1994 Nissan Patrol
1994 GQ Patrol DX
Engine - TD42 Diesel
Transmission - 5 Speed Manual
Suspension - Dobinsons 3”inch lift
Tyres - 35” Federal Couragia M/T
Equipped For - Touring & 4x4
After selling my first GQ many years ago, I never quite filled the void and was left wanting another. I started looking for a 'project', something a bit rough around the edges that I wouldn’t be too precious about. I stumbled across a renovator's dream, one of the biggest eyesores I had ever laid eyes on. Despite looking like a mobile meth lab, the bones were solid - it had low kilometres and a healthy TD42. For some reason, I saw the appeal in bringing it back to life and saving it from its imminent death - it had potential, you just had to squint to see it.
Over the next 12 months I slowly pieced it back together, fixing the dreaded death wobbles, replacing all the worn out bits and hunting through wreckers for missing parts. I quickly grew tired of chugging up hills at 20km/hr, so I decided it was time for some boost. I slapped a Holset turbo on, along with a 3-inch exhaust in the comfort of my mums cramped little shed. It breathed new life into the asthmatic old 4.2 and it was no longer afraid of inclines.
Having eventually ironed out a lot of the niggling mechanical issues, I could begin making it nicer to look at. I'm a sucker for period correctness and I wanted to hold onto as much factory styling as possible - keeping it simple and avoiding covering it in 'soot gets the moot' stickers. I was lucky to stumble across a pair of 80's Recaro seats in mint condition - probably my favourite upgrade so far, and something my back thanks me for. I also found a set of 15" Centereline Convo Pro's; a nod to classic Aussie drag styling and bogan's alike, something the GQ is synonymous for. The final piece to the puzzle was a factory Ti Model front bumper - not exactly tourer friendly, but if that chrome bumper is the last thing a roo sees I bet he'll give me a thumbs up.
I also designed a drawer system and welded up a frame to house my old Engel, as well as 2 aluminium drawers, a slide out table and fridge slide. I wired in a basic 12V system with a 100ah lithium battery, Redarc BCDC charger and a 12v water pump feeding 100L of water storage to the rear.
We took 2 months off to travel up the East Coast - From Adelaide through Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and everywhere in between. After 20,000kms of harsh conditions between those two trips, the Patrol was in need of yet another tidy up (it’s never ending really). A 'quick freshen up' before our next big trek, quickly snowballed into a 5 month overhaul, replacing just about every component with genuine Nissan bits - body mounts, all bushes, all brakes rebuilt - you name it, there was a big list. I also chopped the rear quarters and welded up a simple rear bar capable of carrying the heavy 35" spare on a swingaway - something I didn’t really want to do, but was more of a necessity to get the spare off the rear barn door.
Fast forward to today, we have just gotten back from 1 month of travelling around Western Australia. We covered 10,000km from Adelaide to Perth, where we doubled back and took our time exploring the South West coast, through Margaret River and down to Esperence. This trip brought us just shy of 100,000km’s travelled in the patrol so far - reassurance that even the crusty ones can take you all over the map reliably. As I crossed the Nullarbor, I realised why I enjoy doing these trips in an old rust bucket. Whether it’s the storytelling with old timers at a roadhouse, or the thumbs up passing an old bus on the highway, it’s a special feeling keeping these old girls chugging along.
I get a weird enjoyment from listening out for new knocks and rattles, glancing at gauges, and yelling at my passenger just to have a conversation. It’s loud, uncomfortable and if i take my eyes off the road for a split second we'd probably be dead. But to me, thats part of the excitement and it wouldn’t have the same charm in a modern car. It’s reassuring knowing I can fix it on the side of the road with a bag full of tools, and theres probably a part I need in a paddock near by. There’s always something to fix, or a fuse that keeps on blowing, but this old girl has a few more trips left in her yet.
Photos & Words James Knight