2013 Nissan Xterra PRO-4X Build - "The Desert Rat"

[Salt]

Username: Salt
Xterra’s Name: The Desert Rat

Make: Nissan
Year: 2013
Model: Xterra
Trim: PRO-4X
Color: Glacier White
Transmission: Automatic

HISTORY
Two previous owners. Acquired by Salt on April 21, 2022 at 46,818 miles.

COMPLETED MODS and ADDITIONS

• Sliders and lift by previous owner
• Refinished white sliders in black non-skid Rust-oleum bed liner paint
• roXterra molle panels on doors and hatch
• Hamilton pet cargo liner (nice custom work)
• Uniden Bearcat 980 SSB CB radio with FireStik antenna mounted on the standard rack with a muffler clamp and a straight mount like this as described by NutsGoWeee in 2012. Uniden doesn't provide a cigarette lighter option. Got the cigarette lighter power source. Seems to work just fine.
• Wet Okole seat covers (black with neon green trim)
• Mounted GMRS and CB antennas to the LowRider roof rack
• Orange Boxx molle panels on interior of back side windows
• Raingler full-length ceiling attic
• WAM front bumper with winch insert, shackles, light tabs and crash bar extensions

MODS and ADDITIONS in PROGRESS

• Max-Gear (by Maxtera Dave) rear bumper with tire carrier and jerry can rack (in production, due June 2023)
• GMRS radio (Midland MTX400)
  • Project suspended pending rear bumper project
  • 5/22/2022... Gave up on finding the Northwest Passage through the firewall on the passenger side and instead put 14 gauge wires through the easily accessible grommet on the driver side and ran across the front to the battery. Had to buy extra 14 gauge wire to do the job.
  • 5/20/2022... Midland Radio rep at Overland Expo strongly advised to power MTX400 radio with a direct connection to the battery and not to a fuse box.
  • 4/28/2022... Radio arrived. Another beast: 40 watts. Again, no cigarette lighter. Watched the Youtube videos on using a fuse box as the power source. Got a multi-meter and fuse tab to do the job.

OTHER PLANNED MODS and ADDITIONS

• AirFlow Snorkel
• 3 six-gallon disc jugs in the spare tire well for 18 additional gallons of gas
• 2nd battery, LiFePO4, in the concealed rear storage tray
• Side-mounted awning with side panels (side panels, so we don't have to move with the sun)
• Mounting for Hi-Lift First Responder Jack (as a rescue tool, not used as a jack)
• RESEARCH: Night Vision / Thermal Imaging linked to an iPad as an alternative to an expanded light system

GEAR MAP

 

[Neon Paradise]

Very nice! I have always loved the Xterra. Such a cool platform to build on and the 4.0 v6 is a solid engine. Maximizing fuel economy will always be a challenge when almost all of our goals includes adding weight/increasing drag lol. I just gave up on that front and just accept what I get.

I might be moving to the Phoenix area soon. Never been before. Are you worried about people stealing equipment off of your vehicle when it's parked?

What are you going to use for the heads-up display?

 

[Salt]

Hey! Phoenix is great! I’m available for direct private chat too for Phoenix questions. No concerns about stealing stuff. I don’t leave anything worth stealing on the exterior.

As far as heads up display goes, I’ll probably get one at a junkyard. Just take a windshield from a junk F-18, grind it down, and get an Air National Guard mechanic to wire it. Easy Peasy.

Ya gotta BELIEVE! LOL

 

[Salt]

Very nice! I have always loved the Xterra. Such a cool platform to build on and the 4.0 v6 is a solid engine. Maximizing fuel economy will always be a challenge when almost all of our goals includes adding weight/increasing drag lol. I just gave up on that front and just accept what I get.

I might be moving to the Phoenix area soon. Never been before. Are you worried about people stealing equipment off of your vehicle when it's parked?

What are you going to use for the heads-up display?

Didn't realize where you are! Spent four years in Williamsburg, but that was years ago. Great area--but very different from Phoenix!

 

[Neon Paradise]

Definitely different! I was debating taking the more economical MB e350 wagon (.23 per mile in premium fuel costs) vs (.44 per mile of regular on the Suburban) while I'm there for a year for flight school. But, after looking around on Google Earth, there is just so much more to explore and drive around out there that I think it would be a travesty to leave behind the overlander.

 

[Salt]

Arizona's amazing. If you'll only be here a year, experience all you can. 'Been here since the summer of 2018 and just scratching the surface. Gasoline isn't cheap. But just look next door at what California pays and you'll feel a whole lot better.

We had a standard 2014 Suburban on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula. Came in handy. Then we moved to the North End of Boston... we sold that "aircraft carrier" in less than a week! You'll be glad you have the Suburban.

 

[nworker]

I recommend you steer clear of a dual battery in the engine compartment. Heat and the charging behavior of the Xterra don't mix well.

Here is a solution I came up with: How-to: 2nd Battery - LiFePO4 in the Rear Storage Tray

 

[Salt]

I bought the bracket/tray for the dual battery more than a year ago, but my gut told me to hold off on that project (which includes some reconfiguring under the hood).
Glad I listened to my gut. I had no idea this alternative existed.
Thank you!