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Having just bought a Patrol MQ, I thought I'd start a restoration thread as I intend to do some work on it to get it back on the road and I reckon I'll have lots of questions too. Firstly lets start with a few photos!
Last edited by boggy2006; 6th November 2011 at 10:35 PM.
it's a 1981 3.3 turbo diesel, 5 speed manual, front and rear detroit lockers, rock crawler low range gear box, 12000lb winch, cargo barrier, lots of spares including an intercooler to be added in the future. 3" body lift, to be removed in the future after I've cleaned up underneath and repainted the floor and chassis
....and now for the questions!!
1) The Patrol looks like it's on its 3rd (and possibly best) engine as there's a LPG plate on the bulkhead (presumably for a previous petrol engine) and the last owner had it registered with a non-turbo diesel engine (registration cancelled now), the current one being a turbo. Is this going to be a problem when I come to start a new registration on it, as it's not been registered with this engine before?
2) The seats in it look too nice (and comfortable) to be the originals. Could this be a problem for the roadworthy and will I need to get them engineered? If so, is this difficult and would it be better to get an original pair instead? Do GQ seats fit directly or would they also have to be engineered?
3) The suspension is sagged a bit on the drivers side. Could this be responsible for it pulling to the left, or is that down to wheel alignment - if so, I presume the tie rod is the only adjustable thing. Also, it pulls to the left on acceleration, I've read that this could be due to the detroit locker locking up on the rear, does anyone have experience of this?
4) The sills have got (black) checker plate riveted on over them, but I can just see that they've taken a few wacks in their time and are a bit dented underneath. Will they want to check under the plating for the roadworthy and are dents allowed?
Thanks!
Last edited by boggy2006; 6th November 2011 at 07:45 PM.
1) The engine shouldn't be a problem as it was a factory option in that model. You will need to let the RTA know the new engine number so they can update their records.
2) Those seats will need to be engineered. Not sure about fitting GQ seats.
3) Pulling left could be worn steering components, caster (wheel alignment) or tyres. It could be related to the sagged suspension but unlikely.
Pulling left on accel could be a lot of things, check all the suspension components for wear.
4) Dents are OK but the checker plate may be hiding structural rust which is not OK.
1) remove all the mud from body/chassis/wheel arches - done about 3/4 of this so far and I'm amazed how good the chassis, outriggers and bodywork are for a 30 year old vehicle. Barely any rust on the chassis, despite its hard life. Inner sills seem fine. A few small holes in the rear wheel arches where the mud has gathered, but nothing too bad yet. Much better than many younger cars I've worked on in the past.
2) remove the checker plate and rubber wheel arch extenders to see what they're hiding, clean up and fix up what ever is underneath.
3) Thoroughly clean the underbody and chassis and repaint.
4) remove the carpet and boot lining to check for any damp/rot. Possibly leave carpet out as it's mainly going to be used off road.
5) think what to do about seats!
6 to 1000) .....to follow
The engine is sweet as! Many less strange noises than my 2002 Falcon, and that's a petrol! Is the pull knob normal to stop it? Very quaint!
Last edited by boggy2006; 6th November 2011 at 08:27 PM.
HELL NO !!!!!!
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