Custom 4x4: Harrop supercharged 2020 Nissan Y62 Patrol

For decades, Nissan and Toyota have been taking swings at each other. Each time one would innovate, the other would try to outdo them. Coil springs and turbo-fed diesels all got thrown into the ring to try and claim the crown. One would build better drivelines, the other better bodies. One stronger front diffs, the other stronger rears. The two were toe to toe every step of the way and caused rivalry that’d make the Holden versus Ford debate look almost tame by comparison. Then it all came to a screeching halt. Nissan innovated just a little too hard.

While the LC200 was an evolution of the outgoing LC100, the Y62 Patrol was worlds different from the GU Patrol it replaced. The punters weren’t happy. The battle was over. Toyota claimed the crowd. But tastes change, slowly people have been coming around to the Y62, and the current facelift has caused an absolute boom in popularity. Something Vogue Industries owner Longy was more than happy to jump on-board with.

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“I’ve had 200s and 79s before,” he tells 4X4 Australia. “I wanted something different, I needed eight seats, and it needed a big V8.”

With three rows of seats, and a 400hp 5.6L V8 under the bonnet, the 2020 model served as the perfect basis to build a do-it-all wagon like you’ve never seen before.

If the name Vogue Industries rings a bell, it’s because they’re responsible for some of the most insane builds in the country, its workshop having Jimnys on hoists next to Ferraris, and custom Lamborghinis parked next to lifted ’Cruisers. It should come as no surprise then that Longy’s personal vehicle would have every square inch customised.

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CRANK IT UP

Starting under the bonnet the first port of call was the crew at Hi-Torque Performance, to turn that potent 400hp donk in to an absolute powerhouse. Nestled between the two cylinder banks is a 2650 Supercharger from Melbourne-based Harrop, with an 8psi pulley on the end of the snout. It’s fed a steady diet of clean air through a Radius Fabrication airbox, with an interchiller keeping those air molecules tightly packed for maximum bang. A Stage 2 fuel pump helps keep air-fuel ratios in the sweet spot, while a full titanium exhaust system from Urban Exhaust allows the spent gases to be spat out the back quick smart.

Hi-Torque got 515rwhp out of the set-up, a huge improvement from the 300-odd hp a stock set-up would do. With a bigger fuel pump and additional injectors on the way, Longy’s hoping to get it well over the 600rwhp mark. To keep it streetable the Urban Exhaust set-up cleverly includes a push-button valve control giving maximum flow, or a near-stock exhaust note depending on Longy’s mood and which way the gasses are routed.

Ensuring all that power gets to the ground no matter what the situation, Longy’s running one of two wheel-and-tyre packages. Around town you’ll find him sporting bright red 22x10-inch KMC Pike wheels wrapped in 35-inch Black Bear MTs. Off-road, Longy steps it up with a massive set of Nitto Mud Grapplers punching in at 37x13.5, they’re wrapped around 18x9 KMC Boneyards. Longy’s bumped the wheel track right out in a signature look Vogue’s known for.

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The 37-inch Nitto Mud Grapplers fill the Patrol’s pumped 'guards

“I’m not into the whole big jacked-up look,” admits Longy. “I like them low and wide, these are -22 wheels, normally a Y62 would run +18 and even that would have a little poke.”

To keep the tyres inside the guards, Longy’s gone a little different route than the typical bolt-on flare kit, with a full custom wide-body kit.

“It’s a full replacement guard up front,” he reveals. “It’s all made local and 80mm wider each side.”

Up the back, matching guards have been fitted to the rear quarters.

“I just wanted something different than everything else on the market, so we’ll be selling these soon,” he says.

There’s an additional 60mm clearance in the guards too, thanks to a tickle of the suspension. Longy’s had the guys at East Coast Customs fit taller and heavier duty springs, and tweaked the factory shocks to ensure a smooth ride.

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KEEP YOUR COOL

Forced induction is hardly a new concept in the world of internal combustion engines, heck they’ve been strapping superchargers to the sides of engines for about as long as they’ve been making engines. But they’ve never really been as popular as they are now with widespread factory adoption, and aftermarket options every bit as reliable. It shouldn’t be surprising then that as popularity of forced induction booms, so too does development of the accessories to get the most out of the set-ups.

If you misread the comment about an interchiller and mistook it for an intercooler, don’t worry, we’re here to explain the difference.

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The entire focus of forced induction is to get as many oxygen molecules into the combustion chamber as possible, the more air the turbo or supercharger flows and the higher the boost levels, the more oxygen in the chambers, the more fuel they can squirt in, the bigger the bang. Unfortunately, a by-product of both systems is heat counteracting some of the benefits of compressing the air by causing the molecules to vibrate faster and further apart, giving you less oxygen molecules in a set space than you otherwise would.

An air-to-air intercooler aims to help this by flowing the hot charged air through what’s essentially a radiator, and having fresh ambient air flow over the outside sapping some of that heat away. Water to air replaces the ambient air with coolant and uses a separate radiator remotely mounted to wash away the heat.

An interchiller works in much the same way but uses the vehicles A/C system to drop the intake temperatures well below ambient air. Science is neat, right?

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THE LOOK

Back out on the outside and Longy’s given the Patrol an extensive visual makeover too. Up front is its go-to bumper with the slimline Evolution unit from Rhino 4x4 taking pride of place. It’s had a matching 12,000lb Rhino 4x4 winch shoehorned inside it. Up on the roof, a full-length roof rack from TrailMax provides bulk storage for family camping adventures as well as a home for integrated camp lighting along the flanks. There’s five Lazer Lamps LED driving lights mounted on the front of the rack, with a second pair down inside the grille. Longy’s capped the rack with his in-house Vogue Industries ladder that swings up with the rear tailgate.

While the spanners were out, Longy’s fitted a set of Vogue Industries custom headlights and tail-lights, all blacked out and colour-coded to suit the body. The final exterior mod is a full-colour change of sorts. Vogue Industries speciality is paint protection, so Longy’s ride has the best of the best. Overlaying the whole vehicle is a full black Paint Protection Film from V Designs. Like a vinyl wrap on steroids, the black coating protects against minor scratches and self-heals so always looks brand-new, and it’s topped with a full glass Pomponazzo coating as well.

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On the inside, Longy’s balanced performance, luxury and touring like only Vogue can. Giving the Y62’s dash a huge step into the 21st century is a full digital screen replacement for the gauge cluster and an add-on module allowing the OEM head unit to run Apple CarPlay seamlessly. It’s teamed up with a GME XRS unit and a full suite of gauges from Defi to monitor oil pressure, boost, exhaust temperature and transmission temps. A 110amp/h lithium battery keeps the 65L fridge running, while the on-board air set-up from ARB has plenty of grunt to air the 37-inch tyres back up. The lot is tracked by a Track Pro GPS tracking system.

The final piece to the puzzle was a luxury makeover inside, the full roof lining and pillars have been trimmed in black suede, while the seats and door trims are wrapped in custom leather trimming.

Going by his latest build it should be clear Longy busts his backside to build vehicles that stand out from the crowd, with no expense spared to make them perfect. The Y62 is just the latest of standout vehicles his shop is responsible for and we’re just a little excited to see what’s next.

A CLOSER LOOK

1. Dash

A full replacement gauge cluster modernises the Patrol’s dash.

2. Popular GME

At this point there’s probably more 4x4s with an XRS unit than without.

3. Rhino pull

Rhino 4x4 Evolution bar looks at home, a 12,000lb Rhino 4x4 winch within.

4. Lazers

Slimline LED lights from Lazer Lights make night-time travel a breeze.

5. Top storage

The fully integrated roof-rack platform system is from TrailMax.