GOLD STANDARD
RARE METAL—ONE-OF-A-KIND NISSAN TITAN XD
When it comes to lifted, diesel-motivated pickups, Nissan is not 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. 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.
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!