1999 Nissan Frontier - A New Frontier

Kevin Zabiegala is no stranger to the truck-building life. Having already been featured in Truckin' before, Kevin hit the gas and has never looked back. His shop, AutoToyz Kustomz in Tomball, Texas, has pumped out its share of body-dragging rides. And even as you read this, the crew is nearing completion of yet another madly modified ride.

According to Kevin, this '99 Nissan Frontier was in absolutely terrible condition, and he even had doubts it was going to be worth a darn to bother with. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Kevin and his crew tore apart the Frontier to see what could be done to bring the little truck back to life. To create the planned body-dragging stance, the frame was cut off from the firewall back and planted directly in the trash can. Box tube steel, in the 2x3-inch variety, replaced the frame that was cut away. With the much-smaller box tubing and a little more work done to the Nissan's cab and bed floors, the truck almost laid rocker. Relocated upper control arms and a custom-built two-link mate to Slam Specialties RE8 'bags so the 20- and 22-inch Centerline Millenium Series Edge wheels and Hankook tires could slip under the body. GC450 valves and nitrogen tanks work in unison to make the truck rise and fall to the occasion.

Under hood, the minitruck sports a four-cylinder that is all factory, except for a K&N air intake and a Flowmaster exhaust. To make room for the drastic suspension modifications, the Optima YellowTop battery was relocated to the bed. Fuel for the four-banger is fed from an aluminum fuel tank displacing 20 gallons of dinosaur blood. Further modifications under the hood, to get the truck all the way to Mother Earth, include a tubbed firewall and a relocated fuel-injection ECM.

Although the truck is a '99, you eagle-eyed readers may have caught the updated nose. AutoToyz replaced the stock clip with its '04 compatriot, which effectively brought the truck's appearance up-to-date. That was just the tip of the iceberg. The door handles were tossed, as were the windshield wipers, fuel-filler door, taillights, and emblems. Kevin completely enclosed the bed by welding the tailgate to the bedsides and the roll pan that replaced the rear bumper. LED lights were slipped and sliced into the 12-inch openings on each C-pillar with the finishing body modification being the 4x4 Frontier fender flares. In house at AutoToyz, PPG and House of Kolor paints were combined to create the sinuous color scheme scattering across all the custom bodywork. Mandarin Copper Orange covers the top of the truck with Pearl White filling in the lower quarters. Viper Blue blows down each side of the Nissan in tribal flames burning over both base colors. Angry skulls with menacing gazes were airbrushed through the flames before baby-blue and lime-green pinstriping completed the color transformation. Texas does have some beautiful days, so to enjoy the rays a large hole was sliced into the roof and filled with a sliding ragtop.