1994 Nissan Hardbody | NEW LIFE

A LONG, TOUGH ROAD TO GLORY FOR THIS 1994 NISSAN HARDBODY…

Nathan Wimmer of Princeton, West Virginia, is no stranger to the mini-truck scene with his Nissan Hardbody.

“I have been into custom cars and trucks since I was 12 years old or so,” Nate says. “I have owned many cool cars and trucks over the years including feature trucks, lots and lots of custom air-cooled VWs and hot rods.”

Nate built a ’98 Chevrolet S-10 that was featured in Minitruckin’ magazine back in 2007. He took a little step back from the mini-truck scene right after he finished the S-10, however, but one thing is for sure: His love for custom vehicles never went away. Thirteen long years passed, and Nate jumped right back into the scene in full force with the purchase of his ’94 Nissan Hardbody. He was not only bringing new life back to the Nissan, but also for himself.

Nate bought his Nissan Hardbody in the fall of ’19. It wasn’t in the best shape, he says. Not being up to par, he knew it was going to need some major body work. What he didn’t realize was just how much this build was going to mean to him.

“When I got the truck, my friend, who was like a brother to me and has since passed away, and I spent a lot of time together in the garage working on this truck,” Nate says.

First things first, Nate started with the exterior of the truck.

“When I first got the truck, it needed a lot of work in order to get it back to show status,” he says. “The truck had been sitting for many years until I purchased it.”

Nate had some big changes in store for the truck. He installed a Toyota front bumper and a Trenz grille to really set off the front end. Nate wanted to keep the clean body lines of the truck, so he shaved the door handles, gas door, cowl vents and the antenna, and he relocated the gas filler to inside the bed. They took their time making sure the body had been smoothed out perfectly so they could prepare for paint.

Once the body work was complete, the truck was ready for paint. The late Eric Baugh was an absolute master when it came to paint work.

“Eric and I went through the whole truck paint wise and fixed all of the flaws,” Nate says, noting that he already had a plan together for this build. “I have a rare ability where I can see the finished product in my head before it’s ever done.”

Eric got to work laying down the House of Kolor Majic Blue Pearl paint on the entire truck. When the truck rolled out into the sunlight for the first time, the color popped as a new life had been introduced into the truck.

“Without Eric’s help, the truck wouldn’t have the look it does now,” Nate says. “I just wish he could still be with us to see the accomplishments we have created. He will truly be missed, but never forgotten.”

Now that the base color had been sprayed, Nate decided it needed just a little something else. He called up Andy Hawks of Krazy Carl’s Custom Paint in Cana, Virginia, to help make his ideas come to life. Andy immediately got to work adding the multicolored graphics to the hood. Nate’s design was taking shape as he made his way through the build.

Now that the paint had been freshened up, Nathan moved on to the suspension. The truck’s frame had previously been modified by the original owner. A custom C-notch was completed on the original ’94 frame. However, the air ride was in dire need of repair.

“The airbags were so dry-rotted that I was afraid to even move it on and off of the trailer,” he says.

Nate has some amazing friends and family who were there to lend a helping hand in this part of the process. Darrell Poe and Andy Harmon helped get the suspension in safe working order. They removed the old dry-rotted bags and cleaned up the suspension for the new bags. Airlift bags were then installed in the front and rear. A reverse triangulated four-link and SMC valves had also been added to finalize the air-ride setup.

Since the truck had been sitting for several years, the engine would need some deep cleaning. Luckily, the all-original ’94 Nissan 2400 4-cylinder motor was still in pretty good condition. They started by going through everything under the hood to look for major issues.

“The engine did have a few problems when I bought it,” Nate says. “We gave it a good going over and started fixing the problems. The truck now runs 100% with no warning lights on at all. Everything functions as it should, including hot heat and ice-cold air conditioning.”

The original ’94 5-speed transmission was also in good condition when Nate purchased the truck, so he decided to leave it stock.

“The truck drives and rides perfectly as if it were brand new,” he says. “A lot of time went into making it function that way.”

A set of 17×7-inch Boyd Coddington Stingray wheels wrapped in Dayton tires tuck hard when Nathan hits the switches to lay the truck out.

As the build was coming together, Nate started on to the interior. Unfortunately, the interior had seen better days when he purchased the Nissan.

“The interior was a disaster when I got the truck,” he says. “Holes in the dash, the headliner was ripped and hanging down, it was missing carpet in some places, the list just goes on and on.”

Although the interior would be a challenge, Nate was not going to let anything stand in his way of finishing this build. He called up his good friend and fellow XtremeLowz club member, Kenny Franklin, to help bring new life to the interior. The original bucket seats were removed so that Kenny could work his magic. A Nissan bench seat wrapped in light and dark gray tweed was then bolted up inside the truck. All new gray carpet was laid down and installed to match the rest of the interior. A custom-milled billet ball shift knob was then installed on the original shifter.

One of the most unique features about the interior is the custom fiberglass dash. To get it ready for paint, it needed a lot of work. It was sanded down and smoothed out so that the matching Majic Blue Pearl paint could be sprayed evenly across the dash. After placing all of the panels back in the truck, they were able to move on to the rest of the interior. A Billet Specialties steering wheel and air vent inserts were installed to give a little contrast to the pearl paint.

The door panels were wrapped in a gray vinyl to blend with the seats. Billet window cranks were added to the custom panels, as well. The original sound system was removed as Nate decided it was time for an upgrade. The truck received a large Pioneer double din radio along with matching speakers and tweeters in the doors. He could now rock out with the best of them while cruising down the road!

Although Nate had been out of the scene for over a decade, his building ability is still top notch. This Nissan Hardbody showed up in just the perfect time in his life.

“The truck has so much meaning to me,” he says. “I was able to work on and show the truck with friends and family, meet new people and experience new places by building this truck.”

Every time he sits down in the driver’s seat of the truck, he takes a trip down memory lane remembering the good times with Eric Baugh. As Nate put new life into the Nissan, he also brought the love of building mini-trucks back into his own life.

Truck specs

 Owner 

Nathan Wimmer
1994 Nissan Hardbody
Princeton, West Virginia
Club Affiliation: XtremeLowz

Chassis

Reverse triangulated four-link
Air Lift bags
Custom C-notch
SMC valves

Engine

1994 Nissan 2400 4-cylinder
Original ’94 5-speed transmission

Wheels/Tires

17×7 Boyd Coddington Stingray wheels and Dayton tires

Exterior

Toyota front bumper
Trenz grille
Shaved door handles, gas door, cowl vents and antenna
Relocated gas filler inside the bed
House of Kolor Majic Blue Pearl paint

Interior

Original bucket seats wrapped in light and dark gray tweed
New gray carpet
Billet ball shift knob
Fiberglass dash
Billet Specialties steering wheel
Billet Specialties air vent inserts
Pioneer double din radio