DIY Modifications & Accessories

I have decided to sound proof and water proof and also rust proof al at the same time with a cheaper alternitive to Dynamat, you can find it a Bunnings or most hardwares it is called Weatherproof Tape... it is a bituman backed foil you can get different width rolls I went doe the one about a foot wide I needed two rolls at about $122.50 each compared to the Dynamat which would be around $5-600 to do exactly what I have done with this and it is the same thing (bituman backed foil) here are some pic's I also added an E.R.P.S. (Electronic Rust Prevention System) under the matting.

This is what I did to install a fan under the intercooler of my CRD. This is the shroud before mounting of the fan: Top view of fan mounted on shroud: Bottom view of fan mounted on shroud: Bottom view of shroud with spacer bars attached: View of fan attached to intercooler ( I used long bolts that went through both flanges on the intercooler to help even the load on the housing): View of fan with thermostat switch attached: View of installed unit in vehicle: This little sucker (wiring loom) took a little longer to make: All in all, it works very well, but recently I've developed a few leaks which I've fixed, but I…

I love my dremel but i cant get the bloody chuck key off the flex shaft, anyone got a tip on how to do it or do i have to go out and buy another flex shaft??? Its stuck on there proper

As you may have noticed our Patrols come standard with "dummy" tail lights for ADR compliance (the spare wheel can obscure the RH upper tail lights). I've had people tell me my lights aren't working. Wrong, they're built this way. The answer ... christmas tree. The tail lights (with RH indicator and reverse light) are available on ebay (about $100). The wiring is straight forward and the required circuits can be taken from the trailer plug.

Hows it going guys Just ordered the black widow drawers for the GU wagon but forgot to ask about the child restraints. Just wondering if anybody has the setup and could tell me how the restraints are fitted. Cheers Russ

OK, So im sick of having cigerette plug double adapters, cables going everywhere, phones falling out of the overhead thing and - not being able to charge my Samsung tablet while its running unless its plugged into a 240 inverter socket. The problem comes from the fact that a normal USB socket can only supply 500ma. if you are lucky and can join 2 together (or have a high power USB port) you can get 1A. Tablets need around 2 A to charge and run at the same time. I had a 1A usb plug which was fine for my phone, but not the tablet.. Increasing the charge supply might also speed up the charge time for phones, cameras etc. These just arrived on my desk from the states…

Draft The talk has already started about recovery and where to attach so I thought I'd start a dedicated thread. If I get something wrong or you have more info then tell me and I'll update this post. Towballs are NOT recovery points and can KILL! Don't use them! EVER! from google I'm not sure anyone makes rated recovery points. If you have a new bit of steel with a SWL stamp on it I'd love to see a pic (bow shackles don't count). Snatching (particularly) and winching put a lot more stress on EVERYTHING. A difficult snatch can apply upwards of 3x the vehicle weight! What's the weak link? You won't know until it breaks! The Nissan tow points…

I always like to keep things looking a bit subtle where posible, so after getting my much maligned Aldi winch, I wanted to do something a bit different with the installation. Specifically, I didn't want it to stand out, so this is what I ended up doing. The winch install is standard, but unlike many who modify the number plate mount so that it sits higher than the winch opening, I modified the number plate mount so that it covers the winch entirely: I simply removed the part that usually holds the number plate, part of the angle, and install two hinges on to the number plate and what was left of the existing bracket: The snatch strap is what holds the…

Hi, I had 2 speakers busted in my GU for sometime and thought it was time to change them. I bought 2 pairs of Alpine SPG-13C2 in a local store for 60€ (~ Au$ 80), you can use other brands. As some of you know Nissan Patrol has custom speakers made by Clarion and we have to use some ring adapters to fit other brands, but I ended up using the plastic ring the old ones have because it's cheaper ! The con is we loose some bass because of the gap between the ring and the speaker, but I can live with that. Since I didn't want to cut the wires I took the connectors from the old speakers and soldered them to the new speaker terminals. See the pics to get a better …

Ok, this is just a scratch area to keep ideas on building my rear recovery point. Once its built and confirmed to not kill anyone ill post it in the Recovery Points Thread. The Problem: The Telstra bar on the back of my GU doesn't have a hayman Reece hitch, so i cannot use the normal recovery insert. Make something stronger. The investigation: I took the tow pintle off and was happy to see that the bolt layout is the standard for 4 bolt tow hitches. The tow hook that was fitted on the back step fit fine, however i need something much stronger. So i ended up with something like this until i work out the new recovery point. I have seen a cou…

One accessory that every 4WD should carry is a snatch strap, but what isn't often considered is an appropriate attachment method for the snatch strap. The attachment needs to be strong, so that it can withstand the forces of snatching, it should be easy to attach and remove the strap after use and it should create minimum interference if attached to the vehicle. That's what I had in mind when I made up this snatch strap attachment: It's basically a 4mm thick tube the same size as a regular tow hitch, with a 20mm diameter solid steel rod slotted through and welded into place: Rather than having the usual long attachment like many with the hook: This one do…

Well, I finally got around to making the rear door table for the Patrol, after lots of planning and sourcing of materials. The total build time was around six hours, but there was also a bit of waiting for glue to dry and running around for bits and pieces, so the whole project took about three days. I wanted to make something slightly different to what others have made, so that the look is as close to factory as I could reasonably achieve with my limited workshop facilities (read basically none). This project was literally created on a Black and Decker foldout work table, and the kitchen and dining room tables (what I wouldn't give for a proper workshop. Here's the…

I got a bit nervous when i heard about how water can get into the control box for the winch. I ran silicoln around all the screw holes but was concerned about the plug where the controller goes if the cap didnt seal correctly. Being that my car doesnt get driven much during the week i had an idea to make a cover that can go over the control box to keep rain out while its sitting there, or even while driving. Here is version 0.1a. It looks pretty good but i need to test out its waterproofness and how long it will last outside. What do you think? Maybe if i can refine it, and the price is right people might like one for their winch control box? Click on the phot…

Well here are some pics of wiring diagrams if anyone wants to convert there winch to have a kill switch and in-cab control. They are just to give you an idea as I had these pics saved from when I did a similar setup. Uses could be to remotely locate the solenoid pack in an out of the way place, to minimise its exposure to water and mud. Or simply for winching convenience. I liked the idea of having a switch which stops the solenoid pack plug from working unless the switch was on.

I've always wanted some way to filter dust and other crap that enters through the air vents, and so that I can go about with the vent in the open position. Up till now, I've tried to think of everything and come up with nothing. Then by pure happenstance, someone posted a thread about cleaning just such a filter and my prayers were answered. And to make things even easier, Nissan now sell these filters (Filter Kit B727C-79925), which I assume fit all models of GU, as the system looks the same to me. Installation is a breeze and doesn't take long at all. The two filters as supplied (which included the all important 'clip'): The glove box was easy to remove, no…

I like my little projects, so how about sharing for everyone else. Let us know what those small little things you do to improve your Patrol are. Let's get it started: + EGR Blocking plate Materials - Scrap stainless sheet (thicker than paper) and some Ultra Grey or similar sealant. Cost $5 + GU front interior lights wired up so they light up when the doors are open like the middle and rear lights Materials - Wire and diodes (diodes are needed otherwise when you go to turn on one light and they all turn on (found out while driving at night, bit dazzling)). Cost $2 (can recycle diodes and wire from old electronics (TV's, etc)) + Second glovebox I used - …

I'd ordered a Dyno Tune boost gauge (square boost pressure Gauge) to complement my Dyno Tune EGT gauge. I'd bought a cheap mechanical dial boost gauge a while back to assist in tuning, but it was really a PITA in many ways, so I decided to get another Dyno Tune gauge and make a set with the EGT gauge. Like the EGT gauge, the boost gauge is simply a top quality product. It comes with a high quality transducer for pressure measurement, a digital readout and simply plenty of cable for routing things in the engine bay. Normally, I'm a big fan of analogue gauges (ie dials), but they are best used for information that doesn't change significantly ie oil pressure, water tempe…

I decided to install the EGT Gauge in the Patrol after I went to a wrecker and found out what the dump pipe actually looked like and figured out that the conversion would be pretty easy without having to remove the pipe etc. At first I was going to buy a dump pipe assembly from the wreckers and modify that and then just swap over the pipes once the work was done; but that wasn't necessary. The first part involves removing the heat shield from the turbo. This wasn't initially as easy a task as I thought, with some of the bolt seized pretty tight and not much room to swing a spanner. First move was to WD40 all the bolts and within minutes, they just tweedled off. One wor…

Yet another variation on a theme..... I ran power from the second battery to the rear yesterday for a fridge and whatever else. By spending an hour or so making the panel blank and sourcing the voltmeter and Merit sockets, I saved around $120 compared with commercial equivalents. Panel is a piece of plastic around 2-3mm thick. I recycled an old document tray but anything you can get your hands on will be fine. Needs to be thin enough that the clips on the meter, switch and original clip will go all the way though. Cable is two runs of automotive 6mm back to a fuse panel under the passenger kick plate. I also have a totally separate run along the chassis of 6 B…

Guide Status - IN DRAFT Here I will be putting a guide on how to replace your patrols double din stereo. I'll also put up a review of some Chinese imported head units, and the navigation software that you can load on to them. Work in progress.....