Drag link and Tie Rod for Patrol

[jeanne.volschenk]

Kameel,

My broer strip een van daai SWB patrols kyk bietjie by hom, David Bela Bela - 0834991588,

Jeanne

[Kameel]

Dankie Jeanne. Lyk of ek als nou het, maar miskien is daar iets anders dan sal ek hom kontak.

[Kameel]

I would like to thank forum members Adrean Louw and Peter Conan, for all the help with sorting out my drag link problem. Apart from a leaking exhaust and a loose mirror, the drag link was the only other problem to sort out to get my 1995 Patrol SGL 4.2 D through COR. I promised to post photos of the completed job but did not get a chance to take any while the vehicle was in the shop. When I got it back I spent my time preparing for our first trip in the new toy.

I don't think it is necessary for photos to explain the process - it is a simple task if you have all the parts. All I needed was two ball joints, a suitable rod or pipe (as described elsewhere on this forum) and a bracket to connect the steering damper. Thanks Peter the bracket fitted perfectly. For my vehicle I could use the ball joints that fit on the tie rod - got it from Laubschers Nissan - thanks Adrean. You get left hand and right hand ball joints that if used together allows you to adjust the wheel alignment. I used two of the same as it is not necessary to adjust the drag link. I took all the parts and my vehicle to a local engineering shop to assemble it and whola - it works!

Kameel at Mabibi - KZN

My first trip with Kameel was driving back home from Pretoria where I bought it. It was me, the new truck and 900 km of mainly tar road. It was a really enjoyable trip although I quickly realized that it was not built for mountain passes - therefore "Kameel". Kameel will mainly be used as a holiday vehicle to do overland trips on back roads. Speed is not a real issue and I can live with taking it slower while on holiday.

But ... we are a family of 6! I can fit the whole family, a 50l freezer and all our camping equipment (for a 10 day trip in Botswana) in my Toyota Troopy without having to use a roof rack or trailer!
My Troopy in Botswana


With the Patrol I will have to get a trailer and most likely a roof rack as well. I have a few questions to ask about towing with a Patrol and will post it soon.

Thanks Guys!