Rock Crawler Build - E53 3.0L
 

Greetings All,
I'm fairly new to xoutpost, but am a long time veteran of Bimmerforums. I work at a dealership in MD and we got an E53 on trade in a few months ago. I picked it up dirt cheap as a beater and decided to start building it up as a luxo-rock crawler.

Now, I can't tell you how many times I've seen people say "its not an off-road vehicle". This I am well aware of (in fact, i believe it says not to take it off road in the owners manual even). My figure is that E36's arn't supposed to be swapped with LS1's, but people do it anyway, so why the heck not.

I'll take some pictures soon, but I'm busy moving to a house at the moment from my crappy apartment.

So far I've retrofitted a european dual oil pickup and beefed up suspension components. I have a front and rear undercage on order (to protect engine/VTG components and rear diff, etc). Next on the list is to finish the water proofing at the bottom of the engine compartment and to set up the roof lights and snorkel.

I am sorry for the purists who may not agree, but it should be one hell of a ride when complete.

EDIT:
Pictures:
http://i44.tinypic.com/2j46c02.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/2mzhdau.jpg

On the right:
http://i40.tinypic.com/22cmj7.jpg

Now thats just not nice....you simply can't make a post like this and not include detailed specs or pics!!!

I would post more pictures but nothing else is really cosmetic! Its mostly stock except for the things listed above. I've been off roading with it about 15-20 times this past summer and its had no issue at all. I had an oil light come on when going up a ~55% grade but I installed the dual oil pickup about two weeks after. I did remove the mechanical fan due to that clutch being notorious for failing (blew up 3 times on the E36). So with a different relay for the electrical fan and some water wetter in the coolant, she has no problems staying cool. I'm headed over to land rover this weekend to see if I can source a few parts so stay tuned :)

Here are two videos from another member. I believe his is stock though:

BMW X5 off road by the water - YouTube

BMW X5 off road by the water - YouTube

I have been wanting to model mine after FMU's X5. I just have to get them to make some spacers for non-airride suspensions.

I admit the x looks bad ass with a slight lift and tires..

But that is all it is good for for offroading.. and they have its fair issues on regular street driving, with parts wearing out..

Parts break when offroading even the beefed up parts..

There are so many other options for building a 4x4 with less cost..

Good Luck on the build.. Post pics with progress,,:thumbup:

1. 17" wheels
2. 265/70/17 Falken WildPeak A/T (with heavy trimming it should fit the stock spare location by my measurements)
3. Rebuild front and rear diff with high lockup LSD (www.diffsonline.com) email with your intentions and they will make recommendations, probably clutch pack rear from a 188mm M3 and helical front LSD. IIRC they quoted me $3k a couple years ago.
4. Transfer case: ??? Range Rover Sport locking transfer case (modified and machined to Fit plus actuating hardware) this is where I'm stumped
5. Rig some quick disconnect roll bar links
6. Radiator protection (very low and mostly protected by plastic at the bottom)
7. Full set of skid plates
8. Cage and harnesses (this should probably be first)

^ So you're what, like $12-15k plus purchase price of the vehicle into an "Off Road Vehicle" that was never meant to go "Off Road"?

And an extremely fragile one at that. The OP stated he bought his ride dirt cheap. Great. After the initial investment, mods, and everything else, why not get something that was somewhat designed to do what you want?

Granted, I love my E53. Would I go to ANY lengths to make it a crawler or trailbuster? NEVER.

These rigs we're never intended to see any sort of heavy use. Hence the acronym SAV.

Yeah, I've seen the ones with the strut spacers and lifts to fit tires and rims. Big deal.

I would bet they wear every single front end part much faster than a stock one it's unbelievable. The front CV axles hardly hold up just driving on cement and asphalt, now you want to jack it up, and go "Off Road".

Simply put. It's the wrong vehicle to drop a considerable amount of money on to go play in the sticks.

Just go get a mid 2000's Wrangler or something equivalent and save yourself the headache, money and frustration. Unless that's your end goal. Which is what we as BMW owners do already......

Wait,,,, is that the goal? Aw crap, then kudos, you're on your way.

Forget the purists. There is no harm in hacking up a 3.0. I can't wait to see this build progress.

The intent is not a SCORE Prerunner or Dakar racer. More like Jack of all trades but master of none. Mine is a daily driver, canyon carver, road trip, ski trip, towing, and dirtbike recovery vehicle. I bought it to replace a pickup truck (F150), car (325 wagon) and sports car (RX-8) and so far it is doing a great job except for a lot of tire slip in the loose stuff and snow.

19" wheels made for a crappy ride on the street and the stock 17's look like cheesy but are way better. They were $300 on Craigslist with brand new Continental all season tires. Now it is time for new tires before ski season starts and I'm leaning toward the WildPeak. The front, rear, and center lsd/lockers are not necessary unless spending lots of time slipping tires because the brakes get really hot and the brakes kicking in is annoying. Protecting the radiator is the only other thing necessary in my plan.

So mike_DMT, I have to ask, if you are just driving your X5 on paved roads then why didn't you save some money and just get a 528i wagon? On paved roads it does everything better than the X5, (economy, handling, performance, reliability).

It was a compromise. I wanted a 545i, the wife wanted an X. So I got the X with a 4.4.


It does snow here for a few months, and I do take it up to the ski hill, so I wouldn't say I only drive it on paved roads.

What I took your original post to mean, was you wanted to build a rock crawler. The name itself is a description of what its purpose is. Maybe I misunderstood. Don't get me wrong, I take my Dodge off road quite a bit. It's a lifted 1/2 ton on 35's.

But I wouldn't consider doing any of that in the X. It's just not what it's intended for. But, to each his own.

Put me in the "Go build a rock crawler e53, enjoy the hell out of it, and never look back" group. :thumbup:

It's yours, have fun with it!

Interested to see how this goes!

Do eeeet!!!!!
Subscribed.

I see what you mean.. I took the x on a roadtrip. It rides great, smooth and ooogs of power up the mountains. I like the idea of it being a all can do vehicle, but it is not (just my opinion). I took it out bit of offroad, and kept thinking this is a 50k vehicle. Eventhough it does not cost that in the current market. If I damage any components, it will be a headache $$ to repair.

At the moment, I am really thinking of keeping a 4runner I have instead of selling it and building it for the same purpose you are planning to build. However I know that one of my vehicles will just sit, and not be used if I decide to keep and go with the build.

On a second note, you can always get some 17'' wheels and slap on some all terrain bfg's and it can probably do most of what you are looking to do, without spending excessive money..

In the end, its your vehicle, and im sure the end result will be great..

BTW im not a purest..lol

Another subscriber. :)

Hi Mike, I don't think you misunderstood, just mixed me up with the OP. I may have slightly hijacked the thread by accident.

Anyway, In the past my street legal e36 318is gutted autocross car got boring and so I raised it to stock height, added some protection to the fuel lines and took it to the California Rally Series school and rallycross. They had too many rules to be fun so we just ran it with trucks and bikes out in the open desert for fun like a buggy. It was amazing how much abuse it could take. Bent a few things, blew out bushings and had to dig it out of deep sand a few times but never really broke anything that left us stranded. The X5 is probably more robust than the e36... then again my 318 was only 2,600 lb.

Well as I've said, I'm a tech at a local BMW dealer so really labor and parts arn't too much of a worry. It isn't my daily driver (currently the 1 series has been delegated for that). I'm not much of an off-roader type of person and I wouldn't exactly call it a hobby or passion, but I like the idea of doing stuff with cars that were not intended in doing.

Welcome!

I think what you are doing is great! I also believe the your X will do very well offroad. Very interested to hear about your progress.

BTW-I will never understand why anyone takes the time tell an OP he shouldn't do what OP has already done or decided to do. OP didn't ask if he was making a mistake or invite condescending BS. It gives the impression to a new member that we are a bunch of a**holes and most of us aren't. Brptrailrider is enthusiastic and excited about his project (as I would be) and came here to share that with us. We should appreciate his willingness--- so---If you can't make a positive contribution go back to beating your dog.

Curious on the oil pump dual feed. Your car has the M54 engine, what is the donor engine / platform for this? This isn't the set-up from the Euro E36 M3 (S54)? Somewhere in a German forum I recall something from a Z3 as well.

Subscribed. Hell yea have fun with the project, but we need pics or it didnt happen

Subscribed. Hell yea have fun with the project, but we need pics or it didnt happen

Looks like a fun project!

Subscribed - good luck - can't wait for the pics

just found this thread- any updates to report? I think the E53s look mean with some beefier all terrain tires on the stock 17"... I wouldn't do any technical trailing with one, but with a slight lift and A/T tires, I'd def take it to a favorite MTB trailhead or bouldering spot.. This isn't mine, but I'm all about this build...

Me and my boyfriend split and I had to move so I ended up trading my E53 and my 128i in for a 135is :-/ sorry to let you all down.

sorry to hear this and sorry to hear the build thread is no more!

135is though is a nice replacement I must say, hell of a car.

I would like to continue the conversation
 

Hi all,
Im a new member here and would like to say hello. I have been testing and modifying my E53 for "actual" off road use. I would like to give my first hand opinion on how I feel this is a feasible vehicle to do this with. Obviously there are more capable platforms to start with. This would be too easy in my opinion. I have experimented heavily and have had some set backs.

Short of swapping an X5 body onto a GM or Jeep frame (not even a BMW then), turning an X5 into a TRUE rock crawler would be a monumental undertaking.

This thread is similar to the thousands of "I'm modding my Civic to run 6s in the 1/4 mile" posts on the internet.

^Sarek- what size/ brand tire are you running? That's exactly what I want to use as my winter setup, same style 57s and all.. Mod list? Awesome build bro!

Sarek,
That's more or less what my truck looked like visually.
A lot of people I've noticed will highly advise against your project, but I can honestly say that I've never had an issue. Sure, its unpractical, but given the right tire setup, its actually pretty decent in an off-road environment. I wouldn't keep it vertical for too long unless you modify the oil system, but it looks great so far. Keep on truckin'.

I guess its monumental. No frame swapping will be involved. Some Range Rover though. I have a lot of skeptics until it is seen in action. Tires are bfg km2 255 80 17

4" suspension lift using RR style struts and springs in the front. Custom springs in the rear with rover shocks. 2" front and rear subframe drop lift. Converted to 6 speed manual transmission. Inboard mounted winch. Radiator upgrade with electric fan retrofit. Xdrive lockup conversion. Just to name a few

Intake air mods (snorkel, etc)?

Any relocation or waterproofing of the various low-hanging electronics?

Skid plates?

If those are the standard tow eyes, did you have to beef up the mounting? I recall they weren't too strong unless the winch pull was straight on, and winching with a snatch block often results in a pull at an angle.

I am having a front bumper built as we speak so the entire front is changing. However, I didnt have any issues with the factory loops and have yanked on them heavily. I have removed the carpet after submerging the vehicle. I wrapped the entire body harness to clean it up. Only module I relocated is the lamp module. I moved it higher up in the dash. Happy to find that the vehicle was designed with water in mind. No other electrical stuff that is too low. Pedal sensor and other stuff mounted low has good weather packing so that as long as the water drains out doesnt pose a problem. Moved the battery out of the plastic box and moved the electrical wiring for trailer harness out too. Eliminated battery box. Moved the amplifier up too. Having rear bumper built too. The most exciting thing I am doing is replacing the transfer case! Will end up with 150 to 1 1sr gear! Cant wait to break sone axles...lol

Would like to see that conversion work, which transmission are you using?

Mine is a 2001 3.0. The manual trans is the 6 speed ZF from a 2004 x5 3.0. The conversion was easier than I thought. All parts basically bolt right in. I prefer a stick shift for wheelin. Some prefer the auto. I destroyed my gm5 trans. They are not known for their durability. I guess I proved that. Lol .. Finding a donor junk yard x5 manual was a bit tricky. Obvious drawback with manual is lack of low gearing. Hence the transfer case and doubler retrofit. Btw. If you want the 6 speed in a 01 to 03 e53, you have to use the xdrive atc500 transfer case, front and rear driveshaft. You can use the 01 to 03 5 speed manual, you just lose the overdrive which for what I am doing doesnt really matter. It helps for a road car.

Please post a vid of TRUE rock crawling.

FYI, this is rock crawling.

Rock Crawlers Video - Modern Marvels - HISTORY.com

I applaud your individualism.

It's especially rewarding when you achieve success after a lot of--you're nuts, I will believe when I see it or you're wasting your time and money.

Some pictures of the carpet out and the reason why the carpet came out. A close look at the floorboard shows that there isnt much except harness there.

I dont claim its a TRUE rock crawler. Im not entering any competitions if thats what you think. Just enjoying the challenge. As far as wasting money, this kind of stuff always is in a way. Here are a few pics of the 6 speed manual.

I agree there's a lot that can be done to increase the off road-ability of the stock E53.

My inital post on this thread was pointing out that the OP had planned on building a rock crawling X5, that's what I stated would be the monumental task.

Just building an E53 to run the Rubicon Trail would be an extreme undertaking, and the RT is not "rock crawling".

Trying to figure out how to post a video

Here is one of my retrofitted front struts

Post it to youtube and then put the link here.

Thanks. I figured it was something like that. Surprisingly I have never posted to youtube yet. Should be easy enough. I dont have tons of footage since I am driving all of the time. Nothing too rocky in the richmond va area. I have some video of local trail stuff. Nothing terribly hardcore.

In hindsight I could have started a new thread considering this started out with Rock Crawling . I can say that in my area rocks are hard to find on trails unless I head to the blue ridge mountains. There are a couple of public trails like shoe Creek. I am planning a trip there in the spring and also heading to Tennessee to a huge orv park. Will definitely try to play on some rocks there. Here we have some hill climbs and creek beds and a whole lot of mud. X5 does well articulating thru uneven terrain with the differential braking. I have a video of that that I am going to try and get on youtube.

No worries.

I know a few Jeep owners who do the Jeep Jamboree Rubicon Trail run every year. Other makes/models are invited to join in. I've been told although several modded E53 owners have been invited, none have attempted the run.

A successful Rubicon Trail run by an E53 would demonstrate the modding has brought the vehicle to the level of a showroom stock "trail rated" Jeep vehicle.

Where is that located? Is it out west? I would love to try once I have my transfer case swap finished. I would attempt anything. I have beat the body up pretty bad so if it breaks or does terrible I wouldnt mind it. Its trailered noe anyways.

Sarek, I applaud your creation. That's bad azz. Once you get everything sorted, throw that e53 on a trailer, and lets go to Moab Utah. You could spend weeks on end playing around. Your setup would be hella fun.

Question, on the six speed conversion, is the X-drive active and what did you have to do to make it work?

Sarek, I love that truck! I got 255/60/r18 nitto terras to give it a little more oomph. Its worked out pretty good thus far but i definatly would want some bigger tires and a bit of lift.

Moab would be incredible im sure. I made the xdrive permanent 50/50 locked all the time. Its a pretty simple mod, however, obvious issues if u were to drive on the street

The Rubicon Trail run is west of Lake Tahoe, in California.

Sarek, sweet azz mod. I like it. Can't wait for some vids.

I am in the process of replacing the transfer case to get low gearing (main issue i am having with the e53 off road). I have someone working on the adapter right now. It gives the option to run any domestic type transfer case. Like dana 300, NV1356, np205 and so on.

Here are before and after pictures of the radiator/ electric fan mod I am working on. You can see how much the original radiator sticks down compared to the replacement. Will help with approach angle. Next comes the custom bumper.

Enjoying seeing your progress

Epic build! Snorkel and roof lights plans?

No snorkel plans yet. That long intake pipe can affect engine performance. So far I have had water over the hood momentarilly and have soaked the interior, however the air filter stayed dry! The stock intake is a pretty good design utilizing a type of trap design with a drain. Roof lights would be pretty cool.

I am soo loving this it is not even funny. Keep up the good work.

Hey sarek you need any amsoil for your rig lol?

If you want an offroader that performs as well as the X5 on road, get a Cayenne. It has a number of key features that are sorely lacking in the X5:

--Available air suspension can lift the car MUCH more than the system in the X5
--Comes with a low range and lockup feature in the transfer case
--Available with an electric locking rear diff, (quite rare though)
--Double sealed doors make it waterproof up to about the door handles

On road, a V8 "S" model is faster than a 4.6 or 4.8 X5, and considerably better riding. If that's not quick enough, you can get a Turbo. A Range Rover would be another superior option, and if you're looking for a used one, you can get one with many shared components as an E53 X5, including the same engine.

Face it, if you want to go off road, the X5 is the wrong choice. If all you want is to handle a gravel road, a set of all-terrain tires on the X5 should do it. I recommend the BFG Rugged Terrains. Comfortable on pavement, good in gravel and dirt, and decent in snow.

I have just realized all the mistakes I have been making! I should have started with a good off road platform like a "porsche". I will go buy a porsche for 3k and start over.........

Sarek,
Wow, thx for sharing the fun here. That pict of the empty carpet might even help some of us "normal" guys with fixing our stock wiring. Keep us posted on your progress!
J

does it have the stock differentials in the front and rear? what are those anyways on an X5 haha

how will you lock the diffs so that you get traction with wheels in the air?

Well in that price range, a Jeep Grand Cherokee would be a better starting point.

sick. how are you doing this. pics pleassseeee

Still stock diffs. 4.10 ratios front and rear. The x5 has what they call differential braking (like the range rover L322) where the the brake is applied to the wheel that lifts or slips off the ground to transfer power to the opposite wheel. This system works pretty well. You can have one front and one rear wheel off the ground and still move forward.

I guess u didn't pick up on my sarcasm

interesting...this would give you a nice bonus of open diffs on slush and ice but locked behavior for the one wheelin...this should be pretty bad ass..is that you in your avatar pic in the X5? so is this already a done deal or whats going on?

whats your plans for the suspension?

Not going with 1 ton axles yet. Ha

haha awesome

how strong you think the X5 diff is? like a dana 35 or better? i wonder if it would break axle shafts for the same reasons as a solid axle

Yes that's me in the pic. Its never done but a work in progress.

After the strongbox doubler and dana 300 is installed. I think the diffs might be fine. Axles and CVs on the other hand will probably be another story.

whats your inboard winch plan? i always wanted to do that to my jeep but couldnt figure out a realistic way that wasnt basically designing a truck around a winch lol

btw, sort of off topic, but how much more annoying is it to work on the X5 engine versus the jeep straight 6, for instance? im trying to gauge what its going to be like when my parents get an X5 and i attempt doing timing chain/guide service..

and is it just more annoying or is it actually more complex, and how much can you trust the bentley manual?

right now it is mounted in the spare tire well. It only pulls to the rear at this point. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the cable to the front. I have some ideas but as you well know it is in an easy path. I will post some pictures if I choose to keep it this way. I may just mount it on the front and be done with it. As far as the x5 versus the Jeep engine I'm assuming you're talking about the BMW inline 6? Or are you talking about the 8 cylinder?

I really think you missed the point here. The guy has a cool ass build and we are all enjoying it. If you cannot contribute, don't.

Sorry, but I think this is a silly build that is trying to "make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" as the expression goes. Consider my "contribution" as steering others away from such a silly path. There's no question that you can turn a Camaro into a mud truck if you want...anything is possible if you're crazy or redneck enough. But some SUVs have the right "bones" to become good off-roaders..others do not.

I have plenty of experience building and breaking off-road vehicles. Even beginner trails at most of the off-road facilities I've been to would be impossible with an X5 without huge expenses in modifications, while a stock 10 year old Jeep Grand Cherokee or Toyota 4 Runner with the right factory options could handle these same trails with ease. It's not just what kind of trail you can get through, it's what you can get through without breaking your car, or smashing the body to bits. Or taking your life in your hands. Most off-road parks won't even let you in to the beginner trails without a low range TC.

The X5:
The bad:
---A unibody vehicle with no frame
---4 wheel independent suspension
---No low range in the TC
---No lockers
---No lockup in the TC
---A PLASTIC gear that controls the TC
---TC itself is prone to failure with normal street use
---Rubber guibos in the drive shafts; drive shaft mounted in rubber
---No reputation for transmission robustness, (at least with the automatics)
---CV joints in the axles shafts
---No skid plate protection underneath for Gas tank, TC
---No attempt to make the car waterproof from the factory. (This is not just a lack of double door seals or positioning of electrical components. You must also keep the venting of transmission, TC, and axles in mind, as water in these vents will ruin them almost immediately.)
---Speaking of electricals...have you noticed that the ABS/DSC module is only 18" off the ground? How the hell are you going to move that to a "high and dry" location? I've been on plenty of beginner trails with water crossings or water holes more than 2' deep. While this very expensive bit of electronics is designed to be slightly water resistant, it is absolutely not waterproof.
---Lack of ANY pre-made lift kit. Even if you could work out some lengthened coil-over, exactly how you're going to get the rest of the suspension geometry working properly is a mystery to me. For example...how would you lengthen the front control arms?
---Lack of available pre-made winch mounts/ off-road bumpers.
---Lack of availability of ANY sort of axle lockers (ARB, Eaton, Detroit, etc...but I guess you could weld them.)

On the plus side...
---The engine has a thick aluminum plate underneath
---Descent control
---Good brakes

The best use of an X5 for off-roading is to tow a modest sized off-road rig to the trail.

Here's my soccer mom car: (for sale BTW)
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/q...r/DSC04860.jpg

At least a grand cherokee isn't a unibody. ........

yeah i never figured out a way to get the winch line straight out to the front once its behind the engine..

someone somewhere must have done it..i would think there must be some kind of production vehicle that has it and maybe that could shed some light on the subject

theres an interesting thread here:http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthr...28mid-mount%29 on a "foers winch" for a land rover which uses a snatch block and flared pipe to redirect the cable to the front from between the frame rails..presumably with the option to go to the back too.

the idea for an inboard winch is mainly to put the weight in a better spot and also not impact the approach angle or radiator cooling with a huge object hanging of the front bumper, right?

heres another link to it with pics Foers 4WD Winch

i barely researched it, there may be alot more in the google

"
The winch, in this case a Warn electric winch, is mounted under the floor, between the main chassis rails and immediately behind the front seats, i.e. in the centre of the vehicle, and facing to the rear. This is the optimum position for a low polar moment - that is to say it does not give the 4WD's springs a hard time. The winch cable leads out to the rear of the vehicle, around a snatch-block which is normally embedded in the rear chassis cross-member, around a second pulley and then into a tube inside the left-hand chassis rail whence it emerges from the front of the chassis (below)."


I think if you end up with a rock-crawling X5 with an inboard mounted winch you will go down in some sort of history book lol


by the x5 i meant the M62 4.4liter versus the jeep straight 6..im thinking i may have to do a timing chain/guide replacement on it and its hard to get accurate opinions on how difficult it is on here..as you can tell the usual forum swing applies from "threatened and terrified youd touch your engine" to "i regularly dismantle my engine for fun and this is no big deal"

you dont see the ridiculous irony in suggesting that one way heavily modifying a vehicle for "off roading" makes more sense than another way?

the forest from the trees.....

Here is a decent description and photos of the IBEX vehicles mid mount winch (pulls front or rear). Unfortunately, finding a routing path is going to be difficult, especially since there is no actual vehicle frame to work with. The IBEX has the luxury of having the frame designed to accommodate the winching system from the beginning..

'BEST4x4xFAR' is not in reference to our X5... LOL!

Absolutely love this thread and the build. Nice work Sarek. You just may have saved me from selling my '03.

I've been itching for a FJ, 2 Door Tahoe or something to replace my expensive to fix BMW. But you've given me the inspiration to make a few changes to spice things up. Granted, my plans are mostly cosmetic, bigger tires (wheels), rino rack, lift.

Cool stuff. Thanks.

Jeff

:iagree: There is nothing silly about the build or going against the grain. That's the source of innovation. Out of the box thinking should be admired and praised not belittled. What makes no sense is a list of why something cannot or should not be done when it already is. A redneck saying--when you got notin' to say you say it.

It's not how you modify it, it's how much you have to change and upgrade before you get to a finished product that can handle certain trails. Some SUVs come with a lot of off-road capabilities right from the factory, they come with many components rugged enough for off-roading. Other SUVs come with very little. The X5 is very poorly endowed in this area.

Look at a Jeep JK Rubicon as an example. To make an X5 as capable as a stock JK, would cost more than buying a new Rubicon. So yes, pretty silly to do. When it come to SUVs, the X5 is one of the worst choices as a starting point to go off-roading.

Yes it is.

By that logic, "off-roading" is pretty silly. Whats the point of spending hours crawling over rocks when you could take a perfectly good highway or just hike?

Skyline still misses the point. It is a good platform to start with. I have proven this to myself with a stock 3.0 on the trails here. The point is to have a challenge. Anyone with some cash can modify a jeep ect. I like the idea that people like Skyline doubt me.
Maybe skyline needs to take the Off Road Course at the BMW performance center in spartanburg sc. Hmmmmm.... "one of the worst platforms". Pretty bold statement. Wonder why BMW tests them this way if they are so terrible. They obviously put this in the design concept of the x5...
U see all those jeeps in my previous picture. They dont let fords on their property... for some reason they keep inviting me back..

Skyline still misses the point. It is a good platform to start with. I have proven this to myself with a stock 3.0 on the trails here. The point is to have a challenge. Anyone with some cash can modify a jeep ect. I like the idea that people like Skyline doubt me.
Maybe skyline needs to take the Off Road Course at the BMW performance center in spartanburg sc. Hmmmmm.... "one of the worst platforms". Pretty bold statement. Wonder why BMW tests them this way if they are so terrible. They obviously put this in the design concept of the x5...
U see all those jeeps in my previous picture. They dont let fords on their property... for some reason they keep inviting me back..

Sorry. Dont know why its duplicating my posts.

Sarek your build is what I have been wanting to do for a while. This thing is definatly one of a kind! Anyone that thinks these mods are "useless" or "a waste" are obviously not enthusiasts. Anyone can build a jeep but you have an off road X5! Btw do you have the rear self leveling suspension?

There is NO part of an X5 that makes it a good platform to start with, that was my only point. But I have NO doubt that you can make your X5 a decent off roader. Many of the weak points I already mentioned will be VERY hard and VERY expensive to overcome. I hope you have access to a good fabrication and machine shop, as you're going to need it. I do think it is cool to do, my comments are coming from the practicality side.

As far as how BMW tests them, that course is specifically designed to respect the limitations of the vehicle, and sure, I'd bet that it surprises some soccer moms as to it's capabilities. But I would bet money that none of the water holes take it to a depth past 18" to put the ABS module under water. Or have big rocks on a steep upgrade that would require a low range, etc. This does NOT reflect real world off-roading.

No leveling. Just springs. Air suspension 8 cylinder would be fun to do. I have the prototype adapter and shaft to retrofit a low gear transfer on to the zf transmission

Damnit man. You are not getting it. Why do what has been done a million times already? Sarek is having fun with the unknown. I love it.

Who cares if it costs more money. Let him try, he is having fun rocking the trails at hand with a BMW. I praise him for that alone. The fact the he straight up took apart and is modifying the x5 is even cooler. I would watch his build thread over any jeep thread. Because it has never been done, and people like us, that generally don't go rock crawling, don't give a shit about a jeep. An e53 doing what it was "not meant" to do, is beyond cool.

Again, xoutpost, not jeepforums.

How much would you be willing to bet? Betting means you could lose.

If practical reigned supreme none of us should have purchased a $70,000 SUV. Further, since the vast majority of us never go off road, paying for (potentially) more off road capabilities of the Porsche Cayenne is even less practical.

If practical applied to off roading in any way no one would be doing it.

Assuming the BMW ABS system would be a problem, while the Porsche may not have the same problem, it makes sense that the Porsche would have other problems that BMW would not as neither is factory prepared to do what Sarek is doing.

Finally, which one would would be better off road from the factory is clearly hypothetical at this point.

I can identify with Salek. I used to drag race a nail head Buick with an automatic transmission. It wasn't cool to have an automatic. It was easy to make a Chevy go fast. The Buick was a huge challenge, cost more to be competitive, and took some time to get there but can you imagine the feeling of accomplishment, gratification and the fun I had when I started winning? Not much has changed. My X5 is a big sleeper, not the practical way to go. It pegs the fun meter and you should see the expressions on peoples faces at the Cars and Coffee. I'm guessing you would one of those by expression think I am crazy--I hope so.

The ABS 18" off the ground comment is interesting. Not sure I see a problem there. The unit is pretty well sealed for the occasional splash or swim. Not like it is going to stay under water.............wait a minute, just had another idea..........X5 submarine project!

Guys, skyline is right. :iagree:












































...which makes what Sarek is doing all the more cool! :thumbup:

I am not being practical. Never said I was. Still will have to disagree that there is nothing good for off road on the x5, but its ok for you to think that.

I have had someone ask me if my wife knew I had her suv out on the trails. I said yes and proceded to go thru everything without a problem. They were amazed to say the least. I thought the comment was a good one though....wifes suv...hilarious!

I do have a machine shop local. Also driveshaft shop. Welders . Im not thinking of doing it. I am doing it.

I have been on the off road course there. Have you? If you havent, then you might not want to assume.

The low gear is being taken care of.... and you may be surprised that that modification is not as expensive as you might think.

It has been in holes deeper than 18" and no abs issues. The key is to get out of the hole not stay in it for hours...lol. I will let you know when it fails. Then I will replace it.

Glad you've had good luck so far. I'm just in the middle of replacing my ABS module, caused by moisture ruining the unit, (not rebuildable). Given that it's a $1,500+ part from BMW, I was happy to get a lifetime guaranteed re-man part for $460. It's a bit of a PITA to get to on the V8 X5 as well, and the new one needs to be coded to the car. And my X5 has never been off-road at all or in any deep water. Just car washes and normal road splashes in the rain was enough to kill mine. Perhaps the seal between the module and the pump gives way a bit with age. I think moving this unit would be VERY hard given all the hard lines and wiring going to it, but you might want to try to waterproof it a bit, perhaps a lot of plastic wrap.

Another water concern at a similar height is the transmission. AFAIK, every automatic tranny must have a vent, I don't know where the vent is on the X5 tranny, but it if water gets to the height of the vent, you're screwed. A very small amount of water in an automatic tranny will ruin it quite rapidly. In my Jeep, I plugged the original vent hole, (which was inside the bell housing behind the TC), and moved the vent to a elbow fitting tapped in the top of the transmission case. From there, a hose runs to a small K&N filter at the top of the firewall, right next to the extended front axle vent.

No, I have not been on the BMW off road course, but I do have 40 years of off-roading experience. I am not the least bit impressed with what an X5 can do on a factory course. Certain types of relatively scary obstacles do not really challenge a vehicle, as long as they are specifically designed to be passable by a given vehicle. It's just not real world. Give an X5 a steep loose dirt trail with modest sized rocks and it would not make it without expensive carnage, if at all. As an example of how deceiving a scary trail can be, check out this video of a stock Crown Vic going up Lion's Back at Moab, (a trail that many off-roaders consider pretty challenging):

Moab rock crawling in a Crown Victoria - baby lions back slick rock jeep climb - YouTube

The reman route can be a nightmare. I had one that I sent to a certain company. They said that they could not rebuild it. Then I had to pay to have them send it back.. then it was totally dead. U might want to find someone with a wholesale account that can get bosch parts. They have a new unit that is way cheaper than 1500. Its about as much as your rebuild and it is new. Just fyi for the rebuild route. Read the fine print on that lifetime warranty too.

I am going to look at the abs unit again and look at sealing it. Not a bad preventative measure. Cant hurt really.

They have vent pipes for the transmission and both differentials that come up quite high. The front diff vent goes to the top of the engine bay. Rear diff goes up into the top of the left rear fender liner trim area. Pretty surprising to see how long the vents are. The transmission vent can easily be extended a bit if the shifter box is not high enough. It is about as high as your knees are when sitting in the car. Granted, the manual transmission does not have that hose type vent for some reason. It has that check type vent stack on the top. Probably going to vent it higher.

What I don't get is how you're going to fool the vehicle electronics when there's no TC actuator motor to shift power front to rear. Maybe you could just leave the little motor attached hanging there and swap the case.

But a further issue is that all the TCs you mentioned are either 2WD or locked in "Part Time" 4WD, and none have particularly low, low ranges, (which is why you see doublers used). No way can you drive one of these on a dry road in 4WD. I guess you could run with DSC off when in 2WD, but I'm not sure the TC electronics would go for this. But a Full Time 4WD box might work.


Perhaps a better option would be a NV249 Full Time 4WD case from a Jeep Grand Cherokee. (I think there was an even more robust double chain FT 4WD version of this from the early Hemi Durangos as well). These use clutches/viscous coupling to distribute power, and with no electronic input at all. The only electric input is for the little dashboard pictogram that shows Low/High range. The Jeep 249 is robust enough for 300hp/350ft lbs. But the clutches will only last about 125k miles, so if you get a used one, keep this in mind; (new viscous coupling is over $900). The low range is not the lowest, but it's much lower than any of the boxes you mentioned, (in stock form). The bonus is that the car would always be in 4WD, and not confuse the DSC. If you left the X5 actuator motor attached, a TC like this might do a very similar job to the stock box in terms of playing nicely with the traction control, but it would do so mechanically. Might work, but this is all guesswork on my part.

Its a 2001 x5 so there is no tc actuator. No xdrive . Just open transfer case.they have the torque on demand transfer cases in the 04 to 06 x5. No worries on that front for me. The electronics only come into play when wheels start to slip. So in theory you can run a dana 300 off the back of the transmission and the car doesnt know the difference. So you can drive in 2wd and once the wheels start to spin and the fronts do not, the traction control will cut back the throttle (unless you have dsc off) and then apply braking to the wheels that slip. There are no electronics in the transfer case on the 01 x5 case. Just 1 to 1 open . When you lock in 4 hi or low, the traction control doesnt know either since on front and one rear will always be driven. I drive off road with dsc off. It doesnt cut back throttle but still applies the brake to the slipping wheel (automatic differential braking). I have installed an xdrive tod transfer case in this x5 and locked the tc motor to full lock 50/50 and it did not have any traction issues, so I have tested the locked transfer case theory and it works well. Just no low gearing. Thats why I am retrofitting a dana 300 and a doubler strongbox to get that. I think the big problem will be breaking CV axles.

Talk to Tom Wood:

Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts - Tom Woods Custom Drive Shafts Custom Driveshafts Specialist

Maybe he can make you stronger custom axles shafts. He made me a drive shaft for my Jeep that replaced the weak CV joint with a U Joint.

Also, the folks that drag race FWD and AWD cars have been having stronger axles custom built for years, with super strong CV joints, but I don't know who does that.

Please send more info on this mod. The low radiator has always been a concern for me. Been lucky so far but my luck will run out some day.

Cheap Jeep
 

If the cheap jeep can do it then so can we:
CHEAP JEEP

Its not too hard to do. I did have to do some welding. Otherwise everything else was pretty straight foreward. Got rid of the fan clutch too.

Here is a shot from underneath. Here you can see the piece of tubing that had to be welded in to support the bottom of the e46 radiator.

Thanks. That's doable for me. Any chance you have the part number or exact year/model the e46 rad is from? Are the all the same? Is the M3 version more robust/higher capacity? Number of rows? My x5 is a 4.4 so it probably needs more cooling. Plus my regular stomping ground is the Mojave desert.

Who's making your bumpers? Local shop? I'm interested in a rear that will hold the spare tire so I can use the interior space to store my emergency kit.

Its an e46 manual transmission stuff. The radiator is a different in your 8 cylinder than my 6 cylinder. Probably more cooling capacity needed for the 8 cylinder. This mod may not be good for your application. I converted my 6 cylinder to a stick so I no longer needed to use the transmission cooler. The e46 radiator is thicker than the e53, but the e53 has more surface area. Since the manual transmission conversion doesnt add more heat into the antifreeze like the auto did, the e46 radiator works in my application. Also the electric fan from the manual works for me too. The m3 fan is more powerful and would work in my application. It is just 2x as expensive. I will get it only if necessary. I am sure there is a mod you could do for the 8 cylinder. Just need to start doing some research.

A local guy here is building the bumper for me as we speak while I am still waiting on my transfer case adapter stuff.

I dumped the air suspension for regular springs on my V8 for reliability.

BMW is nearly synonymous with the Dakar.
Enjoy!
BMW X5 Dakar - YouTube

and furthermore
BMW X5 - Rabakoz Kupa'10.m4v - YouTube

:D

Obviously not any version you could just walk down to the dealership and buy

Pioneer Desert Team Delta Q: apresentação do BMW X5 para Dakar Argentina Chile - YouTube

I just want to tool around the trails a little (once upgrade the tires). Just bought my X5. It's parked up on a berm now, 4x4 or AWD parking only and it seems to like it :)

BMW X5 Fazekas-Horn (Csató) Best Of 2008 Xsport - YouTube

Here are some pictures of the front bumper mock up

For what you do, what should you be able to hit without damage?

"Without damage"..lol.. More like try to "minimize damage". Also dont want to add too much weight. It is still in mock up phase. It is getting some skid plates below the winch area.

Sarek - it's positively beastly! Can you review what you did suspension wise? I was only half-heartedly thinking of contacting FMU about their spacers as a cheap lift but who knows. It's only an inch or so, shouldn't create too much driveline havoc for mild trail driving. Any boost in clearance would help.

Also found an old pic thread by someone who mounted up 285-60-18s on an otherwise stock vehicle. My wife sort of put the kibosh when I was looking at tires though "those are $250 each?" ;)

Thats freekin amazing, i wish i had the time and money to do that! So far just oversized tires, savin up for FMUs body spacers. The X5 does pretty well off road with the nittos. Sarek im jealous as hell!

First--It looks great!

I assumed you don't want it any heavier than need be.

Reason I asked about how much impact is my initial reaction per the photo was I wondered how much the loop would take without X bracing across the loop or from the top of the loop elsewhere. I am not questioning your expertise, I am only interested to learn from your reasoning.

^beamertruck- gotta price for the FMU spacers? I'd love to go this route with 265/70/17 tires on the stock wheels for a winter set up... Also, aren't the FMU spacers a 2" lift? Subscribed to Sarek's awesome build!

FMU just replied to my inquiry, "We estimate the cost to be somewhere around the $500 + shipping mark." No notes on what may be included in the kit but encouraging so far.

Barring any lift or clearancing a 70 series tire might be too tall? GL and please report back if you try!

This is just the 1st day mock up. There will be more bracing for sure. A buddy of mine is doing the work. Its not bad for the design phase 1st day.

[QUOTE=X5nHI;986370]FMU just replied to my inquiry, "We estimate the cost to be somewhere around the $500 + shipping mark." No notes on what may be included in the kit but encouraging so far.

Barring any lift or clearancing a 70 series tire might be too tall? GL and please report back if you try

I contacted FMU about the x5 they built. I wanted to buy their lift shims for the springs. I asked if they ever had it off road. They said no. It is just a show piece. Then I inquired about cost and lead time for the mild lift kit. At that time they were about 6 months out. They. Also quoted 500 give or take.
I just had a machine shop make them. Took way less time and cost less. Just my 2 cents..

2 inch lift shims work without the need for any other mods. More than that you need to drop the subframe and extend the steering coupler

Thanks for the info Sarek!

edit: upon more thought I am going to stick to the streets. that plus seeing some sweet 20s on sale helps. the x5 still blows the doors off the neighbors 2wd anyway :p:

Close up pics please
 

Radiator and front bumper mods are definitely on my todo list now. When it is finished please take some close up shots of the bumper mounting points and tubing angles. Close ups of the lower rad tubing welded up would be helpful too. Thanks.

265/65/17 works, all else stock
 

265/70/17 should fit the fenders but will require mods (cutting and grinding plastic crap) to make the spare tire fit in the stock location. There are other guys that have run this diameter (different size) on the forum. I run 265/65/17 with no issues. If I had it to do over, I would get 275 or 285/65/17 only a little taller and wider. This may require cutting up the spare tire area for a full size spare or get a swing away on the rear bumper that will hold the spare. It measures right but not sure if it will fit with the cutting because it is very close. Any taller and you have no chance of fitting it in the spare tire tray. You will have to go on the roof, cargo area or rear bumper. Roof is a bad idea. Ski racks reduce my highway mpg from 19 to 16.

How's the bumper coming along?

Getting ready for skid plates.

It is coming along nicely. What is the purpose of the nose loop? I see them often but can't figure out what they are for. Sometimes it looks like they protect lights I'm but not sure.

Really good for wrapping your winch line around so you dont need to constantly spool in and out. Also can help from nosing over.

Anyone know the largest size tire I can fit onto an X without modification to the suspension? On possibly either a 17 or 16 inch wheel?

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

The 255/70/R18s fit pretty well but youll rub a little. I am running the 255/60/R18 nitto terras and ive had no issues and got an extra inch of height.

For a winter setup I've been looking at something like 235/75/16, since I have a set of dedicated wheels, wanted to know if the tires will fit, thank you.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the info on tire fitments brptrailrider and beamertruck. I'd love to take my racks off when not needed but the vehicle didn't come with the key - is on order by the dealer though. I'm almost tempted to drill a hole now but only a couple more weeks waiting first. Have not made a move on tires or wheels yet.

No problem, im gettin the SURCO safari rack to hold the spare tire. Gonna some atx artillery rims with yhe toyos and get the body spacers from FMU. Oh and gonna get rid of the airbags! Woop woop

Note that FMU said their spacers will only work with rear airbags in an email to me about a year ago.

Will 16" wheels clear the front brake calipers?

The spacers should worrk witth or without, as long a youve done a proper conversion. 16in wheels wont clear the calipers, I had a customer with a 2005 who wanted a set for winter they were too small, we had to install a set of spacers in order for them to fit (he didnt want 17s)

What do you mean by proper conversion? How did wheels spacers make 16" wheels fit? were the calipers hitting the "spokes?"

Sarek, awesome build! I always thought the e53 would be an awesome platform to start building a capable off-roading machine.

While you may not be doing the Rubicon Trail (even stock wranglers have issues with it) you could probably tackle a lot of trails out there! I will be following this pretty close. I want to "beef" up the X5 in some ways, it won't be the rock crawling rig as thats the job of my Jeep. And yes they are easy to build up. But I something that is going to tackle some gnarly dirt roads.

You need a large enough spacer to move the wheel away so the caliper doesnt hit the spokes. Just look at FMUs build. Theres a conversion kit with all the plug ins, and the struts to properlly remove the rear air ride w/o triggering an error message or causing any other issues.

FMU used 17x9 wheels, not 16.

FMU had to use wheels spacers because they chose wheels with an improper offset and that's why they had caliper clearance issues.

The FMU rear lift spacers for the suspension will not accommodate the mounting hardware for a coil spring. They are designed for the air bag spring.

I've searched but can't find the conversion kit that kills the error message. Any links?

So you were actually able to fit 16" wheels with a spacer? What offset and width were they? Could you provide a part number? I really want 16" wheels. Thanks.

I would also like to know the info on the spacers you used.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

FWIW I put Ranger Rover wheels and tires on mine a few years back and it gained an extra inch of height and looked good too. You can put GY MTRs on that rim for a really nice aggressive setup. I sold the X5 a few years back, and I've since moved onto a 100 series Land Cruiser where I've tried several tires and have settled on the GY Duratrac for an excellent all around tire - off roading in the rocks, light mud, snow, ice, and on the pavement all excellent. Here's my X5 back in 06 with the RR wheels.

http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/...s-file0053.jpg
http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/...s-dscn1392.jpg

The flip kit for my dana 300 retrofit finally showed up! Before and after pics attatched showing before and after. . Should be getting my doubler strong box and adapter plate to bolt all of this on to the zf 6 speed manual trans in the next week or so. Finally some low gearing!

Ohhh yeah! I SO wanna steal your car ;)

If your lookin for extra height with enhanced off road ability go for the oversized terra grapplers or toyo OC AT2 tires. Brptrailrider, i used FMUs front spacers but ended up machining my own for the rear. Il link to another forum that has all the info. Will no longer be offering advice here, you can PM for email if you want me to machine the spacers. The conversion kit is from suncore

Driveshaft adapters for front and rear differentials. Getting closer to the goal

here they are

Man i wanna see that thing in action when its done. Il bring my raptor out and well do a head to head haha

I will get some videos as soon as it is back up and running. Head to head with a raptor...ha

More progress on the bumper

MAN that is KILLER! Im jealous as hell! Im sure that baby can take the raptor on.

Body lift anyone?

When I bought my 4.8is, I was not sure if I wanted a fast sport truck or an offroad looking rig. Since I've been in offroading for 15 years in my younger days, buying a X5, 3.0L manual tranny and lift it was tempting. I finally decided that I had enough work and didn't need another project.

What I had in mind, was to do a suspension lift (1"), like some of you guys have done, by installing a spacer at the top of the strut, and at the rear springs. I also wanted to do a body lift, yeah, I know, the X5 doesn't have a frame, but it has 2 subframes. What I wanted to do, was to build spacers to install between the body and the front subframe, at the transmission crossmember, and the rear subframe. I was planning to lift the body by 3" for a total of 4" of lift. Some trimming of the bottom of the fenders would have give more room for something in the 33 to 35 range, depending of the offset of the wheels.

Of course a body lift is more work, like re routing the exhaust, modify the shifter linkage, relocate brake lines etc.

I whish someone could do what I didn't have the time to do. A X5 with 4" of lift and 33 or 35 X 12.50 would be sexy

I just love how sarek completely stole this thread from OP hahaha

FMU has spacers for the X.

Sarek the only thing I don't like of your build is the extremely cheap aftermarket headlights which don't flow at all with the build, even a set of OEM headlights would be better.

I like the fact the amber side markers are gone, I just dont like the way those look

I totally agree with what you say about the headlights. I hate them! They came on it when I bought it.I need to find something to put in there that looks better. I need to hurry up and break them.

I would say to put on the Depo lights but they are about $350, I'm assuming you have stock halogen?

It actually originally came with xenon as per the vin decode. I have to get rid of those lights

Please post a video of you destroying them when you do

Sledgehammers work pretty well lol

:wow:Strongbox doubler has finally showed up! Even lower gearing. I can see the light.

Would really like to see a video of your X in action!

As soon as it is running I will have videos

This is a great thread! I have to agree with the few and you. The X5 is a capable machine but if anyone has actually ever 4 wheeled...even the most capable machines break down. It really is a matter of experience, tires, fabbing and experience (and actually knowing how to turn a wrench. Thats most peoples problems)..ahahah.

Great job Sarek.

Its finally all starting to come together

Steal away haha I sold my truck.

This has the potential to be the best thread on xoutpost.

Im new. I didnt know any better.........lol

This thread has me wondering if someone on the Land Rover forums is turning their Defender 110 into a track vehicle. :rofl:

I might try the defender project next........ha

Here is the link for the 1st test run with the dana 300 and doubler installed. Ist gear is really slow. You basically you cant even stall it. Even when you stand on the brakes!

Ghost ride: Ghost ride - YouTube

OOO schmexy!

Impressive!

Front bumper finished!

Found some stock xenons too

X5, Mad Max Style!

Would love to see a video of your X5 in action!

Videos coming soon. Still waiting on my tripple stick shifter to be able to hit the trails

Speaking of Defenders, I'm just back from a boating vacation in the British Virgin Islands. Saw two very sweet Defenders [right hand drive] in Roadtown, Tortola. Made me want one of those the guys in Massachusetts? rebuild to order with Isuzu diesels and manual transmissions. What great vehicles the Defenders can be, with proper drivetrains ....

I live about 3 hours from west tahoe. And I plan on putting some mud/snow tires. I have bc coilovers. I want to get some 17" I have 18".

Yeah, I got to drive a few Defender 90s and 110s back in the '90. Took a few for weekend striper fishing/camping trips on Island Beach State Park. The Defenders with MT tore thru the sugar sand like NOTHING else near their size/weight.

The owner of Prestige Motors (Joe D) pulled so many Hummer H1&2s, MB G-Wagons and Jeeps out of the Lake Tahoe and Colorado mud/sand with Defenders that he lost count!

Had access to the Prestige Land Rover vehicle fleet back then.

Defender is bad ass. Nightmare to source parts for that buick (or similar) engine though. Idler pulley was $600! Pay to play I guess. That was new old stock. The part is no longer available. I love em anyways

If I were to come across a clean, low mile/owner count Def 90 priced right, I would jump on it. Love the utility look, pressure wash to clean interior and offroad ability.

I just finished my bc coilover install. I have not lowered it yet, as I found three screws and wires showing on only one tire. So I will get new tires tomarow. I have a set of stock 18" rims, and also some 18x9.5 +12 offset. Any suggestions on tire sizes? I want mud/snow tires.

Im running 255/60/r18 nitto terra grapplers. I love them, if you want the stock height they have 255/55/18

Hey Sarek, you should put a ditch roller on the front bumper like this:

http://www.militarymodelling.com/sit...8_14-47-56.jpg

+1

TIGed up out of aluminum to keep weight down.

Def 90 can even mark its territory.

defender 90 - Google Search

I think you were going for this.........

They should have taken that pic next to a fire hydrant.

Yes, that's the one. It was not spotlighted when you pulled up the link?

The link went to hundreds of Google pics.

Oh, when I pull it up it goes to the hundreds then the marking photo is expanded and centered. Good to know that is not universal. Thanks.

Love the no-frills, form follows function look of the Def 90, and the "if it can't get you there, you don't want to be there" ability.

Just ordered my tires. Got my coilovers on. It's coming together. Also New brakes today. Will have my tires installed tomorrow

they just photoshopped out the RTI ramp....nice!

Its almost time for the trails! Got the shifters mounted.

New driveshafts installed