Hello to the American Adventurist community! My name is Joe Fanaselle, and I am a resident of Southern California who loves to explore. I work full time for a major electronics company, and moonlight as a breaking news photo journalist in my spare time. I spent several years as a volunteer firefighter and keep myself close to the public safety world through my photography.
I love to explore the Southern California deserts, particularly the Mojave National Preserve.I currently have a 2010 Nissan Xterra 4x4, "S" trim level that I am equipping for exploration and adventures. It's also my daily driver for a 90 mile a day round trip commute, so I have to keep it pretty road-worthy. So far, I've completed the following modifications:
Exterior/Armor/Recovery:
1) Shrockworks Rock Sliders
2) "Raptor Liner" applied to OEM rear bumper and steps
3) Curt trailer hitch with 7 prong trailer harness flush mounted
4) Custom fabricated front winch mount (integrated into OEM front bumper) with 12,000 lb. Badland winch
5) Masterpull 75 foot 3/8" synthetic winch line with G110 hook
6) Shrockworks engine skid plate
7) Insain Fabrication full replacement aluminum roof rack
8) Baja Rack hi-lift jack mounts, modified to hold a shovel also
9) ARB 2000 shade awning
10) OBA setup using PUMA 12V compressor
Suspension/Tires:
1) Bilstein 5100 series adjustable height front shocks (adjusted to 1/2" lift over stock height, to preload springs slightly)
2) Bilstein 5100 series rear shocks for 0-2" lift
3) 2 inch front spacer lift (2.5" total with the lift from the front shocks)
4) 2.5" rear lift using combination of extended shackles and dual add-a-leaf setup
5) Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac 265 75 16 Load E tires
Electrical/Lighting
1) Isolated dual battery setup with OEM battery under the hood and Optima Yellow Top 8171-767 under the front driver's seat
2) Aux distribution circuit consisting of fuse/relay box installed behind the glove box, wired to 2nd battery setup and equipped with 5 relays and 10 fuses
3) Carling Contra IV illuminated switches from OTRATTW
4) 1000 watt inverter
5) 40" Totron LED light bar mounted to the front/inside of the Insain roof rack (forward-facing)
6) 20" Totron LED light bar mounted to custom fabricated light bar bracket on rear of the vehicle's roof (rear-facing)
7) 7" off-brand LED side-facing "alley lights" (in process)
8) A whole slew of emergency amber lights, including 2 forward-facing Whelen LINZ6 LEDs mounted behind the grill, one forward-facing SVP Phantom Starburst dual LED attached to the rear view mirror, two rear-facing Whelen LINZ6 LEDs mounted on the rear roof, two Whelen Vertex hide-away LEDs installed in the reverse lights, and two side-facing SVP Mini Phantom dual LEDs installed inside the rear driver and passenger side cargo area windows
9) All interior lighting converted to LED
10) Yaesu FT-7800R dual band HAM radio with separation kit (control head/display mounted to lower dash/center console area, radio body mounted under passenger seat) with Diamond dual band antenna mounted to rear hatch
11) Uniden Pro520XL CB with Firestik 4' fiberglass antenna mounted to driver's side (mount attaches behind the tail light)
12) In-dash Sony 6.5" touchscreen stereo with integrated TomTom GPS
13) Google Nexus 7 7" tablet mounted to dash using custom built mount. This is used for Topo Maps, Weather Radar, etc.
Interior/convenience:
1) Installed Gentex rear view mirror from Chevy Suburban with compass and outside temperature readings
2) Installed dual USB charging port in factory 12V outlet "blank" above existing 12V power outlet
3) Installed 5-switch center dash panel from Nissan Frontier Pro-4X heated-seat model - relocated the OEM traction control switch to left side of steering wheel and installed 5 Carling Contra IV switches in this new panel for all of my lights
4) Installed Nissan Pathfinder overhead sunglasses holder and map light
5) Swapped out front and rear seats with upgraded Nissan "mesh" ones from a different model Xterra
6) 13 gallon Frontrunner fresh water tank installed behind rear seats
Currently, I'm in the process of swapping out the suspension components with rear Bilstein 5125 shocks and longer lift shackles made by PRG Products, as well as PRG Upper Control Arms and Radflo 2.0 extended-travel coilovers in the front.
Here are a few photos:
In fully stock form, right after I got her:
Insain Fabrication roof rack installed May of 2015:
Bradshaw Trail, February of 2015
Mojave Road, April of 2015:
Mojave Preserve, May of 2015
