Back from the shop

We took our Landy back to Bob at Church Road Garage a few weeks ago. Here's the low down on what he did for us...

We don't know when the cam belt was last changed on the vehicle. Not wanting to risk a cam belt going en route we opted to get this changed. Turns out it was a good time to do it. The wear and tear on the old belt indicated it was time for a new one. Alas, whilst Bob was changing the belt he noticed that our radiator wasn't looking so hot. Figuring this is another important piece of kit we opted to have the old one reconditioned. Overheating is a common problem for Defenders especially in hot climates. The heat gauge on the dashboard now settles at half the temperature it was at before the change. Definitely an improvement.

Now that the major mechanical problems (well, most of them) have been dealt with it was time for some overland installations. Bob installed a split chargers system for us. The vehicle origionally had one but it was removed. We now have a car radio (barely audible over the sound of the engine), CB radio, work lights, front spots and an inverter all connected up. The Landy is starting to return to its former glory.

The next installations will be a safe, bull bar and swing away wheel carrier. Watch this space.

12hours, many blisters and two sore backs later...

The new door is finally suited and booted. Spot the difference. Pleeeease tell me you can spot the difference (the one on the left is the new one). Proud, sore and tired mechanics!! Stupidly enough we thought we had done the hard part. Two hours after this smug photo shoot we finally got the door on and locked. We thought putting the door back onto the vehicle would be as easy as taking it off. Wishful thinking!! I have the blisters to prove it. Our first three attempts, frustratingly enough, allowed the door to close but not lock.

HELPFULL TIP to any brave soldier who tries this same feat: close the door until it locks properly then tighten bolts. One person needs to hold the door in position (Thomo was the only one strong enough for this) while the other sad minion turns the bolts blister by blister. Believe me, when it is so cold outside that your nose won't stop running and your hands are shaking and you have been at this game for hours this isn't a lot of fun.

The most important thing is that the door is on and in good working order. Go team!!!

still working on the new door...several hours later!

It has taken the best part of our day to get all the parts off the old door and onto the new one. Thomo is such a trooper having done most of the research and hard work on today's project. My nimble fingers proved invaluable on the small tricky screws and bolts, but mostly I acted as a prop to hold the door in place while my man worked. What a super hero he is :)

Fun shots with "New Door" project

All the knobbly bits off the old door:


"Hello!!!"

"Ha, you thought I was actually in the Landy. Fooled you!!" This is the old door.

"Where's the door that goes with this handle?"

"New Door" project continued...

...and in with the new:

"New Door" project continued...

The old door was one of the worst affected rust areas on the car.

Out with the old...

The New Door

We were very lucky to get a brand new door in the purchase of the car, already spray painted the perfect colour (we have had some issues with getting the right paint colour, so this was a relief). It took us a whole 20minutes to get the old rusty rear passenger door off. WOW, they are super heavy. Here is the landy without the door - feeling a bit exposed and patched up !!

Top Tips

We haven't even left yet but we are already picking up some good advice from people and our own experiences. Here are a few...

Talk to people who have done it before. Their advice is worth its weight.

Do as much of the work on your car as you can yourself. It will save you money but requires a lot of time. It will also help you get to know your car.

Buy your vehicle at least 6 months before you travel and drive it regularly.

Buy half of what you think you need and take twice as much money. A very difficult thing to do.

Paperwork, paperwork and paperwork. Be prepared for it. Carnet, insurance, MOT, V5, shipping docs, visas, vaccinations, international drivers license... These things take ages to organise and are generally a hassle.

If it needs fixing do it before you go. You will be too busy fixing the things you didn't know needed fixing while you are travelling to fix the things you knew needed fixing in the first place. Thats a mouthful.

belts and radiator

The Landy is back in the shop. Not knowing when the cam belt was last changed we figured it was a good idea to have it changed now. Turns out to have been a good idea. The belt was worn and needed changing. Whilst the team from Church Road Garage were changing the belt they noticed the radiator was shot so time for a new radiator to go in. Although these aren't things you want to hear its better to hear them now than when they go wrong in the middle of nowhere.

Frustration

No doubt we will encounter more frustrating circumstances but the company I ordered overland parts from have failed to deliver the parts. The Landy is now sitting idle in at Church Road Garage because the parts did not arrive. I have been able to source the split charger from another supplier but the wheel carrier is proving hard to come by. Will have to wait for new stock to arrive.

Rust to boxes

We spent yesterday rust treating the chassis at Pit Start and Campbell finished off the rest of the chassis with Hammerite today. It's almost as good as new!

I was tasked with wrapping, folding, sticking, stuffing and packing most of our belongings into boxes as well as making a detailed inventory of items. The countdown to the ship date has begun and we have to learn to live with less. It's time to be brutal!!

More work on the Landy

It was off to Pitstart garage again today. We did some more rust treatment on the chassis. We are at the point now where all the problem rust is gone. The rust treatment work we are doing now is just to clean things up and extend the life of the vehicle. It is still slow going but we are getting there.

We got the Landy back from Church Road Motors on Thursday. The vehicle is much improved for having a major service. The new shocks are great.

On Monday we take it back to get the electrics worked on as well as a safe and wheel carrier installed. After that we will be close to having our Landy overland ready.

Back and Booked

The Landy is back from its major service. Big items were new shocks, some more welding and the usual filters, brakes, fluids....

The new shocks were definitely needed. The ride is a lot smoother and road handling is much improved.

We have now sent off our forms to book the shipping and process the carnet.