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Jan 15, 2015 15:06:50 GMT
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My good friend Allen and I will be tackling the Macmillan 4x4 challenge in March this year. Allen participated last year but I am a newb. More details can be found here Mac 4x4. If you would like to make a donation, our just giving page is here. justgiving I will keep you updated as I go along. The event is in March so not long to go. The vehicle we will be doing this in is my 1997 Land Rover Discovery XS which has 186,000 miles on and cost me £900. Here is the vehicle in question. I've already made a side exit exhaust and I've added a leisure battery and split charger with a voltage gauge in the cab so I can keep an eye on things. I've already swapped the springs and shocks for 2" longer ones in a very fetching yellow colour. I bought four of these LED lights from Evilbay. They were £40 and are 27 watts each. They only draw 9 amps so I'm not even using a relay to run them. And fitted All these modifications have been carried out under the watchful scrutinisation of Tabitha. I've made my own chequer plate door card for the rear door for two very good reason. 1 I'm a colossal tight ar$e and 2 I had a load of chequer plate in the garage. There's a foldable shelf which is supported by 2 bike brake cables which hide away when it's folded up. Fully fitted kitchen I've got an oil leak to sort from the vacuum pump before we begin and a snorkel and wading kit to connect too.
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Jan 22, 2015 15:23:12 GMT
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So here is a picture of the lights. The bar they are sitting I made from an old curtain pole which I put as bend in and welded some mounting tabs on. It is clamped to the roof bars using Stauff clamps that we use at work to secure hydraulic pipes. You can also see the snorkel I made from a boost pipe from one of our machines at work. It turned out to be exactly the right legth and shape!!! RESULT! A mate gave me an old filter to top it off. It comes through into the engine bay and straight into the original intake pipes via some pipes my mate had spare in his garage. (can you tell I'm a tigh ar$e?) You can see the leisure battery which is where the jack should originally be. Yes that is a home made battery clamp. I hate having to buy things. The power steering reservoir needed to be moved to allow the battery to fit so I fabbed up a simple bracket just to shift it over a few centimetres. This is the 100 amp relay I have to switch the charge on and off. It's wired from the D+ on the alternator so it will only charge when the engine is running, and I have the earth on a switch in the cab so it's not constantly charging. I have installed a volt meter to keep an eye on things. I have been ordering some stickers to dress up the car ready for the challenge. They should arrive soon so I will get some pics up once they are fitted. only 50 days to go!!!
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Jan 29, 2015 12:55:31 GMT
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I had some stickers made ready for the challenge. There is a local company that my neighbour works for, they want to put the company name and logo on the doors so I have left them empty. Fitted a muddy tyre print and the team number on the rear quarters. And my and my Navigators name on the rear windows along with the just giving web page. I didn't photograph it but there is a bigger sticker with the just giving page above the roof gutters. And just for fun (and because I was on ebay) the cars name. Named after the Stephen King book/film in which a car tries to kill people. On the drive home after buying it, we were rolling up to the Dartford Tunnel when the front right brake pipe split! We bodged that by bending it over so it wouldn't leak. Then when my mate rolled down the window to pay the toll, it wouldn't come up again so he argues that the car tried to freeze him to death! He arrived back at my house with the heaters on full and his jacket zipped right up- he was laughing though. I'm going to give her a good valet and try and get rid of some of the laning marks from the sides before the challenge begins. It will be nice to see it looking like a presentable car again. Just need some warmer weather now.
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For some reason the Just Giving site isn't working for me at the moment. I'll try later. Edit - got in via the main page, check you link as that doesn't work for me.
We did this back in 2005 and had a ball.
Bog standard P38 4.0L. No mods, no nowt. Just checked back and we came joint 34th but by God, it was fun.
It was a tad nippy sleeping in the car at the overnight (3am - 5am) stop though.
Most of our rally was in South Wales and the borders. Where is it this year?
Please keep us updated, have a great time and best of luck!
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Last Edit: Jan 30, 2015 1:18:46 GMT by georgeb
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tdk
Part of things
Posts: 958
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Jan 30, 2015 13:25:09 GMT
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Any more details on the event? The link in your post doesn't work. Good luck, by the way
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Jan 30, 2015 14:01:11 GMT
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Links are now fixed. georgeb - looks like you had fun. I can't wait to get going. They have said that it starts at Britpart factory in Shropshire and finishes at a hotel in Cheshire. The route is kept secret until the day of the event. tdk- There is more info on the website. I've added the links below. Mac 4x4 websiteRob and Al's justgiving page
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Jan 30, 2015 15:19:06 GMT
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For some reason the Just Giving site isn't working for me at the moment. I'll try later. Edit - got in via the main page, check you link as that doesn't work for me.
We did this back in 2005 and had a ball.
Bog standard P38 4.0L. No mods, no nowt. Just checked back and we came joint 34th but by God, it was fun.
It was a tad nippy sleeping in the car at the overnight (3am - 5am) stop though.
Most of our rally was in South Wales and the borders. Where is it this year?
Please keep us updated, have a great time and best of luck!
georgeb I just noticed that you had donated. Thanks very much. Have you not taken part in any challenges since 2005?
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Jan 30, 2015 22:48:22 GMT
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georgeb I just noticed that you had donated. Thanks very much. Have you not taken part in any challenges since 2005? Would have loved to, it really was a blast, but didn't get the chance. End of 2005 my company sent me out to Thailand for the first time and I was hardly in the UK after that then, about two years later, I moved to Asia permanently. Oh, the hotel is in Warrington (can't remember the damn name now) and they've used it for years to host the dinner. The rally always seems to start around Herefordshire/Shropshire as that's where Peter, the guy who organises (if he still does) lives. But yes, the rest is a real mystery tour.
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Good luck and see you at the start and finish. I've done this the last few years as part of the "AberMac" group and managed to raise a massive amount, its such a blast and a great cause. We do it in standard Series, also great fun, but we wont be competing this year, so have fun without us! Anyone around the Britpart factory in Craven Arms in Shropshire and the Daresbury Manor Hotel up near Warrington, wave to all the nutters, the pain they suffer (-12 on the Rugby Fields in Aberystwyth in tents) is all for Macmillan.
Good Luck!
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Daresbury Manor Hotel up near Warrington That's the place. Thanks for the memory jog!
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The event is starting this Friday 13th (ooer) and I am beyond excited. The sponsors stickers should be showing up tonight and I have given the old girl a mop and polish and a valet inside. It god rid of a lot of the bush scratches I acquired when green laning. Hopefully they will be back by the end of the weekend. This showed up in my feed on Stalkerbook, andyone have more info? Looks way cool. Kind of reminds me of "That Land Rover".
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Mar 13, 2015 15:53:09 GMT
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What a great weekend! Loads of fun had and loads of money raised for charity. Pictures from the Welsh WRC rally stage. Big pile of logs Making tea in the fully fitted kitchen Waiting at the start of the stage Thanks to all that donated. We might take part again next year.
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