My Modifications

Tires and wheels
Right after I bought the truck the modifications began. First off came the factory alloys and on went the MB Rockers from Discount Tire. On those wheels went the BFG All Terrains.

Receiver and 7-pin
The next mod was a factory tow hitch with the frame stiffeners and a 7-pin plug mounted in the bumper. The receiver is now off the X and the 7-pin has been relocated to under the truck.

Optima
Then came the Optima Red top battery. I wanted/needed that security of having a battery with some definite power. One heck of a bunch more power than the wimpy stock battery. This has now changed to a Optima Yellow top due to the winch. There is also a manual disconnect for the winch off of this battery.

The Boy!
The mods slowed down for a bit as things around the house became more active with my son walking/running/falling all over the place. Here's the boy and his new bed, his ride, and him and the real bad gray dogs!

Cold Air Intake
Once things became a bit more manageable at home the mods could continue. And then came the K&N FIPK. I found this on Ebay for the best price on the internet.

Exhaust
In order to assist the K&N in making the maximum gain in horsepower and to help the Xterra breathe the next mod was the addition of the Gibson catback exhaust. I found the best price and free shipping deals here at Auto Anything.

I did have to do a bit of cutting to allow the exhaust to clamp down onto the headpipe. I believe earlier Xterras just bolted up to a flange. You can see in the picture where I had to make an 1/8" cut on each side to allow for compression around the stock pipe.

Sliders
In order to help protect the rocker panels of the Xterra the stock steps were replaced with a set of sliders that give a heck of a lot more protection offroad. I also added the mouldings to help protect the sides from parking lot idiots.

XM
I soon became tired of the commercials and the afternoon jock on a local radio station, so after winning the football pool at my wife's work I invested in a Roady2 XM radio kit. This is the best! Rock, comedy, news! I mounted it and used a antenna kit to tie it into the stock antenna line to eliminate static. All of the wires are now behind the dash and come out through the transfercase shift boot. The antenna runs behind weatherstriping and the deflector, then pops out in front of the deflector in the front of the truck. Nice and clean.

Shrockworks Winch Bumper
Well since I protected the sides, I thought it would only be fair to give the Xterra more protection out front. Hence the addition of the best bumper out on the market for an Xterra, a Shrockworks bumper.

Lighting
Oh and a couple of Hella 4000 eurobeams wired using the Optilux remote switch. Got these lights from Auto Anything during one of their 10% off sales and free shipping, just can't beat that type of deal. Hella big, Hella bright, Hella expensive, but I got them for my birthday! Gotta love the wife!

Poor Mans Lift
Well, then the Xterra just looked like a fancy grocery getter, and this isn't a grocery getter, so I had to lift it a bit by doing a PML. When I did the PML, I used Calmini shackles and torsion bars. I didn't have to change the torsions, but knew they would be an improvement over the stock bars. Plus, that baby blue powdercoating adds an great accent splash to the truck. ; ) This is the truck that I use for hunting, camping, and as a daily driver. Yes, it actually does go offroad! And there are a lot of places to go here in Arizona.

Shrockworks Skids
Then came a further desire to add more protection, so I go back to Jim at Shrockworks and add a front and engine/transmission skid plates. I actually ordered these at the same time as the bumper, but development was still proceeding and they arrived weeks after the bumper. These are solid, well designed, and easy to mount. I just wish I had more money to get the last two skids to finish out the bottom of the truck.

Calmini Idler Arm Brace
Okay, after all of the warnings on XOC about the weak point in Nissan steering, I ordered and promptly installed a Calmini idler arm brace on the Xterra.

Bilsteins
Wow, the truck is looking great. I just needed a Christmas gift for my wife to buy me, so now two days after Christmas, I ordered a set of Bilstein shocks and a steering stabilizer for the Xterra. I ordered these from Automotive Customizers. The Bilsteins arrived the same day that my daughter arrived. The boy and I have now been able to mount the shocks on the Xterra. All I can say is WOW! These shocks improve the ride of this truck.

Look at the location of the sway bar in relationship to the shock, this will be addressed later.

Bilstein Steering Stabilizer
This one piece of equipment makes one hell of a difference! I had a slight steering wheel rock/movement before the addition of this stabilizer. Since I have added it the steering wheel feels as smooth as a sportscar. No more wobble and a feeling of more control.

Removal of Rear Sway Bar
In order to improve the flex in the rear of the Xterra the rear sway bar was removed. If you notice the sway bar is right up against the passenger side rear shock. In order to mount the shock the sway bar was dropped on the passenger side of the truck, whereas the drivers side of the truck is uneffected by the sway bar. Here is a picture with the sway bar.

Then here is a series without the sway bar, showing rear, and then each side with shocks.

I have a complete 3" lift now on the truck which gives the truck greater ability and more ground clearance! All Calmini.

Picked up a Raingler net! This thing is cool, it allows for storage off of the floor in the back.

Okay, so I was bored...
(Much to the wife's demise!)

This lead to thinking and thinking and that is dangerous!
So I remember something about a winch sitting in my Dad's shop... I went and picked it up and began to mount it, it is a Superwinch X9 badged by Grainger, 9000lbs of pull! Had to make a custom bracket for the solenoid pack and reroute the switch control so it could sit in the bumper. The only issue is having cable, this will soon be synthetic...

The winch switch plug mounts into the bumper, thanks to Jim's (Shrockworks) design and planning.

After I ordered the rear bumper and stuff, I picked up a great deal on a Calmini steering kit to solidify the Nissan steering... It still needs to be installed, as of right now the parts are sitting on the workbench in the garage...

The Shrockworks rear bumper/tire carrier arrived the other day and I put it on thX the same day. Simple install and what a great fit and finish on the product.

Relocated the 7-pin to under the truck. Just couldn't drill this bumper to mount it like I did to the factory bumper. This bumper is thick and heavy to act as the receiver also. So I found a spot where the spare used to be and made a simple bracket to securely mount the 7-pin out of harms way.

I also added a pin to make sure that the tire carrier couldn't pop open. It is a push to release style pin with a simple cable to make sure I don't misplace it.

The rest of the skids are still sitting in the garage just waiting to be installed. Only if time allowed... Okay, so time has allowed for the moment. I was able to mount the skids last weekend! Now the transfercase, gas tank, and torsion bars are really protected.

I did mount the CB into the center console today. Ran the cable, wired the CB, and closed everything up. Nice, neat and simple. Just have to love the remote mount.