What to look for when buying a GQ Patrol

G'day.

Im looking at purchasing a GQ once i sell my other car and was just wondering what common problems to look for and any helpful advice on what to look for.

Cheers

Depending on what motor you get, not many probs with them! Well none that arnt repairable. Check normal stuff like brakes etc. Service history is good to know! Rust!! like any car with age, my 89 is starting to show a little in the roof gutter,Iv'e slowly replaced worn parts like suspension bushes,springs,clutch at 200.000 ks,Mines a TD42 so engine wise its great, no sign of major wear at 300 thousand, All round iv'e been wraped with mine, had it from new and never want to let it go. Good Luck, and welcome to the forum. Theres alot of great info on here.

Rust-check roof gutters, wheel arches, rear quarter panels and rear sliding window frames, they're the most common spots.

Door hinges-check to see if the doors drop when you open them indicating worn hinges.

Gearboxes-check for whining or clunking noises on road test. The top seal on the gearboxes around the main gear lever can split allowing dirt, dust, water etc into the gearbox. Also check to see if the gearbox jumps out of gear on decelleration. The gearboxes themselves, especially the big boxes fitted behind the 4.2 litre engines, are very strong.

Gearbox crossmember-check the condition of the gearbox crossmember, if the vehicle has been used for heavy off roading the crossmember will be badly knocked around. The damage to the crossmember is no big deal-they are replacable, but it is an indicator of how the vehicle has been used.

Diffs-check for oil leaking onto the brake backing plates indicating worn axle seals. The diffs themselves are fairly bullet proof.

Suspension-check all the bushes for wear or splitting.
Check rear lower control arms for bends.

Electric windows (if fitted)-make sure they all work.

That's all I can think of for now.

Tony

Also lift the carpet in the rear under the middle row of seats and check the floor for cracking aroung the latches. Another common issue is cracking in the front door frames around the hinges

Thanks For the info, Greatly appreciated

I am not sure how true this advice holds for Patrols, but in building a VW Beetle and a Corvette and learning from my own and others' mistakes: if nothing else, get a car with a straight and solid body.

Engines can be rebuilt stronger and better than factory. Suspensions beg to be beefed up. Transmissions can be had at a junkyard. An interior costs about the same to restore whether it "needs a little TLC" or whether it was used as a henhouse for ten years.

Bodywork is different. Bodywork is expensive. Bodywork is difficult. Once a car needs serious bodywork, it is very difficult ever to bring it back to factory quality.

my mate jus bought a 88 gq we found a fare bit of rust around the window and in the floor on the passenger side. and the usual spot in the gutter

front winscreen i should have said lol

i have found that the rear windows in every patrol i look at have some level of rust in them. yes i know this is bad but it never seems to travel any further than the windows.

Bit of rust is ok for a car that age, I think the next 10 or so years will be interesting when the body falls apart around the TD42.

Oil leaks - if there are any, where do they come from? A sump gasket is fairly easy to fix, a rear crankshaft bearing seal is a bit of nightmare. Likewise, look for telltale green stains and trails from coolant hoses, etc. Ditto for brake lines and wheel cylinders. Look for damp carpets or ones with a rusty back. Talking of water, make sure that all of the diff and gearbox breather hoses and pipes are connected and in good condition. Also, take a good long hard look at the front end, oily leaks from the swivel hubs spell trouble and pay special attention to all of the rods - any bent one send a message that the vehicle may have been driven hard, especially if there is a lot of stone damage to the underside of the vehicle.

I replace suspension rubber bushes with nylon ones they last heaps longer