2000 Nissan Frontier - Makin' You Sick

OWNER: Clint McDowell RIDE:... 

   

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OWNER: Clint McDowell
RIDE: '00 Nissan Frontier Desert Runner
HOMETOWN: Phoenix, Arizona

Sometimes you've got to go against the grain. Take Clint McDowell, for example. If you saw the 20-year-old on the streets of Phoenix, you'd wonder how one person could get so many piercings in his face, and how he was able to dig up a set of Max Headroom-style glasses from the 1985 parts bin. To say Clint is unique is kinda like saying Jessica Alba is a hottie. Seriously, on his tech sheet under "other interests," he put down "hockey and monkeys."

It'd probably come as no surprise to you then to know that this bright-pink Frontier used to be a Desert Runner. Yeah, Nissan's factory prerunner truck was in Clint's driveway just a few years ago, really high off the ground and a funky blue color. It was neat for a while, but seriously, Clint doesn't go for what regular people do. He couldn't leave the truck stock, 'cause that'd be too . . . normal.

He wanted to reduce the daylight underneath the truck and knew it wasn't going to be an easy task. After searching far and wide, he came across Kevin Blysdale from Just Plain Trick in Mesa, Arizona. Kevin's not a normal guy either, and he's pretty handy with a plasma cutter and a welder. It was a match made in heaven.

The factory suspension is based off the 4X4 Frontier, so that had to go. Kevin cut off the front clip like it was nothing and in its place installed a front frame section from a '94 Nissan Hardbody, like our Desert Dragger. After that, all of the crossmembers were raised up, and the rear axle was swapped for a '97 Hardbody axle. Now it was time to get this thing on the ground, where it belonged. Up front, a set of 2-inch-dropped spindles were paired with Slam Specialties 'bags to get the new front crossmember on the concrete. Kevin then built a custom four-link to attach the new axle to the frame, then bridged and 'bagged the back half. Now the truck was laying frame and good to go, right? Nope. Clint wanted to go lower.

Out came the Sawzall and the next few months were a blur. The truck got body-dropped 3 1/4 inches and was fully shaved, in preparation for paint. Only question was, what color? We asked Clint at our shoot that very question. "Dude, this is a sick color, but what made you pick pink?" Clint turned to us, looked up from under his bowler hat and said, "Pink is my favorite color." Yeah, he's different alright.

The Lowdown

Body Mods:
Shaved door handles / shaved third brake light / shaved hood squirters / shaved gas door / shaved taillights / shaved mirrors / Cal-combo tailgate skin roll pan combo / relocated gas door to bed floor / sheetmetal bed floor / LED taillights / Street Beat billet mirrors / clear corners / limo-tinted windows / all work done by Kevin Blysdale and Just Plain Trick

Paint:
PPG Pink Panther Pink / painted by Lee's Customs in Phoenix

Interior:
Black tweed and zebra print / AIM steering wheel / painted dash and other misc. pieces / shaved headrests / billet pedals / billet rearview mirror / aftermarket power windows / alarm with remote start / interior work done by Herman at Curly's Customs in Phoenix

Stereo:
Four Planet Audio 6-1/2-inch 'woofers mounted in the top of the subwoofer box / two 12-inch Planet Audio subs mounted in box in ex-cab / Pioneer head unit / all work done by Kevin Blysdale and Just Plain Trick in Mesa, Arizona

Engine/Performance:
3.3L V-6 Nissan motor / automatic transmission / pink wire loom / Ractive air filter painted to match / custom-sectioned oil pan / raised motor 2-1/2 inches / painted accessories / all work done by Kevin Blysdale and Just Plain Trick in Mesa, Arizona
Special Thanks Kevin Blysdale and all of the Just Plain Trick crew