2002 Nissan Xterra IFS Solid Axle Swap

2002 Nissan Xterra Sas Drivers Side View

The Nissan Xterra was introduced back in 2000 and has proven itself to be a fun and capable SUV. With a wheelbase a few inches north of 100, it's short enough to fit in some tight spaces, yet long enough for good stability and some rear cargo space.

Dee Schauer owns an '02 V-6-powered model and has been desert wheeling it for a good number of years. She uses it for day trips rockcrawling and trail running, as well as for longer camping trips in remote areas. It'd been upgraded over the years with a 3.92:1 transfer case and lockers, but she and husband Andy decided to take her rig up a notch in capability, and a solid-axle swap (SAS) was in the cards.

What was to happen was a homebrew axle and suspension swap, and we'll take you down that road here. The couple planned and gathered the parts over the course of a few months. What they found was that there are some good used parts floating around on the market, and patience can yield some good deals to help keep the mod costs a little more in check. Some parts were purchased from local wheelers, and the balance of the swap components consist of a combination of OEM and aftermarket pieces.

2002 Nissan Xterra Sas Ifs Parts Removed

The IFS has a lot of parts that make up its suspension. They all came off the Xterra and were pushed off to the side. Selling off some of these pieces to other owners of stock rigs can put a few dollars back into the project fund.

The IFS has a lot of parts that make up its suspension. They all came off the Xterra and w

The Dana 44 axle with driver-side pumpkin was purchased as a used assembly, and already held chromoly axleshafts, high-steer arms, and some other upgraded parts. It measured 60.5 inches from flange to flange, a good match to the stock rear axle, which is about 62 inches wide. Follow along as we show how Andy and a group of dedicated helpers did the Xterra transformation.

Basic Shopping List
Complete front axle (hub to hub)
Steering arm(s)
Tie rod and drag link
Front leaf-spring packs
Spring shackles and frame tubes
Spring front crossmember
Shock mounts
Shocks
Brake lines
Bumpstops
U-bolts, axle plates, and perches
Driveshaft
Misc. steel plate scraps

1. The stock transmission crossmember was replaced with a tubular version from Calmini. While this unit does hang a bit lower than the stock piece, it does so to allow the front driveshaft the clearance to droop above it.
1. The stock transmission crossmember was replaced with a tubular version from Calmini. Wh
2. With all the stock suspension parts stripped off the Nissan, it was time to fire up the torch. Jim Wickes deleted the myriad of IFS bracketry from the frame. Care was taken to cut the mounts as close as possible to the framerails without gouging the rails with the flame. Wet rags were used on the passenger side to keep excessive heat away from the fluid lines running along the side of the frame. With all the unneeded bracketry shed off the frame, cleanup grinding ensued.
2. With all the stock suspension parts stripped off the Nissan, it was time to fire up the
3. The shackle tubes were going to be mounted through the framerails, so they were held in place under the frame, and fore/aft locations determined after careful measurements were made.
3. The shackle tubes were going to be mounted through the framerails, so they were held in

4. These are Calmini shackle mount parts. The 0.250-inch-wall tube will be inserted into the frame to support bushings for the top of the shackles. The sheetmetal form shown in this photo is a hole guide used to mark the location where holes will be cut in the frame.
4. These are Calmini shackle mount parts. The 0.250-inch-wall tube will be inserted into t
5. Here you can see the sheetmetal pattern held in place. The tube locations are positioned to match the separation width of the front spring-hanger tabs. The location ended up right where one of the body-mount plates welded to the side of the frame. Part of the body mount was cut off where it interfered. Due to interference, it was not possible to cut the frame holes using a drill and holesaw. A torch was used in this case.
5. Here you can see the sheetmetal pattern held in place. The tube locations are positione
6. With the frame holes cut through both walls of each framerail, the shackle tubes were slipped into place, aligned, and tack welded. The red lines denote where a steel plate was later added back to the frame to support the body mount.
6. With the frame holes cut through both walls of each framerail, the shackle tubes were s

7. A Calmini Nissan shackle kit was used along with poly bushings and steel sleeves. Depending on the leaf springs used and where the rear shackles and hangers end up, the offset Calmini shackles may not fully clear the frame at full spring compression. Instead, it may be necessary to use straight shackle plates and steel bushing spacers.
7. A Calmini Nissan shackle kit was used along with poly bushings and steel sleeves. Depen
8. One could use a variety of leaf packs for a conversion such as this based on the ride height and type of ride and flex you're aiming for. In this case, salvaged Jeep Wagoneer leaf packs with two added leaves in each pack offered the desired width and a low arch height in a flexy pack. A Calmini front-hanger crossmember was used to add the leaf springs to the frame.
8. One could use a variety of leaf packs for a conversion such as this based on the ride h
9. After the shackle tube locations were rechecked, they were welded to the framerails. Here you can see the assembled offset shackles ready for some leaf springs.
9. After the shackle tube locations were rechecked, they were welded to the framerails. He

10. The stock Xterra steering box and frame mount is a pretty decent setup and a good candidate as-is for a conversion such as this. Andy removed the pitman arm and used an SAE tie-rod taper reamer to slightly enlarge the drag-link hole and cut it to match an SAE tie-rod end.
10. The stock Xterra steering box and frame mount is a pretty decent setup and a good cand
11. A set of U-bolt plates with bump landing pads and some polyurethane bumpstops were sourced from Calmini to smoothen hard suspension hits and keep the parts from making metal-to-metal contact.
11. A set of U-bolt plates with bump landing pads and some polyurethane bumpstops were sou
12. The Dana 44 axle was fitted with weld-on perches, inverted U-bolts, and the Calmini plates. The hardware was only snugged up as the perches would need to be welded to the axle later after the caster angle was determined and adjusted.
12. The Dana 44 axle was fitted with weld-on perches, inverted U-bolts, and the Calmini pl