I know what you may be thinking. Some ideas should remain just that - as ideas. Was that a close guess? Well, after seeing the in-progress drift truck on these pages, some of you may think this is an extreme, yet cool way to save two salvageable vehicles that would have otherwise rusted to death. The rest may think is is just downright wacko as sh*t. Honestly, a project such as this isn't for everybody, but the idea of fitting a '86 Nissan 720 body over a '89-'93 Nissan 240SX car core was nagging the guys at GO EZ so badly, that they finally decided to put the idea into a physical action. The end result will produce the planet's only Nissan 960 model mini truck. (Don't get it? Try a little math.) There have been a few cases where the hatch portion of the 240 has been cut out to give the appearance of a truck., but when it comes down to it, this monstrosity will be more of a truck than the others before it.
There are a few reasons behind using the 240SX as a nucleus of this build. First and foremost, the turbocharged intercooled SR20DET powerplant that had been swapped in underhood was too appealing to toss aside. Secondly, this actual car had been driven hard in the drift circuit for two solid years, and it's abilities are damn impressive. Third, and quite possibly the most notable reason, the car came was pretty much dropped off at GO EZ's front door with a bow tied to it - the initial invest was near nothing at all.
The first step of this weirsd walk took place at California Mini Truck Dismantlers in Montclair, CA - there is where the Nissan 720 was found. this model was actually a little hard to come by in the So Cal area. Local searches on Craigslist and varying classified ads had resulted in zero promising leads. An afternoon in the Cal Mini yard yielded a healthy harvest of usable body panels and the makings of a drifting minitruck were scarily coming together.
7. The 240SX has seen better...
7. The 240SX has seen better days for sure but it still has more fight left in it.
8. A quick mock-up of the...
8. A quick mock-up of the 720 parts was in order...
9. ... while the car was being...
9. ... while the car was being gutted.
10, The rear passenger inner...
10, The rear passenger inner fender had to be cut..
11. ...before being temporarily...
11. ...before being temporarily hung,
12. Both front and rear panels...
12. Both front and rear panels were mocked-up then...
13. ...the door was brought...
13. ...the door was brought in. it was immediately evident what the problem was - the bedside was either too long or there was just not enough door. Either way you look at it, something had to be done.
14. The door was temporarily...
14. The door was temporarily affixed, and the rear panel was adjusted a bit.
15. The gas was measured,...
15. The gas was measured, and a template was created to show the missing dimensions.
16. The template was transferred...
16. The template was transferred onto the rear panel...
17. ...then cut lose.
18. The bodylines were then...
18. The bodylines were then alinged, the sides were grinded down, and the begiining of a new functional door was born.
19. There is so much work...
19. There is so much work ahead of the crew, but just seeing that this skin swap wouldn't be a complete waste of resources was a victory itself.
20. Check back for more coming...
20. Check back for more coming updates.