Tommo&Claire
Well-Known Member
For those of you who may be interested, myself, Ecky Thump and Paul depart on this years overland adventure on Friday evening. I have prepared this little post in case any of you are interested in the preps I have made to my Land Cruiser and just generally. Plenty of 80 series overland builds but not too many for the 90 series, so, see what you think? Comments/suggestions gratefully received!!
Looking splendiferous on the drive in her new decals!
Mechanical
Obviously a full service!
Changed the engine oil and filter, I used Fuchs Titan Semi Syn 10W40 and a genuine Toyota Filter.
Changed Air Filter, again genuine Toyota one used.
Front and rear diff oil change. I changed the rear diff oil about 12month previous but on extending my breathers I was advised that the original breather was knackered and there was a possibility that water may have gotten in there, so a full change was prudent. In fact, on draining the rear diff, the oil was still clean and translucent, so it would have been fine. Better safe than sorry!
Front Diff is a bit of a pain to get to and requires the removal of your front bash plate. Draining the diff is easy but refilling it is a pain as with the best will in the world you will struggle to get the bottle in there. This was achieved with a length of flexible tube and a mate (Cheers Paul!). The oil I used in the front was some i already had, 80W90 by Comma, but the rear requires nearly 3 litres so i ordered the upgrade option from Opie Oils and they sent me a 90S oil used for LSD and racing diffs, even though mine doesn’t have LSD it has a locker?? I queried and they assured me it was correct as long as I stay above -18 degrees C!
About 2 months ago I replaced my nearside CV, and whilst doing the diff oil we discovered a small hole in my offside CV boot. Fortunately when ordering my nearside CV, Greg (of Land Cruisers Overland) ordered a pair, so I had that put in on monday. Thus i’m now sporting two brand new Shaftech CV’s which even Greg has not managed to break yet.
Fuel Filter, mine needed replacing anyway as i had not done it in about 12 months and there is always the question mark over Common Rail Diesels and dodgy fuel. This is probably unfair but i am carrying an extra fuel filter (again genuine Toyota) and i also fitted an inline filter as recommended by Chris, a few weeks ago.
ASFIR Front and centre bash plates, although despite some trying, i never actually bent the originals, i wanted the peace of mind. So despite the extortionate cost i invested in some ASFiR ones. I figured if there’s one thing the Israeli’s build well, it’s armour! They’ve been on the a year and the truck has been well used off road and they are showing only minor scuffs on them so they seem worth their money.
Safari Snorkel, continuing with the theme of protecting the engine, the snorkel was a good option if ,again, expensive. I don’t wade really deep very much but i do frequent Salisbury Plain regularly where there is abundant water in the winter months and i have also been through Corwen Car wash a couple of times, so in all, a worthwhile purchase. Plus they look cool!
As referred to earlier i had the breathers extended on both diffs and my gearbox. Not the cheapest kit out there, but really good quality. They now all breathe from the top of my snorkel.
Comms/Nav
Comms will be provided by mobile phones all the way to the outside world, and CB Radios will connect the two vehicles. Nav will be covered by a TomTom XXL in each vehicle, with live route updates and my trusty handheld GPS that i've had for nearly ten years. and.... shock horror, paper maps.
Medical
I am the patrol medic again and am carrying my full medical kit as always. Were not exactly venturing into the empty quarter of Saudi so i’ve not gone mad, just a trauma kit for keeping people alive and then plasters and immodium.
Money
We’ll take some cash for the ferry and then stop at cash machines as required. Paul is out local expert and he assures us that money is never an issue out there.
Kit List
In no particular order! You will also notice some items of note missing. This is mainly because we didn’t want to duplicate stuff were carrying over the two vehicles. Paul is carrying all the mechanical tools for example and i’m carrying all the electrical ones (and Les of course who knows how to use them), i’m carrying the water, he’s carrying the fridge etc etc
Spare fuel filter, spare serpentine belt, gas lantern, jet boil, head torches, 2 x camp chairs, 20l diesel jerry can, 70l water bladder, 4 days 24hr ration packs, AA batteries, extra gas, maglight, led torch, 2 x camp beds, beer, bottle of 12 year old Strathisla, puncture repair kit, washer fluid, 2litres engine oil, 1 litre diff oil, duck tape, sniper tape, electronics kit, pots/pans, 2 x arctic sleeping bags, OZ tent, camp table, PS fluid...
Camping
OZ tent RV4, full camping setup, chairs table etc.
Tyres
I considered taking an extra spare as Claire has a 265/70/16 on the back of her Land Cruiser also shod in Grabber AT2s, i decided not to take it as it takes up a lot of room in the back and, as it’s on a Toyota steel rim, weighs a ton, so i don’t want it on the roof. As for the tyres themselves 265/70/16 General Grabber AT2’s with around 11mm of tread on them after around 15,000 miles. My second set, love them.
RoofRack
Winbo roof rack bought off ebay for 30quid. Light weight, big and strong. You can climb up there and walk around on it no problem at all. As you can see quite big enough for OZ tent, high lift jack and shovel with plenty of room to spare.
Spares
Only taking a spare serpentine belt and an extra fuel filter just in case. Paul has a few spider kits should a UJ go but can’t think of anything else appropriate.
Diesel
I’m taking a 20l jerry can for emergencies but even with the 40litres extra Paul is carrying i think i still outrange the 80 by about 100miles so we can’t foresee an issue there.
Water
70l bladder kits perfectly behind the seats and will provide enough water for all of us on this trip as we will be able to top up regularly and the plan is not to touch it unless we run out of the bottled stuff you can buy everywhere!
And a few pics to show the general packing arrangements and the layout of the interior. Thats pretty well fully loaded and still have loads of space yet.
TJM seat covers, wonderful bits of kit!
And that, as they say, is that.
In 48hours we'll be on the road.
Looking splendiferous on the drive in her new decals!
Mechanical
Obviously a full service!
Changed the engine oil and filter, I used Fuchs Titan Semi Syn 10W40 and a genuine Toyota Filter.
Changed Air Filter, again genuine Toyota one used.
Front and rear diff oil change. I changed the rear diff oil about 12month previous but on extending my breathers I was advised that the original breather was knackered and there was a possibility that water may have gotten in there, so a full change was prudent. In fact, on draining the rear diff, the oil was still clean and translucent, so it would have been fine. Better safe than sorry!
Front Diff is a bit of a pain to get to and requires the removal of your front bash plate. Draining the diff is easy but refilling it is a pain as with the best will in the world you will struggle to get the bottle in there. This was achieved with a length of flexible tube and a mate (Cheers Paul!). The oil I used in the front was some i already had, 80W90 by Comma, but the rear requires nearly 3 litres so i ordered the upgrade option from Opie Oils and they sent me a 90S oil used for LSD and racing diffs, even though mine doesn’t have LSD it has a locker?? I queried and they assured me it was correct as long as I stay above -18 degrees C!
About 2 months ago I replaced my nearside CV, and whilst doing the diff oil we discovered a small hole in my offside CV boot. Fortunately when ordering my nearside CV, Greg (of Land Cruisers Overland) ordered a pair, so I had that put in on monday. Thus i’m now sporting two brand new Shaftech CV’s which even Greg has not managed to break yet.
Fuel Filter, mine needed replacing anyway as i had not done it in about 12 months and there is always the question mark over Common Rail Diesels and dodgy fuel. This is probably unfair but i am carrying an extra fuel filter (again genuine Toyota) and i also fitted an inline filter as recommended by Chris, a few weeks ago.
ASFIR Front and centre bash plates, although despite some trying, i never actually bent the originals, i wanted the peace of mind. So despite the extortionate cost i invested in some ASFiR ones. I figured if there’s one thing the Israeli’s build well, it’s armour! They’ve been on the a year and the truck has been well used off road and they are showing only minor scuffs on them so they seem worth their money.
Safari Snorkel, continuing with the theme of protecting the engine, the snorkel was a good option if ,again, expensive. I don’t wade really deep very much but i do frequent Salisbury Plain regularly where there is abundant water in the winter months and i have also been through Corwen Car wash a couple of times, so in all, a worthwhile purchase. Plus they look cool!
As referred to earlier i had the breathers extended on both diffs and my gearbox. Not the cheapest kit out there, but really good quality. They now all breathe from the top of my snorkel.
Comms/Nav
Comms will be provided by mobile phones all the way to the outside world, and CB Radios will connect the two vehicles. Nav will be covered by a TomTom XXL in each vehicle, with live route updates and my trusty handheld GPS that i've had for nearly ten years. and.... shock horror, paper maps.
Medical
I am the patrol medic again and am carrying my full medical kit as always. Were not exactly venturing into the empty quarter of Saudi so i’ve not gone mad, just a trauma kit for keeping people alive and then plasters and immodium.
Money
We’ll take some cash for the ferry and then stop at cash machines as required. Paul is out local expert and he assures us that money is never an issue out there.
Kit List
In no particular order! You will also notice some items of note missing. This is mainly because we didn’t want to duplicate stuff were carrying over the two vehicles. Paul is carrying all the mechanical tools for example and i’m carrying all the electrical ones (and Les of course who knows how to use them), i’m carrying the water, he’s carrying the fridge etc etc
Spare fuel filter, spare serpentine belt, gas lantern, jet boil, head torches, 2 x camp chairs, 20l diesel jerry can, 70l water bladder, 4 days 24hr ration packs, AA batteries, extra gas, maglight, led torch, 2 x camp beds, beer, bottle of 12 year old Strathisla, puncture repair kit, washer fluid, 2litres engine oil, 1 litre diff oil, duck tape, sniper tape, electronics kit, pots/pans, 2 x arctic sleeping bags, OZ tent, camp table, PS fluid...
Camping
OZ tent RV4, full camping setup, chairs table etc.
Tyres
I considered taking an extra spare as Claire has a 265/70/16 on the back of her Land Cruiser also shod in Grabber AT2s, i decided not to take it as it takes up a lot of room in the back and, as it’s on a Toyota steel rim, weighs a ton, so i don’t want it on the roof. As for the tyres themselves 265/70/16 General Grabber AT2’s with around 11mm of tread on them after around 15,000 miles. My second set, love them.
RoofRack
Winbo roof rack bought off ebay for 30quid. Light weight, big and strong. You can climb up there and walk around on it no problem at all. As you can see quite big enough for OZ tent, high lift jack and shovel with plenty of room to spare.
Spares
Only taking a spare serpentine belt and an extra fuel filter just in case. Paul has a few spider kits should a UJ go but can’t think of anything else appropriate.
Diesel
I’m taking a 20l jerry can for emergencies but even with the 40litres extra Paul is carrying i think i still outrange the 80 by about 100miles so we can’t foresee an issue there.
Water
70l bladder kits perfectly behind the seats and will provide enough water for all of us on this trip as we will be able to top up regularly and the plan is not to touch it unless we run out of the bottled stuff you can buy everywhere!
And a few pics to show the general packing arrangements and the layout of the interior. Thats pretty well fully loaded and still have loads of space yet.
TJM seat covers, wonderful bits of kit!
And that, as they say, is that.
In 48hours we'll be on the road.
have fun and show the 80 boys how its done 
Have a good trip 
