GQ Roll Over

Hey all,

Unfortunately the unthinkable has happened to me! While taking a relaxing drive up a dirt track, I slipped a wheel off the edge in a slushy clay section, and rolled-over down the hill. The roll-over was quite slow as there was thick scrub. The heavy hauler recovery was expensive - it was the only recovery vehicle that wasn't dragged across the mud while winching. I have the GQ back home now. Worst thing -- it was only 3rd party insurance! Unfortunately for me, I had just spent a bucket of money reco'ing the engine and hadn't got around to upgrading the insurance.

Damage List:
- 1 rear door
- 1 f/r quarter panel
- windscreen
- roof panel damage

I managed to pop the roof back out with a few select kicks. The door and quarter panel are easily replicable. The snorkel straightened up perfectly with the use of the heat-gun. No damage to the driveline, wheels, engine etc. All the doors open/close perfectly.

I have a problem with the front window frame. There are no creases around the window frame, but when I did a diagonal measurement across the window frame, there was a 20mm difference. It's not visible by eye, but I'm guessing that a new window will not fit unless this is corrected. Question: Can the roof be repaired? Can a repair shop cut off the roof and replace it? Any ideas of cost?

It is (was) a nice vehicle and would be a shame to see it parted out...

Hey mate, very sorry to hear about your bad luck.

Bugger!

Yes i reckon a decent panel shop would sort that out for you pretty easy. a select placement of the portapower and Bob's your Aunty. Go and get a couple of prices and tell them that it is cash and not insurance.

Good luck mate

Sorry about your rig mate can happen to the best
have to be on the ball all the time

Sorry to hear about the incident and hope the truck and you get back out on the dirt soon

Sorry to hear that mate, just about anything can be fixed tho, i suggest you remove all the inside trims above the door line (if you have not already), that way you can inspect for hidden damage.

Is the roof skin/gutters really bad so the roof needs to be replaced, or does it just need the pillars to be re-alined back to factory spec?, i would avoid "replacing" the roof if you can as it a pretty big job.




While i would normally only suggest a panel shop to do any repairs "correctly", it does sound like you a pretty switched on with what you have explained already.


You may be able to use a bottle jack and a strong length of wood, placed in a diagonal configuration from the floor corner (with wood to spread load), up to the opposite side "A" pillar/roof structure, sort of like your own makeshift portapower.

Id suggest you measure diagonals on "all" pillars front to back to make sure they are not all slightly out , you need to work out whats bent "before" pushing, then you you know exactly where to push and what to measure to make sure she's back into the right shape.


20mm is not to much, but you need to make sure no spot welds have or do pop, and nothing is creased that should be straight etc, anthing like this will need to be fixed so the roof retains its full strength.

A lot easier to repair with new panels if you can find them.
I seen a roof and gutter brand new on ebay a few months back for a gq.

Sorry to hear that mate, at least everyone is ok. Let us know how you get along too and what you decide to do....

Thanks guys for all your support.

Thanks 04OFF, your article was the first one that I read through after my roll-over. Thanks for sharing your experience. Regarding the bottle-jack, I had a similar idea, but to use a chain block/tackle to pull the roof to alignment. Its approx 20mm difference, therefore 10mm per dimension. Its not even visible by eye. I have done a number of cross-measurements around the vehicle and rest appears to be okay. There are no creases, so I hope that it will straighten without too much effort. If I can get a window back in, it will give me the flexibility to obtain a few repair quotes. I would have liked to do the the repair myself, but I just don't have the space/tools/time to do the body repair (I specialise more in the autoelectrical/mechanical work). Unfortunately it was only 3rd party insurance, so all repairs will be self funded.

I wonder if this is a good opportunity to look at a dual-cab conversion? Does anyone know approx costs for this? Do you know any workshops in Melbourne that can quote on the works?

It sounds like it was scary costly roll over. Thankfully you sound like you came through unscaved. The patrol sounds like you'll keep it alive too. Best luck, and safe wheelin when you're back on the tracks.



Tim

The best part is that no one was hurt mate, hope that you get the Patrol back off road soon.