Denver Patrol Owner

[DMC Z]

Good afternoon,

My name is Don and I have a Datsun problem. As an owner of 3 Datsun 240Zs (1970 and 2 1972s + 240Z Parts car) as well as a 1964 Fairlady 1500, I had been a long time Patrol fan for several years. It was never intentional that all three vehicles would be red, I swear!

I knew the history and swore I would buy the best condition Patrol possible when it came along. Well, a few months ago Overton's 1968 Patrol popped up on eBay and I shrugged it off. Then I saw the blue one from Huntsville, AL, talked to that owner, but there was a few too many mods for my preference. The Southern Patrol showed up in a dealership in Denver and I excitedly made an appointment to look at it. Really nice Patrol but I go uncomfortable when I noticed the block was missing a chunk of iron on the front left side of the front of the motor and it didn't have the VIN plate under the hood. I chose to walk away.

A few days later Overton's Patrol popped up in Iowa from a dealer and after speaking with him about the condition, reliability and history of the truck I opted to buy it sight unseen. We negotiated a much better price than their asking and arranged to have it trailered to Colorado. I only told my wife it was being delivered when the enclosed trailer was about an hour away. Luckily she thought it was pretty bitchin so I'm still allowed in the house. That was back in March. Fast forward a couple months and I've collected a variety of parts as well as completed a few missing things on the Patrol.

Working with a guy here in Denver who had two 69 Patrols he was selling or parting out I managed to obtain the following:
- Original 15" rims (which were sand blasted and painted body color)
- An Original Koenig PTO Winch, lever and tray (other PTO owners - did you notch the frame or plasma cut a hole into the frame and weld in a sleeve)
- An original Throttle control knob
- An original Patrol Toolbox (yes, I scored the one on eBay from Australia). Any leads on the original tools for it, please PM me.
- An original hand crank (Thanks RMP&O)
- An original set of windshield wiper motors (back ups)
- An original glass fuel bulb for the fuel filter

The truck has been PHENOMENAL since taking stewardship of it. You really can't drive it anyplace without people asking what it is, or they know what it is but have never seen a Patrol in person. The truck needs a carb tune to address the lack of oxygen in Denver compared to Iowa, so it runs a little rich right now, but it fires up everytime.

Additional items to be addressed:
- Brakes are pretty bad. Need to pump several times before you get good pedal feel. If you're on a hill and not paying attention, the Patrol will start to roll backwards. Time for a fluid change and braided stainless lines.
- Emergency brake is non-existent. RMP&O gave me the part number to replace the seal, but according to my local dealership, its NLA. Any insights on a replacement, please let me know.
- Need pads for the gas, brake and clutch. Will Datsun 720 pedal pads work?
- Need the screw that holds the Windshield Wiper knob on (might be for the fluid as my wipers are controlled by a toggle switch)
- Have the unobtainium hub caps, but they don't fit on the 15" rims I just blasted and painted (DOH!). Not sure if they don't fit on later rims, will touch base with RiverPatrol on her red Patrol with hubcaps.
- Need an original bottle jack that gets strapped behind the passenger seat

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Still on the hunt for a late 60s 510 (preferably not red) to add to the collection and then I think I'll be done....unless a 300ZX TT presents itself!

Best,

Don

[faux40]

I suffer from Datsun envy! What a great collection!

John

[mdawg4x4]

Awesome collection. I hope you find that 300TT.

[mad4hws]

good to know who outbid me on that toolbox, although I am sure I'm not the only one. congrats. I'm super jealous. That stable you have put together is pretty nice. It's interesting too, because when I think of early Datsun, including the Patrol, I don't think of red as being the stand out color? Weird. It must be destiny.

Nice looking patrol. By chance are the two older part-out patrols still around? I am trying to find a few parts - most desperately a heater assembly before winter sets in here in CT.

Don. (yes, it appears that we share the same good fortune in first name)

[RiverPatrol]

Welcome to 60Patrol Don! Great intro. Nice to have another Datsun nut in the asylum.

Ah, so many questions already answered. So you're the one that made someone in Australia very happy with the purchase of the tool box. Moore_rb should be able to point you in the direction for the tools, he's been able to locate most of them.

Nice that you sought and found an original Koenig winch and PTO. That other one just looked...dangerous.

When you bleed the brakes and change the lines, be sure to pay special attention to the adjustment at all 4 wheel. That will cause a spongy pedal and less than favorable stopping power.

The output shaft seal is listed in the compatible parts list. This one has also been used by members: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AVX-Shaft-Oil-S ... 5d60384466

Brake and clutch pedal pads from a 720 will not work. Since yours is a 68/69 you can find them on eBay, there are a few vendors that list them from time to time. They are the same as for the later years. Gas pedal - McGuyver it.

Hub caps - well, that sucks. It sure will be nice to see those hubcaps on the correct wheels. That truck really needed that. The problem is, the wheels. The wheels need to have the hubcap retainers on them for the hubcap to fit.

Good luck on the bottle jack.

Sounds like you're on the right track with everything. That was a nice Patrol to end up with. Good to see it finally go to an enthusiast. Keep us posted, and don't hesitate to ask questions! that can save you buying the wrong parts.

[DMC Z]

L60 Community - thanks for all the kinds words. As a long time Datsun enthusiast, I have always felt welcome in the various car specific forums and the Patrol community is no different, for that I thank you.

Mad4HWs - One Patrol is still being parted, I'll contact my guy and find out about the heater assembly - I think it still had it. I have to pick up a couple things, so if its there, I'll pick it up for you. What are you willing to pay? PM me and we can take the conversation offline.

RiverPatrol - Great info on the brakes, thank you! I thought those were the hub cap retainer tabs (see photo)? Maybe I just need to bend them a little? Can you send me a photo of the retainer tabs on your beautiful red Patrol?

Thanks

Don

[Esteban]

Welcome to 60Patrol, Don!

[zed]

FJ40 wheel
https://www.usoffroad.us/vehicle/1050/fj40-wheel/
Keith

[DMC Z]

Thanks for the rim clarification. So in 68, would the Patrol have come with 15" or 16" rims? I've heard about the split rims, but it sounds like they're a bit high maintenance. Thanks.

[RiverPatrol]

What zed said.

Your 68/69 would have originally come with 15" split rims.