Patroling through South America

Events, trips, get togethers, car shows, etc.

Postby Nicolanders » Sun Feb 15, 2015 2:47 pm

PART 16: The Great Medellín Patrol Repair - January 2015


Time had come to fix this Patrol up for good. It was the agreement with the buyers that we would take care of the repairs before they arrived in Colombia. It turned out to be a lot of work, but we were happy to do it. It was great to have the opportunity to get the Patrol in good shape so that the next couple of travelers would not have all the problems we had had. It was also a way for us to put to use all the stuff we had learned over the past year about the Patrol.

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Medellín is the second city of Colombia with a population of about 2 million people. It is probably best known for being the hometown of the notorious Drug King of the 80's, Pablo Escobar. Now a days, things are more quit here. Aside from cocain, another thing that is abundant in Colombia are the Patrols, even if not so much in a big city like Medellín. But we were still more optimistic about getting a good mechanic than in the other countries we visited. And we had a stroke of luck to find some local assistance. A girl at the hostel we stayed at was going out with a local guy, Alejandro, who was the daily manager of a bus company. He was also responsible for keeping their vehicles in running condition. So he knew many mechanics, knew his way around and how the whole thing was done in Colombia.

If there is one thing we have learned during our travels, it is that mechanics are a special breed of men. They have their own dialect and their own set of customs, and you better know your way around if you are to get a decent job done. Of course, we had the worst-case scenario from Argentina, where a lazy crook and an incompetent machinist gave us problems that would last for the entire trip. But even the good ones need to be approached in a special manner. You have to be very attentive and have the mechanics show you everything they do so that you can be sure what is actually being done. We learned a lot from watching how Pancho handled the mechanics in Quito.

Alejandro, our new friend in Medellín, gave us a good lecture on how to do the repairs, with many of his points echoing our own experiences. You have to go to the shop every day, he said. Check everything they do. Have them keep all the old parts so you are sure they actually replaced them with new ones. Also, you should buy all the parts yourself so that you don't get screwed on the price. And so on...
It was great to have Alejandro on board. It meant a lot to us to finally get the repairs right - to fix up the problems that lingered from Argentina at last. In Alejandro's car, we drove around Medellín, visiting several mechanics that he had tracked down, asking around for people who had experience with Patrols. We got their price estimates and also visited various parts dealers to get estimates for the cost of the spares.

After a week or so, we found our guy. Javier is a 60-year old mechanic in a small shop on one of the hillsides of the city. He had the experience we needed, and gave a good price as well. We sent word back to the buyers and got the whole thing started.

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Javier, working with his son and brother-in-law, got the repairs rolling fast. We dropped of the Patrol at the shop a few days after New Year's, and he told us to come back the next day. When we did, they already had the transmission and the engine on the floor, only a while away from having the whole thing split to pieces. It was fantastic watching him work. His hands moved seamlessly from one bolt to the next, grabbing the needed tools without looking, like he had done it all a hundred times before - which he probably had. Our Patrol was in good hands, at last.

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Once taken apart, we could properly asses the state of the engine. It was not as good as we had hoped. Aside from the crankshaft axial play and the bad bearing shells, we found problems in the engine head as well. The pistons rings were bad, as was the admission valves. The camshaft bushings were worn and needed replacement. It also turned out that the cylinder linings were not in the best condition. At the top, several of them were uneven.
We talked with them back and forth. How bad was it? They said we could do without relining cylinders and replacing the pistons, but it would not be optimal. We left it up to the buyers. They would decide if it was worth paying an extra $200 or so to get the best job.

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We were happy when they responded to go ahead with it. And so were there guys in the machine shop. It was the shop that Javier always used; he actually insisted that we used that machine shop in order to be able to guarantee the work. Alejandro agreed that it was a good place when he saw it: they had all the right machines for the job, which is not a given. Of course, these guys had also seen their fair share of P-engines and did not give any of the "wow what is that"-outbursts that we were used to from other countries.

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With the car sent to the machine shop, the next step was buying parts. After searching through a couple of neighborhoods, we found a good parts dealer in the Barrio Triste neighborhood, a place that is exclusively for auto-related shops. He was cheap - actually so cheap that even Colombians we talked to were impressed by the prices we got. And he had first-hand experience with the 60s Patrols, having owned four of them himself. Of course, that's what you like to hear from your parts dealer. But it was one of the only things we heard from him - his mumbling Paisa-dialect was so difficult to understand that we hardly understood a word. Luckily, it did not prevent us from making sure that we got the right parts. When we asked him if the bearing shells his assistant had gathered for us were indeed for the P-engine, not the P40, explaining that the two use a different shell for the first connecting rod, he just signaled that he knew exactly what we meant and replaced the shell-set with a different one. The right guy, indeed.
Overall, it went well buying the parts. If there were something complicated, we would just bring the used part to show them in order to be sure we got what we needed. But the whole thing also meant a lot of hassle for us. Especially when the machine shop and the parts dealer could not agree on which valve seals should be used. We went back and forth three times, as the machine shop rejected the parts we brought them each time. And whenever the mechanic discovered that another thing was needed, small or big, we had to go all over town to find it. And during the whole process, we kept visiting the mechanic every day to make sure everything was okay. We spent a lot of time in taxis. But it was nice to always know what was going on with the repairs, always being able to do something ourselves if there was a problem.

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With all the parts bought and the engine at the machine shop, we could only wait for it to return to see the results. But we had the mechanics do a few other things as well. Since the transmission was taken down anyway, we had them put in the synchronizer rings that Pancho had given us. They even painted the case for good measure. This also gave us the opportunity to confirm that the repairs done in Lima were holding up.

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We also had them replace the locking hubs, now with mechanic ones that should be more durable, and give the breaks a check-up (a few seals were replaced; there were no problems).

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During the whole time, we had a lot of contact with the buyers, keeping them posted on the repairs. They are called Travis and Tarah, living in Arizona, and they were soon going to arrive in Medellín to start their travels in South America, going back down south the way we had made our way up during the last year.

To be continued...
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Postby RiverPatrol » Sun Feb 15, 2015 4:52 pm

:clap: :clap: :clap:
Finding another chapter has been posted to this saga is the best surprise while stuck in a hospital bed! I'm so glad the Patrol is still receiving some of your diligent attention. I hope the new owners will introduce themselves here. Thank you!
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Postby Esteban » Sun Feb 15, 2015 7:53 pm

What a fantastic write up. It's like reading a best seller, only better, since the main character is a Patrol.

Every description and detail is better than the previous one. The natural way that you both have to connect with people is amazing and something for all of us to learn. Thanks.

Brought me good memories of a brief period in my life that allowed me to travel to Medellín, maybe two years after the drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar was put to rest, and the city was recovering. I have a great admiration for Colombians, so your adventure has a special meaning for me.

Please have the "bandeja paisa" a typical Colombian dish from the Medellín area.

And talking about RiverPatrol, sorry to hear you're at the hospital. Please get well pronto.
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Postby Coyote Patrol » Sun Feb 15, 2015 8:47 pm

Awesome taking this ride with you guys, thanks for sharing your adventures with us. And i really like that Patrol tow truck! :D
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Postby Nicolanders » Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:33 pm

Thanks a lot!

What is that about a hospital trip, Leslie? Hope it's not too serious. Either way, it's probably something Javier could have fixed 8-)

Esteban wrote:It's like reading a best seller, only better, since the main character is a Patrol.


Next: THE MOVIE. :D

We can definitely recommend Medellín. A very nice city, and it has a perfect climate as well. We'll post the final part soon...
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Postby RiverPatrol » Sun Feb 15, 2015 10:39 pm

I had my left hip replaced on Wednesday, so I'm recovering from that. I'll be better soon enough. :) Perfect timing for one of your fabulous chapters.
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Postby miller » Mon Feb 16, 2015 6:39 am

Great read as per usual Nicolanders. I love the look of the G60 tow truck!

I think you should definitely consider coming down under for our Cape York adventure!
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Postby Nicolanders » Sat Feb 21, 2015 5:43 pm

RiverPatrol wrote:I had my left hip replaced on Wednesday, so I'm recovering from that. I'll be better soon enough. :) Perfect timing for one of your fabulous chapters.


That's good to hear, you will soon be back in the mud. Hope it's not Made In Argentina :dance:

miller wrote:Great read as per usual Nicolanders. I love the look of the G60 tow truck!

I think you should definitely consider coming down under for our Cape York adventure!


Thanks! It really sounds like a lot of fun. Would love to try and push a 60s to the limit.
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Postby Nicolanders » Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:10 pm

PART 17: The Changing of the Guard - late January 2015

In Medellín, we were lucky to stay with a local girl. Adriana had an apartment in the center, and was so kind as to share it with us for a month. She even gave us the bed and slept on some floor mats herself, because she thought you should always offer the best you have to your guests. We were very thankful and it made all the tasks and waiting time with the repairs much easier to handle. Staying with a local naturally gives a lot of advantages. She showed us some good bars, gave some advice on good places in Colombia, and even had her dad help us find a place to handle the paperwork of the handover of the Patrol. It's been fantastic how we have kept on meeting people in South America who showed us that kind of generosity.

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The city center in Medellin has a somewhat bad reputation for violence and robberies, especially among foreigners. We did not have a single bad experience while staying there. It was actually a lot more colorful than where the foreigners usually go. That would be El Poblado, which is turning in to the new center of Medellín. That is were you find the fancy shopping malls, the big corporate buildings, the upscale bars and clubs, and where the well-off live. So, where the center in most cities in the world are getting increasingly expensive to be in, in Medellín it is actually one of the cheaper neighborhoods.
But the working class remain in the suburbs, which in Medellín means the neighborhoods on the hillsides. We would get to see that later on.

When the engine and the parts came back from the machine shop, we learned another thing about Javier: his work is very thorough. We had dropped off the pistons, piston rings, camshaft bushings and valves in the machine shop so that they make sure everything fit well. When we came to Javier's shop, he was already re-assembling the engine.

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First, he mounted the connecting rods on the crankshaft using the new bearing shells. He put in between a 1 mm-thick paper to check if the re-machining had been done properly. Tightening the bolts with the correct torque, he showed us how the rods could not turn - the space between the shaft and bearings were exactly right, leaving just the right amount of space for the lubrication. Javier told us that had it been 2 mm instead, he would have sent the engine back to the machine shop. He then went on to repeat the process, going over all the work that had been done, checking that all machining and parts were as they should be.

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This was a different world for us, compared to the mechanics we had know previously. Not only were Javier fast, he was determined that the job was done well. We were very happy to have ended up with him.

Later, we went down to the same neighborhood where we bought the parts and had a muellero - a spring-fixer, they do everything suspension - fix a few things, some tightening of the steering damper (we think it's called), replacing some stabilizers etc.

As we went around Medellín with the Patrol, we kept hearing the Colombians say the same things about the Patrol. It has such a good reputation here. A very strong, dependable machine that will run forever. There are still lots of them in Colombia, but mostly in the countryside. We have been told many times that they are most abundant in the coffee-producing highlands of West Colombia. The coffee is grown on the hillsides in the rough terrain, so they need strong 4x4's to transport people, tools and the produce around the hills. And they use 60s Patrols to do it. That has to be the best validation this truck can get.

After putting the engine back in place, Javier discovered a minor issue with the clutch. The small bushings on the pressure plate "fingers" needed replacement. So we went on another trip down to Barrio Triste , the everything-auto-related neighborhood, were Javier had told us there was a clutch repair shop. It was the perfectly example of why Medellín is the place you want to fix your Patrol:
First of all, you want the shop were you go to be called "The House of the Clutch".
When you enter and unwrap your clutch on the desk, you want them immediately to say: "oh, a Nissan Patrol".
When you tell them about the pressure plate bushings, you would like them to say: "okay, no problem. Come back in one hour and we will have given it an adjustment as well. It's gonna be $30."
And when you return one hour later after enjoying a freshly squeezed orange juice across the street, you want them to say: "everything is done, just give us $25."
The House of the Clutch indeed!

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After bringing the clutch back to the mechanic, Javier checked that the adjustment had been correctly done and applied some grease to the bushings using a syringe. The Patrol was then finally assembled and we took it for a spin. After some further adjustments to the carburetor, it was ready. Javier gave the engine his final stamp of approval and said that it should need no repairs for the next five or six years - or whatever amount of kilometers that amounts to considering how much a Colombian drives a year on average. He said that it is very important how one treats the engine though: the most important thing is to always have sufficient oil - and to use one of good quality.

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As the final thing, we had the oil replaced in the transfer case and differentials, and had the whole vehicle greased up. Everything was ready for another trip. We gave Travis and Tarah the good news that their new Patrol was all ready to go.

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Spending so much time at the mechanics, we got to know Javier and his co-workers quite well. They were very interested in talking to us and learning more about these strangers. Javier kept inviting us for lunch or a quick refreshment (a soda or a shot of aguardiente), and they were all very interested in hearing about our travels. One day we got their late, we went out for some drinks and had a good time with them.

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During the many visits, we made friends with them. We were not used to that. Most of the mechanics we met during the trip were quite cautious towards us and all about the business, as if we were an unwelcome disturbance in their daily lives. But the Medellín mechanics were very happy to see us every time we came to the shop.

In the end, Javier invited us to his house for a party. Of course, we were happy to go. He lives in one of the hillside-neighborhoods that have grown from nothing in the last 25 years. There, we met the entire family, which was way too big to keep track of. All the nieces and grandchildren and kids and brothers and in-laws lived nearby and passed by during the evening to see the foreign visitors. We were treated to everything one could wish for, and were immediately invited to come by for the traditional Sunday family lunch a few days later. We made some good friends there at the shop, and we are looking forward to meeting them again one day.

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While we finished the repairs and took care of the final few issues, Travis and Tarah arrived in Medellín. They are a couple from Arizona who have the travel bug, and will be going down south through South America, the way we had just come from. In a typical day for us, we managed to get lost, run out of gas, and be several hours late on the day we were to meet them. But they didn't seem to mind. It was great to put some faces on these people that we ended up having a lot of communication with during the last month. We could tell that they became immediately infatuated by the Patrol when they saw it.

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We went through the motions of explaining how this and that worked, showing how the roof tent works and all that. Having spent that much time on the repairs, it was a relief to see that these people were very serious on keeping the Patrol in good shape. In fact, Travis started talking about improvements he wanted to make right away, asking our opinion on a lot of things. And, as we may have mentioned earlier, they are thinking about taking the Patrol home with them to Arizona. There it would get the hardtop taken off again (the car is originally a soft-top), which is something we have dreamed of ourselves. We also told them that Arizona has some of the States foremost experts on Patrols. So they should definitely get on this forum - also for the travels, of course. We explained how the people on 60patrol.com has been the most important reason for us even making it to Colombia, and also some good people that we would love to come visit some day. The only thing that really sucked about selling the Patrol was that we didn't get to go across the States and say hello and thank you to all the people that helped us. But who knows... Maybe someday we will find ourselves in the States in need of a solid 4x4 that can traverse the rough terrain and look awesome doing it.

With Travis and Tarah, the Patrol would be in good hands, no doubt. All that was left was to say our goodbyes and take one last look at the car that took us across the continent as well as kept us stuck with mechanics for half the trip. :D
But during the next few days, we went out for beers with Travis and Tarah a couple of times and had some good times and talked a lot about traveling - and, of course, the Patrol. We will go to visit them some day in Arizona, and get another look at how the truck is. After we left Medellín, we got word from them that they were getting in to some serious remodeling/changes down in Barrio Triste. They also hooked up with Javier for some further work. Apparently, Travis is eager to get on this forum and show some photos of what has been happening.

We are excited to see what's going on!
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Postby RiverPatrol » Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:46 pm

This is by far my favorite travel blog. It is a good ending/transition. You have met a unique bunch of people through the needs and abilities of this Patrol. The Patrol will continue to serve and provide adventure for more travelers. This is a good thing.

Thank you, beyond words. I hope Travis and Tarah keep us informed of the Patrols travels.
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