My first Patrol

[Jordo]

Hi all,

I thought I'd post a couple of pics of the new Patrol that I acquired from the dealer on Monday, after trading a 2005 Subaru Liberty 3.0R-B for it. Much happier now.

[wildgu6]

You gotta be happy with that Jordo after the suby. Nice work mate, nice rig and Congrats


Tappn the App Beers on Tap

[Jordo]

Thanks, I love it. It's a nice change from the uncomfortable Suby. I've wanted one ever since I was on my L's and spent 600 hours over two years learning to drive my dad's 2001 Patrol GU II ZD30. I couldn't be happier now. I am saving some money for some big mods to it from about 6 months from now.

[Bigrig]

Tis lurverly mate!! Nice trade in my thinking!

[Bloodyaussie]

Way to clean mate..... hand it over this way for the day and I will sort it for you!!!!

[PMC]

G'day Jordo,

Nice looking rig mate!

Regards,

RLI

[Jordo]

That might be an idea. I will need some ideas for what to do, thought I have been looking at some TJM and ARB mods, but between work and study, it will be some time before I get to it. :)

[AB]

Very nice mate, let the fun begin!!!!

[DX grunt]

Very nice.

My young fella is on L plates and learning to drive my troll ute. He loves it!

Take care out there.

Rossco

[Jordo]

They are probably one of the safest and easiest cars to drive on L's, and there's not much that's bigger, so once learning how to drive these, everything else is too easy due to being small.

[lorrieandjas]

Hi mate - nice looking ride! You're going to have a ball in it!

Jas

[Jordo]

Hi everyone,

I am just going to revive this thread for now, unless someone can help me put it where it should go.

I have picked out a small fortune in ARB mods for the car, and have looked at places such as TJM. Does anyone have suggestions about good shops to go to to buy the mods, and also places to stay away from. I have read a lot around the forum, but from my very little experience, it seems like ARB can be very expensive with some of their stuff?

The mods planned for the Troll are mainly standard stuff:
Front and rear lockers
Rear Kaymar bar
New bullbar so I can fit a 12,000lb WARN winch
Better driving lights (Narva HID or ARB Intensity lights at this stage)
Roof rack
UHF Radio and roof console
Dual batteries
Fridge
Black Widow drawer system
Side rails

Being relatively new to the forum and the modified 4WD world, I look forward to the great feedback from all the members here. The knowledge and reviews of gear on here is amazing.

Thanks for all the help.

Jordo

[Drewboyaus]

Hi Jordo,
Nice Truck!

Front and rear lockers
- I'd be looking at either TJM or Harrop.....generally aren't must haves though to get out and have fun, my GQ with some lift, good tyres and smart lines will go 95% of places you will want to IMO. Save your money for other things for now....

Rear Kaymar bar
-holy moly they are pricey. If you really need it then go with a Millweld one. Well built and a third of the price.

New bullbar so I can fit a 12,000lb WARN winch
-ARB for sure.....should be third on your list

Better driving lights (Narva HID or ARB Intensity lights at this stage)
-Buy a good set of IPF, Lightforce etc and upgrade to HID when ready.

Roof rack- Alloy. Search the forum, MudrunnerTD has some good info on alloy racks

UHF Radio and roof console
- UHF, must have. Roof console, nice to have.

Dual batteries
- Redarc or Pirahana

Fridge
-ARB

Black Widow drawer system
-Could make your own or buy second hand in my opinion. A few grand is a lot to pay when there are more important mods.

Side rails
-ARB

A couple you missed:
1. Most important IMO.....tyres. Buy the best you can....they're pretty much what will hold you on the hill. Micky Thompson's, BFG's, Coopers, all good choices, maybe Maxxis too, though I'm not as much of a fan.
2. Suspension. Nice 50mm lift for a bit of extra clearance and significantly improved on and off road behaviour.
OME, EFS, there are many good setups....we can all help out with info when the time is right.

Hope that helps....



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Drewboyaus]

In general in this addiction, you get what you pay for.....but there can be exceptions to this, particularly at the top end of the market.
A good example is the Kaymar bar....really nice bar, well built but worth 3 times more than a Millweld? Not for me it's not.....
At the other end though, You could pay half the price of an ARB winch bar and get a Tigerz or Powerfull 4x4 one.....but I wouldn't.
Ask plenty of questions around here and at 4wd shops when it comes to each and every purchase and you'll have an awesome rig to go anywhere, with the right bits built economically...
Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jordo]

Hi Drewboy,

Thanks heaps for the suggestions. That info has really helped to prioritise more than I already had… I need to win Tatts to get everything on my wishlist, but part of that is also the missing "Patience" gene that doesn't run in either side of my family. I don't want to wait. I just want to start building things ASAP. Haha.

I was reading your signature, and the things I'd be doing similar to your truck would be:
OME 2" lift (quoted $2,015 by ARB yesterday),
33" BFG KM2 tyres (read all about tyres on the forum this morning)
GME UHF radio

I'll definitely drop MudrunnerTD a PM later asking about roof racks.

It's good to know the lockers aren't high priority, as they are very expensive.

The fridge I will get from ARB. I was quoted $1,600 from them regarding a dual battery setup (without fitting) which included the Optima Blue Deep Cycle Battery, Redarc Smart Start Battery Charger and the rest of the gear. Is that a good price?

I've got what seem to be a half-decent set of IPF lights on the front of the truck at the moment, but I'll definitely be saving for some HID later. Is it possible to order road legal HID headlights for the truck as well, as I've heard that the HID conversion kits are not ADR approved, and I'm not excited about being on the bad side of the law.

Thanks again for your assistance. I will definitely have more questions for you soon. I'm just working out the priorities and trying to get the finances up to start the project.

The car is running very well, but compared to some I was reading about here this morning, the fuel economy seems to be a little higher than others. It could be that I am heavy on the pedal, but I try to change around the 2,000 - 2,500 rpm mark and generally drive pretty slow. Most of the driving has been around town at this stage and I calculated about 14L/100km. It's a 2010 ST with just over 100,000 kms on it. It's got 275/65/R17 Nankang FT-7 tyres on it, which I am still not sure about, but I've only done about 1,000kms in the car since I've had it, so time will tell.

[Drewboyaus]

Yeah, I'm not sure about those tyres either....
I had an ok set of duellers on mine and they were the first thing I did (mine was pretty much stock as a rock when I bought it). Sold the tyres I pulled off on eBay for a few hundred (paid for one of my BFG's!) LOL but it all counts. Think about the main type of driving you're going to do and base your AT-MT decision on that. Mines a play truck not my daily drive so I never have to worry about if it will be a pug to drive in traffic.
Go to a few other places like Opposite lock or TJM or Guests and get some more suspension setups and pricing....ARB should be able to do better than what they quoted you I reckon. A mate who is a mechanic did mine in his garage and bought the bits at trade from ARB so mine cost about half your quote.
The price for the dual battery setup is OTT in my opinion. I bought all the bits for mine for about three hundred and installed it myself....did a better job than the ARB guys would ever have done too.
One of the best bits about playing with my toy is the ability to do things myself, hunt out bargains on eBay/Gumtree (eg: my drawer and fridge slide system cost me $240 from a bloke at Yarra glen via eBay) and have the satisfaction of doing it your way.
As example you could grab a secondhand Engel fridge on eBay, that'll save you $300-$400...
As you say, patience is what's required and you'll save a bucketload.
Think about what sort of off road adventures you want to have and build it to suit.
Cheers,
Drew


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jordo]

Hi Drew,

Thanks again for the hints and tips. I've not heard of Guests before, so I will definitely check them out. I am just waiting on quotes from Opposite Lock and TJM, but thankfully I live close to a TJM place, so I might even take the car to them when I get another day off work shortly and see what they can do for me as well. Both the dual battery setup and the Suspension setup from ARB seemed abnormally expensive, especially as the dual battery setup in my dad's Patrol didn't cost half that much. I will also get some other quotes on that before I go ahead with anything and see what comes of it.

My favourite thing about the Patrol is that it can be so heavily modified so easily, and it can be some serious fun being able to do it. I'm sort of following in my dad's footsteps, as he has done some good custom work on his car, as well as a mix of Black Widow, ARB and other companies gear as well.

I will do some research and I will keep you updated on how I go. I'd also be happy to get some of the guys from the forum to help, or get them to do the work and pay them rather than pay one of the bigger companies instead, if there is anyone interested in helping me do some of the work on the car.

Jordan

[Lonicus]

For headlight upgrade have a look at what Mick is doing. Link (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?12691-HID-Projector-headlamp-kits-to-suit-GQ-and-GUs) to his post in the Vendor section

[DX grunt]

Hey Jordo. Nice truck.

If I could get 14L/100km around town, or at any time, I'd be happy.

Take care out there.

Rossco

[Jordo]

Thanks Lonicus. I called him yesterday, and we are getting something organised.

I hope you had a great New Years.

[Jordo]

I've been very quiet recently, but issues at work have been preventing me from doing a lot of what I have wanted to do. The good news is that I've just ordered a set of the bi-xenon lights for the truck from Mick, and am working on getting a set of X-Ray Vision 220 HID lights as well for the next mod. From there, I'm going to work on getting a roof rack, roof top tent, then bullbar and winch.

I will work out what to do after those few. It looks like I'll either need to win the lottery or work until I'm 95 yet to be able to afford everything. I'm getting more excited about it now.

I will order a couple of the NissanPatrol.com.au stickers as well, as the car is very boring without anything decent on it.

[Dragon]

Great truck, is it still all nice n shiny now, lol

[Drewboyaus]

and am working on getting a set of X-Ray Vision 220 HID lights as well for the next mod

Man they are pricey! I bought a set of IPF 900S spots from eBay for $120 (they have a really nice reflector) and installed an $80 HID upgrade kit myself. More lighting power than I'll ever need for 200 bucks.
There's $800 left in the bank for your tent/bar/whatever......
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2013/01/117.jpg

[Jordo]

After having the car for three months and basically having not done much with it, except for feeding it a lot of diesel, I finally upgraded the driving lights. My cousin works for Narva and I got a set of the 225 HID series lights really cheap. They are fantasic. The next mod is a TJM Secondary Battery from the team at Gisborne. They are much better to deal with than anyone at ARB, and generally better prices. I am just waiting on the lights from Mick's Retrofits to come back assembled (because I have zero ability in that field), and then I will have a new set of nice Xenon headlights too. So excited.

[Jordo]

Finally I've had the time to get the HID headlights rigged up and put the car back together after a few weeks off the road. Here are some pics.

TJM Dual battery system is next.

[cgm]

Looks good mate! Pretty nice Patrol to start with. Good to see you have plans and working away at them a bit at a time. Keep sharing the pics as you go.

tapatalk on galaxy note

[Jordo]

Thanks cgm. It's a pretty nice car to drive given it's only 2.5 years old and done 115,000kms, but I don't think it's ever been off-road (at least not while I've had it) yet...but after moving house this weekend and saving a bit of money, the mods will be coming more frequently thankfully, and I will be able to take it out bush. Planning on a Cape York trip in two years time...so I want to have the major bits done before then.

[kingrat427]

that look great,mine is also white, are thay factory rims,as they look good,,

[Jordo]

Hi King

Sorry for the extreme delay in replying. They are the factory rims. I just boight a 6th brand new alloy off eBay for $250, which I get later today to go with the 33" BFG KM2 tyres. I like the factory alloys, even though I was considering changing.

[Jordo]

Hi everyone,

It has been a quiet time the last few months for me. The orojector retrofit from Mick's failed miserably due to Australia Post destroying them in transit. I will be trying a second time, but will be taking the car to Mick this time. Running standard halogen lights for now.

I fitted a TJM independent battery system. Had some issues with main battery, but could not get the system to start from aux battepry. Running two deep cycle batteries now, which may solve the problem. I bought a Waeco 106l fridge and transit bag from a 4x4 show, bought and fitted electric brakes. Will fit fridge after soms other mods.

As above, getting 33s today. Suspenion, roof top tent and drawers are not far away either. Need exhaust soon as the cat converter is leaking. Still a big list, but enjoying the project.

[Jordo]

I am planning for a Cape trip around August or September for about 6 weeks next year. I am pretty excited. I have been playing around a git in Wombat the last few weekends. Have a few weeks off work over Xmas so will play in the Alpine region too at times.

The next mods after suspension, drawers and roof top tent from TJM are an ARB bullbar and Runva winch, as well as Raslarr rear bar with twin tyre carriers. I will post more pics soon.

[Jordo]

Recent update... Been out on tracks a lot recently. Having lots of fun. I recently put a set of 33" KM2s on it, which I love. Also a Black Widow Alloy tent rack and TJM Yulara tent. Only problem is that I had a minor problem while on a track on Tuesday. I drowned the Troll in muddy water. It sat there for about 2.5 hours before my dad's old Patrol rescued me out.

Some pics are below

[Jordo]

Here are the pics... The car is being assessed by insurers. I will see on Monday if it is a total loss or not.

[threedogs]

IMO avoid bog holes like the plague. they will cost you big time now your nice Patrol is ruined
well not ruined but will need heaps to brig it back. My advice to you would be join a club,
especially if you plan on doing Cape York as Help may be days a way and cost a fortune.
Next time grab a mate when 4x4ing or I think there are ppl here you can contact AH if you're stuck.
Steep learning curve.

Did you air down your tyre pressures?

[Drewboyaus]

I shouldn't laugh.......but I will....Hahahaha.
Kinda funny when you open the door after doing that and a torrent of water flows out.
Been there done that one (I think there's even a video of it on here somewhere)! Ended up stripping the interior completely, pressure washing everything to get the mud out, 2 or 3 days to let everything dry out properly (plenty of hours with the doors open and heater running too). Took about 2 weeks from start to finish.
Would I do it again.......hmmmmmm........maybe!
As Threedogs wisely suggested though, always best to go with another car that can pull you out or help recover.
I doubt they'll write it off. Make sure you park it on an angle (nose in the air) to get all the water running out from inside the doors etc.
Well and truly christened her now mate. Good job!
In all honesty, most bog holes these days are almost impossible to drive on anything but 35inch tyres. Most you will diff-out on.

[Jordo]

Hey guys,

I laugh about it as well now, and my parents were laughing as they came to rescue me. They didn't write it off, but it's in getting repairs on it now... Hopefully be ready in a few weeks.

It was actually a detour, so it wasn't initially a track I was going to go down. I usually stay clear of mud, but I thought I'd give this one a shot. Not a great idea, but it was still a great experience and turned out pretty good. The car is getting half the interior replaced, most of the panels and a new paint job... Can't complain about that.

I didn't air down on this occasion, as I was only on some basic tracks otherwise, but I'm yet to get an air compressor and the gear to allow me to do so next time I go out on the tracks. I was going to take my old man out with me, but he was working that day. It's definitely been christened now. I can't wait to get her back and do some good camping, etc and take her out on to some more rough stuff. I did get made redundant from work though, so the mods have stopped until I get employment sorted. Cape York and trips resembling anything more than "up the road" are also off for this year.

[Jordo]

Hi all,

Just another general query. Does anyone know where to find someone close to the Melbourne area who resprays Patrols. I am just curious about cost for mine, but my dad's Patrol could really do with one and I'm considering it for a present for him.

Thanks for your help.