Why spend an arm and a leg on a brand-new pickup when one from the '90s will do?

Writer and occasional reluctant perpetrator of engine swaps, James O'Neil is a malaise era enthusiast and also fascinated by the many ways the auto industry has since recovered from those dark days.

There might not be many Nissan truck models left - just the Frontier - but that wasn't always the case. Furthermore, the brand is supposedly working on new midsize truck models. Whether we can buy ...