i am in evansville, indiana, very southwest part of the state and that is the sole nissan dealer here. i have been in touch w/another dealership who was very helpful during my search for the xterra i wanted, but they are about 45 miles away. not a deal breaker by any means, but enough to make me say "bleh, this really stinks".
as for the first part i needed, i have since made one and its working fine. now its time for a hitch and harness w/tires and armour moving up the list two spots (: