DIY Mods (Xterra, Custom Storage, DIY RTT, Do It Yourself, Budget Minded, Cheap Modifications)

[@k90rbitrescue]

I have an 06 & 07 Xterra off road. I put my solar panel on the hood too . alot of the our mods are the same I found that putting thie inverter and electrical stuff under the drivers seat was more practical .I spent the $$$ on a single battery takes up alot less space. mollie door panels are expensive but totally worth it. upgrade your fire extinguisher! I can't stress this enough i put mine where anyone can access it from the outside your not going to get it if the inside is on fire i had this happened YOU WANT IT ON THE OUTSIDE i had one on accidentally go off on the inside and had a fire inside if you don't put it on the outside....... well kinda obvious kewl build thanks for sharing

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Good tips and thanks!

[@detroy1234]

Drilling into your headliner is wild my boi

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

I mean, it’s a $7k truck so putting some lights in it didn’t bother me. 😀

[@anthonyalva76]

Great set up man. I bought my son a 2004 Xterra and he loves it. I sent him your video. Thanks for taking the time to share your great work.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Hey Anthony, thanks a lot! Congrats to your son on the Xterra. They are really great trucks that are way underrated. I think he'll love it. Feel free to post up (or to have your son post up) on any other videos if he has any questions! Have a good week.

[@milky2k]

I like your setup. It makes my ghetto mods look professional.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Lol, classy.

[@faceinthecrowd5810]

Just joined the xterra crew, enjoy your perspective that keeps daily functioning but adds some performance attitude. My intuition tells me that the xterra used market is beginning to climb and with the possible 2023 Xterra coming the older 1 and 2 gens should increase in demand and value. I have an on/off road guy for a really long time, hint I get senior discounts! The more xterras that get some love and are seen out there, the more value they earn.

[@faceinthecrowd5810]

Also IMO the post straight 4.0l , 6 cylinder v6 Jeep motors suck, not enough power. My 2 cherokee sports and my 77cj5, and wrangler had the straight 6…..awesome, not so after them.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Thanks so much! And you're right about them becoming more popular for sure. There is a reason for it, they're great, reliable trucks!

[@busted_dyna8580]

I just bought an 05 with 105k miles today. Im pretty stoked I found your vid! I'm gonna be ballin on a budget with this thing. You gave me some great ideas. Looking forward to digging thru your previous videos!

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Nice and congrats! Tons of info in the vids so far, but let me know if you have any other questions or need help with anything

[@busted_dyna8580]

@@AllThingsOverlanding who makes those hatch supports/struts?

[@ArkansasOffroad]

You are the DIY king 👏🏼

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Ha! Or, I'm cheap and have too much time on my hands, :D.

[@jasiahchristian6653]

I guess I am kinda randomly asking but does anybody know of a good website to stream newly released movies online ?

[@benkashton7384]

@Jasiah Christian I would suggest FlixZone. Just search on google for it :)

[@marleycolin2394]

@Jasiah Christian lately I have been using flixzone. You can find it on google :)

[@brettrobinson5474]

I like the interior lights. Going to add that to a long list for my build.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

I love 'em.

[@bradj7205]

FYI.. it looks like you have a white Kiddie fire extinguisher….those have been recalled for having the plastic actuator handle break ( all plastic head Kiddie extinguishers have been recalled)..you should be able to take it to any authorized Kiddie distributor and get it replaced with a metal head version for free. Nice build!

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Sweet! Great tip! That one is probably expired now. I'm planning to upgrade to a more portable one for future trips. I just had that one laying around. Thanks for sharing!

[@stich1960]

hey digging the Xterra, I have a first gen and while you might have given me some ideas I might have some ideas for you as well I got a Jerry can mount on one side and a water can mount on the other on the back quarter area, pretty much right at the top of the Plastics. Works really well and as long as your carefull the extra width is negligible unless your crawling I do a lot of tight maneuvers and have had no issues. Also get that tire and hitch taken care of if you do any serious train that extra departure clearance is great.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Welcome to the party! 1st gens are sweet. I agree about the hitch and tire. I'd love to get a rear swingout tire carrier. They're just pricey, :D. I've thought about mounting fuel to the side, but worried about the width and wind noise, etc. I am considering building a detachable unistrut frame that I could basically attach to my DIY roof rack to hang a hot shower or a diesel heater on the truck when at camp, but that's a ways off. Thanks for the tips!

[@grn9209]

Love all the DYI mod ideas! Thanks 🙏

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Glad you like it! Thanks!

[@Nigriff]

Very creative and practical

[@Nigriff]

I just got a 11 Pro 4x after having 2 Yotas

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Thanks and congrats on the Pro 4X!

[@sergiyg2537]

The best mod you could do was treating the rusty spot under the rear hatch glass. Highly recommended.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Huge issue for sure.

[@kmsmith77]

I like the idea of putting the backup camera inside the truck, that’s ingenious. Definitely keeps the camera clean. Also, keeping the hi-lift inside is interesting. I wince every time I look at my hi-lift rusting away on the back of my truck. Not crazy about the traction mats inside. If you use those, they’ll probably be caked with mud. Better to mount those outside somewhere and hope that rain rinses them off vs having all that mud on in the interior. Couldn’t you just mount those to the top of your RTT? Totally agree on the lights in the roof liner, having extra lighting in the back is wonderful. Do you have an aftermarket rearview mirror? That doesn’t look factory. How well do those lights mounted on the hood light up areas left and right? Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Thanks! Yeah, good point on the traction mats. I think if they got dirty, I'd probably strap them down under the RTT between the roof and the roof rack crossmembers. In the future, when I upgrade to some better traction mats, I'll probably get the ones that have a storage bag so that I can keep them protected and keep them from making a mess inside the truck. The mirror was a dashcam/rear view mirror. I no longer use the dashcam itself, but I liked the larger mirror so I left it up there. The ditch lights, while cheap do a pretty good job of lighting up both sides of the road at night.

[@mattwernecke2342]

I don't understand the interior furniture and roof tent. Seems silly. Thanks for sharing!

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

It makes more sense when you go out camping for days or weeks at a time. It’s more of an Overlanding set up. But, the nice thing is that everybody can build their vehicles however they want so totally optional unless you’re into it.

[@bearlycamping]

Just subscribed. Your factory roof rails support that RTT? Makes me hesitant to buy an Xterra.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Yep, they’re oddly shaped but they’re actually really strong.

[@bearlycamping]

@@AllThingsOverlanding Good to know, did you get after market cross bars?

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

So, yes and no. The full stock rack was what I used as a base and then to mount an awning and my roof top tent, I built my own Unistrut based roof rack that attached with u-bolts to the stock rack. Here's a link to the video I made on that if it helps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fp7SeHR9nN6bZtE@@bearlycamping

[@carlito7274]

Great inspiring DIY idea...

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Appreciate it!

[@RayGrau]

Just picked up an Xterra! What rear view mirror is that? Do you still have your Xterra?

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Congrats! They're great trucks. I don't still have the X. Ended up getting a big Titan swapped Frontier and now have a 2023 Frontier. I don't remember what that mirror was, but I'm currently running a 12" wolfbox mirror that has front facing and rear cameras and the mirror itself is touchscreen and great quality. I went with this one if it helps (pretty reasonably priced too): amzn.to/3zTGtMs

[@shelbyshadow91]

Is there a link to the heated seat pads? I'd like to look into those for my wife's jeep. Thanks.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Here you go! They're pretty sweet and surprisingly inexpensive. I've got 2 of them and plan to use the one that's not in my truck in my sleeping bag this winter. Planning to hook it up to my Prymax power generator and we'll see how long it'll run! Here's the link: amzn.to/3ek8b5D

[@shelbyshadow91]

@@AllThingsOverlanding thank you!

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Norssk wanderer. No problem!

[@39FORTYWATER]

Do you have a video that you drilled? Attached the box In the cargo space. Not looking to drill into the plastic panel. But I might have to... I found flex mount fasteners 200lb support about $35 each. 😮‍💨

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

I don't have a video specifically of attaching the drawer system to the factory system, but I just used M8 bolts into the stock fittings to attach the drawers. I didn't drill anything, just used the factory mounts with some longer bolts to attach it.

[@nickwillard4471]

Thats a great eay to mount the camera and I'm apeing that method

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Go for it!

[@elvinpaule5034]

Great video. What rock sliders are you running?

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

They're AJ's Rock Rails. Here's a link: www.ajsoffroadarmor.com/product.php?productid=17541&cat=270&page=1

[@HenryRoss-wu4lo]

❤@This.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Thanks!

[@kolbietafoya1672]

How did you mount your rtt to the stock cross bars? I’ve heard u bolts? Can you recommend any forums with details on this?

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Hey Kolbie, I actually made my own unistrut roof rack and attached that to the stock roof rack with u-bolts. I made a super indepth video (with chapters so you can skip to what you want to see) here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fp7SeHR9nN6bZtE

[@kolbietafoya1672]

Thank you! Just what I was looking for

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

@@kolbietafoya1672 Anytime!

[@warrenkernot4522]

Have you encountered the rad leaking into the trans from the cooler, if so how did you deal with it ?

[@warrenkernot4522]

May be the wrong generation!

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Nope, those were the 05's through 09 I believe? And when I bought mine, they had already done the bypass. If you search for "milkshake of death" on thenewx.org, you'll see a bunch of threads about it, but it's a really easy fix. If you're buying a used one, just check the fluid to see if it looks like a strawberry milkshake and check that the bypass was done.

[@warrenkernot4522]

Ya I had to bypass the rad on my daughters 05, it's getting a trans and rad put in it right now!

[@toddjones6490]

Buy a new Nissan trans kit for only 6500.00 Dollars!!!!##:!!!#

[@adamfiala7005]

What wheels? Got a video about these?

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

They're just OEM Nissan steel wheels painted black, :D.

[@therussmccurdy2602]

On your diff breather, how much hose did you use and what thickness?

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

I think I bought 10' of it and then installed it in the rear axle and ran the tube and then cut it once I had it all plumbed. If it's helpful, here's a post on thenewx.org that gives you more specifics on what's needed! www.thenewx.org/threads/rear-diff-breather-mod.22835/#post-322028

[@cinsforgiven7]

@@AllThingsOverlanding Thanks for the link! We have a 1st Gen Xterra that we are building out and beefing up. Just finished the suspension and looking for the next project. 😊 LOVE these trucks capabilities! ✌🏻

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

@@cinsforgiven7 First gens are awesome! Good luck with the build!

[@gen5wrightgen5k92]

What's you advice on a 06 x off-road sport with 206k miles no issues currently and after market radiator ??? I'm in Indy as well BTW

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Hey, nice to (virtually) meet you! What kind of advice are you looking for? What are your plans for your X? Do you daily drive it? Happy to help but it depends on your goals and plans for the truck. Thanks for the comment!

[@gen5wrightgen5k92]

@@AllThingsOverlanding looking to use it as a over land and camping rig. So basically drive it from time to time when me and my girl friend are wanting to go out and camp. I have a 370z nismo I use as my fun car for speed and I love nissan and love the look of a Xterra all and all I found one with 200k miles and a great price and also has the electronic lockers I was wanting your opinion on should I just send it and buy it even tho it has 200k miles and not fear the reliability of it if we have to go on a trip with it???

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

@@gen5wrightgen5k92 Ahh, gotcha. I've seen these trucks go for 250-300K pretty frequently. Personally, I bought mine with about 100K just to make sure I had a pretty fresh one. So, I guess it comes down to the deal. If you're getting the 200K one for just a couple of grand, that might be worth it, but if you could find one with like 120K for a couple grand more, it might make more sense from a long term stand point to buy the lower mileage one. Love the 370Z's, :D. I've got a 3.7 Q50 sport for my fun/family car and I love it.

[@gen5wrightgen5k92]

@@AllThingsOverlanding Thank you I might get this 200k x cause it's a steal I can't refuse at all. Also oh ya I know the Q50 friend of mine has one on bags you need to come out and do 465 laps with us I'll let you take my nismo 370 for a spin I have it built up to 450HP of pure fun

[@psychosiscustoms]

does the camera work well at night despite being inside?

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Well, it's a pretty cheap camera so it's just not that great in general, but it does work with the nightvision from inside the truck. If you bought a halfway decent camera, it would probably work even better. I had this one sitting around from a previous car that I had put it on and just threw it in the truck. Good question!

[@psychosiscustoms]

@@AllThingsOverlanding i feel im in similar boat i bought a cheaper unit has good reviews, i was intendong to license plate mount then saw your video. I guess not so much as to how great the quality more so can you at least see potential hazards during back up? Mine appears to have an led light setup that may power on in reverse wasnt certain if that lighting up would blind the lense against the glass. I had home security cameras systems that only reflect what it see on the glass , which in turn resulting in no outdoor visibility from my indoor mounted security system.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

@@psychosiscustoms yeah, makes sense. Mine works but it’s right up against the glassz

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

@@psychosiscustoms I guess your best bet may be to wire it in and then test it inside the glass to see if you register just reflection or can see clearly. Then, if so, you can determine how to mount it inside or license plate mount it. Hopefully it works well for you from inside because there are definitely some pros to that spot!

[@sinemetu3124]

What year is your xterra??

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Mine is an 05 SE 4x4

[@waynebeck7801]

@@AllThingsOverlanding does it have a locking differential? Thanks for the video.

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

@@waynebeck7801 Mine was an SE which didn’t have the locking diff. If you find a Pro-4X/Offroad trim it should have the rear e-locker.

[@STAY-GOLD-VINYL]

Is this Xterra 4wd or 2wd?

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

4wd

[@jorgemedina5786]

FISKARS SHOVELS ARE NO GO!! West coast clay soil can break them with in 3 jobs Too expensive for its quality Keep it simple

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Huh, never had any problem with mine and I still use them all the time. Guess I don't have west coast clay soil though. What do you use? Good to know! Thanks for sharing!

[@GrantBoris-r6w]

Walker Jennifer Gonzalez Jason Lewis James

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

K

[@BryceTiffany]

White Ronald Miller Scott Wilson Anthony

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

?

[@CrystalClearStudios]

Big disappointment seeing this guy doing all those mods on his truck, and then booom it turns out its an automatic transmission looool

[@AllThingsOverlanding]

Most offroad vehicles now a days are autos. It's actually pretty rare to find the 6 speeds in these trucks. Honestly, I prefer an auto for offroading or "overlanding" which is mostly covering miles each day, more than wheeling.

[@Nigriff]

The automatics have hill ascent assist which is quite helpful for off-roading. I used to offroad in a manual Wrangler and many times I wish it was an automatic

[@Nigriff]

Toyota hasn't put manual transmission in a 4 Runner for decades and they are still quite capable.

[@papaiz1]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 yoooo chill