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1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2019 7:14 pm
by yitzac1990
Hello all! I have actually been a member of the forum for some time now, I joined when I first got a 1969 patrol. long story short, I sold it because I needed the cash and space, luckily it went to a local friend who could appreciate "what it was." Well, he wound up never getting around to doing anything with it because he had a more important project, that was also sitting collecting dust. I told him "ill get that volvo running and driving if you give me the patrol back." Well today I dropped his volvo off at his house and picked the patrol back up. All he did to it was put on some Xterra 16" wheels (had the center bores machined out bigger), and that was it since I gave it to him. Anyways, now to pictures, plans, and questions for the board!

It does have a lot of rust, and honestly is far too gone for me to do a total restoration. I want something I can have fun driving, more than I want something to sit at car shows. Sorry in advance to the purists out there, but my plans are as follows:

Chevy 5.3 LM7 swap, with an SM465 trans and Dana 18 TC
SPOA swap with slightly longer shackles
disc brake conversion
add stereo system (nothing crazy, just a head unit and 4 speakers probably)
possibly beefing up the frame rails somehow (will be used off road)

As far as repairs go, i plan on re-doing the entire electrical system, re-doing the front floor boards (rusted out), replacing rubber seals/trim in as many places as I can find the trim pieces for, repairing major rust areas (rear doors, roof corners, windshield), cheap paint job, seats reupholstered, and that's probably it. My racecar takes priority, and is currently in the shop for some small repairs, so this will be a slow and budget-friendly build. I would like to have it running by the end of the year though.

Here is how it sits right now:
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And here is where my questions begin!

1. I am pretty sure these springs are not stock, based on the "shackles" that look like they are home-made. What say you? Here are the fronts:
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Here are the rears:
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2. One of the front hubs is seized, so that will need repair, OR can I swap on any other hub from an easier-to-find vehicle? are 6 bolt hubs universal as long as the internal spline count is the same?
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3. It is missing a wiper arm, any idea where I can find one, or what wiper arms from other vehicles fit?
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4. Is there a good source in the US for trim pieces and seals? This picture is at the rear sliding window, but pretty much all the seals need replacing.
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5. Are birfield joints a "standard" joint? What I mean is, are ALL birfield joints the same? The reason I ask is because I used to have a suzuki samurai and I rebuilt those birfield joints no problem, so I do have some experience with them. Can I just order Samurai parts to rebuild these knuckles? Can I use samurai brake caliper brackets on these?

I think that may be it for now...the first task I would like to complete when I get time is removing the drivetrain! Wish me luck!

Re: 1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2019 7:28 pm
by RiverPatrol
Congratulations on your project!

Definitely not stock springs. Someone has even moved the shackle mounts and custom made their own to accommodate these non-original springs. That and other mods visible makes this one prime to do what ever you want to. What's holding the fuel tank in place, because the skid plate for it is missing? Custom garden hose on it too.

The locking hubs are unique for the Patrol, 10 spline as i recall. You can probably find a used one from someone here. Birfields are different from one vehicle to the next, not interchangeable.

Re: 1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2019 8:11 pm
by yitzac1990
RiverPatrol wrote:What's holding the fuel tank in place, because the skid plate for it is missing?


Yeah, I noticed some kind of flat bar going across the frame rails that's holding the front of the fuel tank, and I couldn't see how the rear is held up. However, there is a large skid plate inside the vehicle that I assumed fit under the engine somehow...maybe this is the rear plate instead? Since I am converting to EFI, i will need to do some tank modifications anyways, so it will come down eventually.

RiverPatrol wrote:The locking hubs are unique for the Patrol, 10 spline as i recall. You can probably find a used one from someone here.


So there's no way I could use something like this? If not, I will have to explore the used parts section for sure...

https://www.morris4x4center.com/supreme ... gKKuvD_BwE

RiverPatrol wrote:Birfields are different from one vehicle to the next, not interchangeable.


Any leads on rebuild kits for patrol birfield joints/knuckles?

Re: 1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2019 10:43 pm
by hartmanjw
Windshield rubber, door window squeegees and sliding rear window rubber available at following.

https://sportsimports.ca/

I have not yet found the rear door glass rubber but am looking for it.

Jeff in Portland, Oregon

Re: 1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2019 11:07 am
by RiverPatrol
yitzac1990 wrote:
RiverPatrol wrote:What's holding the fuel tank in place, because the skid plate for it is missing?


Yeah, I noticed some kind of flat bar going across the frame rails that's holding the front of the fuel tank, and I couldn't see how the rear is held up. However, there is a large skid plate inside the vehicle that I assumed fit under the engine somehow...maybe this is the rear plate instead? Since I am converting to EFI, i will need to do some tank modifications anyways, so it will come down eventually.

RiverPatrol wrote:The locking hubs are unique for the Patrol, 10 spline as i recall. You can probably find a used one from someone here.


So there's no way I could use something like this? If not, I will have to explore the used parts section for sure...

https://www.morris4x4center.com/supreme ... gKKuvD_BwE

RiverPatrol wrote:Birfields are different from one vehicle to the next, not interchangeable.


Any leads on rebuild kits for patrol birfield joints/knuckles?


I would doubt those hubs would work, nothing that fits a Jeep is compatible with the Patrol.

Ebay has rebuild kits. Find the seller 4wd_products, they carry many parts for the Patrol.

Re: 1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2019 11:31 am
by ckhorne
hartmanjw wrote:I have not yet found the rear door glass rubber but am looking for it.


I remember reading here that the rear window rubber for a VW Bug will work for the rear Patrol windows. Might be worth searching for that -

Re: 1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2019 4:03 pm
by yitzac1990
I am familiar with 4wd_products on ebay, but they dont really have much in the way of rebuild kits, other than transmission. Do you think they might be able to help me out with more products if I message them directly?

Thanks for all the info so far!

Re: 1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2019 4:38 pm
by RiverPatrol
Yes, they have much more available than what they list.

Re: 1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2019 6:39 pm
by L60Boerne
I have ordered from 4wheel drive AU several times. Nice guys, great quality parts but......you must know what you want...they do not know specifics. You must know exactly which part you seek, then year and any nuance...then triangulate that knowledge to their parts order form. In short...it is 100% up to the buyer to determine if they have what you need.

Always Patrolling for Parts,
L60Boerne

Re: 1969 Patrol, Take 2: Action!

PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2019 1:59 pm
by yitzac1990
THank you for the info. Does anyone know if there is a nissan part number for hub rebuild kits? Or part numbers for those internal parts and seals in the hubs? I couldn't find any on the interchange parts list I found on this site.

Also, would anyone be interested in an engine, trans, and tcase from a 1969 Patrol? :D I was told it was "running when parked" about 20 years ago.