Can a first gen Nissan frontier take an FWC?

[srileo]

Hi all,
this is my first post here, though i have been lurking for a year now.

I am getting a bit frustrated with my truck search. Basically i want to put an FWC eagle or ATC bobcat on a midsize pickup. Looking to put either on a Nissan Frontier. Why the frontier? because it is a size that will manage the tight streets of san francisco better and we just like it better. we also hope to take the frontier out of the country across to australia or europe in the next several years, and the nissan is the only US truck that is manufactured and serviced abroad. The 3/4 tons are out of the question for getting in and out of where we live.

So, looking hard for a 2nd gen Frontier 4x4, crew cab, LONG BED, automatic. These are really extremely rare to find. Autotrader lists only 4 in the whole damn country right now.

So, am starting to consider the first gen Frontiers. For some reason, the crew cab long bed 4x4 1st gens are more plentiful in the 1st gen. And a lot cheaper. And they seem to have a better reliability history than the 2nd gens with their radiator-transmission failures. However, there is the issue of them having only about 180hp on tap in the v6, though the supercharged version has 210hp. In your view, is that even sufficient to haul a 1000lb camper? Our jeep wrangler has about the 190hp and while it is fine for driving around on the highway, am not sure what 1000lbs will feel like..?

Mind you, the camper will be on permanently and the truck will not be our daily driver. Just excursioning.

Advise is much appreciated.

 

[rotti]

Here's a quote from ThinAir:
"Bought a Nissan Frontier and put a Finch on it. Severely overloaded, truck swayed back and forth, front end was unweighted, dangerous."

From here: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/7246/

 

[BillM]

I can't answer regarding the Gen1, I have an 08 frontier with a shell eagle 4W camper. I haven't done any suspension mods and have had no problem doing moderate 4 wheeling like Steele Pass/Dedeckera canyon in Death Valley. My advice is to get the lightest camper possible like a shell model and only add the options you want. We've added a catalytic heater to our eagle and left everything else stock. This leaves more room inside and more weight capacity for gear. We find we spend 99% of our waking hours outside of the camper so having a heavy/crowded/option loaded camper is not the way to go for us.

Good Luck

BillM

 

[srileo]

Rotti,
i did read that thread, and can only shrug my shoulders. For us, a truck larger than midsize, and manufactured only for or in the US is not an option. I do plan to spend $ on custom leafs, airbags, tires etc to bring it up to snuff as much as possible.




Here's a quote from ThinAir:
"Bought a Nissan Frontier and put a Finch on it. Severely overloaded, truck swayed back and forth, front end was unweighted, dangerous."

From here: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/7246/

 

[takesiteasy]

We love our 2011 Tacoma with a shell ATC camper. We had the same criteria of needing a small truck for city driving. We drove the Frontiers before we bought the Tacoma. I've never heard that Tacomas aren't serviced everywhere that a Nissan is, but I could be totally wrong on that- I haven't checked into it (edit: now I remember that Tacomas are only in North America. It is the Hilux is everywhere else). I suspect it would be way too expensive for us to ship the truck overseas anyway. I imagine both Europe and Australia have active rental markets for campers, but again, I haven't checked into it. Even with our shell camper and light-weight camping approach, we are pushing the GVWR of the truck. It handles the weight fine but I think we will be putting new rear springs on it soon to bring it back closer to unloaded geometry when the camper is on it. Our truck is the 6 cylinder and has plenty of power. I think it is rated at 236 horsepower. Not sure I would like less power. Anyway, the Tacomas probably aren't any easier to find than the Frontiers. Good luck with your search.

 

[srileo]

takeiteasy,
thanks for the advise about the shell camper approach. i need to think more minimal like you guys are doing. loved reading through your blogs and i have noted your modifications to the ATC esp the battery up front and the low profile roof.



We love our 2011 Tacoma with a shell ATC camper. We had the same criteria of needing a small truck for city driving. We drove the Frontiers before we bought the Tacoma. I've never heard that Tacomas aren't serviced everywhere that a Nissan is, but I could be totally wrong on that- I haven't checked into it (edit: now I remember that Tacomas are only in North America. It is the Hilux is everywhere else). I suspect it would be way too expensive for us to ship the truck overseas anyway. I imagine both Europe and Australia have active rental markets for campers, but again, I haven't checked into it. Even with our shell camper and light-weight camping approach, we are pushing the GVWR of the truck. It handles the weight fine but I think we will be putting new rear springs on it soon to bring it back closer to unloaded geometry when the camper is on it. Our truck is the 6 cylinder and has plenty of power. I think it is rated at 236 horsepower. Not sure I would like less power. Anyway, the Tacomas probably aren't any easier to find than the Frontiers. Good luck with your search.

 

[Spitfire]

I had a 2000 Frontier King Cab 4WD with the 3.3 V6. I never had a camper on it but I used it quite a bit for hauling dirt and rocks for landscaping. The engine is great and is very well built but I always thought it was underpowered even when it was empty. When loaded it could handle it but it never felt very comfortable doing it. I think you'd have to seriously upgrade the springs if you wanted to put a camper on it. I initially was going to put a camper on mine but between modding the truck and the weight of the campers I was looking at I decided to buy a full size truck.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Have you ever considered a 1st gen Tundra?I have a ATC Bobcat.It was first on a Ford Ranger 3.0lt V6.Underpowered but with Supersprings did carry the camper OK to my use.After a long ,nice trip to Denali in Alaska,we found the ride and no power had to get better.
We found a great shape 02 Tundra AC Limited TRD 4x4.The Bobcat fits nice on the truck and there is lots of power and the ride is 100% better.Gas mileage dropped maybe 2 miles a gallon so the trade was worth it.The camper is on all the time as this is not a daily driver.We have driven around the city(SF),and it's not that big of a truck that it was a problem,any more than the Ford.
I don't know how the 1st gen Tundra compares to the 1st gen Nisson size wise,so can't give any advise there.
Frank

 

[takesiteasy]

First gen Tundras are about the same size as the 2nd gen Tacomas. They are a nice truck. We looked for one for a while but all of them around here had frame rust issues. Otherwise I think that is a good choice too.

 

[srileo]

Great advise. I did briefly flirt with the idea of the first gen tundra. Did they have a crew cab first gen Tundra? A crew cab is a necessity because of a future child seat fitting ;-). The frame rust was the only thing i heard could be a problem on them. But the 260hp of the 2nd gen frontier does favorably match the v8 of the 1st gen Tundra. Payload capacity is also about the same, from my research...
Will keep looking.




Have you ever considered a 1st gen Tundra?I have a ATC Bobcat.It was first on a Ford Ranger 3.0lt V6.Underpowered but with Supersprings did carry the camper OK to my use.After a long ,nice trip to Denali in Alaska,we found the ride and no power had to get better.
We found a great shape 02 Tundra AC Limited TRD 4x4.The Bobcat fits nice on the truck and there is lots of power and the ride is 100% better.Gas mileage dropped maybe 2 miles a gallon so the trade was worth it.The camper is on all the time as this is not a daily driver.We have driven around the city(SF),and it's not that big of a truck that it was a problem,any more than the Ford.
I don't know how the 1st gen Tundra compares to the 1st gen Nisson size wise,so can't give any advise there.
Frank

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Great advise. I did briefly flirt with the idea of the first gen tundra. Did they have a crew cab first gen Tundra? A crew cab is a necessity because of a future child seat fitting ;-). The frame rust was the only thing i heard could be a problem on them. But the 260hp of the 2nd gen frontier does favorably match the v8 of the 1st gen Tundra. Payload capacity is also about the same, from my research...
Will keep looking.

Srileo,I found my Tundra on line.It's a Ca. truck,no rust.They did make a "crew cab" 4 full size doors.I have the Access Cab,which has 2 smaller doors for the rear.Works for me,since there aren't extra passengers involved.
As for the frame rust,Toyota has extended the warranty for the 1st gen trucks,even if you bought it used.
I enjoy the ride and power of my Tundra.It does well even in city traffic.
Frank

 

[sonora]

I have a 2004 Frontier CC 4X4 LB that I use with my 2002 MC600 Northstar Camper. The truck handles it just fine although it is not a fast truck even without the camper on it. I call it "The Turtle" lol.

I did put 2 new rear spring packs in it before I bought the camper as one leaf on each side was cracked through - something to check out. Also replace the timming belt if it has over 100,000 miles on it and also scan for the knock sensor code (a common problem with first gens). I also had to remove my roof rack to give the camper overhang clearance.

PM me or Email me for any further questions.

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

The first gen Tundra access cab is on a different platform than the first gen "4 door model". 4-door is a much larger truck.
Before I bought the 2013 Tacoma I looked for 9 months for a 2005-2006 1st gen Tundra access cab with 4WD and found one in western half of the US with over 125,000 miles on it. Asking price was 80% of a new Tacoma.

I ended up buying the Tacoma and having mounts fabricated so I could bolt the Eagle down.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

The first gen Tundra access cab is on a different platform than the first gen "4 door model". 4-door is a much larger truck.
Before I bought the 2013 Tacoma I looked for 9 months for a 2005-2006 1st gen Tundra access cab with 4WD and found one in western half of the US with over 125,000 miles on it. Asking price was 80% of a new Tacoma.

I ended up buying the Tacoma and having mounts fabricated so I could bolt the Eagle down.

The 4 door crew cab also has a deeper bed,so you need to make sure the camper will fit or use a 2x4 platform to give the extra clearance.
Frank