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2002 Nissan Frontier Prerunner - Unite Team Prerunner

Not A Bad First Truck
By Jordan May
Photography by Jerrod Jones
2002 Nissan Frontier In Mid Air
What was your first vehicle? A busted-up Toyota Corolla? Dad's barely-running Oldsmobile? Well, for James Holquin, this high-flying Nissan Frontier is not only his first prerunner but also his first ride. Following Desert Racing before he could legally drive meant two things: his first ride was going to be a truck, and this truck must be able to eat whoops for breakfast. Now that his truck is complete, James and his friends have formed a 1450 class race team called Unite. His Frontier serves as a chase vehicle and prerunner and is definitely worth a look.

Specs
VEHICLE: 2002 Nissan Frontier
OWNER: James Holguin
CHASSIS: 1 3/4-inch chromoly with some stock frame
ENGINE: 3.3L V-6
DRIVETRAIN: OEM
SUSPENSION: Custom A-Arm front / Custom three-link Rear
STEERING: Custom swing set by Kirby Off-Road
BRAKES: Wilwood
TIRES/WHEELS: 35-inch BFG M/T, Mickey Thompson Classic II
INTERIOR: Beard Race Seats, Crow Harness'
OTHER PARTS: Hella Rallye 4000 lights, PWR coolers
FAVORITE OFF-ROAD AREA: Glamis, Ocotillo Wells, Baja

2002 Nissan Frontier Stock Engine
Removing the hood reveals... 
   
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2002 Nissan Frontier Stock Engine
Removing the hood reveals the stock engine, loaded with Kirby custom headers, a PWR radiator and a transmission cooler. James tells us that by the time you read this he will have already swapped in a 6.0L Chevrolet Escalade motor. That should give this mid-sized truck some get up and go. The entire truck front to back was built by Kirby Off-Road. There aren't a great deal of aftermarket components for Nissan trucks which meant James was going to have to drop some good cash to get the truck he wanted out of his Frontier. Kirby was more than up to the challenge having built race-winning vehicles for years.
2002 Nissan Frontier Jaz Fuel Cell And Dual Red Top Optima Batteries
In the rear we also found... 
   
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2002 Nissan Frontier Jaz Fuel Cell And Dual Red Top Optima Batteries
In the rear we also found a Jaz fuel cell and dual Red-Top Optima batteries. Rear sway bars are courtesy of Blitzkrieg Motorsports.
2002 Nissan Frontier Truck Cage
James had the entire truck... 
   
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2002 Nissan Frontier Truck Cage
James had the entire truck caged with 1 3/4-inch chromoly tube just in case he wanted to race the truck. This way its SCORE and MDR race legal. Kirby did an amazing job of building a strong cage while leaving plenty of room for passengers. Resting above the cab is a removable and adjustable light bar containing five Hella Rallye 4000 lamps.
2002 Nissan Frontier X Treme One Piece Conversion Fiberglass
Kirby came up with a trick... 
   
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2002 Nissan Frontier X Treme One Piece Conversion Fiberglass
Kirby came up with a trick way to remove the Fiberwerx X-Treme one-piece conversion fiberglass front clip while still keeping it on the truck. This swing-out style is becoming more popular with race vehicles because of its ease of use and the ability to get under the hood without the help of another person.
2002 Nissan Frontier Mickey Thompson Classic Tires
For wheels and tires, James... 
   
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2002 Nissan Frontier Mickey Thompson Classic Tires
For wheels and tires, James chose to wrap 15x8 Mickey Thompson Classic II wheels with 35-inch BFGoodrich M/Ts.
2002 Nissan Frontier Three Link Suspension
Kirby built its three-link... 
   
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2002 Nissan Frontier Three Link Suspension
Kirby built its three-link suspension to fit the rear of this Nissan. It pulls a whopping 28 inches of wheel travel using KING 3.0 triple-bypass shocks, 2.5 dual-rate coilovers, and 2.5 hydraulic bump stops. This truck can move, and in order to slow it down James added a solid set of Wilwood brakes at all four corners. The rear end is a Ford 9-inch with extra gussets loaded with a Spool and 5.43 gears.
2002 Nissan Frontier A Arm Suspension System 2002 Nissan Frontier Front View 2002 Nissan Frontier Bottom View

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