Owner: Donnie Lark Ride:...
Owner: Donnie Lark
Ride: '91 Nissan Hardbody
Hometown: Universal, IN
Club Affiliation: Negative Camber
What would you say if we told you that this '91 Nissan Hardbody used to be able to post a mad standing three-wheel capable of letting 46-inch tall children run underneath without a scratch? Would you believe that it could hit 62 inches of vertical leap in the front and could bunny hop over curbs in a single bound? You would probably say those panels look way too straight for all that madness to be true. However, unbelievable as it is, this Nissan has busted out the tango on several occasions.
Donnie Lark of Universal, Indiana, has built a few customs in the past. His last custom was an Eagle Talon. Having several friends from the NC crew and him wanting to become part of the family, his choice was to build a truck. Donnie's truck would go from hopper to show stopper. Every panel on the truck had to be replaced due to the harsh nature of a mad hopper.
In the middle of the build, pre-custom mixed paint, the bed was on the trailer coming back from the body shop. The bed had received its fair share of custom work and was as straight as Bill Clinton on Viagra on a Hawaiian Tropic tour bus. Upon transfering the bed from trailer to garage, the unthinkable happened-a slip of the hand and away the bed went, plummeting into the earth. As quick as the bed was dropped, it was loaded back on the trailer, and a U-turn was made back to the shop to handle the fresh cracks and wrinkles.
Ultimately this setback didn't dampen Donnie's spirits at all. Having previously built a hopper, setbacks were a part of everyday life. At least he didn't have to worry about his cylinders going through his hood like before. We definitely like sparks from the frame and rockers better than sparks from deep-cycle batteries that have gone thermal.
Donnie now sits at home on the weekends not fixing his broken-down hopper and enjoying the fruits of his labor. We're sure there is more to come from this new-to-the-game mini-trucker. Keep your eyes open.
The lowdown
Rolling Attire
Wheels: 18x8-inch Kruz Alps
Backspace: 38 mm
Tires (Front): 205/40ZR18 BF Goodrich
Chassis Modifications
Suspension type: Hydraulics
Rear suspension: Four-link
Cylinder type and size: 10-inch (rear); 14-inch (front)
Spindles/springs: 2-inch dropped spindles, Eibach springs
Air/hydro accessories: #6 pumpheads, Delta dumps
Frame mods: Raised tribal graphics in notch, 24-inch c-notch
Frame Material: 1/4-inch wall, 2x4-inch box tubing
Gas tank: 22-gallon fuel cell
Brakes: Slotted rotors
Detail work: Pumps painted to match truck
Misc: Four group 31 deep cycle marine batteries
Performed by: A lot of friends
City/State: Terre Haute, IN
Body Modifications
Shaved: Antenna, wiper cowl, door handles, gas door, tailgate, taillights, top of firewall, core support
Frenched: license plate
Body dropped: 2-1/4 inches
Front end: '97 hood and grille, clear markers
Back end: Rollpan, relocated body line
Taillights: '92 Cadillac
Performed by: Friends
Paint
Brand and colors: PPG Pastel Green, lightened to a one-off color
Style: Solid
Performed by: Gary Couch of Terre Haute, IN
Interior
Seats: '00 Mitsubishi Eclipse buckets
Material: Gray tweed
Dash: Shaved and covered in tweed
Door panels: Shaved and sheetmetaled
Center console: Custom-made, rolls into the back of the cab
Flooring: Gray tweed
Headliner: Gray tweed
Misc: B.A.D. Rockstar billet steering wheel
Performed by: Metal work by owner and upholstery work by Kevin Collins of Terre Haute, IN
Engine/Performance
Fuel Delivery: Inline Holley Red
Rear end type: Limited slip
Intake: Painted
Exhaust: Flowmaster 40 stainless
Driveshaft: Powdercoated
Battery: Turbo
Location: In bed
Detail work: Blown apart and completely painted and powdercoated
Misc: Etchlin Racing clutch
Performed by: Owner and Matt Bailes of Terre Haute, IN
Special Thanks
Donnie's wife, Carrie; his son, Austin; Scott; Mark; Matt; Irin; Kevin; Gary Couch; Brandt; Donnie's family, with a huge shout out to his mom, Judi; and Atterson Tire