Fix? Or scrap and buy new?

[chewindust]

Hi guys,
it's been a long while since I have put anything up here. I have a bit of a dilemma and would appreciate everyones views. I have a GU ZD30 and have owned it for about 6 or so years. I have done a bit of work to it with general repairs and maintenance as well as slowly getting ready to do some decent camping with. Unfortunately the motor was a grenade and and the head cracked and starting leaking coolant into the cylinders. My options are to replace the motor with either the same motor or upgrade the motor to a td42 (provided I can actually find a reco engine, I have absolutely no idea where to even look for a reco motor). Or I can scrap it and sell it for parts and buy another car. If I buy another car it will probably be completely different and not a Nissan at all. At this point in time I am leaning towards a new car. What are everyones thoughts?

[mudnut]

There was a bloke in Melbourne doing recos. 0400 033 377 I don't know if he's still doing it. Freight to QL might be too high, but Readies of Bendigo sometimes have good ZD's that are taken out for conversions to the TD42.

[MB]

Personally, if I lived somewhere in lower QLD near some legally accessible beaches/driveable islands and had an emotional attachment to my current GU tight/best drivetrain would consider an LS1 petrol conversion for near the same price professionally converted as a TD4.2 variant + HP truly needed beach mods.
Decent old faithful pre-2006/7 replacement 4.2 donks are becoming too rare yet would personally pay the price for torquey mountain adventures or long reliable outback needs if required?


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[Cuppa]

Depends how much you like your Patrol (other than it’s motor). I’m lucky in that mine has a TD42 motor, but that aside, having owned it for almost 10 years, & toured in it for the past 3, I’d have to say that it’s a car I love. It is so capable off road, still feels solid as a rock after lots of outback kilometres & I trust it. At 230k it’s not even middle aged yet. With the TD42i it is no race car, but with it’s 3” exhaust & a modest tune it is a pleasure to drive. Every time I hop out of the newer dual cab Hilux here & get back into the Patrol the sense of solid-ness feels luxurious (even though it’s a leaf spring DX). It’s not perfect but is pretty damn good.