RMP&Os 1977 Patrol Ute build for overlanding
This is a 1977 Nissan Patrol Ute. It is a factory cab & chassis so it never had a factory bed on it. A Patrol like this is usually just called a Ute or maybe a G60H. Officially the model is 94Z-G60HA which is a cab & chassis from the factory. "60" is the series of Patrol, the 60 series ran from 1960-1979. "G" stands for MWB but technically this is a LWB with a 110" wheel base, all Patrols that are MWB & LWB are G60s. The "H" denotes heavy loading which meant 1 ton rear axle and heavy duty leaf springs. The "A" stands for cab & chassis. I imported it from New Zealand in 2003.
Here is the model shown from a late 1970s Aussie parts book....
As compared to the non cab & chassis, ie factory bed.
Back in 2003 I bought the truck sight unseen, well I saw a few bad pictures of it on the internet. It was a compulsive buy but I figured what the hell why not! I won the auction for the truck on TradeMe in New Zealand. I then imported it to Long Beach, California and drove down to pick it up. This truck had been used on a farm, likely its whole life. When I got the Ute it had a flat bed and there was about 200 pieces of bailing twine hanging off the flat bed rack from feeding cattle. When I picked it up I was a bit disappointed to see it had a fair amount of rot. Yet, I couldn't complain to much since I didn't pay a lot for the truck, import expenses aside.
As far as anybody knows (be happy if somebody proved me wrong) this is the first Nisan Patrol pick up in the USA. Since 2003 a few others have been imported including a LHD with a factory bed from Saudi Arabia. This is however the only factory cab & chassis Ute in the country, again as far as I or anybody else I have met knows.
The truck arrived to me in basically stock used condition. The motor ran and ran decent, the trans shifted and the 4wd worked. I however have removed the stock engine, trans, t-case and rear axle recently and sold them off. I have also swapped in a light duty C200 rear axle and leaf spring pack that was the original stuff in my 83 Patrol. So basically I have a gutted truck now ready to go for the mods and build!
I also have a 1983 Patrol, it is heavily built for off-roading.
Building up the 83 Patrol has left me with a lot of new and really nice parts since the build of that truck has gone through several transformations. I also now have a plan and vision for the Ute...a solid direction to go with the truck and build up. I also have a whole bunch of sweet parts from my 83 that nobody really wants to buy. At least not what I need to sell them for; the axles, 5spd and t-case I have a ton of money in so can't sell that stuff for cheap. I bought a turbo for my N/A SD33 in the 83 now and rounded up several PTO (power take off) winches plus a front PTO box and a rear PTO box. It took me years to get all the PTO stuff and cost a chunk of change but I do have just about everything to set up a Patrol with front & rear PTO winches if I want! One really cool thing about the PTO winches, they use the same free wheeling hub found on the front axle to free spool the winch. So in other words you always have a spare free wheeling hub on the truck!
factory glass in good condition!
Gutted cab.....
cab back in fairly good condition....
factory H260 1ton rear diff, I sold this off though.
Project has not started but, my plan is;
Convert to LHD using USA Patrol parts, LHD steering box & LHD firewall.
fit SD33T diesel engine - currently an N/A in my 83
fit 160 series Patrol 5spd and t-case - currently in my 83 Patrol
fit C200 front and H233 rear axles, the H260 is sold and gone.
suspension will be SOA (spring over axle) using nice stock leaf springs from an 83 Patrol.
In summary the truck will have a diesel engine, 5spd transmission, newer style Patrol t-case, built axles, SOA suspension, set up for 35" tires (or up to 37") and basically be capable of driving long distances down the road plus do well in the dirt. As far as the rocks, it won't really be set up for any serious rock crawling since crawl ratio will be about 52:1 max. It should get decent mileage, have plenty of payload capacity, be able to do 70mph or so down the HWY and also tear it up off-road in everything but the rocks. The motor isn't exactly powerful, think stock 12HT (little less HP) in an FJ45 pickup, yet should do alright in the Ute.
I have some body parts to fix rust/rot and convert to LHD. I have the diesel engine which as mentioned is in my 83 Patrol but it and the turbo will need a rebuild. I have the 5spd and t-case with a fresh rebuild on them, the synchros for the 5spd were only available from Nissan and cost big bucks. The flywheel was resurfaced less then 1,000 miles ago and drilled to suit a big clutch. It also is running a new + big 11" Exedy Safari Tuff clutch suited for a GU/Y61 Patrol TD42 diesel, this cost a chunk of change. It works simply killer though and should last a long time. I have the axles, fully rebuilt, regeared to 4.6s and fitted with ARBs. Front axle also has H233 buffed up CVs and is set up for high steer. Rear axle is converted to disc brakes, it was drums stock. I have the PTO winches (factory) and also both front & rear PTO boxes. I also have all the 83 Patrol power steering stuff in LHD but it needs to be mounted up in the Ute. Currently the Ute has a stock RHD steering box. I also have new clutch slave and master cylinders plus a new brake master cylinder. However, mounting those up in the Ute is another story! Any ways, I must have at least 75% of the build covered in one way or another!
As mentioned project has not started but as you can see lot's of gear has been rounded up for the build.
More pictures here.... http://www.rmp-o.com/phpBB3/ga...y2.php?g2_itemId=821
Here is a video of the Ute when I was just messing around with it one day, this is with the stock engine and drivetrain. I love the triple wipers!
Last summer I was able to get some fairly rust free USA LHD body parts including a top, dash/firewall, a hood and a few other things. So I have some body parts already to fix rot and do the LHD conversion. I can also order up new fenders, windshield frame, door skins and a few patch panels from these guys,
http://www.pacolonline.com/Lan...iser_parts/HOME.html
http://www.citroa.com/nissan-patrol-g60-series/
Both of those guys are selling Patrol body parts in the USA now. The windshield frame on the Ute is rotten so will replace it with new. The hood has a huge hole cut in it by p/o so he could carry a tire on the hood like a Land Rover. As mentioned though I have a good firewall, good hood and a few other body pieces.
I have gone and edited my posts in this build thread from when I originally posted. Plans have recently changed. I am not going to build the truck for myself or do anything crazy with it. I am not going to do any of the body work, at least not much. I am however going to mount the very nice axles I have under the truck in a SOA configuration. I am also going to mount up the SD33 diesel engine, the new 5spd transmission and t-case, install LHD p/s box and other p/s bits and last item being a 20 gallon stainless steel fuel tank. At the same time I am going to restore the frame. Suspension and axles will be done by buying/using new brackets, perches and such. Motor mounts and trans mount will be either recycled from my 83 Patrol or new ones made. Chassis is getting sand blasted, Rust Bullet "Automotive" on inside of frame and Rust Bullet "Blackshell" sprayed on the outside.
I am doing this to get rid of a bunch of stuff and sell the Ute. It will be prep'ed for the next guy with restored frame, axles mounted, suspension done, diesel motor installed, trans & t-case installed, new fuel tank, steering box, ect ect. The next guy though will have to finish it off with the body work, bed, interior/seats and few other little things. This is the best route to go for me to get rid of all this stuff and try to recover some dollars. It should also make for a nice "blank" of a truck for the next guy to finish off as he/she likes. I will update the thread as I make progress on the stuff I am doing.
cheers
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Originally Posted by 4Rescue
