got a different kind of truck.. not to sure about it

[swynx]

so my old man gave me his 1987 nissan truck, it has ifs up front, no lift. its the se v6, vg30. has a few more things to replace. but over all its a nice truck.

i want to lift this truck or another one, lifting these trucks is not cheap. i was only going to run 33's on it. after reading several threads ive learned that these trucks apparently go thru tie rod ends fast with bigger tires. idk how fast, ive asked and no one can give me an answer.

really i just want something to wheel. was thinking of pickin up a cheap ranger with ttb and a 4.0. im not really sure where to go with this.

id hate to put money into this nissan just to find out i should have sas'd it to begin with. and even then so id rather have a ttb ranger on 35's then an sas'd nissan. i cant sell or trade out this truck, because my old man still feels that its partially his and it has sentimental value to me

which ever direction i went the thing wouldnt hardly ever get drove. any suggestions? any one know any one thats had a lifted nissan truck?

 

[David88]

Only thing that lacks aftermarket support more than a Ranger is a Nissan. You can't find crap for one. And the hub design on some models shit you out of most rim styles. If I were you, I'd do the bare minimum to that truck, find a Ranger you like and use that Nissan for parts runs when you have the Ranger tore down for upgrades or mods.

Never hurts to have a back up vehicle.

I tried to order rims for a guys 4wd Nissan, a 98 model I think it was. Six sets of rims later and none would clear the hub set up. So be warned. If you REALLY want to lift it, I'd leave the suspension alone and do a body lift to clear bigger tires. A 3inch on my Ranger would just let me squeeze in 33s, but I'm running the equivalent of 31s for better travel.

 

[swynx]

thats kind of the directoin i was leaning in. i really worried about lifting it because of the front end problems EVERYONE has. i learned that the automatic hubs on it are the mechanical design so when you go in reverse the front tires wont turn. my problem is that i dont have a huge amount of money, i mean i can scrap up like 5 grand over the next year. but this nissan truck is my backup, i have a saturn that i drive daily. and when it blows up ill order a used engine. idk wtf to do with this truck. because i am OUT of parking spaces and have 1 car to many as it is.

 

[brinker88]

I'd look into swapping a set of 'yota axles under it. Most 'yota axles come stock w/ 4.10s or higher behind the 'ol 22R & 22RE's. That'll give you enough gearing to run 33's comfortably.

 

[swynx]

I'd look into swapping a set of 'yota axles under it. Most 'yota axles come stock w/ 4.10s or higher behind the 'ol 22R & 22RE's. That'll give you enough gearing to run 33's comfortably.

that nissan already has 4.33's front and rear from the factory. and they only have about 100k on them atm. idk if you can get a 4.3x ratio for yota fronts.

 

[swynx]

Only thing that lacks aftermarket support more than a Ranger is a Nissan. You can't find crap for one. And the hub design on some models shit you out of most rim styles. If I were you, I'd do the bare minimum to that truck, find a Ranger you like and use that Nissan for parts runs when you have the Ranger tore down for upgrades or mods.

Never hurts to have a back up vehicle.

I tried to order rims for a guys 4wd Nissan, a 98 model I think it was. Six sets of rims later and none would clear the hub set up. So be warned. If you REALLY want to lift it, I'd leave the suspension alone and do a body lift to clear bigger tires. A 3inch on my Ranger would just let me squeeze in 33s, but I'm running the equivalent of 31s for better travel.

if i were to lift it i was just going to add a 3 inch body and trim the fenders enough to clear 33's, but supposedly you HAVE to upgrade the steering with 2 pieces or youll get stuck on the trail. everyone talks about it. weve never had problems on 32's though.

 

[brinker88]

Grab a front/rear then.

I have a set of them sitting in my backyard in my old woods buggy lol

 

[David88]

You could always sell the Saturn and buy you a nice Xcab ranger in the 200-s range. Some of the 2001 models sell for about 5 grand. And they can just about fit 32s stock. A guy I worked with installed a 3inch body lift and had 35s under his and the 4.0 turned them pretty well.

 

[David88]

if i were to lift it i was just going to add a 3 inch body and trim the fenders enough to clear 33's, but supposedly you HAVE to upgrade the steering with 2 pieces or youll get stuck on the trail. everyone talks about it. weve never had problems on 32's though.

Performance Accessories lifts usually come with shifter/steering extensions if they are required. My Ranger's 3inch did. Check NTWonline.com. They carry body lifts by that company.

 

[swynx]

yeah, ill probably end up throwing a 3 inch body lift on the nissan do some trimming and run some 33's. see how long it takes the parts to wear out. i would be fine if it cost 100$ every 10k miles. seeing as i dont drive it that much thatll be like a years worth of driving.

but id really like to get another 4.0 supercab ranger.

always wondered why i saw more single cab rangers then supercab rangers

 

[straycat]

thats kind of the directoin i was leaning in. i really worried about lifting it because of the front end problems EVERYONE has. i learned that the automatic hubs on it are the mechanical design so when you go in reverse the front tires wont turn. my problem is that i dont have a huge amount of money, i mean i can scrap up like 5 grand over the next year. but this nissan truck is my backup, i have a saturn that i drive daily. and when it blows up ill order a used engine. idk wtf to do with this truck. because i am OUT of parking spaces and have 1 car to many as it is.

I had a 97 Hardbody 4x4. I had it right at 7 years. I used calmini suspension. 4 inch. It comes with all you need to keep it safe and make it last. I never had any issues with it. The kit comes with upper control arms (the right ones to keep that factory alignment correct) and it comes with the right ball joints. I used a rear add-a-leaf and the truck was really a pleasure to drive. I ran 33x12.5x15's on it. It handled really great. I would have kept it but it was a regular cab ad I just got cramped in it way too often. I am right at 6'2" and I just had to drive with the seat a the way back and I had to make up some brackets to lower the drivers seat a bit to keep my head from bumping the headliner every time I crawled into the darn truck....lol

Look up Calmini suspension for Nissan Hardbody trucks. Check 4 wheel Online. I think they still sell the parts as well. I saw them on their site a few months ago when a buddy of mine was looking into a kit for his son's Nissan. truck. I paid around $900 for everything some years back. It took about 4-5 hours to install it all with a buddy to help me. It is better when you got a buddy to give you a hand.

 

[shane96ranger]

Ok.... I remember the Nissan ads calling them a hard body. Hard body as opposed to a soft body? What exactly did that imply? I know the older Nissan body style, also the Datsun, had tons of rust issues. Was this a new label saying they are more rust resistant?

Thread jack over. Sorry.

Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

 

[SeanWilson]

I think you have 1 to many rigs as it is man... 1 DD and 1 play rig is all you need if you aint got the space to park it all!
I am not familiar at all with nissains, except i drove a 2009 v8 4 door pick up for a week.... biggest Piece of g_d damn f*cking Sh!t i ever drove while getting 8mpg in flat iowa...
but i agree with Brinker88, go spend the time, plan your shit out, look for deals on CL and get a set of yota front&rear axles, hit up ruffstuff for your new hangers youll need, decide if you want to for leaf sprung all around OR leafs out back with a hybrid coil suspension (like the jeep Cherokees or older fullsize SAS broncos) with a long arm kit OR if you wanna nutt up go off the wall and make guys shit bricks when they see you... do long arm front and rear with coils that go to your selected ride height, making full use of bumpstops and limit straps running a 3 or 4 link rear youll be able to twist and flex like a whore on muscle relaxers!

just since you have time and a DD think your shit threw with 2 or 3 ideas, b4 you buy a god damn thing OR cut a piece of metal, part and price them all out, read up on them through TRS or around yota sites or jeep forms (there everywhere)
I MESSED up when i started mine, ran in at full speed b/c of a deadline i made up cz i was moving and ended up spending $500-800 more then i had to... just slow down and look

theres my rant cz i aint never gunna write this much again

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Ok.... I remember the Nissan ads calling them a hard body. Hard body as opposed to a soft body? What exactly did that imply? I know the older Nissan body style, also the Datsun, had tons of rust issues. Was this a new label saying they are more rust resistant?

Thread jack over. Sorry.

The truck's name, "Hardbody", refers to its double-wall bed and overall styling.

They are renowned for their reliability and endurance, with the exception of body panel and frame rust over time.

Pretty much all of those I see are tetnus traps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardbody

 

[shane96ranger]

Pretty much all of those I see are tetnus traps.

No doubt. They are usually the most rusted out trucks of that era that I see. Thanks for the info. I didn't think to check the wiki out.