Build Spotlight: Dave Casey’s Nissan Goes Racing In Australia

If the internet is good for one thing, it’s for giving people that build awesome 4x4s a place to share their amazing creation. One such person is David Casey of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. He runs the Stockers With Lockers race team and is its lead driver. His chariot of choice is a tube chassis made to look like a Nissan Patrol. Now, we don’t get Patrols here in the States, but Casey’s build can be best described as an Isuzu Amigo on steroids.

We caught wind of his rig from a post on the Mickey Thompson Instagram page. One look was all it took for us to reach halfway around the world and learn all we could about the vehicle. “Our Patrol Extreme 4WD Class 8 is built for off-road racing here in Australia,” said Casey. “We compete in the Australian Offroad Championship and ARB Offroad Racing Series Australia.”

Casey's team name, Stockers With Lockers, dates back to 2009. That was when he and some friends had to come up with a team name on short notice, right before a race was set to begin. "We basically had stock standard four-wheel-drives, and all of them had air lockers," explained Casey. "And so the name 'Stockers With Lockers' was born."

Being that the vehicle is a tube chassis build, it is a total one-off, high-dollar piece of machinery, but it is being made to look like Casey’s previous race rig, which was a 1995 Nissan Patrol GQ Y60. “We kept the cab skin and roof, and we built everything else from scratch,” he said.

The build began in 2017, and has been the culmination of an all-star team effort. “It’s been designed and built from the ground up by the foremost designers and builders in Australia,” beamed Casey. “Every part is held to the highest standard, and the people involved are the best of the best.”

Some highlights of the build – it has a Nissan VQ35 twin-turbo engine built by Diesel Central Gracemere. “It’s never been put into a Patrol or Class 8 vehicle before, but it meets the regulations, so we’re looking forward to seeing how it does,” said Casey. Mated to the engine is a six-speed sequential gearbox and a stout transfer case, which directs the power out to custom-made Pace Innovations axles.

Currently, the Nissan is still in the build phase, but it will move on to testing and finally, racing.

Suspension is handled by FOX coilovers and custom bypass shocks, giving Casey plenty of poise while out on the course. Last but not least, he has Ultra beadlock wheels and 35-inch Mickey Thompson MTZP3 tires, affording him grip when the going gets tough. “We ran heaps of Mickey Thompson tires in the past,” said Casey.  “We found them to be a great all-around package. They offer plenty of grip, a good rally-style tire, and most importantly, good puncture resistance. It’s a great combo for off-road.”

Stockers With Lockers has the potential to go far with Casey running the show, and we tip our hats to his racing efforts as we settle into 2019. Be sure to check out his Facebook and Instagram pages, and don’t forget to visit Mickey Thompson’s website to find out the latest on off-road tire development.

About the author

David Chick

David Chick comes to us ready for adventure. With passions that span clean and fast Corvettes all the way to down and dirty off-road vehicles (just ask him about his dream Jurassic Park Explorer), David's eclectic tastes lend well to his multiple automotive writing passions.
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