| ROUTE | DIARY | CHARITY | LINKS | HOMEWARD BOUND |
VEHICLE EQUIPMENT HEALTH PAPERWORK
|
Make |
Land Cruiser |
|
Model |
HZJ75 |
|
Engine |
diesel 4.2 |
|
Year |
1991 |
|
Km at purchase |
198,000 |
modifications and equipment spare parts servicing carbon-neutral driving
Why
a Land Cruiser
Initially, we had been totally convinced that a Land Rover Defender 110 was the
choice for us, basing this on our extensive reading of other people’s
experience. In fact, we took time off in August 2005 to spend a few
days visiting various Land Rover dealers, to look at vehicles for sale we had
read about on the internet. We had been at the point of making an offer on an
excellent ex-utility vehicle, discovered for sale in the Midlands, when by
chance we decided to visit Paul Marsh at Footloose 4 x 4 (www.footloose4x4.com)
on our way home ......
Paul changed our minds: In view of the fact that we are not experts when it comes to vehicle maintenance, he suggested that we would be better off with a Toyota Land Cruiser. We listened to his reasoning, and then discovered that he had on his fore-court, 'by chance', the vehicle which would be absolutely right for us!! ‘The Beast’, as our son promptly named it when we finally drove it home, had already made the journey across Africa, having been bought in South Africa. It therefore had much of the equipment which we would need. In addition, Paul has known the vehicle for all its life, and has the full service history.
It appears that the Toyota Land Cruiser is the vehicle of choice in Africa, and spares or a mechanic are usually easy to find. In addition, we have become convinced that the simplicity of design, reliability, comfort, size and capacity were absolutely what we required. Another plus for me was the facility of sleeping inside the vehicle if necessary.
Modifications
and Equipment
Our cruiser came already equipped for wilderness travel, including the following:
Awning
Axe
Bull bar
Compressor
Differential lock
Dual battery split charger system
Fridge/Freezer (Engel)
Fuel tanks x 2
High lift jack
Roof rack
Safe
Sand ladders
Security locks
Shovel
Snorkel with centrifugal filter
Spare parts and mechanical tools
Spare wheels x 2
Suspension (Emu)
Vehicle Recovery Equipment
Water tank
Winch
Window grills
Additional Modifications
After a short holiday in 'The Beast', and reference to the other overland websites, we had a much clearer idea of what changes we wanted to make. So we decided to go back to 'Footloose' in March 2006, and Paul was able to customise our vehicle for us, putting our ideas into reality, plus some very good additional ideas of his own.
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
Items replaced:
Split-rim wheels with white steel modular rims and BF Goodrich AT tyres
Dual battery system with new three battery system
Rear shock-absorbers x 2
Front Spotlights on bull bar x 2
Rear fog light
Fire extinguishers x 2
Internal strip lights
Items added outside:
Howling Moon Roof-Top tent
Shower Skirt to hang beneath tent (stored inside)
Awning side panels (stored with spare wheel on top of vehicle)
Twenty litre metal fuel cans with holders x 2
Box and mountings for Hi-lift Jack
Blind spot mirrors
Aluminium retractable shower frame
Speed liner to sides of vehicle
Reflective tape to front (white) and back (red)
Fixings to front grill to take seed net
All-weather padlocks to all moveable equipment
Additional 12 volt socket for lighting in roof-top tent
Items added inside:
Twin cooker in cooker box on RHS rear door
Fold down aluminium shelf on LHS rear door
20 litre water can in frame
6 kg calor gas cylinder in frame
500 watt Inverter with multi-plug
Water purifier system and pump (Nature Pure)
5 litre pressure bottle for shower, in frame
Cargo Net above front seats
Rear 3 point seat belt for passenger
Fold-down table, which can also be fitted on sand ladders outside
Steel box to store laptop and accessories (lockable)
Air horns, wired into main hooter
New wolf boxes with ratchet straps
Dash mounted Sockets to charge equipment
Cargo rails to secure bags and boxes
General:
All wiring checked and renewed where necessary
Winch serviced and new cable fitted
Air conditioning unit serviced and re-gassed
Spares kit checked and items replaced where necessary
Water tank flushed and fitted with a lock
2 No. Wheels and Tyres
1 No. Top Radiator Hose
1 No. Bottom Radiator Hose
1 No. Alternator Drive Belt
1 No. Aircon Compressor Drive Belt
1 No. Set of Front Disk Brake Pads
1 No. Set of Rear Disk Brake Pads
4 No. Fuel Filters
4 No. Oil Filters
3 No. Air Filters
10 Litres 15W50 Engine Oil
1 Litre EP80W/90 Gear and Differential Oil
1 Litre Power Steering Oil
0.25 Litre Dot 3&4 Brake and Clutch Fluid
500g Multi-Purpose Molybdenum Grease
1 No. Water Pump and Gasket
1 No. Clutch Bearing Assembly [31230-60130]
1 No. Clutch Release Cylinder [31470-60161]
1 No. Water Pump and Gasket
1 No. Prop Shaft Spider Joint assembly [04371-36030]
1 No. Head Cylinder Gasket [11213-17010]
1 No. Glow Plug [T-19850-64031]
1 No. Wheel Bearings (Inner and Outer)
1 No. Bearing Hub Seals (Front and Rear)
1 No. Hub Seal Nut [90179-22005]
2 No. Rear Axle Oil Seals [90310-35001]
4 No. Axle Lock Washers
4 No. Axle Gaskets
1 No. Aircon Idler Bearing [6203-2RS1]
1 No. Sediment Plug for Fuel Filter
1 No. Set of Shims for Swivel Bearings
1 No. Sump Nut
3 No. Sump Washers
2 No. Front Wheel Nuts and Studs
2 No. Rear Wheel Nuts and Studs
2 No. Rear Shock Absorbers
1 No. Front Shock Absorber
1 No. Assortment of Hose Clips
1 No. Assortment of Roof Rack Fixings
3 No. Relay Switches
1 No. Fusible Link [90982-08236]
1 No. Assorted Fuses
1 No. Assorted Light Bulbs
1 No. Assorted Cable Connectors
1 No. 24” Long Battery Lead
1 No. Roll of 5 Amp (Blue) Insulated Wire
1 No. Roll of 8 Amp (Red) Insulated Wire
Emergency Repair Items:
Puncture Repair Kit
Tube of ‘Instant Gasket’
‘Fix-a-Leak’ Tape
Clarke ‘Leak Block’
300 ml CarPlan ‘Power Start’
Large Roll of 50mm Gaffa Tape
400 ml WD-40
2 No. Old Inner Tubes (for cutting into strip bindings)
Tube of Clear Silicon Sealant and Gun
Roll of Black Insulation Tape
Tube of Superglue
Assorted Bolts, Nuts and Washers
Assorted Screws
Assorted Plastic Ties
Miscellaneous Items:
Emergency triangles - we need 2 in Africa
Work overalls
Reflective jacket
Windscreen shade
Inside/outside thermometer
Vehicle compass
Visor Wallets
We purchased the 'Haynes Repair Manual' for our vehicle, which will no doubt be very useful. But we are very fortunate to have a friend who is an accomplished mechanic. Jonathan is not only capable but enthusiastic about our vehicle and our project. He has confirmed our view that we have purchased the right machine for the job, and agreed to give us training on servicing our 'Beast'. He also very kindly took us on a visit to Salisbury Plain, to teach us the basics of Four Wheel Driving.
|
|
|||
We have been given lists, covering regular checks of our vehicle and service intervals for our expedition.
list to be added
We have calculated the ecological cost of our trip: a large vehicle travelling 25,000+ miles can produce around 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). We can make this 'Carbon Neutral' by donating trees to offset our mileage. www.climatecare.org We have chosen to give the money to restoring a rainforest in Uganda.
