliders and bash rails

Scottybobcat on this forum is doing D22 sliders - take a look at his thread to see if it's better value than the fabricator.

-Canopy & roof rack
-Long range tank
-2" body lift
-Winch
-Dual battery system
-Exhaust
-Custom snorkel & airbox
-Bigger tyres & new rims

-Supercharger (much later)
-Rooftop tent (cut)
-Front air locker (cut)
-Custom rear bar/wheel carrier (cut)

I met with a custom 4x4 fabricator yesterday and went through everything I want done and after much discussion he informed me to be very wary of doing the body lift. He went on to explain his experience (especially in more modern vehicles) is a simple and cheap body lift exercise can turn into an excruciating and expensive exercise very quickly. Supposedly many minor things can need extending or custom items made up to replace parts that no longer fit/reach as required. He did go on to say that he has done a number of body lifts on various cars and some have been very easy but many haven't and if I wanted to go ahead he would do the work, but that I should be prepared for a possible cost blowout if custom parts and workarounds are required. His suggestion was to look at ripping out the EFS lift and installing a new 5" lift kit that he estimated a cost of $3000 - $3500.

What 5" lift kit is he talking about??? The biggest suspension lift kit commonly available for a D22 is 3", and that costs about $3000-3500 as quoted since it involves custom upper a-arms. To get any more lift you'd have to start spacing the front diff down on a custom subframe... $$$$$.

I can see where he is coming from with "body lifts are harder than they look" but there is heaps of info on this very forum about everything that has to be modified in a D22 and it's not that hard. Blocks and bolts, tailshaft safety loop spacers (50x50 RHS) and bolts, flip radiator brackets, cut + shut front and rear bumper brackets. Sounds to me like he hasn't done much with Navaras.

You might be looking at the list and laughing at my hopes of getting most of it done with $10k and I am feeling the same at the moment. But I have a mate who works for an ARB reseller who is looking into what he can do to help me out with the off the shelf stuff. So this will hopefully bring things like the $4k canopy and roof rack down at least a little.

Steer clear of the 3" lift (stick to 2" and the cost is much lower - skip a meal and there's your extra 25mm ride height). Exhaust will add ~$800 to the cost and won't really help you get to the Cape. 80 series airboxes are cheap and a snorkel from your mate at ARB (or Nizzbits on here) won't be too exxy. Long range tanks aren't cheap (either $800 or $1100 can't remember), so if you run out of funds just carry jerries. Don't be too afraid of the cheaper winches, and carry a handwinch for winch failures/reverse/side pulls. Warns fail too and handwinches are cheap. Tyres & rims will eat money too.

So my questions to you all are:
1. Would you change anything on my wishlist above??? Based on the fact that I am aiming for a capable tourer to visit Cape York later in the year.
There's space to cull if you run short on funds. Exhaust, long range tank (jerries), and whether you splash out on a Warn winch or an Aldi winch.

2. Has anyone done the 2" body lift to the V6 D22??? If so what modifications were required besides the obvious breathers & front/rear bar mods???
I've covered that above.

3. What order do you suggest I get things done??? My thinking is that getting the body lift done before anything else so the custom work will suit the higher stance.
Good thinking, especially if you want sliders.

4. Does anyone run 33's on their V6 D22??? We would obviously all like more power from our vehicles, but overall I am pretty happy with what the 3.3L V6 puts out as the car stands now. But how much of a power cut am I going to get if I do up the tyres to 33's??? Will this be offset by the new exhaust or will the extra load and new tyres completely drain the power and force me to rob a bank so I can get the supercharger sooner rather than later???
No matter what engine - change down a gear.

Good luck mate.
 
Personally Id go a bullbar as you haven't mentioned one, longrange tank, Canopy and winch and sliders.
 
If you want a bit more performance out of the V6, I would definatley get a less restrictive set of headers and exhaust, along with a snorkel/airbox mod.

I'm glad you like the power of the V6, I find mine to be a slug. A step up from the air in/out mods is a set of JWT S1 cams that will really get it moving without sacrificing low end torque. From the factory the V6 cams are just pencils with pimples on them, :sarcastic: and really need more lift/duration to work properley.

Heres a link to a most helpful step-by-step guide to lifting a V6 Frontier. http://www.bigpasta.com/fronty/bodylift/body_lift_install.htm
Also speak to Zordo about body lift kits, not that hard to do.

The above mods are on the "thing to do" list for me, now, wheres the money:devil:
 
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iv got the tigerz11 12,000pnd winch and i must say it isnt bad but definatly not a warn. iv used mine a few times and had it submerged in water quite a fair bit, once for over 30 mins. and last week when i pulled it out i could only find that a tiny little bit of water made it in past the oring seal on the motor end, which was surprising. only thing i would recommend is that if you are having someone fit it for you or fitting it yourself, mount the solenoid box somewhere up in the engine bay away from where it can get watter and mud into it as a arb dealer put mine on the bullbar and i just had to buy a new one as it filled with water and mud and shat itself.

also get yourself a decent bullbar, alloy bar wont be that great in hits.

also speak to scotty bobcat. he has a v6 d22 well it used to be before he put in his 5.7ltr and he is running a 50mm body lift, and is also making his own sliders, bars and rear bars. he has also made up frame work that goes around his canopy to mount his rooftop tent on.

all the best
kyle
 
The D22 bodylift is straight foward and can be done in a day at home no problems. Get the Kit from Zordo, I think it cost $380.
 
Are you really sure you want to drop $10K on a 6 year old V6 Nav???

Trust me, I thought long and hard about borrowing more money (topping up the car loan) to spend on the Nav. But I decided it was going to be easier to get the money for a 6 year old car than it would be selling the Nav and borrowing a similar amount to fix up a GQ or older GU. Plus I've already spent roughly $4k on the Nav which would have been a total right off if I'd sold it.


Personally Id go a bullbar as you haven't mentioned one, longrange tank, Canopy and winch and sliders.

Already got a Gitsham alloy bullbar. At this point in time I can't justify the cost to replace it with a steel bar.


Long range tanks aren't cheap (either $800 or $1100 can't remember), so if you run out of funds just carry jerries. Don't be too afraid of the cheaper winches, and carry a handwinch for winch failures/reverse/side pulls. Warns fail too and handwinches are cheap. Tyres & rims will eat money too.

There's space to cull if you run short on funds. Exhaust, long range tank (jerries), and whether you splash out on a Warn winch or an Aldi winch.

Good luck mate.

The long range tank isn't something I'm willing to cut. Being the V6 Nav, I'm currently only getting 400-500k's per tank and with the extra weight this will only get worse. To me, this means a long ranger is essential.

Def not afraid of the cheaper winches, I simply can't afford a Warn so a cheap one it is. Just want to be careful and get as much information as possible so I'll avoid the bad cheap ones.

The exhaust is on the list as everything I've read states some improved fuel economy & obviously more power from a high flowing system. Plus the fact that the current stock item was picked up a few services ago by my mechanic as having a busted muffler. Which is probably compounding my currently miserable fuel economy.

Cheers, it's going to be a long process of getting quotes and deciding what will and will not make the cut, but damn it will be worth it :)


If you want a bit more performance out of the V6, I would definatley get a less restrictive set of headers and exhaust, along with a snorkel/airbox mod.

I'm glad you like the power of the V6, I find mine to be a slug. A step up from the air in/out mods is a set of JWT S1 cams that will really get it moving without sacrificing low end torque. From the factory the V6 cams are just pencils with pimples on them, :sarcastic: and really need more lift/duration to work properley.

Heres a link to a most helpful step-by-step guide to lifting a V6 Frontier. http://www.bigpasta.com/fronty/bodylift/body_lift_install.htm
Also speak to Zordo about body lift kits, not that hard to do.

The above mods are on the "thing to do" list for me, now, wheres the money:devil:

I am planning on looking into this sort of work later on (after I pay this lot off) when the engine will be more in need of some major work. Also the time when I will be looking into the supercharger :devil:


iv got the tigerz11 12,000pnd winch and i must say it isnt bad but definatly not a warn. iv used mine a few times and had it submerged in water quite a fair bit, once for over 30 mins. and last week when i pulled it out i could only find that a tiny little bit of water made it in past the oring seal on the motor end, which was surprising. only thing i would recommend is that if you are having someone fit it for you or fitting it yourself, mount the solenoid box somewhere up in the engine bay away from where it can get watter and mud into it as a arb dealer put mine on the bullbar and i just had to buy a new one as it filled with water and mud and shat itself.

all the best
kyle

Water was one of my main concerns so many thanks for testing it out for me :p But seriously, that is really good to know, cheers!!!

And thanks to you all!!! I'll keep you posted on how things progress and no doubt I'll be back with some more questions.

David
 
Shoosh!

Just because you upgraded...

After spending(wasting) more than $200K on various cars over the years, I feel I have some wisdom to share.

Perhaps you should have asked my opinion before buying that horrible Ford!................. Agree????:sarcastic::sarcastic::sarcastic:
 
The bank has been nice enough to let me spend up to $10k on my 2005 D22 Navara V6. :rock:

I currently have a 2" EFS lift, 265 75R16 BFG KM2 Muddies on the stock rims and some other minor mods such as a Gitsham front alloy bar & a bigger than needed sound system.

My wishlist as it stand is:
-Custom rock sliders and bash rails

As others have said, talk to scotty bobcat-

Canopy & roof rack

i just had one of these sent over to tassie for my d40 and the quality is brilliant, cost $350 to get to tassie so sa would be heaps cheaper

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NISSAN-N...=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cb7f3ffd6


-Long range tank

should be less than a grand for a lr tank
-2" body lift

like others have said look up zordo on here, $380
-Winch
$1000 for a tigerz

-Dual battery system

$500 should cover battery tray, battery and dual bat isolator using a redarc set up-Exhaust

-Custom snorkel & airbox
-Bigger tyres & new rims

-Supercharger (much later)
-Rooftop tent (cut) $1000 for a tigerz, got one, love it, cant beat it for the price, made in the same factory as arb tents-Front air locker (cut)
-Custom rear bar/wheel carrier (cut)

.

Thats around $5000 leaving you heaps for extractors, exhaust, air box and snorkel, roof top tent and maybe even wheels and tyres if you buy smart
 
Perhaps you should have asked my opinion before buying that horrible Ford!................. Agree????:sarcastic:

That Ford is awesome, I don't regret buying it at all. :rock: Selling it for the same price I bought it for helps with that. :sarcastic:

I just already don't have enough time to do what I want to do with the Navara.
 
So I've started placing orders for the following gear:

2 inch Body Lift Kit $ 405 (Zordan)
Tigerz11 Winch (bonus recovery kit) $ 884 (RoadRunner)
Xrox Bullbar $1040 (FNB)
Rock Sliders $ 880 (FNB)
ARB Canopy (grained finish) $2325 (Matt)
ARB Alloy Canopy Roof Rack $1485 (Matt)
Long Ranger Fuel Tank $ 965 (FNB)
Dual Battery Kit (with Pirahna Monitor) $ 500 (FNB)
Snorkel $ 395 (Nissan)
80 Series Airbox $ 100 (wreckers)
FNB Freight $ 50 (FNB)
SubTotal $9029
Fitting $ 900
Total $9929

So, obviously a little short on funds for everything I was originally aiming for.
Tax refund will cover the headers & exhaust and I'm going to be saving my arse off for a while to cover the new rims & rubber.

I'll post up some pics as things start happening.
 
Did someone give this guy nizbitz email for the snorkel? Dude 10k, what I would give to have that money. Those sliders sound super expensive too
 
Cheers for the offer, but everything is already ordered. Shame, looks like ur knocking up some quality gear there.

So things have started arriving and are now cluttering up the garage.

The original plan was to take it all to my mechanic who offered me a great price to fit everything. He was pretty excited about the opportunity to do something a little more interesting than simple services/fixing broken shit.

Unfortunately, end of week drinks with some work mates turned into an epic night and the money set aside for all the installation is now in the hands of The Palace (strip joint). So it looks like I'm going to be getting the hands dirty myself now. Fingers crossed I'm up to the task!!! Luckily, a mate who I was out with on the night is reasonably cluey so I've roped him into lending a hand.

Wish me luck.
 
Canopy and roof rack were put on last week and the last of the deliveries arrived today :)
So I should be getting stuck in over the weekend.

Looked into doing the snorkel last weekend but the only 90mm hole saw I could find was $130 (including the adapter)... fuck that. So the snorkel and airbox will be getting done by my mechanic whilst it's in getting a HD clutch installed and major service.

The tax man was also pretty damn kind this year, so I'm getting quotes for extractors and full exhaust system at the moment.
 

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