defender

a 1991 land rover defender, that's what we're going to be doing the trip in. if that means nothing to you, then hopefully this page will explain - but not yet. we'll be telling you what choices we had to make in terms of the vehicle and it's accessories, and how we came to those desicions. there were of course always compromises. i also want to explain some of the gadgets and machinery that are common to 4x4 enthusiasts and overlanders but may be meaningless to everyone else. but that is a bigger task than i first thought, and i got bogged down (no pun) trying to explain what a differential does. so for now that will have to wait, and i'll tell you what we've got, what we've done and what we've still to do (not long to do it now).

toyota or land rover

well there isn't any other choice, is there? i now realise how much the cult of the land rover has indoctrinated me, because i actually feel i should be embarrassed about having wanted a toyota at first.

there's nothing wrong with a hi-lux. they reputedly go on forever. they're cheap. they're common in africa (apparantly) and they could carry the necessary load. but that load would be open and unprotected for a start. then you start reading the books (tom sheppard, jack jackson and all that lot). once you do that, it's the begining of the end for the toyota. permanent four-wheel drive, locking centre differential, beam axles, coil springs, low gross vehicle weight, high payload, easily available accessories and unsurpassed heritage and reputation makes the defender the experts choice. so we took their word for it.

in characteristic style, we bought the first defender we went to look at. it was white. it was a hard top. and it was within our budget. it seemed to run well, but in comparison to the fiesta, it was difficult to tell. never mind about the 140k on the clock, that's nothing for a land rover, right?

 
200 tdi

accessories and preparation

style, cost, usefulness, weight, and recommendation are some of the criteria we've used to narrow down the huge list of available accessories and modifications. not necessarily in that order. ok, sometimes in that order.

here's where we are at the moment:

protection

steering guard from paddock: aluminium, vented, relatively light, relatively cheap.
protects some of the steering components (as you might hope). looks good.
update: still looks good.

front diff guard from qt services (bought from brookwell): liked them because i think they allow a bit more air flow than the closer fitting wrap-around variety.
protects the front diff from rocks and stuff.
update:

rear "salisbury" diff guard from qt services (brookwell again): wanted the rear "rock slider" but because of the "salisbury" rear axel had to settle for this one.
protects the rear diff - only when reversing, i think.
update:

front light guards: picked them up at a land rover show somewhere. standard, military type ones.
protects the front lights from stones and branches (the stones would have to be quite big). look mean.
update: no broken lights yet.

security

sextons alarm: already fitted to the vehicle. has some sensors on the doors etc.
you know what this does.
update: broke before we left england.

bulkhead security grill from van gadgets: designed for security, not just for dogs. pressed from a single sheet, so looks better than wire mesh - we think.
if anyone breaks into the front (through the window?), they can't get into the back.
update: good for keeping what's in the back in the back and not taking our heads off; fixing is always coming loose.

rear window grills from van gadgets: match the bulkhead grill.
prevent access to the back of vehicle through the rear windows (it's a hard-top so there's no side windows). hopefully a deterrant too.
update: glad we've got them.

steering wheel lock (that claire had lying around): old fashioned mechanical security.
locks steering wheel.
update: have used on occassion.

safe: undecided.
wouldn't tell you anyway.

padlocks and latches from screwfix: for the doors. padlocks "keyed alike".
extra protection and deterrant.
update: we sleep easy at night.

 
1 of 2 spares

sleeping

echo rooftop tent from mantec: they were doing a great deal at a show.
will keep us above the animals, insects and mud. always a nice flat bed - with a mattress.
update: keeps us nice and dry; ony complaint is that the ladder doesn't reach the ground. came in handy one evening when the lions were around.

mckinnley two man dome tent from snow+rock: half price sale. looked cool.
we may want a base away from the land rover. we may go trekking.
update: the roof-top tent is a pain if you are staying for a few days and will be using the land rover during the day as you have to pack everything up. good to have the option.

the back of the land rover: we thought about sleeping here too, but by the time we've filled it with jerry cans and things, i don't know if we'll fit. the design of the bulkhead grill also reduced the length a bit. i'm 6'4".
it will be safe(r).
update: five months in and we're realised that we only have a pretend storage system in the back for everything. are considering buying some plywood for shelving.

inside

insulated sides: plywood panels had already been fitted inside. we fitted fibreglass "wool" insulation behind the plywood.
cuts down the droaning noise of the thin panels at speed. keeps the inside cool/warm.
update: supposedly.

carpet and underlay in the back: had some in the loft from when we stripped the floorboards.
insulation against the noise of the tranmission below. plus, anything that gets flicked up by the wheels (gravel, water, etc) makes a racket against the aluminium floor.
update: easy to keep clean even when our bag of prawns leaked and soaked into the caarpet one day stinking the land rover out.

curtains: we're making some for the back windows.
keep out the sun and prying eyes when parked.
update: perhaps white wasn't the best colour.

panasonic stereo from some internet site: good price, cd with mp3 capability.
keep us entertained. allows us to burn about 16 albums worth of mp3s onto a single cd.
update: keeps playing over even the baddest of corrugations; has given up on occassion when the dust has just got to much.

fire extinguisher from wickes: cheap, small, had a good mount.
one in the front in case of an engine/electrical fire. one to go in the back in case of a cooking fire.
update:no fires but a legal requirement in many countries.

 
water carrier

outside

swing-away rear wheel carrier from mantec: another good deal at a show.
will stop the weight of the spare wheel straining the hinges of the rear door on all those bumpy roads.
update: lost our wheel lock on the back tyre and consequently two of the three pins holding the wheel broke off. thankfully, we had some rope tied on so we didn't lose the wheel. had to get this fixed.

raised air intake from mantec: as above. made from plastic, so nice and light. has a cyclonic cleaner on top.
to reduce the amount of dust getting sucked into the air filter. will also be useful if any rivers need to be crossed.
update: reckon its working well.

roof rack second-hand from douglas motors: matt at douglas motors did us a favour and sold us a second-hand for a good price. it just needed a bit of cleaning and painting.
extra storage, for light things only.
update: does the job.

stopped the leaks: ran clear silicone sealant along all the seams as well as the joint between the hard-top and main body.
stopped patches of rust that were appearing inside. stopped water gushing onto my legs when driving off after it had been raining.
update: still get water on the legs but this comes through the door hinges.

electrical

dual battery, split charge, inverter: all still to be sorted.
oh dear. i'll come back to these once i've done them.
update: a must have. a few initial problems but after fitting a higher amp fuse in turkey the split charge has worked without a problem; when using the invertor all electronic gadgets without a transformer blew. managed to run both batteries completely flat in kenya.

servicing and stuff

all service points (well nearly): service history was unknown, so i've been working through every service point in the haynes manual. nearly done.
should help reliability. has been a good learning experience for me.

all lubricants replaced with fully synthetic ones from halfords and difflock.com: difflock have a good range from ovolene, which they recommend for various land-rover applications. halfords had a sale on.
reduced component wear. smoother, quieter and more efficient too, aparently.

new radiator from autopost: good price for a new one.
old one was rotten when i looked at the back of it.

new rear crossmember from brookwell: the old one was rusty (but still a bugger to cut off).
the old one deformed when i tried to jack from it. i hope this one won't.

in line fuel sedimentor from paddock: this is not a standard part on the 200tdi. it is fitted to later models.
will help remove dirt and moisture from the fuel before it hits the standard filter.

 
defender badge

suspension

new shocks and springs to come, OME hopefully: we will fit this last so they can be properly adjusted to the weight we will carry.
improved comfort and durability over the worst terrain apparently.
update: a cross-threaded suspension bolt meant that we lost (and found) the washes and bushes off one of the shocks in turkey. one of the bushes has collapsed and been replaced in kenya. holding up well considering.

recovery

more here on the still to fit list. so i'm going to leave it at that for now and get on with the preparation.

tools and bits