Removed some things and added with pics

[Empty V]

So I finally got around to removing my underbody spare tire carrier, pulled out a faulty O2 sensor, added a freshly powder-coated grille guard and a Surco Safari Basket. Here's some step by step pics of removing the spare tire carrier and the added stuff.

I removed my Bank 2 Position 2 sensor because it's been throwing a P0158 code. Right now it's soaking in gas(Thanks Pwnin). So for the next 3 days I've got a hole in my exhaust and it sounds really embarrassing, I mean really bad. It was a pain in the @ss cutting the factory tie wraps and in order to make replacement easier I ran some nylon pull-string in it's place.

When removing the spare tire carrier it's easiest if you remove the back part first, then the main lift assembly and then pop off the front bump stops which each is held in with a single push clip and can be easily pulled off. Also there are little tabs holding the main assembly in so once you've removed the bolts lift up to release it, pulling down won't do any good. Sockets required are #10 for the back piece and #12 for the main assembly.

I picked up the Grille Guard barely used from Lars (thanks again brutha!) and it was in great shape but in silver and figured with my color scheme glossy black would look better. So I sent it off to one of our fab guys for some electro-therapy. I pulled off the front tow loops and mounted it in their place. I had to remove the fog lights in order to get my impact wrench in position to remove the bolts. At first I started using a 3/8" socket set and there are a ton of threads on each bolt so I went with my impact wrench and it was cake, even for 1 person. Waddaya think?



























Billy
Modified by Empty V at 5:54 PM 10/4/2009

[JonathanPrem]

Thats a cool bill guard in the front. I think i might invest in one of those next summer.

[KyooX4]

Looks good!

[longhornsqx4]

Not a real fan of the look of that push guard, but why did you remove the spare tire and carrier completely?

[KyooX4]

Yeah I prefer a full brush guard. Removing the spare tire and carrier provides better departure angles and clearance (not by a whole lot though).

Those are two of the many mods I'd like to do at some point. I'm just lacking the funds right now.

[Empty V]

Not a real fan of the look of that push guard, but why did you remove the spare tire and carrier completely?

I bought the grille guard used and it's missing the headlight cages which will be on order shortly. Also I'm going to larger tires(and new rims) once these wear out and the full sized spare won't fit under the vehicle so it's up on the roof. Plus as Kyoo said it increases your ground clearance and I'm going to a dual out exhaust this week and removing the spare tire give you more room to play with.

Billy

[KyooX4]

Yeah, I forgot about the exhaust options without the spare there.

[NickD85]

that is a damn clean underbody

[Empty V]

that is a damn clean underbody

Just one of the many benefits of living in so-cal. I also painted my rear drums a few weeks ago, once I'm ready with the new tires and rims I'll be painting the calipers and caliper brackets silver, maybe.



Billy

[slickroger]

So are you going to leave the rear drum black and paint the caliper a different color?

I want to do this but not sure how it will look just want my drum black. I like the yellow on the caliper but not on my drum

[Black2003SE]

damn...i just love how the drum looks

what paint did you use?

[naladude911]

ehhh, It's ok, I believe QX4's should be baller status but that's just me

[W O T]

nala whats with you cutting into everyones cars saying theres better things lately?? Its his car and he did a damn clean job of it

A Qx4 should be baller status? Did your mother GIVE you your car?? Theres nothing baller about that

Empty- whats the name of the bar youve got?? my friend with a pathy is interested

[JonathanPrem]

ehhh, It's ok, I believe QX4's should be baller status but that's just me

I think your the only one on the forum with negative comments about everyone ride while your rides completely stock . Btw do your parents also pay your Gas

[Empty V]

ehhh, It's ok, I believe QX4's should be baller status but that's just me

What about your mom's ride says baller status? Is it the crazy 16's your rolling on, because those sure say baller to me and ya know QX4's gotta be baller. Maybe it's that nutty a** 75% tint job you've got. Ohhhh I know what it is, it's the baller sitting in the driver's seat of your signature, that's gotta be it! That dude is just screaming punch me in the throat! Can someone say douche nozzle?



Billy

[Empty V]

damn...i just love how the drum looks

what paint did you use?

I used Duplicolor Spray Caliper Paint. I tried the brush on kind and it was extremely uneven and just looked terrible. I also tried the duplicolor primer first and it laid down this very rough texture so I wiped it clean and went straight with the black spray and I think they came out great.



Billy

[Empty V]

So are you going to leave the rear drum black and paint the caliper a different color?

I want to do this but not sure how it will look just want my drum black. I like the yellow on the caliper but not on my drum

Personally I think drums are hideous so I painted them black to blend in more. I think silver calipers would look cool though. I've got the paint now I just need to take time away from o2 sensors and diffs to do it. You can either mask everything off and use the spray but I'm going with the brush type application. How do you think silver will look with black wheels?

Billy

[Empty V]

Empty- whats the name of the bar youve got?? my friend with a pathy is interested

What bar are you talking about? Sorry been up since 5AM today.

Billy

[JonathanPrem]

Personally I think drums are hideous so I painted them black to blend in more. I think silver calipers would look cool though. I've got the paint now I just need to take time away from o2 sensors and diffs to do it. You can either mask everything off and use the spray but I'm going with the brush type application. How do you think silver will look with black wheels?

Billy

Empty instead of leaving it all black. Why don't you get Put Qx4 or infiniti on it with a stinsel(spelling ). Paper with the lettering cut out. I'm planning on doing that next summer. Black drums with gold writing.

LOL @ that picture

[Mikey178]

Looks good Empty V, can't wait to see the new wheels you gonna get. Whats your plan for exhaust system?

I like JonathanPrem's idea of the lettering on the calipers. Maybe I'll try it next summer too.

Keep it up Empty V.

[KyooX4]

Wow, that drum looks great! I definitely need to paint my drums. They're rusted and look horrible!

[Fisherdude]

Maybe some helpful advice...Make sure you have enough dough for wheels before you worry about the exhaust, because frankly you probably won't be really impressed with the sound of a v6 dual exhaust, that's just my opinion though. I would also recommend "trying-on" your rims to make sure you're in love with them before you throw down the cash. I know too many people that like the way rims look on the shelf but hate the way it looks on the car...like a lot of pathy's and Qs in this forum, some rims just don't go well with this car.. I tried out several rims for my car and liked the ones i have now best and it only cost me $100 for all 4 rims used. Nevertheless I receive complements on my wheels almost daily. something to think about...

[Pwnin O'Brien]

Maybe some helpful advice...Make sure you have enough dough for wheels before you worry about the exhaust, because frankly you probably won't be really impressed with the sound of a v6 dual exhaust, that's just my opinion though. I would also recommend "trying-on" your rims to make sure you're in love with them before you throw down the cash. I know too many people that like the way rims look on the shelf but hate the way it looks on the car...like a lot of pathy's and Qs in this forum, some rims just don't go well with this car.. I tried out several rims for my car and liked the ones i have now best and it only cost me $100 for all 4 rims used. Nevertheless I receive complements on my wheels almost daily. something to think about...

$100 for all four? How did you get all four for $100??? I want your exact wheel and tire setup for my Pathy, but I need to have the lift done first. What brand/model are the wheels? And your tires are badass; do you get a lot of interior noise on the highway?

[GRNMACHINE]

I agree with Fisher on the wheels. By the way, those Black Crawlers do look good with the green. Have a set with the "D" rings on my other SUV.

Empty, those pics are great. Nice job on the brakes too. Do u have any pics for the O2 sensor. When I did the transfer/diff fluid changes I looked at the sensors and they definitely looked difficult to get to (especially the top). Any tips to minimize cusring and bleeding knuckles?

[Fisherdude]

My brother had them on his Rodeo and hooked me up. There just called bullet hole rock crawlers 15" 6 lug. The tires are 31'' x 10.50's Mickey Thompson MTZs. I get more interior noise now after 10 months than i did when they were first installed. Its worth it though and With my system I never even notice it. They are steel so they Will rust unless you clean the hell out of them.Mine are pretty rusty but they are a few years old, have been on 4 trucks, and have been under water many times. After owning the MTZs I wouldn't own anything else, it's perfect for an all around tire and the sidewalls look amazing and complement the car well. Brand new from an expensive retailer, the rims will run $80 each after shipping, but look around on ebay and craigslist for deals because a lot of people have these rims.You should be able to find em for around $50 each which is a hella good deal for aftermarket rims...

[Lars]

Looks great! The brush guard came out nice with the powder coating. Can't wait to see it with new wheels. It will make a huge difference!

[Empty V]

Empty instead of leaving it all black. Why don't you get Put Qx4 or infiniti on it with a stinsel(spelling ). Paper with the lettering cut out. I'm planning on doing that next summer. Black drums with gold writing.

I'm not too into overbadging a car, just my personal preference. But if you're into it it, the drums would be a cool place where you can get a lot of contrast but it all depends on if your wheels have big enough windows.

Wow, that drum looks great! I definitely need to paint my drums. They're rusted and look horrible!

Thanks! Sanding the crap out of them is a must. It takes some time because parts of it can't be hit by an orbital sander and have to be done by hand.

Maybe some helpful advice...Make sure you have enough dough for wheels before you worry about the exhaust, because frankly you probably won't be really impressed with the sound of a v6 dual exhaust, that's just my opinion though. I would also recommend "trying-on" your rims to make sure you're in love with them before you throw down the cash. I know too many people that like the way rims look on the shelf but hate the way it looks on the car...like a lot of pathy's and Qs in this forum, some rims just don't go well with this car..

Well I've already dropped the majority of $$$ on my exhaust. I'm going to be exchanging out a new muffler and adding a 2nd out so it'll actually be fairly cheap, even considering the initial investment. As far as the wheels go they're on order and unfortunately they come from the factory as blank lug patterns and have to be custom drilled out. I've been searching for the last 6 months and have created numerous composites with the wheels and tires I want and I'm stoked. In person I'm hoping they'll look even better. But before the cash leaves my hands they'll be test fit with 32's.

Empty, those pics are great. Nice job on the brakes too. Do u have any pics for the O2 sensor. When I did the transfer/diff fluid changes I looked at the sensors and they definitely looked difficult to get to (especially the top). Any tips to minimize cusring and bleeding knuckles?

Thanks! I think no matter what you'll have to deal with the swearing, frustration and bleeding. The Bank 2 Position 2 is probably the easiest to get to, I think I'm just lucky that's the one that's faulty. I'll take pics when I get back under the car. When you did your rear diff did you just use a breaker bar's 1/2" end to remove the plugs or is there a certain attachment? I tried that and ended up stripping the filler plug even with a long soak of PB Blaster so I stopped there. I've got a new filler plug showing up Wednesday but not sure how to remove the stripped one. I'm guessing torching it and using vice grips would be the easiest but I've never played with fire in that way before. Any advice?

Looks great! The brush guard came out nice with the powder coating. Can't wait to see it with new wheels. It will make a huge difference!

Thanks Lars, I was pretty blown away when they dropped it off, it was like Christmas!

Billy
Modified by Empty V at 8:34 AM 10/6/2009

[exvin]

Whoaaaaaa...I luv the guard!!! The whole thing looks really good IMO

[Empty V]

Whoaaaaaa...I luv the guard!!! The whole thing looks really good IMO

Thanks bro! Here's a few before pics I took with my iPhone.





Billy

[GRNMACHINE]

Empty-thanks-re: rear diff plug, I used a breaker bar with a 3" or a 6" extension to give me a little more room and leverage. I didnt have any problems removing the plug. Cant tell you a good way to get yours out, I would be very careful if using torch.