EastTexasMinis

Ok guys..

I'm new to the site and I'm sure you've seen or heard about my truck by now on other forums. I am on dfwminis, infamousnissan, streetsource, ricekiller and minitruckinweb. But for those that haven't seen it, I am about to load up all of my build from my other forums.

It may take a while so have patience.

Ok, I finally got another project vehicle. This time it's a 1986 Nissan 720 ST. It came from the factory with power windows and locks as well as a pop up sunroof. I got this truck a couple of months ago and have been steadily working on it. A lot of work has been done since I got it, although it's a lot of stuff nobody will really notice.

So far I've cut out the wheel wells in the front, removed all the unnecessary electrical components and wiring in the engine bay and ripped out all the carpeting so I can do some welding without starting a small fire lol.

I have trimmed the front fenders and made some brackets to allow the Toyota 2wd bumper to fit where the stock piece was (this was kindof a pain in the ass).

To clean up the engine bay and to make way for the 22's (yes I said 22's) I decided to not just move the clutch and brake masters but I eliminated them all together. I instead chose to run a Wilwood reverse swing pedal assembly that mounts the masters under the dash (also a pain in the ass). I used a 1" Wilwood master for the front, a 1" for the rear and a 5/8" for the clutch. The master cylinders all have remote mounted reservoirs that I mounted inside the glovebox. Open the box, boom there's your masters to check and fill.. I reran all my brake and clutch lines and built the mounting brackets for the assembly then shaved the spots on the firewall the stock units resided. And in case you wanna know, it drives and stops great!

In the rear I removed the bumper and welded in a roll pan and then removed the aluminum trim panel that says NISSAN and welded up the holes. I used a 11 gallon spun aluminum fuel cell to hold my go-go juice and mounted it in the bed right behind the cab. I've also removed the wheel tubs in the rear to start work on the 4 link.

I'm slowly piecing together my bag setup. I've already installed two 5 gallon aluminum tanks I got from AVS. I will be running 1/2" Parker valves and two Viair 444's with 2500 Denominator II's in the front and 2600 Denominator II's in the rear. I'll be running control arms from DHP and I'm still unsure if I'm doing just a simple bag on bar or if I'll go for a more complex setup in the rear..

The truck will be getting a 35x35 sliding ragtop, a lexan rear window with the license plate frenched in on the driver's side, a classic car steel dash and steering wheel, a wood bed utilizing some aged barn wood and new hardware, the truck will be painted white with some undecided graphics (possibly some gray-scale flames with some air brushed goodies inside) and of course this will all happen on 22's that will be mounted on my 5-lug conversion using 95 Toyota front assemblies, a shortened Toyota rear-end (to make room for the big wheels) a disc brake conversion and a pinion mounted emergency brake setup. Also, I plan on stuffing in a 350 at some point.

Keep in mind, this truck 'WILL BE' and 'IS' driven and it will not be trailered unless it's torn down for some reason.

I have all of my bag stuff ready to go, so I'll be posting pics as we go along. Expect to see me out on the local show circuit as soon as the season starts back up!

Picking up my new project...


Baller ass floor mats!


Gotta love old school rides..


Static dropped for now, gotta love torsions and blocks!! lol


Welded in the roll pan..


Fabricating some new bumper mounts..


Got the Toyota 2wd bumper installed..


Another shot..


Mounting up the Wilwood reverse swing pedal assembly and three master cylinders..


No more ugly ass master cylinders and lots and lots of room for wheels!! lol

Made a temporary floating license plate holder..


Tank mounts I was making..


Tank test fit..


New spun aluminum fuel cell... I love this look.


'Properly' removing the rear wheel tub panels.. not just hacking them out.


All gone.. just gotta clean it up now.


One down, one to go..


Big pain in the ass, but needed to be done..


And last pic of the day.. the 22x9.5's I 'think' I'll be running. Still have a little more measuring to do, but I think they're gonna work just fine.


Stay tuned for much much much more!

I finally got my bags and my round notch shipped to me. Too bad it snowed here in Dallas and is cold as hell! Can't get much done in the cold. I'm gonna try to make some room in my garage to get some more work done. I still have to send the Toyota rear end off to get shortened to stuff the 22's where I want them. And I gotta get my control arms and drop spindles..

Shouldn't be long till she's streetable! Stay tuned... Pics coming soon.

Just an update..

I haven't posted anything in a while but the holidays were busy and I just started a new job, which is great cause it's a huge bump up in pay, plus they happen to have a plasma cutter that tjey never use.. Should come in handy for the upcoming body drop.

I'll post pics soon, but so far I've gotten the round notches installed that I got from Suicide Doors, got the rear tubs cut out and have the bed back on it. I also just ordered my upper and lower control arms from DHPMike at Dallas Hot Rod Parts. They'll be ready next Saturday. I already picked up my Toyota rear axle and the Toyota front assemblies for my 5 lug conversion. I will be ordering the drop spindles this next week.

I plan on visiting our wheel and tire guy next weekend to pick out the 22's I'm gonna run. I've decided to get a 22x8 with backspacing enough for a deep dish look in the rear. I will be getting my rear end shortened once I get the wheels and tires set inside the bed for mock up and measurements.

I'll also have the four link finished and the bags installed once I get everything back. I'm hoping to debut the 720 at the Relaxing on the Bayou show.. Can't wait!

Finally got some spare time to upload a few photos...


It snowed here in Dallas, and since I'm doing a grassroots driveway type build, it was cold as balls outside.. so I got out the Arctic Cat and played in the snow for a couple of days! Good times.


Got bags? I do now..


Round notches? Oh yes please!


I made sure to trim the bed so it would easily fit around the notches after I got done.


Measure, measure, measure..


Finishing up the passenger side after 2 full days of welding, grinding, welding, grinding on the driver's side.. Once it's done there will be no pits or visible seams, it blends into the frame at every angle. I'll take more pictures and add them once I finish.


Finally made room in the garage for the Toyota axle for my 5 lug conversion.


Got it all cleaned up aside from the leaf spring perches and the dust covers I'll be removing. I'm getting the axle narrowed to fit the deep dish 22x8's I'm stuffing in the rear. Once I get the axle back I'm doing a disc brake conversion and a pinion mounted e-brake.. (yes, I'm getting all happy in the pants thinking about it too).

That's all for now, I'm getting my control arms, Toyota drop spindles and all the Toyota brake stuff on in the next week or so. I should have the front done pretty quick and will post pics as I go. Still crossing my fingers to have her driveable by the Bayou show.. If not at least I'll be able to put in some temporary lines to get it on and off the trailer.

Stay tuned!

Got some of the front Toyota stuff today.. gotta clean up the hubs, paint them and change the bearings, then install them on the new Toyota drop spindles..

Update: Got my Belltech toyota drop spindles, 8-3/8" SMC valves, Tailgate handle relocator and my upper and lower control arms sitting in the garage along with all my bag stuff and 4 link... time to do some work! Truck should be bagged by the end of the weekend.

I also changed my mind on wheels.. 22x7.5 in front and 22x9 in the rear.


Finally got the Toyota axle cleaned up and set under the truck. Ready for the 4 link..








More to come..

Got my lower control arms finally mounted this week, also bolted up the uppers, the yota spindles and the new slotted and crossdrilled yota rotors.. also had to shorten my tie rod ends and collars as my spindles were toed out real bad. I just took them off and shortened them an inch on both sides.. boom, done.

Just gotta get everything lined up, weld in the lower control arm mounts and then pull it all off and paint it all again for final assembly. Got some buddies coming over this weekend to help out with getting her done.. can't wait!

My boys came over to get some work done on the rear this weekend.. got the crossmember in, the parallel 4 link done, bag brackets fabbed, and also started working on stretching my factory rear wheel tubs to cover the 22x9's in the rear. Wanna keep a semi-factory look in the bed, even though it'll be highly modified.. should have the front complete this week, picking up air line and fittings tomorrow so I can plumb everything. Ordering my two Viair 444's this week. And the 22's should be here by mid-week.. I'm super excited!

Gonna finish the rear setup this weekend.. gonna put some more cool Dallas Hotrod Parts stuff on, via a super cool watts link..

Stay tuned for more pics, everything is on schedule for Bayou!



The 4 link begins..


Shawny B doing some welding...


The Geno and Shawny B striking a pose.. thanks for the help guys!


What we ended up with..




The beginning of my stretched stock rear wheel tubs, trying to maintain a factory look..


Represent!

Been waiting on my wheels since I ordered them last Friday, came home today and lo and behold.. a note from fedex. I called and they delivered them within the hour.

I don't have my tires yet and I still have to notch my frame for my lower control arm travel but I couldn't wait to bolt them up for a test fit.. so, the moment I've been waiting for finally came. Here's a sneak peek..

I just ordered my switch box, picking up my line and fittings today and will start plumbing my system tomorrow.. Ordering my compressors Friday as well as picking up my tires.. as soon as I have the measurements I'm sending my Yota rearend to be narrowed and my driveshaft to be mated up to the Yota tailpiece.. I will also be installing my calipers and pads over the new drilled and slotted rotors. I won't have time to get the rear disc brake conversion started, but she'll have the front ones ready for the Bayou show. My goal is to have it driveable (dragable) by 17th, i'm cutting it close but it looks like I may pull it off! Not sure if my sliding rag will make it by the time we leave, but I have my fingers crossed. I'll post more pics later this week.

Also, here is the new addition to the 720.. I felt the rear suspension lacked a bit of pizzazz, but I also had a fear of my rear end shifting with those huge 22x9's stuffed in the rear so close to the frame and bedsides, so I ordered a new watts link from Dallas Hotrod Parts. Here are some images from the site to kinda give you an idea of what we'll be putting on this weekend..





I plan on posting a small series of pics of the install we plan on doing this Saturday. This thing is gonna look sick.

A lot has happened in the past few days.. I got the rubber for the rear. I went with a 255/30-22 for the 22x9's.. I'm picking up the 235/30-22 for the front 22x7.5's this Friday. The watts link from DHP wasn't ready this weekend but I will have it done when I get my axle back. I dropped off my Toyota rear axle yesterday to have it narrowed, shoud have it back by the first of next week. Last night I cut out the front wheel wells and will be ready to weld in the new tubs once I get the front wheel/tire comboe mounted up and I check clearances. We'll be welding up all the upper bag brackets and I will be finishing up all the plumbing this weekend as well. My switchbox should be here today so I'll also be wiring everything in. I have the front brake assemblies and drop spindles torn down and I'm prepping them for paint.



There isn't much left. I have a list of things to do but it's all pretty minor stuff. So it looks like I'm still on schedule to have this old girl driveable by the Bayou show. I will also be attending Tex-Mex and will obviously have a few other tricks done by then. Stay tuned.


Ready for wheels...


Test fit before the tires...


Got the rear rubber on!


Have some trimming to do..




Boom.


Ran my rear lines, mounted the valves, connected the tanks...