SHED: 1988 NISSAN PATROL GQ
ANOTHER NEW ADDITION TO THE 4X4 SHED IS THE CHEAPEST GQ PATROL TO BE FOUND ON FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE!
G’DAY everyone, my name’s Kian Heagney. I’m the newest addition to the 4x4 Shed and the first thing you should know about me is this – I know pretty much nothing about fourwheel driving.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a fourwheeled fanatic since I was in nappies and ‘car’ was probably the second word to lob out of my mouth. That love and passion for cars has led me to my gig creating content for our sister publication Street Machine magazine; but, for once, I’m not here to write about 1000hp twin-turbo Toranas.
I recently bought myself a GQ Patrol, and it’s going to serve as my introduction in to this new world of raised suspension and intentionally getting dirty. But we’ll get to that in a moment.
I’ve been toying with life-size cars since I was around 13, mainly R31 Nissan Skylines, a Hyundai Excel rally car and Holden Commodore utes. I’m 24 years old now, and last year it occurred to me that in my 10-odd years of playing cars there was one gaping hole in my list: not a single 4x4.
Being a country boy meant there was really was no excuse as to why I didn’t have one, so straight away I started searching for a budget fourbie to fill the void in my stable. My criteria was pretty simple: I had a buy-in budget of $5000, it had to be 25 years or older so I could put it on a Club Permit, and it had to be reliable with a decent amount of aftermarket support. The body could be a bit beaten up and, because it wasn’t going to be a daily driver everyday, luxuries like central locking and power windows weren’t necessities either.
Being a lover of boxy old Nissans meant a LWB GQ Patrol wagon rocketed straight to the top of my list, so I spent a few months casually browsing to see what I could find. The market for GQS is massively varied, and a key part of that depends on what engine you want. My budget immediately ruled out the top trump
TD42 turbo-diesel, but because I wasn’t planning on towing, I was happy to settle for the petrol TB42 powerplant instead.
Just a few days out from Christmas last year, this GQ Patrol popped up on Facebook Marketplace and it fit the bill perfectly. A 1988 LWB wagon, TB42 carby, auto, with a beaten-up body but, critically, a valid Victorian roadworthy certificate, solid mechanics underneath and all for $4500! It was also pretty much standard save for a two-inch suspension lift, steel bullbar and a dodgy lightbar. I think it’s safe to say I bought the cheapest useable GQ Patrol off Facebook Marketplace with walk-in rego – score!
So far we’ve racked up around 2000km touring around our local Bendigo region in the GQ with the family and it’s been nothing but smiles the whole time. The car has been pretty-well faultless except for a few carby gremlins, and despite the kettle warnings, it survived all summer without overheating. It’s also allowed me to see parts of my local area I never would’ve been to, and now I don’t have to worry about bottoming out my VZ SS ute when I go hunting for mountainbike trails.
But I didn’t just buy it to go mountain biking. Being a country kid I’ve loved camping my whole life, and with a bunch of my friends recently buying 4x4s and hitting the dirt for lengthy camping trips, it seems like the perfect time to build a touring rig.
Because I know virtually nothing about modifying 4x4s or what it takes to go off-road, there’s been a lot of questions asked and Googling to find out what I’ll need to get the GQ ready. First things first, I’ve been told to bin the factory 31-inch all terrains in favour of some 33-inch mud terrains. I’ll also need a set of front and rear recovery points, a snatch strap, a proper set of side-steps and preferably a roof-rack (with awning) to strap some fuel to because the TB42 loves a drink! I’ve already got all the actual camping gear, so that’s no stress.
So feel free to come along – and probably laugh – at me on this journey as I build my first 4x4. I know it’ll be a steep learning curve, but I’m not afraid to get dirty and I haven’t been this excited about a car build in a very long time.