An open forum for all enthusiasts of the classic 60 series Nissan Datsun Patrol to gather and share information and gain knowledge. Members share off-road stories, restoration advice, modification ideas in an atmosphere free of a single controller. The fo
I just wanted to pop in and introduce myself and my new project. My name is Chris, from Annapolis MD. I recently picked up two different 1967 Patrols. Currently, my project is my 2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited which serves as my daily driver but has also morphed into my travel / adventure rig.
I must admit, I stumbled into the patrol world. I was browsing craigslist looking for an FJ40. Jeeps are my first love, but I must admit I have a thing for classic toyotas. Well, a gentlemen in PA posted a 67 Softop on craigslist and put "like a toyota landcruiser" in the text. While dreaming and searching for a budget minded land cruiser I found a patrol about 4 hours north of me in central PA. After some research I fell in love wit the rarity of these trucks and decided to pursue it. The patrol seemed to combine certain elements of the Toyota and Land Rovers I love.
The Torquoise 67 which has now been named Robin by a friend is mostly complete. However, it is missing some major parts like the seats, transmission cover, tranfer case shifters, airbox etc.
With the rarity of parts I knew a donor car was my best best. Sourcing parts from across the country, and across borders would add up quickly. What I did not expect was that I would find another 67 a week later. This patrol was also in PA. However, it was a bit father away and almost in NY. I struck a deal with a man nice enough to hold on to it for a few weeks while I was out exploring in the Jeep.
The body on this one was really rough, but the ads pictures showed basically all of the parts I needed to complete the first patrol.
Very nice! That soft top definitely has great potential, it is a worthy project. One just sold at an auction for over $30,000. It was completely restored and they did an excellent job. I look forward to following your progress on this project.
We'll forgive you for your love of Jeeps as long as you love your Patrols.
In the end the goal is to have one solid 67 soft top.
Both frames have some rot on the rear section behind the wheels and the transmission crossmembers and will need to be rebuilt. I am sure I will have a better idea once I remove the bodies.
Are there any good threads here documenting frame repair?
Also, do we have any resident pros here I can discuss motor rebuilds with?
My plan would be to fix the frame, and rebuild all the suspension and drivetrain first.
Seeing one go for 30K is definitely nice. I am into these two for about 3K. However, If I am going to put this much work into something I will never sell it. This will be my first restoration.
yuke175 wrote:
Also, do we have any resident pros here I can discuss motor rebuilds with?
Yup, several
But get the engine to turn over first, and get some good compression readings from it before you go whole-hog and start tearing it apart... a LOT of Patrols out there are still showing sub-100k miles on the odometer (a lot of these rigs got parked in the 80's due to lack of availability of brake and service parts), so it is not uncommon for the engine to still be pretty healthy with only 50-60k on the odo...
L-R:
White 65 Hardtop L60-3-00617 (undergoing restoration)
Red 65 hardtop 4L60-002565 (scrapped for parts)
66 Hardtop "El-Bondo Patrol", L60-00511 (Restored, then sold June2020)
Blue 67 Hardtop (sold March1997)
Green 62 Softtop L60-2-00504 (undergoing restoration)
DSC_0066 by Chris Yuknis, on Flickr
G60 patrol by Chris Yuknis, on Flickr
G60 patrol by Chris Yuknis, on Flickr
G60 patrol by Chris Yuknis, on Flickr
