Hardbody vs Pathfinder body height.

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Has anyone ever noticed that at least on the 4x4s, the Hardbody body is a bit higher relative to the frame than the Pathfinder body? I think maybe that was done just on the pickups so that they could make the bed deeper (higher sidewalls relative to bed floor).
Thoughts?

[jp2code]

It could also be because the truck uses leaf springs. They might require more room.

[Foul_Mouth]

Odd because i have torn both down to frames and they use the same body mounts.

[ahardb0dy]

The hardbody body mounts sit higher on the frame, some say the 4x4 Hardbody's have a built in 1" body lift.

[Foul_Mouth]

Doesn't seem accurate, the mounts are the same from the b pillar forward.

[ahardb0dy]

Something is different because the Hardbody 4x4 is higher than the Pathfinder


Just looked up the actual mount that goes on the frame and 1 part number covers 2wd and another part number is for 4wd, Weird thing is the same mount for the 4wd also shows as being used on the Pathfinder.


Also looked up the rubber mount part and that number seems to be the same 2 or 4 wd

[PoBoi850]

Originally Posted by ahardb0dy

Something is different because the Hardbody 4x4 is higher than the Pathfinder


Just looked up the actual mount that goes on the frame and 1 part number covers 2wd and another part number is for 4wd, Weird thing is the same mount for the 4wd also shows as being used on the Pathfinder.


Also looked up the rubber mount part and that number seems to be the same 2 or 4 wd

Maybe it has taller tires or something. I think all pathfinders are on 4wd frames, 2wd or 4wd. It could be the springs vs leafs on the rear axle. It could be different at the bottom edge on the pinch, making it appear higher. I'm just guessing. I am probably the least knowledgeable on the subject.

[Foul_Mouth]

Pathys with flares look lower than 4wd hbs without flares. As I said, no expert here but, i have body swapped a hardbody cab on to a pathfinder frame and all the mounting bits have been the same between the two. The pathy weighs more so it may sit lower because of that too. But part for part I found them to be the same from the b pillars forward.

[ahardb0dy]

Pathfinder and Hardbody do not use the same frame due to the coil springs on the rear of the Pathfinder, All Pathfinder's do use the same frame as far as both 2 and 4 wd having the same front suspension setup.


I'm just going by what I have heard from the Pathfinder guys, I know they always complain after putting on the same amount of lift as a Hardbody owner does and they have less tire clearance.


I looked at some brochures yesterday comparing the amount of space between the fender flare and the tire on the Hardbody and the Pathfinder and the Hardbody has a noticeable amount of more space, IT may be the way they adjusted the torsion bars so I checked that also in the service manuals and both the HB and the Pathfinder show the same specs for setting the bars, so I do not know what is up.


I know you put the hardbody cab on the Pathfinder frame, everything should line up up until the bed, but do you have a 4x4 frame to compare the body mount brackets and how ( and where) they are attached to the frame?


Pics below, both from 1988 Brochures, hard to tell exactly the height as there is no way to tell if both trucks are stationary, but you can see there is a difference in tire clearance in the front, both are on the lego wheels with 31" tires.


88 Hardbody:





88 Pathfinder:

[ahardb0dy]

Also, just checked the overall height of the Hardbody (king cab 4x4) and the Pathfinder (4x4) and the Hardbody shows height at 67.1", the Pathfinder at 66.1".


These numbers were taken from the 1994 Factory service manual.


Which coincides with the 1" higher the Hardbody supposedly sits than the Pathfinder.


And looking in the 1989 FSM, the Hardbody (king cab 4x4) sits at 66.7", the Pathfinder at 65.7"