My 1969 Nissan Patrol.

[Son of Lars]

I was in the hunt for a 620, when I came upon this instead. Against my better judgement, but after educating myself about these things, I bought it.

 

It's a 1969 Patrol L60. It's the last year they were sold in North America, and to the best of my knowledge, it's one of about 4000 that was imported here between 1962 and 1969. Engine is a Nissan P series, 4.0L inline 6 with 145hp, and approx. 240ft. lb torque. That power is put to the ground through a 3 speed floor shift manual trans. 1st gear is a bull low, so I suspect most driving will be done with 2nd and 3rd. Top speed is supposed to be in the neighbourhood of 110-120km/h. There are some 5 speed conversions out there, but for the price, I'll pass. Besides, if I want to drive across the country, I have better machines for that task. I'll be using the Patrol to get me to work on back a couple days a week, take me grocery shopping, and keep me dry during the monsoon winter season, when the Z, BMW and bike are off the road.

 

Initial plan of attack on this thing, is to get the inop brakes working, and get a fuse box into it. At that point, I can actually drive it a bit. I'd like to sort it mechanically as soon as possible, drive it a bit this coming summer, attack the rust over the summer/fall, and have it ready to be my DD come winter. I don't expect to have ALL the rust stitched up by then, but enough to keep my feet dry, and some heat in the cabin, would be awfully nice. Luckily, my "commute" is 8km, and winter here is mild.

 

Now for the pics.

 

First pics are from the seller's Photobucket account. He and his dad have owned it about 5 years. The pics with the front brakes apart, and no random grey primer spray, are from back then.

 

 

These pics are from the Craigslist ad.

 

 

 

Craigslist ad mentioned it had some rust, but in typical CL fashion, the pics were taken so that the worst of it couldn't be seen. Here's a few that I took, when I went to look at the truck.

 

Yup, she's gonna need some fenders....

Passenger and driver side kick panel area. This made me cringe at first, but further research has shown this to be not so bad to repair.

 

Oh yeah, the melted the fuse block, and used maretz connectors to get some power to the coil so it would run. Niiiiiiiiiice!

 

So that's it for right now. Seller claims it has 15000 miles on it. I laughed at first, but between seeing how complete it is, seeing both pedal rubbers still on it, and not worn out, no cracks in the steering wheel, all the original stickers are in the right spots, engine is very clean, appears to have original ignition wires, cap, rad hoses, etc. Oh, and it runs AWESOME! I doubt I'll ever be able to verify it, but I think he might actually be right.

[poor-mans-720]

15,000 miles thru the salt flats... lol... that thing looks beefy though. Like an ol school mail truck on steriods.

impresive torque numbers, impressed... got a million shifters in the cab too... lol

but overall i think that is a steller project, hella jelous. looks good, good find.

[McShagger510]

CrAzY Patrol! How are you going to sort out the papers? Just do the 3 registered letters to the last owner?

 

James

[mrbigtanker]

Really cool,you pulled in the parking stall dont back out now.your in all the way. more pics and running video please.Keep us picture whores happy.

[Z chopper]

low and behold there is yet another patrol over is surrey for sale on craigslist and in much better condition, but also I am guessing for alot more $$ than you paid for yours.

[SSS510]

Love this thing :thumbup:

[Son of Lars]

Thanks guys! I love the shit out of it already. I'm not worried about the rust. Looks bad in pics, but it's easy to deal with. Unbolt rusty bits, bolt on non rusty bits. I'm going to be pulling the body off, pressure washing the chassis, and installing new metal. I've already sourced all the metal, including a complete cowl/firewall section, which will take care of this...

 

 

And this....

 

 

The entire firewall on these trucks, simply unbolts from the frame. I've sourced a rust free firewall in Washington, and have a buddy going to pick it up in a week.

 

 

Once the firewall is painted, and bolted down, I can install new fenders. Yes, new ones are available for $420/pair.

 

 

Firewall and fenders takes care of the lion's share of the rust, then I will order these.....

 

 

Just like the firewall, the entire floor section simply unbolts, and can be repaired, painted, and bolted back in. Have a look....

 

 

Here's an idea how it all comes together.....

 

[Son of Lars]

low and behold there is yet another patrol over is surrey for sale on craigslist and in much better condition, but also I am guessing for alot more $$ than you paid for yours.

 

I've seen that one. Apparently it doesn't run, and still has some rust. Mine runs beautifully, and actually drives, although the brakes suck. And no matter which one I bought, I was planning to pull the body off for a cleanup and repaint anyway.. The yellow one is of no advantage to me at all, and may be worse, if ti needs engine or driveline parts.

 

Despite the mud and crap in the pics of mine, as well as the rotten firewall and fenders, the truck is actually in really good shape. I've had it on my lift to work on it, and the frame is rock solid. Not a weak spot on it anywhere. Needs a serious wash and a nice POR15, but that's easy. It's got no oil leaks, driveline is quiet and smooth, front end is tight. I've changed all the gear oil in the driveline, all the brake lines, oil and filter, and antifreeze. Despite it's lack of fuse box, it fires up and runs like a new truck.

 

Random pic, chilling in my shop, alongside my Z31

 

[merlin]

Shit, i was in Surrey yesterday! cool that all these patrols are coming out of the woodwork in BC.. Mine runs and drive as well. i have it in pieces as i had the whole body media blasted. I also got new fenders and floors from Pacolonline.com as well. mines on the rmp and o forum as Ugly Betty.

[Son of Lars]

Just went and checked yours out. Seems about as involved a project as mine is. Reality is though, with these trucks, it's basically like building Lego. I'm not a bodyman at all, so I don't like rust, but I can unbolt and replace rusty panels, no problem!

 

I'm actually planning in blasting each panel, then powder coating the entire truck, panel at a time.

[merlin]

I thought about powdercoating too, but lots of my panels need work... check out the thread on here about 14 patrols found just this week in BC... Parts!

[Son of Lars]

I have several panels that need work as well, but I plan to bite them off one at a time, then send for powder. Or buy new panels, then send for powder. Fenders I'll order from PACOL, and when they arrive, they'll go straight for powder.

 

First on my list is the firewall, which I'll have within the next 2 weeks. Buddy of mine is driving his truck down to California tomorrow, and is going to pick it up for me on the way back.

 

This is mine here. I'll blast it before sending it for powder.

[Son of Lars]

Ordered a pair of KYB Gas A Just shocks for a Daihatsu Rocky. Will see if the rumour is true that they bolt into a Patrol. Looks like they probably will, and if they do, I'll order 2 more for the front.

 

Still hunting down some plain jane looking steel wheels in 15", to replace my super narrow 16" steels. I'd prefer to keep the 16's, but there are not really any suitable tires with radial construction, to properly fit on them. 15x7 with a 30x9.50x15 should work well.

 

Oh, and my heater core is pissing antifreeze. Oh well....

 

Also pulled the fuel tank today, and ran it through my giant parts washer. It's in pretty good shape under all the gunge and filth. Also ordered a POR15 fuel tank repair kit so I can clean it, and line it. Entire fuel line is buggered and rusted from the tank to the pump, so I grabbed 25' of steel tube to replace that as well. Nasty project, but it's gotta be done!

 

Couple pics from today.....

 

 

Fuel tank going into the washer.

 

Fuel tank carrier.

[merlin]

i have new monroes for mine... got the pn's off of RMp and O . my tank is long gone, got a home built monster instead. Keep up the good work!

[skyblue]

damn super sweet! i want one. and i dont even like 4x4's.

[Z chopper]

for wheels if you are stuck on 15" rims look for mids 80's Blazer rallye wheels they are 6 lug too, but maybe look at nissan titan, frontier or hardbody rims

[Son of Lars]

There are lots of options for 6 lug wheels, but I want something as plain jane as what is on it now. Currently rolling on 16's, but they're very very skinny. Too skinny to carry a modern 16" radial tire. Closest available tire size to maintain stock diameter is 215/85/16. Not gonna work on my skinny 16's, so I'm going to drop down an inch, which opens up a whole world of wheels, and better tires.

[merlin]

Hmmm i run winter steelie6 or 8 inch wide 16's on my tacoma's and older tundra's(i own 8 of them) which are the same bolt patternas the patrol.

 

I have fatter 16 inch radials on all my trucks ... Ford 150 s also came with fat 4-5 ply 16'sfor highway driving. I buy 245/75/16 10 plys for all my trucks because some spend their entire life on gravel roads but they come with a close size 4 ply from The dealer.

 

Fwiw a toyota tundra 2006 brake disc clears the patrol front hub.

 

Truck 15's...hmmm frontier? Go to a truck jy and grab 4 spare tires steelies.

[Son of Lars]

Picked up a POR15 fuel tank repair kit. Been working on that tonight. Looooong process, but so far, seems to be turning out well. After 20 or more years of sitting, my tank was FULL of rust, varnish, and shit. I've been through 2 rounds of POR15 Marine Clean, and it's looking pretty nice inside! Still surface rust in spots, but it's actually shiny in a lot of spots! You have to put the cleaner in, tape all the holes up, then shake and roll the tank around for 20 minutes. No need to go to the gym tonight, this shit is a workout and a half.

 

Tried to take some before and during pics, but it's too hard to see inside the tank.

[Son of Lars]

Poured the POR15 tank sealer in tonight. I've followed the direction TO THE LETTER, so hopefully all this hard work and patience will pay off with a nice clean, rust free and shiny gas tank! Tried to take pics, but they really don't work worth a shit inside a gas tank.

 

Buddy of mine came to the shop and fired off a TON of nice pro quality shots of the truck the other day. Should result in some lovely oics coming soon!

[Son of Lars]

Not wasting any time on this project, I started taking it apart to dig into the firewall tonight. With a long weekend coming up, I plan to spend some quality time in the shop. Plan is to have the firewall off, and everything pressure washed from the tub forward. Engine, trans, T case, frame, front diff, suspension, etc. Once ALL the mud, grime and shit is off, I can figure out where to go from there, and get it ready for it's new firewall.

 

 

Oh, and my gas tank is all done now. Just need to clean up the level sender, and make a new gasket to bolt it back in. This is POR15 fuel tank repair kit inside, with POR15 black on the outside.

 

[Edz280zx]

If you're looking for plain jane steel wheels that are wider, you should get you a set of old chevy rally's. They come in 15x8's. Cool project btw.

 

 

edit* of course I see that was already mentioned before..lol

[Son of Lars]

Got the roof off this afternoon. That wasn't a fun job, but it had to be done.

 

 

Windshield folded down.

 

 

[merlin]

how many bolts did you break on the roof? i broke about 5... I thinking crhome/stainless ones covered in permetex to go back in. I hate those little box nuts. yup looks like we have a similar level of rust.... trust me it loocks much better after media blasting... I saved parts that i thought would be goners after glass blasting.

[Son of Lars]

Mine was fastened with nuts and bolts, not captured nuts. They all came off quite nicely. Broke one screw in the back door though, and I have to deal with about 10 broken ones in the front inner fenders.