Got a Ticket!

The Patrol has spent a few days down at SW Autos - I collected it this evening. They've replaced the steering track rod ends and now you can actually make the thing drive in a straight line (the handling's not "pin-point", but that would be asking too much!) They also fixed up the seatbelt properly, sorted one or two other bits, and changed the engine oil, so I think we are now good to go...

Despite being dubbed the "Patrol of Death" by Stuart, it then flew through its MOT and we now have a ticket to allow it to be driven after December! All good.

Another one!

Good news - we have heard that Team Breakfast At Tizntest (a.k.a. James and Simon) are also driving a Patrol to Timbuktu. Theirs is a bit newer (1987) and (I quote) "in particularly poor condition - even worse now it's had an angle grinder taken to it!"

So that should be good in case we need to make one working car out of two broken ones... :-)

Getting there slowly...

Two improvements to the car this weekend - a "new" (secondhand) replacement for the dying battery, and a "new" (really new) seatbelt for the driver.

The seatbelt still needs some finishing-off (one of the securing bolts isn't quite long enough to be ideal) but the battery seems to do the trick - car started first time on a cold November evening, which was quite a thing!

Admittedly, the "old" battery looks like it might be the original one from 1985...

Apart from that, I still have not checked if the 4wd transmission works properly, I guess I will do that one night this week. The car is also going down to SW Autos again this week to have the track rod ends repaired, the oil changed, and another look at the suspension. All good fun.

Frost in the morning

Not something we'll be seeing in Mali!

Essential!

Haynes repair manual arrived, we'll definitely need it during our trip. Not sure I fancy stripping the gearbox down at the roadside though! Hopefully will just be required for minor repairs...

Spare wheels

The spare wheels that I bought on eBay arrived yesterday. Tyres don't have much life left but they'll be ok for emergencies. We'll keep two and put the other two back up for sale!

The first sticker is on the car!

And now everyone wants to know "why Timbuktu?..." If only I had a proper answer! :-)

Warming up the engine from home

I know little about cars...

But I guess there are other logistics to solve. So far: vaccinations, medecines, visas...

Just taking a look at my room: I am already piling up whatever goes through my head that I believe needed for this trip.

Scary??!! Maybe, but above all EXCITING!

Initial inspection reveals...

I popped down to SW Autos last night and we spent a few minutes looking at the Patrol. Mark quickly identified a few issues that need to be sorted out!

• Both steering track rod ends are completely knackered (likely to be a factor in the "steering vagueness" problem):





• The OS front shock is leaking (we should try to replace before the desert):



• There's a considerable amount of underbody rust (nothing too serious apparently):



• and one of the 2 batteries is confirmed as "rubbish" (it looks like it might be the original one, it's covered in Japanese writing...)
• and the seatbelt still needs sorting out!

I'll fix these things myself and then go back down to the garage later in the month for a fuller run-through. We need to inspect the front brakes, change the engine oil, and work out how serious the oil leak from the transmission is, at least.

And we need a roofrack, and some new tyres, and... and...!

Headlights

Now we have two! :-) small progress...

Not our car...

Question is, would you rather trust a 2007 BMW X3 or a 1985 Nissan Patrol to get you to Timbuktu? :-)

And we have a car... :-)

She needs some work- urgently, a headlight bulb (you can't buy 24v bulbs on the high street...), 4 tyres, and the driver's seatbelt. Plenty more to follow I suspect!

Planning is underway!