GOLD STNDARD

ONE-OF-A-KIND NISSAN TITAN

When it comes to lifted, diesel-based pickups, Nissan isn’t a make you often hear about. Jimbo Taylor from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is here to change that. After owning a series of Fords, Jimbo wanted something different and decided to pick up one of Nissan’s 310-horse Nissan Titan XDs. Thanks to a 5.0L Cummins with a two-stage (compound) turbo system, the Nissan makes a 555 lb-ft of torque at a mind-bending 1,600 rpm—plenty of torque to move big tires.

Jimbo instantly bumped up the uniqueness factor right after he acquired his ’17 Titan. He started by modifying the frame, filling an astounding 116 holes, and smoothing the entire chassis. There was no lift “kit” for the sky-high look that he wanted, so he hooked up with California Customs out of Oklahoma City to have one built. The team started out with the axles, as Jimbo wasn’t sure that the stockers would be up to the task—especially the front independent suspension. He borrowed from his Ford heritage here, as a solid ’13 F-250 front axle and ’13 F-250 rear axle got the call to move the Nissan down the road.
The suspension that Jimbo and California Customs came up with has very little to do with the factory independent front, leafspring rear. Starting with custom four-link setups front and rear to hang the Ford axles, California Customs added Fox Racing triple-bypass coilover shocks to both ends. Jimbo further upgraded the arrangement with Wilwood six-piston calipers at all corners, along with custom brake lines. The front suspension also received crossover steering for the revised axle arrangement.

DW_Jan19-110_01 — The creatively contrasting colors on the truck makes it pop in any surrounding environment.

DW_Jan19-110_02 — Under the hood, the 310hp Cummins engine is pretty much the way it came from the factory, save for an intake from S&B Filters.

DW_Jan19-110_03 — The rear axle has been color-matched to the body and was fitted with a Mag-Hytec differential cover and 3.73 gears. Here you can also see the limiting straps and Panhard bar that keep the four-link dead straight to the road.

DW_Jan19-110_04 — At first we mistook the Nissan for a 3/4-ton thanks to the straight front axle and enormous 14-inch lift. The Titan has been outfitted with a straight front axle out of a Super Duty Ford, and Fox triple-bypass coilovers provide the sky-high stance.

DW_Jan19-110_05 — The rear suspension has been treated to match the gold of the wheels, and is of a four-link design that was built by California Customs out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A Super Duty axle sits out back, too, with the same Fox shocks as the front to provide suspension damping.

DW_Jan19-111_01 — Jimbo used a custom crossover steering configuration for the front of the Nissan that can deal with the extra weight of the solid front axle. There are limiting straps up front, too, and of course everything is color-matched to the wheels and the body.

DW_Jan19-111_02 — Getting in and out of a truck with a 14-inch lift can be tricky, so Jimbo helps out would-be passengers with a little bit of a boost courtesy of AMP Research side steps.

DW_Jan19-111_03 — The bright gold wheels give the truck a bit of a street rod feel. These mammoth 26-inchers are Specialty Forged C701s that measure 26×16 inches in size.

DW_Jan19-111_04 — With the immense height of the Nissan, tire clearance isn’t really a problem. Gone are the itty-bitty 265/60R20s, which have been replaced by 40×15.50-inch Mud Terrains from Fury Offroad.

The rest of the Titan is outfitted with modifications that add to the overall feel of the vehicle, rather than detract from it. Lighting and electronics were areas that were improved, as LED lights were added to the fender wells and frame, and an intense stereo system was installed inside the truck. Jimbo paint-matched virtually everything that could be matched and also added an RK Sport hood, Gravel Empire grille insert, and AMP Research PowerSteps. Both the front and rear bumpers were replaced with Vengeance bumpers from Fab Fours, and the bed was topped with an Ultra Flex bed cover from Undercover.

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New trucks have such nice interiors that we don’t often see upgrades in this department, but again Jimbo bucked popular trends by going over virtually everything. The factory seats were upgraded with Katzkin black leather and blue suede inserts with copper stitching. Jimbo extended the custom suede to the headliner and door panels, and then painted the dash and interior panels to match. There’s also LED lighting surrounding the Nissan’s Rockford Fosgate amps and speakers.

There’s no denying it. Jimbo Taylor has created one beautiful truck—but even more than that, it’s a fairly unique one on the diesel scene. We’ve seen a few Titans, but not many whose owners have gone to the lengths this one has by installing an enormous custom suspension lift and a straight front axle. We see plenty of custom trucks, but not many with a smoothed and filled frame. We’ve seen trucks with LEDs, but hardly any other lighting scheme can match the one on Jimbo’s Nissan. So there’s one thing that’s 100-percent certain—this 2017 Titan is virtually one of a kind!