HARD EARNED

HARD WORK AND THE RIGHT ADVICE HAVE HELPED JAMES ATKINSON BUILD THE PATROL OF HIS DREAMS

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

NISSAN’S GQ/GU series of Patrols have deservedly won themselves a reputation as some of the toughest and most dependable 4x4s of all time. As the basis of touring rigs that have covered thousands of kilometres around the country and the globe, and the bedrock of the toughest competition trucks, it’s a reputation that is well earned.

This reputation was the appeal for Victoria’s James Atkinson who recognised the strengths of the venerable Nissans; as a mechanic at the 4x4 Offroad Clinic in Melbourne’s south-east he has seen first-hand the durability that Nissan has built into its Patrols, so he knew one would be right for him.

“I’ve always been attracted to how tough a GQ single-cab ute looks, and how strong the driveline and chassis is in Nissans,” James told us.

We couldn’t agree more with him, and like James we reckon that the earlier, round-headlight GQs are the better looking of the breed and the ones to get. This example is James’s second GQ after previously owning a 2.8 wagon, but he had a hankering for a coil-cab ute and bought this clean example back in 2022.

No puny 2.8 for James this time around, the ’93 model tray-back came with the legendary TD42 4.2-litre diesel that the previous owner had added a turbocharger to. Nissan’s TD42 sixes might be known for their durability but you can’t say much about their power outputs, even with the later factory turbo models. That hasn’t stopped Patrol owners wicking them up and adding some life to the old Nissan lump. For a mechanic like James, it was only a matter of twirling the spanners and adding the right hardware.