1978 G60 sitting for 10 years

[ozscott]

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Good evening, here is a Patrol that I have obtained from a mate of mine. It was his fathers, he used it in his fishing business. It sat in a shed for at least 10 years after his father passed away, and now it is in my shed, and we have just started to see what it needs. The top is in very poor condition, so I would like to replace it with a canvas one, so would need dimensions of the frame, as well as the canvas. It looks to be very complete, but has not run for a long time and the brake system has been leaking, and the clutch goes all the way to the floor, so that system will need rebuilding too. I have unstuck the brakes, and in the next few days I hope to spin the motor over. This is not the first vehicle I have restored, and it is not the first Nissan/Datsun product I have had. But I would like guidance on sourcing parts in Australia. This is a very impressive website and I hope that some of the knowledgeable members on here will be able to point me in the right direction.

[RiverPatrol]

Welcome to 60Patrol! Congratulations on your new project. Looks like it's in pretty good condition, it shouldn't take too much to get it going.

You're in the best place for finding parts. For your brake and clutch hydraulics you'll want to visit 4wd_products on eBay, here's their listing for the wheel cylinders: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brake-Wheel-Cy ... 1438.l2649 . They have a few other bits for the G60. When you're ready to get that canvas top going Raul in Colombia can set you up with the fram and the canvas. Feel free to ask any questions, one of us should be able to point you in the right direction.

[ozscott]

Thank you very much for your encouraging words and I look forward to picking the brains of experienced G60 owners/restorers. I will check out the ebay seller as suggested.

[Esteban]

Congratulations and Welcome to 60Patrol!

Your Patrol looks very solid and shows that the previous owner took good care of it. Hope you'll enjoy yours, including all the repairs, as much as we do.

[Peter60]

Its an interesting looking G60 Interesting orange lights on the front (not original).

There seems only surface rust on the bonnet and a bit more serious down around the spare. The inside tray is in amazing condition and looks like it hasn't carried a load.

How many Kms on her?

Brakes and clutch master and slave cylinders perish over time, so new ones are a common issue. I recently purchased a soft top from Raul. Its great.

It should be a fun project.

[ozscott]

Thanks for the tips. I had noticed that the indicators were different, I think they are generic Hella units. The only major rust appears to be in the rear panel, behind the spare wheel carrier. The hard top is in very poor condition, with a few holes and large cracks, especially through the middle starting just behind the seats. I have not found a makers tag. I would prefer a soft top, and looking at the frame supporting the hard top it may be the basis of a frame for a soft top. I will remove it over the next few weeks have a good look at it, I have a mate coming to do some excavation work for me, so I may draught him in to lift the top off for me. Then I will start on the mechanicals. I have ordered a new master cylinder, and will be dropping some oil down the bores before I turn it over on the crank. I have a couple of crank handles which I will try, otherwise just a bar on the end of the crank. I will upload some more photos next week.

[RiverPatrol]

Sounds like a good approach. Keep us posted on your progress.

[ozscott]

So, the hardtop could not be saved. It was a thermos formed plastic that had become brittle over the years. It had many large cracks and was very brittle. Anyway, as I tried to take it off in one piece the whole thing fell apart. I have saved the sliding side windows the rear lift up tail gate with frame, and the 2 curved plexiglass rear 1/4 windows with rubbers. If anyone feels they need these let me know.

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Now I really need a soft top frame!

[RiverPatrol]

It amazes me the difference in the quality and longevity of the paint between the early and later Patrols. The early paint can still take a buff and shine today 50+ years later. After '70 it seems the paint didn't hold up well at all.

[ozscott]

That's an interesting point. The paint on this Patrol really deteriorated in the 12 months it sat outside, even though it was mostly covered with a tarp. The bonnet was exposed and the slight rust that was showing through, became much more obvious in a very short period of time, I would say weeks rather than months. Unfortunately I had no completed my garage, so it just had to suffer. I have a 1933 Diamond T truck (waiting for the Patrol to get mobile) which sat in outback South Australia for over 50 years, and that still has some paint on it, and that buffed up too (the things you do when you should be really restoring it), so your theory is supported fully by me. There are many veryday cars running on the streets of Melbourne with peeling clear coat issues and they are not even 10 years old.