Moore_rb's 1965 Hardtop Patrol...L60-3-00617

[moore_rb]

All this sanding, all this body work, all this sanding....

and ALL this SANDING.

And now, I've decided I'm not even going to use this body on my 65's restoration...

Since Dorian and I scored that beautiful 63 body for me to use for my 62 soft top project, I can use the body from my red 65 parts-Patrol on this project (Which was my original plan for this project). Quite a few benefits to changing plans (again):

1) I'll be using a same year replacement body (65 for a 65, versus using the early 66 body on a 65)
2) The red body is in WAY better shape than this one (even after all the hard work I've put into this one, there is still a lot of filler on it ) so, using the red body will improve the final product when this 65 restoration is finished.
3) It means I can keep the 66 body with the 66 chassis when I rebuild my lifted "toy-Patrol" - It also gives me a head-start on that rebuild, because this body is so close to being ready for paint


So, I guess I need to get out there, and start shuffling Patrol bodies around... I am SOOOOO looking forward to starting back at square one (effort-wise) with that red body (Oh well, I knew I had to do it, anyway, so I'm not really adding any overall effort, I'm just shifting the order around... )

[RiverPatrol]

Sounds like musical Patrol bodies.

[pdub]

Hey Robert, Let's see a pic of this awesome new body!

[faux40]

Hey Robert, Let's see a pic of this awesome new body!

Careful... be very clear when you ask questions like that or we might all be wishing for gallons of brain bleach when something unexpected appears!

[moore_rb]

Well, after changing plans for the body mid-project; I spent this past weekend re-arranging my parts donor rigs, and got the body totally torn off the red 65 donor; and I rolled the green 66 back out into the boneyard (I need to stop calling it green- There isn't much green left on it. I should call it "the bondo 66" hahaa).

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I really like the fact that I can use this body on the 65 restoration now-

1) It's a 65 body, going onto another 65 Patrol

2) It is in WAY better shape than the green 66's body (let's be frank here - Even after the 300+ hours I've put into that green body, It still shows the evidence of being bashed on its whole life, while this one is pristine)- There is ZERO bondo underneath that thick red paint... It's all straight, native Nissan Patrol steel- The 66's body belongs on my desert beater (which is where it's going to be shortly )

3) Even though it's red- This one was actually also white originally, so how cool is that? I'm replacing a rusted out white 65 Patrol's body, with the body from another originally white 65 Patrol. can't get much more correct than that...

And yesterday, I got a VERY pleasant surprise - Someone didn't pay very good attention to their product data sheets in the past... As soon as I hit the fender with the pressure washer, both layers of red paint, and a layer of yellow polyester primer between the two reds, started peeling off in flakes, leaving just an old layer of brown sealer (probably enamel) exposed.

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There is nothing beneath the brown except the factory white, on top of the factory gray, on top of the factory red oxide primer, on top of clean, beautiful steel.

I sure hope the tub strips off this easily- I'll be in heaven. Water is a lot cheaper than sand paper, even out here in the dry west

[faux40]

Set your pressure washer up like ckhorne did:

http://60patrol.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=23553#p23553

John

[moore_rb]

Set your pressure washer up like ckhorne did:

http://60patrol.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=23553#p23553

John

I ordered the parts today....

[faux40]

Cool! Looking forward to your full report on the upgrade!

[moore_rb]

No more red paint on the front clip, except in a few low spots that will be sealed over with epoxy primer...

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Did I mention how clean this body is? Well it is even nicer than I had hoped - I found 3 bondo spots- Two thin layers on top of the fenders, and a thin layer around the passenger side vent - None of it is covering rust, it is just filling in low areas on the body (the way body filler is supposed to be used)

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It's crazy how fast the flash rust set in as the water dried...

I still have to put some more effort into the interior side of the firewall (someone in the past thought that using silicone as seam sealer would be a good idea ); so hopefully I'll get to that either tomorrow, or next Saturday, and then I can wipe the flash rust off with some steel wool, re-apply the correct seam sealer, and get this piece coated with epoxy...

Then it's wash, rinse, repeat on the tub...

[RiverPatrol]

That hybrid pressure washer/sand blaster worked amazingly well. Those are some very nice examples of Patrol body parts.