Time to say goodbye?

[Flying Torquewrench]

Tried to reply to you earlier today but it seems that the forum was offline. I was keeping my fingers crossed that they didn’t pull the plug for good.

Not sure what clutch you are going for Rick but the LOF clutches get very good reviews from the offroaders.
https://lofclutches.com/store/4x4-clutches/nissan-patrol/

Once I know the state of my gearbox I will order my clutch from LOF. i have no affiliation to them but have spoken to the owner a few months ago and he is extremely helpful.

I got the truck into the garage today and hopefully get the gearbox off over the next few days. Unfortunately, on the Y61 you can’t just slide the gearbox back. It only slides back an inch or so before it has to be turned otherwise it hits the bodywork. As i got no lift etc. I will raise the body so that i can just slide the gearbox back. To dangerous on my own to be rotating a gearbox 90 degrees while laying next to it on the ground. Nowhere to go if she were to fall. Lifting the body isn’t that much work.

Had a bit of good news and that is that our drainage plan for our new building has been approved. It has only taken since 2019 to get this far. Once the truck is back up and running I can finally start building. :thumb2

 

[solarman216]

I bought mine a while ago from Borg & Beck always been a good name, I have not looked at my box yet, hope mine does not need to be turned 90 deg, if it does then it will be engine out for me, let the crane do the work, just in case the forum does go down I will message you my phone number, Rick

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

I had high hopes that I would get more done today but as usual, the Patrol throws a few curve balls.

Getting the driveshafts off was proving slightly problematic as the gearbox is stuck in 3rd gear. So you can’t rotate the driveshaft to get to the upper bolts. They were also tightened by Hulk Hogan but in the end I succeeded. I also removed the broken exhaust as that needed to come off anyway.

Tomorrow I am hoping to get the body ready for lifting. I am working the first few days off next week and will leave the actual lifting of the body till I have a bit more time.

Drained the oil out of the gearbox and it had a lovely clean colour. Ran it through a filter but no metal parts were found in the oil. As the gearstick got stuck without making any unusual noises I am hoping that a pin/nut has come loose. As that would avoid an expensive overhaul by a gearbox place. We will see what next week brings.

I will take a photo tomorrow of the gearbox. You can clearly see that it fouls on the driver side footwell and therefore has to be rotated to clear. Not an ideal design if you ask me.

 

[solarman216]

I must put mine on the lift tomorrow and see if it is the same, if so engine out, but also Maggies T2 is up for MOT early August so need to look at that as well, Rick

 

[solarman216]

Had my Patrol on the lift today and I see no reason for it not to come straight out, I do not have any lump on the drivers side, it just needs the rear mounting lowering, which tilts the engine mountings back a bit and I recon it should slide out, mine is a Y60 2.8td Manual, is yours Auto Collin? also mine is LWB and I think yours is a shorty, Rick

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Rick, you are lucky! Mine is a SWB manual 2.8td.

Not the best photo but this is what you hit on the Y61. The driver side foot well extend forward and there is not enough room to pull the gearbox back without rotating the gearbox. Happy to be corrected though.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

It has only been MOT’d in December and the bracket for the anti roll bar has completely corroded through. A month after the MOT I noticed that it had a hole on one side of the bracket. When I wanted to removed it today it had corroded through.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

I can’t upload the photo of the other side, still connected to the anti roll bar. :nenau

Removed all the body mounting bolts today. They all came out fine, apart from one. Of course this is one of two that drops down from inside the cabin. Had to remove the driver seat to get to it.

All in all the condition underneath is better then expected. Only the rear end needs a bit of welding to the mounting points for the anti roll bar. As I am changing springs and shocks anyway, I am thinking about removing the rear axle all together. It just gives me better access to the mounting points. Once the springs and shocks are removed it is only another 3 bolts and the axle is loose.

Hopefully getting the gearbox out later this week. Then I can see if I can repair it or if it needs a full overhaul again.

 

[solarman216]

Once I have sorted the Mrs motor for MOT I will put mine on the lift and take the same pic, pretty sure I got loads clearance round the starter, Rick

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

I hit a slight snag. Everything between the body and chassis is disconnected but the body does not want to come off. If I put a pry bar near the mounts then there is movement.

I need the body to come up a little bit as I am also changing the body mounts. Several brake lines need renewing as the unions are corroded solidly. In the end I just cut them and replace them later.

My main priority is to get the gearbox out. Once that is out I can then make a decision if I repair the current gearbox or buy a second hand one. I have seen one on fleabay for about £800 including delivery. The downside with a used gearbox is that you don’t know what you buy. Ideally it should be overhauled before installation. Which then makes it economically unviable.

My own gearbox has only done 130k miles so should be in good condition.

I watched a couple of videos of the gearbox removal on a Patrol. The first one I watched they did not tilt the gearbox/engine, yet on the subsequent ones they did. The latter ones had no issue sliding the gearbox aft without hitting the footwell. So I will try that later in the week. Hoping to have this gearbox off by Thursday. However, it is the first time for me to take a gearbox off so I am taking my time.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

I did spend some money on a new brake pipe flaring tool. My old one was pretty useless and this one gets good reviews. It is also easier to use on the car. Taken the photo with my tablet so it is too big to add to this post. Bugger!!

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Rick, I finally found your thread about your new exhaust. I listened to your youtube videos and it sounds good. Sounds pretty similar to mine since half the exhaust is missing.

Couple of questions. I think that I know the answer but I’ll ask them anyway.

-Have you informed your insurance company as it falls under modifications. If yes, (highly unlikely ) did it affect your premium?

-Did you have your exhaust approved, as it is not type approved?

-Any comments during the MOT, since it is not the original exhaust?

I have been considering installing a valve. Which either gives an “open pipe” or a normal exhaust. Bit like the trucks have.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

The gearbox is finally out. :thumb2

It is far from ideal doing it on your own whilst crawling underneath the car. Would have been a lot easier if I had a lift. Hey ho, it is what it is.

I hope that it will be picked up next week for a complete overhaul. Initially I thought about having a look myself but I have decided to let the professionals do it.

Taking the clutch and the flywheel off tomorrow.

Found a few areas of corrosion that need addressing but she is in reasonable condition for a 26 year old truck.

Unfortunately all the photoks I take with my phone or tablet are too big for the forum.

 

[solarman216]

No need to tell me about that, I did Briggies on the ground way back before I had the 2 post lift, I had to take the transfer box off to get it back, it was just too heavy and one sided and that was an auto, Rick

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

For installation, I do indeed think that it is easier to remove the transfer box. I got her off alright but trying to line everything up during installation is a whole new challenge. The thing just weighs a tonne. Even on a smooth concrete floor the weight makes it difficult to move the transmission jack. Not at all being helped by laying on your back/side/front instead of just standing up.

Removed the clutch and flywheel today. Truth to be told, the flywheel is not in a bad state. Yes, it is officially outside limits but it is in better condition than expected. Anyway, the new one is here so I might as well install it. Then the old one can go in the spares cabinet in case of emergency.

Hopefully find a gearbox repair/overhaul centre that takes on a Patrol gearbox on Monday. Called a couple yesterday but they all seem very reluctant to take on the work. Not really sure why, either because the gearbox is old and parts may be difficult to get or just because it is such a big gearbox.

Found a big bulge of corrosion on one of the chassis rails. Fortunately the gearbox is off as access is so much easier. Cut it out today and welded two new pieces in. Just needs sanding the welds smooth and a lick of paint.

Next up is the rear crankshaft oil seal. Seems silly not to replace it when the flywheel is off. Just didn’t expect that the oil sump also has to come off. That will be the job for tomorrow.

I am doing the front half first, then turn the truck around to improve access. Especially as the rear axle has to come off I just have more space when the truck is reversed into the garage.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Waiting to hear back from some gearbox repair shops if they take the work on. It is proving more difficult then expected to find somewhere to have it repaired.

Started on the sump removal yesterday but realised that I had no sealant in stock. So had to abandon that job.

Instead I made new brackets for the front anti roll bar. The left one was completely rotten through and the right one had a reasonable amount of corrosion. Made them out of some 50x50x5mm box. That should last for a while. They only need painting and they are finished.

When I removed the gearbox I noticed that the gearbox support bracket had some corrosion on the left hand side. It didn’t look as bad until I started cutting away the rot. Once I got back to good metal I stripped 8mm of 10mm thickness away. I haven’t decided yet if I repair the original bracket or buy some metal and make a new one.Building a new one might be easier then repairing the old one. I haven’t looked at the other side as there is also some corrosion on that side. It doesn’t seem as bad but I won’t know until I removed the corroded metal.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Found a way to reduce photo sizes. To start, a photo of the removed gearbox.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Clutch and flywheel.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

The old flywheel after the clutch has been removed.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

The rear crankshaft seal after the flywheel and cover plate have been removed.