Owner: Jerry Taylor Ride:...
Owner: Jerry Taylor
Ride: '95 Nissan Hardbody King Cab
Hometown: Glendale, Arizona
Club Affiliation: Kastawayz
For the most part, many custom-compact-truck enthusiasts aren't working on their first-ever custom. Many of us have built trucks in the past and are currently spending our time trying to finish a truck we've been working on for a while or starting a new project. In the case of Jerry Taylor, this is the third vehicle he's laid hands on over the nine years he's been involved in the customizing scene. Since he first got the urge to toy around with his rides, he's worked on a car and two different trucks. The '95 Nissan King Cab seen here is by far his best achievement to date.
When Jerry began to seriously modify his Hardbody, he started with a bunch of Chassis Tech suspension components. He used these parts to get the truck laying seriously low, then added airbags to the setup to allow the truck to be raised to a nondragging drive height. To make the rear lay as low as possible, the original rear frame clip was replaced with custom tubing that contains a reversed and triangulated four-link rear suspension. At the flip of a switch, however, Jerry can drag the undercarriage at will.
One of the next items on Jerry's agenda for building the Nissan was a bevy of body mods that serve to smooth out the external appearance. After shaving everything he could think of, Jerry began readying the truck for paint. Not wanting to stick with anything near the stock color the truck had been, he settled on using House of Kolor's True Blue as a base color. Jerry relied on the talents of Auto Renew in Peoria, Arizona, to spray the truck anew using the bright-blue House of Kolor paint. Once the base was on, custom graphics were also sprayed in a tribal pattern from over the nose and sides of the Hardbody. Once the truck came back from the paint booth at Auto Renew, there were only a few things left to do before it could be shown at custom truck shows in and around southern Arizona.
The truck next received a round of custom interior work by Cameron and the crew at Auto Style in Peoria, Arizona. They added zebra-stripe upholstery to the seats, door panels, and headliner. After they were done making the interior look like a striped horse on crack, the stereo needs were tended to with the installation of an Alpine head unit and some Infinity separates, and the truck was detailed beyond imagination in preparation for its first show appearance. By the time we saw the truck at this past Truckin' Nationals in Phoenix, it was an easy decision to shoot the Nissan for a feature of its own.
The Lowdown
Wheels/Tires 18x7-inch chrome Alba Bank wheels with Bridgestone 215/35R18 radial tires
Suspension Chassis Tech 2-inch dropped spindles / Chassis Tech airbags / 3/8-inch Parker pneumatic valves / custom back-half of chassis / bridge-notched / custom crossmember / Pro Comp shocks / reversed, triangulated four-link rear suspension / three 3-gallon air tanks / DC 5,000 air compressor / all custom suspension installation by owner
Misc. Mods HID euro headlights / Altezza taillights / 4x4 front fenders / clear corner lamps / chrome electric mirrors / Precision grille / billet inserts in front bumper
Body Mods Tubbed bed / shaved door handles / shaved third brake light / shaved fuel door / shaved hood squirters / shaved emblems / molded steel roll pan / Frontier tailgate with shaved tailgate handle / shaved cowl panel / shaved antenna / custom license-plate box / 35x42-inch Webasto sliding sunroof / bodywork by Auto Renew in Peoria, Arizona
Paint By Auto Renew in Peoria using House of Kolor's True Blue / tribal graphics also by Auto Renew
Interior Seats have blue tweed with faux zebra down the center / dash was customized with zebra-stripe paint / black carpeting / faux-zebra headliner / painted instrument cluster surround / custom-mounted switches for suspension in dash
Stereo Alpine head unit / Infinity two-way speakers in front doors
Engine/Performance Intake with high-flow air filter / Magnum Flow exhaust
Special Thanks
Auto Style / Auto Renew / Chassis Tech / Cameron at Auto Style / Justin Mull / Todd at Auto Style / Justin Taylor / Scott M / Paul / Bobby (Jerry's girlfriend)