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THE ROCK LOBSTER - GQ SWB tourer

71K views 429 replies 43 participants last post by  seehuusen 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey fellow Patrol owners :cool:

I've been on the forum for quite some time, and this is my second Patrol, a 1989 Ford Maverick Petrol 4.2 liter fuel guzzler... I thought it was about time I presented it to you all.

It's a build in progress, as so many of you, I too use my car as a daily driver, and thus I need to finish all repairs, at the very latest on Sunday arvos
But it works out pretty well in my case anyhow. I get to spend a few hundred a month on spare parts, then put them on the car over weekends and week nights (when it's convenient and no other chores are calling)

Here the car is, just as I got it from the previous owner, oil leaks and all... When I bought the car, I actually swapped it for my previous road car. I drove to the owners place to check it out, as he wasn't keen on meeting me half way. Had he met me half way, I would have seen all the oil and crud... Instead he did a great cleaning job when I came to look at it... Oh well, you live, you learn, on the up side, it had very little rust



Specifications:
TB42s @ 300.000km
33 inch Mickey Thompson MTZ on 15 inch Sun Raiser Rims
UHF
3 inch Kings Springs lift
3 inch body lift
Love bites from the bush ;)

I drove the car down to my mechanic, who went over it. It turned out it needed a fair bit of work done to it, and he is NOT a picky person!

Front seal was completely gone, exhaust is half a system only, hand brake was not holding at all, lights, front axle seal leaking, rear brakes questionable... $900 later I had a slip in my hand and I managed to get the beast registered

It was time to take it for a spin and see what it can do



This was taken out at Glasshouse Mountains QLD
(found this little vid of what NOT to do there: GQ patrol SWB roll - YouTube)

With the car registered, all be it a bit questionable with a half exhaust and a few other bits that I needed to fix, I set out to start building MY WEAPON

BTW, this is where the name Rock Lobster comes from, my new plates read THE ROC (it's a standard QLD plate, so THE is 743, bit of fun). Rock Lobster is a terrible song made awesome by Family Guy LMAO 8)

The first thing I fixed was swapping in a new full front axle.
The missus and I were going to Fraser Island late last year, and after the mechanic had fixed the axle seal in the old axle, the diff started binding up :headwall:
So instead of pulling it out, rebuilding and carrying on 2 weeks before a trip, I went to the local wrecker, paid $500 for a full front axle (minus free wheeling hubs and callipers)... Sure you can get it cheaper if you look around, not really an option 2 weeks before going away... So I just bit the bullet and swapped the front axle out. Put new break line hoses in while I was at it as well as brand new diff oil of course ;)

And we made it, had a fantastic trip, stayed up past Indian head near Ocean Lake. We took the kayaks around the lake, it was awesome. We saw a whale and pup over near the light house around the top end. The GQ handled great, we even had it airborn!! :D



The best thing was that the missus didn't get any troubles with her back/ neck like in the old rattle shaker (MK Patrol leafy) :bigthumb:

Cheers
Martin
 
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#2 ·
engine bay clean up

OK, this thing had very little rust in it, but the few bits that it did have were all the air filter bits in the engine bay... So I whipped out the old sand paper, primer and paint and set out to get it looking a bit better



Pretty cruddy and rusty, I made sure to take the photo for reference on how the hoses run.
While I was at it, I removed the intake for the hot air intake for cold starts. What a stupid assembly! I'll take a photo later of it if I remember... It has a hole in the bottom, where water CAN get it!! WTF, the snorkel was only there for show!! Geeez!!:rolleyes:



Sanded and primed




Already looking better than before



I noticed when I was spraying the filter with degreaser, that it was penetrating through where the folds were. Silicone is my friend here, and I siliconed all the seals from the inside



Looking a lot better already. I also cleaned up all the wiring with zip ties, sooo easy to do, looks a trillion times better

Cheers
Martin
 
#4 ·
rear disc break rebuild

OK, time for a rebuild of the rear breaks.
I just finished that this weekend, so this is where I'm currently up to :D



Both rear callipers pulled off the vehicle and disassembled. I bought a rebuild kit from BrakeWest in Vic. They sent it up express, $50 delivered, too easy :D
Tools required, 10, 12, 19mm spanners, an old screw driver, hammer and a chissel



one caliper, and all parts



back on the car with new rotors



passenger side done



drivers side done
This was a really easy fix, and just takes a day to do, including drinking beer time ;)

Cheers
Martin
 
#5 · (Edited)
Thanks Mav083 :D

I forgot to mention, I could not deal with the hum from 4 year old MTZ tyres, so they went up in the for sale section a month or two ago, and I replaced them with a set of BF Goodrich A/T in a 285/75R16 configuration. These sit at 32-something inches in diameter, and JUST a tad wider than legal (5mm)... I don't think it'll cause any dramas, knock on wood ;)



When I put the new tyres on, I made sure that I got a set of 15mm Radius Arm spacers, as the 3 inch lift was causing the front tyres to rub on full compression.

At the same time I also put in caster correcting bushes, as well as a new solid adjustable front panhard rod. I didn't buy a rear adjustable rod, as with 3 inches lift, I can't see any shift of the axle to the right.

The rear panhard is also swapped for a new one, with new bushes, as I sorta had a bit of a mishap out at glasshouse a few month ago (the recovery at glasshouse 10.12.avi - YouTube)

The panel damage aftermath was actually pretty lucky, the bull bar took most of the front weight



The bar came up a fair bit in the wheel arch. Those 3 inch blocks have got to go, I hate that lift soooo much. Got a brand new 1 inch lift ready to in, I just gotta get to it :rolleyes: Once in, I'll take it to the engineers, now that they are allowed to mod-plate up to 2 inch lifts in QLD (K3 code from memory)


Pretty lucky panel wise, not much to cry about, sill will be hidden by a side step soon anyway


The gutter got bent a bit, as well as the rounded part on the roof was flattened


Other than that, the rear quater panel got bent in a bit too, but I've now straightened that out, as well as the roof gutter. Sorry forgot to take before pics :p

Cheers
Martin
 
#8 ·
Thanks guys! :)

Benno, I believe up until recently, only the QLD DOT could approve body lifts, but an engineer could do it, if it formed part of a complete rebuild, like a dual cab chop or similar

Just have to confirm, but it looks like the 1 inch body lift and new bar work will go onto the car this weekend :D This is happening in Bris-Vegas, so the drive back to the coast is going to be through Caboolture and Glasshouse Mountains, might as well take the scenic route hey? :bigthumb: I'll try to grab some pics if it all goes ahead ;)

Cheers
Martin
 
#9 ·
removing top pin stripe

Hey guys,

After using my gurney on the car to get all the mud and crud off from Glasshouse trips etc, the top pin strip seems to be letting go.

So I took the trusty old gurney, and started washing it away. Hey presto, not long after had most of the red sticker been flacked away. It wasn't fun to find all those tiny pieces EVERYWHERE, but with a bit of vigilance, I got one side all off the car at least ;)

it used to look like this


But I stole the last bit of Tea Tree oil, and at least got the front panel and drivers door done...
I'll have to buy some more of that stuff! It works really well, not only did it get the sticker stuff off, it also got rid of all the burned rubber stains on the white paint from being too eager on the throttle up rocks etc :p



This would actually make a pretty good camping project, something to do while drinking beer on the beach just lazing about, but I'll get another bottle this week sometime if I get to the shop, then finish it all off :)

By the way, the white weather strip on the back of the door came up MINT! 8)

cheers
Martin
 
#11 ·
Cheers mate :D Coming up OK hey

Found a couple more vids for yas 8)

Martins nissan Patrol Gq shorty @ glasshouse 5 tracks - YouTube
Martin's Nissan GQ Patrol Shorty Entry to Little Red - YouTube

Looking at these, from when I first got the car, I really need to invest in a front locker, that front end is a bit of a let down for any stocko GQ/ GU I think...
(these videos were taken two days after registration, soon it's the shortys B-Day, 26th of May, hope I can get her looking good by then ;) )

Cheers
Martin
 
#14 · (Edited)
Cheers mate, I've always had shorties, love them :)

Well I went out to the car in the morning, and I have no clutch...
so I went to Carbitz and got a new clutch slave cylinder, but couldn't get a new hydraulic clutch hose, strange but true, no one have one, other than road runner online... http://www.roadrunneroffroad.com.au...0855-01J10-Clutch-Hose-Assembly-Bleeding.html
So, I'll be buying one off them, it's extended 50mm, which will work well until I replace the 3 inch body lift with the 1 inch
One thing that no one seems to mention when people do a body lift is to extend this line as well as the break lines. My old one was pretty stretched, and had bubbles at the bottom half of the hose

so, in waiting for the part to arrive, I gave the old girl a good cut and polish, well deserved actually, and the car is looking schmick with that finally done.

I've picked up a new set of bleed nipples from Nissan, $55!!! but atleast I've got them, and wouldn't you know, single pot front and rear callipers have different bleed nipples!!?!

cheers
Martin
 
#15 ·
cut'n'polish came up mint!

It was a bit dark by the time I had washed the car and finished with the Cut'n'Polish, so I grabbed a photo this morning

Paint's looking great again :coffeeti:



cheers
Martin
 
#16 ·
Looks great mate!
In regard to the leads that go to the plugs, if you cable tie them up it will lead to cross firing and a shortened life of the lead, which is why they are usually put in the plastic lead holders that run along the rocker cover.
Steve
 
#19 ·
Cheers Jason! :) do you have a build thread for yours yet? 8)

Hopefully I'll be able to add a few more things over the weekend, got a little list of stuff that I need/ want to do (got all the parts too, except the clutch line... bloody Australia Post...)

  • Replace 3 inch body lift with 1 inch wide block body lift
  • Replace all the bleed nipples on all four callipers
  • Bleed the rear breaks properly
  • Replace the clutch slave cylinder with new one
  • Replace clutch hose/line with new one

I've also been ringing around to the local exhaust shops, and found that I can get a 2 1/2 inch mandrel bent sports system (in mild steel) for $495, so I'll be ringing them up for a time next week to get that sorted out :bigthumb:

I'll post some pics up once I've done the work ;)

Cheers
Martin
 
#21 ·
Body lift isn't that hard to do, a couple of hourse, 2 high-lift jacks and a mate is pretty much all you need...

Just remember, longer break hoses, clutch hose, fuel filler hose may need attention too and don't forget to check that you haven't kinked the radiator hoses... I think that is about it :) I know there's been a few threads on it, so please make sure you double check ;) AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, don't go more than 2 inches, it serves no purpose what so ever. Plus on hard side impacts, the body will move to the side, off centre from the chassis!! (I have personal experience with this happening :toothmis: Actually you can still see it slightly in the inside fender pic on page pne, SCARY SH17!!)

On another note... I just rang the exhaust place and booked in for Tuesday, although now I'm not sure if I'll be doing it... I was asking for a quote from the exhaust manifold back, apparently I was quoted from the dump pipe, rather than the manifold. When I told old mate that the problem was between the manifold and the dump pipe the price jumped to $1050, including a set of new extractors...

I think the missus isn't gonna go for this one, especially with $300 for the bullbar/ side steps AND rego is due too, $421.75/6 months :( I better go pick up some flowers on the way home from work LOL

Cheers
Martin
 
#22 ·
clutch hydraulics has arrived :D

well well well, look what the post man brought me :bigthumb: Looks like I'll be going to Brisbane this weekend after all (to do the body lift lowering and bar work) :D So I'm a bit stoked!

This evening I'll be installing the following

  • New Clutch hose
  • New Clutch Slave Cylinder
  • New Bleed nipples for my breaks
  • Then bleed the lot ;)

Genuine Nissan Clutch Hose Assembly, $46 delivered from Road Runer


Aftermarket/ Genuine Replacement Slave Cylinder, $30 at CarBitz


Genuine!! Nissan Break Calliper nipples, note not the same front and rear! $55 from Gary Cricks in Nambour :crazy: (a bit steep, but I had no way of taking my car anywhere to get them measured, nor could anyone tell me which ones I needed... So I bit the bullet)


I'll let you know how I go :)

Cheers
Martin
 
#24 · (Edited)
Full NEW 2.5" sports system and extractors booked in

Rang the exhaust guy (Nambour Exhaust Centre), told him that I couldn't really afford the $1050 price tag for a full sports system (2.5 inch) and extractors (Redback), which is still a great price ($1200 quote in 2008 according to this thread http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/nissan-patrol-gq-y60-ford-maverick-11/extractors-tb42-21261/)

He started looking at other options, and I even suggested taking my car in to have a propper look at what he could do at a lessor price.

Shaun's answer; "mate, you really should do the full system, give me a tick, I'll call our guys and see what they can do for us"

Litterally 15 minutes later I get a call back "Martin, Shaun here, are you sitting down, gonna give you the deal of the century, I couldn't get Redback extractors, so I got Genie of our supplier, who looked after us, $890 for the complete system, including installation"

Obviously, I couldn't let that deal down, I don't have to do anything, just drive the car there on Tuesday morning, then they'll build it all for me during the day and I can pick it up on my way home :D

TOP BLOKES!! Will let you know if their work is good ;)

This car is getting a lot of attention (money thrown at it) at the moment :coffeeti:
I might have to take the car for a few trips for the next little while ;) Nothing wrong with that though :D

Although I still have a few parts left that I've got to fit onto the car (including all new rubber bushes for the rear end, gotta make a press and press it all in... so there's something to do when I'm not out wheeling. Making it myself with my Mig welder and a bottle jack, oh and I've never welded with one before, so it should be an interesting project)

Cheers
Martin
 
#26 ·
cheers J_K, I thought it was an all right deal too, I wouldn't mind hearing what other people have paid for a similar setup?

Forgot to mention, I took all the zip ties off my spark plug leads... I might try and see if the wreckers or Nissan can supply the missing spark plug lead brackets that hold them all organized...

As for the planned bar work, that I was going to put in this weekend, that has fallen through... Old mate I was going to buy it off has gone walk-about, closed FB and phone... Spewin' :ranting:

BUT, I still have the lowering of the body to do, and this MUST be done this weekend, as I'm getting the exhaust done, and I don't want any potential scrubbing from the exhaust... So finger is out ;) and I'm ready to head down to my good mate Mick's place to work on my car :D

Here's the kit in full, wide poly-urethane blocks, 1 inch tall. Does anyone know why two of the bolts are longer?? I'm thinking these are for the rear two, at the barn doors... but it's only a hunch...



Cheers
Martin
 
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