60Patrol

Esteban wrote:I did find the parts today. I moved to a new place 6 months ago and everything is still a mess.

Please take a look at what I have for the VC 42 Carb:

Carburetor Parts VC 42.jpg

Except for the Idle Adjusting Screw, the other 3 are new. I have duplicates of these parts, so I gladly will share them with you.

Send me a PM with your info.

Wow! This site and the people on it are amazing! I just sent you a PM.

rickheiserman wrote: If you do have one you're willing to part with, that might improve the 3-6 week delay on waiting for the Australian kit!

Where in Australia did you actually find a kit?

RiverPatrol,

After lurking for a long time within your site and finally getting our Patrol on the mend, I must say....it's an honor to speak to you! Having said that....is this not the correct rebuild kit?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CARBURETTOR-RE ... 128?_ul=IN

rickheiserman wrote:RiverPatrol,

After lurking for a long time within your site and finally getting our Patrol on the mend, I must say....it's an honor to speak to you! Having said that....is this not the correct rebuild kit?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CARBURETTOR-RE ... 128?_ul=IN

It is the correct kit for the VC42 Hitachi carb.

That's funny, no honor necessary. That does look like the correct rebuild kit. I recall there was discussion on another kit offered by this seller that was listed as a kit for the forklift carb. Rob got one and said it looked like it would work but never actually tried it to confirm. This one actually states that it's for the Patrol so quite likely it is correct. Good to know.

Hi Rick,
Did you order the VC 42 rebuild kit from AU? Rene was able to use most of the parts that came in the kit I ordered but he still had to salvage something from a junker I had bought off ebay for way too much but without that little part I'd still be offline.
L60Boerne

L60Boerne wrote:Hi Rick,
Did you order the VC 42 rebuild kit from AU? Rene was able to use most of the parts that came in the kit I ordered but he still had to salvage something from a junker I had bought off ebay for way too much but without that little part I'd still be offline.
L60Boerne

Esteban was kind enough to part with what he had for the Hitachi carb which included the accelerator pump. However, he didn't have all of the gaskets. I had also ordered the AU kit with the gaskets, and my mechanic has now fully rebuilt the carb. He now tells me the engine is firing on 5 of 6 cylinders. We have full compression in the one off cylinder but no spark. I led him to the forklift distributor that has been cited often on this site, and it is now ordered. He (mechanic) couldn't believe a new forklift part would work on a 69 patrol. I said "remember the new fuel pump that I provided and you installed when I had the Patrol delivered to you?...that was also a forklift part!" He is old school and couldn't believe it, so hopefully the distributor works as advertised...that will certainly give me some credibility to the guy that worked on the Nissan Heritage collection!

He also said all four wheels were seized, buy he was able to un-seize them all without having to send them off, but they blew the front brake lines in the process, but then he said luckily he's got a guy in town that could supply new lines that worked and the lines have now been replaced. He did have to send the clutch off to another specialist he uses for such work. So now we are waiting for the distributor to arrive and the clutch to be returned.....in the meantime, he called to say the gas tank is junk and has to go. He actually asked me to reach out to this site to see if you all had suggestions on a replacement fuel tank. I have read countless threads and responses on here searching the terms "gas tank" and "fuel tank" and there are even a couple threads specifically on the topic, but I haven't found any specific tank that is recommended. I saw you L60Boerne advised against the sender from Colombia as the F and E are reversed. I saw one guy was going to make his own tank, I saw a link to a company in Illinois that makes custom tanks, I saw a guy used a Bronco tank that lined up perfectly (but he later mentioned his rear end wasn't stock, so couldn't verify that it would work for other Patrols.

So, there is a long-winded way of asking....does anyone have advice on a replacement gas tank and sender etc?

Thanks to all for the help and advice!

Rick

I would wonder why the tank can't be repaired? In the olden days radiator shops would do that. AFAIK there is not a bolt in replacement tank. It is common for the tanks to get pin holes from rust. It is a poor design having the gas tank rest directly in the supporting skid plat because dirt, debris and moister collect there and stay forever, eventually rotting out the bottom of the tank. In my better days one of the first things I did was to drop the tank to clean it inside and out. Don't tell anyone but what I have done with more than one or two tanks that had pin holes after sand blasting them clean was to use gas tank repair epoxy or JB Weld to fix the holes and thin areas. All of my repairs have been holding gas for at least 15 years now without leaks. That's the problem with relying on someone you're paying to work on stuff, they won't do short cuts.

RiverPatrol wrote:I would wonder why the tank can't be repaired? In the olden days radiator shops would do that. AFAIK there is not a bolt in replacement tank. It is common for the tanks to get pin holes from rust. It is a poor design having the gas tank rest directly in the supporting skid plat because dirt, debris and moister collect there and stay forever, eventually rotting out the bottom of the tank. In my better days one of the first things I did was to drop the tank to clean it inside and out. Don't tell anyone but what I have done with more than one or two tanks that had pin holes after sand blasting them clean was to use gas tank repair epoxy or JB Weld to fix the holes and thin areas. All of my repairs have been holding gas for at least 15 years now without leaks. That's the problem with relying on someone you're paying to work on stuff, they won't do short cuts.

Funny life story...RiverPatrol,

I work in an industry that deals with the public that often asks questions/thinks they know better than what I know from my experience in my industry....just because they googled something and think they have an answer that I know is misinformed....and that scenario can be annoying from my side of things. If you have seen/read my initial posts on here, I am certainly not a guy with car experience, so the challenge of the Patrol seemed overwhelming to me, and finding a mechanic that had Patrol experience seemed to be a blessing(it certainly is). When I provided my (experienced) mechanic with a new fuel pump made for a forklift, and didn't tell him, but it worked...it was a good feeling. When I told him I was a member of an online forum dedicated to the 60 series and could help him find parts, he kind of snickered. When he called me to tell me he needed an accelerator pump for the carb, and he found one in Australia that might take 8 weeks to get here....and he might not have room to store my Patrol idle for that long waiting, Esteban got me one less than a week from that phone call, he seemed impressed, but scoffed at the idea that all of the parts weren't there....I had ordered the complete rebuild kit from AU in the meantime and it arrived much before the expected 8 week lead time. I like my mechanic, but he (rightfully?) has doubted my ability to help him in finding parts to complete this project. This is why if the forklift distributor works, it will give me credibility in further providing him with information and giving credit to this forum.....in other words, I can say...."The fuel pump worked, the distributor worked, I can find parts for the carb that you can't....and these same amazing folks claim that the fuel tank can be cleaned and repaired."

In other words, If the mechanic said "the tank is trash" and I said "Just fix it".....that relationship works poorly with an uninformed customer just googling a problem looking for a fix, but...

If the mechanic says "the tank is trash" and I am able to say, 60Patrol lead me to the fuel pump, distributor, carb accelerator/ gaskets, and the experts at 60Patrol thinks the tank can be salvaged and fixed if we just got a radiator shop to take a look, we might have a winning solution. So......thank you and we will go with your suggestion from here!!! HA...


While I have you...assuming all works out and I begin to worry about cosmetic issues.....the hooks/clasps that hold the windshield/windscreen from the bottom of the windshield to the inside cab, to release if you want to fold the windshield down. Ours are pretty rusty and it's a scary thought to release the clasp to fold it down.....in fear of snapping it when trying to re-secure it upright. I have the rubber stopper ordered from Colombia to lay it down on the hood, but....not sure how it secures to the hood (something in middle front of the hood that holds the windshield down to the rubber stoppers?) but more importantly, the hooks/clasps replacements to release the windshield from the upright position to the down, on the hood position...if anyone has a lead on them(another part I didn't see much info for on this forum)

As always, you gals/guys are great, and I (and my fiancée) are thankful.

Thanks for sharing your story, I completely understand. The Internet can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how someone uses it. There is good information out there and there is some really bad information, to successfully reap a bountiful harvest from the Internet one needs good filters. I too have been in a very dire life situation where I had to heavily rely on information from the Internet, but there was a whole very convincing faction that were completely off base that I had to be able to discern what was viable and what wasn't.

Also, old school mechanics are very set in their ways. Yours sounds like that typical stereotype. They can be difficult to work with because they want to do things their way and are usually not very open to change especially when it comes from someone non-mechanical. The repair of the tank might be one of those situations since it is not a part that you can hand him that he finds works once he installs it. The tank will require making calls to radiator shops and asking them if they can fix the tank, something he might not be willing to do. Perhaps you could make some calls yourself before broaching the subject with him?

I had a conversation recently with another member here that this reminds me of. Years ago when the Patrol community first gathered on the Internet to exchange ideas and tips, it was a group of folks that owned Patrols that were trying to revive them themselves. When I started this forum in 2012 it the community was still comprised of that type of folk. The resulting availability of information and sources for parts has enabled more people to take interest in Patrols. It used to be that you could find Patrols on craigslist for $100 - $1500 frequently; $1500 usually got you two of them. Those days are long gone. Because of this availability of information and parts the value of the Patrol has increased significantly. Before, someone would get one of those cheap Patrols on craigslist but would hit road blocks trying to find parts to fix them and end up turning around and selling it back on craigslist again. Now it is actually possible to restore them.

As a result it seems that we have priced ourselves out of the DIY market. I am finding this as I try to sell one of my own Patrols. You are not the only non-mechanical Patrol owner out there relying on a mechanic to do the work for you, there are many. I've had people come to look at my Patrol and they'll ask me what I think it would cost to do something. I don't have an answer. My first thought is how disappointed I am that I can no longer do the work myself, I am surprised that they aren't eager to get in there and do the same. That's the market we have grown into now though. I guess I should take that as a sign of success of the Patrol community and be content.

Anyway, I digress.

The windshield stay hooks you'll find used, probably from someone here. I'm pretty sure I have some somewhere. I'm surprised that yours are that rusty since they are on the inside of the vehicle, usually protected from the elements. I don't think I've ever seen any that were so rusty that they would no longer work properly but I guess its possible. Actually I would be more concerned with the condition of the hinges that allow the windshield to fold down. These are usually frozen after being in the same position for decades in the weather. Lube them up well before trying and you might want to rock the windshield a bit first to get the hinges well lubed before going down with it. You'll know right away if they're frozen.