Newbie needs help! 2x4 to 4x4 conversion?

01pathySE · Jun 19th, 2003, 12:03 PM

I would appreciate some advice. I have had it since it was new so I know that it has been taken care of and I would hate to get rid of it for a 4x4. What would I need to buy, do for this conversion. Is the 2001 nissan pathfinder built on the same basic powertrain, or are the 4x2 and 4x4 so different that it would be difficult and expensive to attempt this. Thanks in advance.

jadcock · Jun 19th, 2003, 02:15 PM

It will be expensive -- so much more so than just selling it and buying another one that's 4 wheel drive. You'll need...and these are just the very basics:

- transfer case
- front axle assembly
- 4x4 front suspension pieces
- shorter rear driveshaft
- front driveshaft

I don't know how the '01 Pathfinders engage 4 wheel drive...is it electronically or manual? Either case presents challenges to retrofit. If it's an electronic system, you need to find someway to integrate that into the 2wd harness that you have now. If it's a manual engagement, you'll have to acquire the correct interior pieces and cut a hole in the floor to make this connection.

And assuming if you could get ALL that to happen, the truck certainly wouldn't be as reliable as one that was built from the factory -- you'll always have little things that come and go due to them being cobbled together. The only reasonable solution is selling your current vehicle and buying the 4 wheel drive model.

jadcock · Jun 19th, 2003, 02:15 PM

It will be expensive -- so much more so than just selling it and buying another one that's 4 wheel drive. You'll need...and these are just the very basics:

- transfer case
- front axle assembly
- 4x4 front suspension pieces
- shorter rear driveshaft
- front driveshaft

I don't know how the '01 Pathfinders engage 4 wheel drive...is it electronically or manual? Either case presents challenges to retrofit. If it's an electronic system, you need to find someway to integrate that into the 2wd harness that you have now. If it's a manual engagement, you'll have to acquire the correct interior pieces and cut a hole in the floor to make this connection.

And assuming if you could get ALL that to happen, the truck certainly wouldn't be as reliable as one that was built from the factory -- you'll always have little things that come and go due to them being cobbled together. The only reasonable solution is selling your current vehicle and buying the 4 wheel drive model.

01pathySE · Jun 19th, 2003, 03:48 PM

Thanks Jadock. I guess I had heard of people doing this to their toyota tacoma prerunners. Someone mentioned that it was basically a 4X4 without the transfer case and front axle.

jadcock · Jun 19th, 2003, 05:37 PM

Yes -- you do bring up a very special case.

I really laugh at the Toyota Prerunner trucks. They're built like a 4wd, look like a 4wd, have big power-robbing 4wd tires...but they'll get stucker in snow faster than my wife's Cadillac would!

If you wanna look like you're driving a 4wd, get a real 4wd! If you don't want the 4wd, get a regular 2wd model and skip the huge mileage loss with the big fat tires and worse aerodynamics. But I digress...

In the case of the Toy, yes, the suspension is already largely up to 4wd specs...although I'd wager it's still a huge job to convert one. Just in the front suspension alone, you'd probably need new hubs and knuckles, ball joints...you'd spend a thousand dollars just to get the front suspension switched over I would think. Then they need a front axle and t-case. With a Toy Prerunner, though, the front is already jacked high enough where you probably don't need new springs (like you would on a Pathy I would think) and there's probably a "hole" where the front axle assembly would go. I don't believe that'd be so with the Pathfinder. Even with the Toy, you'll have to rig the 4x4 t-case lever, cut a hole in the floor, etc.

I'd still bet a cup of coffee that someone who bought a 4wd Tacoma in the first place will spend less overall than someone who buys a Prerunner and then converts it. But I do agree that it's probably a little bit easier with a Prerunner since that's exactly what it is -- a 4wd truck without the 4wd.

Ag Bullet · Jun 19th, 2003, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jadcock
Yes -- you do bring up a very special case.

I really laugh at the Toyota Prerunner trucks. They're built like a 4wd, look like a 4wd, have big power-robbing 4wd tires...

Same thing as a Desert Runner for Nissan...

I think if you are resourceful and have the know how, it can be done. I have a friend converting his desert runner. A lot of people can;t afford a 4wd right off later down the road when the vehicle is paid off the money can be used for other things instead of committing to another 5 years of car payments...

jadcock · Jun 20th, 2003, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ag Bullet
Same thing as a Desert Runner for Nissan...

I think if you are resourceful and have the know how, it can be done. I have a friend converting his desert runner. A lot of people can;t afford a 4wd right off later down the road when the vehicle is paid off the money can be used for other things instead of committing to another 5 years of car payments...

That's similar to the lease-to-own model of doing business -- you usually pay more in the long run. If your intention is a 4x4 vehicle, I say wait until you can afford it, do it right and buy it from the factory, and you'll have a more reliable vehicle and more money in your pocket in the end. But, I guess "instant gratification" is what everyone wants today. Gotta have it now!

Or...buy it used. That's another valid model to work in. Let the first guy take the hit on depreciation as he drives it off the lot. Then pick it up later for 2/3 or 1/2 the price (depending on vehicle). Every one of my vehicles has been used and over 100k miles. That doesn't mean they're not reliable or clean, it just means that I didn't pay the markup at the dealership for them.

Dan-zig · Jun 21st, 2003, 02:26 PM

yeah I was considering doing to the same for my 1992 pathfinder...when I looked into it, the price of doing it seemed to endlessly progress....more and more and more....
but then I changed my mind....

himilefrontier · Jun 24th, 2003, 08:16 PM

I believe that Nissan also uses a different frame for it's 4x4 models that place the suspension mounting points differently that the 4x2's.The easiest way to convert would be to find a same year pathfinder 4x4 that's been rolled and switch bodies. The best way,in my opinion, is to trade it in on another used Pathfinder with 4 wheel drive.You get a warranty that way too.