Ry the Car Guy is saving the world thousands of dollars in repair and maintenance costs. This guy is a legend. A few things I’d add, particularly for older Xterra’s (mine is at 175,000): 1. Be prepared for frozen bolts. The lower shock bolts are absolute dogs to remove and may require not just WD-40, but hammering, blow torching, and tapping while attempting to turn the bolt. 2. 12 point sockets are okay, but for this job I’d recommend 6 points due to the high level of torque required to remove some of these bolts. 3. Don’t even consider a 3/8” breaker. Go for the full 1/2” and even then you’ll likely need an extension. 4. An impact gun is a must in my opinion, as some bolts respond to the impact better (if you can get at them). 5. I passed on buying a powered ratchet tool and regretted it. Using mostly hand tools is possible, but you’ll save hours using more power tools. 6. DO NOT under any circumstances remove both leaf springs and shocks. Do one side at a time, like the video recommends. And do everything in the order Ry does it. I got impatient and tried to loosen and remove bolts out of order, as to not have to change socket sizes, and it was disastrous. 7. For anyone buying the All Dogs kit, just buy the recessed plates for the u-bolts. Modifying the stock plates is simple enough, but pinching the u-bolts to fit absolutely sucks, not to mention then zipping up the bolts for what feels like a mile by hand because no sockets are deep enough (the u-bolts are insanely long). You will ultimately want to cut the u-bolts shorter, as it’s impossibly to torque them down at their length. Hope this helps someone.
Bought an 05 Xterra and immediately put a new radiator in it. I'm amazed at how clean the trans fluid is. I fall in love with this vehicle more by the day and your videos make it seem so easy to work on which is priceless imo. I'm just amazed at how fun these are to drive on back country and mountain roads. It's one of those cars where I would pay more to keep it running than what I gave for it. I appreciate your videos so much!!!
@@ahmadghosheh3104 All about the details. LOL If I hadn't just gotten this new floor a couple months ago I wouldn't be so careful. Still feeling the sting of paying for that damn thing :D
Chad and Steven are doing all the right things for the Nissan market! I have their complete kit on my Frontier and it rides great. Switching to Radflo once they finally ship.
Your videos are outstanding. The way you place the camera to show a very clear view of what you are working on, and the way you explain everything are a big help. Thank you very much!
I own a 2001 Xterra SE and preparing to get a 2005 SE, always confuse how to do a lift until I watched your video! Thank you so much for the tutor! !!!! Perfect video!!!
When reinstalling the front shocks you should put the lower bolt in backwards that way you don't have to disconnect the sway bar again if you ever have to replace the shocks.
Whew a long vid!! Good job!! This video will be a gold mine for all current and future X owners. They are only getting more popular as people are seeing them as an affordable option to modify for overlanding and stuff.
2006 Xterra SE. I went with the OME kit front and back. Had NISSTEC LIFTS assemble the front shocks and springs (very glad I did, as this video shows the nightmare of trying to do it yourself). Also did front control arms as well because after 12 yrs the control arm bushings were tired. Did new tie rods and swaybar bushings since I was “in there”. Added bigger BFG KO2 tires. Supper happy with the results. About 2 inches of lift.
Really appreciate these videos. Your attention to detail, camera work and lighting is fantastic. Just bought a 2016 Frontier and plan to do similar all dogs off road lift so this helps.
Finally got around to replacing my leaf springs this week. Word of warning to solo installers. Have a bottle jack & ratchet strap handy. The centering pin on the leaf can misalign with the hole in the base of the rear axle. You can hold the leaf up with the bottle jack to work new bushings into the front mounting bracket b/c modern bushings are "fluffy. Ratchet strap is to wrap around the axle and the center frame mount to pull the axle forward. If you need to pull the axle toward the rear, anchoring on a hitch words good. I had to do BOTH.
This video and Jeremy Bod's video with OME Dakar springs are the ones I used to get the advice on changing those out. Ry definitely had an easier time of getting the front bolts loosened than I did. I should have gone with some heat to coax the bolt. I did in a way. I decided to cut the bolts and replace with new ones. Those cost about $8 apiece and were on hand. The heat from grinding part way through the bolt allowed me to turn them with the intent to twist the heads off and punch the other end through. I still had enough left of the body to twist it out. Note to always keep in mind the tried and true method of using a torch (MAPP, etc....) to heat up difficult bolts when all else fails. Cutoff wheel on a grinder should be the LAST resort. I did go with Nisstec's products, except for the recessed U-bolt plate kit from All Dogs. For those with hitches, I found I needed to get farther under and pull the bolts for the muffler and the hoses next to that bracket in order to pull the shackle from the passenger side. I still had to use a ratchet strap to move it far enough away and hold it to slide it out. I also removed the plastic rear farings. That was so I could get at the bolts with an impact. I attempted to remove the front bolt first on one, thinking what's the difference? Well... the shackle moves. That's it's job. Remove that front bolt first, and that shackle will move like an MF! Using the jack "right" means having a jack low enough to allow the axle to drop nearly right into place. It's difficult to see in the video, but the reference hole for the peg in the leafs is rotated upward with the only thing holding it up at this point being the stabilizer bar, you can rotate that down into place when you're inches away from the leafs. Only some slight finessing, and you should be able to pop those U-bolts and the plates on. Originally planning to replace the shackle with Nisstec's adjustable lift shackle, I didn't clean the originals up right away. Seeing the distance I'd have to drop the axle, I wasn't sure how I was going to make the intended 2" max lift distance, so I put the originals back on once I had used a scraper, but then seeing the pitting on the lower shaft, I took a grinder with a wire wheel to them. That pitting was pretty thorough, so I did what I could. Used it on the inside of the plate to get the remains of the old bushing and, "Bob's your uncle!" The ride is so much better! No rocking backwards when it starts. No rocking forward when it stops. So much better when going over even speed bumps in the parking lot. I could feel the leafs hitting on the bumps stops all the time when going through the apartment complex. Not anymore. The old ones had 160-some thousand miles on them. They'd served their purpose.
A very thorough video! That doesn’t look as difficult as I thought it would be. I live in Florida so I won’t have to worry about dealing with bolts being stuck due to winter weather.
Keep it up RY! Great job in all you do for a vehicle that is highly underrated! Fantastic mill that needs attentive suspension. I’m on it. I’ve just bought an OME. I’ll check in after installation. Thank you.
Michael Jedd I was surprised that supercharged Xterra didn’t have more power. In 05 they went to NA with that 4.0 VQ plant. For a 15 year old design it still has more than plenty of power.
@@robertpoirier8520 Never said it was supercharged, maybe it would have more power if it was. Looked up the stats, NEW it was only 170hp and now after 18 years probably less.
Great tutorial! My 06 xterra offroad was wrecked last fall when someone smashed it from behind. I used your other video to replace the shocks a while back.
For my 2008 Frontier (4 cylinder) I couldn't find quality pre-assembled front struts (I used Bilstein's). I had a difficult time determining all the parts needed to assemble them myself, it seemed diagrams from different sources didn't match up for all the parts you needed and I didn't want to reuse old parts. I was able to piece together the parts needed to assemble them myself from Nissan and RockAuto and rented the manual spring compressor (I didn't like compressing the springs too, but was able to), but definitely agree, buy pre-assembled when possible, I did this for when I replaced the front struts on my Xterra. When I replaced the struts, shocks, and did an add leaf, it lifted my Xterra (4X4) approximately 2 inches which lead to vibrations around 25-35 mph. I ended up needing axle shims to help correct the pinion angle because there's a not a u-joint at the rear diff. Do you have any vibration issues?
Yea when I installed mine it's the same kit by the way I bought to spring compression kits to do it and it still felt like it was a bomb waiting to go off😂😂 glad it's over and I'm here to tell you about it next I will definitely have them build the struts lol.
Used the video as basis for ADO suspension upgrade on my 2012 fronty. Great video tutorial. Thanks for making these and many more for our platform. Appreciate it!
Awesome video. Very informative. You video has inspired me to install rear leafsprings on my xterra with 125k. recently changed out the front strut/springs and now its time changed the rear. I'll change the entire leaf like you did. My rear springs are saggy. The AllDogs kits looks great. I'm going to check them out. Thank you! Allways enjoy your videos. Mahalo!!!
2015 pro-4x here. It took years but I finally spoiled myself with a Nisstec Titan swap and added a 2" body lift and 33" tires. So epic. Some people think it's a different Nissan vehicle and i'm thinking - just wait until I do a front bumper trim lol.
Thank you so much! I used your video to help with my install today. Besides my front leaf spring bolts being nowhere as easy as yours, it went pretty smoothly! Also Alldogs is great to work with and this kit is fantastic.
Excellent tutorial. I upgraded to the same Bilstens a few years ago but didn't do my leaf springs. I wish I did the leaf springs as I often get a hard suspension hit from a particular frost heave on my daily commute.
You very nearly had me convinced to buy a lift kit for my Frontier. Then I thought about how much money I was about to spend on a base model 2wd, I think my money will be better spent. ;) Great video though!!
Depending on how good your suspension is you may not need all the stuff he bought. AllDogs Offroad has a kit with just the springs and an add a leaf for the rear springs for less than $500. That may be on option for you. My Frontier has less than 11,000 miles on it so that's what I went with. Just bought it and haven't installed it yet so I'll eventually see how it goes.
Wow! Thanks for sharing. A friend of mine passed away and he left a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder (only owner )that the widow wants to get rid of. I am buying it.
Great video as always! I have a 2012 Xterra Pro4x and did a cheap lift with the 2 inch spacers on top of the springs, new Billstein 5100 shocks front and rear and bigger leaf shackles. I need to get better leafs for sure. Love the video!
Very good video man Learned a lot from you. Thank you Thank you very much. May god protect you from everything you doing... I have a 2011 Nissan Xterra pro 4x . I mostly work on it myself.
Solid information, great video. Your tools and torque specs quick page was a great help to complete my project. My Xterra is also about 15 y/o with 150K miles and have wanted to make the upgrades for awhile. I installed the Old Man EMU HD package instead and had few minor differences. On the front, I needed to remove the upper and lower sway bar link, because the new shock was an inch longer than the stock and I couldn't fit it in without removing the whole link.T he Ubolts that came in my kit worked just fine around my rear axel and the stock plate mount. Right now my rig is sitting about 3 inches taller, but am installing steal bumpers soon so we'll see how things change. I am also going to need to install the aftermarket camber bolts for the front end too, because the stock bolts are not capable of fixing the positive camber I'm experiencing now. (will have to watch your cam bolt install video). Thanks for the help, Ry.
Thanks for the video! Ill use this video when i install my broverlands lol. I also got almost all my parts from ADO for my titan swap, great guys over there.
Nice! Thanks for the sub. It’s funny I was actually going to buy a 350 Z instead of my Mustang (in retrospect I should have) maybe I will get a 370 when the 400 comes out.
I did this same lift 2 weeks ago but with prebuilt coilovers and an AAL instead of full leaf pack.... wish this video would have been out then. My big issue came on front driver side removal of factory coil over. The top bolts on coil over, the heads of the bolts rounded off with little to no effort or torque... and the lower bolt took 45 minutes to break free, even after pb blaster, impact gun.... finally had to buy a 3ft breaker bar to break it loose. Aside from that this was a pretty straight forward job. ended up getting a couple hundred bucks worth of new tools out of the job as well lmao.
Couple tips I didn't see in this video. 1 - per a suggestion on a nissan frontier build thread, removing the sway bar (which is way too stiff) I had a dramatically positive ride comfort without it. 2nd, the lower bolt for the front shock, make sure you wire wheel that thing and use a good quality grease when before putting it back in. Failure to do so could lead to the most obnoxious squeak (think Ford explorer Ball joint noise) in the world. Happy modding
i wish I know how to install it by myself, I own a Xterra 06 just like yours. I got the 32s on it now 😂 and I would like to lift it for sure, I’m from Costa Rica and here the lift kits is are way more expensive, like $3.300 😔, love your car and excellent vid! new subscriber for sure dude
Awesome job!! job well done !! Im glad you are happy with your results and it dose looks so much better ! Hopefully one day... one day.. I will do this same upgrade to my truck ))
Any time soon i’ll drop the airbags on my rear. Just looking for the right compressor for now. I wanna make the level valve installed,so i don’t have to warry about the hight on different loads. Great vid,buddy.
Great video, as always! I did a similar lift on my x, but wish i'd had this vid before doing it. The coil overs are a pain.. FYI, You can get loner spring compressors from Advanced Auto. Keep up the great work!
Helpful video, BUT you should add 22mm deep socket to the tools list, I couldn't tighten my u-bolt nuts with the regular socket because of the length of the bolt. Ended up just chopping the bolts short with a cutoff wheel.
Lifting an independent front suspension vehicle requires an alignment. Everything is changed, caster, camber and toe. The whole front end needs to be reset to drive correctly and wear tires correctly. I would strongly advise anyone thinking about doing this to have it aligned as soon as the lift is complete. And YES! you are affecting every angle of the front end. Set it right, save yourself money in tires and wear on the new suspension, ball joints, etc.
Enjoyed the up lifting install of the lift kit you got from all dogs well done and I think I'll have to restock mine it feels like every bump is a bound off a step lol a sharp hammering jolts all 4 corners but I love that truck
That price for the coil over assembly and parts to do so isn’t bad at all. I had one shop quote me $60 to assemble but they were impossible to get in touch with. Every other shop (3 or 4) in San Antonio wanted $180-250 for it. I found the top mounts at O’Reilly for about $45 and assembled my coil overs myself just to say I did it, and save some cash. But if I had to do it all over agin I definitely would have paid the $150 for ADO to assemble them. It really is a PITA if you don’t do it regularly or don’t have the exact right tools for it.
Also the one problem that gave me some headaches was my coil over lower mounting bolts didn’t come out real easy after getting the nut off, probably because I didn’t support the LCA enough. I messed up the threads and those bolts aren’t real easy to find and get quickly.
I really liked your video and will definitely recommend that my son watch it. He has a 2007 with 150,000 maybe be a little more on it. We’ve done a lot to it but no suspension work and I think it’s badly needed. Did you get new tires? What size, would love to see some comparison pictures. You made it look super easy really, somewhat time consuming, but if you don’t have to deal with the coils yourself maybe knock it out in a weekend, you think? I refer to all your xterra videos to do the work on my son’s truck and you have no idea how much I have learned and passed on to him. Thank you!
You are the best bro, thanks so much for this video. Apparently you've helped me in the past because i've already subscribed, hahah Keep on keepin on brother. thanks
@@Rythecarguy My truck spent it's entire life in Hawaii and California and it was a pain but I got it. THANK YOU for your video - it helped a lot. You are awesome.
Hey Ry - AWESOME video! I'm blown away by your thorough approach and detailed explanations. I don't have an XTerra but almost tempted to get one for this mod! :-) I'm impressed with the condition of your XTerra - pretty clean, paint in good shape and a clean interior. Also your garage is super clean and pretty tidy. Well done! All the best, Rob
I second the recommendation on having the struts pre assembled, if available. Even just replacing the stock struts on stock springs, working with the spring compressors on those springs is a real P.I.T.A. The spring compressors just don't fit properly even on the stock springs. I've done it twice, and it results in much swearing.
So am at prep stage of doing my ‘06 Xterra S rear leaf springs ( from iron man 4x4 ,heavy duty replacements cause they had 25% off sale last month) i received springs ,shackles ,greaseable bushings and shackles and heavy duty & coated ubolts ,as well as all hardware this past week via ups .and have started pre lubing all rusted( in the northeast ) bolts ala pb blaster today. Will hit a couple more throughout this week with pb and or wd40 and hopefully get it done next weekend…in reviewing any and all RUclips how to’s on this Xterra spring swap I see some people had to remove the rear passenger outer bumper end caps / step ends and you didn’t have to ….unless I skipped past that part earlier on in your process…?it looks like since I’m in the northeast (a serious winter salt area) and the exhaust / hangers etc being so close I’ll b using my harbor freight Bauer impact gun and will possibly have to remove those…? Hope I don’t , though I’m planning on wire brushing / sanding etc the undercarriage after old stuffs removed to spray rust reformer on …everything ….and I’d like to hit under those end caps and the bumper too ….I have to finish in a day or by end of weekend because not suppose to do this type of work in my complex lot….so need to be somewhat speedy….anyways great video tutorial Ry the car guy, even though I think it’ll be mostly self explanatory as I go along , this video and the occasional tips in it are appreciated .
@@Rythecarguy yeah went more or less as expected ….After finishing and test driving I now have a vibration between 27& 40 mph ….ordered up some shims and am about to go out and install them now …Time frame being an issue I ordered before getting the “working pinion/ axle joint angle”. I think the 4 degree shims I got will be good. Have a 10.1 axle and 4.8 pinion / rear end ( same direction ) gave me a 5.3 working angle ( assuming I am correct in subtracting the two lol) so 4 * shim leave me 1.3*’s…..was hoping for 2* as most seem to recommend ( not all though) but I rarely have “my foot in it “ and don’t expect these heavy duty springs and parts to allow a ton of rear end rotation….so 🤞🏻🤞🏻🙏
FYI, to anyone doing this and removing the stock shackles, you're going to have a problem getting the upper bolt of the PASSENGER SIDE shackle out. You either need to unbolt the mount of the muffler from the wall (2 bolts) or carefully strap a ratchet strap to the driver's side leaf spring to pull the muffler (don't rip it off the welds) away from the upper bolt. Really should have shown how to do that in this video. Yeah, a lot of people do adjustable shackles when they do leafs at the same time so they can get more or less height in back, so it's 100% worth mentioning. 🙃
Ry if you have already decided, what's the tire size you are upgrading to? After watching your video, I'm strongly considering this kit on my 2006 Xterra. I'm just not sure if I can fit 32's or 33's on stock wheels (265/70R16).
Just a side note for the sway bar link nuts, mine didnt have the Allen key hole in bolt, so had to use a open end wrench on back side to hold it still. Figures that the aftermarket links had it and not the factory ones, my luck.
Thank you Ry. I also plan to do a 2-3" lift maybe next year as my suspension is sagging by like 1.5" below stock height, and it bottoms out on almost every pothole. My leafs are also extremely rusty/old too and are pretty "flat"/sagging even when I put a moderate load in the back. When 4 tires or something heavy is there, it really does push the rear down a lot. But my question is, In the event of a tire flat do you believe that the stock Xterra jack will be able to lift the vehicle enough for you to be able to actually change a tire? I heard someone on thenewxorg forums mention that they have 33" tires and the stock jack only lifted the X off from the ground by 1" so I believe with larger tires and a 2"+ lift you will need to go aftermarket for the jack or use a block of wood/metal or something. Edit: I realized I already commented about something else on this video but Hi again anyway! :D
Great video! Just one question, what happened to the fog lights? Not sure I'm going to put a lift on my 05 X but definitely need to change shocks. Thanks again for the video. Your videos truly helped me repair and maintain my X!
My pleasure man! Anything to help. You know what's funny? I installed them and in less than a week I had something (dont know) pop up in the road, hit one and smash the lens. :( ...So I just took them both off. I was really bummed.
@@Rythecarguy bummer sorry to hear that. I've got my 05 prepped and ready to paint with raptor liner but the weather is not cooperating with me. I'll be installing the fog lights after paint. Thanks for all your help!
Ry I’m so excited to find your channel! I bought a 2008 Xterra last week and am stoked to learn and perform more and more and eventually all my own car care (at least what an average residential garage can provide 😊) Cheers man!
Ry - what's been your experience with the on-road handling? Difference vs stock? Any sensation of rear-end sway or feeling loose? If you got an alignment, could you post up the figures you had it aligned to?
i had been following your channel quite a bit now and i noticed you installed a double din radio not supported with back up camera instead you installed a separate camera unit. i have a 2002 xterra and i decided to install a double din with GPS, back up camera my issue is the connection from my head unit camera wire into the reverse wire which is located at driver side kick panel some says its a black/purple wire or black/pink wire and other say yellow/red. my other option is probably to use the reverse light at the tail light anyhow, i thought maybe you know which wire in the driver side kick panel is the right one for 2002 xterra well thanks for taking time to read my inquiry more power to your channel
Ry the Car Guy is saving the world thousands of dollars in repair and maintenance costs. This guy is a legend. A few things I’d add, particularly for older Xterra’s (mine is at 175,000): 1. Be prepared for frozen bolts. The lower shock bolts are absolute dogs to remove and may require not just WD-40, but hammering, blow torching, and tapping while attempting to turn the bolt. 2. 12 point sockets are okay, but for this job I’d recommend 6 points due to the high level of torque required to remove some of these bolts. 3. Don’t even consider a 3/8” breaker. Go for the full 1/2” and even then you’ll likely need an extension. 4. An impact gun is a must in my opinion, as some bolts respond to the impact better (if you can get at them). 5. I passed on buying a powered ratchet tool and regretted it. Using mostly hand tools is possible, but you’ll save hours using more power tools. 6. DO NOT under any circumstances remove both leaf springs and shocks. Do one side at a time, like the video recommends. And do everything in the order Ry does it. I got impatient and tried to loosen and remove bolts out of order, as to not have to change socket sizes, and it was disastrous. 7. For anyone buying the All Dogs kit, just buy the recessed plates for the u-bolts. Modifying the stock plates is simple enough, but pinching the u-bolts to fit absolutely sucks, not to mention then zipping up the bolts for what feels like a mile by hand because no sockets are deep enough (the u-bolts are insanely long). You will ultimately want to cut the u-bolts shorter, as it’s impossibly to torque them down at their length.
Hope this helps someone.
Fantastic video Ry! Your attention to detail is amazing. We're glad we could be a part of this project
Thanks!! I am really happy that I went with ADO. I appreciate your awesome customer service and killer parts.
are there any coupons? i want this lift
I purchased this exact kit from ADO, because of your video. I can’t wait to install it next week! Great job!
@Alldogs Offroad Coop yeah any discount code currently for this project?
@@butchgreene we don't offer discount codes, only sales twice a year
Bought an 05 Xterra and immediately put a new radiator in it. I'm amazed at how clean the trans fluid is. I fall in love with this vehicle more by the day and your videos make it seem so easy to work on which is priceless imo. I'm just amazed at how fun these are to drive on back country and mountain roads. It's one of those cars where I would pay more to keep it running than what I gave for it. I appreciate your videos so much!!!
Aren't they great!?! I love my Xterra. Thanks for watching.
I am most impressed by the condition of your garage floor!
Haha thank you. I bought this place new a couple months ago and had it done right away. I love it.
Sis you notice how he had the Jack stands on card boards? 😊
@@ahmadghosheh3104 All about the details. LOL If I hadn't just gotten this new floor a couple months ago I wouldn't be so careful. Still feeling the sting of paying for that damn thing :D
Living in the North East, I'm most impressed with the condition of the underside of that truck.
Alldogs installed my Radflos on my Xterra. I'm very happy with it. Good guys too.
Yea for sure. They have been great to work with. 👍🏻
Chad and Steven are doing all the right things for the Nissan market! I have their complete kit on my Frontier and it rides great. Switching to Radflo once they finally ship.
Nice! I agree. They haven been great to work with and their customer service is top notch.
Your videos are outstanding. The way you place the camera to show a very clear view of what you are working on, and the way you explain everything are a big help. Thank you very much!
Awesome, thank you! I appreciate you checking out the channel.
I own a 2001 Xterra SE and preparing to get a 2005 SE, always confuse how to do a lift until I watched your video! Thank you so much for the tutor! !!!! Perfect video!!!
You're welcome. Thank you for watching.
When reinstalling the front shocks you should put the lower bolt in backwards that way you don't have to disconnect the sway bar again if you ever have to replace the shocks.
Whew a long vid!! Good job!! This video will be a gold mine for all current and future X owners. They are only getting more popular as people are seeing them as an affordable option to modify for overlanding and stuff.
Agreed. I the second gen is seeing a spike in interest. 👍🏻👍🏻
2006 Xterra SE. I went with the OME kit front and back. Had NISSTEC LIFTS assemble the front shocks and springs (very glad I did, as this video shows the nightmare of trying to do it yourself). Also did front control arms as well because after 12 yrs the control arm bushings were tired. Did new tie rods and swaybar bushings since I was “in there”. Added bigger BFG KO2 tires. Supper happy with the results. About 2 inches of lift.
Really appreciate these videos. Your attention to detail, camera work and lighting is fantastic. Just bought a 2016 Frontier and plan to do similar all dogs off road lift so this helps.
Great to hear! You should sub, a huge number of my videos apply to the frontier. As you know the platforms are nearly the same.
Finally got around to replacing my leaf springs this week. Word of warning to solo installers. Have a bottle jack & ratchet strap handy. The centering pin on the leaf can misalign with the hole in the base of the rear axle. You can hold the leaf up with the bottle jack to work new bushings into the front mounting bracket b/c modern bushings are "fluffy.
Ratchet strap is to wrap around the axle and the center frame mount to pull the axle forward. If you need to pull the axle toward the rear, anchoring on a hitch words good. I had to do BOTH.
Awesome video! This is exactly what I needed as my suspension is also sagging and bottoms out
Thank you!
This video and Jeremy Bod's video with OME Dakar springs are the ones I used to get the advice on changing those out. Ry definitely had an easier time of getting the front bolts loosened than I did. I should have gone with some heat to coax the bolt. I did in a way. I decided to cut the bolts and replace with new ones. Those cost about $8 apiece and were on hand. The heat from grinding part way through the bolt allowed me to turn them with the intent to twist the heads off and punch the other end through. I still had enough left of the body to twist it out. Note to always keep in mind the tried and true method of using a torch (MAPP, etc....) to heat up difficult bolts when all else fails. Cutoff wheel on a grinder should be the LAST resort.
I did go with Nisstec's products, except for the recessed U-bolt plate kit from All Dogs. For those with hitches, I found I needed to get farther under and pull the bolts for the muffler and the hoses next to that bracket in order to pull the shackle from the passenger side. I still had to use a ratchet strap to move it far enough away and hold it to slide it out. I also removed the plastic rear farings. That was so I could get at the bolts with an impact.
I attempted to remove the front bolt first on one, thinking what's the difference? Well... the shackle moves. That's it's job. Remove that front bolt first, and that shackle will move like an MF! Using the jack "right" means having a jack low enough to allow the axle to drop nearly right into place. It's difficult to see in the video, but the reference hole for the peg in the leafs is rotated upward with the only thing holding it up at this point being the stabilizer bar, you can rotate that down into place when you're inches away from the leafs. Only some slight finessing, and you should be able to pop those U-bolts and the plates on.
Originally planning to replace the shackle with Nisstec's adjustable lift shackle, I didn't clean the originals up right away. Seeing the distance I'd have to drop the axle, I wasn't sure how I was going to make the intended 2" max lift distance, so I put the originals back on once I had used a scraper, but then seeing the pitting on the lower shaft, I took a grinder with a wire wheel to them. That pitting was pretty thorough, so I did what I could. Used it on the inside of the plate to get the remains of the old bushing and, "Bob's your uncle!"
The ride is so much better! No rocking backwards when it starts. No rocking forward when it stops. So much better when going over even speed bumps in the parking lot. I could feel the leafs hitting on the bumps stops all the time when going through the apartment complex. Not anymore. The old ones had 160-some thousand miles on them. They'd served their purpose.
A very thorough video! That doesn’t look as difficult as I thought it would be. I live in Florida so I won’t have to worry about dealing with bolts being stuck due to winter weather.
That’s awesome. Florida is very nice to cars. Makes things easy to work on.
Your videos are like visual service manuals. Thanks!
Wow, thank you so much!
Keep it up RY! Great job in all you do for a vehicle that is highly underrated! Fantastic mill that needs attentive suspension. I’m on it. I’ve just bought an OME. I’ll check in after installation. Thank you.
lol, did you say underrated or underpowered?
Michael Jedd Tell me the VQ4.0 DE is underpowered? Certainly not against any Toyota V6.
@@robertpoirier8520 Never drove a toyota v6, but all I know is that my '02 4x4 3.3 v6 is pretty gutless
Michael Jedd I was surprised that supercharged Xterra didn’t have more power. In 05 they went to NA with that 4.0 VQ plant. For a 15 year old design it still has more than plenty of power.
@@robertpoirier8520 Never said it was supercharged, maybe it would have more power if it was. Looked up the stats, NEW it was only 170hp and now after 18 years probably less.
Great tutorial! My 06 xterra offroad was wrecked last fall when someone smashed it from behind. I used your other video to replace the shocks a while back.
Great to hear! Hopefully it helped.
Thank you so much for the in depth xterra videos man!!! I love mine too and love being able to find this info on your channel!
Glad you enjoy it! Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe.
For my 2008 Frontier (4 cylinder) I couldn't find quality pre-assembled front struts (I used Bilstein's). I had a difficult time determining all the parts needed to assemble them myself, it seemed diagrams from different sources didn't match up for all the parts you needed and I didn't want to reuse old parts. I was able to piece together the parts needed to assemble them myself from Nissan and RockAuto and rented the manual spring compressor (I didn't like compressing the springs too, but was able to), but definitely agree, buy pre-assembled when possible, I did this for when I replaced the front struts on my Xterra.
When I replaced the struts, shocks, and did an add leaf, it lifted my Xterra (4X4) approximately 2 inches which lead to vibrations around 25-35 mph. I ended up needing axle shims to help correct the pinion angle because there's a not a u-joint at the rear diff. Do you have any vibration issues?
The Day has come!
Feels like it’s been forever huh?
Yea when I installed mine it's the same kit by the way I bought to spring compression kits to do it and it still felt like it was a bomb waiting to go off😂😂 glad it's over and I'm here to tell you about it next I will definitely have them build the struts lol.
Amen. I will never buy HD springs without assembly again.
Used the video as basis for ADO suspension upgrade on my 2012 fronty. Great video tutorial. Thanks for making these and many more for our platform. Appreciate it!
Glad it helped! Thanks for watching!
Hey Ry, Once again you hit out of the park. Thanks for creating this tutorial. You are the Car Guy!
You're welcome. Thank YOU for watching. 😄
Awesome video. Very informative. You video has inspired me to install rear leafsprings on my xterra with 125k. recently changed out the front strut/springs and now its time changed the rear. I'll change the entire leaf like you did. My rear springs are saggy. The AllDogs kits looks great. I'm going to check them out. Thank you!
Allways enjoy your videos.
Mahalo!!!
Steve and Chad from ADO are awesome to work with. They've helped me build up my X and it's been featured on their page before.
Agreed. They have been really awesome. Crazy good customer service.
2015 pro-4x here. It took years but I finally spoiled myself with a Nisstec Titan swap and added a 2" body lift and 33" tires. So epic. Some people think it's a different Nissan vehicle and i'm thinking - just wait until I do a front bumper trim lol.
Awesome video! I definitely want to do this. It just always seemed very daunting until watching this...thanks.
If I can do it, you can! Let me know if you have any questions about it.
Thank you so much! I used your video to help with my install today. Besides my front leaf spring bolts being nowhere as easy as yours, it went pretty smoothly! Also Alldogs is great to work with and this kit is fantastic.
Great to hear! I agree, they are pretty awesome and the kit is killer. Still loving it.
Excellent tutorial. I upgraded to the same Bilstens a few years ago but didn't do my leaf springs. I wish I did the leaf springs as I often get a hard suspension hit from a particular frost heave on my daily commute.
Thank you. Sorry to hear about your suspension
You very nearly had me convinced to buy a lift kit for my Frontier. Then I thought about how much money I was about to spend on a base model 2wd, I think my money will be better spent. ;)
Great video though!!
Thanks DT. Yea if you are not passionate about the lift then it’s a bit much to spend. Thanks for watching though. 👍🏻💪🏻
Depending on how good your suspension is you may not need all the stuff he bought. AllDogs Offroad has a kit with just the springs and an add a leaf for the rear springs for less than $500. That may be on option for you. My Frontier has less than 11,000 miles on it so that's what I went with. Just bought it and haven't installed it yet so I'll eventually see how it goes.
Wow!
Thanks for sharing.
A friend of mine passed away and he left a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder (only owner )that the widow wants to get rid of. I am buying it.
Oh gosh, sorry to hear that. Take good care of it for him!
Great video as always! I have a 2012 Xterra Pro4x and did a cheap lift with the 2 inch spacers on top of the springs, new Billstein 5100 shocks front and rear and bigger leaf shackles. I need to get better leafs for sure. Love the video!
Thank you so much for filming this process so well! Excellent video!
My pleasure, thanks so much for watching. 😊
Very good video man Learned a lot from you. Thank you Thank you very much. May god protect you from everything you doing... I have a 2011 Nissan Xterra pro 4x . I mostly work on it myself.
I just found this channel and I have a caterers 07 SE and this makes me so happy
Welcome, woop woop! Be sure to sub.
Doesnt get any better than this. Well detailed and easy to follow. Thanks for this tutorial bud.
You're welcome, thanks so much for watching. 🤘🏻👍🏻
Well now I’m ordering this exact kit from all dogs ASAP
Hell yea! Also check out the giveaway video. We’re giving almost the same kit away!
How many inches is
ADO is great! Chad has been great to work with on my purchases
Thanks for you videos. I respect and appreciate the effort you put in.
It’s my pleasure. Thank you for watching them! :)
Thank you explaining the kit package! I was looking at their site and excited to get their pack
Glad it was helpful! You're gunna love it.
Solid information, great video. Your tools and torque specs quick page was a great help to complete my project. My Xterra is also about 15 y/o with 150K miles and have wanted to make the upgrades for awhile. I installed the Old Man EMU HD package instead and had few minor differences. On the front, I needed to remove the upper and lower sway bar link, because the new shock was an inch longer than the stock and I couldn't fit it in without removing the whole link.T he Ubolts that came in my kit worked just fine around my rear axel and the stock plate mount. Right now my rig is sitting about 3 inches taller, but am installing steal bumpers soon so we'll see how things change. I am also going to need to install the aftermarket camber bolts for the front end too, because the stock bolts are not capable of fixing the positive camber I'm experiencing now. (will have to watch your cam bolt install video). Thanks for the help, Ry.
Fantastic Video as always. Great content. Super helpful. So close to having the $ for my Alldogs kit for my Frontier. Can’t wait.
That's awesome! I hope it goes well.
Thanks for the video! Ill use this video when i install my broverlands lol. I also got almost all my parts from ADO for my titan swap, great guys over there.
Agreed, good guys!
As a proud Xterra (and 370Z) owner let me tell you, I'm subscribed.
Keep up the good work!
Nice! Thanks for the sub. It’s funny I was actually going to buy a 350 Z instead of my Mustang (in retrospect I should have) maybe I will get a 370 when the 400 comes out.
Outstanding vid as always! Now I am for sure gonna find a shop to swap out the coil springs for the Bilstein take offs I bought...
Right on! Hope it goes well.
By the way, awesome video! I wish it was available when I did my install!
Thanks! 👍🏻💪🏻
I did this same lift 2 weeks ago but with prebuilt coilovers and an AAL instead of full leaf pack.... wish this video would have been out then. My big issue came on front driver side removal of factory coil over. The top bolts on coil over, the heads of the bolts rounded off with little to no effort or torque... and the lower bolt took 45 minutes to break free, even after pb blaster, impact gun.... finally had to buy a 3ft breaker bar to break it loose. Aside from that this was a pretty straight forward job. ended up getting a couple hundred bucks worth of new tools out of the job as well lmao.
How much did the add-a-leaf lift in reality, and how do the springs feel over the stock soft ones now?
Couple tips I didn't see in this video. 1 - per a suggestion on a nissan frontier build thread, removing the sway bar (which is way too stiff) I had a dramatically positive ride comfort without it. 2nd, the lower bolt for the front shock, make sure you wire wheel that thing and use a good quality grease when before putting it back in. Failure to do so could lead to the most obnoxious squeak (think Ford explorer Ball joint noise) in the world. Happy modding
i wish I know how to install it by myself, I own a Xterra 06 just like yours. I got the 32s on it now 😂 and I would like to lift it for sure, I’m from Costa Rica and here the lift kits is are way more expensive, like $3.300 😔, love your car and excellent vid! new subscriber for sure dude
Thanks for the sub man. I'm sure along with my video you should be able to get it installed. I believe in you
Awesome job!! job well done !! Im glad you are happy with your results and it dose looks so much better ! Hopefully one day... one day.. I will do this same upgrade to my truck ))
Any time soon i’ll drop the airbags on my rear. Just looking for the right compressor for now. I wanna make the level valve installed,so i don’t have to warry about the hight on different loads. Great vid,buddy.
Great video, as always! I did a similar lift on my x, but wish i'd had this vid before doing it. The coil overs are a pain.. FYI, You can get loner spring compressors from Advanced Auto. Keep up the great work!
Helpful video, BUT you should add 22mm deep socket to the tools list, I couldn't tighten my u-bolt nuts with the regular socket because of the length of the bolt. Ended up just chopping the bolts short with a cutoff wheel.
Way kool install. Now I got to save money to get that kit. 👍👍
👍🏻💪🏻
The old u-bolt and ratchet strap trick was good problem solving
Thanks 🤘🏻
Lifting an independent front suspension vehicle requires an alignment. Everything is changed, caster, camber and toe. The whole front end needs to be reset to drive correctly and wear tires correctly. I would strongly advise anyone thinking about doing this to have it aligned as soon as the lift is complete. And YES! you are affecting every angle of the front end. Set it right, save yourself money in tires and wear on the new suspension, ball joints, etc.
Agreed, that why I recommend it. It's always a good idea whenever messing with your suspension to go ahead and get it done.
13:27
Enjoyed the up lifting install of the lift kit you got from all dogs well done and I think I'll have to restock mine it feels like every bump is a bound off a step lol a sharp hammering jolts all 4 corners but I love that truck
Love your channel since I am getting a 2011 X-Terra myself in a couple of days. And yes it is black.
That’s exciting!
I was waiting for this day to watch the video, the Xterra in the sky 😃😀. Nice job Ry 👍
Thanks John. I appreciate your support. 👍🏻
That price for the coil over assembly and parts to do so isn’t bad at all. I had one shop quote me $60 to assemble but they were impossible to get in touch with. Every other shop (3 or 4) in San Antonio wanted $180-250 for it. I found the top mounts at O’Reilly for about $45 and assembled my coil overs myself just to say I did it, and save some cash. But if I had to do it all over agin I definitely would have paid the $150 for ADO to assemble them. It really is a PITA if you don’t do it regularly or don’t have the exact right tools for it.
Here here!
Also the one problem that gave me some headaches was my coil over lower mounting bolts didn’t come out real easy after getting the nut off, probably because I didn’t support the LCA enough. I messed up the threads and those bolts aren’t real easy to find and get quickly.
Great job brother..I love my xterra more cause of you
Hell yea. Love to hear that. 💪🏻
Hey, great video. I am pretty excited to have just found your channel. I have a 2013 Xterra. I am going to go binge your videos!
That’s awesome! Be sure to subscribe dude. I am putting out videos multiple times a month. 👍🏻💪🏻
Great video!! You have a gift of teaching!!
I appreciate that! Thank you Mike.
I really liked your video and will definitely recommend that my son watch it. He has a 2007 with 150,000 maybe be a little more on it. We’ve done a lot to it but no suspension work and I think it’s badly needed. Did you get new tires? What size, would love to see some comparison pictures. You made it look super easy really, somewhat time consuming, but if you don’t have to deal with the coils yourself maybe knock it out in a weekend, you think? I refer to all your xterra videos to do the work on my son’s truck and you have no idea how much I have learned and passed on to him. Thank you!
Nice walk through, Ry. Been curious about All Dogs but now I know. 2011 Pro4x, 6spd is going to be riding high real soon. Thanks
Absolutely, Thanks for watching! 👍🏻💪🏻
You are the best bro, thanks so much for this video. Apparently you've helped me in the past because i've already subscribed, hahah Keep on keepin on brother. thanks
I appreciate that! Thanks for the sub. :D
very good video. Little by little I am also fixing and modifying my xterra 2001 Xe.
I miss living in areas without snow and salted roads. His is so clean underneath. Mine suffers from Michigan Rust Syndrome.
Yea I'm back in Michigan and I'm a sad panda again
@@Rythecarguy Where abouts? Do you do any meet ups? I am new to the Xterra and wouldn't mind going to group rides or meets.
@@TheYankeeh8r no meetups but I like the idea. I also don't ride often LOL. But if someone put something together I would do my best to be there.
I truly enjoyed this video very well done thank you
You are very welcome
This was a great guide. Very easy to follow and well explained.
Thanks!
I shopped a lift for my 07 X but didn’t feel it was worth the time/money for 2/2.5 inches. Great video well done!
Thanks!
After trying this I realized just how much of this video was for show. No bolts come out that easy.
Lol yes it's to show the process. My truck spent its entire life in Florida. This video was the very first time those bolts have ever been removed.
@@Rythecarguy My truck spent it's entire life in Hawaii and California and it was a pain but I got it. THANK YOU for your video - it helped a lot. You are awesome.
Thank you so much for adding torque specs!!
Of course!
Hey Ry - AWESOME video! I'm blown away by your thorough approach and detailed explanations. I don't have an XTerra but almost tempted to get one for this mod! :-)
I'm impressed with the condition of your XTerra - pretty clean, paint in good shape and a clean interior. Also your garage is super clean and pretty tidy. Well done! All the best, Rob
Thanks Rob! I appreciate it. Thanks you for watching. 👍🏻
Great video....I'm more jealous of the fancy epoxy coated floor
Haha It really was wonderful. I bought that house new so I told myself it was the perfect time to get it done.
Great video, very thorough. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
I second the recommendation on having the struts pre assembled, if available. Even just replacing the stock struts on stock springs, working with the spring compressors on those springs is a real P.I.T.A. The spring compressors just don't fit properly even on the stock springs. I've done it twice, and it results in much swearing.
I make American steel so thank you for pushing to buy these products here
Of course, I am a huge proponent for anything made in America. We make amazing stuff.
Finially the lift video 😁
Great video RY can't wait to see the wheel and tire package u choose👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Thank you! Shopping now. Wheels and tires are expensive!!
@@Rythecarguy yes they are
For this ADO kit, there is no need for a rear sway bracket relocation? Ry didn't install one so I am assuming that the rear 5100s clear the sway bar?
Yea, my kit cleared it without issue. I have a 2WD but it should not make a difference.
So am at prep stage of doing my ‘06 Xterra S rear leaf springs ( from iron man 4x4 ,heavy duty replacements cause they had 25% off sale last month) i received springs ,shackles ,greaseable bushings and shackles and heavy duty & coated ubolts ,as well as all hardware this past week via ups .and have started pre lubing all rusted( in the northeast ) bolts ala pb blaster today. Will hit a couple more throughout this week with pb and or wd40 and hopefully get it done next weekend…in reviewing any and all RUclips how to’s on this Xterra spring swap I see some people had to remove the rear passenger outer bumper end caps / step ends and you didn’t have to ….unless I skipped past that part earlier on in your process…?it looks like since I’m in the northeast (a serious winter salt area) and the exhaust / hangers etc being so close I’ll b using my harbor freight Bauer impact gun and will possibly have to remove those…? Hope I don’t , though I’m planning on wire brushing / sanding etc the undercarriage after old stuffs removed to spray rust reformer on …everything ….and I’d like to hit under those end caps and the bumper too ….I have to finish in a day or by end of weekend because not suppose to do this type of work in my complex lot….so need to be somewhat speedy….anyways great video tutorial Ry the car guy, even though I think it’ll be mostly self explanatory as I go along , this video and the occasional tips in it are appreciated .
I hope this job goes well for you! I know how fortunate I am to be working on a Florida car. Rust can be a huge pain.
@@Rythecarguy yeah went more or less as expected ….After finishing and test driving I now have a vibration between 27& 40 mph ….ordered up some shims and am about to go out and install them now …Time frame being an issue I ordered before getting the “working pinion/ axle joint angle”. I think the 4 degree shims I got will be good. Have a 10.1 axle and 4.8 pinion / rear end ( same direction ) gave me a 5.3 working angle ( assuming I am correct in subtracting the two lol) so 4 * shim leave me 1.3*’s…..was hoping for 2* as most seem to recommend ( not all though) but I rarely have “my foot in it “ and don’t expect these heavy duty springs and parts to allow a ton of rear end rotation….so 🤞🏻🤞🏻🙏
FYI, to anyone doing this and removing the stock shackles, you're going to have a problem getting the upper bolt of the PASSENGER SIDE shackle out. You either need to unbolt the mount of the muffler from the wall (2 bolts) or carefully strap a ratchet strap to the driver's side leaf spring to pull the muffler (don't rip it off the welds) away from the upper bolt.
Really should have shown how to do that in this video.
Yeah, a lot of people do adjustable shackles when they do leafs at the same time so they can get more or less height in back, so it's 100% worth mentioning. 🙃
great job! i think the wheels will change the look and be lighter, and the tires will quiet the ride.
I'm exited to find out!
Good video, think you can make one on how to replace the airbag clock spring
ruclips.net/video/Rj2m9zcqU5I/видео.html
What a great vídeo.
Thanks for making it.
You’re welcome. Thank you for watching it!
Ry if you have already decided, what's the tire size you are upgrading to? After watching your video, I'm strongly considering this kit on my 2006 Xterra. I'm just not sure if I can fit 32's or 33's on stock wheels (265/70R16).
I was thinking 285/75/16. That way I can keep the stock rims to save money and do a video on the “melt mod” everyone talks about.
Just a side note for the sway bar link nuts, mine didnt have the Allen key hole in bolt, so had to use a open end wrench on back side to hold it still. Figures that the aftermarket links had it and not the factory ones, my luck.
Thank you Ry. I also plan to do a 2-3" lift maybe next year as my suspension is sagging by like 1.5" below stock height, and it bottoms out on almost every pothole. My leafs are also extremely rusty/old too and are pretty "flat"/sagging even when I put a moderate load in the back. When 4 tires or something heavy is there, it really does push the rear down a lot.
But my question is, In the event of a tire flat do you believe that the stock Xterra jack will be able to lift the vehicle enough for you to be able to actually change a tire? I heard someone on thenewxorg forums mention that they have 33" tires and the stock jack only lifted the X off from the ground by 1" so I believe with larger tires and a 2"+ lift you will need to go aftermarket for the jack or use a block of wood/metal or something.
Edit: I realized I already commented about something else on this video but Hi again anyway! :D
Great video! Just one question, what happened to the fog lights? Not sure I'm going to put a lift on my 05 X but definitely need to change shocks. Thanks again for the video. Your videos truly helped me repair and maintain my X!
My pleasure man! Anything to help. You know what's funny? I installed them and in less than a week I had something (dont know) pop up in the road, hit one and smash the lens. :( ...So I just took them both off. I was really bummed.
@@Rythecarguy bummer sorry to hear that. I've got my 05 prepped and ready to paint with raptor liner but the weather is not cooperating with me. I'll be installing the fog lights after paint. Thanks for all your help!
Ry Thank You ! Refer me to ALL DOG 🐺off road looking forward to purchased sometime SOON 👍
Ry I’m so excited to find your channel!
I bought a 2008 Xterra last week and am stoked to learn and perform more and more and eventually all my own car care (at least what an average residential garage can provide 😊)
Cheers man!
Go glad you're here! Welcome and I hope you love your new ride. 💪🏻
Please do the winch installation on xterra.
I like the idea.
If you do get new rims I'd like one of your old ones because I'd like to replace my rusted out steel spare wheel with one that matches the others.
I do plan to get rims in the coming months.
Ry - what's been your experience with the on-road handling? Difference vs stock? Any sensation of rear-end sway or feeling loose? If you got an alignment, could you post up the figures you had it aligned to?
i had been following your channel quite a bit now and i noticed you installed a double din radio not supported with back up camera instead you installed a separate camera unit. i have a 2002 xterra and i decided to install a double din with GPS, back up camera my issue is the connection from my head unit camera wire into the reverse wire which is located at driver side kick panel some says its a black/purple wire or black/pink wire and other say yellow/red. my other option is probably to use the reverse light at the tail light anyhow, i thought maybe you know which wire in the driver side kick panel is the right one for 2002 xterra well thanks for taking time to read my inquiry more power to your channel
Great video,very well explained!
Thanks man. 👍🏻
Good job, it’s gonna look killah when you put rims n tires!
Agreed! Already started shopping lol. Thanks for watching!
Does this kit fit a frontier2006 v 4