Don't roll your 4WD! (long post with pics)

[Timbo]

Hi all,

Thought I'd share some pics of when I rolled my GU Patrol about 2 years ago. I was out 4wd'ing with 2 other mates and their Patrols as well. Was an awesome day for wheeling with perfect weather.

This is how my day started..

My car was overheating about 20mins from my house on the way to out destination. Turns out the top hose of the radiator was having trouble staying on the outlet pipe. The outlet pipe had snapped off (plastic) and only had about 10mm to grip too. I got it as tight as I could.. and I made the decision to keep on traveling.

We got to our destination and got stuck into some tracks. Came across a bog hole and decided to have a crack. Got stuck half way and needed some help getting out. Had a mate try to snatch strap me out off the bull bar. Bad idea! Ended up bending my bull bar out of shape on one side. It's my fault for being lazy. We did it the right way, got muddy and connected the strap to the recovery point (under the surface of the muddy hole) lol.

Nearing the end of our trip, we started to head back to sealed roads. We had a pretty damn scary track to navigate on the way back. It was steep, slimey/slippery mud and on one side was a drop off hundreds of feet. Of course, as my run of luck would have it, I tried to a corner and ended up sliding straight ahead... ending up with the left side of my car hanging over the side of the drop off. We spent hours trying to winch my car out of trouble. Using snatch blocks off trees, winching from the rear, front, side.. all failed. We actually broke a snatch block trying! In then end, I bit the bullet and drove out. I thought to myself "I'm either gonna make it, or I'm going down in a big way". Pretty stupid, but it paid off.

By this time it was dark, around 7:30pm. We were meant to be home at around 4pm. We finally hit flat dirt tracks which end up leading onto sealed roads. I was last int he convoy, and was copping all of the dust, blinding my view of the road. Next thing I know I'm on my roof! Apparently, there was a slight bend in the road that I didn't see.. The rest is history.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/7.jpg
The morning after. Spent all night on her roof. Gearbox oil soaking my head lining over night. Took my 35" Claws off in case anyone was around.. didn't want them stolen after all.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/8.jpg
Me putting on shitty wheels to get it on the tow truck.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/9.jpg

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/10.jpg

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/11.jpg
Car totally stripped, getting ready for new roof and panels.

tp://i47.tinypic.com/502u6p.jpg
Roof off!

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/12.jpg
Roof on! A mate of mine welding it up. He is a pro panel beater.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/13.jpg
This was the shell I bought to take the new roof and panels from. Also came with brand new headlining and other bits and pieces.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/14.jpg
Some interior pieces ready to go back in. I re-sprayed everything to freshen it up. Colour came out slightly darker than factory. I used Cobra base coat with some hardener in it. You aren't supposed too, but it's a little trick I was taught when I was spray painting. The harder obviously hardens the paint, but also give it a touch of gloss.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/15.jpg
New windscreen! Ahhh... coming together finally.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2010/05/16.jpg
..and here she is, drivable. After about a years work almost every weekend. This isn't the latest pics of her, but I've only just replaced the grey quarter panels on each side within the last few months. All I need to do now is get a cheap respray of while and she is done.

I forgot to mention, when I bought the 4wd, it ended up having 17 cracks in the head! Needless to say, I fought with the car dealer and got $2500 toward an engine rebuild which cost $7500. The 2.8's aren't cheap to rebuild at all. Still, I have a really strong motor and 4wd now!

Hope you enjoyed reading about my misfortunes as much as I hated living it!

[GQ10]

That's a full on story mate.

What a disaster of luck and what a nightmare of a day.

I must say, well done on the effort of putting her back to together again, very impressive!!!

You must've had days where you thought "I just can not be bothered anymore".

Thanks for showing us!

[AB]

Great story, thanks for sharing G-Unit.

Good thinking taken the claws off when you went home, they are gold for passers by late at night!

Nice effort on the restoration too mate!

[Timbo]

That's a full on story mate.

What a disaster of luck and what a nightmare of a day.

I must say, well done on the effort of putting her back to together again, very impressive!!!

You must've had days where you thought "I just can not be bothered anymore".

Thanks for showing us!

Thanks mate. Yeah, there were many days where I went out there to start work on it early and just thought "stuff it!"... then walked back inside and probably ate junk food all day haha.
If it wasn't for my old man, and my mum for that matter, I probably still wouldn't have it finished. The old man worked on it almost every day while I was at work and mum pitched in a lot too.
Being a hands-on person helped, but after doing this, I'd really over cars :D I have another car at home I've had for years.. doing it up and driving it around. The amount of money I've wasted is just crazy.. and not that car just sits there collecting dust but I'm too scared to get rid of it! I just have to bite the bullet I think.

Thanks for the comments guys.

[89GQ]

Geez lucky you pulled up uninjured,and top job of rebuilding!

[Timbo]

Yeah I was pretty damn lucky I wasn't injured. Think I bumped my knee and had a sore neck, that was it.
I think I was more sore from trying to get the 35" claws off the car after I rolled it and tying to lug them up the near vertical hill lol.

[Johnno]

Great story to read and pics mate!

Thanks for sharing!

[JD64]

Well done on the rebuild, looks good!
Jim

[Nissan Kid]

Gee, Lucky you are okay. Great work with the rebuild!

[patch697]

You are a Man of my own heart........ NEVER SAY DIE....... Top effort, Top work & Top marks for the thread.

[timbar]

good read mate need to post some recent pics up would be good ???

[Finly Owner]

Wow, I would have rolled it back over using mates you were with and towed it home. Glad you were okay though. Lessson there, stay back from dust LOL

Tim

[nowoolies]

well done on not getting hurt and well done on the fantastic job of getting her back on the road mate
again well done

[Timbo]

I'll drum up some pics soon. I guess there's the pics and vids from our recent Vic meet up at Toolangi you could check out. I really need to re-do my members ride thread. I just haven't had time lately!

[Sir Roofy]

Hey timbo
hows it going mate another week or so for the next meet up
will catch up then

[Timbo]

Hey timbo
hows it going mate another week or so for the next meet up
will catch up then

Cannot wait mate.. missing my NP friends already haha.

[macca86]

good on you for fixing her up. Some days it just isn't worth getting out of bed by the sounds of it

[SammiGQ]

Wow you must have wanted to cry seeing it on it's roof like that :eek:
But it looks great coming back to life, and it'll look brand new in no time!

[rusty_nail]

good on ya for persisting mate, i bet your proud of her now, more so than before!!!

[BenB]

Wow, that's one massive effort!

[Big Nog]

what a prick of a day, should have stayed home by the sounds of it. I'm guessing that the moral of the story is to stay at the FRONT of the convoy

[Big Nog]

great job on the rebuild by the way, looks great