Wade Rigdon is a man wholeheartedly committed to his '94 Nissan Hardbody. He was hooked to Nissans after a couple of buildups prior to purchasing this then-brand-new Nissan back in May 1994. Wade vowed to build something different and unique, and that would come to be known as the Purple Pyro. Wade is 27 years old and has been involved with this sport for more than 10 years. As a proud member of Negative Camber, it's no surprise that he managed to build such a rad Nissan Hardbody.
Wade bought his Nissan for $8,000, and to date, he's dropped more than $25,000 on the ride and continues to stay true to it. Wade says that it wouldn't have been possible to build his truck without the help of his wife; ex-wife, actually. He wants to thank his ex-wife for the divorce, which allowed him to finish the buildup in peace. After that, Wade was free to do whatever he wanted to the Nissan, including the 2-1/2-inch body drop that New Designs in Walker, Louisiana, handled. New Designs is also credited for laying the suspension out with Firestone 'bags, Parker valves, and a chrome TCI four-link.
After the suspension was taken care of and the truck's body laid on the pavement, the exterior was begging for some attention. Wade ditched the door handles, taillights, and side markers. He also opted for a set of 4x4 Nissan fenders and a Toyota front bumper. After the billet grilles were installed, the bed was topped off with a Lazer camper shell. This camper gives Wade plenty of room to handle his business. Not that kind of business - it holds his massive, deafening stereo system. He built a vented box to house the four Kicker L5 12-inch subwoofers and went with Audiobahn amplifiers to fuel the subwoofers and the MB quart mids and highs. After all was said and done, the system is capable of more than 160 dB.
Buddy's Trim Shop in Franklinton, Louisiana, spruced up the interior, painting the dash purple and wrapping the seats, headliner, and a few other pieces in gray and purple tweed. Gray carpet was used to cover the floor and a B.A.D. billet steering wheel was bolted up to the column. The engine received the same royal treatment with some painted components and matching hoses. After that, the truck received its custom flame paint by H&B Customs, also found in Franklinton. We'd say Wade met his goal to build a different kind of truck. He now rolls a body-dragging Hardbody that hits 160 dB. That is one major accomplishment. Just make sure you have earplugs handy if he offers to give you a ride. Otherwise, your ears will hate you.
The Low Down
Wheels/Tires 17x7-inch Billet Specialties GTP3D wheels with 5-1/2-inch backspacing wrapped in 215/45R17 Sumitomo rubber
Suspension/Chassis Suspension modifications performed by New Designs in Walker, Louisiana / AIM 2-inch drop spindles / Firestone airbags all the way around used for adjustability / Rancho shocks fore and aft / Parker electric valves / TCI chrome reverse four-link / bridge notch
Body Modifications Body-dropped 2-1/2 inches by New Designs / bodywork by H&B Customs / shaved taillights / shaved door handles / shaved wipers / shaved side markers / Nissan 4x4 fenders / Toyota 2WD bumper / billet grille / one-off taillights / H4 headlight conversion / Harley billet mirrors / doors and roof braced for extreme SPL / Lazer camper shell
Custom Paint Paint by H&B Customs in Franklinton, Louisiana / Sherwin Williams White, Purple, and Silver / purple flames engulf the white base at the front of the truck; white flames flow into the purple base at the rear of the truck
Interior Interior by Buddy's Trim Shop / dash has been smoothed and painted purple / seats wrapped with gray and purple tweed / gray carpet / tweed headliner / B.A.D. billet steering wheel
Stereo Stereo system by owner / Alpine head unit / Alpine equalizer / Alpine audio/video / PlayStation 2 / vented subwoofer enclosure built in bed to house four Kicker L5 12-inch subwoofers / MB quart mids and highs / Audiobahn amplifiers power the system / Stinger wiring / system capable of more than 160 Db
Engine/ Performance Painted valve cover and other pieces to add color to the engine bay / braided hose kits
Special Thanks H&B Customs / New Designs / Mike / Doc / Dough Boy / TJ / Wade's friends / Wade's grandmother