Dreams of adventure

What began as an idle thought while sitting under a tree in the wilderness has become the thing of dreams.

In 2010 I was sitting under a tree in the Hoanib River in Namibia (while looking for desert elephant), all on my own and I began to think. It was hot - about 35°C. I hadn’t had a shower for a couple of days and I thought, ‘How nice it would be right now to have a shower’. But it being so hot, the effort to set one up seemed too much. So instead, I pulled an ice-cold coke from the fridge, sat and began dreaming.

The vehicle I was driving was a Toyota Land Cruiser 105 Station-wagon. This vehicle is a 100 series, but with an 80-series chassis – to my mind, one of the most brilliant vehicles ever produced by Toyota. But being a station-wagon meant it has its limitations in terms of living out of for extended periods. So my mind drifted toward the Land Cruiser 78-series wagon, known in Australia and some other countries, as the Troopy. This reliable light truck with its cavernous rear load bay would make the perfect basis for a live-in camper style vehicle, while still being small enough to be used as an overland transport that could reach places larger trucks simply cannot go. This would be my 11^th 4x4. To cap all this dreaming, I thought, why not design, build and then market such a vehicle?

Jump forward two years.

I have started AutoGraph4x4. (www.autograph4x4.com) My Troopy is complete and I’ve already taken it to the Richtersveld for ‘builder’s trials’.  And now I have the ultimate trip planned – to drive from Cape Agulhas, Africa’s Southernmost tip, to John o Groats, Scotland’s Northernmost tip. And I am to do it in my Troopy and make a TV series about the adventure. So here I am, three months from departure and I have orders for four similar such vehicles for clients.

The vehicle began as a South African-spec Land Cruiser-78, with a 1HZ normally aspirated, 6-cylinder engine and four-speed manual gearbox and auto-locking front hubs. As standard equipment it came with double 90L fuel tanks and front and rear differential locks.

Work began about six months after receiving the vehicle, when I handed the vehicle over to Alu-Cab, a Cape Town company doing very nice custom work. They were one of very few companies who were genuinely interested in my ideas, as opposed to some who were hell-bent on letting me know how good their deigns were and wanted to push them on me. While I respect them for pride in their own designs, I wanted it built to my specifications, not theirs. Alu-Cab on the other hand were excited about what we both as a team could bring to the project. And the results are, I think, superb. My design ideas were not complex and I wanted it simple and efficient with a mandate that I should be able to erect my tent, have the bed made, have the 270° Ezi-Awn shade awning out, a fire going and a cold one in the hand all within five minutes. And, packing away everything should not take any longer than 10 minutes. Proving camps in the Richtersveld showed that this set-up easily betters these times.

Pain

First, the interior was stripped and then the roof was cut open like a can of beans. It was very painful to watch. An inner steel chassis to strengthen the roof was then build, rust-proofed and inserted, glued and bolted in place. The tent unit was then built to fit. It makes one of the roomiest roof-top tents I have yet seen, and requires very little effort to erect or pack away. Inside the back, the tent lifts up, increasing headroom so that one can stand and walk around. The load-bay benches permit me to use the interior for anything other than aerobics; writing, editing or to watch a movie in the evening should the weather turn foul. Access to stuff is via two slide-out drawers. I have not fitted a kitchen because I want to be able to choose to cook inside or out. There are two Snomaster fridges: a 70L fridge-freezer combo in the back and a small, cool-drink fridge between the front seats that doubles as an arm-rest. Two 70-AH Blue-top Orbital batteries run things. A CTek charger handles the current and a 180W Sanyo HIT solar panel on the flip-up roof helps keep them going. There is a 1000W pure-sin wave inverter and 220v plugs in the front and back. I can charge camera batteries without having to find chargers etc., as they are all in place, as is the power supply for the computer.

Going mad

There were no limitations to what I could do with this vehicle and never before had I been given so such opportunity to go mad. So I did.

A gas geyser and water tank and pump feed a simple shower device, that provides hot water in about 30 seconds. Takla, a South African company making superb seat covers provided those, as well as helped me develop a sound insulation flooring cover. The standard flooring is ugly and the cab can be quite noisy, and this did the trick. While we were at it we developed the same product for LR Defender, Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes 290GD Pro. Underside protection is minimal, but includes Goby-X side step rock sliders and a steering protection plate.

I upgraded the springs and shocks, but found that the standard product I was considering was too firm at the back, and so I removed one of the eight rear leaves. Now the ride is pliant and very nice on the open road, while also not too soft for rough tracks and a heavy load.  I added Firestone Air-springs. This is for when I am particularly heavy and acts as a great help to the springs during very rough going, and goes some way to prevent rear spring breakages.

I changed the wheel rims from the very heavy split rims, to wider rims originally supplied with the 105 series. But they are also extremely heavy, so I have decided on a set of alloys. These are still to be fitted, but will be KMC XD series with BF Goodrich AT tyres. I carry two spares on a replacement rear bumper. The alloys don’t just look nice, but are proper off-road rims.  Combined, they will reduce unsprung weight quite considerably and, more importantly, may make the difference between me being able to lift one of them onto the wheel carrier – or not. The expanded wheel arches are made by a company called Onka, and while not quite the quality of the Australian equivalent, do the job just as well.

I’ve enjoyed my summer break with my kids, and in between have been tinkering in my workshop, preparing the Cruiser for the huge undertaking ahead of me. I’ve mounted torches, easy-access boxes for my camera gear, fire extinguishers, pepper-spray cans, an extra light or two, a back-up inverter, and a decent sound system. I up-rated engine performance by a low-pressure turbo charger fitted by SAC. I elected to upgrade the exhaust to a wider bore, but in an effort to keep things as simple as possible, did not fit an intercooler. Small Hella HID spot lamps were selected because of their size. A turbo-charger is going to need all the cooling it can get and large lights are out of the question. These Hella units produce an unbelievably bright, white light, more than enough for my needs. They stand on a TJM winch bar in which is a TJM 9000lb plasma-rope winch in mounted. Lastly, I upgraded the brakes by replacing the front discs and pads with those made by Powerbrake. It’s made a remarkable difference.

And now it’s mid January and this big trip is looming, but with still so much to do!

The last bits and pieces include auto-armour anti-smash-and-grab window tint, a Baillies Offroad 180L tank at the back (To extend range from 1000kms to 1500 kms) a secret, diesel anti-theft cut-off switch, and some security measure to prevent the rear slider windows being forced open. And I think that is it!

The vehicle will be on show at the Beeld Holiday Show,  15-17 February at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand. See you there.

After this, I’m gone!

Amarok – Any good?

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I have just completed over 5000 kms in one of these through Namibia. I hit lots of tar, gravel and even some reasonably challenging off-road bits. So it is any good?

There is no point in doing a test on any pick-up without comparing it to the others. For this, I must divide the offerings in two categories: not worth considering and, difficult to choose between them. In the first are all the Nissans, all the Chinese buckets of bolts, the funny looking Indian things and even the Isuzu. Right now, only the Hilux and the brilliant new Ranger fit into the second. So, the question is, in which category does the Amarok fit?

Let’s see. On the open tar, the 2.0L pulls extremely well. Seats didn’t give me backache during three full days in the vehicle, almost without a break. The cab is extremely wide and a nice place to be. The gear lever is very notchy and it took me a while to like it. The instruments and layout are fine. No medals, but nothing wrong either. But I couldn’t play my iPod music because there is no connection or Bluetooth. Bad VW!! Don’t you know that not many people use CDs any more?

Cruise control is faultless and the motor pulls up and down hills at 120 kph, and overtakes are easy. Economy was outstanding.

In town it’s a big car with poor rear visibility. My wife did not enjoy driving it at all. And the worst part of all, the engine produces very low torque at low revs so stalling is a regular occurrence, especially in reverse (reverse gear is a higher ratio than first). It was very annoying and frustrating. I did get used to it, but it took quite some time. I found myself slipping the clutch quite often, which I hate to do.

Rough expedition tracks. The ride is good and the loadbay is huge. The canopy supplied (SA-Canopy Carryboy) was as useful as a chocolate kettle. It let in huge amounts of dust, the catches broke several times and each time we spend a good hour trying to get them to latch properly.

Off-road. The four-wheel drive and low range engagement was quick and painless. Low range is nice and low, and the hill climbs were tackled easily. It has a rear diff-lock, which I avoided using, as I wanted to find out what it could do without it - and it did well. Clearance looks to me to be average. On down hill compression descents the Amarok drove truly brilliantly. The hill-descent-control works extremely well and the speed limit setting is just right.

Conclusion. After getting used to the stalling on pull off, my Namibia experience was only made better by this very enjoyable vehicle. I like the Amarok very much, and it easily fits into category two. Would I prefer a larger engine? Sure, but at what price in economy? So would I choose the Amarok over a Hilux or Ranger? I honestly don’t know. I would have to jump back into those two, to remind myself just how good they are.

Brand new TV show

Hi All

My new TV series is about to go out on DSTV, Ch 265 (Ignition TV) Watch the promo here. I still haven't completed the shoots, having a last one to do with the Arctic Trucks' Hilux, in Knysna. The show's on every weekend from November 17th, 8.30 pm Saturday and Sunday. I hope you enjoy the show. It's some of my best work! Cheers for now, Andrew.

Video Blog and some personal stuff

I'm going to take a bit of a liberty this week and not write my normal blog. Instead I've recorded one while driving from my home near Cape Town to Gauteng. This written blog is of a more personal nature.

It's been a memorable few months, both for good and bad reasons. My wife Gwynn has finally released her first novel, after an exhausting, four-month blog tour. We've had the nastiest winter I can remember here in the Cape and some shooting of the video trailer for Gwynn's book was a real battle against the weather. Then the process was interrupted with me having to rush off to assist my parents when my Dad fell critically ill. I finally completed the shooting and editing of the trailer just before having to rush back to my father's side. He passed away on Tuesday at a little after 7pm. He was one of the greatest people I ever new. His compassion for others, unbridled generosity and wicked sense of humour are irreplaceable. We never had a normal conversation. We always laughed.

The picture shows me and my Dad doing what we both really loved - flying in my plane.

My 4x4 video blog:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4FY1CXq1_c&feature=share&list=UULL44RCPuw8XIslZBB8jf6A

Gwynn's book blog:

http://todayinshenaya.blogspot.com/

The book video trailer:

http://youtu.be/yFA-p6Xq01s

The dysfunctional family

I recently had a very bad experience with a South African trailer manufacturer and wonder how many others out there are having similar problems.

The nature of trailer design is that most components are standard but there are always items that are customized. And this is where the trouble starts.

In my case I ordered a trailer for a client from Desert Wolf. It was to be their standard Lynx model with some customizations. I was required to place a 50% deposit and then, after telling me that ‘it’s almost complete’, asked to make another payment totaling over 95% of the total bill. I got on an airplane and flew up to Gauteng to see the progress, take pictures and report to client. When I arrived, the trailer consisted of a pile of pre-fabricated stainless sheets. There wasn’t even a chassis.

The project was ordered three months before the client was due to arrive from Thailand and go on his trip. Two weeks before his arrival, I got back on a plane. This time there was at least a chassis, but no wheels, and the body was not much more than a shell. So Desert Wolf had to rush the final phase, leaving no time at all for corrections. There where two serious ones, and neither could be sorted before the client would arrive. So the trailer was shipped to Cape Town where R&D Off-road toiled over a weekend to get things right. But even that wasn’t enough to get it all right and some things had to wait for the client to return from his first trip. Desert Wolf’s local agent did sort out a few minor teething problems, but that was all. I fitted the bill for all the corrective work.

Now here comes the real nub… Desert Wolf claims that there is an outstanding amount owning, which I dispute, and which totals about 2% of the total invoice.

But no matter who is right or wrong in this, because of it, Desert Wolf is refusing to honour the warrantees on their trailer. They like to call theirs, ‘The Desert Wolf Family’. It would seem it’s a highly dysfunctional one.

Warning. When paying for any project, withhold a substantial sum before final delivery. Don’t be foolish and trust the supplier. (Like I did) As with Desert Wolf, the only time when my complaints were responded to with any energy was when there was money involved. Once they had my cash, their service and response to my requests fell on deaf ears and their levels of service were shameful.

Defender replacement - a hoax

Last year the magazines and motoring press were awash with horror stories that Land Rover was about to release the replacement to the Defender in the form of the DC100. It caused such a stir for two reasons: Firstly, it was nothing remotely like the vehicle it was destined to replace, and secondly, it was a hoax.

The DC100 was developed as a concept car and sent out to cause as much of a ruckus as possible. I even fell for it. How can a two door, short-wheelbase vehicle, with low profile tyres and a stylish SUV appeal be a truck? It can’t, can it? Land Rover’s only mistake was, that for while we all thought you were a bunch of ignorant morons, with no clue as to what or who drives your cars. But the truth is far from what the press has to say (That’s a good lesson for life generally).

The furore over the DC100 has been unprecedented, and from it Land Rover learnt two main lessons: Defender owners will hate it. And, lots of people who couldn’t care less what a Defender is, will love it, and would rush out and buy it.

Land Rover, I am told, is taking the Defender replacement very seriously, calling in users from inside and outside the company all over the world to find out what they want. They’ve been testing Land Cruisers, Merc G-Wagens and Nissans, to name a few, to compare and ask to be compared. As someone who has always loved the Defender, I am confident that whatever comes will be a vehicle suitable to replace the Defender and hopefully will keep some of its character. No easy job. But it will be a modern vehicle, that is far, far easier to live with (that part, not very difficult).

Andrew

The fight of the three 4x4 titans - Disco, Prado, Pajero

For decades, the three titans of the mid-range, luxury 4x4 off-road wagon market have beed the Land Rover Discovery, Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Prado. There are others in the segment, namely the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Hyundai Terracan, but they have not been fierce contenders, mainly because they aren’t very good. Some may suggest that vehicles like the Audi Q7 and BMW X5 should also mentioned, but they aren’t off roaders. They are just SUVs with four-wheel drive. There is a huge difference.

At first the Prado lead on-road, while the Discovery lead off-road. Then when the Discovery-2 was launched, it plummeted to the worst off-road, and it stayed worst on it. It’s fall from grace was due solely to some stupid person in the development team deciding to remove the centre diff lock and to force the vehicle to rely solely on its mostly pathetic traction-control for all its grip. The result was a vehicle that had pitifully poor traction off road. At this stage the Prado lead both off road and on it, the Pajero remaining steadfastly the middle runner.

Enter Discovery-3. When it arrived, so did its brand new traction control, which happily, worked. And it worked superbly. And with it, ride height control. It shot straight back to the leader in the off-road stakes, and amazingly, easily matched the Prado on-road. Mitsubishi, it seemed, had lost interest in its Pajero and did almost nothing. It fell to worst off road and worst on it - where it remains today. But the big question now is, how does the Prado stack up against the Discovery-4. It too has traction control, and the VX model has a lockable rear differential. Both vehicles have clever electronics and both are brilliant long-distance cruisers. Is there a winner? Yes I think there is, but it depends what you are looking for.

If you want long distance comfort and a diesel, the Discovery wins hands down. No contest. The Prado diesel is a lame horse by comparison. But the petrol model is a different story. The Toyota still doesn’t perform as well, performance and towing wise as the Discovery, but it’s great. Overall comfort, the VX Prado and the Discovery-4 are a tie. As vehicles to live with, day-by-day, I prefer the Discovery, for a few reasons. It’s very light and airy interior is a much more pleasant place to be, compared to the comparatively dark and gloomy Prado. Ride quality to, and the Disco is a bit better, but not much. On corrugations and a rough track, again, the Disco wins by a nose. But the Discovery’s split tailgate is, for me, a deal clincher. A drop-down tailgate is something that very few vehicles have, because it’s more expensive to make two doors and than one. The Range Rover has it, as does the Land Cruiser-200. But the Pajero, Prado and even the Range Rover Evoque, do not. I have lived with both, and it’s something that makes living with a station-wagon such a huge pleasure.

As an overland vehicle, the Discovery has only two downfalls, which are not shared by the Prado. The wheel size of 19” cannot be reduced to fit more practical tyres and, the ride height automatically drops to its ‘normal’ setting at only 55-kph, low enough to be very annoying at times. Are these two deal breakers? Maybe. As for the electronics; the Prado VX has just as much, so the two tie. However the Prado TX does not. Its suspension is old fashioned springs (not air-springs) and the chassis is the same as the old one, which means a good ride on most surfaces, very good off-road, you can modify it with smaller wheel rims and even give the clearance a bit of a lift. But alas, the D4D engine. It’s just too flat for that vehicle. Sure, you can live with it, but unfortunately for me, I’ve been driving in a diesel Discovery-4 these past few months, and I can confidently say, it’s even better that the V8 petrol version, for many reasons, not just economy.

So there it is. Soon, the Pajero, with its dated styling, even more dated engine and old fashioned ergonomics, is being left so far behind, I wander what will replace it?

As the shooting for my TV series comes to a close, the time to hand the Discovery back looms. Of the Prados, Pajeros, Jeeps, Porsche, Subarus, Land Cruisers, Fortuners, Hiluxes, Mahindras, Patrols, Fords and the rest, I can count on one hand the test vehicles that I’ve been truly disappointed to give back. Discovery-4 is near the top of that short list. What’s at the top? Porsche Cayenne, if you must know.