RMP&Os 1977 Patrol Ute build for overlanding

[RMP&O]

Got it all figured out on what I need for suspension brackets. I can buy everything from RuffStuff. Plan to do a cut & turn on the front axle to set castor and pinion angle. All I need now is the cash for all the perches, brackets, tabs, ect!

Some more pictures of gear I have for the Ute....

fuel cell, perfect for bed mount.



The big Safari Tuff clutch



The Yuri high steer and big H233 "strengthened" CVs.



top knuckle trunion bearing is modified, so whole new knuckle was supplied with the high steer kit. As you can see it is double sheer, the high steer arm is also "keyed". Bling bling!

[RMP&O]

I have a vintage 1980s ARB style bull bar. If it looks decent on the Ute I am thinking about customizing the mounting brackets so it will fit the Ute and then use it on the truck.

Last bit of info....I pulled the motor and the rear axle out of the Ute not to long ago. I swapped in a rear axle that was originally in my 83 Patrol along with the leaf springs. Just so I can keep wheels on the truck and move it around easily.

Here is a picture from when I pulled the engine & gear boxes out of the Ute a few months ago....



and the axle...

[RMP&O]

Here are some pictures and links....

The new (old & used) firewall/dash I have for the Ute. This is from a 1965 USA Patrol so it is LHD and allows me to convert the Ute from RHD to LHD. This will be the first body piece I work on.



Here you can see some rot in the kick vent area, very common on old Patrols.





The rest of the firewall is in very good condition. So I will either work this rotten section on my own and fab patch panels or buy these new patch panels....



This is a bigger patch panel which incudes the pillar. This is what I will likely use since the pillar on the 65's firewall is a bit rough.



The Utes fenders are pretty rough too, they definately have some body filler on top of rot. If possible I will save them with repair work to fix up, if they are to far gone I will simply buy these....



The windshield frame on the Ute now is pretty much history. It has got some deep rooted rot which will be very hard to fix. So more then likely I will replace it with a new one....




The last bit of rot to deal with is on the top of the Ute. It also has some deep rooted rot which is going to be the hardest to fix. However, I do have a 1965 USA Patrol hard top. My plan was to simply cut it up, weld it to the Utes top and use as much of it as possible and then simply patch what I couldn't fix using the 65s top. Here are some pictures of the rot in the top that needs to be dealt with.






This is definately going to be the hardest rot to fix. However as mentioned I got a rot free top form a 65 to work with. Also as you may note most of the body is flat and straight, from the factory with box tube and so forth. So those parts won't be to hard to replicate or make patch panels for, especially if you had a sheet metal brake. The rounded or curved parts in the rear will be the toughest to fabricate patch panels for.

I don't have a very good picture of the Utes hood right now but in this picture you can see the P/O's mount on the hood for carrying a tire like a Land Rover. For this mount the P/O cut a big huge hole in the center of the hood. So I picked up this decent hood from a 65 to replace it.

Here are the best picture I have of the Ute's hood for now.....



and the replacement hood I picked up for it....





The 65s hood is not perfect by any means, it sat under a walnut tree or similar for years. So it has a bunch of small dimple dents in it. However, the hood from the 65 is rot free and fairly straight so I will be using it.


I will buy the suspension brackets and whatever else I need from either Synergy or RuffStuff. A few things I imagine I will be fabbing myself such as cross members.

Synergy fab parts....

http://www.synergysuspension.com/Bra...-1-c-4322.html

and the RuffStuff fab parts....

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/...slinktabs.html

I won't be buying any of the suspension stuff in kit form because I will be building my own SOA suspension.

cheers!

[RMP&O]

Here are some more pictures of the axles. Ignore the suspension set up.

















I also plan to run the PTO winch, you can see the PTO box and shafts on the RHS of the picture. A flat belly skid plate like this will also be used on the Ute.








cheers

[Hill, Bill E.]

That's going to be one sweet rig!!

[RMP&O]

That's going to be one sweet rig!!

Thanks buddy!

[thecriscokid]

You have some rad vehicles! This ute is going to be somethin!

[RMP&O]

You have some rad vehicles! This ute is going to be somethin!

Thanks!

I just may have found my next vehicle....a mid-1980s Subrau!! It is only $300, need to check it out still. If I sell my Cruiser I am buying it for an around town/valley car.

[RMP&O]

Bumping this because....

I edited all of my posts. The Ute and what I am doing with it has changed for me. Plus no posts here since early January!

[RMP&O]

Just bought everything tonight to SOA the Ute with the axles pictured above. Spring perches, leaf hangers, shackle hangers, shackles, u-bolt plates, u-bolts, shock tabs and I have a set of Ford shock towers for the front. I didn't buy the shocks or the stabilizer but otherwise got it all.

I purchased it all from RuffStuff, I like doing business with Dan.