Utility Rack Fabrication 5/27/06
This rack is easily removed by removing four bolts. I can lift the rack and carry it by myself.
It is mainly constructed of 1 1/4" x 11Gage wall square tube. It measures 10 ft. from front cross tube to rear cross tube. It is 50" between uprights.
It will see the most use in carrying my 12' fiberglass fishing boat. The rack will be off the truck most of the time, like the winch.

High Amp alternator.
I replaced the stock alternator with a 94 Amp GM "2-wire" alternator. It cost $84 plus $30 core. It required modification. My simple solution was to make two plates with 3/8" holes 1 1/2" between centers. The plates offset the base of the new alternator. It also required a long bolt and nut to fit the GM base along with two spacer tubes. The long spacer is 1 3/4" while the short spacer is 5/8".
It also required a GM pigtail spliced onto the Nissan harness. The white Nissan (sense) wire connects to the red GM wire. The yellow Nissan (lamp) wire connects to the white GM wire. Battery connections is obvious. Reconnect the Nissan ground wire to the case wherever you can.

Top View.

Side view through right wheel well.

Plastic Skids

1/4" thick cast UHMW. This is the same stuff that cutting boards are made from.

I finished them up and tested them out.
A couple of bends to fit the rear section around the t-case guard. and another bend to kick up the rear edge.

One time I got hung up on a stump between crossmembers and between the t-bar and tranny. I bent the tranny c-member trying to get free. Eventually used a Hi-Lift to free it.
With this in mind, I recreated the worst-case scenario using a jack. One front wheel is off and the other is nearly off.

Brutal distortion! Most of the truck's weight is on the jack and the jack is straining. The reinforcing structure that connects the two sheets is to rest against the tranny and front d-shaft in extreme situations like this. The skid is bearing most of the weight on its own, here.

After release, it all relaxed back into shape. None of the bolts tore out and the connector/brace is not bent.