Been a member for quite a while but have an interesting project in mind

[Squirrelhawke]

So I've been here on the forum looking for info to help with repairs on my 2000 5.0 mounty. Now that I got the wife an 08 navigator I want to switch it to a 102 wheel base so I can put a 2012 Nissan versa on in place of the 4 door body. Just wondering if it would be easier to get a sport frame to shorten the wheel base or just move the rear axle forward on the existing frame. Any ideas are appreciated and I have access to pretty much anything I need shop wise.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

So I've been here on the forum looking for info to help with repairs on my 2000 5.0 mounty. Now that I got the wife an 08 navigator I want to switch it to a 102 wheel base so I can put a 2012 Nissan versa on in place of the 4 door body. Just wondering if it would be easier to get a sport frame to shorten the wheel base or just move the rear axle forward on the existing frame. Any ideas are appreciated and I have access to pretty much anything I need shop wise.

welcome to EF! that is an interesting project for sure, havent heard that before. so you want to put the versa on the navi frame? imo the 5.4 (?) no way thatll fit under the versa hood. i think betwen the two the sport may be slightly likely to be less work, but it may still be a bit longer. id have to go look at both and see. even the sohc in the sport i think is unlikely to fit the versa, without some other work. however you seem like an expert, so you already know that

 

[Squirrelhawke]

I'm putting the versa on the mounty frame. The versa has a blown motor and the mounty had lived in MN it's whole life and is starting to rust through the floor. The frame and motor are good and I figured since the explorer/ mountaineer was the most scrapped vehicle in the cash for clunkers and the versa was the most purchased vehicle out of that s***show I would put the 2 together.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

I'm putting the versa on the mounty frame. The versa has a blown motor and the mounty had lived in MN it's whole life and is starting to rust through the floor. The frame and motor are good and I figured since the explorer/ mountaineer was the most scrapped vehicle in the cash for clunkers and the versa was the most purchased vehicle out of that s***show I would put the 2 together.

haha, thats a good reasoning!!!!!! i see now. i mean, im not too sure havent ever seen that done. so not too sure, im following this thread to see how it turns out!

 

[Squirrelhawke]

It will be a squeeze and I'm gonna be doing some body work on the versa to gain a little in the front.

 

[Squirrelhawke]

It's gonna be fun one and I got the wife to go along with the idea since they were both her vehicles to begin with.

 

[Squirrelhawke]

I was going to do a solid front axle swap as well so wheel rub issues shouldn't come into play. I think the most challenging part is gonna be dropping my bumpers to legal height and still looking stock-ish

 

[410Fortune]

is the nissan versa a body on frame vehicle?

If you are doing a solid axle and need to shorten the frame then starting with the 4 door mounty is kind of silly, all you really want is the 5.0, the trans, and maybe the rear axle
Ditch the IFS, ditch the AWD what is left of the mounty?

 

[Mbrooks420]

The Versa is surely a unibody. He’d essentially be bolting a complete car on a body lift.

 

[Squirrelhawke]

The Versa is surely a unibody. He’d essentially be bolting a complete car on a body lift.

That's the basic idea

 

[Squirrelhawke]

I don't trust the structure of the versa enough to do all the mods on that body. That's why I want to attach the body to a frame. Versa wheelbase is 101.5 as I measured and the sport is a 102. I was just using the 4dr frame to keep costs down.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Since it’s a frankentruck I’d just move the 4 door axle. Unless your lift is going to be huge you’re going to end up cutting the wheel wells anyways.

 

[Josh P]

Does the explorer frame dip down in the middle?

 

[Squirrelhawke]

I think the answer is yes. The frame does go up in the rear from the level spot that runs under the majority of the middle.

 

[Josh P]

The Versa is pretty flat underneath, might be easier to use a flat truck frame or make one.

 

[mostly_broncos]

It's gonna be fun one and I got the wife to go along with the idea since they were both her vehicles to begin with.

The resulting divorce will be her idea also

 

[Mbrooks420]

I was going to do a solid front axle swap as well so wheel rub issues shouldn't come into play. I think the most challenging part is gonna be dropping my bumpers to legal height and still looking stock-ish

There will be nothing you can do to make it look remotely stock.