G60s in Adelaide, SA
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 7:35 pm
Hi all,
Derek's the name - the Johnny Roadkill thing is just a tag that stuck from when I was playing online racing games. I was on another Patrol forum, but it went the way of the woolly mammoth and took several pages of my photos, info and thoughts with it - so we start again.
Spent a lot of time over the last 20-odd years playing with Datsun 510/1600s, and been a Nissan fan since I saw a 1600 in a mag as a teenager. Early last year I saw an old, rusty FJ40 for sale in a paddock and started thinking that a 4wd would suit my needs nicely now that I spend more time dirtbiking, kayaking, camping, etc. After getting a bit spooked at the price of "restorable" FJ40s I started looking wider and got interested in MQ/MK Patrols - after all, they have the L28 motor as an option and I've built enough L-series motors to have confidence in them. I knew Nissan made some unusual and interesting vehicles in the 60's but never realised the G60 was a capable truck in its own right until a few guys at work talked them up, and after seeing a few in the "for sale" ads I was sold - they're so basic and simple they're like a blank canvas, just like the 1600 was for me 20 years ago ! And for the price of 1 project FJ I got 3 G60s to play with.
# 1 - a non-running, previously caged MWB with a set of near-new wheels and tyres. It's got the Marks 5-speed in it, but whoever fitted it ground off the ID castings - didn't even realise it was a 5-speed until after I got it home ! I've named this one Lawn Patrol, since all it's done since is keep a watchful eye over my back lawn - and donate the odd part.
# 2 - a running, registered MWB pulled from a paddock - again with the Marks 5-speed fitted. This one was owned by a bloke who drove it about 160km a day to and from his job in the fields growing strawberries - when he passed away ( presumably at work ) one of the locals bought it from his estate but never got the project started. A year later they put it up for sale and I jumped on it - it's now my main project car, although progress is slow at the moment ( 40C/104F+ days in Adelaide ).
#3 - another MWB with a Marks 5-speed. This one wasn't planned, it turned up for sale in a nearby town, another Patrol fan from interstate saw it and we worked out a deal - I'll be disassembling this one in the near future, and the gauge cluster, gearbox, transfer, propshafts, clutch and flywheel are already set aside for him. The rest includes some good bits for me, and the chassis looks pretty good too ( body is stuffed except for the bonnet and fibreglass canopy).
So that's me ( and my Patrols ) in a nutshell - looking forward to sharing thoughts, ideas and photos on this forum !
cheers,
D
Derek's the name - the Johnny Roadkill thing is just a tag that stuck from when I was playing online racing games. I was on another Patrol forum, but it went the way of the woolly mammoth and took several pages of my photos, info and thoughts with it - so we start again.
Spent a lot of time over the last 20-odd years playing with Datsun 510/1600s, and been a Nissan fan since I saw a 1600 in a mag as a teenager. Early last year I saw an old, rusty FJ40 for sale in a paddock and started thinking that a 4wd would suit my needs nicely now that I spend more time dirtbiking, kayaking, camping, etc. After getting a bit spooked at the price of "restorable" FJ40s I started looking wider and got interested in MQ/MK Patrols - after all, they have the L28 motor as an option and I've built enough L-series motors to have confidence in them. I knew Nissan made some unusual and interesting vehicles in the 60's but never realised the G60 was a capable truck in its own right until a few guys at work talked them up, and after seeing a few in the "for sale" ads I was sold - they're so basic and simple they're like a blank canvas, just like the 1600 was for me 20 years ago ! And for the price of 1 project FJ I got 3 G60s to play with.
# 1 - a non-running, previously caged MWB with a set of near-new wheels and tyres. It's got the Marks 5-speed in it, but whoever fitted it ground off the ID castings - didn't even realise it was a 5-speed until after I got it home ! I've named this one Lawn Patrol, since all it's done since is keep a watchful eye over my back lawn - and donate the odd part.
# 2 - a running, registered MWB pulled from a paddock - again with the Marks 5-speed fitted. This one was owned by a bloke who drove it about 160km a day to and from his job in the fields growing strawberries - when he passed away ( presumably at work ) one of the locals bought it from his estate but never got the project started. A year later they put it up for sale and I jumped on it - it's now my main project car, although progress is slow at the moment ( 40C/104F+ days in Adelaide ).
#3 - another MWB with a Marks 5-speed. This one wasn't planned, it turned up for sale in a nearby town, another Patrol fan from interstate saw it and we worked out a deal - I'll be disassembling this one in the near future, and the gauge cluster, gearbox, transfer, propshafts, clutch and flywheel are already set aside for him. The rest includes some good bits for me, and the chassis looks pretty good too ( body is stuffed except for the bonnet and fibreglass canopy).
So that's me ( and my Patrols ) in a nutshell - looking forward to sharing thoughts, ideas and photos on this forum !
cheers,
D
Pull up a chair, have a look around, download some books, brochures and manuals and make yourself at home. We don't care how you happened to get here, we're glad to have you and your Patrol experience here 
What are the odds that you would end up with 3 G60s all with Marks in them? 
I think there were only 2500 made, so you have a percentage of them. 
Live and learn...this one seems to have way more active, regular contributors which can only be a good thing !
