This has got to be the cleanest and greenest bakkie in existence.
The greenest part, well that’s obvious, just one look at that almost neon parakeet colour and you’ll know Bobby Nitro is justified in that remark. Cleanest, well, less obvious because it requires a look under the hood, where you’ll see one of the tidiest tuck jobs this side of the Breede River.
JITS! Super tidy engine bay boasts braided hoses and chrome sleeves
What’s a tuck job, you might ask, and what does it achieve? The basic idea is to get your engine bay looking uncomplicated. Wiring is the first culprit when it comes to untidiness, and this is where the tuck bit comes in. All wiring is cleverly concealed and hidden in tubes or behind objects for the clean look.
SLEEK: Green Machine won Best of Show at the Mitchells Plain DSTV Car Show last year
In Marwa Cassiem’s Green Machine here, even the brake piping has been hidden away. It’s true, if you didn’t know what you were looking at, you might think some vital parts of the engine were missing.
Yet here’s the truly baffling part. When Bobby spoke to Marwa he was careful to say that this is his work bakkie, and he’s a builder. Apparently the Nissan one-tonner is a workhorse during the week and a showstopper come the weekend, just at home winning silverware as it is with a serious load of gravel. It even won Best of Show at the Mitchells Plain DSTV Festival Car Show 2016.
BUILDING WORK: Image proves Nissan is actually used as a workhorse
Marwa says: “I’ve had this passion all these years, and my late uncle was an inspiration. He said to me: ‘Do it up, but never make your vehicle look like a Christmas tree’.”
Sounds like a pretty sound modding philosophy. Marwa bought the Nissan SE almost 19 years ago for the princely sum of two grand. Fast forward almost two decades and Marwa, with the help of his sons Yusuf, 18, and Mujahid, 20, have rendered something special.
Pics by Joe Klein
In general, no part was left untouched. We’re talking down to the bolts here. Let’s start off with the exterior. As mentioned before, the SE’s body is covered in a shade of neon/parakeet green. Finishing off the bodywork is a Toyota SRX back bumper, front spoiler and plastic wheel arches. Fitted under the arches are a set of 18-inch import wheels with high polished lips covered in 225 x 45 x 18 Continental run flat rubber.
On the inside he fitted the 1999 SE’s seats and dashboard, and added electrical windows. With the help of his sons they’ve managed to fit a custom sound install consisting of a set of Kenwood 6 x 9’s in the front doors, Kenwood tweeters on the dash and
2 x 12 inch Targa streets powered by Targa amplifiers.
JITS! Super tidy engine bay boasts braided hoses and chrome sleeves
Now for the engine bay. Joe Klein, who took the pictures and has an eye for this kind of stuff, says: “I have never seen a daily with an engine bay this clean. Looks like the man is walking around with a toothbrush in his pocket.”
Every part, nut and bolt, is chromed or colour coded. All hoses are braided, and some are covered with chrome sleeves. Most of the wires are hidden in this flushed engine bay.
The one-tonner was originally fitted with a z24 motor but the engine was stripped down and rebuilt using an L20 sub with an L18 ported head, then fitted with an L88 cam and L28 valves.
Now most of us know the elbow strain that goes into manoeuvring a laden bakkie around a building site, so to make this more manageable Marwa installed a Nissan Sani 2.7 power steering set-up.
Marwa says: “I joined Nissan Trux Owners mainly to get involved in the charity work they do, plus my baby brother was instrumental in starting the group. One of the outreach projects we do is providing rides to Matric Balls. It seems the new craze is to go in a pick-up.”
Son Yusuf says: “I help my dad out where I can and sometimes I even get to drive the Green Machine to school.”
Marwa explains: “All work on the bakkie was done by me with help of my two sons, Mujahied and Yusuf, in a hok.” Marwa would like to extend his thanks to his two boys, his friend Keith Brandt for spraying the bakkie and club members at Nissan Trux Owners for their continued support.