SP Rides: Low Ride, High Beginnings
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Geoffrey Grace
Age: 17
Occupation: Tow truck driver
Hobbies: Work and truck
Year, Make, Model: 1993 Nissan Hardbody
Color: 2014 Lexus IS300 Red
Exterior:
Chrome grill, front bumper, rear bumper, exhaust tip; Red strobe LED Rock Pods, Red strobe LED strips, custom LED HALO headlights and taillights
Interior:
Custom interior and center console, dash cover, red anodized steering wheel, red strobe LEDs
Suspension: 8-inch Monster c-notch, 3-inch dropped blocks, 2-inch dropped leaf springs, 2-inch dropped spindles
Wheels: 18 by 8.5 OEM Nissan, stretched ATR-K 195-35-18 tires
ICE: Eight Rockford 6 by 9s, two Rockford Super Tweeters, two Rockford 6-half Punch Pros, one Rockford T2 16 subwoofer
There are certain families out there that revolve around the automotive world. For Geoffrey Grace, his family has been involved in the truck industry for decades through their businesses, and Grace now is in the business himself as a tow truck driver for Pinky Tows.
On his 16th birthday, Grace received a 1993 Nissan Hardbody and within mere moments, he began accruing a laundry list of components to turn his new favorite ride into the truck of his dreams.
It wasn’t easy building this ride. At one time, it resided for a short while on the top of a shipping container due to proper parenting and kid — aka Grace’s — mistakes. When given back the chance to shine, though, Grace didn’t hesitate to make his mark.
This Nissan looks like melted butter that oozes static, lowered goodness from the first time one lays eyes on it. The paint is a sexy shade of red taken from the 2014 Lexus IS300 catalog, giving the truck a deep and lustrous look. It’s practically perfect as the red paint job reflects in the light while the glow of the red LEDs paint the ground around it. Its chrome grills, bumpers, and plastichrome abound present a stark contrast to the black and red of the main body. It’s really not bad considering this hardbody was a dented, rusted mess beforehand.
Achieving the dropped look was the first thing he set out to do. Dropping it low into a static representation required some impressive modifications. Three-inch drop blocks, drop spindles, drop leaf springs all changed the suspension geometry, allowing for a drop-it-low stance. Although many would choose airbags for fashion, Grace chose to stay static just to be different. A custom c-notch allows for increased suspension travel and is visible from the center of the truck bed.
Wheels wise, he’s had at least eight sets from Silverado to Titan, to the current set of OEM Nissan wheels, which look incredible. The tires are Achilles ATR-Ks and they are stretched snugly over the rim achieving a svelte look. Spiked lug nuts add a little bit of visual flair.
Since I’ve known him, Grace has always been into stereos, putting together Frankenstein contraptions in his makeshift office when he was a little kid. When it came time to put something together, he knew exactly what he wanted. I’ve seen some speaker setups before, but I have never seen a speaker more monstrous than the 16-inch Rockford Fosgate subwoofer that’s molded specifically into the back wall of his cabin. The entire wood and fiberglass setup is enormous consisting of eight 6 by 9 speakers mounted along-side, with several other speakers of various sizes — man, talk about bass. This thing could knock out your fillings.
The interior also has been treated nicely with a red, anodized steering wheel, LED interior lights, and a custom console built into the floor. A snug dash cover protects the boards while a custom receiver installation rides between the seats.
Although this is Grace’s first ever build, it’s certainly not his last. He comes from a long line of custom builders, and considering how young he is, there’s certainly no reason to stop now.
