1969 Windshield Frame and Single Wiper Assembly

[blubau]

Hello,

Somewhere along the line my 1969 Patrol got a Pre-1969 windshield frame and complete 2 wiper motor setup. Otherwise the Patrol has all the original parts for 1969 and is in great shape. I would be happy to trade my pre-69 windshield frame, motors, NOS wiper arms, perfect glass and no rust for a complete 1969 single wiper frame with motor and linkage. I am in Washington State but not scared to ship as needed. I would also be good with buying a complete setup outright.

My Patrol is 2nd Qtr 69 production model and has a separate wiper knob on the dash.

Thank you,

Bill

[zed]

A good starting point.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/164104290313?h ... Sw4mNeWmrb

No relation to seller:
Keith

[zed]

My Patrol is 2nd Qtr 69 production model and has a separate wiper knob on the dash.

How did you determine this?
Keith

[automotivevelocity]

Hello Keith,

I determined when the vehicle was built from the ID plate. I determined the vehicle should have the single wiper motor because the part book shows a break-off date between two motor and single motor production. I also believe that the dash wiper knob only came with single motor vehicles. There are switches on the two motors to turn them on, and they are single speed.
I’ve only owned this one Patrol, so my depth of knowledge isn’t great.

Thank you,

Bill

[RiverPatrol]

Bill - while those are typically good indicators to use to determine cutoff points for changes, with Patrols it doesn't always apply. Even the mid to late '68s had a switch on the dash that was for the windshield washers only, not wiper.

What we call a "true" '69 has some distinct features. Does your Patrol have the banjo style steering wheel? Does your Patrol have the map light mounted on the dash to the right of the ignition switch? Does you patrol have a 2 piece plastic cover over the turn signal switch? Are you front parking lights round or rectangular? Are you tail lights mounted in the body or on brackets on the bumper? There are many many changes that determine whether you should have the single motor wiper. Pictures would be a huge help. Especially a picture of the ID plate on the door post.

[automotivevelocity]

Hello River,

My Patrol was owned by a Nissan Parts Manager several decades ago. He has hoarded Patrol parts, and I was told that he installed the banjo steering wheel because he liked it better. I do too.
I have both the rectangular front park lights and bumper-mounted rear lights. No map light on the dash. Not sure about the turn signal cover since I am not by the car to look. Maybe it can be seen in the dash picture I will attach.

I have single hood support but have two bumpers on the hood and believe that is incorrect and two tow hooks on the bumper also incorrect. I have original wheels and mirrors and all the steps and pintle hook. Missing hand crank for the engine. Have all underwater ignition systems. I’ve had the Patrol stored in my warehouse for several years in-line for restoration, and now I’m getting to the age that I need to complete all my projects. This one will be started soon, so I am gathering knowledge to make it correct per the build date of 5-69.

Thank you,

Bill

[RiverPatrol]

Thanks for the great picture of the ID plate, I will be sure to add your Patrol the the Registry.

From what I can see of the other pictures it looks like there may be quite a bit of mismatched stuff on your Patrol. Yes, it is a "true" '69. Ok, so he switched out the original steering wheel for the banjo wheel, that took some doing because the steering column diameter and splines are completely different between the two. He also went with the earlier turn signal switch. This makes me shudder because the connectors are completely different; the '69 had the modular connector where the early ones had the bullet type connectors. The true '69 switched the speedometer to the right of the steering wheel, yours is on the left. Yes, the hood should have 2 supports and one hold down, they probably used an early hood along with the early windshield.

You're going to have to ask yourself how 'original' do you want this thing to be? Here is a link to 3 pages of pictures of a time-machine true '69. This was manufactured in 2-1969, it is as original as they ever came, maybe except for the tow hitch: gallery/album.php?album_id=186

[faux40]

Whatever vintage or parts combination it is... it sure is pretty!

[automotivevelocity]

River,

Those photos are a great resource. I need to do some soul searching and figure out how to proceed. My wife wants the Patrol for her SUV, and she is worthy of having that pleasure. Until last year, all my restorations have been to the letter original because the cars had survived unmolested and it would be sacrilege to ruin them. I have been presented with a couple of vehicles that could go either way.

I am a car dealer and have a shop where I source cars for restoration and then complete them for sale. It has become increasingly challenging to both find worthy vehicles and, more so, search out the original parts. I took the Patrol in as a trade-in on a restoration and stuck it away, intending to make it 100%. That may not be feasible, and some of my ideals have changed as I approach retirement.

Out of all the cars I’ve worked on the past 40 years, the Patrol is by far the most elusive. Since both information and parts are scarce.

I do have a question about the doors and the window frames. I read a post about removing the window frames and there appear to be 2 bolts and a couple of spot welds holding them in place on my vehicle. In the post it said there were 8 bolts holding the frame. I suppose the welds are incorrect and am wondering how many bolts hold in the frame and if they are easily removed? I also have a threaded hole in the dash and hole in the rear doorjam that I was told holds a rope to help the driver stay in the vehicle when the doors are off. Is my 1969 supposed to have that eyebolt?

I have a photo of the engine ID stamping and would like to send that to you for verification. That could help me to determine if the engine is correct for a 1969 and how far to go with originality on the restoration.

I sincerely appreciate your input,

Bill

[RiverPatrol]

This entire forum is a great resource, you'll find more information than you ever knew existed for the Patrol. And I am an anal purist so I totally understand the desire for factory original. I have owned at least one of every year Patrol that was imported into the US, so I am pretty familiar with all of them and the differences on each. But I'm also old and forgetful.

You're in the same boat as many collectors. They buy a Patrol that looks sharp and shiny but when they really start learning about them the find that it isn't so original. Then they try to find that original unicorn. Yes, finding the original parts is a challenge. No, you're not going to restore a Patrol in 6 weeks like they do in all of the restoration series on TV. There are members here that are still chasing the illusive special part they wants several years later. There are several here that can pick out everything wrong with the Patrol that's listed at $35,000 and more but we don't for a variety of reasons.

The window frames should be easily removable without any spot welds. But I have never attempted to disassemble the frames on a '69. In this picture it looks like there are at least 5 bolts/screws.

The threaded holes in the dash and the door frame are indeed for eyebolts for a safety strap. The eyebolts are only installed on the soft top models though, they were the only ones to come with the safety straps.

Please post or send the engine ID. Also look for the ID number stamped on the top of the frame rail on the passenger side of the engine, that will verify your ID plate. Send a picture of that if you can as well.