Majestic's TD42 89 GQ

[Majestic]

Hey all, thought it was about time I made a thread about my Patrol. She is a 1989 ST Diesel 4.2 that I bought just over a year ago for a solid $5000. It had 420K on the clock it's now 431K. A bit of rust that I will be getting looked at hopefully next year, living in the country and away from the beach where I bought her it hasn't gotten any worse.

Being on a tight budget I haven't done much to her, done the services, had a new radiator and new front brakes (disks and pads) put in. Just got new 15x8 rims and new 33" tyres on her. UHF installed a while back as well as my old CD/MP3 player from my old Feroza. That is on it's way out so I'll be getting a new one probably next year sometime. A new steering wheel thanks to Warnie (from this site) which replaced my scorched one that came with the truck.

Plans for next year include a new copper radiator (I hate the aluminium one I got, needed it in a hurry so got what I could), engine rebuild, a 2 inch lift, snorkel, light bar to replace the spotties, pulling the bullbar off and giving it a sand back and paint, will replace it at a later date with a winch one and probably a few other things that I can't think off off the top of my head at the moment.

Plans for the weekend include an oil change and new DLR lights installed.

Some photos of the GQ:

Old Tyres and Rims: *With mismatched tyres.*
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New Tyres and Rims: *Note front mud flaps have been removed since this photo was taken.*
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UHF Install: *Being a non-smoker I don't need an ash tray.*
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Some Bling: *A dig at those Toyota and Mebitsrmissing drivers is always fun*
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The Original Steering Wheel: *Sun roasted and then some.*
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I'll post some more up after I do the DLR lights install this weekend.

[Stropp]

thats a good price for a td42, looks good mate, thanks for sharing.

[Moozle2000]

Nice Rig!
LOVE the stickers haha!

[Majestic]

Thanks guys, yeah the stickers add that little bit of character to it.

I was happy with the price, it's rare to find that at that price, not unheard off seen a few since I bought this one.

[Bigcol]

snip.....

Plans for next year include a new copper radiator (I hate the aluminium one I got, needed it in a hurry so got what I could),
engine rebuild,




go for the original Radiator - after I replaced mine (from Natrad about $250.00 a few years ago now though) it never even thought of getting hot while towing my Van

dont be in a hurry to re-build the engine yet
my Bro-in-laws has 550K on the engine, and he is now thinking of whacking a turbo on it - for more grunt to tow HIS van........

431K.......????? only just run in mate...............

[Bigcol]

if the engine is blowing black smoke or hard to start......
start at the beginning..
replace Glow plugs
then Injectors

if its not having them problems.......... you will be ok

[Majestic]

go for the original Radiator - after I replaced mine (from Natrad about $250.00 a few years ago now though) it never even thought of getting hot while towing my Van

Yeah I plan to go back to the original copper one, not liking the aluminium one, just the other day it was at half and it was only like 37 degrees outside. I paid $550 for the heavy duty aluminium one and it's worse than my corroded old copper one.


dont be in a hurry to re-build the engine yet
my Bro-in-laws has 550K on the engine, and he is now thinking of whacking a turbo on it - for more grunt to tow HIS van........

431K.......????? only just run in mate...............

I heard at about 500K they should looked at getting rebuilt.


if the engine is blowing black smoke or hard to start......
start at the beginning..
replace Glow plugs
then Injectors

if its not having them problems.......... you will be ok

She blows a little black smoke (mainly just up hill) but that is due to needing a injector and pump calibration, plus most diesel's blow a little going up hill from what I have heard. Pretty new to diesels, this is my first one. The calibration was something I was holding off on until the rebuild, saves me having to do it twice. She used to blow a heap of smoke but some injector cleaner solved that. I don't think the previous owners looked after her as much as they claimed. I am slowly fixing her up.

[Bigcol]

[QUOTE] I heard at about 500K they should looked at getting rebuilt. [Quote]

they are good for a million if looked after........

when you have the spare coin, take it to a Diesel Injection place.......(dont know whats over there to recommend)

get them to run it up on the dyno - and they will tell you whats needed and when..... if they are any good

if you were in Wait Awhile (WA) I would suggest United Fuel Injection.........

so someone like that would be your first point of call......

[Majestic]

when you have the spare coin, take it to a Diesel Injection place.......(dont know whats over there to recommend)

get them to run it up on the dyno - and they will tell you whats needed and when..... if they are any good

if you were in Wait Awhile (WA) I would suggest United Fuel Injection.........

so someone like that would be your first point of call......

Thanks I'll look into doing that before I commit to a re-build. I think at the bare minimum she needs her head taken off and a good solid clean out as when I do my oil changes I flush her with the Nulon Engine Oil Flush and after it's all done and the new oil and filters are on her oil is still black.

[pasbogdan]

Seen first pic and taught you need wheels.You got them:) Are you radio amateur?You need to be licenced also in your country?
Regards,

[MonsterGQ]

Nice car mate, good luck with the motor

[Majestic]

Seen first pic and taught you need wheels.You got them:) Are you radio amateur?You need to be licenced also in your country?
Regards,

Yeah wanted new tyres since I bought her, took a long trip recently and they worked great. Very happy with them.

If I am understanding you right, you don't need a licence to install and use a UHF here. There are however certain channels that are illegal to talk one such as the Emergency Channels, Police Channel etc.


Nice car mate, good luck with the motor

Thanks mate. :D

[Majestic]

It's been a while.

Back before Christmas I changed over the mud-flaps on the rear. The old ones were toast, one of the brackets were completely rusted out only with the mud flpag holding on with only a couple of screws. Not wanting to fork out nearly $100 each for genuine Nissan mud flaps I did a little DIY job and bought some cheap generics off Ebay. I made up a new left hand side bracket and using the original right one with some clean up I have some new rear flaps. I also removed the front ones but have yet to decided weather to get another set for the front or not. If I don't I'll have to trim the front flare back to make it legal.

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Also on the weekend I headed up to Newcastle for my Nephew's 1st birthday and spoke to my brother in law about the GQ, he has a 4.2 Petrol GQ (previously owned a GQ 4.2 Diesel, 3.3 Turbo MK Diesel and is looking at a new 4.2 Turbo GQ Diesel). He checked it out and on the 28th I am heading back down to get her up to spec. She needs new suspension (doing a 2 inch lift), all new bushes as many of them are worn out, rebuilding the hubs as they are worn out and the bearing in the rear diff is flogged out so rebuilding that as well. Also while we are at it, all new wheel bearings. Other than that she is good and will be fully mechanically sound by March ready for a trip up to the Gold Coast at Easter.

Also the wife bought me a new sticker for the window. She felt it was right for the Patrol.

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And the brother in law bought this for me for Christmas.

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I tell you want, I am running out of window space. lol

[Majestic]

So I got the last parcel for my suspension lift today. I got a set of springs (heavy duty) and the shockies the other day and AustPost decided to spit up the 3 box package and I got the last parcel today. So I am all set for my lift next weekend.

[Majestic]

Today I finally received the last parts for the Patrol, the wheel bearings so I am all set for the weekend. I am really looking forward to getting all the work done on her, Friday can't come soon enough.

I also got the last of two mirrors I ordered for the Patrol today. I saw this particular mod on another Patrol site and loved the idea. A bit pricey but defiantly worth it. The mirrors are from a Toyota Cruiser, yes they are good for something, and work extremely well on the GQ Patrol. I got the passengers side for a steal at $80 however the drivers cost me almost $170. The vision is massively improved as they sit further out from the door and are also taller giving more vision.

New mirrors compared to the old mirrors:
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With standard GQ mirrors:
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With the new mirrors:
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What I found after removing the original mirrors. Might be worth taking them off every now and then and give it a clean.
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After I cleaned them, that's much better.
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I also after taking these photo's decided to take off the roof racks. The bolts on them were rusty and it had poor rubber and I wanted to see if they were hiding any rust. Well whoever put them on used the bolts one uses to bolt wooden sleepers together for garden beds, retaining walls etc. They were rusted so bad I snapped a few and had to cut the others with a grinder. Got them off eventually and thankfully no rust other than what I already knew was up there in the gutters. I might clean up the roof racks, get new bolts and rubber for them and either put them back up until I get my mesh roof basket rack or sell them on ebay.

[Punderhead]

Mate this is looking like it's gunna be a well setup rig. Have fun with it! After the lift what's next on the list??

[Majestic]

Mate this is looking like it's gunna be a well setup rig. Have fun with it! After the lift what's next on the list??

Thanks mate, I have to do some rust work, some cutting and welding some just sanding back and repainting. After that probably the snorkel, a decent light bar, new bullbar and winch, rear bar. I have a fair bit planned for her. :D

[Majestic]

Well I am back from my trip to Newcastle. All the work has been done. The bushes were still the originals, with the metal castings and were that flogged out that some required almost no pressure to come out, some were splitting that bad that they practically fell out.

The front end got the hubs rebuilt and new wheel bearings. We didn't end up replacing the rear wheel bearings as they were still in very good condition, clearly they had been replaced by the previous owner. The rear diff rebuild was the hardest, and it slowed us down as we had trouble getting the pinion bearing off. We spent all Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning trying to hunt a bearing splitter down with no luck. About Midday Sunday we did get it off using a hammer and chissel. After that it was smooth sailing and we got it and everything went back together. The truck looks great with the 2" suspension lift as well.

We also decided to get rid of the sway bars, I needed extensions for the rear one which I didn't have and I never used them in the first place, just another thing to go wrong. The brother-in-law does the same. So they are gone got a little bit more body roll on road but nothing to really complain about.

On the trip home she had a lot more grunt I made the 3 and 1/2 hour trip in 3 hours. So very happy with that.

The brother-in-law also scored me a new back barn door, as mine has rust in it around the window. It's white so makes it easier to paint. I'll need to find some time next week to sand it back and undercoat it ready for a repaint.

[Majestic]

Some images of her raised and some with the new springs and bushes.

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Next on the list, rust removable, snorkel, lightbar and a new UHF antenna. After that it will be a new bullbar (winch support) a winch, roof cage rack and a new rear bar.

[Warehouseno27]

I saw this particular mod on another Patrol site and loved the idea.

:bananarock:

Easily one of the best mods/changes I've made. Thanks for all the photo's, looks great!

ps - will copy that thread and post it on this forum - HERE (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?32530-GQ-DX-Mirror-Replacement). :smiley_thumbs_up:

[Majestic]

:bananarock:

Easily one of the best mods/changes I've made. Thanks for all the photo's, looks great!

ps - will copy that thread and post it on this forum - HERE (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?32530-GQ-DX-Mirror-Replacement). :smiley_thumbs_up:


It's a great mod and the improved vision is amazing, thanks for originally posting it. I loved the idea and took me a while to find both mirrors available at the same time, often I either didn't have the money for them and when I did only 1 was available.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants more vision from the side mirrors.

[garett]

wow there is carpet inside it ... mine is vinyl

[Majestic]

Yeah my old Mav (88 model) also had carpet as does my brother in-law's GQ and his old GQ as well. One of my plans is to later re-carpet or vinyl her, though that is sometime off. It will cost about $500 to do the entire LWB.

[garett]

I like the vinyl for the ease of cleaning, think the carpet would be quieter but thats why i've got a radio :P

[Majestic]

Yeah I like that about Vinyl as well, plus if water gets into the truck it won't sell like wet dog for weeks on end. I am thinking when I do reline the interior putting some sound dampening in to help reduce road noise.

[garett]

i'm lookin at doin body Schultz underneath. it does dampen the noise a bit. but i'm mostly lookin at it as rust prevention

[Majestic]

Yeah rust prevention is a conern for me as well. Considering she has a bit of body rust I need to get rid of in a few months time.

[Majestic]

Got new injectors on the weekend, the old ones were rooted. They were still the originals and only 3 of them were actually working. They were so clogged up it wasn't funny. She drives a lot better now, more grunt and speed. Discovered she also needs a new master cylinder pretty soon and a few other odds and ends.

Original injector
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[Warehouseno27]

Got new injectors on the weekend, the old ones were rooted.

Where from, type/brand & how much? Something I am looking at replacing soon..

[ako89]

did you notice it starts better with new injectors ?

[ako89]

and what was the top end of the injector like. the bottom really only shows you the unburnt fuel in the head. they all look like that .

[Majestic]

Where from, type/brand & how much? Something I am looking at replacing soon..

So far I am extremely happy with them. They're from ebay I got them for AU $460.00 (well $475.00 as I wanted express postage so they would get here in time. Came a day or two earlier than stated).

Here's the link: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/141558789447?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT




did you notice it starts better with new injectors ?

Yeah she does start a little easier, tbh she started pretty good before but I have noticed a slight increase in performance there as well. My glow plugs still seem to be in pretty good nick surprisingly.


and what was the top end of the injector like. the bottom really only shows you the unburnt fuel in the head. they all look like that .

Here you go:

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[Majestic]

Well it's been a while since I posted here. A lot has changed. The most notable one is I moved, because I found out the woman (I use the term loosely like she is) I married was cheating on me. I caught the whore and told her where to go, so the old ball and chain is gone, which means I am happier and the truck gets more spent on her. :D

Before we split I got a new lightbar, seriously these things are awesome and really light up the road.

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A month back I bought and installed a new rear pan hard rod. I needed the adjustable one as the lift had pushed my rear diff out a little. I also got all new locks and ignition barrel installed. Mainly because I was sick of climbing over the seats to unlock the barn door and with the ex gone there was no need for central locking.

I also fairly recently got installed a new USB plug so no more messing around with those cig lighter adapators. It's a double one and does a fantastic job charging my phone.

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Also I got a drink holder installed, for $40 off Ebay I couldn't go wrong and with only 2 screws needed to install it, it was well worth it.

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I got the 2 main engine seals (she is leaking a fair bit), a new clutch, front tie rod ends and drag link going in very soon as well, got all the parts ready to go. After that it will be onto the rust. I can see the end in sight, and then the fun begins with the snorkel the first on the list. :D

[OLY]

looks the goods man!! i must say i agree with the cup holder mod, first thing i did when i got my GQ. I opted for the aftermarket larger diameter ones though, $40 well spent.
are you going to do the clutch yourself?

[Majestic]

looks the goods man!! i must say i agree with the cup holder mod, first thing i did when i got my GQ. I opted for the aftermarket larger diameter ones though, $40 well spent.
are you going to do the clutch yourself?

Thanks mate.

Yeah we are doing the lot ourselves. Saves a lot of coin.

Got the clutch kit for $380 which is an awesome price.

We did the suspension lift, diff rebuilds, the replacement of bushes, new diesel injectors etc all ourselves as well.

[Majestic]

Did some odd jobs on the truck yesterday.

Filled the old clock hole up, I made a plastic cap using the clock housing as a rough guide. Lets face it, GQ's with clocks that work are pretty much a myth these days. I don't know if I'll ever use the spot/hole for something else, but for now I decided to cover it up to make it look neater and due to it annoying me. It's not perfect but it does the job for now.

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I also decided to buy a second mic for my UHF so I can take advantage of the rear mic slot. I also bought an extension lead, so now if the passenger needs to use the UHF I won't have the cord interfering with the gear stick.

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[garett]

nice might have to ditch the ash tray for a cb too. and yes my clock does work :P my seat box will have usb and cig lighter sockets and cup holders when i get it finished

[Majestic]

nice might have to ditch the ash tray for a cb too. and yes my clock does work :P my seat box will have usb and cig lighter sockets and cup holders when i get it finished

If you do go the UHF route with the ash tray make sure you get the smallest one possible. I have the GME 3520S model, it has a separate head unit. The main unit is down near the sway bar release leaver. Considering I am not a smoker it make sense to get rid of the ash tray, that and the ex used to raid my Patrol for all the loose change that I used to store in the ash tray.

I am keeping a watch on your thread to see how this seat box goes, and your rear bar too. ;)

[Majestic]

Well after about 5 days the Patrol is back on the road. We started Friday afternoon and pulled the Patrol apart to get the flywheel off so it could be put in to be machined. Got that back on Saturday morning so the real work could begin.

She now has all new main engine seals, the old ones were stuffed. A new heavy duty clutch was also installed.
We discovered that the handbrake shoes were stuffed, and the drum was beyond recovery so off to the wreckers we went to get a good second hand one. New shoes were also installed obviously.
Also managed to pick up a cheap set of extractors so they went on as well.
Full service as well as a repair to the radiator were also part of the work.

So it's all good now, she runs a lot better, she is back on the road and yesterday afternoon I gave her a complete wash.

We discovered that even with 440K on the clock she was still running the original clutch and handbrake shoes. I've started to call her a classic as it was clear the previous owners who had the truck for over 10 years never did a thing to it at all. Diesel in the tank and oil in the engine seems to be the sum of what they did to her.

[garett]

mine is pretty much the same , oils and filters i know things like starter motors and power steering pumps were changed but no clutch or pump work not even a rocker cover gasket, in the last 20 odd years ...

[Majestic]

mine is pretty much the same , oils and filters i know things like starter motors and power steering pumps were changed but no clutch or pump work not even a rocker cover gasket, in the last 20 odd years ...

Water pump seems to be the only new part that was done to mine by the previous owners, the rest were all stock until I started to replace them late last year.

I'm just looking forward to getting all the work done on her. A new clutch fan and radiator are next on the list. While I did get a replacement radiator in a rush last year, the mechanic got me an aluminium one which sucks. It doesn't keep the engine as cool as the older copper one. I'm going back to copper, been on the cards for a while. The clutch fan is almost gone so I'm able to get a new one with the plastic fan and a water pump for $160 which is a great buy. :biggrin:

[Majestic]

It's been a while. Done a bit since I was last here.

Most notable are new seats in the GQ, my original drivers GQ seat was totally stuffed. I am planning on turning the passenger one into a computer chair lol.

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New volt meter, steering wheel, usb port and antenna booster have also been installed.

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All new engine mounts were installed as the originals were fairly flogged out. Plus all new steering including a RTC steering dampner.

I also finally took her off-roading to see how she goes.

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Had a lot of fun.

[garett]

nice job on fixin her up and gettin a little dirt on it

[ranger gus]

Good luck with all the mods mate. Love the look of older Patrols.