Off to Morrocco!

[lclascaris]

DO you go offroad in your HAIRDRIER Then

boring now!

[Rob]

Trips been rescheduled to the first two weeks in April...

Not long now I'm going to be in Morocco from 20th March to 1st April. Can't wait
Still a few things to do - replace leaky and worn steering rack, timing belt is due as I'm approaching 200,000km, replace rear axle hub seal, replace rad hoses, replace brake pads, replace brake shoes (covered in EP90 on one side) etc etc.

Oh cr@p and the MOT is due next week!

[DitchCrawler]

Not long now I'm going to be in Morocco from 20th March to 1st April. Can't wait
Still a few things to do - replace leaky and worn steering rack, timing belt is due as I'm approaching 200,000km, replace rear axle hub seal, replace rad hoses, replace brake pads, replace brake shoes (covered in EP90 on one side) etc etc.

Oh cr@p and the MOT is due next week!

Mines at Tony's today getting a 2" lift fitted with HD springs, and is also due its MOT I've fitted a false floor/storage system that keeps all the heavy stuff (tools, sand ladders, spare fuel and water) mostly between the axles and low down. its getting a new transfer box seal as well and there is a bit of slack in one wheel bearing (just within tolerance) but I think we'll leave that and just carry a spare bearing and seals and fit them if needed.

I'm going to do a few miles this W/E as a shakedown run if (its all fixed by then)
Possibly to Wales then to Berwick/bprders area and back again, just to give it all a big shake and see how it all works fully loaded, that will then give me a few weeks to fix it all again

Paul

[Rob]

Yeah i was hoping to do a bit of a test run with the Surf fully loaded etc but seeing as time is dissapearing so fast, it'll probably be the day before i leave!

[DitchCrawler]

Well trips been and gone, and the Surf has held its head high in some tough company, the offroad sections (pistes) in Morocco were not all I had expected, in fact much tougher in some places than anybody expected, but the surf did well, only got stuck once on a rock ledge, when i had to stop and select low range to extract myself, no problem you say, snag is there was a 1300ft drop 12" behind the rear wheels, it certainly concentrated the mind for a while

The only problem i had was a bolt fell out from behind the dash, still not sure from where 6mm X 25mm and black and fell into the passenger footwell, the steering protection plate took a bash but only needed the small hammer to fix, and when i got back the front pads were NFG. Its got a few rattles now but still feels that it would do it all again next week.

We had equal best fuel consumption over the 7000km (same as a newish SWB Shogun much to his dismay)

All the other trucks broke/broke down one way or another, the Patrol ripped the rear body mounts off and smashed his LH rear quarter against a rock. The Shogun suffered major failure of every gadget fitted
The landy had to be towed to a safe area when its immobiliser threw a fit but was fixed over the phone by Landrover UK
A toyota prado shook its battery loose (wrong battery fitted) and broke the earth cable.

Our fridge packed up when the fibration caused a high resistance on the 12v connector and it melted.

A great trip indeed

If i was going again on the same pistes i would go for more underbody protection, and carry more beer

Paul

[TonyN]

Welcome back, good old Surf.

[24Seven]

Sounds like great fun DitchCrawler.

Do you have any photos?

[andrewlee31]

pics mate, and lots of them!!!

glad you made it back safe and sound

[Rob]

and carry more beer

Paul

I too learnt this lesson!!!

Mine also shook a battery a little loose. Well, it wasn't loose, it just moved a inch or so! The left battery moved over until the pos cable rubbed on the PS reservoir. I caught it before it rubbed through all of the insulation thankfully, otherwise I guess I would have been in for a fire or something. Other than that the surf was absolutley perfect. Even the $$$$py ES3000 shocks managed to cope, although i'd probably change them before i go back next time. I will be doing a write up sometime soon but for now the pics are here, including the trip through Spain and back.

[24Seven]

I too learnt this lesson!!!

I will be doing a write up sometime soon but for now the pics are here, including the trip through Spain and back.

Very envious Rob