1968 Troll

[Jim Klaas]

I picked up a 68 Troll a few years ago, zero RUST. I beat around in the woods for a few years and when the rings finally needed to be replaced, I put some tarps over my beloved Troll and started to collect parts. It has been ten years now and I haven't uncovered the Patrol once. My son is now 11 so I would like to make it a father and son project to get the Patrol back up and running. The big debate is: REBUILD the motor, or, swap it out for something else? That exact debate has kept me from doing anything for almost ten years! There are a lot of advantages for swapping out the motor... I got off topic, I am really glad to see there is a forum for Patrols...I am sure it will help when I start the project.

[bosque]

Welcome Jim.
I think we've met before and anyways look forward to seeing it get done and driving none the less. I say rebuild. In the end it seems to be a tighter package. I drive mine all the time and can tell you that the comfy top speed is all you'll want to go and the power for off road is good n burley.
Good luck.

[miller]

Welcome Jim.. Father Son project sounds great. I agree with Bosque with the rebuild. I look forward to seeing some pics of the ol girl.

[Swerve]

Wow, quite a story.

Please get some pics as keen to see how the old girl handled her storage. If your not sure in how to post pics, were happy to help.

Swerve

[RiverPatrol]

Hey Jim, thanks for the introduction. Welcome to the forum. Making the Troll project a father son one will be great for all 3 of you, regardless of how you decide to do it. I seems, at least here in the US, that there is not a standard tried-and-true method for an engine swap in a Patrol. There have been many attempts, with varying degrees of success. I can say from my own experience that a rebuild is easily done and very reliable. Keep us posted once you dig in to the project!

[Jim Klaas]

I must admit I would like to rebuild the engine, but am concerned at being able to find parts! Mine needs rings and as long as I am ...in there..... I feel I should rebuild the entire engine. Being able to find parts has always been what has stopped this project. Are engine parts hard to find? Every time I start the search I really don't see much out there. I keep hearing rumors that many of the engine parts are the same as Nissan uses on some forklifts but nobody has ever confirmed this. Where do you guys start, I have a rust free, dent free 68 Patrol that could be one heck of a truck but the engine needs work. The last thing I want to do, is pull the engine and have the project come to a grinding halt.....from my experience....that usually is the end of it. When I start a project, I don't stop until it is done. Ok...so that is engine rebuild plan....

The engine swap plan is/was ...maybe for the Ford 300 inline 6...I was thinking of swapping out the entire drive line and maybe even axles etc. I am not a huge Ford fan but the 300 6 is basically bomb proof and best of all....there are billions of them around and they are cheap and everybody knows how to work on them and modify them.

Every motorcycle project I have done in the past always taught me that....every project had a few parts that were hard to impossible to find and when you did they were expensive. What worries me about the Patrol is lack of parts....and there aren't enough of them around so information is hard to come by as well. I have collected a lot of parts and even scored the Dealers HUGE book with all the diagrams and part numbers but without the help of a pretty big and knowledgeable forum this project just won't get done. Last year I gave my son a total basket case 1970 Honda CT90 motorcycle for Christmas. We spent the next three months rebuilding it in my shop. It was clearly one of the projects I should have left were it was but once it was under the Christmas tree...there was no turning back. Well, with the help of a Honda Trail CT90 Forum that is both gigantic and knowledgeable my son and I were able to restore the bike in time to do the 40 mile Hodaka Bad Rock Trail Ride in June! That was a test run for my son...and he came through in flying colors. The Patrol...is bigger, heavier, takes up more space, will be more expensive but what is really holding me back is I just don't know what I am going to run into when I start the project. I really need help!

With old little motorcycles I can tell you exactly what parts are expensive and/or hard to find, with the Nissan, I just don't know...nobody I know, knows...the most I can get out of people is....yeah, I think I remember seeing a Patrol!

I know the Patrol is currently stored but like anything else...it would be a lot happier RUNNING!

[RiverPatrol]

Of all the parts on the 60 series Patrol, the engine parts are by far the easiest to locate. Yes, it is the same engine used in the forklifts. I know for a fact that there is a fork lift rebuilding company in Oregon that can supply you with a brand new engine or rebuild your engine. Bosque here has an engine that was rebuilt by this company, he will probably chime in with contact info.

I rebuilt the engine in my '69 a few years ago. It had a spun main bearing and had 97,000 miles on it so I went through the whole thing: rings, all crank bearings, cam bearings, all gaskets, reground the valves. I sent the crank, rods, pistons and block to a machine shop via a parts store. The machine shop had to search a bit, but the found the rings and bearings, no problem. I think the rings were Federal Mogul. The rings and bearings show up on eBay sometimes; of course it depends on the specs that you need. The machine shop just de-glazed the cylinders because they were still within factory specs. I went with standard rings because the pistons were still within factory specs. The hardest part was putting that darn split rear main rope seal in place. Then when it went together that rope seal made the crank tight to turn until everything seated in place. I have since put about 4000 miles on that engine and it is solid as a rock.

Point being, it's very doable - especially if you are already familiar with such tasks. Having done the engine, I personally think it is far easier doing that then swapping something else in and having to figure out how to make everything work together from scratch, with no manuals or people with previous experience to go to for help. But that is just my . Others have done differently or plan to do differently, so there is always that option.

Either way you decide to go, we'll be here to cheer you on and offer help when you need it.

And, that is a very nice looking Patrol. Take it out and play with it!

Oh, and your Patrol is actually a '69. The was the only year with the side reflectors and the rectangular front marker lights.

[Jim Klaas]

See, you learn something new everyday....the title said 68 but back in those days nobody really checked. I am with you on the rebuild, I would LOVE to hear about the forklift engine connection..... I have also collected soooo many spare parts it would be a shame not to use them....I even have the electronic ignition...about 3-4 distributors...extra carbs....transfer case...without a donor Patrol I have managed to collect a fair amount.

Thanks for the 1969 info River Patrol...that is EXACTLY the type of information I really enjoy knowing and could only find here.

Darn it though.....I have to admit I really like the looks of the little round blinkers on the other Patrols and not the squares ones I have....ACK! I never even noticed that before....errrrrr!


@Bosque ....I would LOVE to hear how the forklift outfit worked for you...it sounds WAY WAY too good to be true!

[bosque]

Alright Jim you are on the right path.
I have an engine that was rebuilt by a defunct premere AG machine shop in Oregon called Lane... they were taken over by one of the employees so figuring out their name would be a nice piece of info to have. I bought this engine on ebay. The PO said he had 3 grand into it and then moved back to Germany and decided to sell. This motor is in my 67 now.
I also had a local machinist rebuild the original 67 motor using the forklift source:
http://www.motorpowerinc.com/ at 1 800 356 7948 I dealt with Joe.
TO ALL: Please be true blue with these guys. Have your questions together before calling, review what you can on their site. I say this because one of us Patrollers has been short with them and I last heard they are a bit frustrated when people call to "talk". Now I sound dramatic but heed my words...they have the goods. We all need them and their help. Thanks.
Basically you need a P40 (thats the forklift version of the "P" engine bought by kubota) basic kit 00P4010 and then to determine the main bearing and rod bearing sizes. The basic kit has a list of stuff you should go over pertaining to the depth of your rebuild. Here is the BIG one to get right with these nice ol geezers....You need a to swap the P40 Main Bearing set out for a PPU Main Bearing set. I forgot and had to pay for shipping back wrong parts and wait for proper ones. The PPU set cost 100 bucks more but I think they gave me back something for the P40 ones...in other words the PPU is extra. 2/1/11 I paid $521 for my kit + $100 PPU main bearing about for gaskets, engine parts. You will need to cut out 1 or 2 gaskets that the kit does not have right. $358 was the basic kit = another $125 for oil pump and valve guides. If you do the install great because we can help with that too but you must post your endevours with photos or you will be visited by the OMG Gals and you will not be happy...I think....cover the kids eyes!
There is your challenge buddy, and some how I think you will prevail. Great luck and ask questions and study the parts books exploded drawings if you get a chance.
I'm psyched for you.

[50car]

Several years back, I used the MotorPower Inc kit to rebuild my 69"s motor. Not a problem with the parts that came in the kit. I even had the new pistons with my kit and they are working like a charm. Like Bosque said, you do have to cut a few of your own gaskets, but other than the mains being different and the the gaskets, the kit is what the doctor ordered.