330kW/850Nm supercharged Y62 Patrol

When it comes to cross-camp rivalry, there’s really not a longer running saga than the Nissan versus Toyota storyline, with either camp backing their brand with yarns of legend and awe to anyone with a social media account.

As both moved through the decades, finding better ways to build their products, loyal followers maintained their allegiance eagerly looking forward to the next iteration and upgrades. A driving force behind automotive evolution being the want for more factory power and torque, or the promise of more with an aftermarket tickle.

In today’s 4x4 market, that rivalry has really become more of a byword, with so many other options available on the market that can achieve all that their eclectic buyers require – however, the current Series 5 Y62 Nissan Patrol remains in the good books of many a punter.

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Kye Appleton was in the market for a new rig after owning two GQ Patrols powered by a TD42 and 350 Chev respectively. More recently, a 2015 Ranger Wildtrak and a 2012 Jeep Wrangler were part of his stable, but Kye was keen to adopt more of the latest technology when it came to his latest build.

“The powerplant they come with was my first reason (to buy one), and options for forced induction were also there,” he tells us. “The size of these vehicles matched with comfort for long distance, it’s a great all-round 4x4. Good to tow heavy, good for rock, dirt, mud and sand, and not good on fuel which is my type of car.”

The 2021 Ti-L Patrol you see here is the end result of sitting down with a list of requirements, correlating the latest methods to achieve them, and sticking to the plan.

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“My main aim for this build was to have a clean, almost UAE-spec Patrol, and bring the interior in to the 21st century, increase the factory power to the maximum available on the market, at the time safely and reliably,” says Tye. “Also to be able to run zero gas cooking and be off-grid for multiple nights.”

Kye set about designing his Patrol just the way he envisioned, being quick enough to enjoy daily duties around downtown Karratha, while also being capable of traversing the rocky archipelagos and inland rivers across the Pilbara region he calls home. Supporting a couple of days camping out on a weekend away with the jet skis in tow wasn’t going to go astray either.

Engine modifications

With Nissan stuffing V8 grunt in a chassis capable of putting it to the ground, Kye wanted to maximise what was possible before even taking delivery.

After securing the Patrol from a Queensland dealer, it was shipped to Melbourne where Matt at the Horsepower Factory fitted the Harrop TVS2650 (Twin Vortices Series) supercharger to the VK56VD 5.6L petrol V8.

An 85mm supercharger pulley was used, allowing the blower to deliver 6psi to the engine; with the Harrop kit also supplying a water-to-air intercooler, keeping down the intake temps from compressing oxygen molecules together.

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A Harrop DI (Direct Injection) Fuel Pump upgrade keeps the 98RON up to the standard injectors, with a factory ECU tune resulting in a 47 per cent increase from factory power, to 330kW – torque has been bumped up around an extra 40 per cent from standard, too.

Clearing the extra combustion gases from the cylinders is a Horsepower Factory ‘Big Boy’ exhaust, which starts with high-flow catalytic converters, progressing to dual 3-inch pipes, then to a 3.5-inch single exit.

Getting all that new-found power to the ground are a set of tortured Maxxis RAZR MTs in a 35x12.5 sizing, mounted on Simmons S6 20-inch rims in a matte black finish. While there would be some conjecture from the 4x4 community as to this tyre combo handling serious four-wheel driving, Kye has seen no issue getting to anywhere he needed to go.

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“I like the look of a 20-inch rim with a 35-inch muddy,” Kye admits. “The Patrol is a big car and most Patrols out there look like they have skipped leg day with tiny wheels and tyres.”

To aid in keeping the big meats on the ground, Kye has invested in Blackhawk UCAs and a two-inch lift all-round from On Track 4X4. A key advantage being it can be installed without depressurising Nissan’s HBMC (Hydraulic Body Motion Control) system. To assist the rear springs, a pair of Airbag Man airbags fill out the rear coils when the rear cabin is loaded, or when towing.

UAE influence

Being a UAE-type build would mean keeping the exterior looking mildly modified and clean, with little to give away the modifications hiding inside, so any accessories added to the outside were integrated as best they could – or hidden, like the Rough Country DRL LED light bar behind the grille. If it couldn’t be hidden, it was blacked out along with all the OEM exterior chrome work.

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Bruno from Hydrographics WA stripped the chrome from the plastic body parts like the grille, vents, window surrounds and wing mirrors, and hydro-dipped them in Night-Sky Pearl. At the same time, the fake woodgrain interior panelling was whipped out and dipped in a matte white, with the stereo surround and centre console finished in a brushed dark gun-metal grey.

A Rhino-Rack Pioneer bar sits across the full length of the roof, supported by its Backbone system, containing the PV panel as well as a Laser 48-inch light bar up front. There's also a Stedi LED light bar and secondary camping lights down either side, with a final pair of Stedi LEDs across the rear for reversing.

Kitchen set-up

Going the standard route of a gas cooker propped up on a shelf was a path Kye just didn’t want to go down. Deleting the need to carry and refill an awkwardly shaped canister just as unappealing.

The far cleaner option of an induction cooktop, which takes electrical energy and generates magnetic energy that can be passed through any iron-based pot or pan to create a controllable heat, made far more sense. He was just going to have to figure out a way to generate enough electrical juice to make it all work.

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Advancements in battery and 12-volt inverter technology has now made this a very viable option, so Kye started with twin 150amp/h AllSpark LiFePO4 batteries which feed a KickAss 3000-watt inverter. The inverter has enough grunt to support the induction cooktop, but also powers two 240-volt GPO twin sockets mounted on the passenger-side D-pillar should the need arise.

The lithium batteries are kept topped up via a 50amp/h Redarc BCDC charger while the engine is running, and a 240-watt solar panel mounted up top when parked. There’s a Victron shunt mounted between the lot to connect and distribute, plus take readings from, and a spare input via Anderson plug for another solar blanket located underneath the rear bumper.

Keeping supplies fresh is a retro green Legacy Edition Engel fridge loaded on an Engel slide, which is mounted as low as possible in the Full Boar Fourbie Drawers Canning wagon system set-up. This was constructed in Victoria, before being shipped to Kye to be installed in Karratha. It includes a single storage drawer with a pull-out kitchen bench underneath, which Kye was able to modify to accept the induction cooktop.

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With quite a few kilometres now under the tyres of the Patrol and a few camp-outs, Kye has found the big Patrol as capable as he had envisioned. While there is a friendly rivalry with his hometown LC200 owners, it’s really only lip-service with many getting just as big a kick out of the build as Kye.

“The EATS200 plates are a great head turner for 200 Series owners,” says Kye. “When you smoke them at the lights or in the sand with that subtle whine from the supercharger, it makes everyone smile. Including them, from behind!”

Cluster replacement

Having a brand-new Patrol Ti-L has its benefits when it comes to the interior, with leather seating, climate control, a Bose 12.1 sound system, and enough cupholders to get a six-pack home comfortably; but in today’s automotive market the use of an analogue-style dash cluster (even if the internals were digital) just wasn’t going to cut it for Kye.

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Enter the guys at CaRobotor who supply a complete cluster replacement that swaps out the OEM offering to a full digital screen more in line with what is available in the European automotive market.

Swinging over to the stereo, Kye stepped it up even further with a 12-inch PX6 touchscreen stereo replacement. Running custom Sergey Kozlov firmware allowed Kye greater control, being able to reverse the standard AC display back to the Australian market positioning, and insert pictures of his own car on the display, along with more choice in themes. An added benefit being ultra-fast boot-up times, which came with the new software.