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foxfab said:
oh ya forgot to reply to this....
well that sounds just about exactly the same as a Nissan Patrol so right up my alley.
help please heeeeeeelp
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oh ya forgot to reply to this....
well that sounds just about exactly the same as a Nissan Patrol so right up my alley.
RMP&O said:well that sounds just about exactly the same as a Nissan Patrol so right up my alley.
Sounds the same as a FJ25 too.....
Seriously, they were made in the Phillipines, don't know if they were made anywhere else. So they lend themselves to a certain amount of "field" improvements. The motor would be a easy for parts, the rest of the drivetrain is still a mystery..........
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Interesting they were made in the Phillipines yet I saw so many in SA. But it wasn't the only odd truck from afar I saw down there....Russian Gaz/Uaz is a common site. I suppose they must get imported. I really don't have any info on that though, when, where and why these rare 4x4's were imported. I suppose I should dig a bit more to find that out although I am sure it has something to do with a need for rugged 4x4's and the lack of capital the average person has to spend on one. In SA you see every kind of 4x4 from the last 50 years on every single street corner. I even saw 1950's Austin Champs still in use.
I can say though that when it comes to parts I myself was very suprised. Many many things Nissan of Japan says is no longer available I saw sitting on the shelf for sale down south. I asked if these parts may be blackmarket goods.....and was told definately no. Amazingly they were even manufacturing body parts for the old Patrol which is something I doubt is happening anywhere else in the world.
I hope to travel back to SA before to long and plan to take many more pictures than I did. It may not be the TLC graveyards of the Middle East full of rust free trucks but there is still some very good finds in SA if you know how and where to look. I know of no other place in the world where you can find 1950's 4w60 Patrols still on the road.
I can say though that when it comes to parts I myself was very suprised. Many many things Nissan of Japan says is no longer available I saw sitting on the shelf for sale down south. I asked if these parts may be blackmarket goods.....and was told definately no. Amazingly they were even manufacturing body parts for the old Patrol which is something I doubt is happening anywhere else in the world.
I hope to travel back to SA before to long and plan to take many more pictures than I did.
It may not be the TLC graveyards of the Middle East full of rust free trucks but there is still some very good finds in SA if you know how and where to look. I know of no other place in the world where you can find 1950's 4w60 Patrols still on the road. 
Mace said:Heck, if it were cheap enough, I would sport one
I was thinkin' the same thing.
Living in the Past
SILVER Star
If it's cheap enough and you can get across the southern border I will pick it up there. If there small enough I sure I could keep it hidden from my wife until "oh that one I had that for over a year I'm sure I told you about it".
John
John
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For those interested I found out more info on the Mini-cruisers....
The mini-cruiser was imported into SA by a government agency in the early 1980's. They imported around 600 vehicles, not sure if all 600 were mini-cruisers but I suspect not. The imported vehicles were sold for very cheap to farmers because the agency supports them. They may have came from the Philipines but we are thinking they were imported from Thailand. The mini-cruisers as we understand are nearly identical to the Daihatsu F20 mechanically. The F20 came in a variety of versions and also goes by other names depending on where in the world you are at. Point is parts are readily available. While there may be no Delta Mini-cruisers in the USA they are not extremly rare worldwide like a BJ-cruiser.
There is not a ton of the Mini-cruisers down south but there is enough of them around to be obtainable. I also have reports of them being in South Africa. So I think there is little pockets of these trucks scattered around the world if you get my meaning.
Getting any vehicle across the border is no probelm...for me, for you or for anyone. The truck just has to be 25yrs old. Then it is just a matter of getting it on a boat and picking it up in a port. But expect import costs to run $2-3K for everything to get it to your door.
My info above came from my friends in SA. But after a chat this evening with Marv I think I have confirmed the running gear on a mini-cruiser is indeed Daihatsu. So there you have it....for the most part mystery solved.
The mini-cruiser was imported into SA by a government agency in the early 1980's. They imported around 600 vehicles, not sure if all 600 were mini-cruisers but I suspect not. The imported vehicles were sold for very cheap to farmers because the agency supports them. They may have came from the Philipines but we are thinking they were imported from Thailand. The mini-cruisers as we understand are nearly identical to the Daihatsu F20 mechanically. The F20 came in a variety of versions and also goes by other names depending on where in the world you are at. Point is parts are readily available. While there may be no Delta Mini-cruisers in the USA they are not extremly rare worldwide like a BJ-cruiser.
There is not a ton of the Mini-cruisers down south but there is enough of them around to be obtainable. I also have reports of them being in South Africa. So I think there is little pockets of these trucks scattered around the world if you get my meaning.
Getting any vehicle across the border is no probelm...for me, for you or for anyone. The truck just has to be 25yrs old. Then it is just a matter of getting it on a boat and picking it up in a port. But expect import costs to run $2-3K for everything to get it to your door.
My info above came from my friends in SA. But after a chat this evening with Marv I think I have confirmed the running gear on a mini-cruiser is indeed Daihatsu. So there you have it....for the most part mystery solved.
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