Overland Travel Preparation

[riverratrover]

I'm a few months away form my college graduation and my big post graduate plan is to take an overland trip to the tip of South America and depending on finances possible beyond. When an opportunity to purchase a 2000 DII at a unbeatable price came around I jumped on it even with the 83,000 on the odometer. It has served me very well with no major issues except for a sunroof failure. Because this is payed for I would like to prep it for the trip, unfortunately I just hit the 90,000 mile mark and will have at least 10,500 before I could depart. I'm a little concerned about the number of miles on it. Also I figure I need to make a few mods to make it comfortable and capable:
Roof Rack
ARB front bumper
Water tank
Extended fuel tank and/or jerry cans
OME suspension
snorkel
etc...

I would like to learn form your collective knowledge on what to do about the car and best ways to prepare it.

Thanks for you helphttp://landroversonly.com/forums/images/smilies/rallysmiley.gif

[p76rangie]

Originally Posted by riverratrover

I'm a few months away form my college graduation and my big post graduate plan is to take an overland trip to the tip of South America and depending on finances possible beyond. When an opportunity to purchase a 2000 DII at a unbeatable price came around I jumped on it even with the 83,000 on the odometer. It has served me very well with no major issues except for a sunroof failure. Because this is payed for I would like to prep it for the trip, unfortunately I just hit the 90,000 mile mark and will have at least 10,500 before I could depart. I'm a little concerned about the number of miles on it. Also I figure I need to make a few mods to make it comfortable and capable:
Roof Rack
ARB front bumper
Water tank
Extended fuel tank and/or jerry cans
OME suspension
snorkel
etc...

I would like to learn form your collective knowledge on what to do about the car and best ways to prepare it.

Thanks for you helphttp://landroversonly.com/forums/images/smilies/rallysmiley.gif

How many people are going in your D2. If it is just 2 of you, I would remove the rear seat and not put a roof rack on. A roof rack with any weight on it on an extended trip can cause cracking in the roof structure and supports. Having the stuff inside your vehicle gives you better security against theft, etc.

With the cost of fuel going up, a roof rack with gear on it can stuff you fuel economy as well.

If you insist on putting a roof rack on, you might want to look at a roof top tent. It makes it easier to set up and pack up camp while you are travelling along.

Get a cargo barrier to go behind your seats as this will give you protection from stuff coming forward and hitting you.

Don't look at springs until you know how much you will be carrying and the weight involved. Would also seriously consider getting air springs o help with the varying loads. The air springs do not replace the coils, hey go inside the coils and you can pump them up when you have heavier loads on board.

Assuming you have a V8 rather than a TD5, long range tanks are not a bad idea. You can replace your main tank with one of a larger capacity, and/or get sill tanks. Such tanks are often not cheap, so if you are only looking at them for this one trip, a few jerry cans will be a cheaper solution.

Again if there are only two of you, you can get a water bladder than will lay on the floor behind the front seats. Helps keep the weight central in the vehicle.

I would have thought a proper 12 volt refrigerator would be high on the list going into the warm climates. How else are you going to keep the beer cold.

I would also plan ahead and find out where all the nearest Landrover mechanics are for when something goes wrong.

I would also look into hiring a Satphone and a EPIRB it you are going into remote areas. Make sure you take a good first-aide kit.

A good GPS unit with either the maps loaded on it or preferably on a laptop will help prevent you getting lost.

A code reader may help identify any mechanical faults you may have on the trip.

Try to stick to things that you will be able to get along the way. For example, it would be better to have 16 inch rims rather than bigger rims as you will find it easier to get replacement tyres if you need them.

[antichrist]

Pick up a copy of "The Vechicle Dependent Expedition Guide" by Tom Sheppard.
Another good resource is "Overlanding" by John Gordon Steel (old, but he's done over 1,000,000 miles in overland travel)
They have a wealth of information, and will help you with questions to ask.
Also check out The LAND ROVER ADDICT Forums - Index
They have overland travel specific forum sections.

[riverratrover]

Thanks guys for all your help, with current gas prices looks like the roof rack my be out of the question. Well preparation will begin soon so I'll keep you all informed.