Nissan 4073 User Manual

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
98 NISSAN FRONTIER 2 WD
KIT # 4073

WARNING

Installation of a Performance Accessories body lift will change
the center of gravity and the handling characteristics of the
vehicle. Because of the higher center of gravity and larger tires,
the vehicle will handle and react differently both on and off road.
You must drive it safely! Extreme care must be taken to prevent
vehicle rollover or loss of control, which could result in serious
injury or death. Avoid sudden sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers
and always make sure all vehicle occupants have their seat belts
fastened.

WARNING

Read and understand all instructions, warnings, cautions, and
notes in this sheet and in your owners manual before you begin
the installation of this body lift kit.

CAUTION

Proper installation of a Performance Accessories body lift kit
requires knowledge of the factory recommended procedures for
disassembly an assembly of original equipment components. It is
recommended that the factory shop manual a nd any spe cial tools
necessary to your vehicle be on hand during the installation.
Installation of this body lift kit without proper knowledge of the
factory recommended procedures may affect the performance of
these components and the safety of you vehicle. It is strongly
recommended that a certified mechanic who is familiar with the
installation of similar components install this body lift kit.

WARNING

This body lift kit should only be installed on vehicles that are in
good working condition. Before the installation begins, the
vehicle should be thoroughly inspected for evidence of corrosion
or deformation of the sheet metal around the factory body
mounts. This body lift kit should not be installed on any vehicle
that is suspected to have been in a collision, or misused. Off
road use of you vehicle with this body lift installed may increase
the stress applied to the factory body mounts. It is not
recommended that any vehicle, with a body lift installed, be
involved in any extreme off road maneuvers such as jumping.
Failure to follow this warning may result in serious personal
injury and/or serious damage to your vehicle.

WARNING

Performance Accessories strongly discourages the use of a
suspension lift kit or any other lift device in addition to a body
lift kit. A vehicle that uses a combination of lift devices not
originally engineered to be used together may result in
unexpected and unsafe handling characteristics. Many states now
have laws restricting bumper heights and vehicle lifts. Local
laws should be consulted to determine if the changes you intend
to make to your vehicle complies with state laws.

WARNING

The installation of larger wheel and tire combinations may
reduce the effectiveness of the Anti-lock Braking System.

NOTE

Performance Accessories recommends using the Loctite®
supplied in the kit, on all hardware unless noted in the
instructions.

WARNING

Always wear eye protection when operating power tools.

1. Read all warnings and instructions completely and carefully
before you begin. Check the kit for proper contents (refer to the
part’s list and the picture diagrams). Only attempt to install this
kit on the vehicle described above. If anytime during the
installation you encounter something different from what is
outlined in the instructions, call technical support. (520) 636-

0979.

WARNING

Make sure that your vehicle is properly blocked and secured
before you begin installation of this lift kit.

2. Park the vehicle on a clean, dry, flat, level surface. Block the
tires so the vehicle cannot roll in either direction.

WARNING

The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS, air bag) must be
deactivated during installation of the lift kit to avoid accidental
deployment of the air bag while working near SRS sensors and
wiring. Do not allow anyone near the air bag during installation
of the lift kit. Accidental deployment can result in serious
personal injury or death. Refer to your factory service manual
for the recommended procedure to disable the SRS before
installation of lift blocks. The SRS must be reactivated before
driving the vehicle.

3. Disconnect both battery cables. Be sure to disconnect the
negative cable first, then the positive cable. Remove the airbag
fuse from the fuse box. Consult the owners manual for the exact
location of the fuse.

4. Remove the air cleaner housing from the throttle body.
Remove the bolts that mount the air duct to the upper radiator
mount. Remove the air cleaner and air duct from the vehicle.

CAUTION

Be sure that the steering shaft does not turn independently of the
steering gearbox. This could cause the air bag system to
malfunction causing possible personal injury and damage to the
vehicle.

5. Mark the steering shaft where it slides into the upper coupler.
Mark the lower coupler and the gearbox where the steering shaft
slides onto the gearbox splined shaft. This insures proper
alignment of the steering after the steering extension has been
installed. Remove the bolt that mounts the steering shaft to the
upper coupler. Remove the bolt that mounts the steering shaft to
the gearbox splined shaft. Slide the steering shaft up and off the
gearbox splined shaft, then out of the upper coupler. Remove the
shaft from the vehicle.

WARNING

Use extreme caution when working with the engine cooling
system. Never remove the radiator cap from a hot radiator. Wait
until the engine and radiator has cooled and the pressure in the
system has dissipated. Use care not to spill any
antifreeze/coolant while draining system. Antifreeze can be
harmful to the environment. Take care to store the drained
antifreeze/coolant in a place away from children and animals.
Antifreeze/coolant can be fatal if swallowed.

6. Drain the radiator into a clean container. Be sure that the
radiator has cooled sufficiently to safely open the cooling
system. Remove the fan shroud from the radiator. After the
radiator has drained completely, loosen the clamp that mounts
the upper radiator hose to the radiator. Rem ove the hose f rom the
radiator. Loosen the clamp that mounts the lower radiator hose to
the radiator. Remove the
hose from the radiator. Remove the bolts that mount the fan
shroud to the radiator. Remove the bolts that mount the top two
radiator mounts to the core support. Remove the mounts from the
vehicle. Lay the fan shroud against the engine. Pull the radiator

up and out of the bottom mount. Remove the radiator from the
vehicle.

7. Loosen the two hose clamps that mount both heater hoses to
the heater core at the firewall (passenger side).

8. Remove the bolt that mounts the a/c hose to the firewall close
to the vacuum brake booster.

9. Remove the hose that connects to the vacuum brake booster
from the booster.

10. Remove the hose from the bottom of the intake and the cruise
control mechanism. It will need to be lengthened after the lifting
operation is complete. Label this hose to be that it is returned to
the correct location. Remove the hose from the vacuum m odule
just in front of the cruise control.

11. Disconnect the brackets that mount the steel vacuum lines to
the passenger side frame rail from the frame rail. Check along
the fender well and under the intake manifold to be sure that
there is enough slack in the vacuum lines to allow lifting.
Disconnect the lines as necessary. Make a diagram to insure
proper reconnection after the lifting operation is complete.

12. Remove the bolt that mounts the engine to body ground wire
to the body (passenger side firewall in the bell housing area).

13. Remove the two bolts that mount the cab safety loop to the
floorboard (around the drive line through the cross member).

14. Remove the bolt that mounts the parking brake cable to the
stock bracket on the cross member under the driver’s side
floorboard. Slide the cable out of the opening at the top of the
bracket.

15. Remove the two screws (one on each side) that mount the
outside of the bumper to the fender. These screws are accessed
through the wheel well. Remove the four bolts that mount the
front bumper to the frame. Remove the bumpe r from the vehicle.

16. Remove the tabs that hold the fender well flaps to the frame.
This will prevent the flaps from being damaged while lifting.

17. Remove the screws that mount the scuff plate to the door
jamb area on both sides of the vehicle. Remove the kick panels
from both sides. Place the manual transmission in neutral.
Remove the screws that mount the shift boot to the floorboard.
Pull the boot back to expose the top of the transmi ssion. Rem ove
the c-clip that holds the transmission shift lever in the top of the
transmission. Remove the spacer washer that is under the C-clip.
Remove the shift lever from the vehicle. You may want to w rap
a rag around the bottom of the shift lever to prevent any oil from
dripping on the carpet. Pull the carpeting back to expose the two
body mounting bolt access covers. Remove the plastic access
covers from the floorboard and discard. Be sure that the
transmission is in neutral. Remove the shift lever from the
transmission.

WARNING

Use extreme caution when working near fuel lines and fuel tank.
Clean up spilled fuel immediately. Any spark could cause an
explosion or fire resulting in serious personal and property
damage.

18. Remove the screws that mount the fuel filler neck to the
body. Loosen the hose clamp that mounts the filler hose to the
fuel tank. Loosen the clamp that mounts the large vent hose to
the tank. There are two other hoses attached to the filler neck.
They are attached to a small box on top of the filler neck.
Looking at the filler neck from the outside of the vehicle, detach
the hose on the right from the filler neck. It will be reattached
after the lifting operation is complete. Remove the hose on the
left from the fuel tank. Remove the entire filler neck and hose
assembly from the vehicle.

19. Disconnect the license plate lights from the rear bumper.
Remove the six bolts that mount the rear bumper to the frame.
Remove the bumper from the vehicle.

20. Measure the distance between the cab and the bed. Record
this measurement to insure proper alignment of the cab and bed
after the lifting operation has been completed. Remove the bolts
at the rear cab mount that mount the body to the side of the rear
cab mount. There are two bolts inserted from the inside of the
frame mount and are threaded into the body. There are two more
bolts that are inserted from the bottom and thread into the
mounting pad. When the rear cab bolt is removed, the bracket
can be removed. Loosen, but do not remove all six cab-mounting
bolts. They are located as follows; in the front fender well, in the
front floorboard, and at the rear of the cab screwing up into the
cab. The front two mounting bolts are installed from the top and
the rear bolt is installed from the bottom.

WARNING

Failure to replace the OEM body mounting hardware (except
mounting bolts) in the stock locations could result in damage to
the vehicle and possible personal injury.

21. Using a hydraulic jack and a wooden block,

slowly lift the
passenger side of the cab just high enough to put the spacers on
the mounting pads. Continually check for any hoses, wires, etc.
to be sure that everything is flexing properly and not binding . Be
especially careful of the a/c hose at the firewall and the at the
core support. Place the spacer block on top of the mounting pad.
Using a 3/8" washer in conjunction with t he stock w asher, in stall
the 7/16" x 7" bolts at the front two mounts (core support and
front floorboard) and the 10mm x 180mm bolt at the rear cab
mount. For the front two mounts, the 3/8” washer should be
installed on the bolt. The bolt should then be inserted from the
top through the stock top washer, through the body, the spacer,
the factory top bushing, the frame perch, the bottom factory
bushing, the stock bottom washer and inserted into the 7/16”
nylock nut provided with the kit. The 3/8” washer should be
installed on the 10mm bolt, the bolt should be inserted from the
bottom through the outside support bracket, the bottom stock

bushing, the frame perch, the stock top bushing, the block, and
threading into the nut that is captured inside the body. Reinstall
the two bolts that mount the outside support bracket to the
bottom of the frame perch. Do not tighten any of the bolts at this
time.

22. Repeat step #21 for the driver’s side of the cab. Adjust the
cab to bed clearance. Install the outside support plates to the cab
using the stock bolts. Attach the outside support plates to the
stock outside support brackets using two 7/16” x 1” bolts, four
7/16” SAE washers, and two 7/16” nylock nuts on each side of
the cab. Do not tighten the cab-mounting bolts at this time.

23. Loosen, but do not remove all six bed-mounting bolts.
Remove the mounting bolts from the passenger side of the bed
only. Using a hydraulic jack and a wooden block slowly lift the
passenger side of the bed just high enough to place the spacer
blocks on the frame. Install the new mounting bolts in the
following positions; ½ x 5” at the front bed mount, ½” x 4 ½” at
the middle bed mount, and ½ x 5 1/2" at the rear bed mount. The
bolts should have a ½” USS (large) washer installed, then the
bolt should be inserted through the

thick rubber bushing, through
the frame, through the thin rubber bushing, through the spacer,
and through the bottom support rail of the bed. Install a ½” USS
washer and nylock nut on each bolt. Do not tighten at this time.

24. Repeat step # 23 for the driver’s side of the bed. Realign the
bed to the cab. Refer to the measurements made earlier. One by
one remove each body-mounting bolt. Apply the loctite®
adhesive to the bolt according to the loctite® application
instructions. Tighten each body mounting bolt to vehicle torque
specifications. Refer to vehicle service manual for torque
specifications. Repeat this step for all cab and bed mounting
bolts.

WARNING

Failure to install the steering extension properly could result in
loss of steering causing damage to the vehicle and possible
personal injury.

25. Install the steering extension into the lower coupler of the
steering shaft. Be sure that the extension is installed so the
mounting bolt will slide across the flat on the steering extension.
Install the stock retaining bolt in the steering shaft. If the bolt
will not easily slide across the flat on the steering extension, the
extension has been installed incorrectly. Do not tighten the
retaining bolt at this time. Extend the mark on the lower part of
the steering shaft down onto the extension. Install the upper part
of the steering shaft into the upper coupler inside the engine
compartment. Be sure to align the marks made earlier. Install t he
stock retaining bolt in the upper coupler. Align the mark on the
steering extension with the mark on the gearbox. Install the
steering extension on the gearbox splined shaft. Install the
retaining bolt in the steering extension. Do not tighten the
retaining bolt at this time. Be sure that all marks are properly
aligned and that there is ample engagement at all unions. Apply
the loctite® adhesive to the bolt according to the loctite®
application instructions. Tighten all steering hardware securely.