Happy New Year from Rugged Rocks! We’re kicking off 2011 after a move to South Lake Tahoe, CA over the holidays! After getting a few feet of snow we’re still getting settled in and back into our regular routine of doing business. Due to the recent storms, we’ve had a delay in getting consistent phone and internet services up and running, but it’s expected that we’ll have the issues worked out in the next week or so. Besides the issues with utilities, we’re really looking forward to a killer 2011 being that we’ve got great new products coming right around the corner. We’re now just a stones throw away from some of the greatest wheeling in the country which includes but isn’t limited to the famous Rubicon Trail. Not only does this give us a place to play, but a great area to test new products.
Speaking of testing products, we’re looking to putting together a small team of people we’ll be referring to as the ‘Rugged Rocks Rough Riders’ which would consist of people that are extremely active in this Nissan off-road community who wheel often and attend big events such GONE Moab, or even more preferably, compete in 4×4 events. These individual vehicles would help test prototype products, receiving them at little to no cost and would be able to purchase other production Rugged Rocks product at discounted rates. Stickers and other promotional items will be given to the team to champion the growth of Rugged Rocks at events and trail runs.
We’re more immediately looking to test product on the following vehicles:
’87 – ’95 Pathfinder
’86 – ’97 Hardbody
’98 – ’04 Xterra or Frontier
For further details on becoming part of the Rugged Rocks Rough Riders, please e-mail genevieve@ruggedrocks.com with your name, address and full details of your vehicle along with a few pictures.
Throughout 2010, we’ve become knee deep in various projects. In 2011 we plan on wrapping up the majority of the things that we started last year. Here is a quick list of whats on the board and where we are with each product or project.
| Pathfinder/Hardbody 3.0L HD motor mounts | available on the shelf, ready to ship. |
| Xterra / Frontier 3.3L HD Motor mounts | recently redesigned and should be complete in the next 8 weeks or so. |
| WD21 Pathfinder Long Arm 4-Link | First production brackets and truss are complete, needs final testing |
| H233B/D60 Front Diamond Axle | first axle is near completion, Configuring the brakes to use factory nissan calipers to maintain pedal pressure for proper braking.
Inner axle shafts need to be cut and splined |
| Pathfinder / Hardbody SAS Kit | Will be using a H233B/D60 Diamond front axle. The timeframe for completion is dependant on when the front axle is complete. |
| H233B 31 & 33 spline H233B Chromoly Shafts | Still on the list for being made. Ideally these would be ready by May 2011, but currently we don’t have a firm ETA. |
| H233B 3-link brackets | Will be on the shelf ready to ship 1/06/2011 |
| H233B Carrier Adjuster Tools | available on on the shelf, ready to ship. |
| Rugged Rocks Winch Fairleads | available and on the shelf, ready to ship. |
| TX-10 transfercase doubler | Due to the order minimum with the manufacture, and extended wait times, this project is currently stalled. |
| Xterra / Frontier 3.3L V6 Doug Thorley Headers (SC and non-SC) | Currently out of stock but expected in by the end of Jan 2011. |
| H233B 5.42 Ring and Pinion gears | Canceled. can’t justify engineering and cutting a min of 100 sets. Rugged Rocks is aiming to use the H233B front and rear for SAS’d vehicles, so compatibility with other axles isn’t a concern. 5.571 and 5.857 ratios are available. |
| pre-’05 Xterra / Frontier / Pathfinder – H233B 33-Spl Lockright Locker | Design is done and prototypes are next in line to be made. Aiming for an ETA of Mid April for Production Units. |
| Xterra / Frontier ’05+ C200K Lockright Locker | Currently in the prototype stage, production units expected in early March. |
| Advanced Adapters – 4 Cyl Pathfinder / Hardbody Atlas Adapter | working with AA to get this done, no ETA. |
| TJM H233B (31 & 33 spline) Air Lockers | Expected in stock by Mid February. |
| ARB (M205) Titan Front Air Locker | on the list for production in Australia but currently there is no ETA |
| Superior M205 4.10 & 4.56 Gears | Due in Any Day |
If you have any questions or would like to simply express interest in a new product, please e-mail Steven Lutz at steven@ruggedrocks.com
Thank you for your continued support of Rugged Rocks, we’re really looking forward to completing projects we started as well as continue to work with other manufactures to grow the Rugged Rocks product line and Nissan 4×4 aftermarket support as a whole.
I have an 88 Nissan pathfinder I plan on building here in Sacramento And I am glad you are close. I really would love to hit the Rubicon again with some other Nissans. I built my first Pathfinder back in 96 and the second in 04 and its amazing how well the Nissan have grown in after market support. I would be interested in testing some of your products and checking out your shop. Jeff