Retro Style for a 1990 Nissan Hardbody - Low-Buck Style

Bolts And Burritos
Since the front is so easy, let's talk about that first. With the truck on the ground, Terry from Draggers Inc. started loosening the nut on the torsion-bar key. The more he loosened it, the lower the truck dropped. Eddy paid Terry with half a beef burrito-what a giver he is.

1. Next, the truck was jacked...        read full caption 1. Next, the truck was jacked up, set on stands, and its rims removed. This gave us access to the front bumpstop so it could be removed.	2. Eddy and I went to Pep...        read full caption 2. Eddy and I went to Pep Boys for some paint and Scotch-Brite. When we returned, Terry already had the rear disassembled and the overload spring removed from the spring pack. To remove the spring, you have to unbolt the center pin and two clamps near the eyelets of the spring.	3. To install the blocks,...        read full caption 3. To install the blocks, all we had to do was raise the jack just enough to slip the block in place. Terry slid the new U-bolts over the axletube and installed the lower plate.
4. The last thing to do after...        read full caption 4. The last thing to do after everything was tightened up and ready to go was unbolt the bumpstop.	5. Here is the paint we picked...        read full caption 5. Here is the paint we picked up: a can of black for the brake drums and a can of red for the stock wheels.	6. Eddy sprayed the drums...        read full caption 6. Eddy sprayed the drums because you can see them through the holes in the wheels; it makes for a cleaner look.
7. Terry was busy scrubbing...        read full caption 7. Terry was busy scrubbing the wheels so we could paint them. This took awhile because somebody (Eddy) decided to spray the whole rim and tire with dressing. After the wheels were clean enough, we all started sanding them with the Scotch-Brite. Then we all took turns painting wheels. I got so wrapped up trying to be Van Gogh I forgot to take a photo.	8. Here is some proof that...        read full caption 8. Here is some proof that Eddy works on his own truck and keeps his nuts clean. He is cleaning the chrome lug nuts with the ultrafine Scotch-Brite. He wanted to buy new ones, but considering the Nissan needs 24 of them and they are a couple of bucks a pop, cleaning the old ones was a much cheaper solution.
9. After the paint dried and...        read full caption 9. After the paint dried and the lugs were clean, Eddy slapped on the freshly rattle-canned wheels. This view doesn't include the whitewalls, but this was just to show you it can be done more cheaply than if you had the wheels powdercoated and had purchased whitewalls.	10. A 45-dollar investment....        read full caption 10. A 45-dollar investment. The truck looks much better lowered, and the red rims give it a little coolness. Now, you won't be winning shows with this look, but it is a step above stock.	11. For the higher-end look,...        read full caption 11. For the higher-end look, Eddy decided to purchase a set of '92 Pathfinder rims off the Internet and have them powdercoated red by his buddy John Hill at Strech Plastics. The BFG Silvertowns were purchased from Coker Tire for Eddy's Tacoma, but that truck got sold without those tires on it. In essence, he had already paid for the tires so the job felt cheaper than it really was, but it wouldn't be fair to keep the 680 bucks out of the budget. Pep Boys charged us $20 a rim to take the BFGs off the Tacoma wheels and mount them to the Pathfinder rims and balance them up.

The Final Word
Here is the truck with Eddy's version of the wheels. We have to say, they look a lot nicer than our painted versions, but they added a lot more to the total cost. No matter which route you decide on, remember it's all about having fun so have your friends come over and help. Just make sure to at least buy them a complete dinner-half a burrito just doesn't cut it.