Modifying a 2004 Manual Pathfinder R50

[Srikumar]

3 hours ago, Frederic said:

Welcome to the club of stick shifts 😂

@Srikumar Will confirm manual is more fun !

Of course. It's boring to drive automatic. The real fun is in stick 😂

[Jas Gajaria]

Firstly Fuad, Congrats on this little beast! 

R50 is a great choice! Parts are super cheap and the car flies...

You need 2 things first, a lift kit and bash plate. With these two you'll tackle Liwa on its own no issues!

Secondly if you really want to spend some cash you're super lucky because you share the engine and transmission with the 350Z which has a huge performance market here in the UAE, you can find 4.2 stroker kits and have it installed for less than 10K (which is an actual joke to be honest). As long as this is a desert toy, do whatever you want and it won't let you down. 

Lastly, if you don't want to go bat shit crazy... Just get some headers, exhaust and a cold air intake (with a dry filter) (should cost less than 5K all. And take the car to Qasim (AlfaTuner), he is very well respected within the UAE offroad community and has tuned almost every 4x4 I drive with (should be 1-1.5K) you'll be pushing 280HP no problems!

[Fuad]

4 minutes ago, Jas Gajaria said:

Firstly Fuad, Congrats on this little beast! 

R50 is a great choice! Parts are super cheap and the car flies...

You need 2 things first, a lift kit and bash plate. With these two you'll tackle Liwa on its own no issues!

Secondly if you really want to spend some cash you're super lucky because you share the engine and transmission with the 350Z which has a huge performance market here in the UAE, you can find 4.2 stroker kits and have it installed for less than 10K (which is an actual joke to be honest). As long as this is a desert toy, do whatever you want and it won't let you down. 

Lastly, if you don't want to go bat shit crazy... Just get some headers, exhaust and a cold air intake (with a dry filter) (should cost less than 5K all. And take the car to Qasim (AlfaTuner), he is very well respected within the UAE offroad community and has tuned almost every 4x4 I drive with (should be 1-1.5K) you'll be pushing 280HP no problems!

Thanks @Jas Gajaria for the inputs. Will definitely look into it . 👍🏻

[shadow79]

Although nice racks but I agree with @Frederic

[Rahimdad]

@Fuad I will mot advise you to remove the thermostat. First drive it around a bit and see for yourself what you need and change, remove or add something only when you feel the need. Did you check with your advisors why you need to remove the thermostat, what are the advantages?

[shadow79]

Usually thermostat removal is advised to squeeze out last remaining life of engines as full time water is circulated through the radiator for cooling...

then in some cars the engines are designed such that the removal of thermostat brings in heating issues directly or sometimes later down the road as water or coolant instead of circulating the engine it just enters water pump and leaves for the radiator leaving the block temp running high...

If you intend to keep the bay area and engine cooling improved then toss in high capacity thick radiator and fix additional fans that way you can push it even in peak heat hours and get better overall performance as the radiator is exchanging heat in a much better way...

[Fuad]

So here comes my update so far -

1. Checked engine -ripped off as heard some minor sounds from engine and it was found exhaust side camshaft was broken- replaced it and overhauled engine and now it works fine

2. Replaced all fluids and after replacing the steering pump doesn't feel well with new oil. Bought another pump - waiting the garage to replace it.

( one advantage i found with pathfinder R50 is that all parts are easily available and of low cost )

3.Front suspension damaged and need to be replaced - replaced with heavy duty CR7 suspension and it works fine

4.Running on stock coils

its so fun to drive a manual here it brings back me nostalgia of driving car back home ( in India). 😍

[syedyaseer]

1 hour ago, Fuad said:

So here comes my update so far -

1. Checked engine -ripped off as heard some minor sounds from engine and it was found exhaust side camshaft was broken- replaced it and overhauled engine and now it works fine

2. Replaced all fluids and after replacing the steering pump doesn't feel well with new oil. Bought another pump - waiting the garage to replace it.

( one advantage i found with pathfinder R50 is that all parts are easily available and of low cost )

3.Front suspension damaged and need to be replaced - replaced with heavy duty CR7 suspension and it works fine

4.Running on stock coils

its so fun to drive a manual here it brings back me nostalgia of driving car back home ( in India). 😍

I personally like to drive Manual. Due to traffic issues here. I need to think twice. 

[Fuad]

43 minutes ago, syedyaseer said:

I personally like to drive Manual. Due to traffic issues here. I need to think twice. 

If you are really obsessed with stick go for it else stay with Auto.

choice is all yours 😉

[Fuad]

On 10/17/2019 at 3:27 PM, Fuad said:

So here comes my update so far -

1. Checked engine -ripped off as heard some minor sounds from engine and it was found exhaust side camshaft was broken- replaced it and overhauled engine and now it works fine

2. Replaced all fluids and after replacing the steering pump doesn't feel well with new oil. Bought another pump - waiting the garage to replace it.

( one advantage i found with pathfinder R50 is that all parts are easily available and of low cost )

3.Front suspension damaged and need to be replaced - replaced with heavy duty CR7 suspension and it works fine

4.Running on stock coils

its so fun to drive a manual here it brings back me nostalgia of driving car back home ( in India). 😍

Replaced my front and rear shocks with coils and now car is lifted by 2inches. 

Replaced the steering pump.

Fixed skip plate ( As i got it free from my friend)

 

On 10/17/2019 at 3:27 PM, Fuad said:

So here comes my update so far -

1. Checked engine -ripped off as heard some minor sounds from engine and it was found exhaust side camshaft was broken- replaced it and overhauled engine and now it works fine

2. Replaced all fluids and after replacing the steering pump doesn't feel well with new oil. Bought another pump - waiting the garage to replace it.

( one advantage i found with pathfinder R50 is that all parts are easily available and of low cost )

3.Front suspension damaged and need to be replaced - replaced with heavy duty CR7 suspension and it works fine

4.Running on stock coils

its so fun to drive a manual here it brings back me nostalgia of driving car back home ( in India). 😍

Replaced my front and rear shocks with coils and now car is lifted by 2inches.