James' MK Patrols (The Three Amigos)

[james008]

Here's my thread for posting about my old Patrols. I'll give a little history on each one and some pics for good measure. My build thread on Patrol 4x4 is up to 10 pages and nothing too interesting has happened, so no ones missed much.

1. 1984 Nissan Patrol MK SWB SD33T - "Old Red" - Purchased June 2011.
This is the first Patrol I ever bought, the first car I ever bought in fact. I remember going to look at it and it really was a sight for sore eyes! Faded paint, bit of rust, rough inside and out, but from the first time I went for a ride in it I loved it! It was rough and loud but it was great! Before buying it I was leaning towards a GQ, but this thing really kick started my love (obsession? addiction?) for these old Patrols. I picked her up for the sum of $900 and then drove it 2.5 hours home where it didn't miss a beat.... Until the next day when I found out about the cracked head gasket it had. What started as a quick fix and rego turned into a major 6 month restoration project, as annoying as it was as an 18 year old to have no car, the first time I drove it with my plates on it I knew every second spent on it was worth it. I loved that car, and still do. It was beautifully restored, the detail and effort that went into that car was immense.
Unfortunately at some point teenage stupidity and a lack of experience came into play and I crashed her... A really bad rollover, the car rolled onto its back, then back onto the wheels. I still have the car and give the engine a run once a month or so, I can't bring myself to scrap it. I one day hope to rebuild it again, even if it doesn't see the road.









2. 1982 Nissan Patrol MQ SWB - "Yella" - Purchased March 2013
This one wasn't my best decision if I'm honest... No engine, busted front diff (PO never mentioned that...) 5 speed, had a 308 and straight LPG conversion at some point. It was originally purchased to donate its body and possibly chassis to Old Red to bring her back, but this thing was too rough (I'm not so much a perfectionist, but I like my cars to be in the best possible nick). I ended up selling it as is. It needed new doors, glass, interior and a huge clean up, the paint job was rough too so ideally that would need doing. I sold this car at a small loss, and its currently on Gumtree for a lot more than I sold it for...



3. 1986 Nissan Patrol MK SWB L28 - Never got a name - Purchased July 2013
I must say I really like this car, its almost original, interior is near perfect, steel canopy, only 150,000km. Unfortunately the PO treated the car pretty rough and it sustained a fair amount of panel damage. This was my project for a few months, and it won't take much to get it on the road, but its money I just don't have at the moment. Aside from the L28 (I love my SD's) I really like this car and am very reluctant to sell it, but i might be forced to soon.



4. 1986 Nissan Patrol MK SWB SD33T - "The Albino" - Purchased November 2013
My newest edition, once again steel canopy being a late model deluxe. This car is little bit rougher than the other 1986 I have, and the dash is the worst colour in history as its been painted bright blue! This car has clearly been restored from a paddock bomb and done on the cheap. The paint isn't great, interior is mismatched, many parts are not original. However aside from that it is a good unit, very little rust, the engine has 380,000km on it and feels very strong, it goes well for an 80kw 4x4 and has virtually no blowby. It's also very close to roadworthy, the most major issue being loose wheel bearings and worn king pin bearings.





Well, there they are. More updates will certainly come!
All questions and comments are appreciated.